Chapter 3 of Canterlot may be late.

Good afternoon mares and gentelstallions,

So, like the title says Chapter 3 of Canterlot in Flames may be a bit late this week. My plan has been to post one chapter a week, each week, as long as my buffer allows. I have Chapter 4 in the works, and likely chapter 5 won't be too hard to write (Though it'll be arguably one of the my darkest and likely the one that will justify the mature/gore tag), I am currently reeling for one of the worst weekends I've had in a very, very long time.

Before I share with you all why my weekend was bad, I am going to share a small excerpt from Chapter 4.

A short distance away, an earth pony lieutenant wearing a bandage around his head picks up a violin from near the chair he is resting in by the fireplace. Lifting it to his chin, he plays a long, mournful chord. Chaser, picking up on the song, raises his voice and his glass of cider.

“Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company.” He smiles and nods to the violinist, who starts playing the song slowly, the music filling the room and causing all heads to turn towards it. “And of all the harm that e’er I’ve done, alas it to was but none to me.”

“And all I’ve done, for want of wit, to memory now I can’t recall.” a unicorn mare with her arm in a sling joins in, raising her glass to Chaser - who returns the gesture - her voice rough with fatigue but sounding like crystal glasses. “So fill to me the parting glass.”

“Good night, and joy be with you all…” Chaser and the mare sing in unison.

The music then picks up as more guards join into the singing. “So fill to me the parting glass. And drink a health whate’er befalls. Then gently rise, and softly call…”

“Good night, and joy be with you all!” all the guards in the room sing, drinking or not. The violin is joined by a flute and soon it picks up into a more joyous song.

“Of all the comrades that e’re I had, they’re sorry for my going away,” Chaser starts the next part of the song, raising his glass again, and putting a hoof on Dawn’s shoulder.

“And to all the sweethearts that e’re I had,” the mare picks up again, winking to Dancer, “they’d wish me one more day to stay.”

“But since it fell unto my lot,” Chaser sings, standing and crossing to stand in the center of the common room’s floor, “that I should rise, and you should not.”

“I’ll gently rise, and softly call,” the mare continues, rising and standing beside Chaser.

“Good night, and joy be to you all.” All the guards sing, this time including Dawn as he continues to comfort Summer who has stopped crying and is listening to the singing as she sniffles.

“So fill to me the parting glass,” Chaser and the mare singing in unison, “and drink a health whate’er befalls!” They both raise their glasses in their hooves and continue on with smiles on their faces. “Then gently rise, and softly call.”

“Goodnight, and joy be to you all!” The guards, including Summer now, sing.

“But since it fell unto my lot, that I should rise,” Chaser sings, staring into the mare’s eyes.

“That I should rise, and you should not,” the mare finishes.

“I’ll gently rise and softly call,” they sing once more as one. “Good night, and joy be to you all.”

“So fill to me, the parting glass,” the entire compliment of guards sings, their voices growing somber, “and drink a health whate'er befalls.” The flute stops, leaving the violin to shift back to a soft and mournful tone. “Then gently rise, and softly call; Good night, and joy be to you all.”

“Good night, and joy be to you all,” Chaser and the mare singing with him echo, their voices fading along with the violin’s last, soulful note.

The above is from a scene involving the Royal Guard, who are saying goodbye in their own way to those who fell in defense of Canterlot during the 3rd and final Shadowbolt attack where the cannon went off and tore a giant hole in the middle of Canterlot.

Now, as I was writing that scene, I was sitting downstairs watching over my fourteen year old Boarder Collie Black Lab mix. For the past few months, she had been slowly loosing weight, shedding like crazy, and all around being very restless. She was sleeping longer, and over-all doing poorly. She had also been losing control over her ability to... well go to the bathroom. I'd dealt with this before, and while a minor (And rather smelly) annoyance, I was more than prepared to live with it so long as she was happy and had good quality of life.

Thursday night, as I was writing that scene, a scene that was about saying goodbye to close friends, I watched her quality of life slip away quite quickly. By the next day, it was clear to everyone, her quality of life was gone. She had fallen twice, voided herself a lot more, and was just miserable. My mother made the call that we all feared, dreaded, was coming.

My last words to my companion of thirteen years were "I'll see you around," and then she walked out the door for the final time...

I've tried to hold it together, but honestly I've been barely able to write after losing her. She was, in all honesty a therapy dog to me, as I am Autistic and I've always had a very close and loving relationship to my pets. Losing her is like I've lost a very close, very dear, family member. So, I've spent most, if not all, of my weekend in that stage of grief where I feel numb and just unable to really think.

I've been able to write a little to help out my fellow Expanded Wonderverse authors, but my own stuff is kind of on hold.

So, yeah. If any of you have pets, give them a hug and show them how special they are. Meanwhile, I am going to go dive back into video games and keep "A message from Home" by 4Everfreebrony on repeat.