It's amazing how long Blackjack holds onto that whole getting hit by a boat thing. Even after getting spectacular revenge on all boat kind!

I'm waiting for Blackjack's mind to finally break and she decides she's immortal like Deadpool thinks he is.

“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad. I’ve had poo water in my mouth,” Scotch said with a snort at the other two as I stepped out. There was a loud gulp and then, a second later, a thud.
“Great. You killed her,” Rampage said crossly. I glanced back at the green mare curled up in a fetal position, eyes staring straight ahead.
“Momma… is that you?” she whispered in a daze.

Hahahahaa! Omg man, so much yes XD

Two ponies enter; one pony leaves.

... I love you Somber, just know that.
MAD MAX REFERENCE!

Goddamn this chapter was all kinds of awesomeness! I'm liking the Reapers, they're fucking awesome! Nice job once again dude, legitness!

“Well, can’t say I’m happy to hear that. I liked how you well you handled Sanguine and Psychoshy.”

liked how well you handled

That bathroom scene, good thing I stopped looking at tagged pictures on derpibooru a short while ago to avoid more, bigger spoilers. Still gave me a reaction of 'oh no...'

It's Principle to beat the crap out of ponies asking too many questions, Big Daddy?

This entire chapter:
Don't fear the Reaper(s)..

He set it in an ashtray and pushed down his glasses so I could see his glowing amber eyes.

So I guess seeing in the dark is slightly more common than previously thought.

yellow pegasus kissed the ghoul with a positively nauseating amount of tongue.

What is all that pink cloud exposure doing to her?

“Won’t be the first time,” I countered as we trotted to opposite sides of the dome.

If only she could lift up Psychoshy by her tail like what Twi did to Rainbow.

He held my tail for only a few seconds, and then released it.

He put a key in there or something and Blackjack is too fucking dumb to know.

No unicorn was strong enough to levitate themselves!

Other than Little Pip and probably Twi.

Blood and stars... hmmmm. Why stars? Something to do with Tarot and Marigold? Was Marigold carrying Tarot when she went to the moon?

Not gonna lie Stonewings note made me almost tear up... RIP Stone.
T

Why? Stonewing's letter literally made me cry! He didn't deserve what happened to him!

I've gotten on board with her as a character by this point, but I'm very glad we've finally gotten the reason why Rampage joined the party in the first place. This look into who and what the Reapers are has been great. (There's always an arena.) I love the whole sports team/professional wrestling spectacle in that sequence. Also, Big Daddy Reaper is my new favorite character, he's fantastic. :D

I still hate Psychoshy. :| I mean, she's just a big pile of bad ideas; worse, bad ideas I've seen before. It's mitigated somewhat by the fact that Rampage and a few others hate her, but seeing the adulation heaped on her in the arena, ugh. I also find myself wondering again about the timeframe of when this story was written. Because Fluttershy's around, by the end of FoE; so who the heck is she supposed to be? There's room to wrangle something interesting there, at least. But yeah, I wish she'd gone through that wood chipper. <.<

I'm surprised, narratively speaking, that you included two suicide attempts more or less back to back. At least, like I said, they don't feel forced, and putting BJ through what she put the others through was a good idea.

Also, super-glad I was right about Sanguine. :D Glad Mintals actually work for her. >tfw Blackjack is a Moby song :V

6788517
I thought that in addition to showing us more of P-21, his suicide attempt was a good way of demonstrating how their relationship has been developing and some negative consequences to Blackjack's, beyond Glory being hurt and angry. (Which was itself something I appreciated, because how's hearing flat out that you aren't enough to live for supposed to go down?)

On the timeframe, here's what I've been able to find.
The short part, relevant to this point:
Psychoshy was first brought up in passing as a member of the Reapers along with Deus and Rampage in chapter ten, before Season Two started and when the most recent FoE chapter was 36. I don't know if this was original or was added later. Chapter 24, when Psychoshy showed up at the end and was first physically described, was released two days after FoE chapter 41, when the Fluttertree was (I think) first shown.

More complete description of timeline I could find through end of Season Two when Cadence and Corndog Horse ruined everything forever the end of the story's original publication. :V Dates based on EqD, things in parentheses are episodes/FoE chapters released since last (pinned down) chapter of PH published. Note that much of the time the most recent episode (less often FoE chapter) was only a day or so before the PH chapter's publication, and so may not have been especially considered until later.
1: 2 Jul 2011 (Season 1 over; FoE probably in mid to late 20s)
10: 9 Aug 2011 (FoE 36)
11: 10 Aug 2011 () *Psychoshy first mentioned
13: 15 Aug 2011 ()
14: 19 Aug 2011 ()
16: 27 Aug 2011 ()
21: 28 Sep 2011 (S2E1,2 Return of Harmony)
24: 16 Oct 2011 (S2E3 Lesson Zero; FoE 41)
25: 23 Oct 2011 (S2E4 Luna Eclipsed)
26: 30 Oct 2011 () *FoE 42 probably close to here
27: 13 Nov 2011 (S2E5 Sisterhooves Social, S2E6 The Cutie Pox)
*Revision of chapter 1: 5 Dec 2011
28: 16 Dec 2011 (S2E7-S2E10: Best Pet Win, MMDW, Sweet and Elite, Secret of My Excess; FoE 43, 44, 45)
29: 23 Dec 2011 (S2E11 Hearth's Warming Eve)
30: 31 Dec 2011 (FoE Epilogue, Aftermath)
31: 8 Jan 2012 (S2E12 Family Appreciation Day)
32: 15 Jan 2012 (S2E13 Baby Cakes)
33: 22 Jan 2012 (S2E14 The Last Roundup)
34: 30 Jan 2012 (S2E15 SSCS6K)
35: 5 Feb 2012 (S2E16 Read It and Weep)
36: 13 Feb 2012 (S2E17 Hearts and Hooves Day)
37: 19 Feb 2012 (S2E18 A Friend in Deed)
38: 3 Mar 2012 (S2E19 Putting Your Hoof Down [on March 3 exactly])
39: 18 Mar 2012 (S2E20-S2E21 It's About Time, Dragon Quest)
40: 25 Mar 2012 (S2E22 Hurricane Fluttershy)
41: 1 Apr 2012 (S2E23 Ponyville Confidential)
42: 15 Apr 2012 (S2E24 MMMystery on the Friendship Express)
43: 29 Apr 2012 (End of Season 2: S2E25/26 A Canterlot Wedding)
45: 3 Jun 2012
46: 17 Jun 2012
47: 7 Jul 2012
48: 22 Jul 2012
49: 13 Aug 2012
50 (reported as 49 on EQD): 9 Sep 2012
51: 14 Oct 2012
52: 24 Nov 2012 (Start of Season 3: S3E1-3 Crystal Empire, Too Many Pinkie Pies)
53: 14 Jan 2013 (S3E4-9 Bad Apple, Magic Duel, Sleepless, WB Acad, Apple Fam Reunion, Spike at Your Service)
54: 18 Feb 2013 (End of Season 3: S3E10-13 Keep Calm & Flutter On, Just for Sidekicks, Games Ponies Play, MMC)
55: 29 Apr 2013
56: 21 Jun 2013
57: 12 Jul 2013
58: 6 Aug 2013
59: 1 Sep 2013
60: 23 Sep 2013
61: 14 Oct 2013
62.1: 10 Nov 2013
62.2 (reported as 63 on EQD): 14 Dec 2013 (Start of Season 4: S4E1-4 Princess Twilight, Castle Mane-ia, Daring Don't)
63 (reported as 64 on EQD): 13 Jan 2014 (S4E5-9 Flight to the Finish, Power Ponies, Bats!, Rarity Takes Manehattan, Pinkie Apple Pie)
64 (reported as 65 on EQD): 10 Feb 2014 (S4E10-13 Rainbow Falls, Three's a Crowd, Pinkie Pride, Simple Ways)
65 (reported as 66 on EQD): 31 Mar 2014 (S4E14-20 Filli Vanilli, Twilight Time, Breezies, Somepony to Watch, Maud Pie, For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils, Leap of Faith)
66 (never actually updated on EQD): 27 Apr 2014 (S4E21-23 Testing Testing 1 2 3, Trade Ya!, Inspiration Manifestation)
67: 8 Jun 2014 (End of Season 4: S4E24-S4E26 Equestria Games, Twilight's Kingdom)
68: 13 Jul 2014
69: 5 Aug 2014
70: 14 Sep 2014
71: 2 Nov 2014
72: 29 Dec 2014
73: 1 Feb 2015
74: 8 Mar 2015
75.1: 4 May 2015 (Start of Season 5 S5E1-6 Cutie Map, Castle Sweet Castle, Bloom & Gloom, Tanks for the Memories, Appleoosa's Most Wanted)
75.2 (actually as 75b!): 19 May 2015 (S5E7 Make New Friends but Keep Discord)
76: 18 Jul 2015 (last episodes before PH completed: S5E8-13 Griffonstone, Slice of Life, Princess Spike, Party Pooped, Amending Fences, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?)
77: 29 Aug 2015
Epi: 29 Aug 2015

FOE:
33: 25 Jul 2011
34: 31 Jul 2011
35: 3 Aug 2011
36: 7 Aug 2011
40: 5 Oct 2011
41: 14 Oct 2011
43: 24 Nov 2011
44: 7 Dec 2011
45: 13 Dec 2011
Epi+Aft?: 25 Dec 2011 (I don't remember if the Afterward was added at the same time as the Epilogue, or a little while after, but it shouldn't matter much for sequencing)

6792503
I regret that I can only upvote this comment, because it deserves a lot more!

To be honest, this was so far out of left field that I didn’t know how exactly I felt about it. “Some explanation would help. What’s going on?”

Rampage sighed. “You remember when you killed Gorgon? Well, he was one of us. Gorgon the Stonegaze. Not really all that popular. One of Sanguine’s ponies. He left three months ago to help with production at Brimstone’s Fall. Then, two weeks ago, we find out from DJ Pon3 that the mine’s been liberated. A few questions later and we found out it was liberated by a mare who killed Gorgon all by herself. So Big Daddy sent me to find you.”

“Why me? I’m not interested in joining the Reapers.”

“Yeah. I figured as much, but you have to understand that the Reapers survive by being the biggest, baddest gang in the Hoof. If there’s a pony strong enough to kill our own, we want them as a Reaper. If they won’t join, then we come down on them hard. We just can’t let powerful ponies get away to start rival operations.” The striped pony rubbed her nose. “I figured out pretty quickly, though, that you weren’t all that big a threat of becoming a rival. If you’d stayed in Flank, maybe you might have been, in time. But that didn’t work out.”

I groaned and closed my eyes. “I still don’t follow. You’re not here to kill me, so...”

Rampage sighed again, this time in annoyance. “Great. Well, it’s about history, and I’m not much of a history teacher. You can ask Big Daddy to explain it.”

To put it shortly, i'll quote from Deus Ex.

"Put it this way. You in it. You want out, it's like a gang. You get beat out."

idn’t know how to explain to her how I’d betrayed our friendship. Glory poured the blender’s contents into some glasses and came to my rescue. “Who wants to try some?” she asked brightly, the glasses balanced on her outstretched wings.

I wished I could have tried it. I could have done with a nice frothy smoothie. I trotted to the door. “I need to find P-21.”

“Oh… well, Rampage? Lacunae?” she said, looking to each. Both quickly broke eye contact. She then gave a smile at the curious, if slightly skeptical, Scotch Tape.

“Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad. I’ve had poo water in my mouth,” Scotch said with a snort at the other two as I stepped out. There was a loud gulp and then, a second later, a thud.

“Great. You killed her,” Rampage said crossly. I glanced back at the green mare curled up in a fetal position, eyes staring straight ahead.

“Momma… is that you?” she whispered in a daze.

“I didn’t think it was that bad!” Glory said in a rush, shaking the shivering earth pony.

I closed the door, catching Lacunae’s thought asking, “Glory, do you ever actually taste your own cooking?”

Still not as bad as Sweetie Belle's, ii bet.

“So... what do you see when you look at me?” I asked with a touch of trepidation.

He stared at me for a long while. My mane began to crawl as I swallowed. I’d just about asked him to forget it when he said softly, “Blood and stars.”

Oh... of course...

“Blood of the innocent. Blood of the guilty. Fresh blood. Cold blood. Old blood. You’re standing in a river of the stuff. It’s flowing through you. Gives you strength. It’s also tearing you away and drowning you. And for all the blood that’s soaking you through and through... it’s nothing compared to all the bloodshed you’re going to prevent.” He sighed and shrugged. “I also see stars above you... stars beneath you... stars within you. You’re made of stars. Bloody stars.”

“Is there some sort of rule that old ponies are supposed to give cryptic prophecies to fuck with the minds of the young?” I asked sharply. Then I was practicing my flying skills as his hooftoss sent me sailing towards the goalposts. At least I didn’t hit the horizontal bar before landing in a heap. He trotted over and helped me up.

“Sorry about that. Principle. And nope. I just call ‘em like I see ‘em. But there’s one thing that cheers me up about seeing all that,” he said with a grin.

“Really? What’s that?” I asked dryly.

“I ain’t you,” he said with a chuckle.

Ouch, man. Ouch.

that had to be like getting fucked by a jerky stick! Okay… there was a mental image I wanted burned from my mind.

Achmed: O-KAY, MOVING ON!

“She put you through a wood chipper?” Scotch Tape gawked at Rampage skeptically, then glanced at me for confirmation. I smiled and shrugged.
“Mhmmm. Industrial strength.” She rubbed her chin and then glanced at Scotch Tape. “Oh, it wasn’t so bad. Just a burst of pain and then coming back together. I think reforming on the far side was the most infuriating day of poor Psychoshy’s life.”
“Why?” Scotch asked in confusion.
“‘Cause she said she’d go through it too, so long as I went first,” Rampage said with a decidedly unhealthy grin, “And I can’t wait to see how well she handles it.”

Definitely something I wish I could have seen, Psychoshy's reaction to Rampage reforming.

6476785 Well she killed their remaining ruler, it's a good thing inanimate objects don't hold a grudge.

"I was transferred to projects making insecticide talismans. Me. The master of biological arcane research… killing bugs.”

...rereading this now has just made me happy that Sanguine didn't pull a Gerhard Schrader and use that as an opportunity to come up with nerve gas.

Granted, making those things isn't necessarily better.

OK this is really bugging me now... Who is Blackjack a Decenedent of... which of the Mane six

7325576 We know she is not from Fluttershy, nor AJ (FS as she performed and AJ due to her story in FoE)
Tarot is most likely the daughter of a unicorn, due to her being a unicorn (but not sure). What's more, Pinkie would have been likely to sense herself having a daughter, and Rainbow does not seems like the type to go after Stallions.
Blueblood would have found out if a stallion was getting Rarity pregnant.

So, I guess Tarot was Twi's daughter, and looking at who the father could be, I find BJ's group even more interesting

edit : added some spoiler tags

7548671 Hah!

who else almost cried when P-21 was found hanging by his neck in Gorgon's Bathroom?

Stap killing urslef m8

“Who’s your daddy?” he cried out.

is that a majorslack reference ? because if it is it's awesome (for those who don't know lookup major slack attack on youtube)

“Blood of the innocent. Blood of the guilty. Fresh blood. Cold blood. Old blood. You’re standing in a river of the stuff. It’s flowing through you. Gives you strength. It’s also tearing you away and drowning you. And for all the blood that’s soaking you through and through... it’s nothing compared to all the bloodshed you’re going to prevent.” He sighed and shrugged. “I also see stars above you... stars beneath you... stars within you. You’re made of stars. Bloody stars.”

First we have Granny Fishy, and now this?
I can already tell the stars are looking out for her, just look at the last chapter.

It can't have been coincidence that she needed somebody to stop her, then Watched just magically pops up to say hi.

Still, it says a lot about her and what power she has.

Of course, person like me, I expect her to start nuking raiders with awesome telikentic bombardment and stuff, as if her feelings were somehow attatched to her magical power...or What little of it she actually has.

But I'm betting if she can make a telikentic bullet, she can do a lot more.

The force is strong in this one.

Blood and stars

OMG WHAT IF RAMPAGE IS A CHIMERA OF A ZEBRA, THAT ONE PRE-WAR SERIAL KILLER, AND THE COP WHO CAUGHT HIM!?

Stonewing's letter made me bawl like a newborn foal, It's like flowers for Algernon, Or Robin William's movie "Jack". I just can't handle stuff like that

 Little Glories flew around my head 

reminds me of a gag in that old comic strip "Elf Life" where someone had fairies flying around her head-and not generic fairies, they looked like miniature versions of another main character!

“So just keep that in mind next time you plan on leaving a note behind.”

keep that in mind the next time (matter of preference, Rampage's slang throws me off)

Lacunae’s dark purple eyes followed me though the Hoofington drizzle, her magic deflecting the cold spray from both of them.

Lacunae's dark purple eyes followed me through the Hoogington drizzle,

“I fight off a swarm of manticores and Enclave and I now have to put up with adolescent jerk ass school pranks!?”

and now I have to put up with (matter of preference)

Then was an eternity of silence as she considered, and then, "Alright. I'll trust you."

(Then) There was an eternity of silence as she considered,

[Reserving spot to add Blackjack's tongue 'greeting' to P-21]
img00.deviantart.net/b18a/i/2013/091/3/a/blackjack_and_p_21_by_8aerondight8-d601ny9.jpg

Nasty rivalry with the Fillies on account Burners are all assholes.

Nasty rivalry with the Fillies on account that Burners are all assholes.

“Help me… get me my walker… oh, I’m goin’ the way of old Mr. Abernathy…”

I understood that reference. Nice call back to the G.O.A.T.

Hell, we could wipe out an entire tribe, and they’d be replaced inside a year.

and they'd be replaced within a year. (matter of preference, seems odd)

“Not a chance,” I rasped, then coughed. I was going have a hell of a bruise.

“Not a chance,” I rasped, then coughed. I was going to have a hell of a bruise.

[Reserved for that scene's picture, spoiler warning to readers]
img00.deviantart.net/a0fe/i/2012/001/2/0/near_loss_by_mistermech-d4kzxm7.png

Nopony was like Rainbow Dash, but it was nice gesture.

Nopony was like Rainbow Dash, but it was a nice gesture.

“Well, can’t say I’m happy to hear that. I liked how you well you handled Sanguine and Psychoshy.”

“Well, can’t say I’m happy to hear that. I liked how well you handled Sanguine and Psychoshy.”

(How the heck was the one above the only one I previously caught? Bad speed reading, bad!)

8397269
Reminds me of the classic Looney Tunes-esque visual gag with flying birds.

Another chapter re-read, and probably more to go.

“I… me… my… It’s not all about you, Blackjack,” he said softly as he collected the cards. “Is that your virtue? Selfishness?”

Have I ever mentioned that I think the Dealer is a twat?

Especially since I know the stunt he pulls later on in the story. Echo has no right to berate someone for selfishness.

8494760
Don't "matter of preference" correct dialogue. Just don't.

Oh man.... It hurts to read blackjack and glory Rejoining...

8250432
Well your not right, but your not exactly wrong either lol.

Psychoshy reminds me a bit of Clover from Fallout 3

Sanguine: So, you have EC-1101 on that other pip-buck huh? Psychoshy care for round 2?

Are there rules so they can't be challenged after they just fought? Is there some kind of cooldown?

Hello PH. It has been a while, hasn't it?

“Sure. She’s not worth my time anyway,” the mare said as she flicked her mane dismissively. “Her blue stallion is much more interesting! See you later, Wahhhpage.” With a snotty little giggle, she flew off through the store.

She may be among the top ten Reaper, but it’s hard to take her serious as character if she acts like a bratty teenager who tries way too hard to be badass.

Then there’s the Cutie Mark. I really hope it’s a decal. They have been introduced earlier in the story and Notshy using one because it’s part of her evil Fluttershy cosplay stick would be a pretty clever twist.

However, if that’s indeed her real CM and her introduction was supposed to portray her as a dangerous badass you shouldn’t cross, then I’m afraid to say that it didn’t work for me. First impression is all and her first impression is “character from a bad fanfic that somehow managed end up in PH”.

They went from one end of the city to the other, and, believe it or not, Hoofington was even worse back then.

“Back then everything was also on fire!”

Crunchy Carrots went back to Manehattan and came back with a whole slew of Steel Rangers,

Crunchy Carrots and Big Daddy travelled, together? Yet the Steel Rangers and the Reapers fighting for control over Hoofington. Probably had a disagreement at some point.

Six friends? Why’d that make my mane all twitchy?

Sounds like the Mane Six or Blackjack’s own group. Although I’m not sure if Scotch would consider Blackjack a friend, yet.

What an unbearable shit I am. I didn’t deserve her, and she didn’t deserve this.

Yeah, Blackjack really acted like an asshole.

No, not because of her suicide attempt. After all the shit she went through it’s perfectly understandable that she reached such a low point that she just wanted to end it.

She’s an asshole because she didn’t even attempted to talk with her friends about it. Back in Chapple when she buried Thorn, she learnt that she hasn’t to carry her burdens alone. That she has friends who can help her. Just for her to ignore that lesson and sneak away like a coward leaving only a note behind that says she may or may not kill herself.

“You… you fiend! You monster! You creep! You filly seducer! You… you… bad pony!”

Is it just me or is angry Glory pretty cute? These are the kinds of insult a twelve year old would come up with when a playmate took away her favorite toy.

It’s even funnier because Glory had no problem using strong curse words before: When Rampage had her first blackout and attacked Blackjack she had no problem calling Rampage bitch.

“I don’t want your explanations! I’m going to beat every last little drop of stupid out of you so you never ever do that again!”

There’s a lot of stupid inside Blackjack. You could probably beat her to death three times before that.

I… we met with P-21… and he was crying… crying!

P-21 whose normal emotional range consists of stoic, angry and stoic while angry cried because he thought Blackjack was gone. Shows he much Blackjack truly means to him and how much Blackjack fucked up.

If Lacunae hadn’t covered for me, I think I would have lost my mind completely.

Because her covering for you made everything so much better for everyone.

I think the lesson of this mess is pretty obvious: Don’t cover up your friend’s suicide attempts. If they’ve reached a point where this sounds look a good option, they need help. Attempting to ignore the problem only makes it worse.

“I… don’t know if we can be like we were, Blackjack. I just don’t know. I… you make me happy. But you hurt me, too. I’m going to need some time.”

“Take as long as you need,” I said as she slowly pulled away, looking down at me with an expression equal parts affection and wariness.

That’s a very adult way to deal with the situation. I actually expected Glory to just forgive Blackjack and then everything is back to normal. Good to see that the story acknowledges that Glory had been hurt by this and needs time to think about her relation with Blackjack.

Mallet snickered. “Of course not. She’s a complete cunt.”
“And one of Sanguine’s suck ups,” added Cuffs. The turquoise mare looked a little nervous.

The simple fact that nopony, not even her fellow Reapers, likes Notshy makes the character a lot more bearable.

Most Reapers work up from our gangs. We work to be the best of the best before trying to join the Reapers. Sanguine, though, he finds ponies and gives them powers. Gorgon. Deus. Anypony associated with that ghoul is fucked up.

So they are cool with Rampage who defiantly has some weird powers and is basically immortal, but they have a problem with both Deus and Gorgon? Sounds a tad bit hypocritical to me. Then again, Rampage is pretty chill if you know her while Deus is not a great guy to hang around to put it mildly.

“Psychoshy’s that ghoul’s favorite trick pony. We hate her. And she knows it.”

Hey Blackjack, remember Sanguine? The ghoul who wants the EC-1101? The one who hired Deus? You want answers, right?

These nice Reapers just told you that the bratty Fluttershy cosplayer is his top henchmare. Might be a good idea to keep a watchful eye on her in case she tries anything. Might be an even better idea to try and coax some information out of her. Don’t repeat the same mistake you did with U-21 where you wasted a perfect opportunity to interrogate him in the second chapter.

Then I turned my head and licked him from jaw to ear in one long wet slurp. His blue eyes shot wide, the plunger falling from his shocked mouth as he jumped away. “Damn it, Blackjack!”

Not sure what she was thinking, if she was thinking at all.

“No. I didn’t,” he replied with sincerity before reaching into his bags to pull out my Delta PipBuck and throw it in my face. “Don’t leave your junk with me next time, Blackjack.” And with that he trotted from the room.

Harsh, but perfectly understandable. If I were in P-21 hooves, I would be pissed, too.

“Thanks, but… you and P-21… you’re the most normal ponies I know now.” And didn’t that make me cringe a little inside. “I’ll just stick along.”

After everything that happened, I’m surprised that Blackjack is okay with a foal joining her group. They constantly get in fights with Raiders, Bounty Hunters or mutated creatures. Sometimes they even actively seek out dangerous places, like when Blackjack kill these mutated dragons.

Do they really think this is a good environment for a foal? Especially Blackjack should be afraid of endangering the life of another child. I really would’ve expected to group to tell Scotch to stay in Megamart of sent her to Chapel.

“‘Cause she said she’d go through it too, so long as I went first,” Rampage said with a decidedly unhealthy grin, “And I can’t wait to see how well she handles it.”

That was a pretty smart move from Rampage. By actually going through the woodchopper (knowing that she would survive) she gained a lot of respect among her fellow Reapers, while Notshy looked like a braggart because she chickened out.

“I think that you have a confused self-centeredness with a need to martyr yourself,” the Dealer said calmly as he dealt me five cards. Celestia. Luna.

Twilight Sparkle. Goldenblood. Myself. “You think that, if you can just die in some appropriately gruesome fashion, particularly if there’s lots of pain and suffering beforehand, that somehow you’ll save the Wasteland.” He said ‘save’ with a vague smile and a wave of his hoof.

“I. I, I, I again,” the Dealer rasped softly as he shook his head. He didn’t take his eyes off me. “Didn’t I just tell you? It’s not about you. Not your needs. Not your wants.”

The creepy skeletal horse with a card fetish is shaping up to be the best therapist in this whole setting. I totally would read a spin-off, where he appears in front of random Wastelanders and help them dealing with their issues while being a cryptic ass.

The field of grass in the middle was carefully fenced off, and I realized that here was another powerful lure for ponies: the promise of steady meals, even if they were only grass.

This is a great way to remind the readers, that the characters in this story are colorful Equines instead of humans. Of course a well-maintained sports turf would be reused as food sources by ponies in a post-apocalyptic setting.

“Oh, most of us who aren’t the top ten. They're tough enough to wear whatever they like.” She grinned at me almost teasingly. “And there are some cryponies who just wear normal barding.”

So how many of the tough ones who aren’t immortal, cyborgs or stone monsters get killed because sewed together pony hide makes for poor armor compared to normal barding?

Besides, I would like to imagine that every Reaper tries to be as individualistic as possible. They all come from various Raider gangs with their own unique theme and probably would try to stand out. Being a Reaper seems to be all about branding. Ponies remember the Cyborg who yells Cunt or the Immortal mare who charges into combat. The 37^th Reaper wearing pony hide? Not so much.

The old stallion behind the bar cackled as he trotted out with three drinks on a tray balanced on his head. “Oh, don’t you worry none, Brutus. Big Daddy’s got some business with this filly,” he said in a gruff yet definitely snarky tone as he grinned at me.

The old twist, where the protagonist assumes someone is the leader of a group because he/she looks exactly like he imagined said leader would look like and then learns that the actually leader is the most unexpected person in the room.

I actually fell for it and thought Brutus was Big Daddy.

And again the leader of the place turns out to be the pony behind the bar. Is this going to be a trend? Will Blackjack now watch every bartender she comes across with suspicion?

My offered hoof was seized in a grip of steel and suddenly I knew exactly why that one spot on the far wall was free of papers. With a resounding thud I slammed into the wall and landed in a heap on my stomach.

Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young

Zip. Zilch. Nada. Not a bit. See, we kill the badass tribal champion? Three months later, they’d be replaced by a new champion that was usually bloodier and nastier than the first.

So the lesson is, you can’t save Hoofington by killing all the bad guys. That seems to be as effective as pissing into a forest fire.

“The catch is you back up your fellow Reapers. That means stomping anypony that crosses us or threatens us. That includes the Steel Rangers, Society, or anypony that does us wrong.

What exactly is considered as crossing them? Despite what Big Daddy says, the Reapers are still bandits. They come in conflict with good ponies. Meaning Blackjack eventually has to beat the ever-loving snot out of them because if you cross one Reaper you cross them all.

Big Daddy has a pretty good sales pitch, but at the end of the they don’t survive as group because they are nice to their fellow ponies.

“If Big Daddy sends word that you’re free game, it’s going to be a whole lot tougher getting around. Even me being with you won’t be protection anymore.”

Considering that she killed two of the top ten Reapers, several bounty hunters and a whole army of Raider I would imagine even without Big Daddy’s protection most ponies would stay the hell away from Blackjack. Especially if there’s no more bounty.

“I don’t know,” Rampage said, though she didn’t look all that enthusiastic at the idea. “Probably, they’d give us some of their guns and bullets. I can’t think of more than that.”

She just told you that the Reapers are her only family. And that if she has to decide between you and them, she’s not sure whose side she would pick. It’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t want you to side with the Steel Ranger and is going to downplay any possible reward or benefit.

The Enclave is the strongest power in Equestria. Perhaps some elements are... misguided, but the rest are still good and might be capable of helping us.

She’s going to have a really bad breakdown. Worse than Blackjack once she realized how bad Stable 99 truly was.

“Momma… is that you?” she whispered in a daze.
“I didn’t think it was that bad!” Glory said in a rush, shaking the shivering earth pony

.

Black comedy at its finest.

Sanguine.
The seared ghoul looked quite ironic in a business suit that appeared freshly pressed and laundered.

First Deus and now Sanguine. Funny how Blackjack always runs into her enemies on neutral ground for a nice little chat.

I gaped at her. “Fluttershy? I thought your name was Psychoshy.”
The yellow pegasus gave me an indignant glare. “A horrible nickname perpetuated against the kindest and most wonderful mare in Equestria.”

Did… did Somber predict the more jerkish Fluttershy from Pony Life?

Okay a Pony that looks like Fluttershy (except for the cringy CM) and shares her name. And she’s working for the Pre-War Ghoul who is known transforming ponies into hybrid creatures? So maybe she’s not just a cosplayer. Maybe she’s a clone? Perhaps some sort of sick joke from Sanguine who hated the real Fluttershy?

when tough ponies get to fighting, it happens here! And it finishes here! Two ponies enter; one pony leaves.

Perfect opportunity for a Mad Max reference.

“Woohoo! Kick her ass, Blackjack!” called Scotch Tape, pumping her hoof in the air.

She’s far too excited about this for somepony fresh out of a Stable. Especially for a pony who’s whole Stable had been killed. Every chapter I expect her to break down and reveal that she just put on a brave facade to deal with the traumatic event.

“You’re going to love me!” Her roar, magnified a thousand times by Dealgood’s crystal, echoed through the stadium.

Okay I think I figured out one of my main issues with her as character. Anyone remembers “Suited for Success” in which Rarity demanded that a clearly uncomfortable Fluttershy tells her what’s wrong with the dress she made. Resulting in Fluttershy rattling off a long list of criticism. A memorable scene, fans still remember after ten years.

Shortly afterwards a lot of people put similar scene in their own fanfics. Basically copying the gag, which – at least to me – felt less funny.

Notshy is a character who acts like crazy/discorded Fluttershy using memorable (or rather meme-able) lines from the show character. Some people may like it, I feel it’s rather annoying. Like a Robo Rainbow Dash who would constantly references “10 seconds flat” and “20% cooler”.

There was only one thing to do with a bottle of alcohol. I pulled the stopper and lifted the bottle to my lips. It was like drinking pure fire.

Would’ve been funny if it had turned out to be a Molotov Cocktail.
Blackjack is getting drunk, Notshy has a power hoof. Looks like they are evenly matched now.

“Psychoshy! You’re under arrest for being a spoiled brat, a complete bitch, and for getting on my nerves! I’m taking you down,” I yelled as I pointed my hoof at her.

That’s the best you could come up with Blackjack? Come on, was there ever a more appropriate time for you to start singing?

Dry hoofstomps drew my attention as Sanguine approached, my PipBuck hovering beside him. “Well, that was an incredibly amusing fight. Still, I have what I want, and with this some very important ponies will be quite happy.”

Gotta say I love that Blackjack actually lost the fight. Normally when the hero fights against the villain for the very important MacGuffin we expect the hero to win. So this was really unexpected.

“You’re Trueblood, aren’t you?” The well dressed pony gave a wide bow as his cracked lips spread in a grin. “That’s how you know about Project Chimera.” He looked impressed.

I’ve to admit that I don’t remember who Trueblood was and when he did appear in the story.

But I will say this: Being an asshole is hereditary in Blueblood’s family. It’s a miracle Vanity grew up to be a decent pony.

I’d assumed that he’d been upset with me. That I’d been the reason he’d looked so hurt and haunted. That I was the cause of his distress, and if I just fixed it then he’d be happy with me.

I wouldn’t have seen it coming either. P-21 is pretty good at hiding his feelings and Glory mentioned him breaking down after he realized that Blackjack had walked away to off herself. So him being angry at Blackjack was far more likely than him having suicidal tendencies, too.

His face was returning to its blue complexion as his throat bled from those lacerations encircling it. I settled on holding him as we wept together. Now I knew. Now I knew what I’d actually done.

Project Horizons: The story where half of the main cast attempted suicide.

From a story-telling perspective it feels like P-21 attempting suicide so shortly after Blackjack makes it less impactful.

“I’ve got a mystery I’m trying to unravel. Something bad that happened in Hoofington two hundred years ago. Murders. Conspiracy. Secret projects.” I groaned softly as I sat down, looking at the fake sky. Knowing it was a roof stopped my stomach from flopping around.

Maybe get the hell out of Hoofington? Your Stable is death and if you stay, sooner or later all the big factions will either try to recruit you or kill you because you’re a potential thread. You really have no reason to stay and make your life and your friend’s life’s more miserable by solving a 200 year old mystery.

Alternatively, you could focus on doing something about Lightninghooves. He’s responsible for spreading the Raider disease, so stopping him would improve things for Hoofington. And as a bonus it would restore the reputation of Glory and her family. Sounds a lot more important than figuring out the EC-1101. Especially since this chapters lesson was supposed to be that not everything has to be about Blackjack.

Then he blew some glowing sand in my eyes and said it would give me the sight of the sun. The old kook took off after that.

Isn’t it great when a story has characters that try to be helpful in the most vague and unhelpful way possible?

“I ain’t you,” he said with a chuckle.

Even Big Daddy knows how much it sucks to be Blackjack.

Blackjack’s On-screen Body Count: Still at 142

******************************************************************
Still not a fan of making Discorded Fluttershy an actually character in this story, but it'y not as worse asI expected. The story doesn’t try to convince the readers that she’s a supercool character we should adore. Instead she's almost universally hated. And her connection to Goldenblood gives her more deep than just “What if Discorded Fluttershy was in this story.” So that’s a plus.

As for the Reapers: They are an interesting faction. Still I don’t understand how they operate. Seems like every Reaper can fuck off and do whatever he or she wants. As seen with Deus and Gorgon. Or the previous Rampage who decided to fight the current Rampage just because. There doesn’t seems to be a common cause that unites them. And as noble as Big Daddy’s goal of keeping the worst of the worst in check is, all it takes is one less noble Reaper killing him or Brutus in combat and then you have a Raider gang consisting of the 100 most-battle-hardened, ruthless ponies in Hoofington.

Rampage sighed. “You remember when you killed Gorgon? Well, he was one of us. Gorgon the Stonegaze. Not really all that popular. One of Sanguine’s ponies. He left three months ago to help with production at Brimstone’s Fall. Then, two weeks ago, we find out from DJ Pon3 that the mine’s been liberated. A few questions later and we found out it was liberated by a mare who killed Gorgon all by herself. So Big Daddy sent me to find you.”

I'm surprised she didn't mention dues got her into the reapers

Poor stonenwing 😢

Damn you Flutterbitch!

I looked up at the hook, trying to concentrate and focus. My magic bullet was shit on metal targets, but what else could I do? No unicorn was strong enough to levitate themselves!

*laughs in Littlepip* i wouldn't be so sure of that whole "can't levitate self" bit personally given the original story.

Jesus I knew P 21 would break one day but I thought it would be more of a explosion of emotion than him hanging himself. I hope that P 21 and Blackjack will start talking to each other more, it's sad to see them both bottling up their thoughts and feeling till they get destructive.

Also I'm sure someone noted this before but P 21 and Blackjack being the an ace and a queen is also 21. Just figured that out.

I also love old mysterious charismatic people. I just hope Sanguine gets a more deserved ending than what Red Eye got

Currently reading this story for the first time. Haven't had much to say on it so far, but I wanted to make it known that, as someone with a high tolerance for fucked up shit, who hasn't flinched at anything in the previous chapters, reading about P21's suicide attempt filled me with legitimate dread and caused my stomach to drop. Congratulations on getting a stoneface like me to flinch. If that's not good writing, I don't know what is

And like that, Big Daddy is instantly my favourite character

re-reading PH after almost a decade. this chapter still makes me cry

“I’m going to pass on your offer, for now,” I told Big Daddy as we met down on the field. I had to admit the act of simply eating grass... not something recycled or cooked or packaged... was definitely weird. Still, it was food... boring bland green food. Gimme Sugar Apple Bombs any day! The PipBuck technician that had removed Marmalade’s PipBuck had put the Delta PipBuck back on my left hoof where it belonged.

I think that, after over 400,000 words, I've found something that can genuinely be called a mistake, however small it may be. I remember when I read the original story by Kkat, I saw LittlePip wore her PipBuck on her right hoof, and I got the distinct impression that that was unusual in this world. That is corroberated by Blackjack wearing her Delta PipBuck on her left, but all the PipBucks in the cover art are being worn on the right hoof. Maybe that's just for the sake of the composition of the piece, and to be fair, it doesn't really matter regardless.