Prologue - Through the Fire and into the Dungeon
A man stood in what looked like the remnant of a great arena, or what may have been a great circular theater of some kind. Molten walls made up its edge, cooled after centuries of the ritual that took place here was last enacted. Heaps and piles of ash lay strewn about, covering so much of its structure, the steps or seats perhaps, were otherwise covered in the stuff. Old and tarnished weapons were collected together, stabbed into these piles; the only thing left of those who had come before this man. Those who had failed.
Here he stood in the center of it all, staring into a familiar object; one that he had become rather close within his journey. A coiled sword, embedded into a pile of ash and old bone, left to strengthen the flame that gripped its blade; a bonfire. Though, not just any bonfire. This was the bonfire that all others were connected to, through the power of the First Flame.
Here he stood, his eyes affixed to the flame at the center of this great ash pile. His duty was nearly complete. All that was left to do was to link the fire, as was his right, as newly ascended Lord of Cinder. All he had to do was reach out to the flame, and sacrifice himself so that the Age of Man would continue, as it had for hundreds of years.
But he hesitated.
After everything he had been through, all he had seen, all the trials and enemies he had conquered and vanquished... He hesitated. It was a tall order to throw yourself into the fire, even for the sake of those who would remain. Still, he stared, pondering his choices.
In his journey, he had gone to the depths of the Abyss and seen a vision of a World Without Fire. No flame to light his path, no light to guide his way, no purpose to drive him. In this vision, he came across a peculiar set of orbs, hidden within the illusion. When he returned from the Abyss, they had come with him and were later given a name; the Eyes of a Firekeeper.
One of the previous Lords of Cinder who still sat upon his throne had warned him about these orbs, that they would only show visions of betrayal; that he would forget his duty, to Link the Flame.
He glanced beside this bonfire, and near the base of where the coiled sword was embedded into ash, he looked again at the writing that appeared within the ash. Ancient scrawlings that would call the Firekeeper here, to his side, and commence his Grand Betrayal to all of man.
Her words to him rang out in his mind as he stared at her sign, "...Ashen one, are these... Are these eyes? How gracious of thee, ashen one. The very things we Fire Keepers have been missing... Ashen one, my thanks for the eyes thou'st given. But Fire Keepers are not meant to have eyes. It is forbidden. These will reveal, through a sliver of light, frightful images of betrayal. A world without fire. Ashen one, is this truly thy wish?"
He took a deep, heavy breath. Could he truly bring himself to make this kind of sacrifice? Could he throw his life away for the sake of however many people were left in this world, that he had never even met? Could he trade his life for his dying race?
"My Blade of the Darkmoon, thy deeds merit great worship. As captain, 'tis my duty to honour knights of great accomplishment. Please, it is thine, and not lightly given. As a shade of Father Gwyn and Sister Gwynevere, Persevere in thy knightly duty, hunting down the gods' would-be foes."
In what little light shone onto him from the embers that remained of this fire, a glimmer on his finger caught his eye. The Darkmoon Ring, given to him by his Company Captain Yorshka, rested on his right index finger; a reminder of his other role in this land. First, and foremost, he was a defender of the weak and the innocent. He couldn't falter and abandon his duty now.
With another deep breath, he steeled himself and reached out to the bonfire, as he had done countless times before, and called out to it.
"As Lord of Cinder, I hereby Link the Flame, and preserve the Age of Fire until the time should come again when the next chosen should be called upon."
The flickering embers ignited almost instantly, wreathing the entire blade in flame and licked out at his hand. Even were he not clothed, he would have been swallowed by the flame just as quickly, the air sapped from his body. He felt himself crumbling, becoming part of this Kiln, as so many others had before him. Those who had been chosen to Link the Flame. In a great combustion of fire, the ritual was complete, and the Chosen of Ash was no more.
Princess Celestia of Equestria, Ruler of Canterlot's Day Court, hated meetings. She despised holding court, gathering with nobles, signing "important" documents, and otherwise entertaining most high society bureaucrats. There were a few among their ranks who she found more pleasant than others, such as Fancy Pants and his usual entourage, but most of the others usually bored her to tears with petty requests to gain more bits to line their pockets, or equally petty arguments or disputes over, and she was quoting from earlier this morning, "somepony taking the last banana at breakfast."
She, of course, loved all her little ponies, but sometimes they could be rather foalish. Rarely would somepony come to her with a matter of gravity or important these days; that was usually left to more eventful parts of Equestria, like Ponyville. She, of course, was thankful that the days that passed her by were relatively peaceful, but few and far between were events like the Summer Sun Celebration or the Grand Galloping Gala to liven up her life. Even the occasional pranks on her castle staff would get boring now and again.
Oh, what she wouldn't give to have something ridiculous or, dare she say, chaotic interrupt the current gathering of ponies in her courtroom.
While she was listening to another pony ramble on about an issue that had once sounded important, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a wisp of a familiar-looking tail in the corner of a window she had occasionally been glancing out of. She almost cracked a smile then, that tail was unmistakable. What game would they play today?
"...And as you can see, Princess, that is exactly why I need- no, deserve compensation for-" The stallion suddenly began sniffling and wrinkling his nose, taking small breaths through his mouth, almost like he was about to... "Ah... Aaahh... Ah-cho!!" ...sneeze, on a guard. Celestia covered her mouth, which had cracked into a smile as he saw her guard's face curl in disgust, but to anyone looking at her, she simply looked surprised.
"Are you alright, sirs?" Celestia asked in her most concerned sounding voice.
The noble had begun wiping his nose with a handkerchief. "Of course, ma'am, nothing a cleaning and polish won't fix." The guard said with a roll of his eyes toward the offending stallion.
"How did my beard even begin to tickle my nose, when it hangs from my chin...?" The stallion said, clearly confused.
"Maybe it's because you're so old, and have such big nostrils?" A voice came from everywhere, and nowhere all at once.
"I certainly am not, and my nostrils aren't big! Who said such a thing?" The stallion growled.
"Oh, relax grandpa, it's just me, Discord, Master of Chaos, and- ahem- reformed Spirit of Disharmony." The Draconequus in question appeared with a snap of his digits and a blink of light, as he usually did. "Oh, I'll be needing that back, though." He reached forward while the ponies were still in semi-shock and plucked the stallion's beard off his chin and planted it on the tip of his tail. "Much better."
The stallion shook himself out of his stupor, once again back to his angered demeanor, "You give that back this instant!"
Discord considered the pony for a moment before shrugging and plucking his new beard tail once again, the former tip of his tail coming back with a small pop sound, and placing the pony's beard back where he found it. "There, all better. Now then, where was I- Oh yes, Celestia!" He spun around on his cloven heel to face the princess of the sun, finding her trying just as hard to not smile as she had been before his arrival.
She took a moment to compose herself fully before answering in her usual greeting tone, "Hello, Discord. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"
"Oh, friends can't simply drop in on each other to say hello every now and then? Say, that reminds me; when was the last time you visited me?" He said with mock disappointment.
"I believe you were still in my garden at the time." She responded coyly.
Discord's face dropped in annoyance, "Right, don't remind me. Anyway, I was in the neighborhood and decided to pop in, but it seems like you're awfully busy with important business, so maybe I should go." He responded, equally as coy. If Celestia weren't already white as a sheet, Discord would have sworn he saw her go pale.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, she was just about to sign my appeal for-" The stallion began, but was interrupted by the shrill screeches of a distressed phoenix.
Celestia was on her hooves in an instant, "Philamena, what's wrong?"
The mythical bird in question was struggling to fly straight as it entered the Court of the Sun, stumbling and falling out of the air just before the start of the stairs. With quick reflexes, Discord reached out and caught the avian with his tail, setting her down quickly, as she began to peck and scratch at him.
"ACK! Watch it, bird brain, that stings!"
Princess Celestia trotted down to her faithful pet and reached out a hoof, repeating her earlier inquiry, "Philamena, what's wrong?" but only received the same treatment as Discord.
She pulled away, thankful that her regalia had protected her from the sharp beak of the flaming bird. She and Discord and all the other ponies present could only watch in distressed confusion as the Princess' pet writhed and flopped around on the floor like it was in agony.
"Please, Philamena, tell me what's wrong?"
"Couldn't she just be pulling your leg again? Hasn't she done this before?"
"Never like this. I can tell when she's faking, and she looks like she's hurt."
"Let me go and get Fluttershy, she'll know what to do."
As soon as Discord finished speaking, the ground beneath their hooves began to quake violently, as though the mountain that Canterlot rested on was being shaken by a giant. Several ponies began cowering, several more falling off balance and onto the ground. Celestia looked to Discord, as though he had an answer.
"It's not me. I'm as much a fan of earthquakes as you are, and we can both fly."
Philamena began rising into the air, though she looked like she were being pulled up by a string, while still writhing in place. The tremors got worse, windows began to crack and ceiling began to crumble, bits of dust and debris falling into the room.
Celestia started calling for an evacuation, for Discord to get her ponies out of Canterlot but stopped when Philamena burst into flame, as she had done countless times before, and began to melt away into ash. Just as suddenly as the violent quakes had begun did they stop, though Philamena did not stop melting. Before long, a large pile of ash collected under her, and she exploded outward in a wave of flames.
Thankful for her own quick reflexes, Celestia shielded everyone in the room from the flames with her magic, though the blinding light was too much to see through. Once the flames subsided, however, an entirely new sight was left in Philamena's wake; a strange creature now lay in the ashes of Celestia's pet.
For several moments, all was silent. Ponies could hear the sound of a pin drop, and some were left with a soft ringing in their ears; the sudden absence of sound after loud or continued noise sometimes did that.
Then the creature began to groan, an awful, pained sound. It appeared to be clothed, though whatever it was wearing was heavily damaged. What the ponies could see of its body was horribly malnourished, lackluster, and charred, as though it had been starved before coming through the flame. It was also carrying various objects, most notable were the large sword and stick that somehow survived the flames on its back.
At the same time, the ashes began to swirl around it; the phoenix was possibly beginning to reform.
Several ponies began to whisper to each other, frightened of this strange new being. They gasped as it began to twitch and stretch its limbs, pushing itself unsteadily onto all fours.
Celestia stepped forward, her regal hooves making small tak tak tak sounds upon touching the now somewhat sullied courtroom floor.
She looked down upon the creature and asked, "What are you?"
The creature took a horrifying, gasping breath, and lashed out at the princess, grabbing onto her chest piece while trying to lift itself up to her eye level, making sounds they couldn't understand.
The Princess, understandably, rose up on her hind legs and kicked out with her forelegs, knocking the creature away and back onto the ground. She wasn't startled easily, but that was a jump scare. The creature, now once again unmoving, lie in a heap on the floor where he was kicked.
"Guards, take that creature to the dungeon and make sure it is isolated. I must consult with the Elements of Harmony."
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Looking great!
color me interested! good luck with your future writings!
Well this is an interesting start, let us keep an eye on this.
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Glad to hear it!
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My Thanks! I plan to continue this for some time, I could use the good luck.
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Please, do. I hope that the rest of the story interests you just as much.
Oh thank GOD, a language barrier. I always love a good language barrier. Seeing how it is over come is one of the funnest parts of HIE stories.
This was featured fairly quickly, and for damn good reason. Liked, faved, and stared at impatiently for the next chapter to devour.
Interesting use of Philomena as a device to transport our hero to Equestria. Does that mean every other time an Undead/Ash has chosen to link the flame, they've been sent to Equestria? If no, there's some magic fuckery going on here, and methinks it'll play a role in the story.
Thank you for more Dark Souls pony stuff. I will take it as a personal gift.
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It was featured?? Wha- huh?!? Where??
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I think one of my favorite stories to feature a language barrier between humans and ponies was this one, Arrow 18, shown to me by a good friend of mine, God_of_Awesome.
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There is a chance that our hero may or may not meet up with some previous chosen or champions, but I will say that he isn't the only thing that came from a different world and is now in Equestria.
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Well, early christmas gift for both of us in that case, I am more than happy to keep delivering.
This looks amazing so far.
/10
love how descriptive your writing is.
Dark souls
The most frustrating game ever since i played it
Watched waaay too much memes about it XD
Interesting.
She does remember what happened last time, right? It would have been better to call Dr. Fauna.
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/
My Thanks! That's actually the first time someone has complemented the descriptiveness of my writing; usually that's the thing I'm lacking most in. I will give you
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Personally, I don't think Dark Souls is annoying, save for a few select instances in the series. Definitely seen too many memes about it as well *parry king*
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Glad you think so! That's actually my favorite of the two Fire Link Shrine themes.
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Unfortunately, I haven't seen the later half of season 8, so I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to? Unless it's something from a previous season, that I just don't remember.
I love it , great work! , I hope your planning on making this a long fic cause is good AF
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Yep
Intrigued. Happy to see this crossover. Hopeful it will see completion. :3
I'm curious where you're going with this, although it strikes me as unusual that Celestia's first instinct is to consult Twilight's gang. Most of them are basically useless when it comes to actually knowing anything relevant to this situation. Twilight I see doing some research, but "Must consult the Elements of Harmony" is a bit of an odd leap of logic.
Praise the light!
I really enjoyed the beginning of the fic, how the chosen one was struggeling with himself with the dilemma as to what he should do, and asking himself the very question so many before him have asked themselves, is there any worth in sacrificing yourself for a dying race and keeping up the endless cycle of sacrefice and pain.
Praise the sun!
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When Fluttershy first met Filomina, she had no idea Pheonixes existed. Fluttershy nearly had a stroke when she burst into ashes.
107 likes on NO dislikes
This story is gonna be good
Looks interesting do far, hope you stick close to the lore. Also I'm a bit put off on how celestia handled that situation, it felt a bit robotic.
strong start, this is going to be good
Once more a crossover between two of my favorite things (Soulsborne and My Little Pony specifically) has begun and once more I must squee in anticipation. It doesn't hurt my desire to see this story through to the end that not only is everything given excellent detail, but both sides of the story feel as they should be. The Ashen One's lamentation over what he has sacrificed and has yet to sacrifice to light the fire, or even whether it's even worth it to prolong the Age of Dark is exactly as thoughtful and somber as it should be. On the other hand prior to Philomena's unexpected use as a Bonfire (I imagine she's going to be punch drunk for a while, I doubt that was one of her intended purposes) I got a genuine chuckle at Celestia's exasperation in dealing with an endless throng of petty requests from the nobility of Canterlot and Discord's usual mischief.
I think what I am most excited to see is just how else Equestria and Lothric are about to entangle, ESPECIALLY depending on what choices this particular Ashen One made during his journey. For example, did he do what I did and give himself fully over to Hollowing for a few easy levels, therefore running the risk of the Curse of the Dark Sign beginning anew in Equestria? Did he venture beyond Lothric to the Painted World of Arianna and the Ringed City? Honestly just the idea of having any of the darkness of the Ashen One's world find it's way into a land as comparatively tranquil as Equestria is ripe for possibilities. I'm just hoping the lack of a Tragedy tag means we won't see our beloved ponies be put through TOO much of an ordeal...
Oh who am I kidding, they are ROYALLY screwed
I've never play that game before but I can tell this is very interesting.
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I do plan on making this story as long as I can, without the use of too much fluff or chaff to virtually extend it's length.
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I couldn't be happier than when I see people happy. I refuse to let this idea die; if you start something, see it through to the end.
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True, it was a bit of a leap. It's mostly for threat assessment, since she got so close and got jump scared, almost like in Irithyll Dungeon; better to have them and not need them, rather than not have them and need them.
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i.imgur.com/xZ2sEbd.gif?noredirect
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It's something I like to roleplay a lot when running through the game. Very rarely do I make decisions that aren't "in character". Glad you liked how I've presented the character so far.
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Oh yes, now I remember. Discord probably just assumed that she was experienced enough to handle an animal that was in pain, or have something to help. She will likely check on Philamena's condition, after/if she reforms, before heading to the dungeon.
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I plan to stick close to Dark Souls lore, as I understand it, with only a few tweaks here and there to make it work in Equestria. I am also not super proud of how I wrote the second half of the prologue.
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. I am so glad I could deliver something that has so many people excited, and I'm glad to hear that it sounds like you'll stick around until the end!
Again I am praised for my detail! I'm pretty sure I'm actually blushing
Yet again I am glad to see people share my enjoyment of the astounding weight of that choice; unless one had nothing else to lose, Linking the Fire seems to high a price to pay.
I'm glad that someone else got a chuckle out of the court scene. I'm not exactly proud of it, but I figured it might get a few laughs.
You're fairly close with your guess about his run in with the sorcerer of Londor, and the Painted World of Ariandel, but this particular Champion of Ash has never visited the Ringed City. I suppose we'll have to wait and see if anything else may have slipped through to Equestria, however.
Oh, and I may or may not be finished tagging this story; there are things that have yet to come to pass that may warrant additional tags.
I'm just amazed there's such a good image of a pony Soul of Cinder out there.
On a related note to my comment before, I wonder how the Equestrians will react to news of the cycle of Fire & Dark. Will they be horrified? Will they turn their questions inward, wondering what decision they would make when forced to choose? This has to be why I love the Dark Souls series so much. There's so much room for personal interpretation and roleplay. For example, in my recent replay of DS 2 SotFS, I finally paid attention to what Aldia says. That the cycle is naught but an illusion, covering up the chains that man is bound with. And yet, the illusion is peaceful, and people are able to be happy, even if only for a little while. What would the mane 6 do? Shatter the illusion, break the chains that shackle them, and in return lose themselves to the unknown? Or would they continue their almost idyllic peace, content to live their lives by the motto, "ignorance is bliss." Lovely series Dark Souls is, but sometimes it gives me conniptions.
Cover image is misleading... I thought he would be reborn as a pony. Still good though, can't wait to see what happens next. Like is Philomena dead? Is the creature bonded mentally with her? Does he get transformed into a pony by the elements? Does the Ashen One fight to escape the dungeon like in DS1? Who knows what will happen?!
Also How often do you plan on updating this? daily, weekly,monthly...semi-annually.... yearly......
All in all, I have high hopes for this story!
Hey this is really good, hope to see an update soon!
Will there be shipping in this awesome fic?
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inb4 he updates on a tri-yearly basis, with only one chapter per update, no more than 2.5k words.
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I'm glad you've taken an interest~
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To be honest, so was I. This was one of the first images I found on google image search
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That was something I was considering as well, but haven't given a whole lot of thought to as of yet. I'm very sorry to admit this, but I haven't actually finished Scholar of the First Sin yet, though I've seen most of the bosses through speed runs. I'm sure that the ponies would chose to live in reality, after having dealt with Discord's nonsense long enough though.
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Who knows? He might turn into a pony
Patience, friend, all will be revealed in time. As for when I intend to update this story...
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Don't tempt fate; the last story I wrote was over 10 years ago. Though, I do plan on updating this regularly. One could say I'm... almost done with the next chapter already
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Thanks! As I said, I'm almost done with the next chapter, so you'll be getting your wish soon enough.
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I've had some ideas, but I'm leaning towards yes. At the very least some light flirting~
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I definitely think you should give SotFS a run through. While not as good as 1 or 3 imo, it still has a pretty good story to tell, and Aldia has quite the imaginative view on the cycle, along with the rest of the cast. The gameplay is less good imo (looking at you ADP and AGI), but it's still recognizable as a Souls title.
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I used to think rather poorly of DS2 because of how different it was; the running, the way weapons were held and swung, the way the stats and infusions worked. However, after giving it a second chance, and having someone to point me in a general direction, I actually found that I liked the Power Stance mechanic immensely, and I generally dislike dual wielding. Once a get around to playing it, maybe in between chapters of this story, I can get a better understanding of the lore that came from this game.
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Not to mention the DLC bosses are some of the best in the game, and even the series as a whole
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I really wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it.
Well I’m really proud that your story manage to make front page I have a bit of advice for you as well.
Be.Super.Carefull
This is Dark Souls man. This is the game that everyone to die hard gamers to talentless hacks point to and say “this is one of the best games ever”.
Now I’m not saying there right to do so but I’m almost CERTAIN that what ever you do or whatever you write SOMEONE will be mad.
Other than that just have fun I guess. Personally I could care less where it leans so long as you learn from and enjoy writing it!
Happy hunting! Oh, try to remember to avoid swords while you’re at it
This is the beginning? AAWEE COME ON!
Nonetheless this is a very GREAT start.
I'm looking forward to it
[Keep us Posted, out!]
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I do greatly appreciate the advice! I am one of those die hard fans who loves the series to death, and has played the first and third games to death, and while I do think very highly of the games and series as a whole, I know they are flawed. I do also appreciate the reminder that, no matter how hard I try, I can never please everyone. I definitely intend to have fun with this story, and I'll be sure to dodge roll through swords
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Oh yes, this is just the beginning. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much, and are looking forward to more!
The worst part of this story is that I've started when there's only one chapter...
Keep 'em coming!
Thank you Dark Souls
This is fucking beautiful
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I feel you man, I've done that with a lot of stories.
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*Insert misspelling of Dunkey meme here*
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Just wait for actual character interaction, your mind's gonna get blown.
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I'm afraid to ask what kind of tags are yet to be added given how notorious Dark Souls is for being, er, dark...I swear that sounded better in my head.
But yes I can make peace with the fact that things are going to go SPECTACULARLY wrong once things start rolling, and I am grwatly excited to see what happens. I'm just hoping we don't lose too many of our little ponies....or you know Spike either
when is the next chapter coming out?
Front page with the first chapter of your first story. Well done. Add that it is extremely well written so far and you have yourself a jewel.
But I will lay down some constructive criticism and say be careful with your pacing. Many stories start out amazing but due to feeling rushed and plot points being solved too fast, and a story once great Falls into garbage. Same with too slow as then it just drags on and on, plot not going anywhere in what feels like endless filler chapters, even if each is important.
I'd like to say you do not suffer from those problems yet. Currently you have a gem of a story that on its first chapter has stayed on the featured page for a few days straight. Keep of the good work and try not to stress. Yes you now have a bar set on you, but go at your own pace and the story will continue on to greatness. Write what you want at the end of the day and just have fun.
A sublime comprehension of Dark Souls lore? Shocking portrayals of animal cruelty resulting from random magic? My current state of abject boredom? When can I have more! All my thumbs are belonging to you!