I feel like an idiot. I realized that 'Project Chimera' probably had something to do with Discord. What I never made the connection to was flux. A state of flux is essentially chaos. Whatever is in the/a state of flux is constantly changing. How did I never notice that? I know the definition and everything!

“Because… I owe you,” he replied quietly as he walked to the elevator door.

For Gardens and Spike I am assuming.

Good thing I kept my access probe to myself. Wouldn’t want to get fresh.

Least not before a nice dinner.

Its cutting torch flared to life as a metallic scream sounded from its speakers.

The machine monster in the tunnels again?

“Do not tell me I have to choose between crazy and ghosts.”

Why not both?

was it just me, or did they look a little more blueish?

Getting blueing on guns today is expensive and old ones with the finish are rare-ish.

the blade humming in the air as it connected with her leading foreleg

Something ain't right about that blade. And I don't think it is good.

It just keeps telling me how Blackjack is going to kill me.

EC-1101 can now think for itself and pick a user?

or if Glue cracks Twilight’s work… there won’t be another!

Glue? Which Twilight's work?

spraying me briefly and punching a whole slew of holes in my limbs as I raised them reflexively.

Boo is now part of the group.

he needed Flux and the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion.

What is the real difference between Flux and I.M.P.? Both are from Discord.

Oooohohohoho... oh my... that... mind blown.
Awesome job o this chapter dude, jeeeeeeebus... BJ, ugh...
Too soft... squishy.

Nice job!

All I can comment on is *grabs popcorn to finish the other two chapters*

Funny enough it's a Discord episode next in Season 5.

Holy crap on a cracker!! DISCORD IS CHIMERA AND FLUX?! DUUUUUUUUUDE

I still remember being awake at 2:00 a.m. reading this chapter when it was released on gdocs in the summer of 2012. That "oh shit" moment is one of the highlights of my time reading pony fiction.

Discord..... what a sad day this is....

I wonder how Psychoshy will react to the fact that her mother has been a tree for all these years.....

And at last we have an answer to one of the biggest mysteries in Fallout Equestria: Where is the Lord of Chaos?

6784301 THE HALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

THE CAKE IS A LIE ITS ALL A LIE a lie

We were well down the hall when the huge manticore let out a long and mournful cry I wouldn’t ever forget.

She was an evil murdering cunt... So why can't I stop these tears?

6597048 IMP was the formula Twilight hoped to perfect to make alicorns. Taint, which Littlepip encountered is the imperfect form of it that never worked while Flux is what both were made of. So if Flux was milk and Taint was Chocolate Milk, then the IMP would be the chocolate milkshake.

‘We’re not just mixing chems and dangerous substances here: we’re mixing science!’ ‘When in doubt, throw science against the wall. See what sticks.’ ‘You are a trusted friend in science!’ ‘Not never but NOW!’ ‘Your right to work, no matter how hazardous, horrible, or harmful that work may be.’ ‘Three bit work; aren’t you glad you’re being paid four?’ ‘Donkeys: doing your part for Equestria!’

Oh, I didn't realise Cave Johnson worked here.

The reveal about Psychoshy was no surprise at all. All the signs were there. I guess it was nice to get confirmation.

That final reveal, though? Kinda mad. We'll have to see where it goes. :B

Other thoughts. So now all the Chimera ponies are either dead or Precious? That's kinda weird. I'd kind of forgotten about Boo, aka "that random seventh pony in the audiobook cover art who never showed up in books one and two". Very odd addition to the party. I wish P-21 wasn't gay, because I want him and Rampage to get together now. :V I wonder if Razor Wire is the "real" Rampage, given how deep her memories of her go. If the Dealer is or is caused by EC-1101, that would be cool. Two more criticisms.

That scene with Rampage and BJ discussing P-21's addiction stands out as being kind of not great. You've handled hard, real-world problems well in this story, but Blackjack's willful ignorance of what's happening with him feels stupid, even for her, and Rampage's dialogue came off like an after-school PSA. She's not usually one for lecturing.

Lastly, all the sympathy. There's something to be said for the drive to make sure that every monster has another monster behind them. Except Brass. Yet you even gave her sympathy at the end, which kind of aggravated me. There wasn't even any catharsis with the death of the pony just the thought of whose death made Blackjack jump for joy. Her half-hearted apology at the end would have been a nice, pathetic note to end her existence on, but no, she has to fuck manticores. I'm currently trying to decide if the whole "I'm gonna kill them, no wait, I can't, P-21 you can't either, let's be friends" thing is actually irritating me or not. It's a definite cycle with these characters, and while it fits show themes, I'm not sure that's such a great thing, considering how far away from the show we are here.

Of course, the real victim in all of this is Ol' Hank. :(

7133587
Peril of cliffhanger based chapter splits? Leaving on high tension situations risks that any negative feelings inspired will linger until resolved later on. And of course all the work in the past is a little fraught, since that's where there's so much more room to mess up canon characters and everything around them. But any talk about that would fit better next time.

You know, I'm not sure that I can remember anyone ever really talking about shipping Rampage before. Maybe it's partly because it seemed like she might never have really got over Priest (leaving aside the associated baggage). There not being all that many comparably prominent straight male characters likely didn't help.

In fairness to Blackjack, she is basically working off of PSA-level material, and probably doesn't have much of a mental model for something like a functional alcoholic (her own major experience having left her falling apart at the seams). That, and she's top tier where denial is concerned.

The sympathy is something I've had trouble with a lot of the time, probably more towards the back end than earlier. I think it was around this time (actually, maybe a bit earlier, before getting to Hippocratic, with Psychoshy) that I first really started feeling frustration where Blackjack letting people go was concerned. Every single time, it seems like it would make things so much easier, and be morally gratifying as well. But longer term, breaking from that would make her a very different character, one I suspect I'd like less. (I love me some superhero stuff, and my basic model for that done right is—for better or worse, pretty much always has been—the DCAU. So a relevant comparison is Man of Steel, and the choices made there.) That said, simply avoiding this kind of situation coming up in the first place while writing, not always, but enough to spread them out more, would have kept the basic structure while avoiding some of the negative feelings along the way. As for Brass herself . . . I think it comes down to Blackjack just not being allowed to be happy about that sort of thing. Kinda agree on the over-selling it: "but he loved his dog" fell flat as character work, and even absent the sex angle left a feeling of awkwardness about the ending, like they were thinking "well, I guess we just walk away now."

Forgot to say at the time, regarding the writing in FoE core characters and having them talk up the PH cast: there is one very important exception to that—Homage. As long as (and I don't think she did, but I also don't remember everything perfectly) she wasn't going so far as to say Blackjack was better than her girlfriend, she's fair game, since that's about a third of what she does.

7135096
It's funny, I got a little mad when BJ spared Psychoshy, then with Sanguine, I'm thinking to myself, "I'd rather have sympathy for Psychoshy than this." XD

And I hate to say it, but I actually like Homage better in this story than the one that introduced her. (She is far and away my least favorite FoE character.) There's a lot of the requisite "talk about LP's sex life in public" and "humiliate LP because someone thinks it's funny", but otherwise, she was helpful, she was kind, and her revenge-kissing Glory is probably the best thing she ever did in either story.

7133587 Poor hank! :'(

Here I was hoping we could have him join the group... but I knew that already because of the GDoc nope, have never read this story before, can't remember any so as to not spoil it for myself reading something for the second time even though I have 'never' read it before...

Spoilers below for up to this chapter, read with caution. Ink blotted for your protection! It occurs to me that it's probably not necessary; people spoil in these comments so it's whatever. Why would you read them first? Still.... it won't be me if I can avoid it.

I can certainly sympathize with Hank... every time I hear anything about Goldenblood I kinda want to kill something, too. He and Hoofington are just so OOC for Equestria that they jar me out of the story a bit. They're like the war (already a lot to take in) turned up to 11.... hundred. I get that 200+ years later things are bad... but this shit started back then (apparently driven forward by Luna the crazy warmonger, a rare negative portrayal of her) and I just keep rolling my eyes about it. Sometimes, Somber is a silly pony. Oh, and turning zebra superstitions into something real (albeit involving magic meteorites or something, not stars)? I think I preferred Zenith's line: '...it's just a stupid rock!' War never changes... as in it's fuckin' dumb. I don't buy the dealer's armchair quarterbacking of the Ministry Mares either... Yeah, I'm sure the religious fanatics would have just gone home and everything would be shiny and happy if Equestria had surrendered. Haven't you met Lancer? Zebras are all about live and let live. This is a group of people who had a major problem with Luna... so what'd they do? They tried to assassinate the OTHER sister. *golfclap* I'm sure that would be the best way to get rid of Luna; they're totally rational and trustworthy. Further, given everything that Hoofington and the O.I.A were accomplishing under the Mares' collective noses, I don't feel like a resignation would have actually done anything. Hell, Goldenblood could just erase their memory of it and put em back to work as long as Luna told him to. And I get the impression that this particular Luna would do just that.

Oh, speaking of sympathy... Blackjack, if anything you've got it backwards... spare the poor mooks who are just punching the clock for the wrong team... and kill the shit out of the monsters paying them. Seriously, I don't freaking care that Sanguine has reasons. You're worried about lying to him but you're breaking your word to a dying mare who had a semblance of honor? That death scene was well done... got to me way more than the rest of that chapter. Rest Well, Dusty. Priest was one of those 'too good for this sinful world' types... I was braced for his death within minutes of meeting him. Kinda thought Charity would die, too. Blackjack keeps making predictions about her fearsome future... last time she did that said filly was torn in half a paragraph later. Glad she made it though... may she swim in a vault of caps one day. Back to Sanguine... even long before Blackjack drove him crazier (Brimstone's Fall level, which is a REALLY high level), he sent fucking DEUS to Stable 99 with his gang of rapist raiders... If he wasn't a sick monster the whole time, why didn't he send some ninja pony to sneak in and steal it while a few others BSed the Overmare with the same lie he'd fed her that got her to open the door to begin with? Easy win, no need for horrors, done deal, family saved and holy shit, you can maybe even look 'em in the eye! But nope, let's go full comic book super-villainy (cause this shit can't even show up in cartoons) for some reason... It makes this sudden sympathetic excuse feel tacked on.

Well, I called the Med-X thing, not that it took a genius. I like that Blackjack isn't buying it. She's got a major (guilt related, but also genuine) soft spot where he's concerned... I don't see her being able to Velvet Remedy him about it... but Rampage might. When she chased him making kissy faces... oh god, chapter high point right there. 'Back! Back I say!' Blackjack offering him a hug was really touching, too.

The Psychoshy and Discord reveals weren't too shocking... though the latter is highly dependent on where it goes and it's certainly a fascinating development. Honestly... how the hell else would Flim and Flam get Flux? In Fo:E Twilight made it, and that's believable because she's Twilight. Take it from her and that narrowed the field quite a bit. The former reveal... didn't we already know that? I mean, some characters didn't, but... well I guess it hadn't been expressly spelled out. Then again, most of the major players seem to be from 200 years ago one way or another so maybe I just assumed and happened to be right. Heh, wonder if Psychoshy will be around long enough to find out her mom is still alive... I'm not particularly invested in her yet (or her mom, for that matter... blindly optimistic treason is still treason), but that would be a helluva meeting. Ooh, could it be she couldn't use EC-1101 because Goldenblood locked himself out of it (my hatred is a reasoning one, I will not close my mind about him... mostly) or is it simply because it's already found Blackjack and so won't continue seeking an operator? Or is the dealer an actual pony spirit living in the program like it was a Crusader mainframe and protecting it from the wrong hooves? ...Yeah, don't answer that.

Hippocratic isn't just banging rocks together, folks, they know how to science up a clone! I wanna pet Boo.... even if she is a shout out to those creepy FMA dolls. Looking forward to seeing how that and the Killing Joke thing play out (Glory is 20% cooler... but can she still science?).

TL:DR? Well, it's ink-blotted, so never fear! Really nice work, Somber and company... don't let my picking at details make it seem as though I think otherwise. Forward we go!

Well fuck me in the ass and call me Sally.

Holy shit... the revelations in this chapter are batshit crazy. That's the source of I.M.P and Psychoshy... damn. But if she couldn't access EC-1101, then what in the bloody hell lets Blackjack do it? And the Dealer... I think that's the coolest revelation of the chapter. Super awesome to see that he's not just BJ's craziness. Onward, woo!

~SolidFire

ho-ly shit. Discord is the source of Flux and I.M.P and shit.

aww fuck, and I thought discord was still a statue. That brings up the question: What happened to the crystal empire? Wait oh shit, how could Discord die???????? adsoifjalsjflads

Hello mister De Lancie, what're you doing here.....stuck in this statue?

can someone please explain the whole level up system ?

phoenixes, dragons, manticores… produced a pony hybrid that was too aggressive to field safely.”

Fury, Precious and Brass.
I wonder what their backstories are besides "one's upon a time, in a monster lab far far away..."

It keeps telling me Blackjack is going to kill me

Theory confirmed! The Dealer is, in fact, separate of BJ!
I knew it!

“It?” I asked with a frown. He gestured towards the round pillar in the center of the catwalk ring. I approached a short extension that stretched halfway across the void and looked up at the smooth face of the pillar. At the chimera carved into the face. Goat… lion… snake… all mixed and jumbled together. Written at the bottom of the strange mish-mash creature were the words: ‘Project Chimera’.

So...they turned Discord into a Flux fountain...
Surprised they haven't turns the cloud cover into cotton candy.
There'd be a lot of angry Enclave, that's for sure.

Funny, I since asked Kkat about Discord, and he said he just plain didn't involve him in his world. Said he died or just disappeared before it all happened.
Good job, Somber. Great surprise!

8089319
Well, we know Brass was a gigantic amoral bitch. Come to think of it, I wonder if Deus knew she was still around...

Re Discord and FoE: yeah, the original almost didn't bring him up at all, and were it not for a couple extraneous mentions of him from the stained glass windows and Celestia, it would have been consistent with him never existing in this universe at all.

7399963 words cannot express my hate for you right now

Also while sure it was treason. Treason is just a rule that says follow me or else. Then again I think government is only a necessary evil at this point and she, unlike her companions wa actually wiling to take a risk to end the war. It had tragic consequences but technically she succeeded.

8121120 Words can always express hate; try harder. ...Not that I mind, of course, hate me as much or as little as you please, no worries. Especially for something I said 9 months ago. I had to go reread it to figure out what had you so irked. As to treason... I disagree. It's betraying your country and your comrades, your friends. There's more than just a government at stake, and a government is to be for the people anyway. She assumed that she knew better than anypony else how to end the conflict. She severely underestimated the capacity for violence and hatred in those around her, friend and foe alike.
She ended the war by getting practically everyone killed. If that's your idea of success...
Hey, it's fine to do what you think is right... unless what you think is right is freaking insane, which is why you don't make a decision affecting the entire world by yourself. Lots of serial killers think they're doing the right thing... that's what crazy is. She did something completely crazy, and it destroyed almost everything. Well meaning? Certainly. But if she hadn't betrayed her people, hadn't assumed that she alone could only solve the problem by helping the enemy... the bombs might have never dropped.
If that means you hate me.... K.

I was wondering what had happened to Discord.

....

HOLY SH!

I was starting to think it was him in the last quarter there, but wow! What a twist! Well, at least for me!

Also, what if her crazy has something to do with the second star fall? Probably not, but the thought occurred to me.

 ‘When in doubt, throw science against the wall. See what sticks.’

nice little Portal reference there.

the last part of this chapter reminds me of another of my favorites: "Tryptich" by Estee. someone stole magic from Discord and used it for several purposes, including trying to turn a normal pony into an Alicorn.
but it didn't work: the poor filly keeps slowly changing between Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn.

“It’s not. It won’t work!” Psychoshy sobbed. “It just keeps telling me how Blackjack is going to kill me. It won’t open the casing.”

Damn, Dealer.

The gun went off again, spraying me briefly and punching a whole slew of holes in my limbs as I raised them reflexively.

Welcome to the group, Boo!

Twilight stared at the blank in horror. Goldenblood stared into her eyes, then asked in a voice soft as a lover’s whisper, “Twilight… have you given a thought... just a thought… about what Equestria will be like if we win this war?”

8289328
Yeah this reveal explained so much about the wasteland to me

As it was mentioned ealier, I really belived that discord was respawning loot in the hoof.

Fluttershy's daughter???!!! WHAT? I was so shocked. I belived, from the goldenblood orb in (ch.33 i think) that tarot was flutters daughter