Epilogue 3: The Adventure Continues.
Astral woke up feeling like an anvil was pressed onto his chest. The Thestral gasped for breath, a cold sweat plastering his body as he sucked in air at long last. Tears streamed from his eyes, the stallion curling up into a ball and shivering.
The hallway door opened, and a familiar figure walked in with a yawn. Sassi promptly hopped onto the bed, settling down next to the distraught stallion, and waited. Their hive mind link always woke the other when things got bad enough.
Which now was more often than not.
“Thank you, Sas.”
Another tired yawn was the mare’s reply. The first few minutes after the night terrors were, for the most part, “don’t-touch-me” periods. But then a usual routine settled in, one that seemed to work for either Thestral when the terrors refused to leave. Tonight, apparently it was his turn to endure the memories and fears. Yesterday, it had been Sassi who had woken up in tears. Astral had nearly jerked awake then, walking down the adjoining hallway to their rooms and wrapping the mare up in a hug.
Just as she was happy to do now.
Astral finally uncurled himself, scooting over and letting Sassi wrap him up in a half hug as she nuzzled into his mane, already drifting back off to sleep.
Her tight embrace seemed to physically keep the nightmares at bay; something even Luna had been unable to aid in. Of course, that was partially due to the necessary processing of it. To suppress the nightmares so early on, so the Alicorn said, would prevent one’s mind from naturally healing from the trauma. She could help at a later time, but for now…the cure had to be more basic.
Astral didn’t fall back asleep immediately. But feeling Sassi’s chest rise and fall against his back made everything seem a little less scary.
They had each other, and they had gotten through a lot worse than this.
“Well, we look like death,” Sassi said after the roar of the blender subsided, Astral chuckling as she passed over a smoothie.
“We look like raccoons. But we’re alive.”
“Cheers to that. I have so missed your smoothies,” Sassi sighed, the two of them flopping on the couch.
The din of construction next door was dampened by the heavy-duty spells surrounding their rapidly-constructed home. It was a simple house; multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, more of a duplex with a linking hallway between two large living rooms.
The observatory, a short walk away, was being retrofitted with rather unique fittings; and what usually would have taken years, was going to be completed in weeks. Of course, that was the bonus of having the top construction companies and mage-crafters working around the clock.
“Just wait until the armored bunker is complete,” Astral sighed, Sassi scooting over to nuzzle under his chin.
“You mean the theatre room with a large wine cellar entrance?”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Astral chuckled. “Sounds a bit more normal when you say it like that. I mean, we don’t drink, but there’s always Molotov cocktails…”
Sassi shoved him with a rather nefarious giggle.
“Shush you. We had to tell the contractors something! Along with “ornamental towers that will hold heavy statues” all around the perimeter walls.”
“Wait, you said that?” Astral snorted, Sassi nodding as she giggled.
“What else could I say?! “Hey, we’re going to have automatic machine gun turrets hidden in these pillars. Make sure they’re nice and sturdy?” I think even the Princess would have issues with it.”
Astral’s brow furrowed, the two of them finishing their smoothies in a moment of silence. A bit of tension hummed over their link, Sassi reaching a forelimb around Astral to hug him close.
“Bit for your thoughts?”
He sighed, shaking his head.
“I think you’re right,” he admitted. “Twilight wouldn’t understand. She’s a scientist. She logically understands the threat of the Silos, how there’s no way we can be sure we got it all. But I don’t think she gets how serious the preparations need to be. I hope she does though.”
“Well, if she doesn’t, that’s why we have belt-feds.”
That brought a smile to his face, Sassi flopping across his back with a smirk.
“I swear, I’m going to have competition with a machine gun,” she groaned sarcastically as Astral let out a thoughtful hum.
“Well, I mean, have you seen some of the stuff in that black market catalog we picked up?”
“I can’t believe they printed off a catalog. It’s supposed to be illegal!”
“Hey, it’s the badlands! It’s perfectly legal there. Don’t you remember those market stalls loaded with grenades and guns?! It was awesome!”
“Fair,” Sassi muttered with a rebellious smirk. “A literal black market was something to see.”
“I swear I will not replace you with a belt-fed machine gun.”
She couldn’t help but giggle at that, the stallion then sighing.
“But if it’s like, chrome…”
He fell over cackling as the mare whacked him with a pillow, her smirk quickly turning into surprise as his lips occupied hers in a surprise kiss.
“Love you, Sas,” he whispered, hugging his special-somepony close.
“Love you too,” she replied. “This is all so weird. We’re weird. And I love it.”
“Ditto.”
After a few moments of cuddling on the couch, Sassi threw the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Astral meandering back to his room briefly.
He pulled out a drawer, looking at a simple, elegant, metal box. It was magically cut from an ammunition can, but the metal had been polished to a high sheen as to look almost like an emerald. In the center, a velvet pad awaited a bracelet- one that would be picked out very, very soon.
When they’d propose…they didn’t really know. It was such an odd thing to agree on, but the surprise of when was the fun part, not the “will they?”
It’s not even a question if I want to spend my life with her.
More than a century with this incredible mare. I can’t wait.
The doorbell rang, and Astral trotted back as Sassi joined him at the door.
“Construction workers having another question maybe?” she mused.
Tapping the security camera feed, Astral’s eyes widened in shock. He immediately opened the door.
A sheepish unicorn stood in front of them, a simple suitcase next to him.
“H-hey, Astral, Sassi,” Arcane said with a meek smile. “Glad you guys made it out.”
“Dude. You good for a hug?” Sassi immediately asked- the unicorn barely having time to nod before the Thestrals obliged.
“We heard you were with Discord and Fluttershy, among other places. Glad you’re doing okay,” Astral remarked as they separated. The unicorn had trouble meeting their gaze as he nodded, but it wasn’t out of fear. It seemed more to be out of anxiety, general interaction putting him on edge.
They could relate.
“I was. I am. But I need- I want to learn how to live in this world again,” Arcane explained, clearly trying to articulate himself calmly. “They’re helping me with some therapy, but that’s not my world. I mean, I have my own dimension. I even created an entire city to govern. But that’s all eventually, and a lot. I first need to figure out what I want, to remember what it feels like to live now that I’m not controlled. Now that I’m in control.”
He blinked, ears flattening.
“Sorry. Bit of a monologue.”
“You’re good,” Sassi said with a dismissive wave. “But wait, you made a city and all that? You’ve been busy. We saw you on the news but didn’t want to pry.”
That elicited a smile from the unicorn, Arcane’s demeanor brightening.
“I want to help. With all of my power, I have to. But I need to figure myself out first, to do it safely. That means…um…” his hoof tapped on the cobblestone in thought. “So, there’s a house for sale in the same general area. I was wondering, would you all be okay if I stayed there? Maybe popped over for advice every now and again?” The unicorn managed a smile as he gestured between them. With a flash of his horn, pink magic abruptly became visible, the river of color swirling between the two Thestrals before fading.
“I don’t want to intrude. You two have your own lives. I’d just like some help, if it comes to it,” he admitted awkwardly, ears flattening. “And you two are the only creatures I know out here as friends. I don’t know who else I’d ask, other than Fluttershy or Discord. You all know what it was like down there. How we now see things differently up here.”
“I mean, that sounds good to me,” Astral said with a grin. “We’re a RASP family, after all.”
That managed to put a smile on Arcane’s face.
“Ditto,” Sassi added, gesturing inside. “You staying around? Want to try and relax for a bit? I know that can be work in and of itself.”
“Not currently, but thank you. I’ll be seeing you guys around.”
And with a wave, the unicorn was gone.
Astral sat on the porch, blowing out an amused breath as Sassi leaned on his shoulder.
“We’re going to have quite the interesting life here, aren’t we?” he mused, his marefriend giggling next to him.
“Oh, it’s going to be a blast.”
While Sassi and Astral’s main adventure has come to a close, their story will continue as others rise to the spotlight in the Sequel: SL-5: Love, Fluff, and Thunder.
And thus concludes We Don't Go to Sub Level Five!
This was an absolute blast to write! While there were some definite pacing issues, I hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I learned a ton, and greatly appreciated everyone's feedback! This is, by far, the longest story I've ever written.
And now, on to the Sequel! Link: HERE Surely it can't be nearly as long! I mean, I've already got...
...oh my. That's a lot of chapters already written, isn't it? 
I think Love, Fluff, and Thunder will be even bigger of a task!
I'll take a break from uploading for a bit- but I wanted to at least get the introduction posted for those who want to track the story. So there will be a few weeks of a break, and then the story will continue!
So, thank you all for reading and commenting, and I'll hopefully see you in the Sequel!
-Radbunny
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Damn, a few weeks...? And here I am with a broken arm, a perfectly captive audience! Sort of swimming in pain killers but hey.
11683739
You didn't do it on purpose? That's amazing.
11683752
I seriously didn't
11683742
OUCH. Hang in there! That doesn't sound fun at all! I do want to give myself a tad of a break. I've got a TON pre-written but want to smooth stuff out and make sure it's sustainable.
Thank you so much for this amazing series! Am nervous about seeing what else shall be coming up, but eager to read about it as well. *hug* Thank you again!
11683766
Its been my pleasure!
I'm so glad you're enjoying it!
11683762
Lemme know if you need/want a pre-reader!
11683777
I'll for sure let you know! I'll see about that for this new sequel- as it'd be useful to identify pacing issues/spelling.
11683940
XD Arbiter's face, it's a more humorous shock than the one on his H2A face when Tartarus told him of the Prophets' betrayal.
11683941
Oh Celestia this story finished? Your saying I can binge this whole thing without fear of cliffhanger, of ending? Buck yeah!
11683949
It is completed indeed! Binge away! I...uh, wouldn't recommend it without food and water.
11683949
A wild sequel appears!
Just noticed the status has changed to "Complete"
66 down, 63 to go
We'll see how long it takes. I've kinda been binging this since finally being able to get back to it.
11684042
The next one will be (at the time of this writing) the last story for this series of tales.
<APPLAUSE> <APPLAUSE>
11684100
*takes a bow*
11684771
You're welcome!
11687599
Yeah, personally, season 7 is one of my favorite seasons. However, a few of the episodes I hate with a passion do come after that season [cough] Non-Compete Clause [cough] and season 8 is my least favorite.
Also, to be fair, you started out writing this never planning to really tie it into the previous trilogy. I do think it makes sense to do so, though.
11687605
It doesn't help the original vision was kinda just...torn apart. L. Faust wanted a show about how you can be normal and have adventures with your friends. (Everyone is a Princess sort of thing.)
....Yeaaaaaah we know how that turned out once she left.
And true- I started writing it only with the intent of loosely referencing things. It quickly snowballed from there.
11687766
I meant recon and field observation and further sample collection (in case of mutation over time) to allow glassing of smaller areas and/or discovering a potential vaccine or cure that could save at least a few lives in VERY specific corner cases... or perhaps more than that if the course of the disease is hours rather than seconds or minutes.
Might be redundant with scrying and/or robots?
Also: I do not happen to be familiar with the details of The Flood, although I did read that SCP someone posted.
11687777
Aaah very true. But as of now...they don't have any samples.
Oh goodness. Well, the Flood are one of the more horrifying creatures to exist- on part with Warhammer 40k threats. Highly recommend playing the OG Halo if that's your jam.
11687789
Joro has samples I think? Said she wouldn't send them over without doing her own inspection of the containment of the facilities that would handle them, but then we get an item in the memo from Twilight about checking the readiness of those sorts of facilities.
Still, if there are no current samples, that makes the first opportunities more valuable... and, of course, even more terrifying dangerous. Triple redundancy was mentioned... I don't know how this stuff is handled IRL, but that sounds about right for physical seals around a lab working on something on the order of... well the stereotypical example would be Ebola. For this? Double or triple the number of layers with variations in the materials/methodologies so that if it has/gains, say, the ability to eat rubber, that isn't a systematic flaw. Heat, cold, maybe hard vacuum as layers in the system...
One thing that "worst case" might need to consider in a magical environment would be... Well, I need to go suddenly and so will cliffhanger. Really was that coincidental of timing!
11687823
Ah, yes, SHE has them but is very very cautious about sending them until...well, y'know. And that's of the strain that spread in Limbo. Who knows if it will have mutated?
And...basically that. Ebola precautions on steroids. The kind of pathogen where the entire facility has a multi-megaton nuke sitting right underneath the lab.
Short version: Teleportation with a range of an inch or less... Just enough to go from the surface of even super-heavy-duty multilayered protective gear to at least the fur or skin, and maybe even the bloodstream.
Might also go through some force fields such as the one around an area to be superheated, if they weren't made correctly. The "teleport back inside" refinement Sombra used on the final trap on The Crystal Heart would be one method.
Regardless of if this has even a tiny chance of being inspirational even regarding contingency planning that never becomes necessary, would you be entertained by further ponderings regarding how such a thing could happen?
Would have just explained in long-form AS WELL but typing on tablet is tricky.
11687886
Not a bad idea
I find it all certainly interesting, but fair warning, the specifics won't exactly be touched on....should such a thing happen.
11687659
I have reached the end of the story now (including the epilogue), and it was lovely. Gonna catch up on the sequel once more chapters are out, but yeah, enjoyed the story, the sequel is going to be interesting.
hah, made you look, not spoiling anything, other than calling the story good
11688249
Oh, it got me! Glad you've enjoyed it!
11687568
Goldfur's Converge stories? Okay, thanks, I'll look them up.
11687915
Posting this before I forget, at the possible expense of clarity. Please ask for clarification if needed.
The reasons why The Stairway Company would add such a feature if they could should be self-evident.
As for random mutation (or genetic code getting "stolen" from a Unicorn or other teleport-capable host... which some RL organisms are thought to have done with plants I think?), the advantage would either be to get past the skin, or, if sensitive to sunlight down into the fur enough to have some protection until deposited in a better location. For organisms with an oral vector, that would include getting licked or brushed against food (Wash your fetlocks and hooves before eating!).
The biological mechanism could come out to the following in pseudo-code:
IF (NOT(InsidePreferredHostOrganism)) AND EnergyLevel >0.99*MaximumEnergyLevel
THEN TeleportSelf(0.75*MaximumEnergyLevel) && Note that the only variable given is the energy input into the spell. The direction is thus random, because the individual infectious cells presumably don't have the sensory range to do any better than that.
Assuming the assumption in the comment is wrong, a more advanced version could teleport away from UV radiation, towards warmth, or, if we ignore a single-cell model, could be directed from a surface infection by the communal intelligence of the infection in that individual(?), turning it into a touch attack that ignores the fur/skin/scales. Cordyceps and such can cause surprisingly complex behaviors IIRC, even if this doesn't have a true hive-mind... which it might based on the "they were trying to get to a river to infect it" event.
It felt like I had more to say, but that is all I can think of that I SHOULD say.
Again, ask questions if you like.
11689841
One thing to keep in mind though...incompetence is far more prevalent than malice. Sometimes...you open a box and you don't know what's inside.
I don't have much to say other than it's a very very interesting theory
11689849
Sounds like Pandora's Box
"Oooh, what's inside this box?"
"Whoops! Just unleased a homicidal Limbo queen clone onto Equestria.
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/655049888404340787/1149893018837602376/steve-carell-the-office.gif
11689849
It is and that could apply as a middle/mix case between the two causes I described, yes.
11689908
Eyyyyup
11689890
BASICALLY!
Hello there. I've just spent the last month reading through this fic on and off. As of a few minutes ago I've finally finished it, and well, this is truly one of the fics of all time. Jokes aside, I do have a lot to say though, so buckle up.
First of all, to be clear, I did enjoy this story (otherwise I wouldn't have spent my time reading 350k horse words). The characterization is heavy, and I like the natural progression of Astral and Sassi's relationship. I'm pretty stonefaced, but I ended up developing a soft spot for the two. The silo setting is good too, and there's some good suspense in here at times. Between the characters and the setting the story feels pretty well put together overall.
If I had to give just one criticism though, I would say the story feels wordy when it should be concise, and concise when it should be wordy. I've peeked through some of the other comments as I've read, and I see I'm not the first person to notice the cycle of 'Sassi and Astral experience trauma, then sit down and talk about it for a few chapters'. Which is fine at first, but by the halfway point in the story the pattern had made itself clear, and it became mildly frustrating to feel the number of things happening within story grind to a halt.
I don't mind the backstories you cooked up from Astral and Sassi, but it felt like a lot of it was revealed in the aforementioned slow sections. I don't really have any good recommendations for how to better handle it, but I feel there was a lack of 'walking and talking'. Essentially, have them work towards their goal, but break up the monotony of some of it by chatting among themselves, and have it go from there.
On the flip side, I kind of feel like the descriptions of the silo were lacking a bit? Maybe it's just stylistic differences, but while you got the general idea of each area put down, i wouldn't mind a little more flowery prose in some parts, especially the early chapters. Speaking of those, you desperately need a team of editors for basically the entire first half of the story. I'm not sure if English is a second language for you (if it is, you did great overall), but either way I noticed an error basically every chapter for the first 50 or 60 chapters, some of which were egregious enough to momentarily take me out of the story.
Arcane's little subplot was one I enjoyed, he's an interesting character. I don't have any complaints here besides thinking he should've been introduced earlier, and kept around Astral and Sassi a little longer. The way you wrote it already works, but I think you could've also gone down the route of having the three form more of a bond as they worked through parts of the silo, rather than have Arcane peace out almost as soon as he was introduced and spent the rest of the fic in some (well-deserved) therapy.
A part of the story I unapologetically do not like however is the entire Twilight subplot. I honestly do not see the point in having any of it in the story. At first I didn't mind it, having an idea of what was going on above ground seemed like it could be interesting, but then it vastly overstayed its welcome by turning into a minor political thriller and something about Twilight rediscovering herself...truth be told I started skimming those parts about 1/3rd of the way through the story because I didn't care and just wanted to get back to the Astral/Sassi action. The story already suffers from some pacing issues, don't drag it out even more by adding in a tangentially related subplot. I don't hate it as a concept, but it should at least be it's own story, or at least a side story.
Speaking of concepts, does anyone else feel the Stairway company was stereotypically evil and over the top? This is more my opinion than an actual criticism, but given the MLP setting (even if it is well in the future) the company felt out of place. The company leaders felt comically evil, and the number of experiments and creations done by the company are so numerous that I stopped taking them seriously. Don't get me wrong, I was able to suspend my disbelief in the moment, but in retrospect it felt like you had the company do way too much. I like that you tried adding some nuance to it near the end, but it was too little too late and didn't really explain very much.
And I believe that is all I wanted to talk about. Overall I enjoyed it, and I hope my criticisms give you something to think about. Full disclosure, I haven't read anything else you've written, so this is all in a vacuum. I see you've already started on a sequel, maybe one day when it's finished I'll see about giving it a shot. For now though this story, cliffhangers aside, feels pretty complete as is. Best of luck!
11727500
I greatly appreciate the feedback!
First off, I'll need to revisit those first chapters; there shouldn't be that many errors by any stretch.
Ultimately, I completely agree with all of your criticisms. The story dragged on in many, many areas where it could have been concise. This is both in terms of wordiness and the repetitive "slow" arcs. It did develop into a much longer tale than I intended, but I should have taken the time to further condense things.
One of the casualties of the pacing issues is, along many other things, the Twilight subplot. Simply put, it wasn't built up nearly enough and served as, at best, an interest to readers, and an outright annoyance at worst.
Personally, while I'm very proud of this story, there are significant issues that cannot be overlooked, pacing and build up of various characters (and fading them out,) included.
I'm aiming to correct these various issues in the sequel, but I can't learn without criticism. So again, thank you!
This entire story was an absolute gem to read, thank you so unbelievably much for writing this outstanding experience!
11751428
You're most welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
This was a great read. I enjoyed all of it and it got a spot in my Favs.
My only issue was how much and how easily everypony was brought to tears over the simplest things from early on to the end.
Other than that, I have no issues! Well done.
11816836
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I think there absolutely are some pacing issues- both plot-wise and emotional.
But...hey, ponies are an emotional bunch!
11816870
Exactly why I didn't make issue of it while I was reading. Ponies aren't people.
That was a rollercoaster in the best and worst ways. Overall, I enjoyed the story. The world building in the beginning was excellent, the Silo's maintained the tension very well, and Sassi and Astral were adorable. I also enjoyed the Twilight bits....... in the beginning. She was a competent leader who addressed the issue of the Stairway company the moment she was made aware of them and spun a story with the media to strip them of any safe harbor. Then, once a horror from the silos was unleashed on the surface (the skitter queen) the confronted it herself, rather than put her guards at risk.
Unfortunately, things fall off with the introduction of the Last Light. The moment they show up, they beat Twilight over the head with her endless failures, stripping her of agency. The fact that they TOLD Twilight there was a threat, and this previously competent leader DIDN'T bother to do so much as glance at the aforementioned vulnerabilities assassinated her character. Had the Last Light been as ignorant as Twilight, she could have uncovered the corruption and realized her failures on her own when she looked into how the Stairway company stayed under her radar.
Arcane Flares Introduction was brilliant, as was the reason he was able to escape, but couldn't take our heroic duo with him. The prison section was another thrilling section, but once we're done their, things start to feel rushed. Once everyone is out, I don't have any major comments until we get to Arcanes power trip and the Fates. The number of crisis' that Arcane showed up to in one day seemed excessive, and made me seriously question just how dangerous this world is. Furthermore, his creation of money out of thin air to help a family, while in character, WILL crash the economy if he keeps doing it.
The Fates on the other hand, are irredeemable. The rules they follow seem entirely arbitrary. They claim they can't act because they would upset the balance, but they also say the problems in the story happened because they failed........ wouldn't that mean the scales are unbalanced, giving these walking Deus ex Machinas room to act? Worst of all, they knew about the Silos but refused to act, for reasons that made no sense. "If I had told you, you would have started a war with a company that has no standing army, innocents would have died! Instead, we'll wait, let them continue to experiment on, kill, and torture innocent creatures, gain an army of Limbo monsters, develop more and more dangerous weapons, and further subvert governments! It'll be fiiiiiine". When you find a cancer, you excise it. you don't let it grow out of control because dealing with it will harm healthy cells. Why did Toxic "Brutally slaughter your enemies dissuade them from harming innocents" Shield accept this reasoning?
Honestly, you do phenomenally when focusing on characters. Thing start to fall apart as you scale up the stakes to affect nations, and plummet off a cliff when you write in Gods.
I look forward to seeing how your future stories develop, but a part of me wants to see you try your hand at a fresh AU, disconnected from the Fates and the Last Light.
11846025
I greatly appreciate the feedback! And, I agree with it. The story had many strengths, but a LOT of weak points- primarily focused around the stakes/trying to scale things up too much, and not building up various relationships/background (Last Light, etc). That's definitely something I'll be taking into account. Thank you again!
And I do have plans for some other fics 100% disconnected from this AU. The sequel to this story will be the final one, and formally end that section of the AU.