There'll Be No Sunsets For Us
Several seconds ago...
“Okay, look... I'm tired of arguing,” Echo grumbled, rubbing his dark eyelids. “I had enough of a headache just dealing with my own problems here. If agreeing to work with you guys will get you to shut up, then I'm all game.”
“We're simply trying to find a solution that will benefit us all, old friend,” Theanim Mane said. “It simply burns me to see you wasting away in this place.”
“I'm not wasting away,” Echo said with a frown. “More like...” He coughed up coral smoke. “...finding my safe corner of the toilet to marinate.”
“Well, stuff that attitude!” Rainbow's voice cracked. “You're nopony's property! Not the Syndicate's... not the other Syndicate's... and certainly not the Consortium's!” She leaned forward. “If we can get you on the Shoggoth ponies' good side, will you grant us access into the lower Muddredge City?”
“Birdy, if you can make me square with them, I'll let you kiss Princess Camellia's gills.”
“Now that's the spirit—” Rainbow made a face. “Wait... she has gills?”
Just then, from the far end of the room: “Howdy, y'all!” Every patron looked up to see a pegasus in a black stetson and a griffon with dark goggles alight the tavern's stage. “From the gold shiny heart of Rust's Dust District, we wanna thank ya kindly for comin' to this here drinkin' hole for yer regular mid-afternoon drip. Eheh... 'Bout time somepony made it worth yer while.” He tilted his hat. “The name's Bard.” He pointed at his griffon friend. “This here's Wildcard.” He smirked. “No relation. Ahem. And we Desperadoes are tonight's entertainment!”
“Well, there's something you least expect,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“You least expected inexplicable handsomeness?” Rarity remarked, fanning herself with a dumb smile.
Rainbow glared aside. “Really? You're impressed that quickly?”
Echo responded, “What's to be impressed about?” He groaned, “They pick a bunch of musical blowhards to try and sprinkle magic into this cesspool every Tuesday.”
“I, for one, don't mind,” Theanim said with a smile. “This atmosphere could certainly use a touch of mirth.”
“Meh,” Rainbow grumbled, propping a chin on her hoof.
“Oh Rainbow...” Twilight giggled. “Don't forget your Ponyville roots.”
“This little number...” Bard spoke while plucking the strings of his guitar with his wingtips. “...is somethin' I whipped up while Wildcard and I were skedaddlin' across the western hills of Rohbredden. Just what were we runnin' from at the time? Hell, what is anypony ever runnin' from?” He glanced over his shoulder and winked at the griffon with his harmonica. “Well, needless to say, it's damn hard sleepin' in an empty train car, and no matter how far you go, yer thoughts are always gonna follow you. But... that's the way it's always meant to be, ain't it?”
Wildcard pressed his beak to the mouth organ, introducing a melancholic harmony, and that's when Bard began strumming at the guitar. Pretty soon, a soft acoustic melody brought a strange tenderness to the otherwise grimy abode. Within seconds, the pegasus' surly drawl morphed into a series of honey'd words:
Oh dear sweet little melody, you gave me quite a start
Reckon it'd take a siren song to wake this lonely heart
But since you ask me all pretty-like, I'll tell you how my harmony died
Well I've dipped in the streams and slipped amidst the rushes
I've drowned in every damn sea the Queen V's light touches
And I've soaked up every shudder'n'sob this windy world has sighed
Cuz only a ghost like me rides a train with no track
I shoulder my shadow and we sleep with back to back
And I learn what I know, to face the lonely dark
And I carry my burden like my scars and my mark
Oh precious little melody, don't try and make me smile
Life's only a brief candle, flickerin' for a lil' while
But if your chorus burns bright enough then nopony will have to know
Musicians are a mouthpiece for memories in the air
We dress 'em up like angels and put flowers in their hair
And once the smoke has cleared, all that's left is that heavenly glow
But only a ghost like me rides a train with no track
He shoulders his shadow and they sleep with back to back
And he learns what he knows, to face the lonely dark
He carries his burden like his scars and his mark
(Griffon Harmonica Solo)
Oh sweet gentle melody, I know you mean well
But all it takes is a single chord to turn heaven into hell
If you can't handle silence after the lonely heart's song is through
I hear you say you love me, that you'll never ever leave
But it's hard to share a dance if you don't know how to grieve
Over the loss of life it takes to make a beautiful dirge out of you
For it's a ghost who rides a train with no track
You shoulder your shadow and you sleep with back to back
If you wanna know what he knows to face the lonely dark
You gotta carry your burden like your scars and your mark
Darling, only a ghost rides a train with no track
You shoulder your shadow and you sleep with back to back
When you know what he knows to face the lonely dark
You'll carry your burden like your scars and your mark
Like your scars and your mark
With a few ghostly notes, trailing into saccharine silence, the song ended. With alarming swiftness, the tavern broke into gentle applause. The residents of Rust's Dust District lightly clopped their hooves against the floor and tabletops. Even Rainbow Dash was impressed by the delightfully somber reaction.
“Charming,” Theanim said with a warm smile. “Absolutely charming.”
“Hmmmf...” Echo shook his pipe, staring down its empty end.
With a sniffle, Rarity clapped has hard as she could, even if nopony else could hear her echoing hooves. “Bravo! Bravo!” She wiped her cheek, smiling Twilight's way. “Oh, Twilight, darling, wasn't that simply divine?”
“Well, it was pretty nice alright.” Nevertheless, Twilight's brow furrowed. “Still... I can't help but... but...”
“Feel moved inside?”
“I'm feeling a movement, alright.” Twilight blinked as her horn glowed. “Funny. Neither of them is a unicorn.”
“Maybe the magic is in how a pegasus can play the guitar,” Rainbow droned.
“Thank you! Thank y'all most kindly!” Bard said, bowing low. He removed his hat, briefly revealing a long, lush mane of silky brown hair. Plopping the article back, he stood up and shouldered his guitar. “Reckon that's as good as ever a tune to start out with. Ahem. And now for our next number!” He grinned wide. “We kick flank!” He whistled shrilly.
Wildcard pocketed his harmonic in a blur. Goggles glinting, he squatted low and flung his griffon wings forward.
At precisely that same time, Bard performed the exact same gesture. The combined gust of wind from their appendages roared violently across the tavern... and impacted Theanim, Rainbow, and Echo.
WHUDDD! The table toppeled over, slamming squarely into Rainbow and the sarosian. “OOF!” This left Theanim sitting awkwardly in his stool, blinking at the windblow mess. “Wait...” He turned his head. “...wat.”
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Bard galloped by. “I apologize for my friend. His left hook is a doozy.”
“Uhhh—” Theanim looked to his right, only for his chin to meet a metal talon. WHAMMM! “Ooompha!” The scientist fell back on his flank.
Before the audience could even gasp, Bard shoved over the table and scooped up Echo's stirring body. “I got the goods, Dubya-Cee!” He spread his wings and launched straight out the tavern's swinging doors. “Let's mosey!”
Wildcard jetted after him, and soon the place was left in a cluttered, breathless stupor.
A few mind-numbing seconds later, Rainbow Dash crawled out from underneath the fresh debris. She groaned, stirred, then stood up with the help of an equally dazed Theanim Mane.
“I... do believe I've been throttled by a patchwork albatross,” Theanim wheezed. “Miss Dash, are you okay?”
“Oh no... no...” She snarled, rubbing her head. “He did not just table flip me!”
“Now calm down, Miss Dash, there's no need for... for...” He glanced around, his goggles cracked in the torchlight. “... ... ...Echo? Echo, old chap?”
“You mean they took him?!” Rainbow's voice cracked.
Just then, Twilight's panicked voice came into focus. “Out there, Rainbow!” The lavender spectre pointed through the entrance. “The two of them just grabbed Echo and flew!”
“With amazing speed too!” Rarity added.
“They're covering a lot of distance!” Twilight exclaimed, gulping. “I... I can sense them somehow... or at least one of them.”
“Great... just perfect!” Rainbow was already flapping her wings.
“Miss Dash! Wait!” Theanim stumbled after her. “You can't expect to catch them both alone! Surely the local authorities can—”
“What?! Get ahold of Echo before we do?!” She shook her head. “Not happening! Face it, Doc! Your old friend is our one and only ticket to Shoggoth!” FWOOOOSH! She burned a frictious path out the tavern and into the dark rusty streets. “I've got some punks to make face the music!”
“Oh dear oh dear...” Theanim stumbled helplessly out into the open. “...Verlaxion, give me strength... or at least pour me a nice drink after this...”
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*mumblegrumble*Friggin' musical bounty hunters. ..*mumble grumble*
It's time for Rainbow Dash to kick some flank.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
There's a song! And there's an Author's Notes!
And the chase is on!
well...trying to outfly Rainbow Dash....poor Decision....
the Rainboom can split mountains in half...lets see what it does to a living being's body....
Is she going to be attracted to everyone they come across?
Or, the drunk or girl/guy chained to you.
Strange magic from no known source? I almost want to say that one of them just might be a siren in disguise.
It seems Bard has unleashed the beast. Let's take bets on how many chapters it takes for Rainbow to get revenge. I say . . . four.
oh. Oh. That wildcard. Your little mute OC.
Well, that happened.
I'm sure that they are just taking him on a lovely moonlight stroll, and not at all anything illegal, nope, no siree bob.
Well, Bronson it is, then. Though, trying to outfly Rainbow seems a mite foolish.
If I could play the guitar and if I weren't so lazy, I'd give the song a crack.
This is so Grey Smoke. Somepony Rainbow knows getting captured by two flying ponies, resulting in an aerial rush through the densely packed industrial district. Only I liked Pilate better.
Not a problem. This Dash is an even bigger Mary Sue.
(Oh, I get it now, Wildcard is, you know, a wildcard.)
Funny. Very funny.
I expected RD to get at least a hit in before going down. Those two had to be damn fast.
Best part of the Austraeoh series thus far.
I do believe this is the first song our beloved author has placed in our grubby talons in 2,000,000+ words. Fact Checker? Is that correct? Lovely ditty, too. Now I just need a tune to go with it.
Pegasi have their own strain of magic, that's no secret. But I highly doubt Twilight's uni-sense is actually picking that up. My bits are on our silent Griffy Stu protagonist. Maybe griffons have their own innate magic, channeled through their talons. Or, more likely, some of his metallic prosthetics are enchanted. Dash may have more on her hooves during this chase than she realizes.
Then again, she beat Roarke in a straight-up fight and tore her, piece by piece, out of her armor with her bare hooves... Woah, I'd never thought about that before. That whole six-chapter fight near the end of Eljunbyro was a damn metaphor for the way Dashie forced Roarke to start to change, character growth that took books to culminate. I miss Roarke too now... Dang.
Oh, yeah. Cyan Pegasus will win this fight. She's OP.
The alt accounts. They never end. But it's so cool
6134933
The problem is, "Will Rust survive?"
That is certainly an, ah, interesting analogy, to say the least.
6134821 One.
You've been so busy spreading Harmony, Dash.
I reckon it's time to let loose a little Chaos
-Memories given light,ease a lonely flight.Ynanhluutr
I see THE AUTHOR's bringing in all his alts.
I'm going to seize on a different detail than everyone else and note that the song confirms that trains exist in Rohbredden and are common enough that they can occupy a place in their culture similar to the one they have in ours. This means they should have the industrial base & know-how to build a line - let's honor a naval & rail engineer and call it the GWRR - to meet up with the unfortunately-hypothetical VR&GC RR.
Wing hands, of course.
6134964
I know, right? Especially considering it's not that easy to play a harmonica with a beak.
6134933
In the fic in the link, the OC is (supposedly. I haven't (nor willing to) read that monster) basically used as a "Wildcard" since he's new, and people don't expect him.
He also has a "farewell" of sorts to that story somewhere buried in his blog.
...1.
THE POWER OF MUSIC!!!!
6134964
As far as I can tell, yes. I don't think there have even been poems or anything similar to that.
Welp, that's the pinnacle of this book.
... I stand corrected.
Also, I really want a Ponky cover of the song...
Oooh, this is Rarities first experience with the new Rainbow Dash, and Violence.
I really want to hear a cover of that song. Get on it, somejurist!
6135667
Unless you count small bits of Winter Wrap-Up (like when she was captured by "Lasairfion").
6135115
I'll just toss in my guess at three.
I think it beats the GRIP! onomatopoeia. Really.
Anyone else thinks IC is fishing for a fan song?
Heh, poor souls Bard and Wildcard. They have no idea what they've gotten themselves into
Song and author note. That's out of the common.
What's next, pictures each time a new character is described?
You know, the absurdity of someone living at the literal eastern end of the world acting like a western cowboy just had me see the same kind of irony in Tweak and consorts as well. o_O
The 'IC taking his own story seriously' scale has just smashed through the ground. Not aiming for fan music, are we?
6134933 Honestly I am getting a bit unnerved with the constant overuse the term Mary Sue has these days. People have started attributing 'a character that is very powerful and always triumphs in the end' with a Mary Sue. No. That's not a Mary Sue. That's a hero. A Sue is actually much more narrowly defined, functionally by acting as the identifcatory tool of the author - and the author alone! - in symptoms by the classical ones of stealing everyone else's show everywhere, being the only one to be talked about, being loved by everyone and so on and so forth...
The functional element is an important key, even Wikipedia gets that wrong, because it is the only clear divide between a Mary Sue and a hero character. This is, for instance, while it annoys me to no end that people are now calling video game player characters Mary Sue - because they are meant to be everyone's node of identification, just like any other hero is. The term is used more inflationary these days than 'philosophy', damnit.
Wow, these guys have balls. I almost feel sorry for them...almost.
>there'll be no sunsets for us
orig03.deviantart.net/ec11/f/2013/187/c/5/sad_sunset_shimmer_vector_by_destinyshirshuxd-d6c8vgq.png
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/578/089/a7c.jpg
Why must you hurt me in this way?
6136005 dis gon' be good
So we've had a pony kidnapped in a city called rust.
I just had the strangest feeling of deja vu...
6134821 I'll take that bet: one chapter of chase, two to kick flank. Three total.
An author's note?
What is this madness
6136798 and here i was, thinking it'll be two
Songs and authors notes? Who are you and what have you done to our beloved silent Writey One?!
For those that don't know, Bard was a Christian musical cowboy superhero and the fan-fictional brother of Raven from the series Teen Titans with many of the same powers she had. He played guitar and hummed a brief tune, manifesting his powers that way. One of his common catchphrases had to do with "taking someone to the woodshed" when he was about to kick someone's ass.
Wildcard was the brief alias of the character Noir from SS&E's own These Black Eyes. He was a mute ninja-like character with more powers than God, was the heartthrob of all the ladies in the story (even lesbians liked him), became insta-best friends with every dude he met, and still somehow, because of Skirts's amazing writing ability, managed to come across as a complete pussy (something he didn't even have 'cause he was emasculated during his backstory).
Hail to the king, folks.
And the happening started! I was only two chapters earlier with my expectations, but the chase is on
Musical Bounty hunters? Now THAT is crazy!
Well that was surprising and beautiful at the same time
Horrible pun, Boo.
... so those two are screwed beyond belief now right?
The griffon is a mute of some kind, but he can still produce music, and the cowboy complains that he talks too loud. Metal talons too. Conclusion: cyborg.
I always felt this story was missing something. Today I found that thing. Griffon Harmonica Solo.
6136278
What about when a new character is introduced, that's more rare XD.
But yeah, I think the internet would implode if that happened XD. But would be awesome.
6290021 it was Dashy that said it, so I'll let it slip by this time.