How far will one stallion run to escape what pursues him?
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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How did you manage to swing from the absolutely intense previous chapter over to this calm, nice chapter without making it feel weird? I've seen professional authors handle easier mood transitions with less grace.
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**Shrug**
I have no idea.
But that is how things bee.
you had to. you really had to didn't you. you just HAD to quote Hamlet.
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Paraphrasing actually.
Is that bugging you?
I hope it doesn't give you hives.
4507583 nah i was kidding, personally i found it amusing.
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Did it give you a buzz?
4507594 yeah, it also stinged my idea that plays would not likely be paraphrased in a mlp fanfic
Very interesting chapter. Hmmm, have some thoughts about some things, but will keep them to myself for now, and see how things play out. Anyway, keep up the good work man.
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The wolves were an introduction to set the tone for just how bad of a problem they are. They have been feeding on fear for so long that they have become quite powerful.
That was the major downturn, and now we sit at the bottom, at least from this perspective. Bucky is now motivated from his failure.
From here, we see a soaring upswing as he puts his mind to work to figure out how to deal with the wolf problem. It is the "antagonist" of this arc.
It was a very blunt introduction, I'll admit. But it is also the worst of it. Future encounters will go quite differently. But that is a long ways off. For now, Bucky is where he needs to be. In a position where he can put his most valuable asset to work.
So, everything gets better slowly from this point.
This chapter bee fantastic!
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Is it just me, or do the wolves sound like a dark magic spell in one of your other fics?
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They are similar, but those wolves don't do actual harm.
These wolves are real wolves. Shadow wolves.
And they have a den where they hide from the sun...
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I did say similar. o3o
But yeah, it's just really interesting to think about. Dark magic can't really hurt you unless you go deep into the depths, that's where only the truly corrupt go. I'd like to think that the wolves are a product of dark magics and nature giving the ponies the middle finger for figuring out dark magic.
It would appear he also failed as a Jedi.
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So now, he becomes the Emperor.
guys taking his eyes being removed rather well. almost too well i guess.
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Actually, there is a very good explanation for this condition. Soldiers experience it frequently. The near death experience eventually wears off though, and the emotions finally settle in.
Won't be pleasant.
4507998 s1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/lD2I_fteR.xd2rRWmOAS0Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYwMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/associatedcontent/470_2672214.jpg
*Cackles* Excellent!
i am very dissapointed with this- why do so many authors insist on ruining a story by repeatedly maiming their main character? the wolf scene could have been resolved without going that far into grimdark gore.
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???
Such a great story and I will be with you to the end my queen
4508426 Repeatedly maiming? The only other time that he was given such intense pain was the horn incident with the Want it, Need it spell but that was within good reason. This is the first time he's been maimed and he only lost an eye and some flesh, not his horn or something REALLY important.
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Agreed
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either the most corrupt, or the most pure. Darkness, and by extension dark magic, is not, in and of itself, evil or wrong.
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With the amount of world building put in place and a serious topic of the current arc, it's not really that surprising is it? I'm really curious how Bucky will deal with all this now, seems like he decided something, i wanna know what.
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That's what I'm saying!
It's only when you dive to deep and give into greed and other temptations that it becomes "evil" and "wrong".
Ever notice the spell that Twilicorn uses on that weird memory potion that Zecora tells her to turn white? It looked like a dark magic spell.
Jeeze, this story went dark fast! But I kinda like it...
And I'm amusing, as they now know what happened to him, that Keg Smasher is laid up in hospital with broken wings after meeting with Derpy?
Just what is she playing at with Thistle?
4507987 Oh well, you can't win them all. Who shall I take under my wing now?
That: To bee or not to bee, priceless.
I've figured out what's been bugging me about your speech: You don't use enough contractions. You keep using 'I have' instead of 'I've', 'I am' instead of 'I'm', and 'I will' instead of 'I'll'. And it's not consistent, either. Most people either use contractions or they almost never do, or they don't. The problem I'm having is it makes Derpy's and Berry's lines sound forced and unnatural, while it sounds rather right coming from Bucky, who is kinda stuck transitioning from fancy never-use-contractions-ever high society to simple use-contractions-when-they're-available modern/suburban life.
Just saying, it makes the conversations sound stilted, which doesn't feel right from most of the characters. Some, like Bucky and Sentinel, aren't fully one or the other and the odd breaks in flow actually work better.
4508426 its too early to jump to conclusions.
im pretty sure there will be a bucky vs shadow wolves pt 2 that will turn out better.
BTW I lost my left eye to an accident a long time ago
and It doesnt bother me at all. All living things adapt
----------------------
Losing an eye is terrible, but it's still better than say... losing a limb, especially for a quadruped. A slight loss in depth perception which may or may not be offset by whatever sense Unicorns use to manipulate their magic at a distance, and maybe ninety degrees of vision on one side potentially offset by the same, also easily solved by turning your head.
I once had a very nasty infection that left me completely unable to use my left eye for over a week, I readjusted almost immediately and was more bothered by the infection than the handicap. Considering this ambush seemed to be the beasts' 'killing stroke' as it were, and that Bucky was completely unprepared for combat, getting away with a slight handicap with a marginal possibility for recovery was getting off easy. If it wasn't for his wonky magic everyone would have died, and that would have been a perfectly reasonable outcome, if an extremely disappointing/aggravating one.
I know it's hard to see a character you care about and identify with get maimed, but don't forget to count your blessings, at least kudzuhaiku isn't George R.R. Martin.
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Bucky is going to realise it all almost ended that night right there.
His death and Keg Smasher's death would have been the end of everything.
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You are going to LOVE Berry. Keep reading!
Toss out everything you think you know and get rid of your biases. It will ruin the story for you otherwise.
KK thanks she is getting better by the way i started following you
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I seriously do have ridiculous allergies sometimes....
F**king pollen...
I've read this chapter a couple of times. I felt that I should bring my A game before I decide to leave a little comment/review. That said, please allow me to start. First, I'm glad to see Bucky teaching Dinky one of the most important lessons of magic. " Innocent people die when we fuck up. And we fuck up all the time." - John Constantine. Seeing Dinky get the idea that she can hurt others or others can be hurt by her if she messes up really struck home. It brought the fact that the Unicorns have to find a way to balance how they feel correctly. Seeing Thistle and Derpy being on good terms leads me to believe that the understanding was made. I'm not going to share my specliations though. On the off chance that I might be right I don't want to get the virtual stink eye.
That said, the similarities between Bucky and "He who has fallen from the skies to deliver us from the terrors of the deadites!" seems to be growing. Both of them lost an important part of their body during the first battle between the dark ones. (in Bucky's case the wolves). So, I'm almost expecting to see a few more parallels. It could be that since both stories are following the structure of the Chosen One aka Hero's Quest. (WARNING! ENGLISH SCHOLAR MODE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED! WARNING! ENGLISH SCHOLAR MODE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED!)
Following the idea of the Hero's Quest we can determine that we've hit the part of the quest that quite literally changes our hero. While it could be argued that he was changed after saving Dinky and Pina it wouldn't be completely accurate. Bucky was still fundamentally the same unicorn. He was still the same caring pony he had been. It wasn't so much that he had been changed as it was that he finally decided to allow himself to open up to these new feelings and desires. His It allowed him to grow as a character, but not really change. The Hero's Quest demands a serious change to the hero. Often a psychological mixed with a physical. Example... Luke Skywalker going from farmer, to apprentice, losing his hand, gaining more power in the force, being a middle walker between the dark and light sides of the force, and finally facing the Emperor and coming completely into the light. At this point Luke had completely changed from who he was. He understood at this point that attempting to save his friends on Endor would undo the rebellion. He had to trust them.
It was a lesson that Yoda had attempted to teach him before that he couldn't listen to. He was still holding on to part of himself. His reckless behavior. He lost that throughout the ending of the final movie.
The character I've been comparing Bucky to, one Ashley J Williams, went through a similar evolution and changed. Bucky is doing the same. I can see signs of his changing. Signs that he is reaching into a darker nature in order to protect his family. As such his change will be complete. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a Alicorn once this is over with. Not because I think it would be a cop out, but rather because it would make sense.
Still, it may be possible that we'll see something else happen as well. I have no doubt that we're going to see Bucky lose someone very close to him. A psychological impact that would dwarf the first break we noticed when he protected Dinky and Pina. I'm figuring it will be a foal, and that while all of the foals there he considers his this one he may lose will be his flesh and blood. I'm not figuring it happening on the Isles, but rather back in Equestria. Perhaps a fail assassination attempt on him that ends up killing one.
I can only imagine the kind of pain he would go through, and the kind surge that would be unleashed. It would be something powerful enough that I'm not sure how the Princesses could protect everypony anyway else except for possibly containing it.
Still, Kudos. The story so far has kept my interest, and I have truly enjoyed it. I only wish I could give you another like and refavorite this wonderful piece of fiction again.
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Hero's Quest mode has in fact been activated.
A few points. Bucky is not going to lose anypony close to him. I did toy with the idea, but ultimately I canned it. At one point, Sentinel was to be the sacrificial lamb and Bucky was the one to kill him, entirely by accident when the type four level light spell went off, and Sentinel, being a creature of shadow himself, combusted. That was in the earliest drafts.
No alicorn. That will not be happening. Celestia is going to acknowledge that if Bucky wanted to force his ascension there would be very little that she could do to stop him. With Bucky replacing his horn and securing his new nature, which will be revealed later. She is also going to publicly acknowledge him as the heir of a certain somepony.
Bucky is in fact going to medieval upon the wolves, and he is going to use Sparkler, Rising Star, and Dinky to do it. Oh, and Sentinel. I cannot forget how important Sentinel is. When everybody sees what I do with Sentinel they are going to crap their pants.
When Bucky finally returns to Equestria, he is going to be the ideal headmaster for the new magic school. A gaunt one eyed gothic horror with a terrifying demeanor, a known hatred of dark creatures, fear inducing ancestry, and a recognised minor power among the major players who walked away from being a major power to teach school and keep foals safe instead.
Oh, and to brew beer. That's important. A unicorn has to have a hobby. Figuring out how to brew beer without equipment is going to be a means to end that will bring him to true power.
As far as Jedi analogies go, Bucky would be a grey Jedi, and Sentinel would be his slightly darker grey apprentice.
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I'm going out on a limb here and say that Bucky may do what his ancestor couldn't do.
To say too much more may invoke spoilers (Unintentionally of course) and I wouldn't want to do that.
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Not sure I understand the implication here or the context.I am kinda loopy from sleep deprivation.
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Ah, well if I go too deep into it I may end up giving a major spoiler, so instead I will use the Jedi example again.
So, going with the idea that Bucky is a certain somepony's descendant it's possible that he will be able to do something the certain somepony couldn't. In this case it would be like Luke and Anakin Skywalker. Luke was able to look into the abyss of the dark side. See the temptation that awaited him there, but instead of falling into it he was able to step out of that temptation.
So, my thought was that while this is going undoubtedly going to change Bucky, and he will have to look into the abyss of darkness, I feel he will be strong enough not to fall into it. He may know how to access it, but he won't be seduced by it like his ancestor was.
At least that's what I'm assuming.
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Ah. I see. Correct.
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"Once you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your life"
Yeah... Nope! Here's to all those wonderful 'teachers' we know had dark beginnings but chose a life of the light
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Question... Since Earth Ponies have this weird ability to mellow other ponies right the *Explicit deleted* out that means that every action ever done by an Earth Pony has in fact helped in some way. Pinkie Pie's Parties for example have kept the entirety of Ponyville happy and content since she's been there because of that ability. The Cakes' treats have done the same since they bake them.
Going with that, and accessing what we understand about Pinkie's Pinkie Sense (which is a mystery unto itself) it would make sense that Pinkie, on some unknown level, knows when Rarity or Twilight (especially before she ascended) is about to have a major panic attack. It would also explain how she was able to calm them down when she gave them a hug.
HOLY HELL SHE'S BEEN DOPING THEM THE ENTIRE TIME!!!!!!
Sorry, sorry, little outburst there, but damned if it doesn't make sense...
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Yeah. I alluded to that too. The earth pony revelation blog post.
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I get that. I really do, but... I'm just glad that this isn't in the same universe as Pinkie's more insane parallel self resides. Because if that Pinkie had this ability... Well, damn... It would be horrible... just horrible.
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Feel free to put stuff inside of [spoiler ] tags, just get rid of the extra space I put in. I did that with an "I wonder if THIS will happen" type of post many chapters back, and it seems to work!
I literally facepalmed at the to bee line.
4507594 So many puns.
It is punny to me.
... And I just killed a litter of kittens didn't I?
In other words, I have other random bits of introspection I would like to add, but probably won't do anything good other than attract
controversy and negative stigma. Pity. Well, I might as well. Let's see how many downvotes I can get in one sitting? Maybe I will break my record of twelve thus far. Bear in mind these are mere mad introspections of mine that should be taken with a liberal dose of salt and extra pepper.
*Ahem*.
Earth ponies would make for more efficient wolf fodder.
Though I suppose pegasi make for decent soldier substitutes.
The former breed like rabbits, thus are somewhat more easily replaceable than others.
My observation is that in that though earth ponies may indeed be important to bolstering Equestria with their agricultural output,
they are among the least important in terms of high pursuits, callings, and destinies in life. Thus, their easily expendable nature.
Sure, Berry Punch may have an unothodox intelligence to her, and Bon Bon may posse the unusual ability to pacify ponies in a way that others normally cannot, I see these types of special attributes only being applied to a select few.
Ponies like Pina for example would probably make for a good sacrificial lamb if nothing else.
Thus far, it seems obvious that Dinky is the more important out of the two foals. She may be Berry's sister, but unless she has anything else to offer besides the typical farm labor or some other dull stuff, perhaps it would be wise to stuff her far into the background of things.
Either that, or have her killed off. Horribly in some gruesome manner to set either Berry Punch or Bucky the main center protagonist of the group.
(I consider Berry Punch and Derpy Hooves to be auxiliary protagonist characters.) Hell. She would make for a good canidate to have kidnapped and sacrificed to some ancient Cthulhu icon if nothing else.
To me, earth ponies occupy the bottom end in terms of importance to the higher callings in life.
Important characters in high positions seem to be unicorns or pegasi. Earth ponies have yet to display a competence in terms of effective coordination as leaders or of most any deeper thought. (Save for Berry Punch. Seems that "numbskulls" also somewhat interchanges with the terms "Idiot" and "Fool" as well unfortunately. Oh well.)
Ahh. The beauty and ugly side of Social Darwinism popping its head into here, with me seeing things of imagination only.
Oh well. Food for thought. Ones that give indigestion though.
Meh. Perhaps you could have Bucky and co answer my train of thought if you wish to actually dedicate the effort to these mad ramblings of mine.
I would be curious to see their reaction to such controversial, dark, and probably most insane inner monologue that I have to offer.
Apologies. Studying the history of Nazi Darwinism due to how they have persecuted the Jewish people of which I am half part of does that to one.
I can certainly attest to that one will have a little less faith in the world in terms of the ideals of equality and what not when reading such events and other similar events and beliefs that pretty much shoot those ideas by firing squad.
This buzzed me.