Edited by TacoTown
Chapter 28
Ethan stood against the wall, his gear scraping against it. An annoyed grimace was easily seen on his face, and he had the blue bladed knife out, in the process of sharpening it with a whetstone. He and Twilight had been rushed through the Empire’s single city by Falchion’s gaurds rather quickly, and Ethan hadn’t gotten the chance to get a real impression of the place. All that he could really be certain of was that the longer he was there, the longer his corneas would feel like committing suicide via knife.
Now they were in the castle’s war room. In front of him, Twilight and General Falchion were making plans and discussing the current problem.
“So, Sombra’s aura only appeared a day or two ago?” Twilight clarified with Falchion.
“That’s right Miss Sparkle, before that there were small hints of dark magic coming from the north, but nothing big enough for us to be concerned about. We assumed that it was a small time practitioner who’d gone north in search of Sombra’s power.” Falchion told her with a frown. “We should’ve known better, I should’ve known better.”
“Falchion, this isn’t your fault.” Twilight told him, with a note of sympathy in her voice.
“Yes, yes it is. I should’ve known better, my father would’ve known better.” Falchion said with a growl.
“Yeah, well he seems to be dead, so can we move this along?” Ethan asked from where he was leaning.
Falchion bristled and turned to glare at Ethan. “You will not speak so casually about my father’s death, human! He was a hero!” The large stallion told Ethan with narrowed eyes.
“Join the club buddy.” Ethan told him simply. Falchion prepared to respond but Twilight stepped between the two and her voice changed slightly, turning both commanding and slightly regal.
“You will both stop antagonizing at each other or I will be forced to separate you.” she declared. “Now Falchion, Ethan is right. We need to move this along before Sombra has time to marshal his forces.”
Falchion glared at Ethan and snorted, before he turned back to the map in front of him. “We’ve pinpointed the location of the bastard’s cave.” the general said, pointing at a location about ten miles north of the empire’s shield. “I have the Crystal Guard on high alert, so we can bring a thousand guards to bear while still leaving adequate protection for the Empire if we die.”
“Glad to know that you’ve got some confidence in us succeeding.” Ethan said sarcastically.
Falchion ignored him and continued as if he’d never spoke in the first place. “Our forces will reach the location of the main enemy forces within four hours of marching, and we’ll be prepared to fight there and then.”
“After four hours of marching through thick snow and slippery ice?” Twilight asked him with a raised eyebrow.
“Our suits of armor are enchanted to allow us to walk atop it as if it were solid earth.” Falchion informed her with a small shrug. Twilight nodded to herself before she asked her next question.
“How do you plan to keep us from being slaughtered by Sombra’s forces during the trip?” the mare asked. “He’s not going to let us simply stroll in with our army.”
“Simple, we don’t let him do it.” Falchion said with a small smile.
“And how exactly are you going to do that?” Ethan asked.
“You’ll see when it’s time to march.” Falchion told him.
“That’s not very comforting.” Ethan said before turning to Twilight. “Sparky, why don’t we just go there by ourselves and kill all of these zombies before turning this Sombra guy into giblets? I’ve fought far bigger threats than this by myself!”
“Because Ethan, we need to have energy left over to fight Sombra himself. We won’t if we waste it all on the zombies.” Twilight told him. Ethan rolled his eyes but couldn’t think of anything to say to deny it.
“Fine. When do we leave?” Ethan asked Falchion.
“In half an hour. That’s how long it will take to prepare our forces. In the meantime, Miss Sparkle is allowed to roam the castle,” Falchion answered.
“And what about me?” Ethan asked him with narrowed eyes.
“You’re her guest. You must remain near her at all times.” Falchion said, meeting the man’s gaze.
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I would advise that you make yourself comfortable in a cell.” the stallion replied with a slight swish of his red mane. Ethan let out a low growl and moved forwards with the clear intention of punching the stallion, but Twilight’s aura wrapped around his arm before he had the chance to throw the punch.
“Come on, Ethan, I’ll show you around the palace.” Twilight told him, half dragging the man as she made her way towards the door. Ethan let out another low growl, but decided that it would be easier to just go with Twilight.
“Enjoy your wait.” Falchion told them cordially before turning back to the map table.
“This is fucking ridiculous!” Ethan exclaimed angrily. “Where the hell does this prick get the idea that he can order me around? I’m the Lone Fucking Wanderer for Christ’s sake!” The man seethed as he walked down the incredibly shiny corridor beside Twilight.
“He gets the idea from the fact that without Shining or Cadence around, he’s technically in control of the Empire until their return.” Twilight told him calmly. She’d hoped that a stroll around the palace would help Ethan use up his anger. She’d thought that it had been working, until she noticed that the longer he stewed the angrier he became.
“Who the hell made him the head of the military?!” Ethan asked with a snarl.
“That would be his father, with his last breath while Sombra’s crystal swarms ate him alive.” Twilight said.
“What?” Ethan asked in surprise.
“Yes. His father lead the resistance movement before the original fall of Sombra, then he, Falchion, and several other head officers were captured by Sombra and tortured to death. He and his father were the last alive. They somehow got out of their bonds and his father managed to stall Sombra long enough for Falchion to get away.” Twilight explained.
“Hurmph.” Ethan grunted. “That still doesn’t give him the right to treat me like I’m five.”
“Then stop acting like it!” Twilight told him aggravatedly. “Ethan, I understand that you’re under a lot of mental stress right now, but right now you’re acting like a spoiled fifteen year old filly who was told to go to her room.” she told him frankly.
“Oh come off it Sparky, he’s the one who’s being an absolute dick to me for no reason!” Ethan exclaimed.
“Not really, he’s heard Shining talk about you, and I’ve talked about you with him. He thinks that you’re a moron, and honestly if I didn’t know you better than I do then I’d agree with him!” Twilight said.
Ethan grumbled, but he didn’t have anything to say to defend himself from that.
The two sat in silence for several miniutes before Ethan spoke.
“So, once we get through the army of zombies, what do you expect to face?” The man asked Twilight.
“Well... the Nightmare is there, along with Sombra. So I’m willing to bet that there will be some powerful illusion spells.” Twilight said with a frown. “Other than that, I can’t predict much. They’re both extremely old and powerful magic users, so they probably know a few tricks that I don’t. However, we’ve got an ace up our sleeves.”
“Which is?” Ethan asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, there’s you.” Twilight said with a grin. “Compared to the things in the Wasteland, this is going to be a cakewalk.”
“Heh, you’ve got that right.” Ethan said with a chuckle.
“Besides, I’ve been feeling more powerful than ever lately.” the mare added with a smile. Ethan reached out and ruffled her mane with his metal clad hand, earning an annoyed snort from Twilight.
“You’re right Sparky, let’s go kick these bastards’ asses so that I can go home and you can go have mindless sex with Sunny.” the man told her with a smile.
“That’s the kind of smile I like to see.” Twilight said with a grin of her own. “Come on, it’s been about half an hour, let’s get back to Falchion.”
“I can hardly contain my joy.” Ethan said sarcastically, but he began to follow the unicorn as she began to walk back in the direction of the command room.
When the two arrived in the command room they found General Falchion surrounded by several dozen officers all of whom were staring at a map spread out on the table before them. They looked up as Twilight and Ethan entered the room.
“It’s time.” Falchion said simply.
“Good, let’s go kick ass.” Ethan said.
wait compared to what he faced in the wasteland nightmare is nothing? she could have turned Librity Prime to scrap metal, how dose Twilight think that this will be nothing in comparison? when has he ever fought a foe on the level of Celestia and Luna? or is she just trying to boost his confidence?
2670924
Pretty much the second
Maybe all Sombra and The Nightmare want is a party, did anyone think of that?
Something tells me that if Twilights ascension goes on like this she will have some terrible pain in her left (the prostetic) eye.
1491443
dat profile pic...
YES!
MOAR!
Update! So excited! And more to come! Even more excited!!
MY NIPPLES CAN HARDLY HOLD BACK THIER CUSTARD! THEY NEED MOAR!
fecal matter is about to hit the oscillating coolant device.....
2670924 no,nightmare moon would have been burned to a crisp by liberty prime's lasers before she could even cast a single spell
At this point I'm waiting for an awesome battle... but its still nice buildup to said battle.
Piece
Of
Shit
2671491
As usual your stunning understanding of the English language really shines here in the comment section. You sir are a true trendsetter the likes of which hasn't been seen since Shakespeare himself!
2671505 I know, right! I'm practically rolling out the plays at this point!
I like this story. I do, well I guess this story is kinda meh in my opinion.
But I'm sick of Ethan talking and acting like an OP prick.
Its called modesty. Whatever Idk, bring in the dislikes and rebuttals.
2673712
Well, that's kind of the point of his character. It's the way I wrote him, he's an overpowered, sarcastic asshole to most people and he enjoys it. But that's the way that the PC in the game is, at least when I play them. My goal was to make him likable despite that and so far from people's responses I'd say that I've succeeded in doing that. Besides no matter how much of a prick he is he's still dependable and will throw himself in front of a missile for the innocent or his friends.
Anyways he's a 'love him or hate him' kind of guy and that's the way I wrote him
2673910
But he doesn't have that sarcastic asshole vibe.
I prefer my characters to be cynical and sarcastic (Probably because I'm cynical, condescending, and sarcastic.) But Ethan just seems to be a OP character for the sake of being OP. He lacks depth, well, he has depth. But he just doesn't click, ya know. No, you don't know, because you're the one writing him.
Sorry if I'm coming off as a prick.
2673957
No problem, at least you're being civil about it.
2673964
Yeah, Ive just been reading FimFiction for so long that I know these things.
I remember the days before I even knew FimFiction.Net existed when I used love stories, that today I would put down and walk away, due to sheer... not goodness.
NUKE DAT SHIET
Man, Laberinth of Madness kinda spoiled it :s Oh well, still fun.
All the stories I've been reading, except for one, have been putting out short chapters lately.
2676362
All that Labyrinth of Madness told us was what we already knew, that Twilight is on the road to becoming an alicorn.
Longer chapters and more time to write? And it's not even my birthday.
Summer filled with my no.1 violent duo sounds great.
Yes! I've finally caught up with all chapters of both Dark and Light Wanderings! I feel like an arsehole for not reading them sooner, despite honestly hearing nothing but good things (which were validated I assure you). I must say I like your writing here, and even before TacoTown began to help you were still able to make it much more coherent and interesting than a significant portion of all Fics ever. You are good at actually remembering and addressing plot points too, and that helps with reading. Hmmm, what else... Well, I like your characterisations of the Fallout characters, even if (a) I haven't played much of FO3 and (b) your courier has made some fairly different choices to mine (not things like wiping out the legion though, full support on that one). I think I should now try some of your other stories, while I wait for the next chapter of this to come out! So good luck with future chapters, and happy writing!
2705075
Thank you very much for such a nice comment
2705144 Mate, you're welcome. Dark and Light are good stories, and not only do I want to see where the plot leads in the end, but I also really want to play a Fallout game for the first time since probably mid last year.
Hmm... your getting there, it's almost over.
So, having trouble writing endings? I'm kinda the same, except it's the middle part. I have so many cancelled stories...
I'm still reading this because it is still more-or-less (more less than more at this point) entertaining, and I know that criticism of a long-completed story that you seem to have written purely for kicks and significantly improved since is rather pointless... But my enjoyment is being diminished by plausibility erosion, sidetracking, and author over-indulgence.
Sombra and Nightmare are trying to retake the Crystal Empire using the body of Cadance and Shining's son, who is the heir of the Crystal Empire.
Cadance is the only one who can use the Crystal Heart, Shining nearly killed an ally when his sister was hurt, Luna and Celestia were both caused unbelievable pain and angst by Nightmare. The Elements of Harmony are the only weapon that has ever worked against Nightmare. There is no chance that they and the ambassadors would not all muster together against the shadow puppeteers manipulating their demises.
There is a war brewing between the Gryphons, Ponies, and a race that was created via Ponies and Gryphons fucking (yes mythologically hippogrifs are what happens when horses and gryphons mate). A war that threatens to affect a pacifistic nation that controls the cycle of day and night for the entire planet.
The only excuse for this is Nightmare's manipulations, but now that those have been discovered, the war should be moot and everyone should be in action against Sombra and Nightmare.
Half the characters have romantic sub-plots which take far too much focus away from the main plot while genuinely adding nothing relevant or interesting the the story (with Ethan and Cassandra being the one and only exception).
Dash and Gilda's reconciliation would have been way more interesting with the fate of nations hanging in the balance if they weren't lovers, but estranged bffs.
Celestia and Twilight's relationship has lost almost all appealing dynamics both as teacher and student and as equals by making them intimate.
There are multiple sidetrack scenes and plot threads which seem to have been thrown in for shits and giggles. And I really don't mind that except when it messes with story focus and pacing. And they almost all do. Chrysalis' scene in the first story made some sense but her cameo in this one was absurd, pointless, distracting, irrelevant, and kind of offensive to logic, common sense, and taste (good or bad).
What is far worse is the total and utter neglect of side plots that actually matter to the story and characters and which are incredibly conspicuous by their absence.
The fact that AJ and Rarity's sisters and RD's exemplar were kidnapped by a race that Rarity herself had defeated, yet these individuals, despite being Element Bearers, were not involved in the rescue. The fact that Apple Bloom was seriously injured and was rescued by Twi and Ethan who annihilated her attackers should have had a significant effect on pretty much all the Elements' attitudes toward them.
The "bonus chapters" should be placed in chapter order at the bottom of the story so they do not break the immersion of readers who are reading the story in one shot. I understand you published this chapter by chapter, but it is a distinct lack of foresight not to realize that many people will be reading the story post-completion.
Also, and this is objective but goes against popular preference, but all the references are problematic. It's nice to pay homage to some stories which inspired or affected you, but the problem with stuffing each chapter full of them is that not only do they not always fly or flow, but they are very confusing for readers who do not "get" them, and incredibly annoying for readers who dislike what is being referred to.
Also, while this does sport the AU tag, it seems to be less so that things that do not mesh with or which contradict canon Equestria can be included, but rather so that you can simply write as many characters OOC as possible. That is just not what the AU tag is for. That is what the OC tag is for.
4259054
I... kinda' agree with you on this, but could you try not to come off as an arse while you say it?
I agree with you on a few (not all) of your points and yet I find myself harbouring an inherent dislike for you. And I do know that I sound a bit bitchy but only find it to be suitable.
Sorry for calling you and arse and whatnot but I tend to be rather open on what I think. I also picked up a bad attitude in the army which I've been trying to break but it's been difficult to rid myself of it. I agree with most of what you say and do think that this story should be more focused...
But I couldn't really care too much; I still find it entertaining.
4599773 No your right. He is being kinda an ass. Plus he never really mention the good with the bad how is the author supposed to know what to KEEP doing along with what to change.