Chapter 5 - When the Wastes Swallow
Fallout Equestria: Pure Hearts
Chapter 5
When the Wastes Swallow
“This day was going to be perfect...”
Night had begun to fall swiftly as we found ourselves on the east side of a large mountain slope. The tracks lay below us in the valley while we made our camp higher up, in the tree line. We set up tents and bedrolls which we had scavenged from the raiders’ settlement outside Filthy Rich’s retreat. They weren’t the cleanest things in the wastes; certainly they were more repulsive than the mattresses we had slept on before. The ones we had grabbed, though, were definitely better than some of the others in the encampment and, our disgust aside, they would serve their purpose. Gale also assured us that once we reached Underdog Town, we wouldn’t need them any longer and were free to sell them or dump them, whatever we saw fit.
The trip had been relatively quiet and uneventful compared to the last couple of days. We had left the cabin and looted the raider camp for anything of use. The tents were the biggest prizes, but we had also been able to find some ammo, and I had also picked up some more healing potions. I thought about using one to heal the wound on my neck, but the cut had already closed itself, so I figured it would be best saved for future use.
From the cabin and its surrounding raider camp we had made our way further along the tracks. We did our best to keep in the shadows of the trees, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to ourselves. Luckily, all was peaceful, and we made good progress. We had covered a large amount of ground fairly quickly, making small talk along the way. I had learned little from Gale, however, as it had been time for Lily and me to share our story so far. I did manage to ask Gale about the pony whose face I had seen on the beast from the cabin: the one I didn’t know. She didn’t answer and simply changed the subject so I decided to save the question, like the potion, for a more appropriate time.
After we had set up camp and settled in, I had decided to give Lily some practice with the lever-action rifle. On the edge of our temporary base, a gnarly old trunk from a long-dead tree rose from the ground like some grotesque tumor. That would be our practice target.
“Now, just aim down the sight and pull the trigger,” I instructed her.
She floated the weapon up to eye level, put the stock against her shoulder, and cocked her head to one side. Lining up the sights in front of her right eye and closing her left one, she pointed the rifle’s barrel at the tree stump.
“L-like this?” she asked meekly.
I stepped around her and checked her aim. I didn’t want to stand directly behind her when she was using a loaded gun. I knew the kick that firing it would have, and some ponies – even unicorns – can be sent backward under their force if they aren’t prepared for it. This extra precaution made it difficult for me to see exactly where the gun was pointed, but it seemed to be in the correct direction.
“Yep,” I said. “Now, just pull the trigger, and be ready for th—”
Before I could finish getting the words off my tongue, a loud bang reverberated through the valley, followed by a meager “Eep!” Lily had pulled the trigger as I had instructed, but didn’t let me finish telling her to prepare for the recoil. Like I had expected, she found herself on her back. The rifle had kicked back, but thanks to her magic, it just spun freely in the air, flying off onto the ground behind us. Lily had only been startled by the sound and kickback of the gun, and she fell over in surprise.
A haughty laugh erupted behind us, followed by a more mechanical one from Lily’s pipbuck. I couldn’t help but giggle a little myself. Lily was brilliant and a little mischievous, but she was easily surprised by things she didn’t expect.
“You’ve got a looong way to go, kid,” Gale mocked jokingly as she started preparing a fire in the camp behind us.
“If I may,” Spring Blossom said, “why not use your pipbuck’s S.A.T.S. feature? I’m tied into it now and can almost guarantee a hit with at least 60% accuracy.”
That’s hardly a guarantee, I thought to myself. The Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell – S.A.T.S. for short – was a unique assistance spell of the pipbucks that allows a pony to slow time and select specific targets. It was a goddess-send in combat, but it had its drawbacks, too. Based on the pony, how many shots were fired, and how difficult each shot was, it had a cool-down time that made it impractical for engagements with large groups of enemies. I had yet to use it in combat myself and had hardly used it during my training either. I just didn’t trust it to do what I knew I could do myself.
“No, I want her to be able to shoot it without assistance first,” I said, helping Lily to her hooves. “I don’t want her in a situation where she’s unable to use S.A.T.S. and powerless to defend herself without it.”
“Fair enough,” our digital companion replied. “Please proceed then.”
“Riiight, well then.” I stabilized Lily, and she wrapped the weapon with the glow of her magic again. “As before, just aim down the sight and fire. Be prepared for it this time, and I’m sure you’ll hit your mark.”
“O-okay.” She raised the rifle out of the dirt and back up in front of her. A little cautious of it this time, she took aim down the sights. A deep breath filled her lungs, and she pointed the barrel of the gun at the stump once more.
“Whenever you’re ready. Just be careful,” I warned.
Lily pushed her spectacles up her muzzle with her hoof. This time she steadied herself better, making sure she was ready for the weapon. She had set her mind to it now; she was prepared to get it right this time, and it showed in her body language. Her legs spread out, and her muscles relaxed. Her ears folded back to shield themselves from the explosive sound. The little remaining sunlight shimmered off the frames of her glasses as she lined up her sights. Then, when the final bit of light retreated from the sky, she pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A single projectile slammed hard into the tree stump, dead center in the wood. Lily worked the lever action on the rifle, loading the next round into the chamber.
Bang!
Another shot, this one striking slightly off from the center, but only by an inch or two. She cocked the gun again, this time smoother and faster than the last.
Bang!
The third bullet smacked into the stump with as much accuracy and force as the other two. The wood, however dead and rotted, splintered into hundreds of pieces. Lily and I shielded our eyes from the flying shrapnel with our hooves. When it all settled, my jaw dropped along with my leg. The raiders must have mixed in an explosive round with their ammunition; I can’t imagine they could be picky while scavenging. Dramatic explosions aside, I couldn’t believe the feat of sheer skill I had just witnessed. From the crash of equipment dropping to the ground behind us, I imagined Gale couldn’t either.
“Holy shit, kid...” Gale breathed, the awe evident in her voice. “I haven’t seen precision like that since Dead-Shot.”
“Well done, Lily,” Spring Blossom praised.
“Hold on for a moment,” Gale said once she shook off the astonishment. She disappeared into her tent and reemerged a short while later with the sniper rifle we had looted the day before in her mouth. Held under her good wing were the couple boxes of ammunition we were able to find in the raider camp.
“I think you deserve this more than either of us do.” She set the weapon on the ground at Lily’s feet. “Here are the few bullets we have; they are hard to come by so make your shots count. Unless I specify otherwise, use the lever-action.”
A soft green glow illuminated the trees around us. Lily’s magic wrapped the weapon in its aura, and she floated the gun up to examine it.
“Thanks, Gale. I’ll use it only when we need it.”
I actually liked the idea of Lily being our sniper. It would allow her to help us in certain circumstances and would keep her off the front lines.
On that sentiment, we concluded our practicing for the night, not wanting to attract any attention with gun-fire lighting up the darkness. Instead, we gathered around the fire and simply enjoyed each other’s company. There was a little small talk and the air was filled with song as I tuned into the radio station that my pipbuck had picked up back at Sunset’s. Lily and I went along with the songs, singing those lyrics that we remembered from back in the stable. We also shared stories of back home during the songs we didn’t recognize. Gale didn’t sing except for a few of the songs; she preferred to listen most of the time. A couple of the tunes even seemed to make her a bit downtrodden. A look of intent thought washed over her while they played.
What all has she gone through? I wondered silently. The memories she must have...
I tried to cheer her up by getting her involved in the merriment, but she simply didn’t seem to be able to enjoy herself. That didn’t stop her from trying at least, and I envied her for her resolution. Her endeavors were short-lived each time and every attempt seemed to be briefer than the last. Eventually, though, we all had worn ourselves out from the merriment and were on the verge of collapse. With a contagious yawn, we retired to our slumbers for the night.
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The new day came quickly, and I rose with the dim light as it beat on the tent walls. Sitting up, a myriad of cracks and pops resounded from my bones. Even with the bedroll, the ground definitely wasn’t the most comfortable thing I had slept on so far, but rest was rest.
I yawned, stretching the rest of my body as I raised myself off the floor of the tent. The air inside the canvas shelter was quickly warming, and I couldn’t stand the rising heat for much longer. I rounded up my stuff and made my way out of the tent. Emerging through the tent flap, the smell of a campfire and fresh-cooked food greeted me.
“Look who’s finally up,” Gale mocked as she focused on preparing our meal. “Morning, kid.”
“Morning, Dove,” Lilybloom and Spring Blossom said in unison. Lily was sitting on a log near the fire, watching and waiting for whatever it was Gale was cooking.
“Good morning,” I responded in between yawns. “Whatch’ya fixing?”
“Nothing special. Your friend here had some Dandy Colt Apples in her bag, and I thought I’d fix up something a little more healthy while we actually had a quiet morning,” Gale clarified. “Vanhoover is just around the next bend in the tracks, so we can take our time today.”
In my tired state, I stumbled up to the fire and peered into the rusty pan she had resting on a makeshift metal grate that spanned the flames. The apples inside the skillet, seasoned with various spices, sizzled and simmered. It looked like they had come fresh out of the woods in which we had made our camp. Though, they didn’t make the old apples look any more appetizing. Regardless, the aroma that rose from the pan made my mouth water and my stomach growl. I was excited to try this new wasteland cuisine, and perhaps I’d even ask Gale for the recipe to use later if it tasted as good as it appeared.
When our pegasus friend declared our breakfast ready, we all dug in. I wasn’t disappointed by the tastes that touched my tongue.
“Celestia still my beating heart,” I praised aloud, “this is good!”
My pipbuck may have still clicked from the radiation, but I ignored it for the savoury deliciousness; it was worth it. Surprisingly, the apples were even more delectable than before. The natural seasonings were a perfect blend and the fruits themselves were just the right texture and flavor.
“How did you learn to cook things like this, Gale?” Lily asked.
“One needs to learn these things when you’re on your own, you know?” She looked proud of herself for a moment, but her smile quickly faded away as the weight of her own words seemed to fall upon her. I put my hoof on her back and grinned.
“You aren’t alone, Gale. We may have just met you, but we’re still here with you,” I said. Those few words alone were enough to get the mare to lighten up and smile again. “Come on, let’s finish eating and get going.”
After we filled our stomachs and packed up our tents and equipment, we set off for Underdog Town again. Fortunately, the trek today would be much shorter. I could feel my hooves aching from all the walking we had done the past couple days. I could handle making my daily rounds as a security mare in the stable, but if felt as if we had already walked more than I normally would have in a couple of weeks.
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As we rounded the bend in the tracks, they swept around the outside of a rocky outcropping. There, the mountainous terrain came to an abrupt end. The steep, boulder strewn slopes and sheer cliffs were replaced by much gentler rolling foothills. It was very similar to the Crossroads Junction side of the range, except for one thing: it was green.
Grass had surprisingly taken root here better than anywhere else; it nearly reached my chest. Trees dotted the hillsides and upon their branches leaves fluttered in the breeze that softly blew across the landscape. This must have been what this world was like before the balefire set it ablaze, and it left me without speech or breath in my awe. It was so overpowering that I didn’t even notice what lay beyond.
“Welcome to the far side of the mountains, you two.” Gale had climbed part way up the nearest knoll and was now staring out over the horizon.
Over and above the crests of the hills rose a series of tall structures that glistened in the soft daylight. From here, they looked magnificent and regal towering over everything. I followed Gale up the hill and looked where her gaze landed. I quickly realized that what I had seen before was just a bright reflection of the distant past, darkened by the shadow of equinity sprawled out across the landscape below. On the far side of the hills, the towers stood tall above a scorched and ruined expanse of buildings that sprawled out as far as I could see.
“What happened to this place?” I couldn’t comprehend the destruction that filled my vision.
Gale stepped closer to me. “The war happened. According to the stories I’ve been told, Vanhoover was a major flashpoint between the Zebras and the ponies of Equestria. A final bloody battle was fought here, tearing this once-great metropolis to smithereens. In the end, the ponies lost, leaving their enemy to occupy the area. But it didn’t stop there. When the megaspells were dropped one of the bombs fell here, in the Northwest side of the city, taking the zebras – and any ponies held captive or stuck behind enemy lines – with it.”
“The hearts of ponykind are curious things.” From behind us, Spring Blossom’s voice echoed out from Lily’s pipbuck, a monotonous tone of disbelief present in her speech. “You would drag each other to the grave just to say you’re better than one another, yet you are still able to love and tolerate. Some, like those raiders that lived outside my facility, exist only to watch others suffer. And then there are some, like you, who seem to see the good in everything no matter the circumstances.”
“That is a surprisingly accurate conclusion,” Gale sighed, a bit of distaste on her tongue, “but the world isn’t quite so black and white either. There are many walks of life that we ponies take, from the wholesome to the unsavoury and everything inbetween. The only constant left in this chaotic world, and what links us all together, is that we do what we can to survive.”
For a while, we all stood silently on that hillside gazing out over the landscape. The only movement was from the breeze that swept onward caring not for the affairs of ponies as it caused our manes and tails to drift gently with it. The mood had become very somber, and I felt a tear or two roll down my cheek as my eyes scanned the desolation.
Eventually, they settled on a series of towers that stood apart from the rest. Against the sky I could make out silhouettes of what appeared to be bridges spanning between the buildings.
“What’s that over there?” I asked, raising a hoof toward the structures.
“That,” Gale answered, “is where we’re headed. That is Underdog Town, home of the Scrappers.”
“Scrappers?” Lily questioned.
“They’re a group of salvagers that live in the top floors of the skyscrapers. They aren’t just your standard dumpster divers, though; they’re much more than that.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’ll see when we get there. C’mon, let’s go.” Gale stepped over the crest of the hill and began to descend the slope on the other side.
Lily stepped up beside me, and she looked out over the scenery with me for a moment before speaking the words that had been on both of our minds. “It seems we still have a lot to learn about this world, Dove.”
“So it seems, Lily. I honestly don’t think I want to learn more about it, but I think it’s going to teach us regardless.”
“You gals coming?” Gale shouted back up to us.
Lily nodded and proceeded down toward our companion. I looked out one last time at the dreary scene of destruction. The thick cloud layer that was ever present, even here, seemed to have grown even darker and heavier than usual.
“Dove, let’s go!” Gale yelled back again. “There’s a storm brewing, and we’ll want to be to the city before it hits.”
“Coming!” I called back as I galloped after my friends.
As I caught up to them, I slowed to a steady trot. Our progress had been much faster than when we were crossing through the mountain range, but it was definitely still slow going. The terrain was not as gentle as it had initially appeared, but we made do. Eventually, we did reach the edge of the city, and my slow pace was brought to a halt as I took in the sight from up close.
The grass that grew outside the town became sparser until it reached an illusory border. It was here that the blackened earth beneath revealed itself and ultimately replaced the green carpet. Trees were practically non-existent here, and any that did rise up were twisted and dead. The pony made structures barely stood upon their broken infrastructure. As my stupor lifted, I realized Lily had stopped as well. We looked at each other, and when our eyes met I saw in them that she had been struck by the same feeling as I had.
We began to walk forward, and I looked over the ruins as they passed. Some had been blasted open, likely by shells or spells. Others were falling victim to weathering decay. It was a huge contrast to anything I had seen yet. This place made Crossroads Junction look like a Stable-Tec infirmary.
After two-hundred years, I would have expected nature to have reclaimed more of this place. It’s almost like it doesn’t want to take it back.
At the end of the street we were on, I felt a hoof on my chest signalling for me to stop. Gale had put her leg in front of me, and her ears were searching the airwaves for something.
“What’s wrong Ga—”
“Shh!” She remained silent for a while longer.
While I waited for her to speak again, I studied the rubble. The atmosphere was devoid of sound but what I saw amongst those ruins spoke volumes of the tales surrounding them.
Through the holes that had been blasted in the walls of the buildings I could see shop displays, living quarters, and offices. All of them had been relatively untouched by the years, yet at the same time their marred appearance could not belie their true age. Store shelves had been looted clean save for a few bent cans and empty bottles. Furniture was rotted and metal rusted through, but most things still stood presumably where they had two-hundred years ago. I could also make out the skeletons of long-dead ponies whose bodies had gone just as undisturbed over the centuries. I couldn’t tell how exactly they had died, but the entire scene was like a ghostly veil of order masking the chaos and despair, heavily overlooked by the ponies of the wastes.
While I had admittedly begun to grow accustomed to these depressing sights, I could not tear my eyes away by my own will. The emotional influence it held over me was too strong. This was once a living, breathing community filled with ponies of every race, age, and gender. Now it lay lifeless and buried in the tomb it had built for itself.
It was Gale’s words that finally brought me back from my thoughts. “I thought I felt the ground tremble,” she professed.
“Felt the ground tremble?” I echoed. As I spoke, I noticed something worse than the centuries-old skeletons. In the top-floor window of one of the buildings, a pony’s body dangled over the decaying rim by his stomach. His body wasn’t the only thing draped there though. A mess of entrails hung down and swayed gently as a breeze drifted through the streets of the city. The blood from a vast gash in his abdomen ran down the side of the structure and dripped onto the debris strewn beneath. It was still a fairly bright shade of red. The corpse was still fresh; the flesh had not yet began to bloat. Something then drew my attention away from the remains and I thought for sure that I saw a shadow move in the darkness.
I recalled something Gale had said which set my mind alive with questions. “Wait a minute. You said the Scrappers lived in the towers, right?”
“Right. At the very top” she affirmed.
“Could I ask why that is?”
“I hope you don’t have to find out, kid.”
“Why? What’s out here?” Lilybloom asked.
“You really don’t want to know.”
“Gale, we’re here as your guards,” I said. “It would be nice to understand exactly what threats we’re protecting you from.” The pegasus mare seemed to contemplate an argument, but ultimately put on a serious expression and spoke but one word. I didn’t know what they were, but it sounded bad.
“Hellhounds.”
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We trudged through the ruins of the city being cautious of where our hooves tread. Gale had told us everything she knew about the Hellhounds, which wasn’t much. She had heard horror stories and rumors from all across the wastes, but she had never encountered one in the flesh. While it was common knowledge among wastelanders that the beasts dwelled below the surface of the town, Gale always flew in from high in the sky and never set hoof on the ground. This time was a different story, however. With her wing out of action she was a perfect target for any hunting packs.
“There are other vile things that crawl among the ruins too,” Gale told us as we walked. “On the south side of the city, two big groups of raiders hold control. They don’t usually come close enough to Underdog town to be a huge threat, however. More often than not, they’re too busy fighting each other to give a damn about anypony else.”
“Raiders again?” Lily asked. “I don’t think I want to see any more of them. Not after seeing their camp outside of the cabin.”
“Don’t worry about them too much,” Gale reassured her. “Even they aren’t stupid enough to come into Hellhound territory. Not without good reason at least.”
“Then tell me: why are we in such a place?” I inquired.
“Because we have to be.”
We all fell back into silence as we continued through the burnt out city. I was constantly watching the rubble for any signs of threats. On occasion, the shadows seemed to shift, and the wind would blow and rustle loose paper and food wrappers, but nothing with harmful intentions made itself known. My E.F.S. showed no indicators besides the two friendly bars. We appeared to be completely alone among the wreckage. The calm was only broken when the dead pony slipped from the window and fell. The body plummeted to the ground in a disgustingly inelegant descent that ended with a sickening thud.
What was strange was that even small wildlife appeared to be absent from the urban landscape. I knew the pipbuck’s detection magic could pick up a multitude of things, even through walls and over good distances, but either this place was an anomaly, or there really was nothing else among the destroyed buildings.
My thoughts were interrupted when the sound of a crumbling building abruptly filled the streets. The structure that the corpse had formerly clung to completely collapsed under its own weight. The concrete and steel walls fell inward, and the glass in the windows shattered. An enormous dust cloud rose up and surrounded us. I shielded my muzzle with my hoof, but it was of little use. The dust forced its way into my lungs regardless and I started coughing violently; Lily and Gale also began hacking.
When the haze finally cleared, the building was completely gone. In its place was now a gigantic crater. It was as if the terrain had simply fallen out from beneath the architecture. I peered down into the depths from as close as I dared get, but I still couldn’t see the bottom through the gloom.
While the ground beneath me felt solid, I slowly became aware of the cracks that were creeping steadily toward me from the edge of the crater. I began to back up one hoof at a time. The fractures looked as if they were converging on me, and as I reversed they steadily closed the distance. I eventually turned tail and ran back to my companions. As soon as I bolted away however, the cracks ceased their advance.
“That was... strange,” Spring Blossom commented. “It was almost as if the breaks in the asphalt were purposefully trying to catch you.”
“Hold on, what was that?” prompted Gale.
“It’s like they were actually tracking Dove. As if they were driven by some sort of intelligent force fr—”
“From beneath the ground,” Gale finished the sentence, as if she knew what our digital companion was thinking. An increasing deathly expression grew on her face as she put two and two and two together. When she finally realized what was happening, she took to a gallop and uttered only a single word. “Run.”
“What do you mean? Why?”
“Don’t ask, just run!”
I didn’t have time for further questions. As soon as the words left her tongue, the ground began to tremble beneath our hooves. Gale turned and ran. Lily and I wasted no time in following her, though we still had no idea what we were running from. I figured it was perhaps the crater beneath the building opening further.
Galloping through the debris wasn’t terribly hard, at least not until a great vibration made its way through the earth. Everything around us shook violently, and the ground itself began to convulse more and more with each step. Gale’s steps were in time with the vibration as she pressed onward, but Lily and I struggled to fight the quaking ground. I found it incredibly hard to keep my legs steady while standing still, and running wasn’t any easier.
I glanced over my shoulder only to wish I hadn’t. Behind us, a great fracture was tearing apart the earth; chasing us through the streets of the ruined city as it closed the gap between us at an alarming rate. However, just as it was breaking at my hooves, it stopped. The tremors halted at that moment as well. Gale instructed us to keep running, but I was nearly out of breath already.
There really wasn’t a lot of room for exercise when you’re confined within a stable’s walls, and that meant I wasn’t as fit as I wished I was. The run had used up the adrenaline that propelled me this far, and I was beginning to feel the toll it was taking on my ill-prepared body. I gasped for air as I tried to keep pace with Gale, but it proved to be too much. My vision swam and eventually everything went black. I felt my legs slip out from beneath me. My body tucked into itself, falling forward under its own momentum, and I got a faceful of asphalt before passing out.
When I regained consciousness, I had no sense of how long I had been out or even what was happening as I began to open my eyes. My ears were ringing but I could hear a faint call through the noise: somepony was calling my name.
“Dovetail! Dove, wake up!”
A shadow fell across my prone form, and I slowly became aware that it was Gale who was standing over me. She continued to prod my side in her attempts to bring me back to reality.
“Dovetail, are you alright?” she asked. I only nodded in return, still trying to regain my bearings. “Good. Get back on your hooves, we don’t have much time.”
I forced myself off the ground, finding my legs a bit wobbly at first, but I was able to steady them after a few moments. I looked around me, searching for Lily. When my eyes finally found her, she was still laying unconscious a little further up the street. It seemed she had made it only a little further than I had before the long dash overwhelmed her as well.
“Lily!” I yelled, dashing over to her. I put my hoof on her side and rocked her gently back and forth, attempting to wake her. “Come on, Lily. Come back to us.”
“Huh?” she grumbled, gradually opening her eyes. “What happened?”
“You pushed yourself too hard and passed out,” Spring Blossom answered her.
I helped her back on her hooves, and we took a moment to catch our second wind as Gale came trotting over to us. I looked the pegasus in the eyes, putting on the most serious look I could.
“Gale, tell me. What in Luna’s name was that?”
“I’ll explain when we make it out of here alive. Until then, just know that we’re being hunted, and you don’t want to be the one caught in the trap. Now, I suggest we get moving again, and quickly.”
I still wasn’t satisfied with her answer, but I knew that what she said was right; this was not the time for words. The earth began to split behind me, once again proving Gale’s intuition to be damnably accurate. I felt the ground quiver ever so slightly under my hooves, and I turned to see small fractures closing in on us from the rear. I turned to my companions and gave them each a forceful shove.
“Go, now!”
We all took to full gallop once more. Our unseen pursuers were steadily closing in on us from behind. We fled down the main street as fast as we could. I did my best to pace myself, breathing in and out steadily and methodically just like my security training dictated. I wasn’t about to let whatever this was catch me simply because of my body failing to keep up with the demand I was putting on it.
One hoof after another hit the ground in a panicked rhythm, and we pressed onward up the street, dodging rubble and debris as we went. We passed over the bodies of the dead and the destruction of the city without even a thought. There was only one instinct driving us: fear. This was unlike any other nightmare I had ever experienced. We were being played with by something we couldn’t even see. Our weapons were useless without a visible target to even shoot at and instead they served only to weigh us down. There was no way for us to halt the oncoming fractures. Like the experience we had in Filthy Rich’s cabin, this was a living nightmare; only this one was even worse.
Up ahead, a wall of ruined buildings rose up. They marked the end of the street we were currently on. Another, smaller road crossed ours parallel to the structures. At the intersection, we rounded to the right, only to be confronted with another fissure approaching from our front. Gale then broke left into an alleyway and Lily and I followed suit.
There’s no way these cracks are anything natural, I thought to myself. There’s definitely something intelligent directing their movement.
The fractures that were chasing us had now merged into one and made their way into the alley as well. Every few seconds I looked over my shoulder to see them getting ever closer to us. They were fast, but every time they got near enough to overtake us they backed off. It was as if they were driving us somewhere like the ponies before the war would drive cattle.
Ahead, I could see the end of the alley. Dim light shone through between the buildings, guiding our way. It was a glimmer of hope that was quickly shot down. As scared as I was already, I felt my heart nearly stop when a great flash filled my vision for a brief moment. At first I thought it to be my life passing by, but at that point it would have been a blessing.
Craaaaash!
A sound so loud and booming reached my ears, and I faltered in my stride. What the hell was that?
I looked up through the gap in the buildings. Above me, great streaks of light shot between clouds, followed by the same deafening noise. Gale must have seen the curious confusion on my face, and offered an unsettling explanation.
“Lighting,” she said, “and thunder. The storm’s nearly on us. This is going to shit faster than I expected.”
Thanks, Gale, for having such high expectations for us. I looked to the sky and cursed to the goddesses for everything that they were putting us through.
We shot out of the alley and into the open again. I thought we would be free when we made it this far, but instead things only got worse. Sliding to a halt, we looked around us. The open area had proven to be nothing more than a courtyard, surrounded on all sides by more buildings. We were, by all means, trapped.
As if to add salt to the wound, a drop of water fell upon my muzzle. I shook it off only to have another land atop my head. The cold liquid worked its way into my mane and I shivered. Then another drop hit me. And another. The skies above opened up and let forth a torrent of rain that quickly drenched us and our equipment.
“Well, this is just great,” muttered Gale.
I turned to Lily, who was shaking from the cold downpour. Her breaths were heavy as her lungs sought to replenish the lost energy from our latest attempt to outrun the breaking ground. The fear was evident in her eyes. We had never experienced rain before, though I had been caught in the stable’s orchard when the sprinklers turned on. Lily, however, had not, and between the storm and our current peril I imagined the sort of thoughts going through her head. The loud crash of thunder would probably have been enough to send her running again if there was someplace to run to.
It was then that I realized my own fear. The scared emotions had been drowned out by the adrenaline, but now they came flooding back in like the rain that had began to drench our manes. My chest rose and fell laboriously, and my mind raced as it tried to think clearly in a fog of confusion.
Something was hunting us, and they had led us into a trap. Whatever this was it knew what it was doing, and we had fallen for its ruse. The only way back out of the courtyard was now ruptured, torn, and almost untraversable. Even if we tried to scramble over the broken earth, we would likely be dragged into the ground before we made it very far.
I shivered as the damp chill reached my core. So, is this how it ends then? Is this how I’m going to die?
We all gathered close together in an attempt to keep warm. I looked at my pipbuck’s E.F.S. and was surprised to see that there were no signs of life anywhere within its detection range. Even the markers for Lily and Gale had faded away. It was as if something here was jamming the device’s magical scanners.
Raspberries, I swore internally, why couldn’t this just be a simple stroll through town? My mind then drifted back to the tears in the ground. Why aren’t they coming for us anymore? If they wanted us, would they not have just taken us already?
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind before I got a prompt answer. The entire perimeter of the courtyard began to break. The dirt and cobblestone fell away, widening the drop around us as it closed in from all sides. The remnants of long-dead plants, rusty benches, and broken tables plummeted into the dusty abyss. Gale, Lily and I were all huddled as tightly as we could get. The ground slipped away and bit at our hooves mercilessly. It was as if the earth was angry, hungry even, like the wasteland itself was opening its maw in order to swallow us whole.
Gale tried to stretch her wing to fly, but she cringed the second she moved it. It was no use; we were going down here. The three of us, along with our digital friend, stood atop an ever shrinking pillar of earth until the last of it finally gave way. I had resigned myself to our fate, and I merely closed my eyes and waited for the end as we tumbled away into the depths of the pit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I opened my eyes, I half expected to be greeted by the sights and sounds of the Everafter. What instead met my senses was far worse. The ruined buildings and cloudy sky had been replaced by dirt and rock walls, much like those outside the Stable entrance. The smell of dust and debris mixed with the dank air of the underground. The taste of dirt and soil molested my taste buds. I could hear clanging in the distance, as if somepony was repeatedly striking metal and stone together. Each strike made my already throbbing head pound harder. Surprisingly, I seemed to be alive, and the more confined space put me strangely at ease.
Looking up, I could see the massive opening that was once the courtyard far above us. The cloudy sky soaked everything it could touch with its tears as they fell in through that gap. My mane and coat were still dripping wet, but I couldn’t worry about that now.
I worked to get myself back on my hooves but it felt like every muscle in my body was fighting against me. All over, my nerves were screaming bloody murder sending jolts of pain to my brain. I was sore beyond any and all belief, and though I miraculously appeared to be badly bruised at worst, I still found myself doubling back over. A searing pain shot through my ribs and hip. It seemed I had broken a few bones in the fall. With much difficulty, I surveyed the rubble around me as I looked for my companions.
I first spotted Gale, laying unconscious in the broken branches of a dead tree. Her chest was moving steadily, so at least she was still alive. When my sights fell upon Lily I wanted to call out to her. Instead, I held my tongue, not wanting to further alert whatever caused the collapse.
Lily was knocked out, yet still breathing, like Gale. My best friends’ predicament was made worse, however, as her rear quarters were stuck underneath the rubble. It didn’t appear to be crushing her, but it was enough to pin her down.
I ignored the pain and scrambled over to where Lily was. Using what strength I could muster, I began clearing the debris off. When I finally cleared away all the little stuff only a big boulder remained. It was pressing down on her leg, though fortunately, some smaller debris kept it from completely crushing her. I tried to move it, but the rock remained where it was. Though, there was no way I was about to give up and leave my friend there. I fought against the boulder for as long as I could. My body was nearly done when the boulder suddenly began to feel lighter. I turned to see Gale standing next to me helping to lift the giant rock off of Lily.
A soft groan came from the mint green unicorn as she stirred. “W-what happened?”
“Lily,” I said. “Thank goodness you’re awake. We fell into the pit, and you’re pinned by this rock. We can’t hold it much longer though. Any chance you can assist us?”
“I-I’ll try.” Her horn began to glow green, and a steel beam nearby became enveloped in the same colorful glow. She floated it over to us, rested it upon a smaller piece of rubble, and wedged one end of the beam under the rock in order to use the leverage to her advantage.
Between Gale and I trying to lift with our hooves and Lily’s telekinetic help, we were able to raise the boulder just high enough for her to slip her leg out from underneath it. She crawled far enough away to remove herself before our strength finally gave in and the rock crashed back into the earth, embedding itself there.
“Thanks, both of you. I think that the rubble broke my leg during the fall, though.” She let out a sigh, as if she was going to have to stay here.
Fortunately, I knew we still had a healing potion in my bag, and there was plenty of debris strewn about with which we could use to make a temporary splint. I stumbled over to my saddlebags and poked my head inside, searching for the potion using the sorting function of the pipbuck. When I finally found the vial and had taken it out, I felt a strange urge to drink it myself. Though I knew my wounds weren’t preventing me from moving despite how painful they were, and Lily’s needed to be remedied or she wouldn’t be going anywhere. They were the more important injuries for sure, so I kept the potion closed and went back to her side.
“Here, Lily, drink this,” I prodded, setting the vial beside her and opening it up. By the time I had returned, Gale had already strapped the unicorn’s leg into a makeshift splint made of wooden planks and some strips of cloth she had torn from her garbs.
“Thanks, Dove.” She took the flask in her mouth and downed the liquid inside.
Healing flesh wounds was a trivial matter for the tried and true magical means, but broken bones were a completely different story. As soon as the potion took effect, Lily let out a scream that echoed through the depths of the tunnels. Gale was extra quick to put a hoof over Lily’s muzzle in an attempt to silence her; the last thing we needed was to make whatever pulled us down here think that we were still alive.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen hide nor hair of whatever did this. A thought crossed my mind which was almost scarier than being swallowed by the earth. What if these things are invisible? Magic and technology could very well be capable of such things...
Thwack!
I snapped back to reality in time to see Gale hit the ground as well as a thin wooden beam being held in the air behind her, which was broken from the assault. My brain took way too long to process what had happened as I stared at the intimidating creature holding the plank behind her.
The beast was nearly three times our size and had a husky, wide wall of a posture. Its face resembled that of the dogs we had learned about in the stable, but much more gruff with a shorter snout. The teeth that it had bared were sharp and ferocious looking, but what intimated me more were the immense claws that sprung from the end of its long arms. They looked like they would tear through solid metal and, apparently, rock and soil with ease. I didn’t want to find out what they would do to mere flesh and bone.
“Hello there, pretty pony.” It’s voice was abrasive to the ears, almost like the sides of my head were being dragged along a stretch of gravel. “Be good, pony, or I punish with stick like I did winged pony.”
“Were you the one who took the ground out from beneath us?” I asked as I noticed that Lily appeared to be unconscious, at least until she opened an eye ever so slightly and winked at me.
She wants me to cause a distraction now‽ I sighed, but then I could see what she was planning. Alright, we’ll do it your way, Lily.
During our youth in the stable we would use this same sort of of ruse – often against my better judgement – in order to distract the guards so she could sneak unnoticed into the restricted areas. The stories she returned with were always more exciting than the day to day life I had to live, so I didn’t really mind.
“Yes, yes. We dug tunnels. Dug to pull little ponies down.”
As the creature spoke, I had begun to slowly creep around Lily’s still body, away from where our guns and supplies had landed.
“Now, why would you do that? What could you ever want with ponies like us?”
“Pony’s computer!”
“My computer?” I questioned. “I don’t have any computer with me.”
“Lies! Pony has pipbuck. And pipbuck will help us. Help us avoid Scrappers!”
“My pipbuck? Scrappers? Is that what this is about?” I questioned. “Creatures as big and powerful as you afraid of a few salvagers? Why have you not just left?”
While I didn’t know how long the hellhounds had actually taken up residency under the city, I presumed it had been a long time. I was actually surprised they hadn’t moved on, or on a grimmer note, completely decimated the ponies above them.
“We tried. Trapped for too long. Trapped because of sonic emitters. We want out!”
This whole time I had been tracking in an arc, and the creature had followed me during our conversation, turning in place. The beast did not really seem to be the brightest light in the cavern, which was saying a lot and was very fortunate for us. His back was now turned to Lily, who had shed the now unnecessary splint, and I gave a flick of my tail that had been our long standing sign signal for her to make her move.
“Oh, so you want me to be the one who lets the dog out. Where do you think you’ll go? And why do you thi— wait, why do you keep saying ‘we?’”
“Because we are many. Driven from our homes, we seek to build new life. New tunnels. Hunt new prey.”
Bang!
A bullet from the lever-action rifle whirred past the beast’s head before finding itself embedded in the soil of the far tunnel wall. The silence that followed was eerily prolonged and was broken only when the creature spun around in rage like none I had ever seen. He bellowed a fearsome howl, and his claws flayed out, ready to strike. He began moving on Lily when she fired another shot, again missing on purpose. He stopped in his tracks long enough for her to give a cocky ultimatum while working the action on the gun and pushing her glasses back into place with her hoof.
“Take one step closer, and I will put a bullet between your eyes.” I wasn’t sure if she was really willing to take another life or if it was just a bluff. I almost questioned whether those shots were really just warnings.
The creature continued to hesitate if only out of shock that his prey would talk back to him. After he shook it off, he resumed his charge. Lily held up her side and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The round was dead on target except it didn’t hit. The creature had raised its claws to cover its face and the shot was simply deflected, taking an altered course into the ground. I started to run in an attempt to catch up with the rampaging behemoth.
Ka-blam!
The shots forced me to brake and drop behind cover. Blood splattered the rubble in front of me, staining its weathered grey surface a bright crimson. A loud thud beyond told me that it was safe to come out again. When I did though, I wasn’t sure how to feel about what I saw.
Gale had come to and was standing to the side breathing heavily. The barrels of her battle saddle were smoking and the body of the strange creature lay on the ground. I cringed a little when I saw that its head was no longer in one piece. The entire side facing the pegasus was unrecognizable.
“Well now,” Gale chuckled, “that’s no way to get a-head in life.”
I shot her a scornful look, finding it a completely inappropriate time for making jokes – especially puns as bad as that one.
It wasn’t a pretty sight by any means, but we weren’t allowed to dwell on it at all. The rustling sounds of movement sprang from every direction. Among the shadows of the tunnels, many eyes appeared which glowed dimly from the light coming in through the opening above us. Muffled growls echoed throughout the earthen caverns. We were surrounded, and these things were not happy. We quickly gathered up our equipment and turned our attention to this new threat.
My companions and I backed into a circle again, facing outward to watch as more of the creatures emerged from the depths. Each of them was unique, but they all shared the same deadly features. All of them had the same canid appearance, the same fearsome teeth, and the same razor sharp claws.
“Shit,” Gale muttered under her breath. Lily simply was pale and shaking, but she still had a determined look on her face as her magic pointed the rifle out toward the encroaching threats.
I looked to the side of the tunnel. The pile of debris rose back up along the wall just shy of the surface. It would be a tough climb and a large jump back to safety, but it might just work. Before I could voice the idea though, Gale stepped out of our defensive circle.
“Get behind me, both of you,” she commanded.
We didn’t hesitate to follow the order and slipped into formation between her and the rubble.
“What are you gonna do?” Lilly asked.
“Give them a present,” Gale responded. Her head ducked into her saddle bags and took out the package she had shown us back in Crossroads Junction.
“I thought the whole point of this mission was to deliver that to the Scrappers,” I reminded her. “What in the name of Luna are you gonna do with it?”
Setting the parcel on the ground, she smiled to me. “You don’t know what this is, do you?”
“Well, no, you never told us.”
“I’m reading increasing numbers of hostiles approaching fast.” Spring Blossom had remained oddly quiet this entire time, but brought our attention back to the matter at hoof; it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, though.
Gale unwrapped the package, and opened the box. Inside was a device that she expanded and placed in front of her. It appeared to be a small metal tower adorned with a speaker on top. At the end of a long cable which ran down to the base of the structure was a small control box.The creatures were beginning to charge at us now, and would be on us in a matter of seconds.
“This was intended to protect the Scrappers from these hellhounds,” the pegasus informed us. “But now it’s our only way to get out of this mess alive. I’ll take the flak for its loss.”
“You still haven’t told us what it is yet,” I protested.
“It doesn’t matter. Just run on my mark. Make for the ridge above.”
I nodded to her. She began counting down.
“Three.”
I readied myself to break for the rubble. Lily mirrored my stance beside me.
“Two.”
Clearing my mind, I scanned the debris for the clearest path to the top.
“One.”
With my route chosen, I braced myself. The hellhounds were right on us now, leaping at us as soon as they got close.
“Mark.”
Gale flipped a switch on the control box and spun around as one of the beasts landed at her hooves, missing her by a fraction of an inch. His claws grazed the hairs off her hind legs, but that was all. I burst forth with all the strength I could put into the initial kick, launching myself onto the rubble. Lily did the same, landing next to me. We both began to scramble up the mass of destruction, Gale on our tails.
A near simultaneous whine of pain issued from the amassment of beasts below us. I wasn’t sure what the device Gale had used was, but it seemed to be affecting all of the hellhounds at the same time.
The rubble was slippery from the rain that had been pouring onto it from above, making it extremely difficult to navigate. My hooves lost their traction and went out from under me repeatedly, but I pressed onward – slowly. All of us were braving the same challenge, and with our lives on the line, we weren’t about to slow down or give up because of a little water.
Eventually, after what felt like a fight against Discord himself, we reached the top of the heap. I could see we weren’t quite at the same level as the ground above. The ledge hanging over us was muddy and rain soaked and would make this even harder than I had originally anticipated.
I swallowed my fear and took the initiative. Instead of jumping, however, I turned to Lily.
“Lily, are you able to use your magic?”
“I should be able to,” she responded. “It’s not like I lost my horn. Why?”
“Do you think you can wrap us in your magic when we jump and help float us up and over the ledge?”
“I-I suppose so. It’s worth a shot, at least.”
I put a hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. “That was a rhetorical question. I know you can do this, Lily.”
She nodded back to me. A look of renewed determination – the same look that she had the night before when firing the rifle – replaced her worried expression.
This had better work, or we’re all dead, I thought before correcting myself. No, this will work. It has to.
I believed in my friend, and I wasn’t going to start doubting her now. We had already proven ourselves more capable than I would have thought in situations that were well beyond what we had even dreamt of back in the stable. I let that thought fill me with the courage I needed to make the jump.
“Ready whenever you are, Dove.”
I took a ready stance and steadied myself as I chose my potential landing zone. Before I made my move, I peered back down the rough slope to see the creatures howling in pain from the device. Their claws covered their ears, and they were scrambling to turn the contraption off. I knew that we still had time, but as soon as they managed to hit the switch, that time would be gone.
I returned my attention to the ledge above and steeled myself for whatever fate had in store.
“I’m ready, Lily.”
My hooves kicked off of the rubble, and I found myself being engulfed in a soft green glow. For a while I drifted through the air under my own inertia, but I could tell that wasn’t going to be enough and I began to fall below the ledge. I started to worry, but then I felt my weight lift and I began to fly upwards. I looked back to see Lily’s horn sparking with power as she focused her magic on the feat.
Finally, I could see the surface above and the torn city again. I never thought I’d be so happy to see such destruction. Gently, my hooves touched down on the ground again and the glow faded from me. I immediately spun round and trotted up to the edge. Gale was preparing to spring, following my same path through the air.
I watched as she leapt, becoming surrounded by the green light of the unicorn’s aura. Luckily, Gale still had one good wing, so Lilly didn’t have to strain herself as much. Soon enough, she landed safely next to me. It was a fantastic site to behold. We were working as a perfect team to escape a dire situation, and I couldn’t have been prouder of Lily. This wasn’t the time for heartfelt sentiments though; we still had to get her out of that hole in the ground. There was an increasingly mounting issue, though.
The hellhounds had managed to turn off the device Gale had used to delay them, and they were climbing up the heap with impeccable speed.Their claws were extremely useful for latching into slippery surfaces, allowing them to perform the perilous ascent without giving a single buck.
Lily took her leap of faith at the same time as she wrapped herself in her own magic. She retraced the same aerial trail as Gale and me, but when her front hooves found themselves above the ledge the rest of her went the other way. The glow of green light faded from around her, dissipating when the sudden force dragging her down broke her concentration. She was clambering to get a grip on something as she slid back into the pit. Unfortunately, flat hooves weren’t suited for grabbing wet ground.
I rushed forward and hooked my fetlock around one of her’s while Gale grabbed the other. We both dug into the mud with our rear hooves. It was enough to keep Lily from falling, but even between the two of us, we were unable to pull her back up. There was something else weighing her down.
I peered passed her, and dangling from her rear end was a hellhound. One of his claws was wrapped around her tail, but it wasn’t affording the grip needed to hang there for long. He was slowly dropping, lubricated by Lily’s water-logged fur. A few more seconds and he would have fallen all the way off, letting us to haul the unicorn back to our level, but apparently nothing in the wastes was that easy.
Before he slipped off, though, one of his claws proved too sharp and cut through her tail completely. Even so, he made sure he wasn’t going down without a fight. The other claw he had left free swung inward and upward, piercing right into the side of Lily’s flank. She let out a scream right next to my ears that made my blood curdle. I felt a rush of intensely burning anger surge through me. At that moment I wanted so bad to be able to blast the beast to bits.
More of the beasts jumped from the pile of debris, each attempting to grab on to the last. Every one of them then slid back off as the rain soaked their fur. The constant jerking pulled the first further downward. Each tug caused his claws to rend Lily’s haunches open further, forcing more and more screams of pain through her throat. I could see my friend crying from the torture she was having to endure, and I felt powerless to help her as I held onto her as tightly as I could.
That’s when I noticed her horn glowing and a green blur zip past my head.
Blam! Schik-schik. Blam!
The cloud of magic that had shot by me enveloped Demonslayer in its aura. The pump-action shotgun was more than happy to unleash its payload into the hellhound below. The first shot landed into the beast’s shoulder, mutilating its flesh and, through the magic of the gun, lighting his wounds ablaze. The creature’s excruciating agony was mirrored in its pained howl. The second shell’s spread hit directly in the same spot, tearing apart what was left of the meat and the hellhound’s arm separated from it’s body, which was left to fall back into the darkness.
With the weight released from her, Gale and I were finally able to drag Lily back to the surface. Her magic died as the shotgun clattered to the ground and she passed out. The lacerations on her flank were bleeding profusely and they showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. I ransacked my packs until I located a roll of gauze.
Splashing the bloody openings with water from my canteen, I quickly bound the wounds as tight as I could. I was no doctor, but I knew that we needed to stop the bleeding as soon as possible and get Lily to someplace with better medical equipment, or at least another healing potion.
“Come on, kid. We gotta go.” Gale, being the strongest of us, carefully lifted the mint green unicorn onto her back. “We need to get her to the Scrappers. They’re the only ones who can help now.”
The pegasus retrieved a grenade out of her bag, pulled the pin with her mouth and tossed it down the large opening we had returned from. We could hear a loud bang and muted cries of pain behind us as we began to flee down the alley that initially led us into this trap. The torn up ground made it difficult going, but at least we weren’t being pursued.
Damn it, I spoke too soon.
Following in our wake, the ruptured earth began to collapse inward. Gale struggled to carry the still-unconscious Lily over the wayward ground, and I did what I could to help keep her steady. As soon as we reached the street, we turned and booked it away from there toward the Scrapper’s towers. I didn’t know the way so I let Gale take the lead.
The rest of the alley crumbled away as we galloped, but it seemed like the hellhounds had given up the hunt. Knowing they had been able to keep up before, I could only assume they were trying to regroup and take care of their losses.
We paused to catch our breath. Gale trotted up next to me and placed a hoof on my shoulder. “I’m gonna make sure Lilybloom makes it through this, I promise you that.”
“Thanks, Gale. That means a lot to me.”
“Come on, we’ve only got a short way to go, Dove.”
“Sure thing.” We set off at a swift, but much more manageable pace. “What was that device, anyway? It sure shut them down, but I couldn’t see it actually do anything.”
Gale’s face became very serious and solemn. She probably didn’t want to recall the lost hardware, especially at a time like this, but she seemed ready to disclose the information. “It’s a sonic emitter. The speakers output sound at a frequency high above what our pony ears can pick up, which is why it only affected them. I’ll explain better when we get to a more secure location.”
I nodded to her. That was enough to satiate my curiosity for the time being, and I knew Gale was right. We needed to focus on getting ourselves – and more importantly, Lily – to a safe place.
Footnote: Level up!
New Perk: Ferocious Loyalty - You and your companions have formed a bond with each other. When one of you is in danger, the others will do anything to help protect them, especially when it’s your life on the line. Likewise, you’ll fight harder than anyone to protect your companions.
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3264953
I'm glad you like it! And yeah, that is one hell of a coincidence. Anyway, I hope not to disappoint with future chapters, and glad to have you along for the ride!
I am really enjoying this story. I like the slow approach of introducing the characters to the world. So to you SpiritofthewWolf I will say this, you are a amazing writer. Your characters feel real, the pacing feels right, there is a huge sense of wonder in their actions.
And I will say this, reading your story while listening to Legend of the North - Fallout Equestria: Pure Hearts Theme just enhances the experience.
3281733
Glad you like the latest chapter. Yeah, they do tend to be a strangely underused element.
3277904
Thanks a lot! Though, I can't claim all the credit as I do have a wonderful editing/pre-reading team behind me too! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much, and I hope to not disappoint with future chapters.
And yeah, Ethan did a fantastic job with the song. The man really is a great musician.
Thanks again,
Spirit
Not a bad read at all if id say; needless to say i already knew what had happened to Dimond tiera but knowning that she now lives on as an ai makes her physical death all the more meaningfull, where as the same can't be said for silver spoon... yeesh i couldnt imagine a more horrid fate. currently i am listening to 3 seperate foe stories; Fall of Hope, Project Horizons, and Heroes. I have already been through foe already and have already listened to Pink Eyes as well; neddless to say the minuet i found the theme to this I knew I'd have to check it out... I'M GLAD I DID! liked, faved, and followed. Keep the chapters coming lol; MUST HAVE MORE lol. Also if you afre looking to get this read on youtube... *raises hand-/)*
3599461
Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Yeah, Diamond Tiara's fate is definitely better that SS's. I would have made it Silver instead, but she's one of my favourites, so I knew it couldn't be her. I have to avoid liking the characters in this story too much, lest I start to god-mode them. Anyway, yeah Ethan did a fantastic job with the theme, and I'm also happy you think the story is worth the read too so far. I will have chapter 6 out as soon as possible, but it's proving to likely be the longest chapter yet, and may even be around 20k words with the content i have planned for it currently. I'm about 7k words into it, and may break it into 2 chapters if I feel it's gonna be too long. Either way, it still has to go through my pre-readers and editor, but I assure you it'll be out as soon as possible! Also, I'd be down for it if you'd want to make a reading of it to post on Youtube. If it means more visibility, I won't object to it.
Awsome; yeh i know what you mean about god mode lol, im kind of at that point in my series right now lol. You spend somuch time developing your world and inhabitance that you wish they could live forever lol. Also il talk to my friend FedoraSonar who was with me when we read this and see if we can make some time to do so ok. Oh and since you are doing a FOE fic you should check out my friends as well; who knows you could share ideas and thoughts.
3602757
Cool cool. Let me know how it goes! And sure, I'll check it out if you'd like to send me the link.
Also, I realized you said you liked it, but I don't think I saw the up-votes change. Not a big deal, just confused me a bit is all.
I`ve gone and done it; after being so mesmerized and soaking in all that the FOE univerce has, I finally am working on my own called Fallout Stalliongrad; and yes the feel of it is very russian. From them saying comrad to the advent of my own take on the ak-47 being the Coltlishnekov model 47, not to mention the Spezneighs. So in other words why not take a load off and enjoy a nice glass of Grey Pegasus Vodka and check out Fallout Stalliongrad lol. Shameless plug is shameless lol.
3614778
Sure thing. I'll check it out when I get a chance!
Sweet bro, also my buddy is going to soon start on the reading of pure hearts just so you know.
3615679
Cool cool!
Well bro the prolog has been recorded and to be honest he did it justice; it sounds very professional and he wants to know if he can use your cover art for the reading. All he has to do is find the appropriate ambiant music to play as he reads and it will be up.
3620528
Neat! Can't wait to hear it. I sent him a couple of links to use for the artwork.
Just a thought, since this is now being read on yt you may want to announce it on your page here so people know where to find it and put a link to it as well. Just a thought though lol.
3627872
Already put a link in the story description. Next time I post an update to my blog here, I'll definitely do so there too.
Ahh; got ya, must not have seen it lol
4441952
Chapter 6 is nearly finished. It's actually been with my editor since January, but he's been having person issues and is now on hiatus, so I'm going to bypass him and post it here within the next week or two.
4476574
I presume that be you then, here from CoBro Forums? Hey yo.