Special Side Story - The Sisters and the Hounds of the Stars
The Sisters and the Hounds of the Stars
As told by Athena
Eons ago; long, long in years as ponies know. There was a world unlike your own of Equus. It was warm, comfortable, and life lived upon it in many ways.
The continents were fertile, allowing many things to grow and flourish there, this world providing other far off worlds with the bounty of its’ immense harvests.
Upon this gentle land were those who sowed and reaped those treasures, taking care of it and all who dwelt on and above it, for they knew space and how to travel its empty tracks. They possessed a magic of their own, allowing them to move between the stars in the heavens and bring to those others living out there everything good and wonderful from their planets’ bounties.
It was a glowing green gem among so many different ones, shining brightly in the airless ways of space, letting whomever passed by see the beacon that was home to the farmers of the world. A place of dales and hills, with hardly a mountain to wear away the winds and tides, forests and jungles that lay soft upon the giving earth.
On this world there was a house, warm and cozy, lived in by a family that had wide lands to take care of; harvesting so many different foods they needed others to keep track of all they brought in and shipped out.
A father, mother and twin daughters that were born to them in a summer that was gentle upon their faces. Sisters who in all things were as one, laughing, living and working the fields. Their names are lost to time, only known now and forevermore as the Sisters.
They grew tall, strong and beautiful as the posies which bloomed each spring, sandy blonde hair topped faces which never lost their smiles of delight at each and every new thing under the yellow sun. Blue eyes looked out over the rolling fields, sharp and filled with intelligence that made them shine. Willowy bodies taut with muscle from working and playing, they loved each other as fiercely as the winds which sometimes blew from the northlands.
Now into this happy home came two litters of pups, of a kind known as a Hound. They too were unique, a breed apart. This family was given the litters for fostering, twenty of the great and gentle animals. Names were unimportant, they were collectively called the Hounds as it was hard to tell one from another, so similar they were in disposition and looks. A type of canine that was enhanced with the wondrous magic of that era, they took to the family and the farm immediately.
They too lived alongside the sisters, their heavy coats covering hard bodies, wise faces showing their curiosity in everything about them. They would live long unlike their ancestors, growing large to protect and serve They learned much and loved the two sisters who kept them fed and watered, grooming their shaggy fur and healing their hurts. In time the fostering would be over and the Hounds would be given to others that wanted their protection and companionship.
This did not set well with the Sisters who adored the easy-going canines, treating them as if family and not something to be traded; forcing those who would take them to leave them there, the dogs refusing to step away from the family they so cared for in return.
The Hounds grew to overtop others of their kind, standing head and shoulders above them. The sisters had but to lower their eyes slightly to be lost in the quiet pools of color that returned their looks with a steady gaze.
With the days and months that passed, the twins and the Hounds were always together. Inseparable in all things except the dinner table, and even then the sad faces were slipped delicacies that were not supposed to be shared. Knowing nods were given by Mother and Father as actions were ignored in the face of so much love.
Their parents looked on as the sisters would leave for the fields or to town, accompanied by the roving pack of huge canines which watched and listened, protecting their mistresses with every sense they had. The kind townsfolk had nothing but praise for the giants, giving them treats and other good things until their bellies groaned with fullness.
Folks would see the twins in the fields, gently harvesting a delicate patch of rare herbs or grains for processing. About them the Hounds stood in a ring, eyes turned outward for there were still things in the world that would maul or slay if given the chance.
Often when a threat did arise and the Hounds gave chase; it was if demons drove them to pursue, to cleanse the land of the thing which did harm. When they gave voice to the hunt it was a booming sound that carried through the dales, warning others of the danger so they too would be safe. Their cries shot through many a night, chasing down fleet shadows, ending the evil things with a baying of triumph that rang through the skies.
They would return to two worried faces standing on the porch in soft lantern light, waiting for their friends to come back. It was with exclamations of delight and much petting that they greeted their faithful Hounds, admonishing them to not do so again. But all knew it was just nothing but words. They lived, they breathed, they sought the hunt, the feeling of a job well done.
But they rescued those in peril as well, the sisters heading with them into snowstorms that blinded, rains that washed away the soft earth. Bringing back those thought lost or gone; a small one wandering off, an elder lost in the vastness of a forest, found and made safe once more. Cementing their place with the townsfolk, and those who knew them, forever.
The burly creatures that loped the fields loved their life. Most of all they looked to be with the two sisters they adored best in all this world and any other. That is what truly made them happy, a deep and abiding love that none could shatter.
Of course, there were those that came to court the two lovely ladies, looking to ask for their pledge in marriage.
This was a source of much amusement for the townsfolk who knew them and their Hounds. For to court the sisters was to pass the test, if their beloved Hounds did not approve you were lost in the race. Constantly to the consternation of the parents bets would be placed, sometimes quite heavily, on who would not pass.
The Hounds could smell the greed, the fear, the lust that those who came harbored in their hearts. They would be warned off with sharp fangs or looks that would make one tremble in fright.
Even those who passed found the task of keeping up with either sister daunting, impossible in fact. They were bred to the land. Able to do the million and one things that were required to keep the soil healthy, the crops growing, the foods flowing out of this world to others. Finally giving up in exasperation, declaring one or the other to be mad and addicted to work.
So in the end the two sisters were alone, to the sadness of their mother and father, but this didn’t bother the close knit family too much for there were so many good things in life still.
But unto a day a night must fall. Usually with a soft sigh in the air, the breath slowing as the body rests in preparation for another span of hard working hours. The world sleeps in it’s turn, gathering strength for the labors ahead.
This night was different, for sneaking out of the skies came those who would demand and rule over the ones who lived here. Taking the planets’ bounty for themselves or selling it to others at rates that would break a city, country or even a world. Making food scarce to drive the prices up more. They insinuated themselves everywhere, gaining dominion over the land and its caretakers.
This was intolerable to those whose world it was. They had always dealt fairly with others, even going so far as to give what could not be bought for lack of funds so that there would be none that went without.
Rising up in rebellion, the farmers and townsfolk alike took to the forests and hills, an army that slowly took back their world from the interlopers.
Into this the twins went with their Hounds, stalking the enemy as if it were one of the shadowy things that lost so many times in hunts before. Often the opposition would find itself ringed by eyes that shimmered in the evening lights, facing weapons that the sisters wielded. After the deed was done they would fade into the countryside like smoke drifting with the wind, confounding any pursuers who did not know the trails and back ways, making them stumble into traps set by the sisters and their companions.
The invaders reached into their own tales and myths, calling the ghostly apparitions the Wild Hunt. For when you heard the baying of the Hounds along the hills you knew you would never escape. They were feared, even respected by the enemy, and ruthless beyond measure. No quarter given nor asked as they slipped in and out of garrisons and bases, wreaking havoc upon those who wrapped their world in an iron grip.
It was the Sisters who helped bring an end to it, by leading a portion of the rebel army to shatter the enemy’s last stronghold and force them back into the skies where others that awaited there took care of them. A peace descended at last and rebuilding began to recover from the insidious occupation. How quickly fighters turn back into farmers when the work is done and they are no longer needed.
The two sisters wanted to return home to their own lands to sow and harvest once more. They shrugged off any awards or honors offered as they had done what was required and no more.
They chose to live quietly, to not remember the pain and privation, to feel the life giving rays of the sun on their faces, the breezes through braided hair again. The comfort of a meal beside a hearth that was warm in deep winter snows, the drifts piling high outside while the family was protected in the sturdy farm house.
Simple days and nights, bringing back the only thing they knew and wanted.
As before, life fell into it’s routine. Harvesting and shipping those products which were wanted and needed by so many. The weeks, months and a few years passing comfortably by.
When darkness came again, it did not slip gently into the world as before, it arrived with a crashing of thunder. The sound and light of destruction which rained upon the quiet lands. A new enemy, but one strange and hateful, bringing fire to shatter the solitude and peace.
Working the fields, the sisters and their companions watched as the house they had adored and lived in was destroyed from above. Nothing but ruins left in their eyes as they rushed back to find that this new enemy had taken away their loved ones as well.
In that tragic time the two sisters laid to rest their parents, the kindly faces no more, soft words and care never to be received again as the Hounds watched and mourned with them. Gently they covered them with the good earth, the soil that had provided for them all their lives now took their most precious treasures into its embrace.
They walked into the town nearby to see of any news. Refugees arriving by the minute telling of dark ships, of weapons used that left barely anything of towns and villages. The cities turned into a wasteland in which the invaders themselves landed and wrought even more destruction.
The world cried out for help from neighbors. It was not denied but none could come for they too were besieged by the enemy. In the vastness of space they were alone once more, cut off by the strange beings taking the skies away and bringing death wherever they chose.
Once again the farmers and townsfolk took to the forests and jungles, making the enemy pay for every bit of land, each and every acre taken was watered with the blood of invaders.
It was a nightmare. The farmers and others couldn’t hope to hold out against those who fought from the skies, bringing weapons that took entire towns away from the face of the world.
Still they fought, and fought well. The sisters leading them with perseverance and skill, the lessons learned in the past brought forth once more to make the enemy think again about what it had done. In all fairness it was for naught, there were only so many farmers and hordes of the enemy.
But deep under a mountain, those who knew of magic worked hard to come up with a solution. They were the ones who made the crops that fed worlds, helped them to grow faster and stronger, feeding more with less. Many wise and sagely minds lived in that place, creating wonders from nothing.
They had found a way, a magic that would transform those who volunteered into the warriors that were needed, to fight against the merciless beings that trampled their world. There was one catch, once made thus you could not be changed back. That was the price you paid.
Many went to serve, choosing to fight for their world. The sisters were two of them, going into the process with eyes open, knowing what they were condemning themselves to.
The Hounds were distraught when the twins told them what was going on. They understood for they were intelligent in their own way. Heavily muscled bodies stopped them as they tried to enter the cave where the magicians were working their mysterious magic, only relenting when the sisters agreed to take them along.
The spells tore deeply into them all, turning their bodies and their minds hard and strong, unyielding and tough to fight the invaders. Out of the darkness of the caves came a pack of warrior Hounds with teeth of the finest steel and eyes that glowed gold in the night, seeing everything.
The wise faces were gone, turned to fierce visages that made even the townsfolk who knew them tremble in fear at first sight. Their bodies huge now, like giants that walked in tales and myths come to life. They stood before the caves, waiting and seeing the two Sisters come to join them. The tall figures even more so now, minds and bodies swift like the wind when needed, strong and unbending to anything if they so desired.
Having been taught while being changed, the ways of battle and war impressed into them, showing them the ways they could hurt the enemy. They strode into the world as if nothing could stop them.
Nothing did.
The skies were ruled by the invaders, forcing the pack to take to the hills and canyons, along rivers and streams, tracking and decimating the enemy with a cunning that out-did even the finest of hunters.
Wherever they walked those whose world it was took heart, for when the now-named Sisters and the Hounds appeared, the enemy quailed; hiding in their bases, their ships, using whatever they could to stave off the inevitable destruction of themselves.
The battles were fierce and long, the Sisters taking the invaders to task for daring to despoil their world. Glowing eyes and shining teeth reached out from the shadows so fast that the enemy never knew what happened until it was far, far too late. The Sisters always leading from the front, never staying behind when asked or even begged, their weapons powerful and mighty when raised in anger against the despoilers. Their pain was great, seeing their home in ruins, taking it out upon even those who served the ravagers from space.
There were no more smiles from them, not anymore, as the months and years took their toll on the band. As was always in the cards, one would fall, the fate of warriors since time immemorial. A tremendous battle near a little town, fought so fiercely that the nearby hills shuddered with the power of the weapons used. A single Hound, giving it’s life to protect the Sisters, had fallen to the ravages of enemy guns.
The precious Hound was taken to the village near where the Sisters had lived, told to keep it safe; for when the war was over perhaps they would make a resting place befitting of it’s status.
They who lived in the town honored the wishes of the Sisters. Holding the still form of the canine warrior in their most secret place, there it would be kept safe until that future time.
Out they went again, the Wild Hunt stalking through the world, tracking the enemy with all the skill and might at their disposal. A comrade fallen only doubled their rage and anger, giving them the resolve to persevere, to collect that toll which must be paid.
Those who commanded the armies of the resistance attempted to bring them to heel, telling them that only they knew how to prosecute the war and bring it to an end. This arrogance was laughed at, as the Sisters would not be told what to do, they already knew.
The folk of the world knew too. As word spread nothing was denied the tired and haggard band sneaking into towns for food and shelter, given only the best and protected while resting by those they had saved or helped.
So it was after many seasons, the enemy was driven off of their lands, into the void of space where they would be faced by the might of a hundred other worlds gathered together. A fleet gleaming as nothing ever seen was assembled to fight, to succor those who were trembling under the weapons and viciousness of the invaders. Ships had snuck off planets, hiding and gathering until the time when they could face the multitude of strange beings and their weapons.
Into this great war the Sisters and their Hounds went, choosing to leave the only home they had ever known. To help others, to force the enemy to give back what had been taken, and to make the invaders pay for what they had done.
Leave taking was swift, boarding a huge ship that took them to the stars where their legend only grew by the retelling of tales. Stories of heroism and bravery filtered back to their now peaceful homeworld. The Sisters and the Hounds always appearing at what was to be last stands. They heartened the soldiers and those who fought so that it was not a final battle but a victory, turned so by the appearance of giants that strode alongside mere mortals.
The Sisters and their ever faithful Hounds had become that of which legends were born, fighting in the fiercest battles and taking objectives which had been deemed unattainable. Their fury and strength frightening even to those on their own side.
Names were heard and remembered by the dutiful townsfolk that worried over their friends. Canis Major and Minor, Trondheim Gates, Thorsfinni’s World, and many, many more. Places as far away as could not even be seen by the most powerful telescope, yet word reached their home of battles that scarred the face of the galaxy.
But the townsfolk on their home planet listened and recorded everything, keeping it all safe as they did the still forms which also arrived by silent vessel. Brought with much honor under the cover of heavily armed task forces, making sure that the one precious item which they carried was returned to this particular village upon this singular world.
It hadn’t started that way, an entire force dedicated to this one purpose. But with all stories that grew in the telling, it lay in a simple thing.
On a world bathed in flames a Hound had fallen. The Sisters requested a ship to take the loved one back to their home where it could remain safe until they were done. A meager request for all they had accomplished for the worlds of the alliance so far.
It was not to be. Rebuffed and denied by those commanding, told nothing could be spared to make the trip, they were left to their own devices.
This angered the crew of a small transport, one that carried the Sisters and their Hounds to the battlefields of different worlds, all having become close in a way. They would do that which the Sisters asked, they would take the risk and task. To this end they fought through and broke a blockade, suffering immense damage to reach the Sisters on the frantic battle lines. Mighty guns were white-hot as they screamed in to land heavily on the wasteland, soldiers piling out under murderous fire to retrieve the one Hound and take it home.
The fleets above watched in awe as soldiers and even crewmembers stepped out on that hellish battlefront with weapons blazing, fighting their way to the Sisters and retrieving the silent form. Then another skirmish full of fury as they fought their way back, closing up the battered ship and streaking for the skies.
Crews had stood shamed and quiet as they watched the frigate, one of the smallest of the gathered power of a hundred worlds, break through the intervening enemy ships. Their only mission was to fulfill one request.
A decision was made amongst some of them, they would not stand by and let such bravery be blotted from the universe. So without orders they moved their own ships, large and heavily weaponed, into the hole that the first one had made. They shattered the enemy forces and destroyed anything that even got close to the damaged vessel limping it’s way back to the safety of their lines.
The battle turned immense as forces clashed in unimaginable power, lighting the sky as they protected the singular ship, bringing everything to bear as the enemy reeled back in confusion and then retreated from the face of such unmitigated anger. The shining vessels surrounding and protecting the smaller ship, keeping it safe from the enemy as the rage of the allied fleets took the enemy’s measure.
Conversations roiled through the command areas, battle plans warring with hearts. What are we and who are we if we do not give back to those who give for us? We would be nothing, less than nothing, and this will not be the way.
A new strength flowed through the fleets and armies, that no matter what the cost you would be brought back. The enemy left theirs without word or memorial, and those who populated the many allied planets vowed they would not do the same.
So it was that ships did bring back those fallen with much honor, but none more so than a tiny frigate that landed near a village. The single transport dwarfed by the more massive ones on watch in the skies above, whose weapons would break planets if needed to get this one safely to it’s destination. The finest of the fleets now made in titanic shipyards fought for the honor of this task force. They sacrificed much to complete a single duty because of the valiant Sisters and their brave Hounds who asked for nothing more.
This day was no different as the small vessel landed, its cargo bay door slowly lowering to the ground, the villagers assembling quietly. For many years they had done this, because of the trust that was placed in them to do so. They had taken to it with a will and a solemnity that was unmatched.
But as the door finished opening a shock ran through the crowd as it was not a container draped in a sheet of mourning, but two tall ladies and ten hounds that walked slowly out of the cavernous bay.
The war was over and they had finally come home.
Quiet reigned as neither side knew quite what to do. It was unexpected as word had not yet reached all the worlds that the enemy was gone, defeated in their turn and would trouble them nevermore. Communication silence had been observed as during all previous visits.
Smiles broke out over previously sad faces seeing the warriors standing there, eyes lighting up with happiness at their arrival. Cheers rang throughout the village, larger now in the intervening years but still home. The entire town came racing forward to greet them and their Hounds, making sure they knew there was nothing but love awaiting them on this day of their return.
The crews of all the ships had already said their goodbyes, waiting until they were assured of their charges safety before lifting off the planet one more time.
Disappearing into the bright spring skies with a flash and rumble of thundering engines, their duty complete, it was their turn to go home now.
The Sisters and their faithful Hounds did not know what to do as they were surrounded and led into the village square to be met with embraces, kisses and smiles from all those who had awaited. They gasped in shock as they entered the main plaza, seeing something that took their breath away.
As the years had gone by the townsfolk did not consider it just a trust to be given the task of taking care of the fallen Hounds, but a duty. To this end they had built a vault underneath the center of town, guarded and kept closed, only opened when another arrival was to be lain to rest. This was law now, this was a rule that none broke.
Above it in the center of all the houses and buildings was a statue of the finest metals, of the two sisters smiling as if looking over their fields, surrounded by a tumbling pack of wise and gentle canines. Looking exactly as they had before being transformed, bringing back memories of a simpler time.
A celebration was held, folk from miles around coming just to be there, to thank the Sisters for placing that trust in them and to praise them and their Hounds that had walked among the stars to bring an end to the bitter conflict.
One last surprise awaited the little band as they were shown back to their lands.
The house of many memories and love was rebuilt in all it’s splendor, cared for against the day when they would return. A beautiful place had been made in a small field where once simple plots had been, it was now a garden green and full for their parents to rest in. Given back with little fanfare, the sisters were told they would be left alone if they wished.
As the Hounds and their mistresses stood there looking at everything they remembered brought back, the townsfolk faded away and left them to memories and peace at last.
So the time passed again, a comfortable familiarity coming back as the Sisters and Hounds worked the fields, bringing laughter again to the house as they learned how to smile once more after so many years of sadness and pain. Though they never spoke much of what had happened, when talking with others their eyes would often get a far away look as if viewing things miles away.
Even for the mighty, long years of war take their toll if not only on the mind but the body.
One evening as the townsfolk headed to their rest, the baying of the Hounds was heard, a cry that echoed through the village with a sadness so deep that it made tears well up in the eyes of all who heard it. There was no hesitation as they dropped whatever they were doing and sped out to the farm.
Arriving at the farmhouse they spied the loyal canines surrounding the swinging bench where the Sisters spent their evenings talking quietly after working, sharing memories or a cup of something sweet.
A head lay on the shoulder of the other, as they were silent now, the cornflower eyes that had seen so very much covered with lids that would raise no more to take in the sun. They were surrounded by the howling companions that had stood fearfully and could do nothing as their beloved mistresses faded into that last rest. Old wounds and the transformation exacting a price which could no longer be stalled.
Together they had fought and together they went into that gentle goodbye. Never separated for their lives, they would not be so now. Their beloved Hounds bayed with distress that they could not yet follow them this one last time.
As soon as the visitors arrived, the Hounds ceased their cry and moved back silently. Letting them take the still forms and carry them to the place where they would forever be with the companions that had come before them.
Of the Hounds, they swiftly disappeared into the night after seeing their beloved Sisters to their placement, no amount of calling or searching could find them ever again. The house was left standing silently among the green fields, cared for as long as the village would stand.
As more years went by, the hunting calls were heard again along the hills as folk swore they saw the massive Hounds chasing the creatures which stalked the dark places, or leading a lost child home with nudges of a gentle nose. Those glowing eyes fading into the darkness as soon as they were safe.
The legends grew, as did the stories and tales. How the Hounds, as they too passed, brought their own to the town to be placed with their companions.
They still walked the night, from the stories told around warm inn fires and in homes that were safe from the depredations of the winter storms. How ghostly Hounds roamed with their living companions, never parted, always watchful. Excited faces related tales of two Sisters whose eyes were warm with kindness, helping a stranded traveler or the sick and injured, surrounded by gentle giants who kept a careful watch.
All of them disappearing into the night together, never waiting to be thanked, with nothing but a wave as they slipped off again into the hills and dales.
There were also those that spoke of fresh new lights that burned in the heavens, a new constellation bright and luminous. The Sisters and Hounds of the Stars; called such because they had walked among those very pinpoints, all of them taken into the sky so they could once again watch over the worlds they fought so hard for.
It has been said they are not truly gone. That when danger threatens the deep voices of the Hounds will be heard once more and the Sisters will lead them to defend again those in peril.
But know this, no matter the truth of the tales or the stories, one thing is for sure.
That the love and friendship they had, the bond they forged in the hottest of fires, will itself last until the stars themselves sputter and dim.
So when the night falls and the sounds of things that stalk the shadows come to your ears, the cold biting deep into your bones; always remember that out there are those who would forever come to your aid.
The Sisters and their beloved Hounds of the Stars.
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Stop that.
No worries you always tend to write at with gaps in between.
Glad to hear that you sound to be in good shape right now hope that continues.
love the story yes it's a slow-burning one but i love how it continues.
s2.quickmeme.com/img/3b/3b517573d68746e19e1dc06b6a0800265233df76a32ccff2dfb4b49829cefa2a.jpg
7507024 Okay, stopped...for now.. Muahaha :)
7507032 I wrote a lot faster, but I felt like readers deserved more than a few thousand words. More stories, more depth... I dunno, more fun. I know it takes longer, but chapters should be stories that add to the bigger story themselves, or at least I think so. Sure is fun!
7507033
Always something from you.
HOLY CRAP
Welp, it'll take me a while to read all this.
7507068 Popcorn! Always have popcorn handy! :)
Inhale...exhale...inhale....
FUCK YOU AND THANK YOU!!!
7507116 You're...welcome? :)
7507132 Because I think any reader deserves the best I can do. If not quality, then quantity, sometimes I manage both :)
what a beautiful and sad tail
Soooo... Did the math. 99,484 words, in 4 chapters, in 1 update.
I've got 2 words.
Holy. Crap.
Of course, looking back, there was 97,127 word chapter in the last update. Are you a masochist or something?
7507207 Thank you for the kind compliment. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
7507218 Drat, missed it by 516 words, dangit! I'll try harder! :) Enjoy!
As a lifeline Bolo fan, it was the first thought that came to mind when I saw the tank. Confirmed by the opening description. And then Chapter 1's "I come to awareness...." The classic opening line of many a Bolo fic. Normally I hate crossovers, but... this I have to see through to the end!
7507258 I will be dreadfully honest and warn beforehand. I'm not a pro, nor am I anything close to a master of writing. So barring that, I just hope you enjoy the ride, it's been truly fun writing this :) I've been a lifelong Bolo fan since I picked up Laumer's Bolo at a book store one day :)
7507159 Jesus... I swear, only you can make me cry so easily. Thanks for the read!
7507323 Well, I did warn there might be some feels :) You're always welcome!
7310205 I'm glad you at least enjoy reading it. I'm no pro, just write for fun, so..it is what it is :) Thank you
7328643 Awesome choices, and good point :) Thank you!
7507328 I think so too, would probably be quite funny :)
7507339 Just a great setting, and I really couldn't resist. So many crossovers in a crossover it's a crossover of a crossover nightmare :)
Holy crap 99,484 words um let me do the maths real quick..... so last time I checked I read about 250 Words per minute-ish its been a while sooo 77,484/250(WPM) gonna round here 398 minutes in total to read this update out. now 398/60.........well at least I did not have anything planned tomorrow as it going to take me 7 ish hours to read all of this.
7507258
Okay, NFire, I get that you are an awesome author and all, but for the love of finding time in a day, can you maybe not drop 100k+ word updates on us? Please? I have trouble finding time to read all of it, it's like having a small novel dropped on my lap.
*glances at feature box*
*sees cover with Bolo on it*
Oh damn. I must read this.
7507601 ... I already finished half of it :P
7507683 1230 this came out here, 237 now class at 8. Only for you Nfire
wow, that was a good 4 hours of reading. I always want more when I read your work.
7507683
Perhaps, but I'm fairly certain you read fast, and I have other things I need to do, like eat, sleep, and that sort of thing.
7507732 Ah, mortal problems... Sorry about that man :/
7507396 I would have never believed such was possible. Were I to tell others, they wouldn't believe it either. But we know the power, grace, and possibility that is a Bolo. Or I guess Bolonies.
Gah. Got a short respite of a chapter before crying again.
Glad to see some updates, it has been too long!
7507383 Maybe small bites at a time? I know it's a lot, but I feel as if I'm not doing justice by the readers for anything less :)
7507545 I believe she did, on the monument she placed in Canterlot Gardens to remember them with. The Crazy Horse Logo and call sign :) Or did you mean someplace else?
7507599 I salute you sir!
7507601 Understood, I'll try and spread them out then. My apologies, but I get to writing and it just kinda goes from there. Wanting to get them published for you kind folks :)
7507637 Fair warning, I make a lot of mistakes and I write for fun. So enjoy it and have a great time, thank you for reading it :)
7507693 And it is always appreciated, I do hope you know.
7507719 Moving fast as I can, four more chapters in outline and one half done, so hopefully soon :)
7507768 Sometimes I have to step away when writing it actually. I am glad the emotions come through as sincere and not shallow. Thank you.
7507774 You are so very welcome! :)
7507874 Once again my apologies for that, life gets in the way sometimes. But hopefully not any more.
7507879 Thank you so kindly!
7507978 Gotta keep those promises ya know! Even if it is the Lich King..it's that or face Pinkie
7508035 That could get downright wild and wacky :P
I woke up to read these at 1:30 in the morning. I took my time because feels sandwich. According to the math others have done, my reading rate has increased by at least three times since the last update. Also, I have ignored fires while asleep despite the siren being literally a foot outside my room. So, only for this story would I crawl my way out of a grave to read. Never change NFire.
7508105 Comments like yours humble me, they do. I'm just glad you enjoy what I write, makes it all worthwhile :)
7508113 You will be pleased to hear that I have now recommended this story to every one I care about, and those whose opinion matters to me. The difference being mainly age between those two.
This story updated like 5 times and I just noticed X.X a marvelous job as always Nfire!
moar pls, really good stuff
Mother's last embrace welcomes you home
Damn you Nfire! Damn you and the feels you bring!
And I lay thee below the grass thou gamboled,
The stars, thy soul to roam.
Remember thine left watching,
Waiting still at home.
7508135 I am, very much so. Thank you :)
7508142 Thank you very much:) I've got a bad habit of doing 'chapter dumps' :)
7508184 Working on that now!
7508226 Glad you enjoyed it :)
7508227 The Night Guard are Luna's personal guard in Equestria, mostly the 'bat ponies' or Royal Guards.
7508395 Adventure and chaos, always the best :) / I try!
7508542 Absolutely appropriate, thank you.
7508430 It does. Sometimes even I have to step away when writing some things.
7508648 Not a bad idea, adventures through the looking glass one might say.
7508593
Would Crusader Through The Looking Glass be a T-100, or for overall performance would it be Athena as the T-X?
I was thinking of the Augments, numerical, soaking in the steadily increasing magical emmisions of a cosmically linked temporal paradox, being detected, picked up and processed by Concordiat Black Works Scientists on Earth.
It only takes a very small hole in a very highly stressed energy system to have all sorts of extensive after effects.
Of course the cupcakes were Pinkie style. Thats how she wrote them.
7508724 It's okay, liquid pride man, liquid pride.
7508746 You're very welcome! Thank you! Life gets better, one step at a time :)
7508769 Thank you so much for the kind compliment. I'll certainly try to make the next ones better!
7508801 Oh no, nono, a lot sooner than that!
7508814 Not sure. I don't know if they'd be able to go through the Looking Glass, having no counterparts. EG doesn't exactly say anything about Sunset's, so it's up for grabs. You know what THAT means! :P
Cannot have games and fun without 'The Cupcakes' it's law. :)
7508946 Did it come across that way? I figured it was just a normal reaction to certain things. I mean anyone would do so if caught in some situations. But then again, sometimes meaning doesn't come across so well in type :)
7508963 Yay! Another fan! I got all the books, reread them so much I had to stop cause they're getting a bit old :)
Love this story. I wonder if the stasis field would protect against timeline shifts? Also, assuming Crusader got uncovered in the Sombra War timeline, I suspect things would have been different.
7509077 Oh you can thank Arxsys for coming up with those. I took a simple few words and ran with it, but hes the source for all nightmare fuel regarding them :) Vacation? What's that?
7509116 Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it. As for timelines, already working on an outline. It's going to be deep.. probably two parts so I don't get hanged over posting 100k words again in one shot :)
7509162 They should. Anything by Keith Laumer, he's the original creator. And there are more, just look up Bolo on Amazon :) Do NOT buy Road to Damascus, waste of time with that book. Other than that, lots to enjoy :)
7509291 Well, it was the 100th chapter..you know..something special? I'm sorry?
Hope you enjoyed it though!
*reads, REreads, rubs my Golden Eyes with my Paws, then Reads it all again*
This Story!!!
THIS is >>>THE<<< Story Athena told the school Kids!!!!
The one we see one of them as an Elder, retelling to her children!!!!!!
7509333 That's the one