The insects chirped in the night, the jungle lit by nothing but the moon and the stars far above.
I spread my wings and jumped towards the next thick branch on the next tree with a single silent beat of my wings.
Landing on silent hooves, I stretched before peering down into the darkness. A couple of trees had been cleared away and a crystal spire had been placed.
“You don’t have to check each yourself,” Flower Rain said as she landed next to me.
“No,” I answered, “”But I want to see at least a few of them before we pull the lever.”
Flower sat down and started to adjust her braided mane, “Last one?”
I smiled and looked at her, “Date morning?” I asked.
Flower shifted slightly and put her hoof back down, “...Yes.”
“Well,” I said, “We better get back then. Sorry for dragging you along with me in the first place. This isn’t really your job.”
That got a smile from the small thestral, “No, but I wanted to see them too, your majesty.”
“Let’s head back,” I said and spread my wings, jumping into the air and climbing upwards past the crowns of the forest and the stars above.
And the dozen of thestral guards circling above the trees, two of them pulling a sky carriage.
Pulling up higher, I banked around before going down to land on the sky carriage. Moments later, Flower landed next to me.
“All ready, sir?” Moon Glow asked from where she was sitting in the carriage. The pegasus was wearing a pair of night seeing goggles.
“All ready,” I told her, “Thank you for indulging me, Moon Glow. I know you don’t like when I do excursions into the forest.”
“All part of the job, sir,” she said with a smile, “Alright everypony!” she added, raising her voice, “Back to Nocturnis!”
The ponies pulling the carriage shifted course and everypony else fell into formation around us.
I took a deep breath, taking in the clear night air, looking up towards the moon shining far above.
My Luna. My Moon. My Sky.
She’ll be here in a few nights. In time for the ceremony to turn the shield bubble on. It was as good of an excuse for her to be able to visit as any.
Cadence, Shining Armor, Sunburst and Flurry Heart were on the way as well.
It was only right to invite them. They did pay for most of this in any case, every single of the obelisks making up the shield domes were imported from the Crystal Empire.
If they had not given them to us, we would not have been able to do this for decades more.
Nocturnis was starting to come into view. Shining sparkles of light in the darkness of the forest, like stars moved down from the skies to the treetops.
It was beautiful.
Some thought the most beautiful city in Equestria was Canterlot. They were wrong, so very wrong. Dead wrong.
But I couldn’t blame them, most had never been to Nocturnis.
But this project, this shield…
…It would change everything. We’d be able to clear some land along the river for farming. Keep the large predators away from the city.
Make day ponies feel safe to visit. We could have tourists! Make things safe enough to attract investors!
A way for us to grow, to become independent from the support of the rest of Equestria. I hate that we have to keep having to loan money.
I know Sunshine didn’t mind at all and they could afford it, but…
I wanted to show we could do this.
But tourists and becoming more independent from the support required greater safety, such like the dome shield.
Of course, all of this assumed they could stand being around the dangerous thestrals. I glanced to the side to see Flower nibble on a slice of apple from her bag, the tiny bat pony looking up towards the stars.
Yes.
Dangerous scary bat ponies.
The village approached into the distance and we swept in across the outskirts, passing above the school. One of the buildings that were always kept brightly lit on the inside. While most students were thestrals, a significant percentage were day ponies and even the unicorns weren’t really old enough to keep a light spell going for that long.
I glanced down the side as we passed the market square. Stands were set up and ponies were milling around. Food stands set up, the scents of grilled meat rising up against us.
Well, if anything good came of this in the end, it was ready access to barbecue. Even if most recipes were Griffin so far from natural reasons. Still, we were getting better at it. Some of the spices we found so far were really great.
Damn, now I’m hungry. Well, it is getting to be lunchtime, maybe I’ll head down to the market after we land.
We started to head down towards the palace’s landing platform. We circled the throne room once on the way down before landing.
I jumped off the carriage, “Thanks everypony,” I said, looking around, “I just wanted to see some for myself. This is a big step forward for our entire town. Thanks for escorting me.”
“All in a night's work, sir!” Moon Glow said, saluting.
I smiled at them and nodded before I headed inside, Flower moving to follow and I paused to look at her, giving her a side motion with my head, “What are you still doing here, go have fun.”
Flower smiled before she bowed, “Thank you, your majesty. See you tonight?”
“Tonight,” I agreed, “Now go have fun!”
She smiled and took to the air, jumping off the platform. She worked hard, she deserved to enjoy life whenever possible.
Wish she had told me she had plans, I would have insisted she didn’t come.
Entering, I headed up the ramp towards the throneroom where I was promptly ambushed. For a split second I suspected treachery, but it was even worse.
Starlight Glimmer and a stack of paperwork.
I seriously have to talk with Cadance about her when she’s visits. Maybe if Starlight found somepony, she’d relax a bit and I might as well get an expert on the job.
Besides, that’ll distract her from me, Sparks and Sunny.
Holy shit new Page content!!!! Woooooohoooooo! Instafavorite!!!! Cant wait to binge it on completion XD
yes its back
TYPO SPOTTED!
LOCATION: Story description.
Correction: Extra Words.
Nocturnis is growing
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And now for something completely different.
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LEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY! (dives in)
Great to see the story continuing. And only one error in chapter, impressive.
Correction: every single one of the obelisks
Looking glass, hmmm?
Let's see what's through the looking glass, shall we?
And we’re off to a good start, way too good.
Let’s see what our writer has in store for Page and the rest in this installment.
And the Titel, doesn’t really spread confidence that there are good things waiting. (And the direct warning in the story notes might help with the assessment. )
Great to see you are back, now, what disaster awaits us this time?
For some reason, that line makes me want the scene where he does pull the lever to be an "Emperor's New Groove" trapdoor gag.
MORE HIVER, YEAH BOI LET'S GOOOOOOO
Woo hoo! No cover art though? Someone go poke Sipioc with a commission stick.
LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO
I think that 'resources' would be a better word for that sentence there.
Some 50 years from now
"And that's how these noble houses have fallen from grace, for being a bunch of horrible racists and driving Princesses Husband away from Canterlot, any questions?"
"Yes, what do they do now?"
"I believe one has taken up being a miserable drunk while another has built a cardboard box mansion and has become the lord of the slums"
Page... Sometimes I wonder about you when you try to Summon Murphy to take interest in your life & actions.
But can't even worry about that cause Hiver you Magnificent Bastard you got a new series up and running! And also as always:
NEEDS MOAR CHAPTERS!!!!!!
It is back ♡♡♡♡♡
i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543704064l/43073588._SX318_.jpg
So so much worse than treachery
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Everyone knows to not poke the artist with a stick, you might lose an arm.
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Yes, that's the joke the story itself already made.
I was SO CLOSE to finish the series again...well I guess chapter 70 of Welcome to the Jungle is good enough...cool stuff here!!
My hype is rising! It’s overflowing!
Page: *looking at the 1st document* Hmm I stand corrected. There is treachery but the predictable kind. Angel Bunny is asking me for my surrender again.This pawprint using red berries is a nice touch..
Starlight: Dont worry. I informed him you'll engage him in trench warfare at midnight by the river in one week. Even told the rodent can start digging right away.
Page: Wait..isnt that where we'll set up farmland?
Starlight: Farming will be easier if the ground is broken beforehand.
Page: You clever unicorn! Putting that rabbit's desire for conquest to good use! We should have done this a while ago!
*Meanwhile..Angel sneezes several times before returning to lay out the battlefield*
YAY NEW BOOK now I have something to look forward to almost every day
It's baaaack!!!! Hype train!
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It says something when I miss seeing you post all of this windy_prance.
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I agree. It is nice to see you all once again.
Starlight Glimmer: "I have Paperwork for you."
Blank Page: "It is treason then..."
Fruit nibbeling Thestrals! Run for your Mangos!!!
Shield City! Might have better defenses then Canterlot
The Night is beautyful, maybe one night it catches up to Luna ♡
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Aww I'm glad to see you guys too~!
Page returns, huzzah! I'm looking forward to seeing what disaster awaits.
Return of the grammar jackboot (ignoring dialect problems and things people have already brought up):
Double speech marks.
Cadance
You might want to be more careful about the term 'city'. Nocturnis is at most a small town based on previous descriptions unless there's been a truly huge population boom between stories, and said boom would have had to see a majority non-Thestral population even if every single Thestral has moved in... Unless Equestria has a very specific definition of a city (the place might have been given a charter, for example).
Griffon, in this setting. Good to see the capitalisation of races though, that's something most people forget.
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given that theres the trope of "equestria only has around 50million ponies at most" i would assume that what we think of as "a small town" they think of it as a small city. probably.
i mean, it is just a fictional world. definitions can change depending on the context.
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Nah, that perspective doesn't impact things much, coming from someone in a country with a similar population. There were stated to be a few hundred or so people in Nocturnis if I recall from the previous story and about five thousand total Thestrals in the country (so probably not that many more in the world total). If we assume every single Thestral migrated to Nocturnis (unlikely to say the least), then that's still not a city by any remotely modern metric.
Only pre-iron age or early medieval cultures would consider that a city unless there was some legal technicality. Considering that Equestria is at absolute lowest a mature industrial (that is to say, 1800s equivalent) culture with significant magitech or at best at an interwar tech level (though bizarrely this particular instance doesn't seem to have even primitive gunpowder weapons, which would be practically mandatory if you have the tech to make plate armour due to the correlation of metallurgy technologies involved), their population would be large enough that I'd expect cities like Manehattan and Canterlot to be over a million strong at least, and probably younger industrial cities would be close or have passed that line too.
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I remember some great Comments from you guys if i don't mixed you up. Looking forward to this comment section ♡
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You can wait that long? The Comment section is half the fun!
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PARTY
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Geranimo
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Entertainment
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Everything will be juuuuust fiiiinnnneeeeee...
*Murphy laughs in glee*
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The every day things that happen in a Jungle:
- To loud lovers in the heat of passion
- Anti magic T-Rex thing messing with shield peripherer
- Train railing maintenance
- Lessons for how to make stupidity survivelable
( Don't shout at Carnivores, don't feed Carnivores by trying to play hero, DON'T STEAL MANGOS! , as well as don't mess with Thestrals with speciest jokes...
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I really hope for more Cuddlebug action
camo.fimfiction.net/HGKOVNTrPh_dQIegq-4XQTTfq37sBPSPcGN3_7ZAMFg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fderpicdn.net%2Fimg%2Fview%2F2014%2F7%2F10%2F671941.gif
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Maybe Blank Page nibbeling on a heart shaped Mango?
camo.fimfiction.net/HGKOVNTrPh_dQIegq-4XQTTfq37sBPSPcGN3_7ZAMFg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fderpicdn.net%2Fimg%2Fview%2F2014%2F7%2F10%2F671941.gif
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Love the idea! Hope the Cardbox Mansion is rain proofed...
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Don't forget: Murphy causes good and bad...
I think that's a grammar mistake, don't need "she's visits", "she visits" should be enough
Looking forward to any of MC’s new books promoting thestral protagonists, advancement with Celestia, possible date into EQG world, character development of Cadenza, and moar cuddle bugs!
The title makes me think of the EG mirror portal, but it's probably referencing something completely different. Maybe Midnight's way home? Maybe the possible portal between Nocturnis & Canterlot? Who knows? (Besides anyone who isn't reading this for the first time...)
Allons-y!
images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28300000/Allons-y-doctor-who-for-whovians-28305116-490-700.jpg
To be honest I had forgot that best pony existed in this reality.