6 Lucky Strikes.
David - 19th of Megan '15 EoH - Morning
The village of Applewood stretched out before me at the bottom of the hill. My first thought was that ‘village’ was not the appropriate word for the fortified town which lay at the bottom of the hill. This was a fortress playing at being a village.
Applewood was surrounded by a wall four ponies high made of what I assumed was stone. It was covered in a smooth plaster coating, as were its many watchtowers, making knowing the wall’s materials quite impossible. That was something which impressed me a lot, if your enemy can't work out what your wall is they either bring inefficient means of breaking through it, or over commit their resources to doing so.
It’s walls were surrounded by acres and acres of farmland, but that farmland was also protected by a nice wooden palisade wall and a moat. As you looked deeper into the village center there was another, taller set of walls behind which sat a nice solid looking Norman keep. Well, I doubt it was actually made by the Normans, I guess some designs just transcend species.
Regardless the many walls, multitude of watch towers, encamped weapons atop the towers and walls, the many guards actively patrolling the wall tops, and cunning double gatehouses which would let you trap individuals between two gates made Applewood a very secure place to live. A tactical genius made this place.
Jade trotted up to my side as I looked out over the village, and whistled. “That’s a lot of walls! How long do you think they spent building that?”
“Beats me, but they are serious about defending their homes…” I said slowly, an idea popping into my head. “They will have a weaponsmith there, meaning I definitely can get what I need done. But… Didn’t you say that a member of your species has been marauding the countryside?”
Jade blinked, and tilted her head at me in her little ‘confused’ expression before her eyes widened, “Oh! Right!”
“Maybe you should stay here,” I advised in as kind of a tone as I could manage, “I shouldn’t be-”
I yelped as Jade suddenly burst into bright emerald flames! Oh dear god, had she somehow been doused in chlorine trifluo-
The flames vanished as quickly as they came, leaving behind a black pegasus mare, with the same tail and mane cut as Jade, bright blue eyes, and a butt-tattoo of a pair of white clouds.
Her face split into a huge grin, the kind only ponies can do, before she fell over backwards laughing, wings flared. “Sun’s Light! Your face! Oh my god I totally forgot I never told you what happens when we shapeshift!”
That was Jade’s voice. And her sense of humor. Also I had completely forgotten she had said her people were shape changers.
“Jade… I will make you clean the camp twice for that.” I grumbled, starting to walk off down the hill to Applewood, cart in tow.
“Pfff, sure! Like it takes me any effort... “ she chuckled, before trotting over to keep pace with me. “What about you Mr. Diamond Dog? What’s your plan for you?”
“I have a foolproof plan.” I informed, “It works every time, especially in walled cities like this place.”
Jade pestered me about my plan the entire way up to the palisade wall. he large wooden gatehouse loomed over the two of us, and more than a few guards pointed a spear, bow, or what looked like a crossbow that fired chakrams in our general direction. I could see unicorns, some pegasi, a zebra, a minotaur, a- Wait, had that been a dragon?
I craned my neck to try and see up into the base of a tower where I swore I had seen an adorable blue scaled little bipedal dragon. I hadn’t gotten to see a dragon before! Everyone always mentioned them in reverent tones and there might be one right up there, being the coolest fantasy species ever and I didn’t want to-
“Oof!” The butt of a spear interrupted my thoughts rather abruptly.
“I said halt!” An absolutely tiny for an adult lime green pegasus demanded, spear held under one wing, and planted butt first into my stomach.
I took a step back and offered the diminutive guard a polite bow, “Apologies my good sir, I was taken in by the rather impressive construction of your walls.”
The Guard, as well as his partner blinked in surprise. The half-pint pegasus squinted at me from under the rim of his full-pint helmet. “You speak really well for a Dog.”
I nodded, “Indeed, I do. It comes from being well traveled. I assure you I mean you no harm, my companion and I only wish to sell our goods within your fine city, we will be gone as soon a our business is concluded.”
“Er, is what?” the other guard, a burly reddish gray furred earth pony asked.
“Concluded, as in ‘to finish’.” I informed in as polite of a tone as I could manage.
The diminutive guard tapped his spear but against my knife. “Well, if you’re all peace lovin why are you carrying this?”
I gave him a soft smile, “The same reason you are carrying that spear good sir.”
“The kingdom is pretty dangerous lately.” Jade chimed in. “We can keep our weapons in the cart while in town if it’s a problem.”
Ah! Good bug girl, you catch on pretty quick. No one, human, pony, or whatever who has been standing in the hot sun all day want’s to fight anyone. A smile and a kind word will get you through just about anyone after the third hour on watch.
The two guards exchanged a look, then cautiously nodded.
“Okay, but you put them in the cart here, and if anyone sees you armed in there, you won't be seen with arms again.” The brick shithouse of a pony threatened.
“Duly noted, sir.” I said, faking an expression of submission by making my ears flop.
I unbuckled my belt and gently set it down in the cart behind me. A half moment later and Jade did the same thing with her own blade. The two guards whistled, and with a loud creaking groan the wooden gate slid open, leaving the fenced off area available for us to enter, but the second gate still closed.
“Oi Patch,” Half-pint pony shouted, a hoof to his mouth, “Check these two’s wagon and let em through.”
It’s always irritating to have someone go through my wagon. It’s not some mess of chaos, it’s a neatly packed arrangement to various containers, objects, and other cargo. That little wooden handcart is a real bitch to pull with an unbalanced load. Naturally every time guards inspect it they feel the need to un-tetris everything in the damn cart.
Then, there’s the endless explanations. ‘I trade battlefield salvage, that’s why I have so many weapons and armor.’ ‘That is an alchemy kit, please be careful!’ ‘I am a surgeon by trade, those are tools for healing, not torture.’ ‘Careful sir that is alchemical in nature and may explode if mishandled.’
It would almost be worth it to sneak my way in, but when it’s all said and done, jumping through society's hoops is generally the best option. After what felt like an eternity, after the sun moved visibly through the sky, they were finally done inspecting. Meaning I got to put everything back all by myself.
I am certain Jade would have helped, but she was just waved through the checkpoint immediately. Just a ‘Move along, miss.’ If an old friend of mine could see me now, he’d have a good laugh about me finally understanding racism.
As I at least wheeled my cart through the other end of the checkpoint, Jade stood up from the shady spot she had been sitting in and trotted over. “Finally! How much crap do they need to look at to realize you’re hauling nothing but junk?”
“All of it.” I grumbled.
“Right…” Jade sighed. “Sorry… So, plan still on?”
I nodded and began to walk up the path to the village proper. “Yes. Since you’re a pegasus right now, we can modify that a little. How about you fly ahead and see where the merchant’s district is for me?”
Jade snapped me a salute, a completely, totally, GI salute that I definitely had never showed her.
“Aye, sir!” she proclaimed, zipping off before could ask where she picked that up.
By the time Jade made it back to me, I had just reached the gatehouse which led into the village. The guards gave me a suspicious look as Jade landed atop the cart, but didn’t move to stop either of us.
“I think the market is to the left after the second road.” Jade informed, “At least, there’s a lot of people with stuff there.”
“Good enough for me.” I grunted and focused on pulling the cart along.
It was a bit tricky, the cobbled streets were narrow. The whole village seemed as if it were being taken over by the thatch roofed waddle and daub buildings that ponies seemed to love so much. I could never understand their obsession with this architecture style. It wasn’t a price thing either, those roofs were more expensive than the more effective treated timber roofs available to them. All I ever got was some vague religious excuse. Something about them letting in the warm love of the sun.
One thing they did do was cast shadows everywhere in the narrow streets of over built villages like this one. Applewood on the inside was only describable as a wild hedge with thatched buildings for leaves. It was maddening.
But not as maddening as following Jade’s directions and winding up in a completely packed full market place with far too many options for me to even be able to read the signs of what business and stall was what!
“God dammit Jade! Why didn’t you tell me it was this packed?” I demanded angrily, giving her a hard look.
“You call this packed?” Jade asked in honest surprise.
I held a hand up to my face, partially to block out the sea of pastel ponies with islands of other species dotting its expanse, and partially to groan into it. “Right… insect species… underground hive…”
How was I going to even find anything here? The sheer density of people was going to make navigating around the market difficult, and the over abundance of shops in a village of this size meant that most of them had to be selling the same thing. This would be a complex web of bartering to do any goddamn thing!
Who knows who would want what, or even if my goods would be something someone here could sell themselves! If only I had been able to sell some cargo in Moosville. Coin would be the only way to extract value from this place without a guide!
My groaning was interrupted as a familiar smell filled my nose. I couldn’t quite place it, but a tingling feeling in my gut told me that I knew that smell. That I knew that smell very intimately. God I hated it when I couldn’t remember something that should be obvious!
Looking around for the source of the oder, I spotted a completely white earth pony mare standing in the shadows a few feet away from me. Everything about this mare was white, and plain looking, except for a pair of jetstone black eyes, and a butt-tattoo in the shape of a sword and crossed scythe sitting atop an hourglass. A slim cigarette, white and orange, glowed faintly in her mouth as she tossed a match to the cobbles.
“Oh! Right! Tobacco!” I exclaimed, placing the scent as I noticed her. “Excuse me miss, does someone in town sell any tobacco?”
She gave me a smile and shook her head, “Afraid not. Something tells me you’re not here for a smoke though. No one comes to Applewood without a reason. Need a helping hoof? Something tells me you’re in need of a little luck.”
I gave her a curious look, “Yes.” I answered.
Half a second later Jade and I asked together, “Do I know you?”
She smiled, and shook her head, “Probably not. I’m just on vacation here for a while.”
The mare took a drag on her cigarette before talking further. “Look, I don’t like wasting my time here. Do you two need a hoof or not?”
“Oh! Sorry.” I said quickly, no sense looking a gift pony in the mouth. “Yes, I need to find a weaponsmith, preferably one who will be willing to work for scrap metal. Is there one in town?”
The pale mare nodded and turned into the crowd, waving a hoof for Jade and I to follow. “Yeah, right this way. I did some business there last week.”
She led us through the crowd, which just sort of parted to let us pass through. It felt creepy at first, but after a few moments I realized it was simply because I had a cart, and everypony was assuming I was bringing in a shipment for someone. That was nice of them!
The white mare stopped for a moment in front of a medium sized smithy on the opposite side of the market from where we had entered, paused at the door to let me set my cart down, and then entered the small shop attached to the forge. The small rustic shop was occupied by a light pink unicorn with a silvery-blue mane ironically set into a ponytail.
The shopkeeper looked up as we entered, yelped at the site of the white mare and instantly started groveling, “I’m sorry! I didn’t realize I had broken our dea-”
“You haven’t, it’s alright. I’m simply helping another today.” The cigarette smoking mare said soothingly, holding up a hoof in a stop gesture to the other mare. “Falx, would you kindly help this Dog? He needs a weaponsmith. I’ll consider your debt paid if you do the best you can for him.”
Falx blinked three times in rapid succession. “R-really?”
The white mare nodded. “Yes, paid in full.”
I threw up my paws defensively, “No, no, no! You don’t have to do that, I can trade for her services. I’m not broke, you don’t have to-”
“Quiet you!” Falx shouted, pointing at me with a hoof. Her tone held the urgency of someone who didn’t want a stranger fucking something major up for them. “Deal!” she finished holding her hoof out to my mysterious benefactor.
The white mare shook her hoof, and I swore the room dimmed for a second before their hooves parted. “Right, let her know what you need. I’m fairly sure she’s the best smith for a hundred miles.”
The mare began to leave, taking another long drag on her cigarette. I turned as she left and held out one hand. “Wait! Why help me like this?” I asked.
Deep down feeling like the answer to that question was very important.
“Simple.” She answered bluntly, “A favor owed is a favor owed. Even a small act of kindness can mean the world to someone. There are some debts which can not paid off with any single act, but need a few random acts of kindness to fill them out. Always pay karma foreword, David. These cigarettes for instance, they were a very kind and thoughtful gift. One worth a few… nudges, here and there.”
She trotted out of the shop leaving only a cloud of smoke and a mind full of questions before vanishing into the crowd. I wheeled around on my left heel as quickly as I could to look over at Falx and demanded, “Okay who the hell was that because I definitely know he-”
“Nope! Not talking about her.” Falx informed in a way to quick, almost panicky voice. “I’m not going to press my luck any more. She says do some work for you, so I’m going to do some work for you, and then I want to never see you again, okay? Nothing personal, I just want to forget everything about a certain bargain.”
I sighed, realizing that the random incredibly nice eerily familiar mare was just going to burn away at my thoughts for at least a week now. “Alright. I need some help making a very particular weapon. I have all the parts, I just need someone skilled enough to weld five of them together in just the right way for it to work.”
Falx nodded twice, “No problem. Especially if you have the parts. Bring them over to my forge and let’s get crackin. Ms. D said to give you my best, so you’re getting it… Er, just don’t tell anyone I did the work okay? I have a reputation for charging a lot of money.”
“Sure… but why? Are you that good?” I asked hopefully.
Falx rolled her eyes and tapped her horn gently, “Hello? I’m a unicorn! I forge using magic, always top quality, that includes a spell or two put into the piece to make it just a hair better than any other one out there.”
Jack! Fucking! Pot!
“Watch your tail there buddy, if you knock over that lamp behind you the whole place will go right up.” Falx said before she ducked out the door.
Less than five minutes later I was standing with Jade and Falx at her workbench, the pieces of my baby laid out over the work surface.
“Huh… A gun?” Flax asked slowly.
“Yeah!” I said with a nod, then stopped and turned to give the unicorn a confused look, “What how do you-”
“Well, sure they are rare, and I’ve never seen this type before, but I have made a few wheel locks for griffons and minotaurs before. I didn’t think a Diamond Dog would be interested in competing in, well, rich person sports.” Falx said, shrugging slightly.
“I um… what?” I asked again, not quite comprehending the fact that this smith, unlike the other seven who had helped me make the parts knew what a goddamn gun was, and how unlikely it was that the white mare had randomly shown up given that fact.
“Wait, you didn’t know?” Falx asked while picking up the barrels with her magic to inspect the, “It’s called Skeet, you use one of these to shoot a clay disk in the air. It’s apparently fun because of how inaccurate the damn things are… How does this one work? All I recognize is the trigger and barrels. Speaking of which, multiple barrels, I’m going to steal that idea. Maybe you could make these things an okay weapon with that idea.”
Okay? Okay!? Okay!?! I felt my eye twitch slightly, my pride was damaged, and it needed mending!
I cleared my throat, “Ma’am, I’ll have you know that this particular variety of firearm is more than an okay weapon. The twelve gauge round is very good at all kinds of tasks, and the Lancaster design makes the weapon nearly maintenance free and too simple to fail without being damaged beyond usability. Furthermore, as this is chambered for twelve gauge instead of the original handgun rounds it-”
“Sheesh! Okay, I get it! Weapon masters love their exotic tools. So, how do we put this thing together?” Falx asked.
I felt my eyes narrow in anger at being cut off. As good as she apparently was, this smith was getting to be far too grating to work with. “Right. The four barrels need to be joined perfectly flush with this support piece, from there I can assemble it myself.”
Falx shook her head, “Not if you want it to be my best work you can’t. I need to do it all, from start to finish. I can use these parts, but the piece needs to be complete when I’m done or it wont work… It might even break. My spell has very specific rules.”
I sighed and began to pick up the pieces and show the pink pony-shaped sandpaper how to assemble the firing mechanism, breech, ejector spring, and the other moving part. Fortunately it was a simple gun. My dad had owned one of these, and I could clean and field strip one in ten minutes. That made explaining it far simpler.
“Wait, so the ball, powder, and ignition source are all contained in a single component?” Falx asked a second after I explained how the firing mechanism worked.
“Yeah. Break open gun, put in four shells, close gun, boom, four shots, fast as you can pull the trigger.” I confirmed.
“That’s… brilliant!” Falx exclaimed, sounding actually impressed for the first time since I had shown her anything. “It takes the reloading problem completely away! I could scale this up for the cannons and sell shells like these to the guards and make a mint!” she laughed lightly.
“You have cannons?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah! I mean, sure, hand cannons are basically useless but even a wizard can appreciate a fireballs spell anypony can use! Okay, let’s build this thing. I need to see it work… You won't mind firing it for me once will you?”
I took a moment to consider her request. “Well… Okay. If you put it together properly.”
Falx nodded, satisfied, then sat down with the parts in front of her still on her workbench. “Right. I’ll need quiet.”
I gave Jade a look which said ‘My god this mare is a pretentious son of a bitch!’
Jade rolled her eyes nodded, and then in the back of my mind I heard her voice clearly. <Yeah, I know, right?>
“Ahhh!” I yelped, jumping back slightly.
“Shhh!” Falx hissed angrily.
Jade blushed a deep shade of pink, the blush somehow showing through her fur. <Oops! Sorry! Looks like I know you well enough to use telepathy with you now… Sorry for scaring you.>
I gave Jade a dirty look of disapproval. She was about to mindspeech a reply at me when suddenly Falx’s horn began to glow a light blue, and she snapped her left eye open, leaving the other firmly shut.
The entire eye glowed blue with an eldritch energy, like the nimbus around her horn, only brighter. A half second later the ground around her seemed to swirl as lines yellow lights etched into existence, forming a large runic circle like someone was drawing it with a half dozen pins. Falx sat at the edge of the circle, and the center was fixed around her workbench, where a large ball of orange light rippled into existence.
Falx picked up each part of my gun with her magic and gently placed them inside the ball of light, where they simply remained floating like they were stuck into jello. “Weld barrels to support.” Falx said in a dead, emotionless tone.
Inside the ball of magic, the four barrels snapped into place against the x shaped support, a bit of white light flared at the seams. “Insert ejector spring… Attach ejector rod... Connect strike plate… Assemble firing mechanism. Attach mechanism to trigger. Install assembly in handgrip. Attach grip covers.”
With each command the material in what I assumed was a literal magic forge obeyed. This mare was putting a CNC machine to shame. I wished I had another five guns for her to make!
“Heat treat barrels… temper… polish… apply metal coloring… stain wood. Attach barrels to grip.” Falx commanded. The attached barrels clicked into place as commanded, the bolt holding the break action hinge zipping into place and tightening itself in a way which as a craftsman, made me extremely jealous.
The ball of light pulsed as the finished gun sat within its center. Falx’s horn flared as she slowly pulled the gun out of the ball of light, which shattered into a million sparks of light as soon as the gun left it.
The weapon itself shown with white light. The barrels shone, a beautiful gradient of color fading from a dark cobalt blue at the ends to a lovely sun-yellow at the handle. The finish looked like the sky turning from midnight to noon, with the point the sun rise would be being right where the gun broke open like an old shotgun.
The wood grip covers were stained a rich ebony color, and a silver inlay of the moon on one side grip, and a gild inlay of the sun on the other. Falx levitated it over to my awestruck hands, and set it in them gently.
“I felt like giving it an old Equish Mythology sorta vibe,” Falx said dismissively, “so I decorated it like that. Anyways that gut feeling probably means the weapon’s lucky, I don’t know what magic actually goes into a finished piece. Just kinda get a hint in a feeling and how it’s decorated. The spell never does the same thing twice though. So, you know, might shoot lightning or something.”
To be honest, her voice came to me sounding more like the chattering of a dolphin as I looked at what would have been a tens of thousands of dollar gun in my hands. It needed a name, a good name, and someone should say something, something appropriate for an adventuring person getting their first magical weapon in a magical world.
“Very bright was that 12 gauge when it was made whole; the light of the sun shone redly in it, and the light of the moon shone cold, and its aim was study and true. And David gave it a new name and called it Boomstick, Thunder of the West.” I paraphrased reverently, finding my words to be perfectly fitting.
“Um… kay.” Falx said slowly.
I gave her an appropriate glare.
“Yeah… It’s just a gun David.” Jade said slowly, “It’s not like your kid or any…” she trailed off as she felt the wall of loving emotion I was beaming right to my new best thing ever. “Never mind…”
“Right… so… Are you happy with it?” Falx asked with a raised eyebrow.
“More so than anything I have ever had.” I answered, “You’re amazing! Why are you in a small place like this? You could be working for kings!”
“Pff! As if.” Falx laughed, rolling her eyes in amusement. “I’m good here, but head south to those assholes who just buy things from Zebrica… and I suck. Better the biggest fish in a small pond than just a normal fish in a big pond. Now then, dog satisfied, debt paid, I’m going to get a drink. Remember I want to see that thing shot before you leave.”
Falx trotted off as Jade walked over to me and gave me a gentle hug around the waist. “Hey, so um… I know you really like your gun-”
“Boomstick!” I corrected. “She has a name.”
Jade cracked a small smile and gulped back a laugh, “I’m sorry, you're like a nymph getting a ponyback ride! Hehehe! Wait, she?” she asked still grinning.
“All ships, cars, and guns are female. It’s a rule…” I finally snapped out of my totally entranced state, and brought Boomstick over to my cart, and wrapped her carefully in a spare cloth. “I’ll get you a holster as soon as possible.” I said giving her a pat as I placed her in the cart.
“Uh… Do you need a few minutes alone with that, or should we go pick up the rest of the stuff you wanted for the trip?” Jade asked.
I blinked, blushed lightly and cleared my throat. “Ahem. Yes, that's quite right. Let’s go see what we can sell. I can clean and polish her later.”
Jade snickered and hopped up on the cart. “You get more and more fun the longer we hang out!”
“Oh look!” I said pointing quickly to the left at a sign on a nearby building, “An armorer, we had better see if he wants to buy anything.”
In case you feel it wasn't described well enough, Boomstick is one of these beauties.
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6497676
Equestria is at this point equivalent to 2000s USA in tech level. Not that you will find many cellphones and the like, I count magic as technology as well (Both are just applied knowledge after all). The Griffon Kingdom is on par with 1945 Russia in terms of technology. However what they actual use is not based on the map of human inventions. In ether case the nations are capable of roughly the same things as the relevant nation was during that time period.
/me coughs into her hoof, "Uh... er, if you do, the Sea Series is meant to be a comic satire of fanfic in general by playing all the silly ideas of many fics strait soooo don't take it TOO seriously.
Just to clarify, Boomstick is a quad barrel not just a twin barrel, correct?
Also I laughed so hard when I realized that Dave gave Dusk his cigarettes, that was just a moment of priclessness
6497816 She's a quad barreled 12 gauge version of the classic Lancaster. As for the cigs...
You may have caught the bit where David said th least thing he remembered was being drunk near train tracks. The reason David is in Equestria and not just dead is upon arriving at Dusk's office he offered her his last pack because "You have to try these ones, they are way better!" and they were, so Dusk "lost" his file and booted him off in Equestria as a thank you.
I swear every time I see that word I keep picturing Ash from Army of Darkness explaining how the boomstick retails for around 109.95 at S-Mart, and was produced in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Shop smart, shop S-Mart.
---
Flax, although Falx sounds kinda exotic.
6497833 when I read that I was like
Well done my good 'ling, well done.
They already have guns?
Dammit, oh well, you can always be the first to introduce the gatlin gun
Wow, these Applewood ponies/whatever they might be take security seriously. Given what's going on in their neck of the woods, that's definitely a good idea.
For related reasons, I'm not sure going in with the intention of deceiving them about Jade's species is a good idea at all. That's just asking for unplanned complications.
Talk about a melting pot.
Hmn, so Death is hanging around in the marketplace and makes an offhand comment about nobody coming to Applewood without a reason. That bodes poorly for someone.
Huh.
Okay, so maybe Death really wasn't there on official business. Currently wondering if David is who gave her the cigarettes in the first place.
Congratulations, David, you just introduced cartridge bullet designs to the world in the hands of an extra clever smith. Welp, someone was bound to figure them out sooner or later. Also, it rather makes up for doing the job for free.
That's the opposite of quiet!
Neat!
Well, Dave is officially confirmed to be a gun nut. Cuddling and purring to his precious and getting indignant when someone interrupts his gun speech tirade? Yup, he's far gone
And hot damn, did they truly encounter Death of all things, apparently because she/he/it feels grateful enough for Dave's pack of cigs? Holy hell, I don't know whether that counts as super lucky for having Death itself give you a nudge in the right direction, or super unlucky for having caught the thing's special attention in the first place
The gun crafting process was quite neat though (as was Dave being floored by the realization that Guns aren't quite a foreign concept here - I imagine he is in for quite some surprised when they actually get to Equestria. I recall him daydreaming about how wonderful it would be to witness the industrial revolution - sorry Dave, a few centuries too late for that
)
Though now I wonder what special properties the gun is going to have. It's probably not going to shoot lightning, as awesome as that would be (and the offhand comment made me laugh, so thanks for that!), but I bet it's going to have something that makes it special. Can't wait to see what.
And Applewood seems like a pretty interesting place - a neat melting pot of cultures and species, though did I get it right in that it was majority Pony? Seems kinda weird considering they are still deep within Gryphon borders (wait ... are they? I'm not quite sure actually), I would have expected more gryphons or something. Ah well.
And there is one more thing that has me a bit confused - how familiar is Dave with Ponies? Because I had the impression he barely knew anything at all about them, save that they existed, so it was a bit weird to see him make comments about pony architecture and their preferred building designs (loved that bit of worldbuilding about why they prefer thatched roofs) - has he actually seen enough pony architecture (or even ponies in general) to draw conclusions about what they prefer in general? Or was he just making an assumption?
Hmm, that is a very good point about needing to factor in widely-magical capabilities to gauge a nation's "advancement" level - after all what matters is capacity to do something consistently, not the exact manner in which you do said thing. Good catch, I like it. And obviously different cultures would have different requirements/problems/needs of their technology, so it stands to reason that two different species would make completely different things from the same general "tech base", as it suits their specific needs that wouldn't necessarily be shared linearly among species.
Drat, comedy really isn't my thing :/
Hi Dusk! I figured we'd see you again, but what are you doing here?
Oh! So that's where David's cigs went when he appeared here. I guess that means that when he went home drunk that last night on Earth he didn't make it. He last remembers being at a train station....ew, a derailing train wreck?
David isn't much caring for Flax so far, though I can understand her magic needing to have it complete when she finishes in order to work properly. Magic can be finnicky like that.
Well done, David....you just started the ball rolling on actually creating modern weapons on Equus. Sure, the low level super-strength of every native sophont may mean WWI era firearms (with the exception perhaps of HMGs) are too ineffective against the local megafauna to make viable, rapid-fire cannons do not have that issue.
So, Flax is basically a savant? That was definitely a ritual spell, and far more so than you see with most unicorn magic. Seems like either the magic literally takes possession of her for the duration, or she's summoning some patron spirit of smithing to herself. Either way, it looks like Flax takes a back seat once the spell is cast and the forging begins.
6497902
That would be because a falx is a type of large sword (occasionally described as a cross between an axe and a sword) used by several Thracian peoples in the Hellenic/Roman period.
You know....with the pre-built cartridge idea that David just gave Flax being scaled up to rapid-fire cannons....add to those shells an explosive fragmentation spell or something similar and they'd suddenly be beautiful anti-air weapons. That's going to actually make Applewood quickly rise in prominence if they show themselves to be the only small town able to defend themselves against The Swarm. Chrysalis might actually think they're more trouble than they're worth if they're able to start batting squads of 'lings out of the air with lethal force from half a kilometer away.
6498508
Bumming cigarettes.
Eh, more like a howetser. Breach loading shell firing cannon. Bit faster than a gun crew for an old brass canon. But oddly only by about 30 seconds a round.
Well she's not a bigger character in this so I'll explain. In the next chapter.
6498463
Yep! Everyone has those three or four things they just completely love.
Yes. They did. Don't worry about it, she's actually a pretty nice pony, her job just involves something people find grim. If you read my other works, Death (or Dusk as her proper name is) is basically the Customer Service Rep for the afterlife, and chainsmokes from stress. So giving her a pack of cigs that's a different flavor from her usual variety is differently a good way to get her favor. While she would get in trouble with the Big Guy if she say, lost your file and thus made it impossible for you to die, she is allowed to give people a second chance from time to time, and well if she just so happens to bump into them while on vacation, well no rule says she can't steer them towards good fortune.
Well, I couldn't find what it dose on TV tropes, so it may be an original idea. I think you'll like it!
Humm... I'll get you guys a map done up, okay? I did mention where they are, but only once because few people talk about "Hey, we're in America!" "I know! Right in Utah!" "And in Salt Lake City no less!"
Applewood is a town in the small nation of Stalliongrad, which is across the border from the Griffon Kingdom, which is about as wide as Russia is hence how they have never seen any Equestrians there. Because 4,000 miles or so is a VERY LONG way.
It's an assumption based on the three pony town's hes seen in those 5 years. He's noticed that by far, ponies prefer homes like that, minotaurs prefer stone and timber homes, things like that. He's not very familure with ponies as Applewood is basically this country's primary place they live. He's been in Stalliongrad the whole time.
No worries. The following stories are serious in tone: The Bridesmaids, Dinner at Ravenloft, the Luna Problem, and Horseshoes. Most of them are short, less then 80k words. There is always some element of humor and comedy in my stories, but those ones just have funny moments, they are not written to BE a funny moment.
6498241
Oh please, I'm sure they are totally fine! :D
She took a personal day.
It's actually WAY cooler than shooting lightning.
6498185 Yep. This is because we humans have had repeating firearms since about 1500. Makes scene other species would work them out too. Oh and yes, we did have flintlock repeaters. They just never caught on because like one dude made them and he charged a god damn fortune.
6499341
That's still a hell of an improvement! A cannon crew was considered to be quite fast if they could manage multiple rounds in a minute, and that was during the Civil War. A good howitzer from the WWI era can manage three or four rounds a minute. Also, a howitzer can be used for anti-air. A normal cannon can't without a special emplacement. And with the enclosed cartridge idea that Flax just picked up, a lot of the prep that slows down firing an artillery piece is massively alleviated.
6497902 Damnit! This is a case of spellcheck destroying a good name. She's named after an ancient Thracian sword, the Falx.
lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Enzj9TPb0R8/UddIGMu3P8I/AAAAAAAAAGY/JuWEC8jeV7w/w1044-h411-no/Falx.jpg
That blade was so dangerous it made Romans redesign their helmets to renforce them as it could split their older helms no problem.
6499460 That's pretty cool actually. And Falx is a much cooler name than Flax.
6499449 goddamn greedy fucks
6499894 To be fair, back then precision mechanics like that probably took a month to build.
6499941 that's why we create molds for it.
Although poured metal usually isn't up to par with handcrafted parts...
6499418
Aaah, got it. Yeah, I remember Stalliongrad being mentioned but I guess I hadn't understood that Applewood was already inside Stalliongrad's borders. I thought Applewood was just their midway stop en route to Stalliongrad or something
But if you could get a map up it would be super nice (even if it's a crude sketch), especially since traveling across the globe seems to be playing a big part in the story for now. Would be sweet to have better understanding on where Jade and Dave are in relation to their goals.
Yeah, I can see that if he has been to several pony towns over the years. And it's neat to see that even Ponies living outside Equestria know/like Celestia and pay homage to that tradition (even if Celestia metaphorically peeking inside everypne's home would be extra creepy
)
Oh, that's perfectly fine then! I don't have anything against occasional humor or lighter mood, it's full-blown comedies that can't seem to hold my attention for long.
Sand won't save you this time!
Nitpick mode GO:
Odor. Or odour if you're Canajun, eh?
Sight. You sight the enemy at the site, through your gun's sights.
6500496
i.imgur.com/erPHjAh.gif
It's more like they adhere to oral traditions and telling.. most of them would have mind blow moments if Celestia just walked by. It would be like if you went to the store for milk and bumped into Zeus.
Full comodies require good comics to write them. Good comics are rare. Ipso facto, most comedies suck.
6500677
Um, explain?
6500837 Sand Won't Save You This Time...
Sand buckets are a standard lab tool for putting out burning things that don't like water. Chlorine Trifluoride will just go right ahead and set fire to the sand.
6500851 o.o One of my readers knows chemistry and made a joke about it... https://youtu.be/ky_-MiTCKNc?t=24s
6500873 His "Things I Won't Work With" category on his blog is full of hilariously-scary chemistry. It's a great read.
[youtube=http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pFriRcIwqNU]
Couldn't pass it up.
6504844 Shoulda saved that for a chapter or so from now.
6504879
Aw, dang. Oh well.
6504890 I mean I cant name a weapon Boomstick and NOT use that line. Right? That would be like giving a character the last name of Montoya, and not using "Hello. My name is _____ Montoya. You killed my ________. Prepare to die."
6504897
Exactly!
"Alright you primitive screwheads, you see this? This, is my BOOMSTICK!!"
Oh David, you big dork, at least the name is appropriate. Though if you ask me a better name would be Dawnbreaker. Cause the break-action is at the dawn point on the gun and it sounds cool as shit!
The writing here is pretty solid so far, but you are in desperate need of a proofreader. I lost count of all the grammar, punctuation, and sentence flow mistakes. I might be willing to lend a hand on that front, if you're interested.
6807270 She doesn't always run chapters by me before she posts them, which is not that often anymore. And after the fact, I will go back and retroactively make notes, but things don't always get done and edits slip through the cracks. Lately she has just been letting me straight up edit the gdoc's for her like before with the sea series.
I'll go back over the first 10 chapters again, thanks for the heads up.
It may be because im tired, but until the very end when you pointed out that Boomstick was a Lancaster, a beautiful weapon choice by the way, i was imagining a fucking four barreled 12 gauge shotgun.
Calling i-... ahem... calling her Boomstick did not help my confusion, by the way.
I have a feeling later on David will see that, in hindsight, having one of the best blacksmiths around put together a relatively advanced gun for you might have been a bad idea.
A four barreled pistol? Yikes!
re-reading the story, I think your picture is a little small for the boomstick
Not gonna lie, took me a bit to remember what a Lancaster looked like.
6499449
I don't see how that makes sense honestly. Of course, I'm not convinced of inevitability on certain fronts. Griffons, minotaurs, and other species with *hands* are where I'd expect to see firearms of the kind we have. Those species though, might be too busy beating each other up to really make much technological progress on their own.
Based on wiki, firearms go back as far as ~900 if you consider early non-metal examples of gun-like inventions. It's a little terrifying. Frankly I'm curious as to how they discovered gunpowder in the first place.
Wait a shotgun pistol? I have two problems that can be negligible. One is recoil and the other is grip it would be difficult to grip something with that kind of recoil, but I don't know much about guns.
6979589 Diamond Dog. Arms like tree trunks.
Boomstick is a stupid name for a magic weapon. Unless it's literally a stick that explodes.
7111524
You don't get the reference? I am disappointed in humanity.
7111524
Thanks to Evil dead any basic shotgun used in a "primitive" setting has to be called Boomstick, I'm pretty sure it'll be in the rules of the internet, not sure what number it would be though.
7111524 die horribly plsthxdie
Ooooooh. That's some old-timey ambition you're assembling there. Four barrels.
...gonna be a heavy lil sumbish, though! Especially at 12 gauge.
All things normally done well before the point of final assembly. Medieval magical weaponsmiths and their weird process mods, oigh!
Oh. Pistol, rather than full length shotty. Still hefty... probably a good thing, though: helps keep it from breaking your wrist!
6958066
Some time in the 9th Century AD, Chinese alchemists discovered it. Supposedly while searching for some kind of elixir of eternal life for the Emperor (and who knows what strange and wacky shite they cooked up for the Emperor to drink on that wild goose chase!) but that could just as easily be word of mouth embellishment.
Conversations without saying a word, an introvert’s fantasy,
10210121 Or nightmare...