Beyond the Borderlands: Your Questions Answered! · 5:44pm May 20th, 2015
All right! Here we go! In case you missed it, yesterday I opened the comments section of my blog to questions from you, the readers, promising to answer them as best I could with my ability without providing any spoilers. And ... well, you guys delivered. From the look of it I've got at least fifteen-twenty questions to go through and answer! All right! So, without any further ado, let's go through these and see what sort of things I can not spoil for you!
So, our first set of questions comes from AlouetteSK, a long time fan of the series, he had a number of questions to ask, but the first and most vital on his mind was:
How many sets of stairs will the party have to deal with?
All right, this one actually took some counting, and I'm not promising the most accurate count (nor that I did anything other than sit and think for a moment while counting on my fingers, after all, some stairs have to be surprising), but I can confidently say at least three sets of stairs. Dozens more encounters off-camera. Stairs actually play a bit of an important part in things, kind of in the same way doors do in the setting, so there is that.
Who's been the hardest character to write?
Ooh. This is a tough one, because Beyond has definitely brought with it its own challenges and moments, but despite all that I would have to say that the hardest character still has been Sabra. The lovable, thoughtful monk has still been the toughest character I've ever tackled, especially the first time I gave him center stage in The Definition of Strength. Sabra's challenge comes from the fact that he and I, as characters, are just so different that I really have to work hard and focus to make sure that I'm getting his character right every time I touch a keyboard. It's gotten easier, though I'm sure his next starring role will come with it's own difficulties, but for now, Sabra remains the hardest character that's taken the most amount of work to write to my satisfaction.
What other species exist in this universe?
I'm assuming you're asking after sapient species here, as otherwise this answer could take a long time, but really quick, before I answer, I'm just going to do a quick run over the species that have been touched on so far in the Dusk Guard Saga. We've got ponies, minotaurs, griffons, horses, zebras, changelings, diamond dogs, buffalo, dragons, and the crystal fae. Oh, and the Breezies, I guess. Now, is that the total list? No. Are there other sapient species out there? Sure. But ... I don't want to go into details quite yet (and most of them are small or not of major consequence). So these are the main players, the ones that will be core to the Dusk Guard, or at least as far as I want to go with being core right now. And don't worry, in Beyond you're going to see a lot of these other species, far more than you saw in Rise.
Just no humans. Ever. I'll toss that one down right now. There are no humans at all. As far as this universe is concerned, they do not exist. And that's not reverse psychology.
Will anything change regarding the status of Arad's story fitting with yours, or are they still two different branches?
No. The two are completely irreconcilable. While I've loved seeing the Dusk Guard cameo in Arad's stories, and have loved being given a few chances to let those characters play in the sandbox that Arad has written, the cameo's are just that—cameos. Effectively, outside of some of the mods Fortitude Amicitia previewed, which are (as most have guessed) the natural direction forward of the team's equipment, none of what happens in Amicitia nor the Stardust universe is canon for the Dusk Guard. While Rise counts as part of the back-canon for Arad's story, both the background universe and the nature of world-wide, Epic-level calamities makes the two universes completely unmanageable merge-wise on any level outside of cameo appearances. A lot of people seem shocked at this, but I think when Beyond the Borderlands hits and starts nearing its climax, people will realize why. There's a lot of world-building that doesn't line up in the slightest between our two universes, and in both cases it's heavily relevant stuff.
So, no, they're still two wildly different stories, in both background and the direction they're heading (which also means that the backstory and history of the Stardust series has zero impact on the backstory and history of The Dusk Guard. Ditto for the way magic works, the other nations that we'll see in Beyond, etc. The crossover was great fun, but it wasn't canon, as disappointing to some as that may be.
Will they encounter a non-princess funded PMC as a rival group in addition to the regular guards?
Hah! That's a really good question, actually. Depends on what you mean by Private Military Corporation. Equestria's a bit different of a world than ours, so does Blade count, being that she's a wandering claw and all? There's a lot of free-contract griffons out there, after all, and the Griffon Empire isn't the only place that produces wandering mercenary groups (though not all of them end up doing mercenary work). If you're referring to a similar group to the Dusk Guard own but funded by someone else inside of Equestria, than no.
Will there be a point where some back-room politics causes the team to be underfunded? And would they resort to less conventional methods to acquire necessary equipment to accomplish their mission?
Underfunded? No. Sky Bolt's managed to lock up a very large chunk of capital by being on the forefront of a technological revolution that's going to throw huge ripples through industry. There may come times that their budget isn't as large as she wants it to be, but they're never going to be underfunded. So no, nor will the Dusk Guard need to resort to less-than-conventional methods to get the equipment they need.
Thanks for your questions, AlouetteSK, and thanks for reading!
Alright! Next set of questions comes from MyHobby, who also seemed astounded at my prolific wordcounts. Which might be why his first question was "How many keyboards do you go through in a year?" To which the answer is: Just the one actually. Though I did just get a nice new Corsair K70 mechanical for Christmas, and it's been like writing on a dream. Totally a worthwhile investment for my writing. Anyway, onward!
In the Official Timeline, you show Beyond as taking place before most of the side stories (Carry On being the exception). This originally led me to believe that the Dusk Guard as we knew it weren't going to feature in Beyond, or that the teaser you posted was not necessarily going to dovetail with the main plot. However, you have since clarified that the timeline shows when each story starts. So it leads me to believe that Beyond shall start before the side stories... and finish after them.
Hmm ... Good speculation. Good speculation. There are no end-points on that timeline. i can only imagine that if I were to post such, people would be even more confused. But you're on the right track. With what I won't say, since technically, you didn't really ask anything here. But you're definitely on the right track, and once Beyond starts hitting, I think a lot of the dots will be much easier to connect. Right now, due to their only being one book and the side stories, a lot of the major plot points are still just points. Once Beyond hits, you're going to have new points to connect those old points to, and the full scope is going to start revealing itself.
Aha! Here's a legitimate question! If enchanted crystals were the playthings of the rich and bored (pre-Sky Bolt's genius), then what sort of devices were they used for? In what situations? What industries are going to be wholly and vocally against the new innovations?
Pretty basic stuff actually. On-demand spells, so you could buy a cloud-walking enchantment in advance. It'd just cost a ridiculous bundle, more than ten times what it would cost to just have a unicorn toss the spell on you. Most of the pre-Sky Bolt stuff was with simple spells like light spells or making sounds—the kind of stuff that would pop up in luxury children's toys, and the heavy industry application was both rare and specific—like Sky Bolt's superboiler design, which was deemed far too cost prohibitive due to the requirements, so it wouldn't have gone anywhere without the Dusk Guard.
With that in mind, they weren't useful for much outside of ostentatious or extravagant showyness—like at a pop show or a formal dinner. Because while a flameless light spell is useful for a lot of things, it was magnitudes cheaper just to manufacture a flare, or better yet, hire a unicorn to do the same job. Where Sky Bolt (following the path blazed by Mint and Radiant) succeeded was not in making it any easier to make such a spell, but by making it self-renewing, so they weren't just "Well, there's 200 hours of work for a 3-minute effect, and now it's over." Now it's "Well, here's 200 hours worth of work ... and it'll last us years!"
As far as industries that will resist her work, it'll probably be industries that are heavily staffed by unicorns who don't like the idea of being "replaced," but with Celestia and Luna's backing, as well as the right exposure, will sooth those fears. Plus, those same unicorns are now going to face a steep demand for new enchanters in the crystal industry, which will see a massive boom. Offhand, I don't see any industry that for long would be against her work once it started rolling out. While it certainly won't effect every industry, those that it does will see a nice, sharp upswing in what their capabilities are.
On that note, when does she get to throw wine into Pony Stark's face?
Um ... never? 
What sort of government do the zebras have? Tribal, most likely?
Actually, no. While their families are extremely important, the Plainslands is actually a very structured and organized place as far as government goes. Effectively, it's a representative government. Learned or valued members of the community (home heads, Masters, scholars, commanders, and shamans) gather to discuss things as needed (and any may be summoned by the public), and this pattern follows all the way up. Delegates may be sent for larger assemblies, and at the capital, a wide range of delegates, speakers, scholars, and shamans gather to discuss the running of the nation as a whole, from individual questions raised by cities and towns or even individuals to the question of wider, far-reaching laws and rulings spanning the nation as a whole.
Basically? They're kind of a republic, only they rely quite a bit on the intelligent autonomy of the various cities, lower "city level" councils handling most things while the core government concerns itself mostly with keeping an eye on the big picture and making sure everything runs smoothly. In a culture that values knowledge and respect of others, it tends to flow pretty well.
So, basically? Think of something similar to a republic, but with a spread of representatives rather than one common elected official or a party. All in a setting that's basically one part ancient Africa, one part ancient Asia.
What's your favorite scene in Rise?
Oh wow, that's a tough one. Um ... it's a toss-up between the diplomatic dinner, which was just a wonderful combination of characters pinballing off of one another in a formal setting and plot development, and the final scene of the book, where Nova ambushes Cappy and Steel on their run and gets into a challenge that is totally over his head ... but he's okay with that. That ending scene really clinches the changes in both Steel and Nova from the start of the story, and I love it for that.
That's everything there! Thanks for reading and asking, MyHobby!
Alright, our next question comes from Ash19256, who asks:
Will Sky Bolt ever come up with the idea of an internal combustion engine? Or does the prerequisite tech not exist yet? What about the idea of using steam turbines to power the props instead of a steam piston engine?
No, Sky Bolt won't come up with internal combustion engines. You'll see hints that such things could be on the horizons for the world in Beyond, actually, and it'll likely pop up in the future of the world, but it'll probably happen among minotaurs or Griffons first. With magic, Equestria already has an impressive power source, even moreso with magic being used almost like electricity. And since crystals make great batteries, as we've found, that means that a number of the problems Earth has faced concerning the development of power systems (storage, etc) aren't the same in Equestria. Basically, internal combustion will exist at some point, surely, but it'll probably never reach the level it has here, because their world has so many better and more efficient options.
Steam turbines on the other hand, are definitely in their future, though when and from who I can't really say, or if we'll even see them in the scope of the Saga. We might, though. Just might.
Thanks for asking! Interesting question! 
Our next question comes from Commander_C22. who wanted to know:
Are they going to use military tactics and call signs?
Yes, though they will be modified and in some cases have unfamiliar names, since this is a different world, with different rules. Thanks for reading!
Next, we have TheStratovarian, who had two questions to ask.
How much is our resident little fear based child and parents going to factor into the sequel here?
Into Beyond? You won't see her at all.
Oh, the other is if or not we also get to see the mane six with our resident guards?
You'll never see them interact more than in passing, and as far as Beyond goes, no.
Thanks for asking, and I hope you weren't too disappointed with those answers, lol!
Next, Nano Tab wants to know:
Do you have any plans for the Dusk Guard after Beyond?
Of course! You can check the official timeline in the Dusk Guard Group to get more specific details, but there are a total of six books planned, all following a single, dominant arc we've only yet seen the beginnings of. You can even find some speculation on the Dusk Guard TV Tropes page, under the Wild Mass Guessing tab.
I hope you enjoy all of them! Thanks for reading!
And last, but not least, a whole series of questions from WaitYAmIHere, who slipped in past the deadline, but I'm feeling generous.
Will the team meet Cadance/Shining Armor/Sombra?
Well, they've already met Cadance and Shining Armor at the dinner, so yes there. But as to the last name there ...?
Yes.
New ships (air or romance)?
In Beyond? Can't say. In the future? Yes.
Favorite Rise character?
I can't pick one! That's like picking between one's children!
Hints about your favorite new character?
Ooh ... this is tough, since again, I don't have just one ... but let's see, a hint for one of them? How about ... potion-making is tough?
Word count/ chapter length?
Um, okay, I'm going to do some rough math here. Around 300,000 words? Maybe more, maybe less? I really don't want to do a solid word count right now. In ... enough chapters to hold that much awesome!
Is the number of explosions caused by Sky Bolt greater than the number of explosions not caused by Sky Bolt?
Definitely not. But you like explosions, huh? Good ...
What is the air speed velocity of an unladen Hummingbird?
Sabra asked why it's unladen. I think he just made a joke!? 
Final and totally unrelated question: Rarity best pony or best pony?
Lies! There is only !
All right! That's it! Thanks for asking! Hopefully I scratched a few of your itches. Granted, that usually makes them worse. Soon, I tell you, soon!
Thanks for reading!
Viking ZX
Whoo! Questions answered. Thank you for your generosity. While the Q&A hasn't sated my desire for more Dusk Guard it has been a nice appetizer. I can't wait to start reading.
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Thanks! And, plug here, but you could always tide yourself while you wait this last week or so with another one of my works instead if you haven't read them. Dead Silver is 450+ pages of awesome, after all.
And if you've read it, well ... um ... have you read The Icarus Hunt yet? Not mine, but amazing!
That metaphor extension makes way too much sense.
Thanks for the answers. I'm looking forward to Beyond!
Pardon my slowness, but to whom was the questioner referring?
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The crystal fae filly from Emoticon.
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Unfortunately (fortunately?) I am already the proud owner of both your books. I will just have to live with rereading until Beyond comes out.
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Thank you! In that case, though, Baen did just update its free library with a few new books including one by Timothy Zahn and one by Larry Correia. There's a more developed post on that on my other site, so you grab one of those while you count down!
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Truly? Wow. Well then. Looks like I know what Im doing for the rest of the day. Thanks
Thanks for answering some of my questions. Stairs: the enemy of many a protagonist on FimFic traveling in the Crystal Empire. Kinda disappointed in the unmentioned other sapient species, which was the goal of that question, but that's a surprise I'll enjoy. (BAWWWW NO HOOMANS!, jk) As for the PMC question, I might have just started a game featuring a former bishounen protagonist turned cyborg ninja.