This story is a sequel to The Eternal Lonely Day
On May 23, 2015, the world ended. It wasn't violent, it wasn't bloody, and it wasn't even very dramatic. The entire population of the planet vanished. But they didn't stay gone; almost at once refugees started trickling back. Unfortunately for them, they didn't come back with their humanity intact.
Instead of a single species, the earth is now populated with Ponies, griffons, dragons, minotaurs, and even stranger creatures. What will the remnants of humanity make with their world? Will they remember human achievements, or slip back into primitive ignorance? Learn from our mistakes, or repeat them over and over?
People haven't really changed, only their bodies have. The world now comes with new threats, supernatural as well as mundane. Demons lurk beneath the sea, while strange spirits whisper promises in dreams. Empires rise, dictators control, and ponies have nowhere to turn for help. Nowhere except themselves, and old-fashioned hard work.
This story is effectively an anthology of episodes, each of which will focus on a different time period and different perspective characters.
Latest in the Last Pony on Earth series. If you haven't read that story, start there. This one won't really make much sense otherwise.
Editing provided by Two Bit and Sparktail. Art by the fantastic Zutcha.
Uhh... duplicate chapter much?
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There was a posting error, sorry about that. Somehow they didn't get divided properly.
Well dang. You have surprised me again. This is getting real good again.
7000869 Yeah, I went back and noticed that. Lol. This is what I get for staying up until three in the morning...
Well, that's certainly a reasonably safe place to return to. Do the HPI maintain spy satellites that would be able to see it, I wonder?
Really interesting to see the little piece of Equestria on Earth. Hope we get to see a bit more of that.
...Did Alex's death at the wrong time return her as Mercy instead of returning her normally? Is she a crystal pony now?
I think you meant unconscious there.
So many questions!
Also possibly 'fixed' Ezri? Does this mean she's a changeling that doesn't need to feed anymore?
*insert squee of delight here*
Yay! I knew following you would do good! And it did!
Yay, the new story is out! Only managed to read chapter 1.1 so far (or "half" of the "initial" chapter 1.1 before it was split in two parts), and I'm curious to see where this is going!
Huh! I completely missed the subtext of Ezri being the one who Jackie married in the previous story.
Noticed a mistake in the description:
"Will their remember human achievements".
It's noticeable in the featured-box, better fix that fast.
We have 18 days until ponyalipse.
I'm happy that you decided to keep going with this story, even if it will not focus on Alex anymore. If this is going to be the final installment I just hope we finally get some of the big questions answered before the end. Hopefully we will not have to wait too long to find out Alex's fate from the last story either.
this is a different start to this new ark.
as I am a hug fan of Sci-Fi I can follow it for the most part as I see a hole bigger picture in the back ground.
a vary good start.
Glad to see this is already under way!
this is a vary interesting start I am intrigued as to how this is going to play out.
Strange developments, Archive nowhere to be seen (though it isn't clear how long hars it been since last time Day died) and the strange change Jackie chose for her and Ezri (and I'm not even sure if Ezri was actually dying there; though I admit it makes sense for Jackie to hurry up on trying to "heal" her not caring about consecquences).
Only souls can create dreams... I think it's something Blacklight would have like to know (if she didn't, that is; it's been some decades since Day adopted Ezri).
And of course the story's picture, which seems to be a cutie mark similar to Lonely Day's. (or the "human in book" symbol is actually Archive's cutie mark instead?)
As with the previous stories, I'm looking fowrard to see how this story continues.
And before I forget: Starscribe, do you intend to have a posting schedule like the previous fics in the series?
I expected the new story to take longer for some reason. I'll get to reading later!
oh yes! post-apocalyptic earth is now equestia...
You monster! How can you keep us in the dark like that? We need to know what happened to Alex! You can't have killed her for good, it would be to cruel, too monstrous to even consider! She deserves a happy ending!!
Also, it's good to see more of your writing ^^ a new one to favorite, after all.
So, as the last story with magical cups I read on this website was Pirene, I am a bit worried about Ezri turning into a goblin.
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She's dead, Neece. *Star-Trekking intensifies*
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The two symbols there in the book. One is Jackie's cutie mark. It's never actually described in ELD, but there's a picture of Jackie in chapter 15, and that's her mark. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/289382/15/the-eternal-lonely-day/chapter-15-dream-a-little-day-292-ae
The other symbol is a black and green heart with holes in it. I'd say it easily represents a chanegeling, in this case, Ezri. And they're both in a story book. So I think that this, at least at the start, is primarily going to be a story about Jackie and Ezri and their relationship together, rather than another alicorn thingy.
I have been exposed to beliefs and opinions that this time she's not coming back; she's gone for good.
I suggest you take in these facts:
1) Tia has an intricate connection to the sun. She will live as long as it remains. She will die when the inevitable supernova happens.
2) "L" is effectively a satellite. The nightmare repellent is tied to Tia in such a manner she will live as she lives, and die when she dies.
Two others:
3) Another represents companionship and togetherness. As long as there are ponies in need of a friend or someone is lonely, she will still be around.
4) The most recent one is like the last; she wasn't born with it, she received it later on. Sunset represents redemption and forgiveness. As long as there are people who need guidance on various points on the morality scale, she will be there for the morally wayward who need her.
None of them will die under those conditions; They are all effectively preserved by those never ending missions.
The Big "A" is not going away for good. It would take nothing less than the extinction of all people, equine and human alike to kill her. She is tied to the continued existence of her species, both of them. There are still humans and horses multiplying, and their numbers get bigger every year, slowly but surely.
I have to say this episode in ypur story is seriously lacking a proper protagonist, you spent so much time developing and making Day likable, that after killing her off, the story suddenly feels bland. Jackie simply did not get enough screen time to make her interesting enough for the main role.
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Jackie's only had 10,000 words so far, give her some more. I don't expect she'll be able to compete with Alex, but...
That isn't to say Alex is gone from the story forever either. I wouldn't want to say anything about that yet.
Yusssss~
It continues!!!
Holy fuck! What is going ON here?! O.O
#1 Alex better not be gone from the story!
#2 When are we going to see Ezri??
#3 How has Jackie changed?
#4 Why is your profile picture so cute?!
That was quick.
Man, like the Keeper being all mysterious wasn't enough, now we've got a Three Fates-esque thing Alex apparently dreamed up to add to it.
Well, let's see where this goes.
So Sunset's hidden settlement is a carbon copy of the Crystal Empire?... Okay. At least some kind of answers are hopefully forthcoming, though I'm not sure how or why Sunset would know a lot about what exactly Alex was doing.
Yay, bat pone perspective. Go Jackie! Will we have a changeling perspective from Ezri?
Hope it's as interesting as Riley's was.
Hello Darkness, my old friend
Now it's really going into the mystical territory... interesting.
Wonder why Sunset has created a 'Snowglobe' Equestria (admittedly with the snow on the outside in this case). Was that really the mission Luna gave her or is she doing the same thing Archive did, just by different means? Provided this is actually a real place in the Antarctic of course.
Dang, we European ponies have been found out! Our bipedal disguise was perfect! Just the doorhandles we had to use in equine form. It's always the details. *frustrated hoof-stomp*
Whelp, I guess this makes a better first chapter than what came before.
Considering how many females were in conflict in the final fight, and how the English language works, it is difficult to tell if Alex or Salazar was the subject in the final sentence. Regardless, she died. Whomever she may be.
Wait, does this mean Salazar broke the contract?
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Ironically enough, both did, lol
You troll!
You teamed up with Bitter, didn't you?
I knew it, oh yes, I know the real reason why you moved this chapter!
j/k xD
7013953 Technically, it should have. Because the Contract was that neither side would harm the other in ANY way. And yet Salazar, who is the ally of Charybdis and thus bound by the Contract, attacked Alex who was a Human and protected by the Contract.
The Contract should be broken.
7000950 I think Alex is 100% fully dead, and is not coming back. After all, if she truly want immortal, why would the Author set up a 'backup plan' for when Alex dies, have Alex explain the plan, and then the very same day that Alex explains it is the day she is assassinated.
What's more is last chapter in that special place with those special beings. Alex pretty much 'past the test' and would have became a full Alicorn by passing into that world. That means those 'beings' were GODS, or Elder Beings of a much higher power. One, the one they mentioned being on her way there, was most likely... Searching, but can't find or remember the name. Basically the Planet Earth. The Being that Helped Alex when she is connecting with the earth through Earth Pony Magic. The one who helped Oliver in the second story save Alex's life.
Anyways 'She' is probably one of those higher beings. Alex was meant to go there and become an Alicorn. And with this higher level god beings, they gave Jackie, that human, and Ezri "Something" that healed up their very 'souls'. Alex is most likely dead for good, or will be for a long long long time, as the story now focuses on this 3 new people, and what effect that potion thing had on them.
I can't fault Sunset for thinking Luna may feel guilty after learning there was a way to make humans resistant to magic; however, it isn't like thay had the time to make a full rerearch.
(... though now that I think of it, if the events of the Equestria Girls movie happened -Sunset suggested so- then Luna should know there are some humans who can survive in a magic environment... I'll throw that to "didn't have tie to research" folder)
Now to meet Blacklight (or not). With her last conversation with Day I wasn't actually expecting Riley to appear again.
a vary interesting chapter so much to think about.
I am hoping they can save Ezri as I have a feeling she will be playing a huge part in this story ark.
Why is there a strange scenario playing out in my head?
That: With Archive death at the hand of the Dark god worshippers, those humans who are loyal to Archive will start praying to her like one might do to God while they start purging the "heretics"...And for some reasons, they do receive blessings. As in, their prayers are answered when truly needed...
Hey! They are already pretty religious...So it is not ridiculous, just strange.
7023045 plus it wouldn't have worked. The portal only opened when an Alicorn had awakened, and that wasn't what saved him, it was something from a higher being. It's not something they could copy, manufacture, create, or anything like that.
Issac is one of a kind, for now. Till another human stumbles into that world, and a higher being decides to change his fate instead of killing him like they originally planned.
I've noticed that Alex's revival time is relative somewhat to the amount of physical damage she receives. With the severe injuries she got from the gun and the field, is it safe to assume she may not be coming back during this generation of ponies? Also, will she be able to open the other-worldy portal again to ascend properly when she does? So many questions and no answers in the near future.
So, Jackie can bring figments into reality? That is such a neat idea. Should be interesting to see how she puts that to use.
Every human killed by magic turns into Charybdis-humans. So, if Equestria hadn't interfered, there'd have been seven billion of them. Creepy.
The ones that are there ended up in the South China Sea. Because it's reasonably deep for being nearby to a lot of land, I'm guessing? I seem to remember their settlements closer to the surface tended to get blown up by the HPI...
We finally get a chance to see what Riley's been up to with the results of the Ezri experiment... and it looks like a lot of the changelings they can see are reasonably intelligent if they're wearing decorative clothing and relaxing and so on. Sounds like whatever she attempted is working!
South China Sea. So the no longer humans there are buildig R'yleth
...Well, I have no idea where this is going.
Should be 'stairs'?
hung
I wonder if if Isaac is ultimately the source of the humans we see Much much later from this; humans that have inherited his resistance to magic.
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There. I fixed that for you.
That last paragraph is interesting.