At the bottom of Stable 10, the great generator that has kept its residents alive for centuries is beginning to fail. As solutions are sought within, one pegasus sets her sights on the very ponies who built - and possibly sabotaged - her home.
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Fiona the murderhobo Bard casually rolling a high 18 on her Intimidation roll.
And then a casual Nat 20 in almost the same breath.
DONK!
'My Bard rolls to pitch a giant fucking rock at the enemy golem, undetected.'
''Okay, roll Strength and Sleight of Hand.''
'12, and 17.'
''Golem fails his Dex and Con saves... Oh fuck off! Fine!''
Ouch! Low 5 and a broken streak. Our Bard was doing so well with her spring-redecorating of Mariposa hitting all those high rolls too!
Oi, you stop that, Fiona. Saying stupid shit like mouthwords and whyfor is my thing.
I am going to choose to believe that Tandy is Luna's true subconscious that's still alive IRL in some manner, just as Celly was in the original FO:E, and that this isn't just some naughty red herring to bait people.
I'm choosing, dammit! You're not baiting me!
Also Tandy and Aurora know some knew weird shit and we don't. Fun.
Also there's now a eldritch eludician abomination working its way into being Equestria's new nightmare. Fun!
Another excellent chapter, you do seem to have a knack for it. Everyone needing a rest after Eshe was well needed, methinks.
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Fiona as a murderhobo bard made my day. If it isn't obvious already, I really do like writing her. She's a deadly combination of utter melee, street smarts, and learned compassion and I'm absolutely here for it. ^_^ She's made for the wasteland.
I like your take on Tandy, even if it's not exactly what I was aiming for! I have to admit, I don't remember Celly in FO:E. It's been a looong time since I've read it though, so I've forgotten more than I remember. Tandy is definitely her own person though, incorporeal or not. Hopefully, with enough time, she'll figure out exactly who she wants that person to be.
How many chapters are left to write ElbowDeepInAHorse?
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I don't have a hard number in mind, but the story is nearing the end. Maybe five?
Next stop: New Canterlot! Hopefully Thelma and Louise here can manage to keep from blowing their covers for five minutes. Unlike every other time they've tried to lay low...
Also:
Oh, look! And Eldrich Horror is in its way to join the outside world! Won't THAT be fun?!
Heck yaa more fine work.
Whoah, that ending is very spooky, great work!
Love love loved this chapter. 10/10, ma dude.
As for that ending…fricken curveball outta no where! What the hell is that thing?!?
….who the hell WAS it?
Your powers of description are as amazing as ever.
I procrastinated reading this because the title and what happened in the previous chapter had me dreading what I may find. Getting to the end felt like watching a fuse burn to it's apex only to discover there was another twist of fuse left. Phew.
Wait is Coronado a pegasus? I thought he was a kirin. Guess being in stable 10 made him grow wings.
Fantastic chapter as usual. I'm pretty unclear on the nature of Eshe's little prison though. It's a Ministry of Image black site/prison, right? 'Observation' and the uhh ribcage's memories seem to imply some sort of experimentation, but would that be something Image would be into? I suppose what better place than a black site, and original FoE had Rarity get into much stranger stuff, but so far only Twilight has been dealing in unknowable horrors. I also have no idea what's being implied by Fiona's thoughts about the soldiers dying and staff running into the turrets. Just food for later thought or am I missing hints?
As far as I get it this "thing" is infected with this universes version of the F.E.V from the original Fallout universe.
It also originates from a place called Mariposa and is the origin of Super mutants, the Master,Centaurs or Snallygasters.
Its "thoughts" patterns indicate it works something alike.
What did they do with Eshe though did they infect him too or did the apocalypse happen before they could?
Amazingly creepy ending, love it.
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*blinks*
Aaand I'm going to fix that immediately. Sorry, sometimes my brain goes into full dumb-mode. XD
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Aaand fixed! Stable 10's magical alicorn-creation powers have been averted. ;)
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Thank you! It was nice to work on another chapter that was more about the characters and a buildup to the next thing. Been a long time coming for Aurora to have a quiet pow-wow where she can finally open up to her friends.
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So, without spoiling anything, this isn't an homage or borrowing from the original FO:E. No mysterious alicorn hive-mind making goo is taking place here (I think that's what the original ended up doing, it's been a long time). However, it is safe to say that this is a take on Fallout's FEV virus. It's purpose, what it's doing, what it wants to build... ehhhh, I'm going to keep that close to the chest for now. ;)
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I definitely could have done a better job with Quincy's reappearance in the story. If anything, I think I should have replaced him in this scene with someone else and waited until much later for him to show up again. There is intention behind him popping up though, and it has to do with the items he took from Autumn's office when he fled and which Aurora subsequently may have taken from him at the slaver camp.
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Thank you! Writing horror is not my strong suite so I was hoping the "less is more" approach would resonate. ^_^ Super glad it made an impact on so many of you, because it's going to be important laaaater!
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Hrm, your confusion probably stems from me trying to be deliberately vague as I was describing Mariposa from Fiona's POV. What I can confirm is Mariposa was a Ministry of Image black site where dissidents and bad actors (as defined by the ministries) were sent to be detained. I can also confirm that, in some cases, those detainees were utilized as cannon fodder for experimentation. The ministries, Image included, had all made morally dubious decisions in the name of ending the war quickly, and there have been examples already of one ministry leaning on another to influence their actions. Of all the ministers to abuse their status, I think we can all agree Twilight does rank highest.
Fiona's reaction to the medical staff piled up beneath the turret was meant to imply there had been an attempted mass exodus from the observation wing where they had been detained during the lockdown just prior to the bombs falling. The lockdown had armed the turret systems, suggesting they had chosen to make a break for it knowing they would likely be mowed down. This might have been one of those times where being vague didn't serve the readers terribly well.
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I'm sure it's nooothing...
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I've read up to chapter 28 so far and I've got to say I'm really loving this story. I read the original FoE waaaay back around... 2014(?) shortly after I joined the fandom in early '13. Fell in love with the strange crossover. I've read Pink Eyes, much to my then very-emotionally-fragile-deeply-depressed-mind's chagrin/horror, and got through most of Heroes (both read and listened to), but stopped before Heroes was finished.
I haven't read an FoE fic since early 2016, but reading this story is making me remember just how enamoring a masterfully written story can be. Also, the fact that you have rewritten a lot of the core, foundational lore of FoE doesn't bother me in the slightest. It does the complete opposite. Seeing a lot of the events, characters, and story beats from the latter seasons of Gen 4/FiM woven so seamlessly into the world of FoE, just tickles some corners of my mind in all the right ways. The original lore of FoE still holds up well all these years on, but the rewritten lore you've come up with is equal parts fantastic and undeniably brilliant.
I can't remember the last time I've simultaneously laughed and cried, both in happiness and sorrow, while following along with a character's adventure. I can't remember the last time I felt such a wide range of so many deep emotions while reading a story. I've gotten so used to the emotional numbness that comes with years of struggling through depression, even if it isn't weighing as heavily on me right now as it was several years ago... It's been great being able to break through that wall, even briefly, and feel genuine emotions again that aren't neverending despair and the persistent ache of a cold bottomless void in one's heart...
Thank you for writing this story. I see that it's still incomplete. I don't know how much more of the story you have left to write, but I look forward to seeing how Aurora's story ends. Keep up your awesome work and thank you again. ❤️
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That is high praise! Wow! Thank you! It was a challenge finding a balance between writing the story from a fresh slate and including enough little details from the original so things felt familiar. I'm glad that worked so well for you! The story's incomplete but I release a new chapter every month-ish, which is to say I'm very much still actively writing
We've got maybe fiiiive chapters left? The story is very close to the end now so it just depends on how chunky the chapters end up being. ;) After that, holy moly, I'm apparently going to be gearing up for another story because free time is for quitters!
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You're welcome! I meant every word of it. :) At the rate I'm reading this story (two or three chapters a night before bed) I'll likely catch up before you've finished the story, but that just makes it all the better! It will build up suspense for the final chapters to come.
You mentioned that you plan to write another story after this one?? You're crazy, lol! Just please don't burn yourself out. If you can give any details, will it be another FoE story? Maybe a continuation of Renewal or perhaps side stories based within Renewal's universe? Either way, I look forward to your future work and the ending of Renewal. You've helped to revive my interest and love of the FoE universe.
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X3 Hopefully not as long as Renewal, but I do plan it to be a continuation. I'm still fleshing things out so I'm not settled yet on several important details, namely "what will it be about?" Easy enough to have a Big Bad but I still need there to be a purpose. Expect a gap between the end of Renewal and the beginning of the next story, cause this time I'm going to be smart and write a buncha chapters in advance xD
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Lol. That is awesome! I eagerly, but patiently, await the next chapter of Aurora's life! After her current one is finished and you've had time to relax and flesh out her future adventures, of course. :P Keep it up. <3
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Alright, real talk, i'm on 35 now. First off, HOW DARE YOU.
Second off, I can't believe I didn't see that coming. The idea ALMOST popped into my head but it was nothing more than the vaguest hint of a notion of similarity, but I never put two and two together! You're a GENIUS. Your writing is phenomenal. I'm forcing my friends at fake gunpoint to read this fic.
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XD No regrets! I expect book reports by the end of class, haha!
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Haha, I'm in danger!
For better or worse, you called it! Ginger's death was something I had planned for as far back as her encounter with Autumn Song, sadly. The way I saw things, there was really no scenario where Stable 10 would seal itself back up nicely as you please and live on undisturbed. Coldbrook's Rangers badly needed its equipment to even out their tech imbalance with the Enclave, and Primrose was never going to allow Stable 10 to continue on knowing Rainbow Dash was not only inside and alive, but had knowledge of what Spitfire and her did to the world.
Duping them into triggering the bomb at the very bottom of Stable 10 was the best possible outcome for Primrose, and sadly that's something I had plotted out years in advance. Hence why Ginger so often practiced her newly restored magic at every opportunity, learning the skills she would need to delay the balefire explosion long enough to get clear of the Stable and still have a method of saving one of them. I am a cruel little horse lady, but not one who does things for no reason. ><
Chapter 41 was a rough one to write. My brain is hardwired for depression and hooboy did I need to take breaks so Aurora's numbness didn't become my numbness. Writing is fun like that, you get to trigger your own mood swings! Nah but still, I was happy to have reached the point in the story where Discord has his encore. If Aurora was going to be a miserable, dead-eyed mess I needed someone who could cheer her up while she recovers and ol "King Leer" felt like an excellent choice.
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I ADORE the "King Lear" reference, and honestly, seeing the line about "Gilgamesh" made me actually snort out a laugh. I love this fic, and normally I don't like end of the world/apocalypse fics. I can't even read base FO:E. but I really love Renewal.
My only bane so far is that I've been ravenously binging, and my friends don't even read one chapter a day. I've had NO ONE to yell at or to about this.
So I'm going to yell at you.
Real talk though, if I wasn't so hooked on this, I think Ginger's death might have broken me enough to stop reading. She's been my FAVORITE character, bar none. I had to genuinely stop tears when I read "Ginger was gone", and I was at work. Also, I. Kind of wanted/expected to see her teleport someone's heart out of their chest. Like
PrimroseCozy Glow (still such a great twist). I definitely wanna see that now.Edit: For a fleeting moment she reached her. Feathers curled and blackened around Ginger’s foreleg and they were together like they were always meant to be.
This fucking broke me. This BROKE me. Your prose is so good at evoking exactly the emotion you want.
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Yee, I've been waiting for an opportunity to write him in as a more grounded version of his troublemaker self. Deliberately going out of his way to expose technicolor horses to the written works of his second favorite world just seems perfectly in step with his situation, and he's doing so in a way that falls in line with Flutters' values. His return is bittersweet while providing Aurora with a moment of calm where she can choose how to direct her grief and anger for good or ill. Or, more simply, that poor mare needs a break.
I do think Ginger's death went that way for a few readers, but I hope they eventually swing on back to read what happens after. I like to think the resolution of Renewal will do her justice without cheapening her death in any way, but I know how much of a kick in the gut it was for her to go the way she did. I still think I could have written it a little better, but I don't want to pick at fuzzies until the sweater unravels. Fun fact, I had initially written that scene from Ginger's perspective for the sole reason of giving readers a window into why she chose to teleport Aurora to safety rather than attempt to cast the spell on both of them. It didn't work in the end - the pacing ground to a slog and it didn't make sense for Ginger to provide a broad analysis of the situation when her attention needed to be on preventing the detonation - and so we got Aurora's POV and a slightly unsatisfying understanding of Ginger's decision to sacrifice herself instead.
And yee, one doesn't bathe themselves in direct balefire without consequences. Aurora's a strong chicky though. I think she'll pull through. ;)
The word that rose in her mind was spider , and it was wholly inadequate. Dishonest. Forcing herself to admit what it was felt like swallowing hot metal. It lifted the pale white equivalent of a leg, dropped onto the dark smeared floor, and pulled itself forward an inch or two until the next of its legs could repeat the process. It didn’t know Fiona was watching it. It couldn’t. It was only a ribcage. The bones had taken up the role of locomotion as tumescent knots of muscle and sinew twitched and contracted along its spine, no body to worry about keeping alive anymore. It pawed along aimlessly like a caterpillar, showing no signs of awareness beyond the drive to pull itself forward.
Hey. Hey I wanna talk. Hey. What the fuck. What the fuck.
This moment is so bittersweet, but I adore it. I'm still worried about Aurora, and I have a feeling the chapter end for this one is going to be a huge, huge gut punch, but stars above I think she'll make it to do the thing she's setting out to do. Frankly, I was super worried someone might croak during the trek to Eshe, and I'm still worried about what Fiona saw and how that'll come into play later, but all in all, I'm cautiously optimistic.
And I'm watching you.
Fiona.
You've made every single side character an enjoyable character, and Sledge especially so. I love him so much.
Stop hurting me.
Ribs shuffled along as they had for ninety-six stagnant years of too much carrot and no stick. It wanted to build too. It wanted to build beautiful things from ruins. It was made of ruins. But it didn’t have any more lumber to cut. It only had the body that had once been somebody, and the carrot of beneficial evolution could only grow so large.
C E A S E T H I S
It'llbeokayit'llbeokayit'llbeokay
Twelve Forfend, It Won't Be Okay
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Holy feedback, Batman!
Okay! I can't reply to every point you've brought up but holy wow keep 'em coming! It's been a good long while since I've stopped to think about the early chapters and this is good refresher material. Thank you for taking such an interest!
Let's see. So, Teak's diary! Without spoiling anything I can confirm that yes her diary leads into a broader story that converges with Aurora's narrative. It's a slow burn but it gets there and that's all I'll say for now. ^^
I like your feedback about Aurora's early inconsistencies. I agree that I do need to go back and make some ad hoc changes, but I'm probably going to do that once I finish Renewal. I know myself well enough that if I slow down and start backtracking to previous chapters for major editing I'm going to lose steam on the chapters I'm writing. @.@ Joys of having poo brain, momentum is everything.
Regarding whether or not Aurora is related to Roach by descendency, I think it's safe to say that yes, to some degree everyone in Stable 10 can connect back to that first generation of survivors. It isn't a driving force for Roach helping her in the beginning, however, though I would say later on he considers Aurora family regardless.
Nail on the head, Ginger starts out as a Rarity clone. Deliberately intentional on my part, as well as intentional on hers. I won't spoil anything, but suffice to say I wanted to play with the trope and see if I could do something with it that added dimension rather than subtract it.
As for keeping the Rangers, Enclave and ministries... honestly I had thought about changing all of the names and jumping through some hoops to create a different sort of war ready government, but it felt like a hat on a hat. Keeping Kkat's framework while telling an original story around it felt like the better way to go. ^^"
And yes, you mentioned radiation having consequences and I'm very much a fan of stories grounded in reality like that. As much as I like the Fallout game series, it always feels like it's a game without stakes because everything can be cured with an auto injector or a silly perk. Granted we're talking about a story work technicolor ponies and magic are a thing, but I still put effort into making sure to stick to a policy of "No Convenient Handwaving Allowed." If someone gets dosed with radiation they're going to have some medical problems. If they step on a landmine they're going to lose a limb. That sort of thing. ^^
I don't think I have all the brain cells required tonight to hit all your other points but yee, good start at least! Thank you for reading so far and here's hoping you enjoy the next many chapters!
And caught up, at last! :D
Thank you for writing!
Sorry I don't have more detailed commentary, but the chapter was long and I need to be getting to bed. Enjoyed it, though!
Suuuuuper creepy
Oh no. Oh no. Elbie, you can't be doing this to us. To me. Please tell me it isn't so :( please tell me this isn't so. Please!
be still, my beating heart
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Had you going there, didn't I?
you go girl, you oughta be proud of yourself for finally having the strength to come forward to your friends like this <3
I feel like you must have planned this but you did a great job at lulling me into the comfortable, refreshing scene, to the point I forgot about primrose, the enclave, solus and everything entirely. It was just aurora and friends enjoying a rare but deserved break and then....
I think part of what is so unsettling about this is that I know, we as readers know based on your resolution for Ginger that you don't believe in plot armor. Anything could happen between now and the end. There's a lot of words left between now and then
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Plot armor is for the weak. ;) And yes, I planned these last ten chapters to the moment. Nyeheheee
Derpy finally makes a cameo!