Moonrise
Moonrise
April 26, 2012
When morning arrived it became evident that we were in for a long, dismal day. Angel was still in a fair amount of pain, and seemed listless as he followed Fluttershy around the hotel room. John, like myself, had clearly not gotten enough sleep. His eyes were dark and dull, and he yawned almost continuously as he helped to pack away what little gear we had. Pinkie looked lost and confused upon waking, as if she had woken from one bad dream just to have to live through another. And despite Apple Bloom finally getting across to Sweetie Bell that she didn’t blame her for what happened, the former unicorn filly still wore a look of guilt and shame wherever she went.
As if fate wanted to kick us while we were down, it decided to piss down rain just as it was nearing time for us to leave the hotel. Our first day back in the Outback was shaping up to be rather unpleasant.
“Everything’s just about ready,” Fluttershy said as she came over to stand beside me. She had spent a good portion of the morning helping me to clean up the mess that had been left over from dinner. She was fresh out of the shower, if her damp hair and clean clothes were any indication. It was a reminder that staying clean was going to be a hassle once we were in the wilderness again.
“Thank you,” I returned. We stood and watched the rain together for a while. It felt nice to take a second and appreciate a quiet moment or two. Although the weather was miserable, there was still a subtle kind of beauty to it that was easy to miss if you didn’t take the time to notice.
After some time, Fluttershy moved closer to me and spoke softly so the others couldn’t hear.
“Do you think... maybe this world is rejecting us?” she asked.
I frowned, not understanding her reasoning. “What do you mean?”
She placed her hands on the window and looked out at the rain again. “It’s just that... well, not many things have gone well for us, have they?” she asked. She then turned back to face me. “It’s as if something, or someone, is working against us every step of the way.”
“I suppose maybe Discord’s playing games with us,” I responded. “We do seem to be having unnaturally bad luck.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I don’t think Discord has anything to do with this. I’m pretty sure he’s not the type to drive somepony to...” she stopped and changed course suddenly. “What I mean is, I don’t think he’s this... cruel.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So taking over a village as your own personal play area and destroying most of it in the process isn’t cruel?”
“Well, yes. I suppose it is,” she admitted. “But there are things that are worse than all that. Things I don’t think even Discord is capable of doing.”
I was just about to ask her what she meant when Scootaloo appeared and told us that everything was packed away in the car and that everyone was ready to leave.
As we made our way to the motel office to hand in the keys, my thoughts were still on what Fluttershy had said. If Discord wasn’t behind our unusually bad luck, then what was?
It felt like it was entirely too soon to be squeezed back into my little Holden Barina again, and it was made worse by the fact that nearly half of us were injured.
The seating arrangements were the same as the last time we had all been in the car, but for different reasons than just convenience. Angel and Apple Bloom were still feeling the effects of Sweetie’s magic, so both of them still needed to be tended to by adults.
That didn’t mean it was any more comfortable for anyone, though.
There weren’t any complaints about it this time, however, despite the fact that none of us looked happy to be back in the car. The only complaint came from Pinkie about ten minutes after we had been on the road.
“Hey Captain, you know what might turn some of these frowns upside down?” she asked from her spot in the backseat.
There were plenty of things I could think of. I decided to name off a few for the hell of it.
“Less rain, fewer disasters, a nice roof over our heads, more money, and finding the rest of your friends?” I guessed. I’d take any or all of those. “Maybe Discord trying something new for once and actually being nice?”
“Dude!” John chided from his seat beside me. I guess he thought I was being rude.
Pinkie wasn’t fazed though. She thought about my answers for a second, then smiled. “Yeah, all of those things would be totally great!” she exclaimed, then sang the next sentence teasingly, “But it would be even greeeater if we had some fooood!” She almost sounded like she was back to her usual, cheery self, but something seemed off, as if she were forcing it.
“Wish I knew where to eat here or if I’d had time to make something at the motel,” John grunted.
Pinkie perked up at that. “Oooh, you can cook?” she asked John, leaning forward. Apple Bloom grunted softly as she was momentarily squashed against the back of my seat.
“Didn’t I tell you before?” John replied. “The girls seemed to like French toast, but I doubt I’ll be able to make it while camping.”
Pinkie let out a little squeal, but I cut into the conversation before she could get her hopes up.
“We’re not going to reach the site I have in mind for another three hours or so,” I explained. “We might as well stop somewhere to eat along the way.” I stopped and thought for a moment. “It might be best to go through a drive-thru. I’d prefer to keep attention off of us and, well...” I nodded back towards the back seat. “Injured kids are sure to draw plenty of it our way.”
Instead of the expected relief at finally getting food, I was met with various complaints all at once.
“Three hours?”
“I don’t like driver-throughs!”
And so on. John turned around and addressed the Equestrians. “Think of it like an adventure. There’s lots of places here that don’t exist back home.” That seemed to settle them down.
Saved by the kid, who would’ve thought? I thought as we drove along, searching for a good place to stop to eat.
McDonald’s. If there was any place an American should appreciate, it’s Macca’s, or Mickey D’s as I used to call it in Detroit. I needed to keep costs down and it was a lot cheaper than Oporto, the only other drive-thru that was nearby.
I pulled up next to the speaker and rolled down my window.
“Welcome to McDonalds, how may I take your order?” it croaked.
“What doesn’t have meat?” Sweetie asked into the speaker.
Scootaloo immediately followed that with, “What does have meat?”
“So what makes the muffin English?” Pinkie asked to whoever would listen.
“I see pancakes!” Apple Bloom called out gleefully.
Bloody hell, I thought.
“No pancakes!” John yelled, causing the others to finally be quiet. “Trust me, you don’t want pancakes in here.”
“...” The speaker was silent for a moment, but then, “Welcome to McDonald’s, can I take your order?” I could hear the employee giggling with a coworker in the background.
I glared at the others in the car, daring anyone to make another peep. It was time to order food, and I took food seriously.
Once I was certain it would stay quiet, I said, “Sorry about that. We’ll have... uh,” I counted the number of Equestrians who were still vegetarian, “five egg McMuffin meals with no bacon on any of them, all with orange juice to drink.” That took care of Pinkie, Fluttershy, Sweetie, Apple Bloom, and Angel. Who was left?
“Can I have Coke!?” Pinkie blurted from the backseat. She withered under my stare, but I decided to give her a treat.
“Sorry, can I make one of those orange juices a large frozen Coke instead?”
The speaker was quiet for a few seconds before answering. “So that’s five egg McMuffin meals minus bacon, four with OJ and one with a large frozen Coke. Anything else?”
“Yes,” I replied. Now for Scootaloo and her weird taste for meat. “I’ll have another egg McMuffin meal with bacon. Orange juice for that one, too.” That left John and I. “And uh...” I glanced at John to make sure he was okay with what I was ordering for him, “four sausage and egg McMuffin meals, all with large Cokes.”
“Uh... make one of those Cokes a Bananaberry Bash... sounds interesting.”
I rolled my eyes and addressed the speaker. “Did you get that? One of those Cokes is now a Bananaberry Bash instead.” I closed my eyes and prepared to hear our order read back to us. It would certainly be wrong with all the changes we had made.
“So that’s six egg McMuffin meals, all but one without bacon; one with a large frozen Coke and the rest with orange juice; four sausage and egg McMuffin meals, three with large Cokes and one with a Bananaberry Bash. Will that be all for today?”
I admit it, I was impressed.
“Yes. Yes, that is all.” I sighed as I was given the total and told to drive forward to the next window.
Following breakfast was a long, relatively boring drive. I got onto the M4 motorway once we reached Sydney and headed west towards the Blue Mountains. I figured that we were now at a point where we would need to be camped out for a long time, and we’d need to be somewhere where it was virtually guaranteed that we wouldn't be bothered. Seeing as the Blue Mountains National Park was about two thousand five hundred square kilometres of wilderness, and was surrounded by a further ten thousand or so square kilometres of virtually unoccupied space, it was probably the best place to go in order to disappear from sight for a while.
It took about an hour to get out of the more urban areas of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs, but eventually we began to see fewer buildings and homes, and more hills and woodland. The gentle curves in the road, along with the increasingly beautiful scenery around us, helped me to relax a little for the first time in days.
In fact, the overall tension in the car seemed to ease up as the others began to chat about things like movies and stories — things that weren't necessarily important in and of themselves, but were fun to discuss anyway. It was a nice change from the constantly depressing talk over when, or if, we would find the other Equestrians or get them all back home.
It was a difficult balance to maintain. I’d found out the hard way that talking too much about trying to find the others just served to remind the Equestrians that their friends could quite literally be anywhere in the world, and often led to tears or worse. But it was also important not to get too caught up with distractions because the longer we waited to reunite the Equestrians, the more likely something else could go wrong. Sweetie Belle’s magical problems were a prime example of the sort of unexpected complications that could arise at any time.
So I let the others have their random chats while I focused on what our next move was. We knew that Princess Celestia, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were in the United States. That was a problem, but the bigger problem was that we’d heard nothing about Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, or Princess Luna, and that was assuming that those were the only Equestrians left to be found on Earth. If Angel were here, the possibility of the other pets, or even more ponies, being here was always a real one.
The first thing to do would probably be to send DragonLS another email. The last I’d heard from him was that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had been found, and that had been days ago. It was lucky that I had a car charger for my phone and that I still had service to it. The signal would probably be lost once we were in the Blue Mountains, so once our camp was set up I’d need to find someplace with a signal and use my phone to send the email.
Maybe I could also give her a call, I thought idly with a sigh. I cleared the thought from my head though.
One thing at a time.
I turned off of the Great Western Highway just before we reached the small town of Linden and headed south, where we ended up in a tiny little residential area that was nestled into the woods. Thankfully, it had a dirt road that continued past it and went deeper into the forest. After a long time navigating the bumpy road with my decidedly not off-road car, I decided to pull off the road and settled the car behind some trees. It was as good a place as any.
I turned off the stereo and turned to face the others.
“Well, we’re here,” I said, trying to sound at least somewhat cheerful. “Let’s get the gear out of the... trunk...”
“Storage compartment,” Pinkie corrected.
“Right. Let’s get on with it, then.”
We all stumbled out of the car, our joints and muscles sore from being cramped into it for so long. John stretched his arms out beside me and asked, “So, what’s the plan now?”
I opened the storage compartment and had a look at our surroundings as the others — those who weren’t injured — busied themselves with getting the gear out.
“We’re still too close to civilization out here. We would be fine if we were camping for a day, maybe, but not for as long as we’re probably going to have to. What we’re doing is slightly illegal, mate. So we don’t want to be found.” I motioned to the car. “We’ll leave this here and move further into the woods. Nobody’s going to think much of it if they spot the car, but they’d certainly report us if they found our camp.”
John looked nervous. “Deeper into the woods...” he muttered, looking around at the trees that surrounded us. “You’re a big camper, done this sort of thing before, right?” He leaned closer. “Know how to handle dangerous creatures?”
Deciding to have a little fun, I leered at him and grinned. “Guess we’re going to find out real soon, aren’t we?”
“I’m bored,” Sweetie complained.
After about a forty minute trudge through the woods hauling heavy camping gear, we’d finally found a decent spot and set up. It helped that Pinkie and Fluttershy had been through this before and were able to assist in getting everything organized, but Angel, Apple Bloom, and John were all in no condition to do much of anything other than watch.
It had taken less than an hour for the boredom to set in.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo spoke up. “No offense, but this is kind of lame.”
Unfortunately the spot I chose to set up didn’t have a creek nearby this time, so fishing was out of the question. It was too early in the day for telling scary camp stories, and I was no good with that kind of thing anyway. We couldn’t let the kids play tag or chase each other, since we wanted to make sure nobody heard us and dobbed us in to the authorities. The only toys we had were Pinkie’s collection of pony toys, and the last thing we needed was another reminder that Rarity wasn’t here for Sweetie. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let Pinkie or the kids anywhere near my hunting bow, and Fluttershy wouldn’t want to use it anyway. It left us with pitifully few options as far as entertainment was concerned.
“Have ya got any horseshoes?” Apple Bloom suggested, stifling a yawn. “I mean, I probably shouldn’t throw anything right now, but... well, it’s just something I usually do when I go camping.”
I was preparing to tell her that I didn’t, but her suggestion gave me an idea. We didn’t have horseshoes, but I was pretty sure I had taken an old NFL-style football with me on my last excursion and never got around to using it. A quick search through our gear proved me to be correct.
“I have this,” I said, smiling.
It wasn't the best form of entertainment for our group, as was evidenced when John’s eyes lit up for a moment, but then he looked down at his cast with a groan. He wouldn't be able to play, nor would the injured Equestrians. At least, that was what I thought until Apple Bloom insisted that she get to play.
“I’m a big pony, I can handle it!” she insisted. I liked her spunk.
Scootaloo was also thrilled to have something to do, but I wasn't expecting Fluttershy of all people to volunteer to play. She probably wouldn't have, but Pinkie had insisted that Fluttershy go and do something fun, and that she would take care of John, Angel, and Sweetie Bell, who had all decided to stay behind.
“Um, I’m not so sure I should be doing this,” Fluttershy said after we had left camp and found a big enough clearing in the woods to allow for throwing the ball. “I really don’t know how to play...”
“It’s easy!” Scootaloo exclaimed, beaming. “I have a hoofball back home. You just catch it in your forehooves when somepony throws or kicks it to you.”
“That’s right,” Apple Bloom agreed. “Applejack and I play catch sometimes when we finish work for the day.”
“Rainbow Dash can catch one with her mouth!” Scootaloo said, her eyes staring off into the distance as if she could see her idol then and there.
I tossed the ball into the air and caught it a few times, then looked at Fluttershy. “Here, have a go!” I called to her and tossed the ball, gently, in her direction.
Fluttershy squeaked and covered her head with her arms, and the ball bounced off her shoulder and landed on the ground. I probably should have expected that.
“Sorry!” I said sheepishly.
After I taught everyone how to throw the ball using hands as opposed to hooves, things went a lot more smoothly. Scootaloo seemed to be a natural all-around athlete, able to run quickly to wherever the ball was going, and catching the ball easily more often than not. She would make a great wide receiver.
Apple Bloom didn’t catch the ball as well as Scootaloo, though that may have been because of her injuries. She did, however, have a powerful arm for such a young kid. Even with her injuries, she was able to put a lot of heat on the ball and managed to sting my hands on a few catches.
Even Fluttershy caught a few balls, though her throws were... uninspiring, at best. Using a double underhanded technique, she still only managed to get the ball to fly about two metres before it hit the ground. None of us minded though, at least we were having some fun.
“So how are you holding up?” I asked Apple Bloom after she dropped one of the passes I sent her way. “You seem to be doing pretty well for someone who went through what you did last night.”
Apple Bloom got a stubborn look on her face and picked up the ball. “I’m a member of the Apple family, so I’ll be just fine.” She tossed the ball to herself and shrugged. “I’m used to bein’ sore, what with working the farm with my brother and sister. Besides, Applejack says that pain is just fear leaving the body.” She then hung her head a little. “I guess it does still hurt a lot...”
“Well duh!” Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes. “You did get hurled into a wall and blasted unconscious by Sweetie Belle’s magic.” When she noticed the look on Apple Bloom’s face, she looked down at the ground uncomfortably. “Er, sorry...”
“It’s okay,” Apple Bloom mumbled. “That is what happened, after all.” She fired the ball at Scootaloo, who caught it easily.
“We were all pretty worried about you,” I revealed, coming over to stand next to Apple Bloom. “The important thing is that you’re okay.”
“Mostly okay,” Apple Bloom corrected. She rolled her right shoulder and winced. “Maybe I do need a little more rest.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I agreed. It was getting late in the afternoon, and it would do no good to aggravate her injuries regardless of how tough she was.
The rest of the day was a blur of boredom occasionally broken up with a bit of fun here and there. With little to do, we had to get creative with finding ways to entertain ourselves until I could get in contact with DragonLS and sort out our next move. It was too dark to go looking for a phone signal by the time we finished dinner, so it would have to wait until the next morning.
Eventually, after we had told a few ghost stories around a campfire that I kept small so as not to attract unwanted attention, it was time to get ready for bed. It was going to be a tight fit with eight of us squeezing into the tent. There were only three rooms not counting the main room with all of our supplies, so that meant having to share.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders all got one room, Pinkie and Fluttershy got another, and John, Angel and I squeezed into the third. It took some time for everyone to get settled, but eventually I was able to turn off the lantern and the tent plunged into darkness.
It was hard to get to sleep. Not only was there very little space to stretch out, but it was also a little intimidating to think that this was just the first of many nights we’d have to spend out in the wilderness. Unfortunately, it was just one of those things we were going to have to get used to.
Time passed, and both John and Angel were able to fall asleep. It was too difficult to tell from where I was laying, but I assumed Pinkie and the girls were asleep, too. Fluttershy had a habit of surprising me with how well she was able to cope without sleep, however, so it came as little surprise when I heard her gasp after a twig snapped outside somewhere nearby.
“W-what was that?” Fluttershy whispered at around the same time John woke up muttering, “Crap. Doug?”
“It’s probably nothing, go back to sleep,” I said. Having camped many times over the years, you get used to hearing random noises at night. It just went with the territory.
“B-but what if someone’s out there?” Fluttershy whispered from the room next to ours.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” I replied. “Nobody in their right mind is going to be out here.”
“Guess we’re not in our right minds then,” John said sarcastically. “At least you can reason with people. Animals generally thrash first, steal your food later.”
I groaned and sat up in my sleeping bag, knowing I’d have to go out there just to shut them up. “Fine, I’ll go take care of the scary twig,” I said. I unzipped the flap to our room and wandered into the main room of the tent. Just for show, I bent down and retrieved my bow and arrows, turning back to John and raising an eyebrow to see if he was satisfied. He gave me a thumbs up.
Just as I was preparing to turn around and exit the tent, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps just outside and froze, the hairs on the back of my neck raising. There was definitely something out there.
I held a hand up to John, indicating for him to stay put, then listened near the tent’s exit. I couldn't hear anything else, but the look on John’s face told me that he wasn't going back to sleep until I found out what was snooping around out there. If I was lucky, it would just be a stupid possum. It had sounded rather small, after all.
With a sigh, I opened the tent flap and stuck my head outside.
There didn't seem to be anything out there, but whatever it was couldn't be very far away. I’d have heard its retreating footsteps if it had left the area. I stepped the rest of the way out of the tent and had a look around.
The remains of our campfire had been disturbed. Judging from how much it had been disturbed, it definitely wasn’t a possum. It had to be bigger. A kangaroo? As much as Fluttershy might not like it, a kangaroo would make a good amount of free meals for us to consume. I decided to have a better look around and wandered further into the woods in the direction that our mystery guest probably would have gone.
My instincts proved to be accurate, as I heard something moving in the bushes up ahead. It was hard to see at night, with only the full moon to provide light, but after some careful scrutiny of my surroundings I was able to make out a shadow up ahead. As I had guessed, it was too small to be a man, and too large to be a possum. It was, however, just the right size to be a small kangaroo.
I carefully nocked an arrow into my bow and raised it to eye level. Perhaps Fluttershy wouldn't mind so much after the fish incident. Besides, she didn't have to see me actually shoot the animal, anyway. Nor would she have to eat the meat. She seemed to be able to handle watching others eat meat now, too.
The shadow moved, and I crept slowly forward in its direction, hoping to line myself up for a good shot. Even if I failed to get us some free dinner for the next few days, at least I could scare the animal off so it didn't bother us again.
Finally, just as I got a clear view of the shadow and prepared to release an arrow, it stepped forward into the moonlight.
A child, no more than six or seven years old, stood no more than ten metres in front of me. I could not at first tell if it was a boy or a girl, as the hair had been shaved off.
I didn't have any more time to think about who the child was or why it had been left out in the middle of the woods before a flash of light came from where the child was standing and blinded me momentarily.
The arrow shot out from my bow on reflex, my hands dropping the bow and raising up to my eyes. I felt a surge of panic as I realized I may have just accidentally shot a child with my bow, or perhaps his or her guardian, assuming the light had been from a flashlight behind the child.
When my eyes finally readjusted, my heart skipped a beat. All around me, the trees had transformed into horrible, misshapen creatures with branches shaped like claws and mouths lined with fangs. From somewhere nearby I could hear a low growling, and a sound like bones cracking.
And then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone.
In their place was a vast void of black emptiness dotted by stars over a pale, rocky landscape. The trees were gone, the campsite was gone, everything was gone, save for a clear view of what looked like Earth, hanging in the sky.
Even as I began to comprehend the impossibility of where I had become trapped, even as a seemingly endless amount of loneliness and despair surged through my mind in an instant, I came to the realization that something else was missing, and I screamed.
There was no oxygen on the moon.
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Doug isn't really catching a break, is he? His past gets more dramatic, he has to put up with Pinkie and the Crusaders, his wife has left him, accidents keep befalling him, and now, he's on the MOOOOOOOOOON!
Poor guy.
Nyx?
And before anyone even mentions it, I am fully aware that the vacuum of space would kill Doug instantly if he were really on the moon.
Driving around and surviving with a hard cunt (John), a mad cunt (Doug), a bunch of sheilas, and an albino. This is such a wild ride, more wild than falling out of a plane while driving a car that doesn't have anything but the necessities, without any parachutes, surrounded by a giant sealed bubble of air.
Now Doug's on the bloody moon because Woona decided to show up in the middle of nowhere? Probably some whacko dream.
DING DING!
Taco Bell.
Drake Bell.
Drake Parker.
Peter Parker.
Peter Griffin.
Griffin the Griffin.
This fic is awesome, as always.
2831143 To be fair screaming is probably a good call, expelling the oxygen quickly means it isn't going to violently rip its was out on its own.
Theoretically you can survive completely vacuum for a minute or so if you exhale.
Fun Fact for all Readers; The Blue Mountains are called such because of the Eucalyptus trees that grow there. During the summer it isn't uncommon for those trees to 'sweat' Eucalyptus Oil that creates a blue haze over the mountains.
Eucalyptus Oil is also highly flammable. Anything from an idiot with a match to it simply getting to hot can set off the gaseous oil.
This being a Australia the trees actually use these fires to make babies.
Shit...screwball?!?!?
LUUUUUUUUNAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! :DDDDDDD
Luna? Perhaps dream walking?
I really question their reasoning. Camping and going off the grid makes sense if your trying to hide from the NSA but not if you have injured kids and NEED to search via Internet media for the missing ponies. So the go off into woods waiting for the 'heat' to die down? Ehh, what heat? Discard? That's not exactly the way to hide from him.
Would have made more sense to get jobs at that McDonald's and get the cmc's paper routes to afford a small apartment and 'camp' in the city. Access to meds, media, and hiding anomously in a crowd is easier than standing out in the wilderness.
2831383 Camping anywhere but at a designated campsite is illegal in Australia (or at least, in NSW), so naturally they don't want to get caught.
They're not going to designated campsites because they don't want to draw attention to themselves from anyone. John is likely to be considered a Missing Person thanks to his running away from home. The Cutie Mark Crusaders could very well be considered as being Persons of Interest, having been in John's company when he left, especially with his sister seeing them previously. It wouldn't take a genius to find out that he flew to Australia with them in tow.
Proper medical care is something they'd prefer to avoid as well. Having an ID and a passport is fine and all, but none of them have Medicare cards, which is a necessity in Australia. Not to mention the questions that get asked whenever an injured child is brought to a hospital.
Same for getting jobs. Doug might be able to land one, but one of his only real (documented and resume-acceptable) skills was working as a bodyguard. That means being around his client and not having time to help or deal with the Equestrians. Pinkie and Fluttershy might be able to get jobs, but that means filling out tax forms, which is a big no-no because they need to stay out of sight. As for the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting a paper route, or any other job for that matter, I'm pretty sure their numerous disasters documented on the show are good enough reasons not to even try it.
Their best means of securing finances would be to work under the table doing something, but there hasn't been enough time between disasters to even think about doing that, let alone discuss it with the Equestrians.
All that said, we do have to remember that Doug is human and isn't going to make the best decisions every time. What fun would it be if I made him a Gary Stu and they just succeeded in everything they did or always made the right choices? It's very easy to look at something from a reader's perspective (or even a writer's perspective) and say "They should do this," but it's a lot harder to look at it from the character's perspective given what he's gone through and make a believable decision for him. And given what he's been through, I doubt he's going to be thinking straight at all times.
awww shit
2831286Not to mention the fire storms that can get us in the fire brigades... I mean... When I was doing my introduction and brushfire fighting course, we were all shown a vid of what happened to one particular bushie crew. Namely, the Wingelo eight. When the firestorm ripped over them, their pumps air lines and tires burst almost immediately, and the glass shattered all as soon as it passed over them. One of the few survivors has still got the chin strap and buckle from his helmet imbedded in his chin, and "Wingelo brushfire brigade" stenciled in his back. And oddly enough, they were fighting in a ecaluptus plantation... Scary shit eh
.
Luckily I'm surrounded by karri and jarra forests, and I'm in the town brigade
Remember Doug, it could always be worse.
They could be stranded in Rooty Hill or Mt Druitt
2831697
Or Canberra
Great job, Luna.
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8xaxsDBwe1rb0sk8o1_500.jpg
2831463
Sorry if I came Across as critical, just thinking out loud how I'd react at the situation. Obviously the humans aren't thinking too clearly due to stress.
2831082 I hope he likes bananas.
I'm thinking it was Nightmare Moon, considering the spooky trees, ending up on the moon, etc. That's a big clue-in to her possibly returning(and being separate from Luna).
2831143
Instantly? Nope.
When I saw mention of the Blue Mountains, I immediately thought you guys would have an untimely encounter with Mr. Stone:
rayman.neoseeker.com/w/i/rayman/d/d0/MStone1.png
...but then Doug got sent to the moon.
...Well, that escalated quickly.
Well, Doug tried to scream. There's no atmosphere of any description on the Moon, so... well, no one can hear you scream. 'Cause you're in space. Of course, if he did audibly scream, then he'll be fine. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
As for the Gaia Conspiracy, I'm not sure what to think there. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune do seem to be a bit denser than usual, but that could just be patternicity at work. Hard to say...
In any case, on to Fullmetal Pony's side of the story.
OH. American football -_-
2831706
I can imagine it now...
John: "Sweet Celestia, what is that!?"
Pinkie:"I don't know, maybe it's an animal of some kind? Why don't you try talking to it, Fluttershy?"
Doug: "I don't think that's a good..."
Fluttershy: "Umm...okay...hello little guy, what's your name?"
Bogan: " 'Ay were's me farkin dole check ya cant! Farkin cum 'ere or I'll shank ya cant!"
shaved head? moon? Looks to me like Luna's come to Australia... Now I really want Mr backpack to update....
I've been reading through the ponyfall stories, and I'm really enjoying them! looking forward to the next chapter!
If he could scream, there is air. Possibly Luna isn't that cruel.
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That's a REALLY good point!
2836204 Yep. Considering how much chaos Discord's able to throw around, he probably slung one too many spells in the direction of the spooky castle and angered NMM's spirit, causing her to come back with a vengeance.
2836819
Either that or Luna ended up tp'ing away from Twi and mrbackpack's character, and she is scared and alone.
Oh, yeah, and I don't think that's really the moon, 'cause John heard him scream when he was'on the moon' in the CMC story.
>.>
<.<
:D
What.
The.
Hell.
Just happened?
2831463
I know you've stated previously that going to your wife is a nonstarter, given vague statements about the type of person she is, but...
If my estranged husband showed up at the door with a dude in a cast, two scorched kids, two other kids, and the two women you previously thought were his "other women," I might let him explain a bit this time.
Checking the roots of the hair would do a lot to legitimize the story.
Maybe one more catastrophe before Doug needs to crawl back to his wife?
Hi, Luna!
Does that mean that this group and another are meeting up?
Well.
SHIT!
In space noone can hear your screams...
Just plowed through this long story. I've enjoyed Rarity's and Celestia's PonyFall stories, so I figured I'd read all the rest. I'm enjoying this one, though it's nice to have the characters notice that life has been pissing on them a lot. It would be nice to have something good happen to them soon, the story is getting pretty darn depressing.
One item has been bothering me a lot. It's how Doug reacted to his wife finding him with Pinkie & Fluttershy. I don't want a Gary Stu either, but I'm having a hard time with the fact that Doug didn't even try to explain anything. He walked out without dealing with the situation. If that's his character, that's cool. If Victoria is the type who wouldn't listen or wouldn't care, that's fine too. But I would expected some sort of exposition on Doug's part hinting towards why he left without an argument. Even some sort of cryptic statement hinting at the reason would have been helpful. The hints you've dropped now & then that involve Victoria explain that she & Doug had a child who died, and Doug was unable to save her; thus his interest in First Aid.
I could understand Victoria being angry at Doug for many things. I can accept that she clearly jumped to the wrong conclusion, considering Pinkie was straddling Doug at that moment. I would understand a fight between the two of them and Doug leaving. But to leave without making any attempt? I just don't see any reason why. Though it's your story, write what you will.
Your bonus story in your blog filled in a missing piece in this situation. Victoria hiring Moey to spy on Doug and figure out what was going on was quite nice. It adds hope that Victoria may take Doug and everyone else back once she understands what's going on.
Regarding bald Luna sending out hirsute hero to the moon, I can't wait to read the chapter where Luna is looking really embarrassed and apologizes for sending Doug to the moon. Should be fun.
Bald Luna reminds me of this pic: http://tavisharts.deviantart.com/art/Bald-260914222
2894066 Good points. It is indeed a situation where fictional Doug, like myself, knows darn well that any attempt at talk things out at that point would be fruitless and make things worse. I did put that in there, but it was only briefly mentioned and thus, easily forgettable by readers who are wondering about that.
The mini chapters will add a lot more insight into everything and make some of the characters' actions make more sense.
Why aren't the Ponyfall writers updating anymore?
3091800 Check the group page for updates. I post a new update each week to let people know what's going on.
Man, I would kill to spend just a day with these guys. hahahha
dam
Oh good, I've finally caught up with Twilight and Luna's story. Hopefully this story will help me make sense of that story, because his latest chapter was really confusing.