This is an official End of Ponies side story, written with permission from Short Skirts and Explosions.
Red is a Diamond Dog that survived the cataclysm that brought about the end of Equestria. He lives in the Wasteland, operating a mechanic shop and airstrip. His life is simple; he spends his days working on airships and serving his pack. As a stormfront blows overhead, Red remembers a chance encounter with the Last Pony, and sets out on an adventure, determined to hunt down the last equine in the world.
It is not necessary to have read End of Ponies to understand Red Wings.
Chapters (9)
And it begins...
"Red’s serene eyes met Quint’s, and Quint’s hackles raised reflexively at the rage he saw boiling behind those yellow orbs."
I thought Red only had one eye....
775247
And this is why Warden is going through the whole dang thing. Thanks for the catch, Raz!
775287 Always happy to help.
775310
I'll actually be rolling out the revised and Warden-approved version sometime tonight or tomorrow, whenever Warden gets done with his edits.
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/133616690734.gif
Lyra approves of this story.
And, so do I.
I will read this tomorrow.
BOSS.
So far i'm impressed and eager for more.
The characters and the storyline are believable and engaging, but what stood out to me the most was the world-building that went on here. The backstory of the D-Dogs is realistic (I particularly like the way you describe and incorporate their extra/enhanced senses) and the way Red's local world is constructed is detailed yet doesn't detract from the pace of the story.
All in all, it is a very strong start for a story, and I'm looking forwards to hearing more of the tales of Red.
ok this is fucking weird, during the cataclsym scene at the start, a heard a radio in the distance start playing a slow sad song on a triangle in the distance
ok wtf is going on, I am hearing that music again, now that Im seeing the first scenes with red and the wasteland, and now with the music, im hearing the sound of wind blowing with it.
Im fucking creeped out
Loved it. Great idea to use a Diamond Dog protaganist, it's interesting to see how you've carved a different mindset for the species and it'll be even more interesting to see how you develop this. Different perspectives and what-not are always great fun to explore. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.
Needs more cowbell.
778113
Thanks very much for the compliments! I tried hard to build a context that doesn't absolutely require somebody to have read End of Ponies to understand. If you read End of Ponies, though, there's a deeper level of stuff going on that fans will appreciate. This story ties right in to End of Ponies! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
778443
I'm excited to get a chance to play in the Wastelands of Equestria! It's been loads of fun to write so far. The Diamond Dogs were always interesting to me, so this is a further chance to have some fun with a relatively untouched piece of the show. Thanks for the comment!
779181
I've got a fever!
HOLY FUCK BALLS
THIS IS INCREDIBLE
I HAVE THE CRAZIEST WORDBONER
FAVFAVFAVFAV
779642
:D WOO! Glad you enjoyed it. TELL YOUR BRONY FRIENDS.
You're the first fanfic writer since Skirts that has managed to send shivers down my spine with his writing. That's how awesome you are for doing this. I'm serious. You're awesome. Not as good as Skirts, but awesome.
You, sir, are my new drug dealer. You've sated my appetite for the Wastelands of the End of Ponies. How I've missed traversing its ash-laden surface, striding alongside the Last Pony in her immutable adventure to discover just what caused the Cataclysm and possibly reverse it.
And you? You opened a second portal to the perpetual hell of twilight and misery that no other dared to even attempt. For the love of Harmony, do not stop. Ever.
"Two inches of magical pony jammed in my brain" Now that doesn't sound like innuendo at all.
I'm curious about something though: I thought that the horns began to burn out over time, causing Harmony to constantly scavenge for more. Am I remembering it wrong or does the injection of moondust circumvent the burn-out?
783677
You, sir or madam, have a dirty mind!
Harmony is actively using the horns and draining their magic. Red isn't using the horn in his head at all, and so there's something more akin to a slow leak of power happening. There's a little more to it than that, though, but... well, chapter two is in progress! We'll see, hm?
782503
Thank you, sir, you flatter me. I'm a big fan of End of Ponies, and while I'd like to say that my reasons for writing this are pure, there's a big part of this that is simply me wanting to see more of the world of End of Ponies. I'm probably enjoying writing this as much as you are reading it.
781426
That's high praise, and I think you for it! I would never presume call myself nearly as good as Skirts, but also I believe that we are different writers with different styles. He has a wealth of experience and a breadth of writing tools that I've only really begun to use, much less master.
Silly puppy!
You can't kill scoots! She's the main character!
783766 I've thought of doing the very same, with only two issues blocking my path. For one, I have my own Magnum Opus to begin soon (co-written by a good friend of mine, no less), and quite frankly, though I am by no means unskilled with words, I'd only be attacking Olympus Mons with a pickaxe were I to attempt a side story.
In a spot of irony, though, my (I should say our. It would be bastardish of me to take any credit away from my partner) upcoming Anthology (Originally a trilogy, built up to a hexology, and now it's grown even further) was largely inspired by EoP's sheer scale. And a tiny bit of Harmony's personality.
Perhaps someday the Wastelands will call out to my fingers, asking me to chronicle whatever I happen to see. But for now, I leave that honor to those whose skills I could only hope to someday match.
783860
Can't I, though?
Willful suspense of disbelief is all I ask for, and an open mind to follow Red on his journey.
783898
Wow. Thank you. That means a lot. I'm a little speechless over here.
Best of luck to you on your massive story! Drop me a message when it's ready to read, and I'd love to take a look.
A few "eyes" strayed into the dialogue here and there, (Red rolled his eyes, and raises his eyes at the airstrip) but a quick manual search should see you through.
This is a fantastic introduction! You're already right into the swing of it. The wasteland is immediately identifyable, the tone emotion in the flashbacks was spot on, the horn an innovative device for a Diamond Dog with level 9 intelligence (and 85 repair skill) and I could settle into your pacing and style of writing for the long haul.
Speaking of which - how far do you plan to go? Can we expect another 500,000 words?! :) Regardless, EoP is an enormous well of potential - I can't wait to see what vision you craft. Keep up the great work.
Also, SS&E stamp of approval? I heard your Squee from Brisbane.
784396
Whoops. Thanks for the catch! I'll do a little hunting and editing. Sneaky eyes, always trying to mess with my continuity. It's weird writing a character that only has one eye sometimes.
Thank you very much! (I approve of the Fallout reference.) I'm glad you enjoy my little twists, as well as my writing.
I plan to go as long as it takes for Red's story to play itself out. I've got a plan, so it's just a matter of execution. There's just so much to do!
783945
True.true...
One does not simply kill the last pony.
In any event, this is shaping up to be a great story. I especially liked that bit of backstory in the beginning, first detailing the basics of the Diamond Dogs, then detailing how the Cataclysm affected this particular group of Dogs.
A couple things:
1. Will you be collaborating with Skirts to match up your stories and such? Meaning, will you work to remove conflicts between your stories? And will Scoots meet Red in EoP?
2. I predict that when Red meets Scoots, they become something along the lines of comfortable acquaintances, or perhaps friends.
788346
One does not simply kill the last pony, indeed.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. To answer your questions:
1. I'm collaborating very closely with Skirts. He actually edits and reads every rough draft, along with a few other people. As for story-related stuff, I couldn't really say. Skirts is focused on Background Pony, so there will not be any updates to EoP for a while, other than a few things (Gilliam's carrier airship in Chapter 1 of EoP is now officially titled The Dog's Bollocks!)
2. That's certainly a possibility, but they could also end up trying to murder each other! Aren't stories exciting?
789926
1. Oh, I know he won't be updating EoP for awhile, which I'm perfectly okay with. Background Pony is great stuff. I was just curious if Red would be in a future update for EoP once Background Pony finishes and Skirts goes back to EoP.
2. Yes, yes they are. I suppose I'll have to read and find out.
792284
Let me put it this way: there will come a point where I'll probably need to wait for Skirts to update End of Ponies before continuing. Probably. It'd be a little weird to actually get AHEAD of End of Ponies on the timeline, but I suppose it could happen.
Keep it up! I want to read the next chapter >_>.
Now, don't you go on hiatus too, or I'll be doubly disappointed
797223
Chapter 2 is in the works! It's gonna be a bit longer than chapter 1, most likely, so bear with me and my awesome editors as I finish and they clean up my mess.
Alrighty, here's what I think so far.
Pretty damn good. From a technical standpoint, it's very high quality. No major grammar faux-pas or spelling cock-ups that I noticed.
Story wise? The characters are engaging, the places interesting and Ruby's intro was nothing short of fantastic.
One small problem. The story did feel contrived at points. I think it may be just that the chapter was a bit quick to explain the whole "Last Pony" thing. I have a feeling this shouldn't be much of a problem in later chapters, as the key background information is now established.
Also, I had a bit of trouble visualising the whole Crater/Landing strip thing. Mostly scale-wise, but when the doors closed, I feel I may have mis-imagined the shape too. Some extra detail there wouldn't go amiss.
Overall? Definitely worth a fave so far. Hell, I'd probably fave it just for the fact it's got EoP in it.
Looking forward to conflict with Gilda at some point or another
Keep up the good work, man.
803321
Hey, thank you for reading and the commentary! I appreciate it.
I won't be going too in-depth with the Last Pony, because that is still SS&E's character. Thanks for pointing out the issue of the size of the crater and landing strip, though. In Chapter 2 I'll make sure that it's better described—considering the landing strip, crater, and hangar are all primarily where Chapter 2 takes place.
YUUUSSS THANKYOU..
Ohhhh Thank You.
This Is Brilliant..
Thankyou...
*enter matching words to describe awesome story here*
realy, I have no words to say how awesome this is. want more. just make the next chapter already. PLEASE FNDJSAKFLDSHGJKLASHFJLDA
edit: 50 of these thumbs up and none down. this sounds realy good
a fine story, perfect for taking the edge off while waiting for EoP
An update, you say? It's two in the morning, you say?
What is this sleep thing you speak of?
828775
Haha, I'm flattered that you're willing to lose sleep on account of my story!
828832
I was actually about to go to sleep, but a random refresh of fimfiction brought my list of unread favorites up by 1, so, of course, I had to see what it was. I was pleased and started reading.
...Which I still haven't finished... Confound these notifications! They drive me to distractions!
Ah, of course! That horn fragment is magical, so it makes perfect sense to have a mind meld of sorts since part of that horn is now embedded in Red's brain. I like that little twist. It should make the story very interesting.
“Celebrate what?”
“The end of ponies!”
What has been done there, I have seen
White horn, shield spell, Big brother.
Seems Scootaloo's restraint of using the remains of people she knew didn't extend to Twilight's brother.
Woo!
This Is Great, More Reading.
Also Australian Time FTW.
829526 I was having the same rhought. We could be wrong but even the magic color matches
So Red has Shining Armour's horn stuck in his brain?
)
Interesting...
I wonder if this will affect his personality later in the story? (Assuming that the flashbacks increase in frequency and/or power. They normally do in stories like this one
Either way, thoroughly enjoying this story so far. Do you know if SS&E will be giving you a shoutout whenever he starts work on EoP again?
829526
In all fairness, he just kind of came out of the blue. Who the buck is this guy again?
Kick ass. Some nice insights into Diamond Dog culture, Red's past and the upcoming misadventure. I thought I'd be put off by his ruthless attitude towards killing Scootsie, having grown quite attached to said character after reading EoP, but the new perspective that it offers is really quite excellent. Also, the whole visions of an unnamed but probably deduceable brother/sister unicorns is a nice addition, even if it is a tad cliche and out of the blue - i.e. the reader doesn't know what the trigger event of these visions are considering Red's had the thing in his eye for a while... but you might just not have explained that yet.
Anywho, the second chapter was a blast to read, you've absolutely nailed the pace whilst maintaining an excellent measure of depth into Red's background. You write fluently and in a captivating manner...there's really very little that I can pass negative criticism over.
...Also, 'The Interceptor', is that a deliberate Pirates of the Carribean reference? I think I noticed a few other ones too...
829526 and 829832
Hm, interesting speculation, gentlemen. I'll have to be a little less ambiguous in Chapter 3, just to clear a few things up. Also, if you read Background Pony, the scene with the shield spell and the bucket of water is a big shout out to that story.
829545
Glad you're up late/early/Australian to read the next chapter! Hope you're enjoying it!
830713
Red Wings is canon to the universe of End of Ponies. While I can't say what SS&E plans to do with End of Ponies, he's definitely involved with Red Wings, and he's taking into account that my story is happening in his EoP Universe. Red is doing things that will have an effect on the Wastelands, and each chapter I write gets me closer and closer to catching up with his story arcs in End of Ponies.
830795
Yeah, who IS that guy!? Wait, who are we talking about?
831211
Glad you're enjoying it! Red IS ruthless. He's a good character, but maybe his motivations aren't so pure. Vengeance is his bread and butter. There's definitely a reason Red's suddenly started having these visions, and I've dropped a little foreshadowing here and there.
As to "The Interceptor", I wasn't actually aware of a Pirates of the Carribean reference. I call the unbuilt, small aircraft an 'Interceptor' because that's technically the role that the aircraft is filling: Interceptor.
Finally, a fun fact for everybody to be amused by: Red's ship, The Crimson Score, was originally named The Big Bitch.
831650 That is actually what made me think it was SA. Otherwise I would have assumed it was a random pony... sometimes it's more fun to just read and not try and figure everything out