Chapter 2: Training
The next day was the start of the new training regimen. Luna personally attended to overview the training. What she saw that cool, breezy morning didn’t disappoint her. Standing at attention in the training field were 63 stallions, all dressed in full armor. Luna could not help but feel elation at the fact that over half of the 100 had shown up. She swelled her chest with pride, as if she were a proud mother.
There among the gathered ponies she saw the stallion from last night. Even in his armor, his light blue-purple coat and short dark-blue and black tail made him distinct from the rest. She had not bothered to ask his name, and she felt bad for doing so. The thought quickly emptied from her head as she reminded herself why she was there. Luna had to be fair and treat all her troops equally. She could not play favorites, as others would take notice and spread baseless rumors.
The most elite of the soldiers after the long training regiment would immediately start as Luna's personal guard or the Royal Lunar Guard. The others would be the first NCO's (Non-Commissioned Officers, such as a Corporal or a Sergeant) in the 13th Lunar Division. As time would go on the 13th would recruit more members and train them to the strenuous standards needed to be a part of the division.
A military official came up to Luna and gave her a clip-board. He bowed before turning and trotting away. Luna grabbed it with her magic and began to flip through it. She desired to know the past experience and capabilities of her soldiers. As she flipped through the pages she seemed to notice a few things in common with all the ponies who had shown up. All of them were ranked either as a Private or a Specialist, most were actually combat veterans, and the reasons they were transferred to the 13th were all vague and contained more questions than answers. Luna tried to puzzle why all of their transcripts were so vague on the transfer details. She decided to investigate further into this matter later. As she glanced over all of their transcripts she came across the stallion's name she was looking for.
Name: DarkFury
Rank: Specialist
Age: 21 years
Service History: Served with distinction in the 1st Inf. Div. Served two tours of duty in the Griffin Highlands. Transferred to the 13th Inf. Div.
Awards: N/A
Medical History: Accidental Injury; Compound fracture of the right wing. Wing has since healed, and individual was allowed to return to active duty. Otherwise, individual is fit and healthy.
"So that's his name, DarkFury." Luna mumbled to herself. She gazed out over the training field where they were doing their pre-training warm-ups. "DarkFury, t’is a fitting name." She said as she stared at him. While she stared a strange, long forgotten memory jumped to the forefront of her mind. Either her mind was playing tricks on her or he reminded her of somepony from long ago. "It can't be..."
The memory flashed in her mind. She was in a large open building. From the nature of the decoration she observed from her memory it seemed like she was in a town hall of some sort. She could see about 100 or so stallions seated in chairs like in an auditorium. She stood upon a stage in front of them all, and she was keenly aware of a few stallions on stage with her. Suddenly, Luna turned to address one of the ponies onstage and began conversing with him.
As the two talked, Luna could only guess what was being said in her memory. After a minute or so of talking Luna saw herself give him a medal she instantly recognized. "No... that is impossible." She muttered to herself. The stallion smiled as Luna put the medal around his neck, then he saluted her. The memory faded as Luna stood there rooted to the spot. "T’is a coincidence and nothing more!" She said as she shook herself from the paralyzing grip of the memory.
"The stallion we appointed as the leader of this division over 1,000 years ago is surely dead. However, that still leaves the possibility..." She trailed off as she became lost in thought. "It matters not. We must move on and oversee the rebirth and training of the new 13th Lunar Division.
Since this was day one of the training they went over the basics again. Standard one-on-one CQC (Close Quarters Combat) drills, strength, endurance, and agility training, unarmed combat, and teamwork drills. What she saw on day one gave her hope that they might be able to make it to the end. This schedule was repeated for one week. By the end they were all back into shape and ready for the real training to begin.
The first day of the second week marked the start of the advanced, special ops rivaling training. As the ponies gathered in the field that day, they noticed a huge rock in the middle of the training area. The drill instructor came out and addressed them, "You see this rock here? You guys got to get strong enough to move it by yourself. Do this and you will have just about completed your training." The fact that the rock was about three to five times the size of any stallion there made his words seem ludicrous. ‘How is that even possible?’ many of them thought.
"You all look like you need convincing." The drill instructor said. He turned to the rock and with some grunting and sweating, he managed to raise one side from the ground slowly. He kept pushing until it reached the halfway point and it fell the rest of the way. "See? It's easy." The stallions sat there dumbfounded, many with their mouths agape. "What are you doing standing there!? Get your dumb mule asses in gear! Move! Move! Move!" The instructor shouted at them. "I want to see that rock turned over by each and every one of you!”
All 63 stallions formed a line on one side of the rock. One by one the stallions tried to overturn the rock individually. None of them succeeded. The closest anypony got was raising the rock an inch or two off the ground. All the while the instructor was giving his “encouragement” to the troops.
“You call that a push!? My dead great grand-mare, may she rest in peace, could push harder than you!”
“Push! I said Push! Can you hear me Private!? MAYBE I SHOULD YELL LOUDER!”
“I’m trying to figure out whether they sent me mares or fillies, because I certainly don’t see any stallions here!”
As the last pony failed to move the rock the instructor began,” Well that was one pitiful display, and you all have the gall to call yourselves soldiers.”
The soldiers lined up and stood at attention as the Drill Sergeant paced in front of all of them and yelled,”Listen up, because I’m not going to repeat myself. Until you can move this rock on your own your asses are mine! You will do exactly as I tell you, and you will do it without hesitation! You will not sleep, you will not eat, you will not rest, and you won’t so much as sneeze without my permission. Do you maggots understand!?"
"Sir, yes sir!" All the stallions shouted in unison.
“It is my job to break you down back into the malleable metal of a fresh recruit from the hardened soldiers most of you are. It will not be easy, and I do not expect all of you to be able to make this transition. All I expect is that you do as I say. Do you all understand!?”
"Sir, yes sir!" They all bellowed.
"Alright then fillies, drop down and give me 100! After that, let’s see how far you can run!" The instructor screamed.
Luna watched from afar with amusement lighting up her face. "It seems we have chosen a suitable instructor after all." She grinned.
The weeks went by as the troops made headway into their special training. They were performing strenuous drills and exercises daily. Long runs that lasted for miles and left them exhausted and dripping with sweat. Strength training that made even the strongest of them quiver under the intense weight. Agility training that forced them to tirelessly move or else they would be battered mercilessly by rocks. These intense regimens and others were built for one thing and one thing only; making the best possible result from the raw materials that were poured into them.
It soon became apparent that not everypony was capable of surviving the training. Three ponies collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration after a 10 mile run one day, and had to be sent to the aid station. They did not return for further training. Another five strained themselves too much during strength training and messed up their backs. Still another four became too fatigued to continue.
Twelve had been removed and only 51 remained. After the first few left, the remainders saw getting sent to the aid station as good as a death sentence. If you fell and didn’t get back up by your own power, you were done, gone, finished. There was no room for anything but the best in the Lunar Guard and the 13th Lunar Division.
One day they did advanced lance and spear training, with actual spears. They were required to throw them at each other and either dodge or catch them. One earth pony named Fudge Chip was unfortunate to get grazed by one. He didn't say anything, and he didn't stop either. In fact the drill instructor had to order him to the aid station to treat the large gash on his side. Even then, he was obstinate and wanted to continue training with his buddies. The drill instructor had to essentially promise that he would not be removed from the division for going to the aid station. Only then did Fudge Chip walk toward the medical building to have the gash on his side treated.
A couple of months passed and another 17 stallions were removed from the training. At this point everypony left was struggling to meet the demands of the new limits imposed upon them. They were stronger, faster, and could endure much more than when they started, but still they began to fall behind. Once again the exercises became almost unbearable in length and in physical demands. Every run left them gasping for air, every agility session left them dizzy and lightheaded, and every strength and endurance exercise made their limbs and muscles scream in pain as if they were on fire.
One pony in particular who was known as Rowan felt he was at the end of his limits. He collapsed during strength training from the heavy load on his back. Rowan had been a lumber-pony before joining the military and hard work was no stranger to him. This training however, was strange to him. Only by the encouragement of his comrades around him was he able to get back up on his feet and finish the day’s strength training session. Even then he was not convinced that he would last until the end of this training regimen.
Some began thinking of doing the unthinkable and told themselves they couldn’t finish the training, even though they have come so far. They thought of quitting. They thought of letting their goals and ambitions go, and settling for a sub-par existence. The other soldiers however, would have none of that. All of them rallied together and motivated each other and reminded themselves of what they were going to accomplish. “All the inspiration we need is over there.” One soldier said as he pointed towards Luna. “We are just like her, we’re just ponies trying to regain our footing and prove to others and ourselves that we are something more than second rate product to be swept under the rug.”
They all turned to look at Luna while this fact set in. Luna stood a short distance away upon the top of a hill. She gave a small grin and a nod to the soldiers below, as if she knew what they were talking about. This made the troops pause as they considered the possibility of her hearing them. Luna smiled again as the soldiers scratched their heads in confusion. As she was leaving she telepathically told all of them, We are proud of what we have seen up to this day. We are sure all of thou will serve us with distinction and proudly carry the legacy of the 13th Lunar Division.
The next day the training seemed to be slightly more bearable. The troops gave everything they had and more. No matter how much pain they felt or how exhausted they were, they pressed on. They would not let themselves down or disappoint the princess. Luna looked on as always and was pleased that everypony left continued to train every day. The time when their training would end was approaching quickly. Only two trials remained in their way before they would complete their training.
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The large rock in the center of the training field greeted them all once again. Today was the day they all had to turn it over individually, or else they would fail their training. Of the 34 remaining soldiers all were determined to pass this test. The first one was a young stallion named Starbuck, who was the colt of the group. That is to say, he was the youngest member of the 13th at the age of only 18. His buds came up with many nicknames for him, almost all of which were inspired by his young age compared to those of his comrades. The nicknames that seemed to stick the most though were ponyboy, little colt blue, and youngster.
Starbuck approached the rock slowly as he eyed it up and down. He found a particular spot and pressed the entire side of his body against the rock. With a huge amount of strength he shoved against the large rock. It began to move slowly while he continuously strained to turn it over. It took about 30 seconds for him to push the rock up to the halfway point. The rock stopped defiantly and refused to move further. He gave one last surging shove and pushed it past the tipping point. The rock fell on its other side with a loud thud.
Starbuck sat there breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on the fallen rock. His buddies began cheering wildly as they went up to congratulate him. He only became aware of his friends surrounding him when they broke his line of sight. He couldn’t believe that he had turned it over, that he made it to this point. He finally exited his dazed stupor and began to bellow triumphantly. Always watching from a short distance away, Luna could not help but smile at this sight. The others then proceeded to tip the rock over one by one. A loud fit of cheering erupted from the large group every time one of them turned over the rock. After all of them completed this challenge they all celebrated wildly the following weekend and almost drank the neighboring bar dry.
Only one more obstacle remained in their way to graduation. It was a half-mile long obstacle course filled with simulated hazards. Such as arrows, spears, falling rocks, and leaping through flames. It was the last step to finish the training. Luna was genuinely curious about the nature of the course and asked the instructor about it. He replied that all of the hazards were simulated with magic mostly or were other objects disguised to look like the real thing. Rocks were magically concealed pillows, the flames were contained heat and illusion spells, and so on. The arrows and spears were real he explained, but they lacked their points and could at the most inflict only a bruise.
All 34 of the stallions gathered at the starting line waiting for the beginning whistle. Luna was overlooking from a nearby ledge. An approving smile was upon her face as her soldiers turned to see her watching. The whistle's sharp cry filled the air and they turned and ran through the gate. The first obstacle was jumping over a small pit with illusionary spears lining the bottom. They all cleared it without a problem. The second was running through a volley of arrows. Luna watched as they all ran into the cloud of screaming shafts as a group. Countless audible "pings" and "dings" of metal hitting metal could be heard as arrows hit and bounced off armor.
“Those arrows even sound real. This is a good illusion indeed.” Luna said to herself.
Next up was a simulated rockfall. The ponies all ran through dodging the fake rocks easily. Dust and rock fragments showered them as several rocks nearly missed a few of them. At this Luna became confused, since the rocks were supposed to be large pillows disguised by magic and as such should not break or throw up what appeared to be rock fragments. Luna thought for a moment considering possibilities. She soon deduced that additional illusionary as well as small earth expulsion spells were the cause. She noted that so far this training course seemed to be exceptionally realistic.
Up ahead was a pit filled with the illusionary fire. They all had to leap over it and expected to feel the simulated heat. As the first soldiers leapt over, a few gave a small yelp. The heat from the so called “fire” had scorched some of their fur. Others crossed the fire pit without a problem, although most swore it was a real fire since it felt so real.
A pair of pegasus twins named FireMane and FireTail were running the course together as they came across the fire pit. They were identical twins and besides for a few physical differences they looked exactly alike. Both had a light orange coat and dark blue eyes. FireMane had a two-colored mane with the outer part being red while the inner color was a dark, but bright red orange. His tail however, was a solid jet black. FireTail had the same colors in his mane and tail as his brother except that his mane was a solid jet black and his tail had the two colors his brother’s mane had. They were born with these mane and tail colors naturally, and had to tell practically everypony they met that they did not die their hair.
Twins were rare and they often required special doctors to help the mother give birth to both offspring. As the two colts were born their unexplainable mane and tail colors befuddled the most experienced and respected doctors in all of Equestria. Nothing like this had been seen before and nopony to this day understands how or why such a thing occurred. Several tests and experiments were performed on the strange pair of twins but all of the results did not indicate anything abnormal. Whatever the cause, FireMane and FireTail were truly unique.
They both leapt over the pit together and FireMane gave a small yelp. He had a small patch of fur on his belly burned and it stung slightly. FireTail landed next to his brother near the edge of the pit. He turned to his brother and said,
“You got burned? Ha, I guess I’m more awesome than you.”
“Why? Just because you didn’t get burned?”
“Exactly bro. Luck is an elusive mare and it seems she favors me today!”
FireMane looked straight at his brother and saw a small stream of black smoke rising near the end of his brother’s tail. He turned his head to look at an angle to confirm his suspicion.
“Uh, FireTail?”
“Yeah bro?”
“Your tail is on fire.”
“Yeah, yeah, haha. Really funny FireMane. It’s not like I’ve heard that joke over a thousand times in my lifetime.” FireTail remarked sarcastically.
“No I’m serious bro, your tail is on fire!”
FireTail just noticed at that moment a slight burning sensation at the tip of his tail. He wheeled his head around to look at his tail. His brother was right, his tail was emitting a small stream of black smoke and he saw the flames. He began to feel the pain as he realized what was happening.
“YEEEOOOWWW!” He screamed as the searing pain surged up his tail. He bolted frantically and darted around desperately. However doing this only fanned the flames and they enveloped most of his tail.
At this FireMane lost it and started laughing uncontrollably as he fell on his stomach and rolled on his back. His legs flailed into the air as he rocked on his back laughing so hard tears started to form in his eyes. Between the bouts of uncontrollable laughter he managed to yell out, “Hahahahaha! FireTail, FireTail, really needs a water pail! Ahahaha!” Before the uncontrollable fits of laughter took hold of him once again.
FireTail was running around panicking as he heard this and yelled back at his brother, “BUCK YOU, YOU DIRTY MULE! OW! OW! HOT! HOT!”
A soldier who was on a ledge above had several water buckets next to him in case such an accident happened. As FireTail ran by under him, he threw two bucket’s worth of water at him. To FireTail it was as if a waterfall fell from the sky and landed on him. He was confused since he was dry one second then soaked the next, but relieved that the pain in his tail subsided considerably. He fell on his haunches then let himself fall on his back and lay there trying to regain his breath.
Looking up, FireTail saw the source of the water from the sky. “Thank you!” FireTail shouted at the soldier on the ledge above him. The soldier gave him a nod then returned to watching the rest of the ponies jump over the fire pit.
FireMane trotted over to his brother and said, “Look on the bright side bro.”
“What bright side?” FireTail asked, out of breath.
“Now you can say your tail really was on fire and that you were lucky enough to survive the embarrassment.” FireMane said as he started laughing again.
“Buck you FireMane, buck you.”
After the fire pit most of the ponies were able to continue the course without an incident for the most part. A few “close calls” here and there and maybe a scratch or two from a spear shaft grazing somepony’s flank. The last stretch was another arrow run albeit longer than the first one. Once more they all plunged into a screaming sea of arrows and the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air once more. The first few made it through to the end and waited for the rest of their comrades to finish. All had went well up until the point when a piercing cry sounded throughout the air.
The shrill cry startled everypony in the vicinity. Luna, the instructor, and all of the other ponies turned to see the cause of the noise. A pony was on his stomach in the middle of the last arrow run. He was curled up in a ball hiding his head and his side.
“Ouch.” Said the drill sergeant to Luna. “Occasionally a fake arrow will hit somepony in the face or another ‘sensitive area’.” Luna winced as she could only imagine the pain somepony would suffer if hit in that particular area. “Don’t worry, he should be fine. He’ll probably be up in a minute or so.”
A minute passed and the downed pony barely moved at all. All the rest of his comrades had finished the course and were staring at him concerned. “He must have gotten hit pretty hard if he still can’t get up.” The instructor said. He turned to the end of the course and selected two stallions, Rowan and a coal black unicorn named Coaldust. “You two, go get him will you? He must be hurt pretty bad if he still can’t get up.”
They hurried to comply and ran back through the storm of arrows to their downed friend. Arrows bounced off of their armor as they reached their friend. They asked him if he was okay and all he gave was a groan for an answer. Rowan grabbed him and began to drag him, but the injured pony convulsed with pain and broke free of Rowan’s grasp. As he convulsed Coaldust got a clear view of his side and was horrified.
On the pony’s side and underbelly a total of three arrow shafts were embedded deep into the poor earth pony. Blood covered the pony’s side and underbelly and more was gushing from his wounds. A small, but steadily growing pool of blood lay underneath him. His breathing was labored and he could barely move. The earth pony was dying. This revelation hit Coaldust and Rowan who had looked over to see what Coaldust had seen.
“Sarge!” Coaldust shouted, as arrows whizzed past him.
“What is it?” The instructor yelled back.
“He’s been hit by real arrows. He’s bleeding real bad and he can barely breathe!”
“Holy sweet bucking Celestia!” The instructor exclaimed. “Get him out of there now! We need to tend to him immediately!” The instructor turned to a pegasus named Shadow Chaser and screamed, “Go to the aid station and get some medics out here now! Double time it soldier, that’s an order!” Shadow Chaser unfolded his wings and flew as fast as he could toward the aid station.
The instructor began yelling at the ponies who were running the simulated hazards to stop them when another scream filled the air. Everypony turned once again and found Rowan cursing up a storm with a shaft embedded in his left foreleg. It had entered his leg and had punched clean through it to the other side, obviously missing the bone. Coaldust had dropped to the ground and clung to it as if he were a foal clinging to its mother. He was struggling to erect a magic barrier to shield all three of them from the arrows.
The instructor turned to the unicorns running the hazards again and screamed at them to stop them. Panicking, the unicorns began trying everything they could think of to stop the arrows. Until they realized that somepony was still casting the spell and hurriedly found the unicorn maintaining it. He was sitting in a room overlooking the arrow run in the side of the narrow rift the course was in. They found him sitting at a desk reading a Daring Do novel with wads of cotton stuffed in his ears. His friends knocked the book out of his hooves and ripped the cotton wads out of his ears. He was then overwhelmed with everypony screaming at him to stop the spell, which he did after somepony hurriedly explained the situation to him.
As soon as the arrows stopped over half of the members of the 13th ran over to their two injured comrades, and quickly carried them into the neighboring clearing. As they placed their two casualties onto the ground a few of them clustered around the injured earth pony while Coaldust tended to Rowan. The others moved a small distance away and sat there watching helplessly. Most of them fidgeted nervously and did various things to try to keep themselves calm. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Fire Mane and Fire Tail started telling some light-hearted jokes. They would have elicited several laughs under normal circumstances, but nopony could laugh at a time like this.
Most of them had their gaze concentrated on the earth pony, who had four of his buds attending to him. The first thing they did when they began applying basic first aid was to strip off his armor. They also had to remove the arrow in his side at the same time since it had punctured his armor. With his punctured and bloodied armor tossed aside, they had much better access to the wounds on his underside.
Somepony pulled out his field kit and began applying bandages to the hole in his side. Others applied pressure on top of the bandages and to the surrounding area of the other two arrow injuries. The hole in his side gushed blood at an alarming rate and they frantically tried to stop the bleeding. Seeing this, they refrained from removing the other two arrows in case those wounds would also shower out blood, and cause the earth pony to bleed to death. One other pony was next to the earth pony’s head keeping him conscious and reassuring him that he would be fine.
The injured stallion convulsed again and coughed loudly. As his head returned slowly to the ground, dark red splotches covered the grass next to his mouth. He was coughing up blood, which meant at least one of his lungs were punctured. If he did not receive proper medical attention soon he would drown as his lungs would fill with blood. Everypony frantically gazed at the aid station which was a mile or so away. Only just now did they see a team of stretcher bearing medics sprint out of the medical building, following Shadow Chaser to the field.
Luna watched the entire tragedy unfold before her eyes and was just as shocked as everypony else, if not more so. She looked at the earth pony dying in the field, and then back to the medics sprinting towards them. Doing some math and estimations in her head she calculated that the medics traveling at their current velocity would not reach the dying earth pony in time. From what she overheard from the soldiers he would be drowned in his own blood by the time they arrived. She decided that she had to act.
Turning quickly to the Drill Sergeant she said hurriedly, “We demand a thorough investigation into this matter Sergeant. Begin by interviewing your unicorns. I want a copy of your report and your findings by next evening.”
“Yes Princess!” He said as he sprinted over to the unicorns.
Luna spread her large wings and quickly flew the short distance to the field. She landed next to the group attending the injured earth pony. Even from this distance she could tell he was faring poorly and clearly in the throes of death. His side and underbelly were covered with blood and several bloody bandages. His body was becoming pale and the pool of blood underneath him was growing ever rapidly. Her troops were startled as she approached closer, as they obviously hadn’t noticed her landing right next to them.
“Move aside.” She said.
The soldiers hovered over their friend hesitantly and looked at the Lunar Princess.
“If thou value the life of thy friend, then thou must move.” Luna stated roughly.
They backed away slowly and regretfully as Luna advanced. They watched her every action like a hawk watches prey. At this point every stallion from the 13th noticed her presence and watched her intently. Luna layed next to the injured earth pony while she closed her eyes and dipped her head to touch her horn to his punctured and bloody side. Her horn glowed with her light-blue aura as she began singing in some unintelligible language. Or at least it sounded like singing to all of the soldiers around her.
The language she sang was one that had died out long before she was banished to the moon and held untold power in its words. To her troops it sounded as if she was singing a beautiful song, particularly a lullaby, in some ancient and long forgotten language. Her voice rose and fell pleasantly on their ears as if she had the voice of an angel. As she sang, the wounds of the soldier began to shrink and heal, she removed the remaining arrows from his side, and the blood on his side and underbelly disappeared. She finished as she opened her eyes and lifted her horn from his side.
The injured stallion opened his eyes and breathed deeply. “Thank you Princess Luna.” He said gratefully. His eyes closed as he drifted off into sleep. Luna smiled as she stood back up and turned to the other troops. She attended to the less severe wounds of the others, but did not sing in the strange language again.
When asked why she didn’t sing again Luna replied, “The secrets of the past shouldn’t be trifled with or taken lightly. The Ancient Lunar Language is no exception. While having the great power of healing it also has the capacity for mass amounts of destruction. It should only be used in the gravest of situations when the need is great. We are actually glad this language died out. Now we are the only pony in the world who wields it, and as such must safeguard its secrets from those who would seek out its power for evil purposes. We trust that thou all understand our reasons.”
Seeing the wisdom in her words they did not inquire further. The medics finally arrived and were shocked that no one was hurt, even though they were told otherwise. Upon asking, the soldiers told the medics that Luna had healed all of them by herself. Although they made sure to leave out the part of her singing in an ancient and long forgotten language. As they all picked themselves up to go back to the barracks Luna bid them farewell.
“We look forward to seeing you all at the graduation ceremony in three days time.” Luna said proudly as she spread her wings and flew above the clouds, disappearing from sight.
Three days later all 34 stallions stood at attention, side by side in the parade ground. This was the day they formally completed their training. This was the day they became the few, the elite, the soldiers of the 13th Lunar Division and the Lunar Guard. Their purple armor and webbed head crests shone brilliantly in the midday sun. Princess Luna stood in front of them along with several military officials. She went down the line congratulating, promoting, and addressing each soldier by herself personally. Finally she reached DarkFury and congratulated him.
He sat there tense as he stared into her cyan eyes as she spoke to him. "Congratulations Specialist DarkFury. We expect you will perform most admirably in our division."
"Thank you princess."
"We also believe there is something else to be given to you on this day."
He knew what was coming and he calmed himself, while the excitement coursed through his body.
"We have decided to promote you to Sergeant. Congratulations Sergeant, make us proud." Luna said as she attached the NCO insignia to his armor.
He was dumbfounded. Sergeant, I made Sergeant? He thought to himself. This was one of the happiest days of his life, he only expected to make Corporal, but Sergeant? He was overjoyed and he could barely maintain his composure as he replied, "Thank you Princess Luna." He saluted her as his eyes gleamed with happiness.
Luna saw the huge amount of joy in his eyes and she allowed herself a small smile. Before she moved on to the next one in line, she sent him a telepathic message. Luna told him, There is something I wish to discuss with you. Meet me in the training ground at midnight. Come alone. DarkFury became confused as he heard this message, but still he nodded his head at her. Leaving him to wonder why Luna wanted to speak with him.
She proceeded with her royal obligations until she had gone over every soldier. As she finished and returned to the head of the group, a soldier had turned around, picked up a pole, and held it aloft as he turned to face Luna again. Luna was overjoyed when she realized what it was. The standard of the 13th lay blowing in the breeze before her and the large copy of her cutie mark stared back at her. The small crimson text below the image of her cutie mark read:
The 13th Lunar Infantry Division
“Luna’s Lunatics”
Seeing this, several emotions welled up inside of Luna as she proudly addressed her troops.
"We have watched you all from day one and we are proud to have you all as our troops! You have sworn your loyalty to us and all of Equestria. All of thou are strong, dependable, and brave. Thou all hast proven themselves to me, thine comrades, and most importantly thyselves. We have the utmost confidence thou shall all serve with honor and distinction in the 13th Lunar Division. Now let us move onward to victory and redemption!"
As she finished her speech, her horn lit up with her light-blue aura. A similar colored glow could be seen around the wings of all the pegasi warriors. With a flash all of the pegasi gasped. Their wings had been transformed from their normal feathered state to the webbed wings the Lunar Pegasi were known for. At this the soldiers entered a frenzied state of cheering.
"Luna! Luna! Luna!" They all shouted as they pounded the ground with their hooves. Finally, after 1,000 long years, the 13th division was back.
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It was near midnight and the moon hung high and full in the sky. Luna sat on the grassy ground in the training field, staring once again into the boundless night sky. She was busy contemplating about adding some more constellations to a somewhat bare spot in the sky, when DarkFury arrived. She did not mind the distraction as she had been waiting for him.
During the months of training they had spoken occasionally, and the two got to know each other somewhat well. They considered themselves as friends and they often dropped some formality when they conversed, but remained entirely respectful towards each other. He wordlessly trotted over next to her and sat down on the cool grass. His now webbed wings glistened in the moonlight as the two ponies began to speak.
“Hello Princess, are you feeling well tonight?” DarkFury started, somewhat nervously.
“As well as should be expected.” Luna stated as she turned to him. “How about you?”
“I'm... Alright. Thanks for the promotion.”
“It was nothing, although you already thanked me. There is no need to thank me again.” Luna replied.
“I know but I just felt like thanking you without being in ‘character’ if you understand what I mean.” DarkFury stated as he averted his eyes.
“If you insist.” Luna replied.
“So... why did you want to meet me this particular night?” DarkFury asked timidly.
“For a matter of great importance to you, as well as your new station.”
DarkFury tensed. “And that is what exactly?”
“To discuss and instruct you in the new duties that will be expected of you.”
“What?” DarkFury asked perplexed, his tension receding slightly.
“You were ranked as a Specialist correct?”
“Yes.” He replied plainly.
“While many of your comrades in the 13th were ranked as Corporal before being promoted to Sergeant. Is that also correct?” Luna asked.
“Yes."
“Then most of them have experience with basic NCO duties and should not have much of a problem. You on the other hand were a Specialist, which is on the same pay-grade as a Corporal, but you did not have to perform NCO duties since Specialist is not considered an NCO rank. Therefore, you have no experience performing the duties that would be required of you now that you’re a Sergeant.” Luna droned out rather factually.
“I suppose that’s true.” He stammered, looking down. “It might take me a bit to get the hang of it, but trial and error will teach me well enough. Right?” He asked nervously.
“That is one way to learn, but that is not a good method to learn by while in combat. Being responsible for those under your command dying is something you do not want to bear, nor will it make you popular with your troops or those outside the military.” Luna countered with a grave tone. “Nay, you must learn before you enter combat with others under your command. I will make sure you are educated, for I shall instruct you myself.”
DarkFury was instantly thrown into a stunned silence. He processed what Luna had said to him, before trying to convince her that such a thing wasn’t necessary. “B- b- but surely you have much more important things to do then instruct one insignificant NCO in your division. I- I mustn’t keep you from your nightly royal obligations.” DarkFury protested weakly.
As Luna heard this she began laughing rather deeply. DarkFury sat there uncomfortably during the short while it took for Luna to calm herself. “Oh DarkFury, if only you knew the truth. My list of royal obligations is rather straightforward and quite short. I raise the moon, lower the moon, look after my troops, hold the midnight court, discuss events with my sister, and then I sleep through the day. Not to mention the fact that not one single pony has sought my counseling during the midnight court since I have returned. I have more free time then I know what to do with. Imparting knowledge to you would actually give me something to do, so it is not a problem at all. Besides, why would I consider you as insignificant? While you are my subordinate you are also somepony I can call a friend. Friends are supposed to help each other, are they not?” Luna finished.
DarkFury sat there dumbfounded by what he just heard. He could only sit there and try to process the information Luna had just told him.
“For your first lesson you shall learn to compare and contrast the qualities of ponies for assigning them to certain roles.”
“How do you plan on teaching me that?” He asked as he snapped out of his daze.
“By you helping me pick members for the Royal Lunar Guard.” Luna said, matter-of-factly.
DarkFury could not believe his ears. “Are you sure?” He asked as he almost fell over. “I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of choosing the members by yourself. I don’t know all that much about managing others.” He stammered.
“Well now is the time for you to learn. Since you are a Sergeant now, managing other troops will become part of your job. So I suggest you pay attention to this conversation.”
They spent the next hour or so discussing combinations of troops and suggestions on who should be in Luna's guard. DarkFury made several suggestions, comparisons, and recommendations. Most of them were rejected by Luna as she explained he had often overlooked the strengths and weaknesses of the individual soldiers. She told him that he had to consider both of their strengths and weaknesses when choosing troops for specific roles. Basically, she told him to balance the pros and cons of each soldier and see how they fit for the role they are being considered for. The closer the fit, the better they were suited for the role. They had decided for sure on 10 members by now, and they were trying to find two more to fit the remaining two slots.
“How about Shadow Chaser?” DarkFury suggested.
“He is fast I’ll admit, but he also seems to be a bit too easily agitated. I would hate to see him lose his temper trying to keep unruly subjects at bay.”
“Yes you’re right, I forgot about that. Coaldust then?”
“An excellent suggestion.” Luna beamed. “Coaldust is a level-headed, strong, and patient unicorn. He should fit the role quite nicely. Now only the last spot remains.”
Luna looked at DarkFury as he lay there contemplating who would fit the last spot the best. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he pondered the remaining members in his mind carefully. She patiently waited for DarkFury to come up with the last suggestion, but her mind began to wander. For some reason she found herself thinking about the past. While the memories she was reliving weren’t depressing as such, they weren’t the happiest.
As Luna lay deep in her own thoughts DarkFury noticed she seemed troubled. A frown lined her face as she gazed blankly into the night sky. He wanted to ask her to see if he could help, but he stopped himself. He stopped because he was afraid that he'd open the emotional wounds of her past. He didn't know much detail about her past, few ponies did, and most thought primarily of Nightmare Moon. That was not a good topic to bring up.
Luna noticed he was looking at her after a brief period of time and flashed him a smile. She then proceeded to actively stare at the night sky. Her eyes darted around ceaselessly as she traced her constellations and became lost in the memories of creating and naming them. All the while a warm smile could be seen on her face. DarkFury relaxed as he saw this and assumed whatever troubled her had been resolved for now. He resumed his mental debacle and was struck with an idea.
“I got it!” DarkFury triumphantly declared.
“Huh, wha?” Luna stuttered as she was pulled back into the real world from her trip down nostalgia avenue.
“The last guard member. I figured out who would be best for it.”
“Yes?” Luna asked, leaning forward, awaiting his answer expectantly.
“Frostburn.” DarkFury confidently stated.
His conclusion threw Luna off balance. While Frostburn would be sufficient for a role in the guard, he was not her first choice she had lined up. “Are you sure?” Luna asked him slowly, recovering from the unexpected answer he had given.
“Positive. Frostburn is capable, loyal, strong, agile, and independent. He may have just joined the military a year or two ago, but I can see him becoming a fine career soldier. Why do you ask? Do you not approve?” He asked, his face showing worry.
Luna paused before answering, thinking carefully. “Frostburn would be well suited but there are few faults that would make me pause.” She said cautiously. “First off as you said, he is independent. He obeys orders but he thinks for himself quite a bit. Often the way he accomplishes his objectives are unconventional, as well as occasionally showing a disdain for rules and authority.” Luna finished on a stern note.
“Yes well, he hasn’t disobeyed an order yet has he?” DarkFury asked cautiously.
“No, but what alarms me is that he might have the audacity to do so in the future. Do you know why he joined the military or why he rebels against authority?” Luna asked boldly.
“No, but how does this pertain to this conversation?” He questioned carefully.
“I will iterate.” Luna explained. “Frostburn joined the military after he saw his mother murdered in front of his own eyes, by a drunken Royal Guard who was on leave in the frigid north. Apparently he wanted to lay with his mother but she refused. So he raped her and began beating and choking her to death. Frostburn had just come home from the neighboring town and saw what was happening. He rammed into the guard and started yelling at him to stop. The guard did not move and only continued to strangle his mother. Desperately he tried everything he could think of to save his mother. Nothing worked until he noticed the guard had left his sword laying on the ground. Frostburn unsheathed the sword and stabbed the guard through his neck, killing him instantly. However, it was too late. His mother died just as he had killed the guard. He was discovered cradling his dead mother in his hooves crying, as a neighbor came over to investigate the commotion. What greeted that poor pony was that macabre scene.”
“I had no idea.” DarkFury said shocked. “Was he tried for killing the guard?”
“No. The following investigation determined that he used reasonable force in an attempt to save his mother. He was only 16 at the time and taken to a clinic to have his mental health evaluated after such a traumatic event. He was deemed healthy and he spent the next two years living with his older brother and his wife. After the incident though, his friends and family reported that his once happy and outgoing personality had changed into a dark, grim, and introverted one. He was changed from that day on and I’m sure the scars are still fresh in his mind.” Luna finished rather sadly.
“I see your point. You’re afraid he’s a loose cannon, while at the same time you’re concerned about his mental stability.” DarkFury concluded.
“Correct.” Luna said approvingly. “Currently I’m considering of keeping him from combat when the division is returned to full operational strength. At least, until he proves he can pass another mental health test without difficulty. Make no mistake, your suggestion was a good one, but you did not know about his past or condition. That is not your fault and you made a good recommendation besides. However, I would prefer somepony else instead of Frostburn for the time being.” She finished tentatively.
“Alright then.”
DarkFury once again entered a state of deep thinking. Luna could hear him mumbling to himself as he considered the other members who had not yet been picked or disqualified from the selection currently. He stopped and bolted upright as if he had it. Luna earnestly waited for him to turn around and share his revelation with her. However, he mumbled something that sounded like, “No, that won’t work...” and he continued thinking and mumbling to himself.
DarkFury contemplated everypony left from Rowan all the way down to Starbuck. He was torn between two ponies for the last spot. The obvious choice was Arctic Blast, a pony from the frigid north who was very strong and followed orders to the letter. The other less obvious choice lay in the earth pony known as Fudge Chip. Fudge Chip came from a family of bakers in Canterlot, but decided he wanted to pursue a military career. He was loyal to the extreme and he was very kind-hearted. DarkFury weighed the pros and cons of each pony, but both seemed to have one considerable flaw that made this a predicament for him.
Arctic Blast was a good soldier and he always carried out orders without a second thought. That strength of his however could also be a weakness. Arctic Blast didn’t question his orders, no matter how he felt or thought about them. If led astray he could, and would, turn on his former friends in a heartbeat. His loyalty was put within the hierarchy of the military above everything else. While soldiers were supposed to obey their superiors, it was also their duty to defend Equestria, its citizens, and others from threats both foreign and domestic. Arctic Blast would obey whatever commander he was under, no matter what they stood or fought for. This unnerved DarkFury and put a rather dark spot on Arctic Blast’s otherwise perfect resume.
Fudge Chip on the other hoof had his own tragic fault. Fudge Chip was rather kind-hearted and hated the thought of killing or harming others. While not particularly alarming in of itself, DarkFury could see several implications caused by it. Would he be able to emotionally detach himself and prevent himself from sympathising with their enemies? Could he be able to bring himself to perform his orders, no matter what they were? And most importantly, would he have the resolve to kill others to save the lives of his comrades, himself, or civilians?
Both ponies seemed the best out of the rest for the position but each had their own Afilles Hoof. DarkFury was tormented by trying to choose the lesser of the two evils before him. No matter which one he chose the trade-off was steep. Choose Arctic Blast and you had a pony whose true loyalty was with whomever commanded him, and could kill his friends as easily as his enemies. Choose Fudge Chip and you possibly endangered the lives of Fudge Chip and those around him, depending on whether or not he would be able to make himself act in a crisis situation.
After a few minutes of thinking, DarkFury had his answer. He decided to choose Arctic Blast over Fudge Chip. In his mind’s eye it was better to have a ruthless performer than a potential liability and safety hazard. Besides, Arctic Blast will be under the direct command of Luna so he shouldn’t be able to go turncoat no matter what, he reasoned.
DarkFury turned to Luna again and said, “I have the answer now.”
“And that is?” Luna asked expectantly.
“The pony best suited for the last position in the Lunar Guard is Arctic Blast.” DarkFury stated somewhat hesitantly.
A smile gleamed from Luna as she said, “Very well chosen indeed. He shall make a fine member. Out of curiosity, who were you comparing him against for so long?” Luna asked.
“Fudge Chip.”
“Fudge Chip? That is interesting...” Luna said as she trailed off in thought. She shook her head and regained herself. “It seems that all of the members have been chosen.” She continued. “I hope that you have learned something useful this night DarkFury. I thank you for your time and your suggestions.”
“It was nothing Luna. I think I actually did learn quite a bit from tonight. I must thank you Princess, for taking the time to instruct me.” He replied respectfully.
“As you know it was no trouble in the slightest. Would you be able to make it here tomorrow evening at midnight? I was thinking we could begin to discuss tactics.”
“Of course Luna, I wouldn’t miss it. If you would pardon me Princess, I think I need to sleep.” DarkFury said as he stood, stretched, and yawned.
“Yes, of course. Everypony needs their rest.”
DarkFury turned to leave as Luna said this, but was stopped when she asked, “DarkFury?”
“Yes Princess?” DarkFury replied as he turned to face her. His mind filled with confusion as to what she wanted to ask him.
“I noticed that during the entire conversation, you did not once recommend yourself for a position in the Lunar Guard. Why is that?” Luna asked, her eyes glaring at him with a source of intense scrutiny and interest.
“Well... I don’t really know myself.” He stammered under her gaze, while Luna noted every detail of his reaction. Intimidated, DarkFury felt a primal response surge from his being: fear. “I guess I didn’t want to sound presumptuous. I mean, how rude and selfish would I appear if all I did was use this opportunity to assure myself a spot in the Lunar Guard?” He began fidgeting nervously. “Especially since you personally asked for my input in helping you choose its members. Helping you choose its members was just as great if not a greater honor than being chosen to serve in it. For that I thank you Princess Luna.” DarkFury finished respectfully as he gave a large bow, while spreading his webbed wings and laying them on the ground next to his head. An ancient and almost forgotten sign of great respect to the rulers of Equestria.
Luna just sat there, staring at the still bowing figure of DarkFury. “Was this a test, or did I do something wrong?” DarkFury thought to himself, his mind racing rapidly. He tensed, and hoped he hadn’t angered her.
“Rise.” Luna said harshly as she rose, then approached him.
DarkFury stood upright and folded his wings against his body. He remained in place unflinching, as he tilted his head up to look into the cyan eyes of the tall alicorn. Her stern face looked down at him. He suddenly felt very small, and wanted to curl up and hide. He braced himself for a stern reprimand or other punishment.
“Thou art a dimwit.” Luna proclaimed as a large smile crept across her face.
“Huh?” DarkFury blurted, losing his composure upon seeing Luna’s smile after her unexpected remark.
Luna began laughing once more. “DarkFury, when considering troops for assignments you are also allowed to include yourself. In fact it is imperative that you consider yourself as well. If you cannot consider your capabilities along with those you command, then you might as well not even exist.”
DarkFury sat on his haunches with his mouth open. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.” He moaned as he face-hoofed.
“It’s nothing to beat yourself up over.” Luna chimed. “I do not expect you to know or anticipate everything. That is the purpose of me teaching you, is it not?”
“Of course it is, but I still feel like an idiot.”
“Go and rest DarkFury, tomorrow will be another busy day. I will expect to see you at midnight tomorrow. Have a pleasant evening DarkFury.”
“May you have a pleasant evening as well Princess.” He said as he bowed before her once again. He then briskly trotted away towards the barracks.
Luna sat there alone with her thoughts for a long while. What she had noticed that night was very interesting indeed. “DarkFury seems to remind me of him more and more as time goes on. This is only furthering the conviction of my suspicions.” Luna said to herself. “He himself does not know, nor does he suspect. Would it be wise to share this with him?” She paused, carefully thinking the matter over in her head. “No, now is not the proper time for such a thing. I might not even be right, as I have only suspicions to go on.”
Luna watched her pale moon cross the sky in its nightly route. She sat there pondering and thinking of everything she had learned and seen over the past few months. Only when the first bright rays of the sun climbed above the horizon did she stir herself from her deep thoughts. She stood and trotted her way into the castle toward her room to rest and to dream. Her dreams would be only a temporary respite for her, but she wholeheartedly embraced them. As she lay in her bed the familiar and comforting darkness of sleep gripped her body and mind. Smiling, she slipped into her realm of peace and serenity.
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Beautiful chapter! I would love to see the relationship between Dark Fury and Luna develop and also it would be interesting to find out if Frostburn joined the military to exact revenge upon on that Royal guard or anyone that was close to him? Because if he joined the military, that would instantly put him in close proximity to them.
1923313 Thank you for the compliment!
I'm planning on doing something with Frostburn in the future, but that remains to be seen.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!
More amazing tales of Luna.
Squeeee*
i.imgur.com/y5LDt.gif
Damn it, after all this waiting Quicksilver still isn't in it! Oh well, its a good chapter
1923495 I'm glad you enjoy it!
1923523 I'm planning on introducing him soon.
moar moar moar moar moar moar moar moar please!
1923313
That specific guard is dead, but anyone close to him remains possible. Let's all hope that's not his agenda, though, shall we?
I'm glad I stuck with this story, you're doing an excellent job with it!
... Words at this point don't do justice.
Bad Company Night Guard is the most unique and now awesome fic that doesn't include a crossover...
Carry on soldier.
What is this warm feeling?
Fofofo, plot speculation is beautiful. I read these comments and feel like an evil mastermind.
I'm going to throw out a bone here and say that something very interesting happened here in terms of plot.
1927267 Yes indeed, my accomplice. How does it feel to be enlightened? You feel the power, don't you? Is it not one of the most pleasant things you've ever felt?
Muhahahahaha
Had to look here to understand why Sergeant is higher than Corporal.
Sorry but, this chapter seems a little... lacking compared to the others.
Some things I'd like to bring up:
It needs some line breaks or something better to show a time lapse.
I kept getting confused whenever a time lapse happened since it was hard to discern from the formatting.
The explanation of the twins kinda killed the "momentum" of the obstacle course. Maybe their names and colors could be explained in conversation?
Finally, the soldiers don't really feel like Bad Company or Dirty Dozen type material. Maybe flesh them out by revealing why their previous commanders swept them into the 13th?
The ending with Luna and Dark Fury (is he the CO/leader by virtue of being the highest ranking individual in the unit or is there an unmentioned officer floating around?) was pretty good and I liked how a few of them got fleshed out a bit.
Im also liking the potential of Dark Fury being the great great great grandson of the last commander of the 13th. Im suspecting that your going to "Ashley Williams" (Mass Effect) him.
Im looking foward to more updates!
1925205
Glad Im not the only one to think Bad Company when reading the description.
Brohoof for a fellow fan of Bad Company! /)
1939288 Yeah, sorry about the time lapse thing. I'll try to put more breaks in future chapters to indicate time lapses. I'll also be doing some more background info for the other characters in the future.
And if you're wondering, no I did not get the idea for this story from Battlefield. I have never played a Battlefield game and I probably won't. I was actually able to come up with the idea for this story on my own.
Edit: To answer your question about Dark Fury, he is not a senior officer. There are several soldiers in the 13th who were promoted to Sergeant the same time he was. None of them have command over their fellow Sergeants, they currently only have command over their lower ranked buddies.
1939404
Yay! Exposition and character development!
The "band of trouble making misfits in the Army" theme is always fun to sit back and watch, regardless of how it was initially inspired.
Incidently, have you seen "Kelly's Heros"?
Oh, I was under the impression that Dark Fury was the only one promoted to Sergeant. Though it makes sense since there were Corporals in the group and Luna gave promotions to her soldiers.
Does the 13th have an officer or is it currently just filled with enlisted and Luna fills that role since she has a lot of time on her hooves and there are only about 50 guys in the 13th?
1939626 Since graduating from their training they have no official commanding officer. At this point in the story, Luna is their only superior.
And no, I've not seen "Kelly's Heros".
1939677
Ah, okay.
You should look it up, it's a fun movie with Clint Eastwood with a bunch of misfits beating up Nazi's and stealin their gold.
1939626
This is a really late response, but in regards to your question about officers I suggest you hang on a little bit longer. I'll poke TheNocturnalLoner, I think.
1965786
Okay... Nocturnal already answered the officer question though in his response to the comment that you are responding to.
I'll standby for more comments and updates.
1967181
The answer should be changing next chapter, though.
Now I have a little more time, I feel I should talk about these, though.
The main explanation here is that a lot of this has been rewritten. The original draft was very different. Rewriting is, however, a huge pain, and very often it isn't truly a rewrite but a 'Frankenstein' of bits and pieces. Of course, when you have all of these different pieces the seams can be obvious, as you've noted.
Formatting - I'm not sure what went wrong here. It's written on gdocs, and there's an import function iirc. I have a tendency to edit Nocturnal's stuff on my phone though, so what looks okay on my phone screen likely does not transition well to PC. I'll make sure I go over it one last time on my PC next time before Nocturnal posts it.
The twins bit was added in the rewrite. Seams, you know. Probably the reason I miss this stuff is because by the time it's been rewritten enough for posting, I've been through it a dozen or so times, and I tend to start skimming. So that's my bad.
1969110
(Bane has a pretty dope jacket))
I see...
dmarge.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/tumblr_m7p2o5Sx2T1qavcc2o1_1280.jpeg
So the editor decides to reveal himself to the world eh?
(Sorry, I saw Batman Rises recently and the urge to say that hit me pretty hard
Admitedly, I was initially a bit confused as to why you, a seemingly random commenter, was trying to answer what the author had already answered but, it makes sense now that I know that your his editor.
I know the pain regarding rewrites. I am revising the crap out of my resume at the moment and with so many ways to do one according to my career center, it never seems done.
Gdocs sometimes doesn't play nice with other text editors and changing file formats can often lead to small, but noticeable changes in format and spacing.
Spending alot of time on a bus or a train? Cool if you do and thats where you find the time to edit (I once wrote a paper, for a blow off class, entirely on my phone on the bus to class the day it was due
(Twilight would not approve of that)). Not all screens are created equal.
Yeah the twins... just need a better way of introducing them. Maybe Luna remembering their file while she's looking at them standing together in formation?
Eh, we all make mistakes. Even when correcting others(Mistake-ception!
)
Im still looking foward to the next chapter.
1969942
Ah, yeah, I can understand your confusion.
I'd poke Nocturnal a bit more but I believe he's been busy recently. IIRC a prologue rewrite and a couple of touchups are on the agenda after the next chapter.
1970130
(Read it twice already))
Prologue rewrite? The prologue is the best part!
Content wise at least, can't remember mechanically or format wise any flaws (Maybe a reread is in order?
Understandable that he may be busy since a lot of universities and colleges at both undergrad and grad level have started back up this week in the States and related businesses are kicking back into gear.
Not sure about high school, since I dont have any friends currently in high school, but I think they also started back up this week.
Then again he could be in the work force and just working on a current project that his location of employment is trying to finish up.
Any rough ball park estamates on a new chapter? (I know ultimately that its "when its done")
1971184
I think it was adding a couple of things. It's not an entire rewrite, it's just to link it in a bit more.
An estimate on the next chapter...
Soon.(TM)
I don't actually know, I'm waiting on Nocturnal atm.
1974426
Ah, I see. More connective tissue is always good.
i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/9/4/nVBFoG62ZkCHa62eCJVzFw2.jpg
1971184>>1974426 To answer your questions I shall need the following items:
1. My laptop
2. Time to actually write this
Oh, look at that. I finally have item number 2!!
With all seriousness though, I have been rather busy the past week. I was working at my job in the evenings and going to school during the day. All time between these two things were the 5-6 hours I needed for sleep. This cycle repeated itself about 5 times, and now I finally have time off. Unfortunately, this also means I was not able to work on the story at all.
The only thing I had time to do was think of and scribble down more ideas during studyhall.
As for the other questions, allow me to iterate further. The prologue will indeed undergo a revision, but not a rewrite. I plan to have Arkenai and I go over the prologue at some point and iron out/fix grammar, editing, spelling, plot, and other mistakes or errors. I also plan on changing the short bit about NMM as I was not happy with the way it turned out. Several readers pointed out that it broke the flow of the story, as it did pop out of nowhere and seemed really random and akward. I will attempt to alter it somewhat and make it mesh together with the rest of the prologue better.
As for when chapter 3 shall be released... I don't know. I cannot adhere to a deadline as my schedule is rather random and last minute events pop up often. However, my current goal is to have chapter 3 finished and posted before the end of January. And I'm sorry for the weird spacings in chapter 2. Transfering from G-docs onto the site's word processor often screws up the format. I tried to fix it as best as I could, but stuff happens. Also, as Arkenai mentioned, the rewriting was also partly to blame for a few of the errors in the formatting and such.
Well... better stop wasting time and get to writing. I just wanted to say that all you guys are amazing and that I hope my future chapters will entertain you to no end.
-TheNocturnalLoner
1983582
Your in high school I take it? Just curious.
Be sure to also make time for homework and study. You dont want to disappoint Twilight.
Take all the time you need for personal stuff and to get the chapter and the prologue where you like it, we can wait.
1983582
*Arkenai is hugely impatient*
All is well.
1984444 Yes indeed I am. And study? What is studying?
1984550 Arkenai is also hugely important.
1985848
Its that thing that Twilight does all the time
1986645 Oh right... that thing she does way too much of, and is the reason she spends almost everyday in the library. Yeah... I don't study very often. It's not my style, as I seem to retain most information I learn long enough to get through the test/unit/chapter of the class.
1988505
She spends all of her time in the library because she literally lives there.
Myself I needed some studying in the majority of the subjects but, math.... fuckin math
Math ate my evenings
Though whatever works for you, keep at it
so yeah... you should totally start writing this story again
2433941 Fret not, I am working on the next chapter as we speak. Life has thrown a lot of distractions and problems my way, but the work continues. With any luck, the next chapter will be out before the end of April.
2438428 sweet, good to know you haven't given up on this
2438641 I would never give up on a story like this. The only possible way I would ever give up on a story is if I ran out of ideas or something similar occurred. And if that happened, I probably would just scrap the story without bothering to post it. This story has so many possibilities and directions as for where I could take it that even to this day I keep getting new ideas for it.
Plus, I hate it when writers make a story that many enjoy then drop it and leave the audience hanging. It irritates me to no end when stuff like that happens. I have resolved to myself that I would finish every story that I post, now matter how long it takes.
My only regret is that I wish I could pump out chapters for this faster. Making all of you guys wait a couple months for a chapter is unfair in my mind. But sometimes life just really blocks you and that's the sad truth. I will redouble my efforts and try to get this chapter and the following ones completed and posted as soon as I can.
Till then, I thank all of you guys for your patience and support.
-Nocturnal Loner
I dont't mean to be demanding, impatient or to question the prorities of your life but, it has been almost 6 months since the last chapter was posted an I do truly enjoy this story. Please try to get more on this Fic posted, it would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
2702012 There's nothing to be sorry for, as you are right. I should have had a new chapter for this story out by now. I'm truly sorry it's taking so long, but unexpected circumstances and all these life transitions is really taking a toll on my free time.
I feel pressured by my parents to find a fulltime job now that I'm graduated from high school, plus I'm not too keen on joining the family business. I just feel so lost and confused at this point in my life.
But, those are nothing but excuses. I really need to sit down and focus on this story in my free time, as well as speak with my editor since he has more free time now.
Thanks for poking me and making sure I was still alive.
-NocturnalLoner
I noticed a spelling mistake and some missing commas, m80.
began, “Well
dye
commas, not periods
these chapters are longer than i thought they would be. i like it.