Early Sunday Update and Bon Hadescream Snippet

Howdy Readers!

Well, I figured I'd test out this "story tagging on Blogposts" feature that Knighty supposedly got working by giving y'all a sneak peek at what's coming soon in Bon Hadescream!

First things first, this is a regular Sunday update for all my followers. I put these out to let everyone know I'm still around, since while I might feel like I am getting a lot done on my side, all that is invisible to y'all until I publish something! Case in point, this past week allowed me to finalize four whole chapters of Bon Hadescream. That's 13,258 words worth of mostly-edited material I'm getting ready to ship out!

So, what's the holdup? Why haven't I released it? Well, despite my intent to release smaller bites of Bon Hadescream... my imagination ran away with me. The "little intermission" I had planned turned into a much bigger stealth and action sequence that I really like the feel of. It's a great chance to show what Octavia can do all on her own, without any backup from Vinyl. Plus, I figured out a way to work a cello duel into the storyline... or maybe I'll make it a fiddle duel, I still haven't decided on which. What do y'all think?

I want to release these chapters close to one another, so as not to draw things out! My hope is that I'll be able to have the rest of this "chunk" done next week, and start posting next week too! Another big advantage of working ahead is that I can adjust prior unposted chapters to make the narrative even more solid. But, enough of all this background info, I know y'all want to see some action, so here ya go, a snippet from an upcoming chapter of Bon Hadescream:

Of course, there are SPOILERS for Chapter 16 of Bon Hadescream in the following snippet. If you want to read the story with completely fresh eyes, just wait a little while longer and you'll get the full enchilada! (Blast it, now I'm hungry...)

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It had been close to two hours since the sun rose. He had stepped back inside for another bottle once, but aside from that nothing had happened. A few pegasi had flown by, shepherding the city's clouds back and forth into hilarious shapes. He wondered sometimes what it would be like to sleep on one of those clouds, they certainly looked comfortable enough. The earth pony sighed, boredom was the greatest of all evils, it dimmed one's inner spark. He was a worker, used to the feeling of something in his hooves that he could change. Sitting here, looking for a threat that would never come with only his pain as company, was not why he had joined the Fellowship. Still, he kept his eyes as wide as he could. No threat would breach his fortress on his watch. His inner spark would keep his senses keen, and forewarn him of any threat his eyes missed. The Great Glow guided all of its enlightened.

He had watched several other ponies scurrying through the street over the morning, and so paid little mind to a lone mare with a worried expression making her way down the opposite sidewalk. She picked her steps carefully, mindful of the oddly-shaped black case on her back, and seemed to be favoring her left hind leg ever so slightly. The stallion waved, as he had done to all the other passersby, but she seemed not to notice him. His eyes turned back to the clouds after a moment, and he noticed what might have been a waterpipe molded out of puffy white floating in the blue sky... or perhaps it was just his imagination. Did those pegasi make shapes on purpose just to ease the boredom, or were clouds just as unruly as sheep? Hmmm... something moved in the corner of his vision, and he whipped his head to the side to see-

"Hi..." said a mare with dirty grey fur and a mussed black mane. She wore on her back a cello case that looked like it had seen much in its travels. "I... do you know what streets I might follow to find the Educarchy mission?" She kept her eyes on his hooves, only daring to glance up at his face when he began to reply.

"Th' hades do you wanna go to those book-thumpers for?" He yawned once, then rubbed his puffy eyes. "All they're gonna do is preach at ya about making something of your life." The stallion grunted. Makin' yourself a slave of the rich was more like it. Get smart, work hard, watch somepony else waddle off and leave you with nothing.

"I know, but-" A distinct gurgling grumble interrupted her. The grey mare's eyes widened in embarrassment, and she looked down at the sidewalk. Her mane fell over her face, hiding part of it from his view. "I... I can stand a sermon if I can get something to eat."

"Oh." He peered a little closer at the mare. That's what the Educarchy does. They prey on the weak, those who ain't got anywhere to turn. Clean you up, doll you up, snuff out your inner spark and stuff you with clockwork. The stallion coughed once, then said simply, "you're desperate."

She looked away from him, cheeks a fierce pink to match the well-worn bow around her neck. The mare fiddled with it as she turned her gaze toward the shiny skyscrapers that rose from the more prosperous part of town. "I was not always like this... I used to be somepony. I used to be respected! I made music, beautiful, beautiful music." A happy smile crossed her muzzle, then slowly wilted away. "But... but then they decided that they did not want to hear me anymore."

The cultist nodded in understanding. "You were just a cog to 'em. When something new comes along, toss out the old, in with the new." He took a swig from the brown bag. "I used to be somepony too. Factory worker, see the lathe on my flank? Worked hard every day, the best in the plant." She had a pretty nice flank, and that purple clef had fine curves.

She nodded in sad sympathy, seeming not to notice where his eyes roamed.

"Oh, but then in comes this unicorn with an enchanted lathe! Why keep an earth pony on when anypony can just drop a block of metal into this contraption, and pow! Out comes something great." He snarled, then spat into a gutter. "An' you... you fell out of style, didn't ya?" He wiped his mouth. "They replaced you with a record player, eh?"

"N-no! No, you cannot replace live music, they just..." The mare protested feebly. He could see that she was still clinging to some hope that They cared about her. "I... the ones who listened just... lost interest. I still..." She closed her eyes, and shifted the cello case on her back. "I worked... I practiced so very hard to be the best." The mare took a deep breath. "I was happy. Why did things have to change? That night was so beautiful, the whole orchestra around me, but..."

"But when you think back, it's like another life, ain't it?" He grinned. "And it hurts, don't it?"

"Like a claw through the heart," the grey mare replied with misty eyes.

This concludes our sneak preview. I'd love to know what you thought!

As always, thanks for reading!
-BubblepipeWrangler