Chapter 91
I walked out onto the balcony and put my hoof onto the railing as I overlooked the village and it’s lights. Ponies going about their business. The small market was active today. Likely ponies stocking up on what goods would soon be in short supply.
Something howled in the darkness below the city. I wasn’t worried about Fern, he was made from wood, nothing here saw him as food. I’ll go check on him tomorrow night anyway, I missed the large houseplant. He must be so lonely. Wish we could keep him up here at home, but it didn’t work. He didn’t like the heights and he was just too big now.
“Hey,” Sunset said and walked up next to me, sitting down on the wooden floor, her forehooves on the railing.
“Hey,” I said, giving her a small smile, “How’d it go?”
Sunset shrugged, “It’ll take a couple of days to get things put together, but we’ll get an expedition to salvage as much as we can from the train. No way to really move bulk items, but we might be able to get a few carriages back onto our side of the tracks if they are intact enough. Midnight can lift them into place. Then we can pull them back, we’ll bring every earth pony we have.”
“Do we know if any are intact enough?” I asked and moved to sit down next to her.
Sunset shrugged, “...Don’t know yet. I hope so, because without them we’ll never be able to get even a fraction of the salvage back here. I looked at a couple before we left, but couldn’t really tell. I kind of had things of higher priority. But a couple didn’t look too seriously damaged.”
“Hope so,” I agreed, “That will help a lot…. And if nothing else, we might be able to salvage parts of the train itself.”
Sunset nodded and then smiled at me, “...That was a good speech, by the way.”
“Thanks. Not the kind of speech I would have liked to give if I had any choice in the matter, but we do what we can.”
A sound behind made me glance back as Sparks walked out to join us, sinking down to sit by Sunsets other side. Her wing settled across her back and she leaned across to steal a kiss from me.
I smiled and kissed back for a second, “How are the girls settling in?”
Sparks gave Sunset a cuddle with her wing and a small kiss before she answered, “Tired but I think everypony is finding Nocturnis rather exotic. We’re all so used to it, but for anypony else it’s quite something else. I really think that setting up as a tourist destination would be a rather good idea.”
Sunset leaned against her, “You know, that’s not a bad idea. General construction is done, right?” she asked, looking at me.
“According to tonight's meeting, they finished the last living wraparound two weeks ago,” I agreed, “Are you thinking of asking what they think about building a hotel?”
Sunset nodded, “Yeah. I mean, the railway is down, but there are airships.”
“Airships are expensive…” Twilight pointed out with a small frown.
“Yes, but it can also bring the more sensitive things we need back and forth. Nowhere near as much as the train, but even a couple of tons of tools and other supplies like paper, ink…”
I slowly nodded, “...You know, that’s actually not a bad idea, Sunny. I may have to run the idea by Sunshine next time I talk to her.”
Twilight smiled, “Then we just need to convince ponies to come down into the monster infested jungle to stay with thestrals.”
“...Well, there is that…” I sighed, letting my head sink down until I rested my forehead against the railing, “Big scary bat ponies. Watch out, we’ll eat your grapes.”
Sunset sighed, “I wish there was some way to show ponies how this place is. How thestrals really are, that you’re just ponies like everypony else. Bit strange ponies, mind, but still ponies.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and poked her with her hoof, “Oh, real subtle.”
Sunset poked back.
I eyed them as I raised my head, “...What are you two up to?”
Sunset turned back to me and reached up to poke the side of my head with her hoof, “Just trying to get you to think, Wingboy. You’re too smart to be this slow. Come on now, even I can see it.”
Raising my hoof, I gently pushed hers down as I looked at her and then at Sparks, “...You two are talking about writing a book.”
“I think it would work,” Twilight said with a smile, “Your other works are pretty popular. At least it would be a way to spread a more positive light on bat ponies.”
I flexed my wings before I nodded, “I have thought about it, but there are a couple of problems. I don’t want to create some sort of stereotype about bat ponies. Especially now when our identity is as fragile as it is right now. Everypony is trying to find their own culture. The kind of book you’re talking about could very easily end up affecting that.”
Twilight looked thoughtful, “And would that be a big problem?”
“...Maybe. Maybe not,” I admitted and pulled Sunset into a cuddle, resting my chin on top of her head, “Maybe it’d be fine. Or maybe it would end up changing the future for the worse.”
Sunset shifted, pressing her muzzle up beneath my chin, “You mean like building this place?”
“You have to admit, she has a point there,” Twilight said and got up, putting her hoof on the railing as she looked out over the town.
“I… guess I could write something,” I admitted and pressed my nose softly to Sunnys ear, “Maybe check with some other bat ponies to see if it’s something they wouldn’t mind releasing to the rest of the world. Use what we know of our history so far too...”
Not something like what I wrote for Sunshine, that would give the entire wrong impression, but… romance did sell well.
Hmm.
Something historical maybe. Heroine meets a mysterious pegasus… during travels? During a war? No… pre-Equestrian. Yes, adventurer. Yes, she’s an explorer, exploring the mountains and is saved from the… yes, the snow elementals. No, fire. Fire elementals. Saved? Save him? No, saved.
I raised my head and looked around, “...I need…” I said and headed inwards in search of pen and paper.
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Nice. Story time
It's so late... Time for a update
Time to enjoy a quick chapter
Didn't he meet Daring Do before?
What about her book when they crashed?
Can't they just go on the adventure and write another book about it?
Page the Author comes back? This can't end worse than Twilight. ... ... Not that Twilight... No Midnight...
Nevermind
uh-oh... he's been hit by, he's been struck by!.... the SMOOTH MUSE!! duh nuh nuh-nuh... da nuh...
Indiana Pones and the Kingdom of the bat ponies
No! Not my grapes!!
--------------
On a side not, I think a tourist theme would be okay for the region the Thestrals are in; with its huge jungle trees, warm climate, and exotic foods, plants and creatures. The biggest problem to that idea though-in my opinion-is not the Thestrals, but the pony-eating monsters below at ground level. The fear and misunderstanding between the day and night ponies can be fixed with time, exposure, and time. The beasts on the ground, however, won't likely go away with time.
I feel once Nocturnis itself feels comfortable in its ability to protect themselves from the outside environment, then they can afford some of that manpower for tourist safety.
Page's book could help increase the villages population through immigration though.
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Let's just hope Annie is okay in this one.
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MY GRAPES!!!
ih1.redbubble.net/image.1231289811.3000/flat,750x,075,f-pad,750x1000,f8f8f8.jpg
Then make it a pseudo-nonfiction duology? First book is a thestral in hiding, living in peace just like every pony in Equestria but afraid that they'll be rejected if they tell others the truth. Musing about how the rumors and myths were just that, rumors. Ending with the newspaper communication from Prince Page and the MC deciding to join.
Second book is about the establishment of the jungle city, how they felt so free that they could show who they really are and how beautiful and exotic the surroundings were, the discovery of the temple & horror as their ancient history came to light. The breaking of the curse and the hope for the future.
And the Muse begins to woo Page into brainstorming for the book...
Hopefully, the time requirements for writing this book will be a handy way for Page to enforce his delegation.
I wonder when Page is going to have a go at his idea of riding Fern.
Grammar jackboots:
and its lights
by Sunset's other
would give entirely the wrong impression
Airship. Expensive way to Travel. Exotic Travel Destination.
Oh dear.
Now I'm imagining a bunch of snobby rich Canterlot Nobles flying down, and making snobby disparaging remarks about the Thestrals and their way of life.
And by the end of the week, all of the Nobles have mysterious vanished. While this does WONDERS for Luna's and Celestia's Stress Levels for running Canterlot, it completely destroys the reputation of Thestrals and Nocturnis.
That it does
Just because Daring Do exists, doesn’t mean Page can’t adapt an Indians Jones story!
Though personally I think it’d be HILARIOUS if he tried to adapt the Twilight Saga, since it DOES have vampires in it which is a good substitute for Thestrals.
I was just thinking make a bunch of tourist films like they did to convince people to go to yellowstone back in the day
MEANWHILE...A SCROLL APPEARS IN FRONT OF A PONY...
????: What is this? *opens the scroll*
To the Pony In Question,
This message is to notify you that an opportunity has arisen that uniquely increases your personal chances of joining the herd of the alicorn prince! Should you wish to take advantage of this limited time event, please travel to the jungle and visit the town of Nocturnis for further info. We have spoken!
Sincerely The Prince Page Shipping Tribunal
Daring Do: Hmmm...how interesting...
Page: "Oh, you mean like the overly-competitive speed freak? Or a drama queen fashionista obsessed about making clothing for creatures who don't wear clothes? Or a farmer pony so fixated on one fruit that she completely neglects all the other crops her family grows? Or a meek little frightened thing that could give the Hulk a run for his money? Not to mention the
suffering world-destroying-class mutant prodigy freak of nature? And don't me started on the literal family member of DisQord....where DisQord is the obviously saner one in the family...?"
"
OCDCDOSunset: "Okay, when you put it that way, no, not so strange at all... what was I even thinking!?
Daring Do and the Batticorn's Curse is already being drafted.
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Crystal thestrals don't make any sense. Thestrals don't like the cold! If they were all glittery and crystal, they'd shiver so hard they'd shatter!
If the alicorn of stories can't do something theres bigger problems at hoof
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At least it’s not,
And so it begins again, a story within a story
I don't get how a story is supposed to help. As he said, they have no real identity or culture, almost no history to speak of either, and this is somehow supposed to tell average ponies how Thestrals are? The average Thestral is still trying to figure herself out, so what's some historical fiction going to help?
Also, he's worried about an attitude of independence and superiority from the Thestrals when HE was the one who segregated all the bat ponies from the rest of Equestria. If Blank Page's goal was to make Thestrals less dark and mysterious to the average pony, then he failed spectacularly. Yeah, by bringing them together in one town, they'll be able to reproduce and increase their numbers, but they're not going to make any headway into being accepted by the rest of Equestria if they're miles and miles away from the rest of society.
If he doesn't include the line "Oh no, big scary batponies. Watch out, they'll eat your grapes!", I will be so sorely dissapointed. XD
I love this series. One of the best one on this site!