• Project Horizons Comments Thread #1

    by
    Source

    Ponies are the best weapon wielders.

    Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons has capped out! Hit up the section below to continue discussion from the actual story post.
    Sunday, December 11, 2011 op
    Labels: ,
    Open in app
    Share This! Facebook Share Twitter Share

    4,997 comments:

    1. CureboresDecember 19, 2011 at 3:28 PM

      Re: rampage (in! Spaaaace!)

      She can apparently survive without oxygen (evidenced by not being able to drown). The solar wind wouldn't kill her either. It would just be incredibly painful due to the scalding heat and the flesh stripping radiation of direct unfiltered sunlight. In shadow her body would freeze solid, completely stopping all cellular functions and rendering her technically dead. Once she thawed in the 'morning' the massive cell damage from the flash freezing would leave her unconscious until her nervous system regenerated enough to feel pain. Since her body is also now suffering at the hands of the sun this will likely never happen. Eventually the pull of the nearest celestial body (either the sun, the moon or equestria) would draw her in. Result: a 1 in 3 chance of waking up with no memory of the last few years in a crater on equestria after re-entering the atmosphere, a 1/3 chance of her indestructible regeneration talisman lying on the surface of the sun until it goes supernova and flings it into deep space, or a 1/3 chance of living an eternal, unconscious half life on the lunar surface.

      (old post got deleted, thank god for the clipboard...)

      Also, FIRST! Had to do it...

      ReplyDelete
    2. DerpmindDecember 19, 2011 at 3:30 PM

      DERP

      Congratulations Somber on 5,000 comments. Here's to another 5,000!

      ReplyDelete
    3. WavemasterRyxDecember 19, 2011 at 3:30 PM

      The fun has been doubled!

      (Somber is best pony.)

      ReplyDelete
    4. Nightmare LunaDecember 19, 2011 at 3:35 PM

      @WavemasterRyx

      HUZZAH!

      ReplyDelete
    5. CreegosDecember 19, 2011 at 3:37 PM

      @Curebores

      Actually water boils in space due to the low pressure. Rampage would just explode instantly after each regeneration, until her talisman managed to fall into some other celestial body.

      And congratulations to Somber on making Equestria Daily explode again!

      ReplyDelete
    6. theBSDudeDecember 19, 2011 at 3:45 PM

      Iirc, the main danger of vacuum (aside from suffocation) is the pressure differential damaging lungs.

      ReplyDelete
    7. CureboresDecember 19, 2011 at 3:50 PM

      @Creegos

      Actually it does freeze because it is just that cold, Comets are made of ice. Even in sunlight the water would be kept liquid by the mechanical pressure of her body (not including tears, saliva etc). She would swell up like a balloon though.

      ReplyDelete
    8. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 19, 2011 at 3:57 PM

      Yay! We beat the blog. Congratulations to Somber and to all the talkative ponies what helped make this possible!

      Anyway, yeah, I think we can all agree that we should not put Rampage in space. That would be rude. Unless she had a spacesuit and jetpack and stuff. Then it'd be awesome!

      ReplyDelete
    9. Arcane ScrollDecember 19, 2011 at 4:00 PM

      So, that's now two stories exceeding the comments system... and both are Fallout: Equestria stories. I suspect we are a vocal fanbase :)

      ReplyDelete
    10. BronodeDecember 19, 2011 at 4:05 PM

      Yeah, she wouldn't explode unless she tried to hold her breath. Funnily enough, human skin performs pretty much all that's needed to survive in space, it just can't handle the lack of pressure very well, which leads to edema and tissue damage. If you had a wetsuit that applied sufficient mechanical pressure across your body and a helmet to breathe gasses through, you could survive more comfortably than if you were wearing a conventional pressurised space suit.

      I still imagine her tissues expanding would kinda suck. Still, her eardrums would probably only need to burst once before the pressure equalised. Not so sure about her eyes.

      ReplyDelete
    11. CureboresDecember 19, 2011 at 4:06 PM

      @Cobalt

      But... But...!

      FOR SCIENCE? @_@

      ReplyDelete
    12. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 4:12 PM

      *pops open the bottle of Wild Pegasus* Huzzah! The thread has been doubled.

      Sometime in the not too distant future, Blackjack and Glory stare at the monitor of an arcane terminal.

      "Bananas."

      "The password was Bananas?
      Why would it be Bananas?"

      "I don't know but this ship should take us to the moon."

      ReplyDelete
    13. SnipehamsterDecember 19, 2011 at 4:12 PM

      @Curebores
      Technically she would freeze, but very slowly. Unless her talisman can magically generate heat, she'd eventually drop to absolute zero by radiating her all her body heat away. Open space, by itself, cannot be cold since heat is a property of matter.

      @Somber
      Congratulations on 5000 comments!

      ReplyDelete
    14. CureboresDecember 19, 2011 at 4:16 PM

      @snipehamster

      Well if you want to get technical about it... :P

      the effect is much the same.

      ReplyDelete
    15. BronodeDecember 19, 2011 at 4:31 PM

      Speaking of freezing, I confess I've only been paying intermittent attention, to the thread but was the subject of those Windigo (is that right?) things brought up? Because if they were still around with the way the Wasteland is, I imagine it would very much resemble a bitter winter on the planet Hoth.

      So what are we going with? Magical radiation is lethal to them/drives them away? Somepony stumbled across the proton pack when testing prototype magical energy weapons?

      ReplyDelete
    16. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 19, 2011 at 4:35 PM

      @Bronode
      /cough
      Dibs on the windigoes for a FOE sidestory. =P I'm sort of kidding, but the concept I had in my head did call for a very cold part of the planet. Whether I'll ever get around to writing it is another story entirely (hence the kidding).

      ReplyDelete
    17. theBSDudeDecember 19, 2011 at 4:38 PM

      RE: Windigoes

      There's no special enmity between Unicorn and Earth Ponies, so that might have an effect.

      Or maybe the Enclave is holding them off.

      ReplyDelete
    18. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 4:48 PM

      They are Winter spirits and the last winter Equestria had was one of bale-fire ash and snow.

      ReplyDelete
    19. BronodeDecember 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM

      As I understood it, Windigos feed of negative emotion, racial tensions not withstanding, kind of like mood slime (Ghostbusters reference #2!). There's more than enough of that to go around.

      Negativity. Not mood slime. Boy, wouldn't that be cool! It'd fit ponies rather well, too. Don't pump 'em full of lead or blast 'em to ash, hose 'em down and have a freakin' party when they come to!

      ReplyDelete
    20. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 5:01 PM

      Furthermore, I propose sea pony Rampage ( in a space suit and rocket pack ) in spaceeee!

      ReplyDelete
    21. Thomas P.December 19, 2011 at 5:32 PM

      @Rook: ... Okay, yeah. that's getting drawn tonight.

      Whether or not windigo are drawn by negativity or racisms, we don't know. We do know they have a group of very well-organized Pegasus with lasers to get past, however.

      Also, this is Celestia's folk tale about the beginning of Equestria... and FoE-canon has the princesses as fallible folk.

      ReplyDelete
    22. CureboresDecember 19, 2011 at 5:37 PM

      I'll amend my comment about rampage freezing in space:
      After doing the (half remembered and questionable) maths it would take her about 8-10 hours in dark space to freeze solid. In planetary orbit and in regular contact with sunlight she would probably never freeze. It takes about 1 hour shadow time to get to lethal levels of hypothermia and the lack oxygen to fuel her metabolism is obviously an issue. If her talisman gives off heat while in operation equal to about 450 watts that is enough to balance the heat lost through radiation - That is a conceivable number.

      Hmmm... you know the only thing stopping her from being able to survive in space is lack of oxygen, her armour takes care of a lot of the pressure issues. Just give her a new helmet, some kind of propulsion and off she goes...

      Heh... I just had an image of rampage riding an ICBM Dr Strangelove style. What a badass.

      ReplyDelete
    23. Thomas P.December 19, 2011 at 5:41 PM

      Yup. She's gonna be rocketing towards the Enclave's secret orbital base with her sword-helmet and a grin, like a pony-sized armor piercing round. XD

      ReplyDelete
    24. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 5:43 PM

      I just had an unpleasant realization. Could killing Joke, kill Rampage?

      ReplyDelete
    25. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 19, 2011 at 5:53 PM

      @DotRook
      Mmmmaybe, but would it if it could? It only pulls dick moves, right? And if she wants to die, then jumping in probably would just like, I dunno, make her conscious for when she's getting put back together or something nasty like that.

      ReplyDelete
    26. MichaelJAWDecember 19, 2011 at 6:00 PM

      @DotRook

      I agree with Cobalt. Rampage wants to die, therefore there is no way killing joke WOULD kill her.

      Although I believe doing so is certainly within it's power. Unless the regeneration talisman is a soul jar, in which case it will probably be a case of 'the irresistible force meeting the immovable object'.

      ReplyDelete
    27. Thomas P.December 19, 2011 at 6:00 PM

      Eeeh. That, like drowning, is one of those th---

      You know. What if Killing Joke is what made Rampage?

      "I caught the killer only to become a killer myself?"

      ReplyDelete
    28. BronodeDecember 19, 2011 at 6:05 PM

      My guess would be a high-intensity enervation and necro transmission field centred on Rampage that she alone is immune to. Instead of killing her, it makes her kill everything else, whether she wants to or not.

      "What's that Rampage, you seek death? Well look no further; you're it! BTW enjoy the rest of eternity completely alone and having to eat grit and dirt because anything organic rots before it even reaches your mouth, lol."

      Damn, that is one vicious weed.

      ReplyDelete
    29. theBSDudeDecember 19, 2011 at 6:21 PM

      RE: Killing Joke

      She just wished she could remember killing Thorn. Maybe she'd remember nothing but the Angel of Death personality.

      ReplyDelete
    30. WavemasterRyxDecember 19, 2011 at 6:39 PM

      Dang, all this talk about Horizons being a Space Station / Moon Base and about the killing joke has all been pretty intense.


      @DotRook
      I took a shot at it (haven't been drawing enough PH recently):
      http://wavemasterryx.tumblr.com/post/14485480075

      @Mint Julep
      I've been negligent in saying so previously, but your recent artwork has been fairly smashing sir, keep up the good work.

      ReplyDelete
    31. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 6:46 PM

      @WavemasterRyx


      Hahahah, oh that's adorable. <3

      ReplyDelete
    32. Thomas P.December 19, 2011 at 6:48 PM

      I got scooped!

      Love your seaponies, Ryx. ^.^

      And thanks. I'm so, so excited about this next one.

      ReplyDelete
    33. nuub3dDecember 19, 2011 at 7:37 PM

      hmmm

      ReplyDelete
    34. UnknownDecember 19, 2011 at 8:17 PM

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUGG9TI-F40

      So yeah. Sorry in advance. But I can't put into words how awesome this story is and you Somber.

      ReplyDelete
    35. MichaelJAWDecember 19, 2011 at 8:26 PM

      @Somber

      One thing I just thought of about Chapter 28...

      Scotch Tapes memory of the tunnels is wiped, and when she wakes up a few ponies are seeing her, including Glory (this is 'off-screen' as such). Later they all sleep in the gymnasium, but I feel as if Scotch Tape should show some recognition at some point about Glory now only having one wing.

      I mean, last thing she remembers, Glory had BOTH wings, and the only description of Scotch post-wipe is that she's confused. Even if Scotch got over the surprise of it, she'd still show concern for Glory, right?

      ReplyDelete
    36. WavemasterRyxDecember 19, 2011 at 8:40 PM

      @DotRook
      Thank you *smiles*

      @Mint Julep
      Ah, I'm sorry - I really didn't mean to cut you off - I hope you'll finish your picture anyways of course. I do love sea ponies too much I couldn't pass it up *taps hooves together*
      But I'm glad you still liked it.

      @MichaelJAW
      Good point about the wing - definitely something that could be addressed in 29.

      ReplyDelete
    37. Thomas P.December 19, 2011 at 8:49 PM

      Ryx: I prolly won't, because I forgot to make her a seapony *derp*. And I was kidding! I wasn't at all grumpy about someone else thinking along the same lines as me. Quite the contrary, actually. ^.^

      Also, it's keeping me from that WIP. And when I leave WIPs hanging, the poor things die off.

      ReplyDelete
    38. CureboresDecember 19, 2011 at 10:10 PM

      @MichaelJAW

      And Blackjack had two eyes and limbs that worked. And p-21 had a broken leg.

      I think the cover story they are going for is that shit went down in the tunnels and scotch got knocked out and dragged to the hospital. She can't remember because she was unconscious (obviously :P).

      ReplyDelete
    39. SindriDecember 19, 2011 at 10:11 PM

      @Somber
      Wait, so you're apologizing because the new chapter has more scenes than you had intended, providing us with more reading material and probably improving the flow of the story?
      riight...

      @MichaelJAW
      The healing talisman in Rampage is quite definitely a soul jar. The question is whether Killing Joke is powerful enough to destroy such a thing or has a specific ability to kill the unkillable, given that it's also made of star-stuff.
      And of course nothing stops it from keeping you alive forever wishing you were dead, like it did to Fluttershy.

      @Rampage in Space!
      http://www.geoffreylandis.com/vacuum.html covers the effects of vacuum exposure on an unprotected person in detail, at least in the short term. Long story short she definitely wouldn't explode or anything like that. Her first death would be fairly quick and incredibly painful if she tried to hold her breath, but after that each death would take about 90 seconds to kill her, and she'd be unconscious after the first ten. There's not much way to lose heat in space other than evaporation and radiation, and the latter is probably inconsequential at pony body temperatures if she's still got metabolic processes running most of the time, so her mouth, nose, and eyes would likely freeze but nothing else. The pressure would cause swelling just beneath the skin pretty much everywhere if she didn't have a suit; her armor seems to cover her fairly completely and is pretty tight-fitting, so if she had that the pressure would be very uncomfortable but not dangerous. Really if she had a mask/helmet that covered her face with a good seal and provided oxygen she'd be fine.

      @WavemasterRyx
      That's a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

      ReplyDelete
    40. swickedDecember 19, 2011 at 10:19 PM

      @Somber
      Whether or not there is a need to apologize for missing one of your personal deadlines I appreciate you keeping us updated on your progress.

      ReplyDelete
    41. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 11:23 PM

      @Creegos
      Vacuum can't cause a human to explode. Their skin is too tough. The biggest danger is brain damage due to lack of oxygen; the only mechanical harm would be caused by bursting air sacs in your lungs if you foolishly tried to hold your breath. No swelling up, no exploding, no lungs sucked out through your mouth. You would eventually freeze, but radiative cooling is quite slow and hypothermia wouldn't be an issue until long after you were dead from oxygen deprivation.

      During Apollo space suit testing at the Johnson Space Center in 1965, a subject's suit sprung a leak in the vacuum chamber and he was exposed to 1 PSI (equivalent to 15,000 feet), which is close enough to hard vacuum to make no difference. He passed out 15 seconds later and survived uninjured after an emergency repressurization. The last thing he remembered was the saliva boiling off of his tongue.

      @Bronode
      It's "wendigo". Their name, oddly enough, has nothing to do with wind.
      I figure they just all died like everything else. They would be drawn to the most intense conflicts, which would also be the spots that got nuked hardest.

      ReplyDelete
    42. AnonymousDecember 19, 2011 at 11:28 PM

      @WavemasterRyx
      o/~ Call upon the Space Ponies when you're in distress... o/~

      @Sindri
      And Sindri ninjas me on the vacuum chamber test. XD

      ReplyDelete
    43. Thomas P.December 19, 2011 at 11:41 PM

      "It's "wendigo". Their name, oddly enough, has nothing to do with wind."

      I know the original figures of myth are "wendigo" with an "e", but I /thought/ FiM canon was 'Windigo" with an "i". Might just be fanon, of course, that my brain stupidly accepts. Tho' wiki says either spelling's acceptable on the myth. *pipshrug*

      ReplyDelete
    44. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 20, 2011 at 12:23 AM

      GAH. Done with finals, finally. Pro-tip: if you're going to take six hours and write a ten page story (I had to do research... also I am slow and procrastinate-y), do not listen to Kansas' "Dust In The Wind" on repeat for the entirety of that time. Why did I do that?!

      Ahem. ANYWAY!

      @WavemasterRyx
      Your picture of spaceseapony Rampage is awesome and you should feel awesome! Who's the pony shooting into the sky in the background, though? (Also it is a tragedy that we cannot hear Rampage's shoobedoo in space, a tragedy)

      @Mint
      Forgot to mention that the WIP you posted in the previous comments section was great! It was of Blackjack and Glory bein' all cuddly, and 'twas adawwable. :)

      @Wendigoes
      I heard it as "Windigoes" when the ponies said it, too, but that might've just been me hearing the pun my brain expected. Still, Wikipedia does indeed say that either spelling'll work, so no worries. (Also I really love the original mythology of the wendigo, I keep meaning to write a horror story with one)

      ReplyDelete
    45. Folker46December 20, 2011 at 12:27 AM

      Where is chapter 29! I'll just die without it!!

      ReplyDelete
    46. WavemasterRyxDecember 20, 2011 at 1:17 AM

      @Sindri and @Overlong Analysis Cobalt
      You're both far too kind - thank you.

      Cobalt - Conngratulations on making it through finals (hopefully you fared well), and well the pony in the background is supposed to be (kinda) Star Shot, a pony-shaped shooting star, for no particular reason.


      @silentcarto
      Just send an SOS ~

      ReplyDelete
    47. RainbowYoshiDecember 20, 2011 at 1:33 AM

      Woo! New comment page!

      Anywho...

      Expanding on the Killing Joke and Rampage stuff, what do you think Killing Joke would do to the rest of the cast?

      ReplyDelete
    48. KippershyDecember 20, 2011 at 1:34 AM

      my face when Somber thinks his writing is terrible and nopony should read his stories, but he's hit over 5,000 comments at a earlier point then even Kkat.

      Somber; this just proves that your work =/= horrible, unreadable rubbish.
      we all love you =3 keep it up!

      ReplyDelete
    49. KippershyDecember 20, 2011 at 3:54 AM

      >.> looks like Somber did a sneak update on chapter 4 without telling us. maybe just ripple updates maybe, but I definitely don't remember the overmare talking about Rivets being a security threat and trying to have her arrested originally...

      Maybe its just been too long since I read through the early chapters again though. Maybe... Maybe...

      ReplyDelete
    50. KippershyDecember 20, 2011 at 4:13 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    51. KippershyDecember 20, 2011 at 4:57 AM

      Chapter 4 -

      "As I came out of the accelerated time"

      accelerated time? she just came out of sats, so... either as time accelerated or as she came out of slowed down time would be what you're after.

      "I injected my last healing potion and went to reload… two bullets? Two fucking bullets!"

      Injected? drank, don't you mean?


      sorry for the previous [deleted] comment. just didn't want to have this over 2 different comments.

      ReplyDelete
    52. MaklakDecember 20, 2011 at 6:27 AM

      The revised first chapters are overally an improvement. In previous version of first chapter some things happened too fast. Now there are a few inconsistencies here and there, but others have pointed them out.

      As for chapter 28:
      Blackjack's pointless attack on clearly superior enemy, and then the doctor who healed her made me hate that stupid cunt. Sompeopny please shoot her dead already.

      I also now hate Glory. Not as much as Charity, but she still managed to leech resources from the Collegiate (they should at least admit to owing Collegiate for saving their lives), and guilted a Zodiac into parting with his gun.

      As a side note I still hate Littlepip even more for killing Red Eye. He was the most awesome pony out there, and Equestria's best chance of ending the war and rebuilding.

      You cut the most interesting part of this chapter out: piecing together what they already know and forming theories around it. Sure, it would be repetitive, but that information was scattered over previous chapters, so putting it together would be a good thing. Back when I was still playing in an RPG campaign my GM like to listen to us talking about what we think is going on with the elders.

      "Door A: bunnies, door B: landmines" Angel Bunny was very deadly, ant there is hardly anything left in the Wasteland resembling old Equestria, so anything looking vulnerable is probably a trap. On the other hand P21 can harvest landmines, and Glory can pawn them for caps. That makes the choice pretty clear. (That was a joke.)

      Lol @ seaponnies and "Shooby doo sho sho be doo". You did your research on earlier MLP series :)

      IMO Professor's true chance of salvation lies in alliance with Red Eye. Red Eye has access to cybernetic implants, and could certainly use resources of the Collegiate. Glory and Blackjack could also benefit from Red Eye's generosity, and become his agents, but they wouldn't because they oppose slavery too much.

      Blackjack's confrontation with the Goddess boggles my mind. I guess She just concluded, that BJ is good at stumbling upon things, and is curious what will come out of it. Still, teleporting BJ a few hundred meters up, salvaging her pipbuck (undamaged, as they are very hard to damage) from the corpse and dominating Sanguine would be the sensible thing to do.

      I'm pretty sure Duct Tape told Scotch Tape about her father back in the stable. If it was not described in any chapter, it should be implied.

      They should have told Scotch Tape about memory extraction, and leave the decision up to her. It would be the perfect solution, but they prefer having emotional dilemmas for some reason, or rather no reason at all.

      You use "said softly" often. It is mildly annoying. Maybe it would be less annoying, if You use more other emotions, like "said angrily".

      So they brought Scotch Tape for talk with the Professor, and blame Professor for answering their questions by showing them stuff. More insane logic on their part.

      I have no idea where that memory of Zebra assassin came from, but I sympathize with her (him?). Live and let die.

      Goldenblood should just extract that memory from the mine worker. That way nopony would go missing, and it would be far less suspicious. He could also track down her friend that way, and have an agent erase her memory of the other following Rarity.

      Lol @ "halfway to next level" footnote.

      As a side note: I know You are depressed, and I'm a bit sorry to make You more depressed with my comments. Still, You wanted comments, and this is my honest opinion on chapter 28.

      As another side note: I realize my emotions an ethics are somewhat [aberration?]. For example I'm enemy of "few steps forward empathy" where people do and say weird things not to hurt others. I'm of the opinion, that life would be much simpler if people could take what others think about them without being offended.

      ReplyDelete
    53. KimDecember 20, 2011 at 6:48 AM

      @Curebores

      Actually, she did drown, over, and over and over... ;P
      And it said, nothing short then a megaspell seems to be able to wreck soul jars. And tbh, I would consider the sun a megaspell xD
      And guys, why did I just picture seapony rampage "swimming" through space with a suit and fish-bowl like helmet just now? And seems like I wasn't the only one with that idea once I scrolled down xP

      And hum.. that is an interesting theory... would killing joke kill you if you wanted to die? Possibly... but seeing how it's Rampage, she'd die, likely in a very bizarre way (Goddess knows what she's said), then just regenerate a few whiles later. For a possibly new statement to kill her.

      But yeah, on a side note. BJ should have left the decision up to Scotch. It wouldn't have pissed of Rampage as much. But then again, she is not a clever pony.

      And Somber, you do know I'm the pony making the... should I call it "official"? FoE-RPG right?
      ... althou I'm a rather meek GM due to my docile demeanour, but I love to try and overmare both you and Kkat once I'd be done with it.

      ReplyDelete
    54. Random BlankDecember 20, 2011 at 7:23 AM

      I try to imagine a fanfic... A meteorite strikes near my house. I go there to find a golden egg-shaped object. Then a very confused red-striped pony foal forms around the object...

      ...and is really pissed with quality of our mints.

      ReplyDelete
    55. CureboresDecember 20, 2011 at 8:07 AM

      @Kippershy

      Accelerated time for blackjack in relation to the rest of the world making it seem slow in comparison. On a related note SATS/VATS might accelerate her thought processes slowing down her perception of time - probably easier to achieve than actual time manipulation and would have the same effect.

      Any medicine than can be eaten can also be injected - it all ends up in the blood stream eventually anyway and injection is by far the quickest way to get it there. That said you are probably right, the bottles don't have a hypodermic needle on them as far as I know and I certainly wouldn't inject any medicine of questionable freshness... :P

      ReplyDelete
    56. AnonymousDecember 20, 2011 at 8:10 AM

      @Mint Julep
      I kind of assumed the "wind" spelling was coming from people who didn't know any better...

      @WavemasterRyx
      This is Space Pony Rampage to Star Command. Come in Star Command. ...Blast!

      @RainbowYoshi


      @Maklak
      That's... a lot of hate ya got there. Regarding BJ, you're entitled to your opinion, and I don't disagree that it wasn't a nice thing to do. But, she did what she felt she needed to in order to protect her friends from a perceived threat. Nobody actually told her that this was the Zodiacs' base of operations. Bad form, but understandable.
      Regarding Glory, it would be one thing to for Zodiac to be upfront about it and say, "We saved your lives, now I'd like you to return the favor..." That gives BJ the opportunity to refuse, haggle, or make a counter-offer. Trying to extort EC-1101 out of BJ by presenting her with an invoice after the fact is something else entirely. Billing someone for unordered goods or services is a type of fraud.

      ReplyDelete
    57. SnipehamsterDecember 20, 2011 at 8:18 AM

      @Random Blank
      My Little Wampage. 20% more angst! :D

      ReplyDelete
    58. swickedDecember 20, 2011 at 10:32 AM

      This rampage/killing joke discussion confuses me.
      The killing joke didn't kill fluttershy, why would it necessarily try to kill rampage?

      ReplyDelete
    59. KimDecember 20, 2011 at 11:30 AM

      @swicked

      Killing joke plays cruel jokes that are often lethal to their victim. It either kills them quickly, slowly or "technically" kills them. Fluttershy got "killed" in the sense that she was theoretically just there in her mind, her body been taken from her. Xenith and... damn, forgot the name of the griffon. Got the "swift death". The seaponies, the and Joke Blue's mother got the "slow but purposeful" death. (althou, I kinda wonder what her mother said to die at birth... I hope it was of shock or something. If it was by dislodged womb, then ouch.. that stuff is a nasty way to go.) Then there was Fluttershy and the Hellhound. Neither was "mortally wounded", but instead placed in situations where they were either "dead inside" or would suffer mortal danger. The hellhound for example was quite fucked. In a new body with no knowledge on how to use it, and surrounded by a burning forest and other hellhounds that attacked any pony in sight. (tbh, I actually wanted to see that hellhound again. Would have been interesting if it was like... the albino's father or something) So yeah. Rampage would likely suffer something worse then death, possibly.

      ReplyDelete
    60. TakonDecember 20, 2011 at 11:43 AM

      QUICK! DONT LET SOMBER IN ON PAGE ONE!

      ReplyDelete
    61. swickedDecember 20, 2011 at 11:46 AM

      It'd have to be something she had actually said before, but if it didn't then I would personally vote for sticking her in with fluttershy. The most peaceful pony with one of the most violent, stuck as a tree forever...
      I really think fluttershy would make a good addition to rampage's collection of souls, either way. Wampage at a whole new level.

      ReplyDelete
    62. SindriDecember 20, 2011 at 11:54 AM

      @Maklak
      The memory wasn't a zebra assassin; they mentioned armor from horn to hoof, and were levitating their weapons. One of the victims assumed that it was a zebra because they were attacked by a sniper that they couldn't see immediately after being at war with the zebras, but the killer was definitely a unicorn. I'm guessing Psalm, but we need more evidence.

      As for Glory, all she did was point out the truth of the situation while the Professor was attempting to scam Blackjack. Zodiax admitted as much, and in the end Blackjack gave her what she wanted in the first place.

      And you get to keep any weapon that somepony uses to try to kill you and then drops. It's in the rules. Like how when you find a dagger in your spleen it becomes your dagger, no matter who put it there or how much they swear it was an accident.

      Blackjack's little hostage situation... it was hardly heroic. And if she'd intended to kill the good doctor, it would certainly have been on the 'evil cunt' side of things. But I don't think it was; I'm pretty sure that that was a bluff, gambling that the Zodiacs would value their doctor enough and consider Blackjack unstable enough that they wouldn't risk attacking or making demands with that threat in the air. For now I choose to believe that, if they had called her bluff, she would either have surrendered or died in pointless combat with them rather than actually killed the doc.

      @Curebores
      Injecting something that's meant to be drunk can get messy. A lot of stuff is supposed to go through your digestive system first and get into your bloodstream gradually and in a somewhat processed form. Then again healing potions would probably fix whatever damage they did on the way in, and we've seen Glory pour the potion directly into a wound to heal it faster...

      ReplyDelete
    63. Jack DorkingsDecember 20, 2011 at 11:54 AM

      @ silentcarto. 15,000 feet is nowhere near a hard vacuum. People skydive without oxygen from 13k. Planes would probably fall out of the sky as well.. 15000 metres sounds better.

      ReplyDelete
    64. CreegosDecember 20, 2011 at 12:32 PM

      @Rampage on space

      Feels so strange learning stuff from a MLP Fanfic discussion... I love this fandom. I guess Rampage would stay whole, given her regeneration. And you could have ghoul ponies conscious and floating around... That would be strange

      @Hawkeye92

      Actually commercial airliners tend to fly in the 30k~40k feet range, and there are planes able to fly at 100k+ feet. Even 15k meters is not really hard vacuum - it was somewhere around 100km where you get something more akin to vacuum.

      ReplyDelete
    65. theBSDudeDecember 20, 2011 at 1:01 PM

      @Hawkeye92

      He's saying 15,000 ft has 1 psi of air pressure. In terms of pressure, that's hardly different from the 0 psi you get in a vacuum.

      ReplyDelete
    66. Jack DorkingsDecember 20, 2011 at 1:35 PM

      My point was that at 15000 feet there's still a lot of air. People can live that high with acclimatization.
      If there was virtually no air at 15k then at 30 where airliners fly planes wouldn't be able to fly.

      The excelsior jump heights were enough to roughly approximate the effects of space, minus the massive temperature disparity between light and dark.

      ReplyDelete
    67. CureboresDecember 20, 2011 at 1:52 PM

      @sindri

      Well I wouldn't suggest trying to inject cough syrup but in terms of the active ingredient it is exactly the same. The only difference is that some medicine is deactivated by the liver and so has to be injected and pills might contain other ingredients like buffers and flavourings that aren't advisable to be injected.

      Concentrations are a factor but you work that out so that you end up with similar peak amounts in the blood stream - An IV drip may be required to achieve a chronic rather than acute effect. We have seen these in the story so it is possible to inject them.

      ReplyDelete
    68. AnonymousDecember 20, 2011 at 1:52 PM

      @Hawkeye92
      You are completely correct, I made a HUUUUUUGE mistake. The subject was exposed to 1 psi and regained consciousness at an equivalent 15,000 feet during repressurization.

      Remember, kids, haste makes dumbass posts. *O_O*

      ReplyDelete
    69. AnonymousDecember 20, 2011 at 2:14 PM

      For reference, average pressure at 15,000 feet is 8.3 psi, and sea level pressure is 14.7 psi.

      ReplyDelete
    70. KippershyDecember 20, 2011 at 3:08 PM

      lol. I love that I sparked a medical debate/discussion. I was simply thinking of the hypodermic needle thing - whenever we hear of healing potions they're always drunk [our poured onto the wound] and never before have we heard of them being used in needles.

      like mentioned; not to say they couldn't be, just that its not been done thus far.

      hell, maybe they can't because it'd heal up too fast, healing around the needle?

      ReplyDelete
    71. CureboresDecember 20, 2011 at 4:13 PM

      @kippershy

      There was that machine in the miramare air station that had healing potion IV tubes. Also healing around the needle wouldn't matter because the needle would still be inserted and intact with medicine flowing into a blood vessel or interstitial fluid.

      ReplyDelete
    72. swickedDecember 20, 2011 at 4:42 PM

      @Maklak

      I actually admire BJ in this chapter. She shows her progress… she's not a true hero. She's been shot at more than enough times to no longer care about a fair or honorable fight. She will assassinate an enemy without regret, geld if given the opportunity, use a non-combatant enemy (the doc called the zodiacs on her, so yeah, she made herself an enemy at that point) as a shield and be willing to kill her if the stakes are high enough. In fact, she'd probably even be willing to use an innocent if she was fairly certain the enemy would not shoot. BJ was weak and trapped, and a cornered tiger is the most dangerous. I think that's the phrase…
      She's still there to save the ponies she can, but given all of equestrian or her friends (and Chapel) to save, I think she'd go with the later. She could never be the wasteland's savior, anyway.

      Littlepip didn't kill Redeye. She just didn't especially try to save him. He got shot in the flank, she decided he was going to die and dropped him. It's funny he apparently survived as long as he did afterward and the alicorns didn't help him. The one thing that really grated on me that chapter was the idea that Redeye forgot Littlepip could levitate things. Moronic. I haven't followed the FO:E thread, though, so maybe that was explained. I just can't imagine how.

      Making short-sighted, rash decisions for other people is kind of a theme in BJ's group, so I wasn't surprised they just took Scotch's memories. Call it a stupid ball moment. They should have asked her, but I think it's far more typical of them to do just what they did.

      I think Trixie is, for the most part, still a good pony. Her alicorns can be atrocious but she herself strikes me as mostly pacifistic and fairly slow at thinking on her feet. Above all she isn't a fighter or any kind of leader, unlike twilight or possibly the twins (considering they were the head of their department). I believe the goddess just didn't think of killing BJ as an option, unlike Lacunae, to whom the idea was immediately apparent. The goddess is willing to live and let live in the hopes that littlepip's plan will pull through, leaving Blackjack as a backup.
      I might be very wrong, but it seems to me like no alicorn has killed while under her direct control and she has a tendency to defer if someone is aggressive enough toward her. BJ's gun play might have been entirely unnecessary. It might just be all the bad blood from all the ponies that have been added in since d-day that cause them to be as violent as they are.

      Goldenblood killing that pony was pretty surprising. At the very least, yes, it does leave questions in the mind of her friend and anyone else who noticed her go spy on Goldenblood and immediately afterward fall down a mine shaft for which any amount of forensic evidence would point toward her going off backward after hanging from the edge of the shaft. Possibly even the fact that the railing had inexplicitly been ripped open before being put back together. Goldenblood isn't a metalworker so I don't see him using a spell like this with the level of perfection to not leave any evidence.
      Then again, he could have a professional cleanup crew on his payroll... but at that point having a single unicorn who was an expert at destroying memories would be less expensive and leave a lot fewer loose ends.

      I think I've just talked myself out of the idea that this action made sense if it was really just to keep a secret. Maybe she's an example? Or her death served some other purpose?
      Is it really the consensus that Goldenblood did this strictly for the reason he said he was going to?

      ReplyDelete
    73. CreegosDecember 20, 2011 at 6:59 PM

      I don't think Blue Blood actually managed to kill that pony. After wall, how could they have acquired the memory orb? He survived (somehow), and someone extracted that memory for some reason - I'd guess either Blue Blood himself or maybe Pinkie Pie, or even some yet-unknown third entity. And given how this was done, I would think that it was well within his plans, seeing how much of a Chessmaster he is.

      ReplyDelete
    74. KimDecember 20, 2011 at 7:13 PM

      @swicked

      Ah, you made my point much clearer then I could have with Golden. But yeah, that was pretty much my point overall: Memory wipe would've been easier. And there's a chance she could have survived. Who knows if that wasn't in his plan to make her think she'd be killed.


      And Creegos, you mean Goldenblood right? Blueblood is a totally different pony :P

      ReplyDelete
    75. RainbowYoshiDecember 20, 2011 at 10:17 PM

      @Creegos

      The memory was obtained from that whole mess of just randomly floating memories down in the sewers.

      ReplyDelete
    76. SomberDecember 20, 2011 at 10:58 PM

      @Creegos

      The memory being projected was the memory as Zodiac remembered it. If you recall in 26, being in that cave caused BJ to encounter memories locked in the cave. Basically memory orbs minus the memory. Zodiac experienced it when she went down and now was showing it through the projector.

      Could Goldenblood have dealt with Dewdrop another way? Sure, but at the time he didn't have a security team to detain her and knew that there was only one surefire way to make sure she didn't tell his secrets. This was also a few years before he'd learned how to do the spell himself. And incidentally, this is the reason he learns to do it.

      Sorry for the mini spoiler. There's also something else going on, but I think you know it.

      ReplyDelete
    77. SomberDecember 20, 2011 at 11:02 PM

      Thirty pages down. 5-10 more to go. Then we brush it Thursday. So sorry I didn't have it done by now. Horrible weekend and I'm still sick. >.<

      Also, I'm sorry you don't like Blackjack or Glory any more, Maklak, but there's better ways to put it.

      Anyway, going to bed early so I can wake up sooner tomorrow. Sorry for making you wait. Love and Peace.

      ReplyDelete
    78. swickedDecember 20, 2011 at 11:50 PM

      Every time I expect Goldenblood to be duplicitous he's being entirely earnest. I absolutely cannot read this character...

      ReplyDelete
    79. KashinDecember 21, 2011 at 12:06 AM

      @Sindri
      "Like how when you find a dagger in your spleen it becomes your dagger, no matter who put it there or how much they swear it was an accident."

      Would you mind if I used that line?

      @swicked
      "The one thing that really grated on me that chapter was the idea that Redeye forgot Littlepip could levitate things. Moronic."

      To be honist I liked that part, he made a mistake, it made him failabe. You would be astonished on how frequently poeple will overlook an obvious detail when trying to account for every posibility. As an amature example I gave a set of D20 Future players over a week of real time to plan an ambush. They set up drones, electronic countermesures, every tipe of security system they could come up with. When the trap was sprung the enamy would have beed screwed, all of his tech was rendered useless, rainged weapons were disabled, psicic powers stoped working and he was sucking up VX poison... what they forgot is that, while all its fancy bits of tech didn't work, a 6 foot sword is still a big, sharp bit of staby metal and they had no defenses beyond hazmat suits in a room full of the nastyist poisn in the game.

      ReplyDelete
    80. KashinDecember 21, 2011 at 12:07 AM

      @Kashin
      This is what happens when I forget to spell check and haven slept in 20 hours, sorry.

      ReplyDelete
    81. swickedDecember 21, 2011 at 12:33 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    82. swickedDecember 21, 2011 at 12:37 AM

      @Kashin

      In the gladiator stadium place he watched as she used her ability to levitate something like a dozen barrel's worth of radioactive goo to obscure her escape, managed by levitating Zenith and herself, up through the roof (or something like that).
      What progressed was a chase in which she continued to use her one magic spell, as weak as she was, over and over.

      I just don't know how you can forget something like that.

      ReplyDelete
    83. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 21, 2011 at 12:53 AM

      @Somber
      Woo, Thursday! Hey, that's the first day I'm not traveling anyway, works for me. Sorry that you're still sick, though; I got knocked on my rear last year by the flu for a week or too, and can't recall it being especially pleasant (except for the novelty of having an extra-high fever - everything felt new and exciting! Also: painful).

      Yeah, um, my unprofessional opinion is that Maklak has developmental issues.

      Anyway, regarding Goldenblood, I actually didn't question his killing of Dewdrop all that much. She overheard some stuff that was more than just scandalous, and if she'd been a spy, or even just blabbed the wrong thing... well, Golden wouldn't have been the only one to go down. Hell, if the zebras heard that members of the pony government were using the black book, the balefire bombs probably would've rained down then and there (unless they already knew and didn't, in which case I'm derpin' hard). Still: dick move on his part. Definitely something he'd do, but a dick move nonetheless.

      Also, to tout le monde - he said that love and loyalty were exceptionally important to him. Have we discussed that yet, with its implications? Who does he love, and who is he loyal to? Fluttershy for either?

      @Kashin
      [storytime!] I love it when players do silly things! Mine seemed to like jumping into traps to "disarm" them. Also, the warlock wanted to stick her arm into a portal to a Lovecraftian chaos/hell/void. To convince her not to, the other players threw a kitten in (which slowly twisted apart and exploded). She still wanted to. Between their constant necrophilia, corpse-mutilations (for trophies/"armor"/kicks), and (comically inept) attempts at torture, I'm still not sure how they were supposed to be playing a neutral/good party...

      ReplyDelete
    84. KashinDecember 21, 2011 at 2:24 AM

      @Overlong Analysis Cobalt
      "Mine seemed to like jumping into traps to "disarm" them."
      Ah, the barbarian trap-smith technique, a classic.

      "Also, the warlock wanted to stick her arm into a portal to a Lovecraftian chaos/hell/void. To convince her not to, the other players threw a kitten in (which slowly twisted apart and exploded). She still wanted to."
      oh, that reminds me of a funny little run that happened just last week. So I had a hulking charicter with over 140 HP at level 9 (mutations, implants and everything plugged into con plus D10 HD)so he is fighting a giant tank. he climbs on top and does he looks for a hatch? Nope, he gos and rips the tank's gun open. The next thing that happens is he is ignited in blue fire and is forced to make a DC 25 fort save that inflicts one point of con DRAIN on a success, 2d10 on a failure. All this is caused by a 3 foot shell that looks like it has a protoss archon in it. this seems like a good time to run or find an off switch or something, but no, he punches the computer to bits (I don't run a game where shooting the controls will open a door, if anything it will lock it in whatever position it is in at the time) and then proceeds to suplex the shell into the tank. This causes it to explode in a blast that deals 4d100 disintegration damage. He survives it. He then peels himself of the glassed beach and trudges all they way back to his landing ships (still on fire) only to die from blood loss just as the rescue ships set down.

      "Between their constant necrophilia, corpse-mutilations (for trophies/"armor"/kicks), and (comically inept) attempts at torture, I'm still not sure how they were supposed to be playing a neutral/good party"
      Chaotic stupid, sadly the default for most RP groups.

      ReplyDelete
    85. SindriDecember 21, 2011 at 2:24 AM

      @Somber
      "...And incidentally, this is the reason he learns to do it."
      I love this. Goldenblood being neither some perfect chessmaster nor a standard villain with specific permanent flaws, but actually figuring out what he's doing wrong and what he's lacking, coming up with the best stopgap measure a bad situation allows, and then fixing it for next time.

      There's nothing I enjoy more than a duel between intelligent adversaries, each coming up with new tricks and counters and changing the rules moment by moment. And FoE fics are one of the few places you can intelligence vs intelligence those these days, as opposed to the same old power vs teamwork or intelligence vs power or whatever.

      Whether he did this so that he wouldn't have to kill a witness again or because it was a more sure way of diverting suspicion I suspect we'll never know. And we probably shouldn't; the obfuscation of his morals and whether what he did was ultimately right is one of the biggest questions of PH, and it should probably be left open.

      Anyways, 'oh noes! Somber is going to make us wait all the way to the day he told us to expect three days ago, but giving us twice as much to read then! what a tragedy!'

      ReplyDelete
    86. SindriDecember 21, 2011 at 2:40 AM

      @Kashin
      Sure, go ahead! It started in a HackMaster (parody/variant of early D&D) game where I was on the front lines and the thief in the party decided to start chucking daggers into melee. Naturally most of them ended up in my back. After the combat I refused to give them back, and everybody else supported me in this (standard penalty for shooting into melee and hitting an ally in that party was no more healing if you hit the cleric, or being required to be in front in the next fight, but he was the only thief, and rather squishy, and going through a dungeon without a thief is like going into a gorilla enclosure wearing a banana suit; bad things start to happen). One of the daggers was even magic!


      @Swicked
      Yes, there's no way he'd forget her telekinesis in regards to her escape routes, or defending the other unicorns in here. But to an earth pony, when you jump off a cliff you fall. Brilliant as he was, and as many factors as he'd accounted for, it just never occurred to him that when he jumped into the vat anything other than him falling could happen. Heck, the "I jump, I must fall" is so deeply ingrained in a person's subconscious that I've seen dozens of players in a variety of RPGs forget that their character can fly when they get hit by a pit trap or something that should be easily avoidable, just taking the falling damage and then remembering that they can fly back out instead of climbing.

      @Cobalt
      The crack about developmental issues is uncalled for; he's expressing an honest opinion of a fictional character, albeit in a slightly rude way and one that we mostly disagree with, and then making clear how much he enjoyed other parts of the chapter. Personal attacks are going too far.

      ReplyDelete
    87. MaklakDecember 21, 2011 at 4:47 AM

      @ Cobalt: "Maklak has developmental issues".
      I'd have to look "developmental" up, but I know I have emotional issues. I've even been in a psychiatrologists' hospital. I also have far less trouble making enemies than friends. I don't mind You pointing that out, but I kinda agree with Sindri. In places like this thread it is better to point out what you disagree with, and argue with arguments rather than write one sentence about your "adversary" being unhinged.

      @ Somber: "I'm sorry you don't like Glory anymore, but there are less rude ways to put it"
      You're right, I should have saved that comment to a text file, and edit it the next day with cooler head. Still, Glory is becoming almost as scary as Velvet Remedy.

      Ah yes, Goldenblood's actions make more sense if at the time he didn't have easy access to memory wipes (and they were developed towards the end of the war). Still, calling in his personal security (and I see no reason why he wouldn't have a dozen or so guards assigned to him (or picked by him and somewhat trustworthy)) to detain her would be another way to deal with this.

      @ Red Eye discussion:
      Yeah, making a cage that opens down with a lot of Unicorns that will fall into vats was accounting for Littlepip's telekinesis, and forgetting she could levitate him was a gross oversight. He should at least add a way to remotely open the cage with his brain implant.

      Littlepip also made it clear, she wants to kill Red Eye in previous chapters, so it was more than "not particularly trying to save him".

      Alicorns were attacked by Enclave's HHs and too distracted to do anything at the time. They still managed to salvage Red Eye's implants tough.

      I liked it that Red Eyes empire didn't immediately fall apart, but was taken over by his griffin leader.

      The thing that didn't work for me the most in last chapters of FoE (apart from Red Eye dying) was the sheer amount of IMP. Unless Littlepip exaggerated, it would be a 100m cube of liquid assuming water density. That liquid is high end product of alchemy, so this amount would need a freaking refinery and producing it would leave much much more than its volume of magical waste. That meant the damage to Equestria was done even with "annihilation sphere" from Starblaster. What I don't get the most about it is why you need so much IMP (or FEV in Fallout) and what is is about submerging living things in it. After all Trixie was given a glass of it to drink, and even small amounts of taint in environment are enough to cause mutations and tumors. Even if You need more of it to create "Taint God", about 50k liters should be more than enough. You can always order your minions to make more anyway.

      ReplyDelete
    88. SindriDecember 21, 2011 at 5:09 AM

      @Maklak
      Yes, but if he called in his security team to detain her, he would have a dozen or so ponies who knew that he was detaining her. It would only take one of them that wasn't entirely loyal to him or had a tendency to get drunk or let secrets slip to his marefriend or whatever and everypony would know that she had heard something important and he was specifically working to shut her up. As is there might be a few who are suspicious, but there's no evidence (half mile drops tend to obscure the conditions under which they began) and the one pony who knows what happened other than him is dead. Cold, yes. Evil, probably. Objectively the safest option, definitely.

      As for the quantity of IMP... Small amounts in the environment are enough to kill, mutate, or create tumors, but can't manage the full body transformation that Red Eye required. The chalice was intended to be enough to turn Trixie into an alicorn, such that they could have even more magical power and improved air superiority for the war effort, but couldn't make something like the Goddess. The only example we have so far for the creation of something like that is the total submersion of several ponies, who would then lose their physical forms entirely and combine to form a single disembodied mind capable of telepathy and incredible levels of magic. Yeah, maybe the quantity that Red Eye prepared is a little overboard, but he needed to be sure that he could entirely submerge somewhere between three and twenty two ponies immediately and on the first try, or things might have gone wrong. Better safe than sorry, especially considering that he did have a huge refinery or two lying around.
      And it's never been established that there were any nasty byproducts to producing IMP; none of the other potions we've seen had any byproducts. There were large quantities of magical toxins and such left behind under the Maripony facility, but I think those were the result of failed attempts as Twilight was perfecting the formula (after all, something that can completely rewrite your physical form when made properly is probably going to be quite dangerous if you get the mix wrong).

      ReplyDelete
    89. Random BlankDecember 21, 2011 at 5:27 AM

      Oh, but Red Eye is not dead!
      http://askredeye.tumblr.com

      ----
      Injecting medicines: most of digestive tract medicines are not absorbed into bloodstream at all, they just act on surface of intestines. Others must be dosed very slowly - drip bag yes, injection no. Yet others activate in digestive tract, like the ones rebuilding your bacterial flora.
      ----
      I agree, I regret too that the summary/catch-up part was skipped.
      ----
      Others should definitely tell Scotch -what- she missed. Not in great detail, but in just enough detail that she won't yearn to recall it all. Omit gory details, just mention they were gory.
      -----
      Cyber parts: Essential part of getting cyber parts that integrate perfectly and don't hurt is a very mild pink cloud essence coating.
      Now I'd LOVE to see Glory with a badass steel wing.

      ReplyDelete
    90. MaklakDecember 21, 2011 at 6:28 AM

      There might be a way to jury-rig Rampage's resurrection talisman into healing Glory (and FOR SCIENCE is usually a good reason to try).

      This might also work on the professor, and for her implants a repair talisman from power armor might work.

      ReplyDelete
    91. KimDecember 21, 2011 at 6:37 AM

      @Somber

      I know I'm just trailing off allot here, but I can't help but to wander off in thought of her falling down, desperately scraping against the wall to break her fall. Then land in/on not directly sharp or lethal rocks. Breaking several bones in the fall, hitting her head hard enough to get amnesia or something. Then being found by like, diamond dogs and... yeah, stuff trailing off here. But generally in the end, it would be like Pink Eye's, but semi-reversed. Cybermare looking for revenge/her family.
      But tbh, I'm actually quite surprised he wouldn't carry around a like, sedative gun or something, or at least a guard/nurse of some sort, due to his condition.

      @Swicked: Keep in mind he knew she could levitate and all, but he didn't think she would stop him from jumping. After all, if you tried to "kill" yourself in front of your arch-nemesis, do you expect they would try and stop you? Plus, if she tried to stop him in any way or levitate the unicorns, they would all die.

      As for Glory's wing: Am I the only one that sees her with a "flight" talisman? Having one wing that is a "fairy" one?

      And regarding RP groups. I find it funny how many min-max/power players forget the most basic details. I've seen players fail horrible since 1: They forgot to bring food. 2: They didn't have basic equipment, such as flint and tinder. 3: They had no-one in the group with any good non-combat skills. 4: "There's only a 20 % chance of failure" or equally face-palming stuff. Heck, I remember one of the most fail traps ever, and I'm saying fail since it was so stupid acting by them it just worked. 1: Have dark cave. 2: Add spears lined up in dark cave. /Pitfall trap / Pool of lava/acid (covered by magic). 3: Have someone either cry for help, or roar from inside cave. 4: They charge in in full speed. 5: ??? 6: Profit.

      ReplyDelete
    92. Random BlankDecember 21, 2011 at 8:17 AM

      Fairy? Not that century for Equestria.
      Crimson leathery wing from Zebra-made Bloodwing talisman though?

      ReplyDelete
    93. Random BlankDecember 21, 2011 at 9:00 AM

      Next time Rampage regenerates as a foal, give her a mirror then watch her try to strangle herself to death fruitlessly.
      (sorry for that bit of dark humor)

      ReplyDelete
    94. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 21, 2011 at 9:04 AM

      @Sindri I'll apologize and retract it, then, but it wasn't meant as an attack. It was an attempt at explaining (and thus, to a degree excusing) his behavior. I had forgotten that mental illness is equated with character faults, however, and spoke with too much levity. Therefore, I am sorry for what I said, and sorry to Maklak for having said it.

      ReplyDelete
    95. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 10:38 AM

      @swicked
      Everypony has holes in their perception, blind spots where they assume everyone else will act as they do. Earth ponies always forget the levitating-stuff-behind-you trick. Unicorns forget to look up for threats. Red Eye could never understand Pip's willingness to sacrifice herself. This isn't moronic, it's just... human. (Pony. Whatever.)

      Anyway, I wouldn't say Red Eye "forgot" until the moment he tried to jump. He had honestly believed that, between the chance to save the Wasteland and the threat against the prisoners, Littlepip would take him up on the offer. Honestly, if it weren't for Gardens, she might have.

      Trixie hasn't shown any unwillingness to kill. It's just that BJ is a powerful tool, and the Goddess is unwilling to destroy that without good reason.
      At this time, Blackjack can't harm the Goddess or any of her plans. There's no particular reason to oppose what she's doing. Leaving her alone mighit even help; even if BJ isn't working directly for the Goddess, the information Trixie wants is currently beyond her reach. BJ is likely to shake things up, and quite possibly make that information accessible. If Sanguine had Project Chimera (and wasn't willing to help the Unity), for example, there would be absolutely nothing stopping an army of alicorns from tearing him apart and taking the data for themselves.

      And hey, as much as BJ gets herself shot up, there's every reason to think she might end up needing the assistance of the Unity at some point. At that point, she may be desperate enough to cut a deal.

      Honestly, she has no reason to want BJ dead except sheer spite, and if that's the case, she has only to wait for the slow, sure assassin -- Time.

      ReplyDelete
    96. KimDecember 21, 2011 at 11:41 AM

      @Random Blank
      Fairy, butterfly, I meant the wings Rarity got. But likely a bit more resilient.

      @Silent: I'd call it "equine".

      ReplyDelete
    97. Random BlankDecember 21, 2011 at 11:48 AM

      @Kim: Yeah, I know. But totally not FoE style. Bloodwing, Steel, Energy, Jet, Organic growth, even Crystalline...

      ReplyDelete
    98. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 1:34 PM

      Science! Energy! Science! Energy! Fairy wings, cyberwings, crystal wings, more wings than YOUR BODY HAS ROOM FOR! You'll fly so fast Princess Celestia will be like, "Slooooooow doooooooown!" and you'll be like "Fuck you!" and swat her in the face with your ENERGY WINGS!

      ReplyDelete
    99. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 1:37 PM

      Try PEGATHIRST! The only energy drink that will make you AAAUGH! Ponies! AAAUGH!

      XD I'm so sorry...

      ReplyDelete
    100. Jack DorkingsDecember 21, 2011 at 2:02 PM

      Chapter 28 review

      The first interview is a good insight into Rampage's mind. Must be horrible knowing that there's a monster lurking in your head somewhere. Rampage would probably be cool with the whole not dying deal if she could just get that bad stuff out of her. Of course that'll probably kill her.

      Launching straight into traditional Blackjack straight at the beginning is good. Then its a classic PH moment- expecting everything to slip into a fight and everypony do what they do best in a fight, then Blackjack flops to the floor and starts wriggling in the general direction of the zodiacs with a spoon in her mouth. I have to admit that made me grin.

      Triage being held hostage is another good show of Blackjack's character. She will fight extremely dirty if she or her friends are threatened, in contrast to Littlepip quite a lot there. Reminder of Gemini and Taurus was to be expected but it still somehow took me by surprised. That was a very sad chapter...

      The planetarium was pretty cool, Blackjack shouting down the floaty head was pretty awesome, especially when it was revealed it was part of a bet between Zodiac and Rampage. Lacunae looking in mild confusion was a nice nod too (she's not Trixie...). It was also about here I started getting worried for Scotch Tape- her reactions definitely stood out, pointing to her instability after the tunnels.

      The following exchange was odd. I never thought the others would be so pissed at Blackjack not telling them about what she found in the memory orbs. They're really old stuff that didn't really have much bearing on anything. Although Rampage's reaction was understandable. I guessed its mainly explaining how all the monsters they fought came into being which wouldn't be that important unless you were particularly curious. I probably forgot a whole load of stuff where they might have found out about fragments and Blackjack never elaborated though.

      Glory's entrance was really well played. I forgot that she comes from a very political family, but it really shines through here. “Hey Blackjack, can I get my fifty caps back?” I laughed there, was fantastic. Interactions with Glory here also show how much Blackjack has warmed to Glory- its really nice to read.

      Scotch's interview was great as well- Blackjack's crazy and a bit scary. I couldn't really sum her up better than that in as few words.
      Glory and Blackjack wrestling with Blackjack's mortality was touching. Also I wouldn't be dying alone was particularly good. Definitely contrasting with Littlepip there. I don't think her friends would let Blackjack go off on some suicidal mission alone- hell she tried and they just went after her.

      Another peek at life and politics in Thunderhead was well appreciated. Starting the Red Eye arc here- I'll be intrigued how the invasion of the rest of Equestria pans out in Hoofington, since they have the ministry hub in the Hoof anyway there's nothing I can see to gain with a massive invasion. Although the Neighvarro lot might do anyway, I get the feeling that they're generally a trigger happy bunch.
      The berry situation was great, adding to the richness of it all and Thunderhead supplying equipment is pretty cool- with the only major influx of raw materials and unicorns able recharge spark batteries Thunderhead would be pretty important. I wonder if they have enough stuff coming in to produce relatively heavy equipment for export, like top end battle tanks and the like.
      Of course the comment about them being the Blackjack of the enclave gives me the feeling that the area will be invaded by the rest of the enclave.

      The information on Project Steelpony was good. More Deus being, well Deus. Incorporating the motor technology with the Power armour I guess would be more efficient and equally as destructive (possibly more protective too since more strength can mean more and better armour), but the ponies behind the projects seem to be the type of ponies who are easily obsessed by something.

      ReplyDelete
    101. Jack DorkingsDecember 21, 2011 at 2:03 PM

      Also pretty cold. Sure Doof did something both very wrong and monumentally stupid, so you turn him into a monster that you don't really care about and expect to be killed. On the moral scale that's probably worse than Deus...
      Dropping the continuity a little, the memory of the beginnings of Project Eternity was pretty grim. If I didn't hate Goldenblood before, I do now. It isn't in the way he's a poorly executed character- I think his manipulation from the background is pretty good- I'd imagine a lot of spook stuff like that happens today without anyone noticing.
      But the guy's a creep and a slimeball. Now a murdering one too. Hell even if Dewdrop blabbed about what she heard, out of context its pretty much nonsense- there's some kind of magical defensive project under way and Goldenblood might be going out with Fluttershy- the first part wouldn't be really worth noticing with the whole war thing going on. The second would probably be more likely to get out. Of course it would draw more attention to Goldenblood but still, that's a really cold move. I get the feeling that he's not in a relationship with Fluttershy though, given his expression. I really hope he meets a really sticky end.

      Scotch's memory treatment and P-21 was sad. Of course without it she'd probably be too scarred to be normal, but now she's just going to be hurt all over again- there was a lot she learned in those two days. The dealer's back. Still have nothing on him. All will be revealed sooner or (more probably) later though I guess.
      Of course Scotch's memory loss means Rampage is going to get hurt pretty badly. Not surprised at her reaction and decision to leave the group. I really hope she comes back at some point.

      Then a helpful time reminder. Got a couple weeks before the bomb goes off, but then a lot can happen in a couple of weeks. Hell this whole story has been over the course of three to four weeks now?
      Then what would Blackjack do? Have a bath! That made me chuckle- at least she took off her barding this time first though. Also true to form the seaponies appear at the same time. Awesome.
      Shoo Be Doo :3

      The interview with the goddess was good. Pretty much your standard 'we're here to exploit the leader' fayre but they have been kinda honest about it from the outset. Possibly because there's nothing anyone could do anyway if they didn't like it.
      The scene with the rain and the gun maintenance was beautiful. I also agreed with everyhting said there.

      The goddess and Lacunae is always interesting. I guess you can instantly tell through the tone of telepathic voice, like the Goddess is a sledgehammer and Lacunae is more gentle. I kinda guessed the Goddess would be on the quest for male Alicorns. Preferably without Red Eye. Which brings me neatly to a conundrum- if they meet more of Red Eyes forces in the Hoof, will Lacunae's presence stop a fight from breaking out on contact?
      Lacunae says that she could easily take out Blackjack and I don't doubt it. An alert Alicorn is probably above Blackjack's pay grade. Where she said she'd kill Blackjack if the Goddess didn't agree with her I'm going to assume it would be because Lacunae doesn't have any choice in the matter.

      ReplyDelete
    102. Jack DorkingsDecember 21, 2011 at 2:03 PM

      The dream was odd to say the least. If that was Psalm no wonder she has a massive perpetulat guilt trip in Lacunae's head. If Blackjack found that out before the trip into Lacunae's head I have to wonder if the alicorn would still be stood there oblivious. That was beyond evil. Although I really liked the idea of the emergency centre. Reminded me of the Plan in Battlestar Galactica where even after the bombs fell and robots are invading, people still manned the rescue shuttles and pulled as many people from the rubble as they could. I hope a few of the people who got to the evacuation sites were OK. Maybe getting flown to another continent or something.

      Finally the intrepid band of heroes takes into the mist and rain again, onwards to the Steel Rangers and flash industries or wherever. Although if Blackjack wants to use EC-1101 on it she has to remember the spell will be damaged in the process. Probably would be best to help it run its course first so you can access EVERYTHING. Although Blackjack isn't a smart pony...

      Another great chapter. Was this supposed to be just angst or did the R&R chapter merge with this one? I suppose we'll find out next time.

      ReplyDelete
    103. KippershyDecember 21, 2011 at 2:04 PM

      reading through all the old chapters really reminds me even more so why I love BJ

      ReplyDelete
    104. KimDecember 21, 2011 at 3:32 PM

      @Random Blank

      When has something cute/pretty and lethal not been an effective mix? xD We have rainbow sluge, sparkly canons that turns things into pink dust, a large freaking pink cloud and... filly Rampage xP Don't forget the "Equestria" in "Fallout Equestria", they are still pastel coloured ponies ;P

      ReplyDelete
    105. SindriDecember 21, 2011 at 3:57 PM

      @Hawkeye92
      If Dewdrop had talked, it would rapidly have become public knowledge that the head of the OIA had agreed to provide the Mare of the Ministry of Image with prisoners for use in secret experiments. That would instantly and completely destroyed both their careers if not lives and disrupted every project he had running. he didn't have any other options for ensuring her silence (no immediate access to memory manipulation magics, and bringing more ponies in would just expand the problem), and what's the life of one pony compared to all the sacrifices he's already made, and the good that his schemes will eventually do?
      So yeah, he's a slimeball and a murderer and if his plans don't turn out as he hoped he'll go down in history as the evil bastard behind half the atrocities of the war. But I think I understand why he did what he did, and if his goals were what I think they were I hope he pulls them off.

      ReplyDelete
    106. swickedDecember 21, 2011 at 5:30 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    107. swickedDecember 21, 2011 at 5:32 PM

      @Everyone who thinks Red eye’s mistake was excusable.
      No, Red eye had no excuse, after spending this long on his plan and being painfully aware of Littlepip's capabilities and tendencies, to have forgotten she could levitate him. He counted on her trying to levitate the ponies in the cage. It's not possible. The unicorn were there for the sake of providing the necessary ingredient if they needed to, and he was absolutely willing to go through with the plan without Littlepip. He just thought they'd make a better god with both of them together.
      He really couldn't have fallen to ANY other oversight? A backup jumpstart that only exists within the power armor of a commander? A poison dart from Velvet's gun that would keep him alive but knocked him out? A chemical additive Dr. Glue had put together at the last moment to screw over Red Eye by unbalancing the entire batch of IMP in the event of some doublecross? Some of the alicorns (Twilight's, the twins and Trixie's if their spirits/minds really had gone up and possessed a couple of the remaining alicorns) not taking too kindly to this whole ordeal after having been restored some small part of their sanity? The blood sword spell allowing Littlepip to liberally nail Red Eye's hooves to the grating before he could get to the edge of the platform? Or even just the fact that Littlepip's telekinesis is so strong it could rip the entire tank out of the ground and shove it to the side as Red Eye fell, his well-planned use of a specialized bypass spell having made him an invalid target for the generic unicorn telekinesis spell and thus negating Littlepip's most obvious response to the final step in his grab for godhood.
      Then having the diamond dogs pop up as he moved to get in the tank while Littlepip rested after her herculean effort, destroying the tanks by digging up from under them like they did.
      His final words could have been, "Wow, you're a lot stronger than I remember."
      Which would have been SO much better than, "Huh, you know, I entirely forgot you could levitate stuff."

      When it comes right down to it, he went out like a chump and I think less of him for it.
      At least he had a competent second-in-command.

      @Maklak
      For the record, I really dislike Glory and Velvet, too. Really, the only thing I thing I like about Glory at all is that she makes BJ happy. Because BJ is da bomb.

      Final note:
      @Somber – Any idea when next BJ can get drunk?

      ReplyDelete
    108. AnonymousDecember 21, 2011 at 6:03 PM

      In regards to Redeye not realizing Lil'Pip could just levitate him when he tried to jump...

      Even I forgot Lil'Pip could levitate him when he tried to jump.

      So when it happened... I facehoofed myself, so very hard.

      "Oh right.. 2nd strongest, if not strongest telekinetic in The Wastelands."

      ReplyDelete
    109. O. HindsDecember 21, 2011 at 6:49 PM

      Regarding the whole Red Eye-forgetting-LittlePip's-levitation thing:
      I don't think he actually planned to jump; I think that it was something that he thought of on the fly. If his plan had worked, after all, he wouldn't have needed to jump, and I think that, if not for two things, his plan would have worked. The first thing is the existence of Gardens; as others have said, I think that, if she didn't know about Gardens, LittlePip probably would have taken him up on his offer. What would her alternatives be? Let the Enclave take over? Destroy the Enclave and let the pegasi starve, hoping that the Wasteland, which hasn't managed to get much better in two centuries, will suddenly change? Red Eye's offer would be the best option without Gardens, and he knows it; the problem was that he didn't know about Gardens.
      The other flaw in the plan, though, I definitely can blame him for: he should prepared for the Enclave-controlled hellhounds.

      ReplyDelete
    110. Jack DorkingsDecember 21, 2011 at 8:11 PM

      @ Sindri: In the conversation they only mentioned test subjects to make sure whatever they were planning was safe, which is entirely sensible. The only dodgy bit was Rarity saying she didn't trust it.
      Which makes it logical that they're going to have to run some thorough tests. Obviously the MoI doesn't have labs so its a natural place for the OIA to get involved.
      Test subjects can range across anything from sheets of grown tissue to small animals to people, there was nothing insinuating that it would be anything out of the ordinary.

      Of course we know what they're going to be doing so the only way to test it would be monstrous. If people started asking questions it could be diverted to a front project trying to develop a new kevlar weave or something that can be incorporated into normal clothes.

      This is assuming Dewdrop wasn't just curious about the ministry mares and would have talked anyway. Even if she did, its the word of some random pony with no proof against the PR goddess of Equestria. If she was something more, like one of Luna's spies, Goldenblood would have ultimately shot himself in the hoof anyway.

      ReplyDelete
    111. Jack DorkingsDecember 21, 2011 at 8:13 PM

      Then I go over the paragraph for the upteenth time and see Rarity said that whatever she needs is terrible. Then a lot of my conviction collapses.
      I am not a clever man sometimes.

      ReplyDelete
    112. swickedDecember 21, 2011 at 10:34 PM

      We are seeing this conversation in a memory. Memory extraction currently exists, and we are not aware of any way to fabricate them. Her word would not need to be questioned.

      Plus goldenblood would be a fool to operate under the assumption that the idea of hidden enemies out there working to collect evidence such as this against him couldn't exist. Even if they likely don't. Too many stray, disjointed pieces could still add up to a pretty damning bigger picture.

      ReplyDelete
    113. SindriDecember 22, 2011 at 12:12 AM

      @Hawkeye92
      She said she wanted to test something before she would let it near her friends, because it's too dangerous. Then he gave her free access to a prison facility. What could it have been other than incredibly dangerous experiments performed on prisoners?

      As for her credibility, she could go to any MoM facility and get her "confession" recorded, at which point any unicorn or anypony with a recollector could hear exactly what she did, instead of relying on her word. And if she really didn't want to talk, and never slipped up at all, all it would take would be a traffic violation or a baseless accusation of zebra sympathies to convince the authorities to take everything she knew.

      Goldenblood could not let her leave that excavation with her memory intact, and he didn't have any way of extracting the memory without a chance of her disappearing. So she couldn't leave.

      ReplyDelete
    114. AMARDADecember 22, 2011 at 12:20 AM

      In regards to Red Eye, this quote is evidence that yes, he would have forgotten some little things:

      "“I’ll admit, you did surprise me,” Red Eye offered generously. “I needed the Enclave to send some pegasi within my reach, but your insane level of overreaction caught me entirely off-guard.” Red Eye lowered his head to Autumn Leaf’s helmet. “I’ve spent more time scrambling to adjust to your Enclave’s massive overkill than I care to admit.”"

      That there bit of text. That shows that yes, under the circumstances forgetting one detail, albeit quite a major one, would have occurred.

      Also, adding this bit here so I can actually post this.

      ReplyDelete
    115. LesolanDecember 22, 2011 at 1:33 AM

      I come for Blackjack.
      Obviously best pony.
      For sure, amirite?

      ReplyDelete
    116. O. HindsDecember 22, 2011 at 2:01 AM

      @Lesolan
      I think that not so.
      Blackjack is good, but the best
      is Morning Glory.

      ReplyDelete
    117. KimDecember 22, 2011 at 4:50 AM

      @Sindri

      That would assume she would tell... which would be sorta likely. But then somepony would have to believe her wild claim as well.

      ReplyDelete
    118. MaklakDecember 22, 2011 at 5:25 AM

      @Lesloan / Hinds.
      Clearly the "best" pony in this story is Lacunae. She is also beautiful.

      ReplyDelete
    119. Nuhvok01December 22, 2011 at 6:05 AM

      @Maklak Damn it dude, spoiler warning! I never read Fallout Equestria, just Project Horizons.

      ReplyDelete
    120. SomberDecember 22, 2011 at 7:12 AM

      Okay. Brushing 29 today. Lots of blah... but hopefully Hinds can work a miracle and turn it into decent blah.

      Blah...

      ReplyDelete
    121. SindriDecember 22, 2011 at 8:18 AM

      @Nuhvok01
      Given that most of the backstory, worldbuilding, etc. is built around Kkat's story, it's kinda impossible to talk about PH without mentioning stuff from Fo:E.

      @Somber
      Wait, so you don't think this one is terrible, just 'blah'? Let's see... if the pattern holds that mean that it's going to be unbelievably beautiful and incredibly painful, right? Or did 'blah' mean forty pages of concentrated Security awesomeness?

      ReplyDelete
    122. swickedDecember 22, 2011 at 8:27 AM

      P-21 wins
      Forever and for always
      No other compares :)

      ReplyDelete
    123. BronodeDecember 22, 2011 at 10:34 AM

      Swicked speaks flawless truth.
      Between pony and turkey
      there is no contest.

      ReplyDelete
    124. SindriDecember 22, 2011 at 10:38 AM

      Best pony debate...
      Your mileage may vary some.
      I'm bad at haiku :P

      ReplyDelete
    125. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 22, 2011 at 11:08 AM

      @swicked
      Though he's an addict,
      It's true that P-21
      Is the Bestpony.

      For the record, folks,
      Bestpony is just one word.
      Why? :shrug: It just is.

      =P Very excited about 29, Somber, can't wait to read it.

      ReplyDelete
    126. RainbowYoshiDecember 22, 2011 at 11:12 AM

      @Bronode@swicked

      Ya'll are mistaken
      Epic loss of self is why
      Our Dashite is best

      ReplyDelete
    127. RainbowYoshiDecember 22, 2011 at 11:13 AM

      @ OAC

      You bring up good point
      Why nobody talk about
      Blue one's addiction?

      ReplyDelete
    128. BronodeDecember 22, 2011 at 11:29 AM

      If the measure is
      loss of self, then P-21
      is still best pony.

      ReplyDelete
    129. BronodeDecember 22, 2011 at 11:33 AM

      At this point I mourn
      the lack of means to edit.
      I have erred. For shame.

      ReplyDelete
    130. Random BlankDecember 22, 2011 at 11:48 AM

      I wonder... Rampage upon burning up should lose all her supplies. Including her store of mints. How does she cope with life without the drug then?

      ReplyDelete
    131. BronodeDecember 22, 2011 at 11:52 AM

      One can loot a corpse
      Rendered to ash and still find
      Its contents intact.

      ReplyDelete
    132. SindriDecember 22, 2011 at 12:47 PM

      @Random Blank
      After regen'ing
      she is not addicted yet.
      Pure, simple filly.

      ReplyDelete
    133. Thomas P.December 22, 2011 at 2:26 PM

      The deepest heartbreak
      The eternal wanderer
      Killer of daughter

      [/Rampage fanboy]

      ReplyDelete
    134. KimDecember 22, 2011 at 2:54 PM

      @Sindri

      If we're lucky, in a few weeks she will write stuff that is "meh". :P
      (On a side note, I do hope she tries my advice.. hopefully with a decent result)

      ReplyDelete
    135. KippershyDecember 22, 2011 at 3:58 PM

      @Random Blank

      This is a point. has she even been eating her mintals any more?


      SOMBER.


      has she?
      I mean. you haven't mentioned it in forever. does she simply not get mentioned as eating them any more? or has she stopped/run out for that long?

      it'd be interesting to see a quick mention of it in chapter 30 or whatever, seeing as its too late for it to be in chapter 29.

      ReplyDelete
    136. xeneresDecember 22, 2011 at 4:07 PM

      Personally I'm still a Blackjack fan. wether she's being the good kind of idiot and making me happy or the bad kind of idiot and making me sad, she is (to me) the main attraction in this emotional theme park that is project horizons.

      ReplyDelete
    137. KimDecember 22, 2011 at 4:23 PM

      @Kippershy

      From what we've seen/read, her addiction and any sort of affliction gets purged once she dies as her "new" body was never affected by the chems. She just likes to eat them since it gets her "high", makes her existence more tolerable.
      Lately she seems to have put her constant chem use aside and instead put her full attention to helping Scotch cope with the wastes. And on a side note, I wonder how many times Rampage have starved herself to death, since she must have tried it at least once... would likely just regenerate back to a "not hungry, not full" state... come to think of it, she can easily "eat herself out" as she just regenerates... ok that is a creepy mental image...

      ReplyDelete
    138. Thomas P.December 22, 2011 at 4:25 PM

      She stopped eating the mintals after 20, when she regen'd. That says, to me, that the "clean slate" theory is probably the right one.

      Also: I just drew wet mane Arloste and a poor, besotted teenaged Priest trying to give her an umbrella.

      It's titled "Hello, Benjamin".

      Every argument is now invalid.

      ReplyDelete
    139. Quotidian TortureDecember 22, 2011 at 5:14 PM

      Decapitation,
      Chainsword, Lasers. Never stop.
      Rampage: best pony.

      ReplyDelete
    140. AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 5:22 PM

      You're all wrong!

      Lil Miss Bulletproof ( Blackjack doll from the Somber drawing ) is Best Pony.

      ReplyDelete
    141. nuub3dDecember 22, 2011 at 6:01 PM

      here peeps check this out!

      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Intro-262719705
      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Rainbow-Dash-262766350
      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Fluttershy-263111596
      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Applejack-263278185
      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Rarity-263607807
      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Pinkie-Pie-263752695
      http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Twilight-264702380


      I found them on DevianArt(as you all can see) and while reading them my brain started working an fabricated them into F:OE-Story and i thnk that, that here could easly be something Goldblood could have donee - in the beginng of everything ... probable as said intentionaly done for an totaly other meaning... this is total off-canon but it fits so nicly into the story and you can see where goldbloods affection for fluttershy is coming from... ^^

      thats just a nice coincidience right? ^^

      ReplyDelete
    142. DerpmindDecember 22, 2011 at 8:43 PM

      @nuub3d
      You skipped one: http://nimaru.deviantart.com/art/Luna-s-Studies-Final-Report-264980571
      In the comics it's Owlowiscious who was doing all the spying.

      ReplyDelete
    143. AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 9:26 PM

      http://dotrook.deviantart.com/art/Foe-Horizons-Sea-Pony-Pirate-Blackjack-275333995

      Thanks to everyone who watched during the livestream!

      ReplyDelete
    144. Thomas P.December 22, 2011 at 10:04 PM

      ... Okay, so my mind flew right into the gutter with that. XD

      ReplyDelete
    145. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 22, 2011 at 10:49 PM

      @DotRook
      Ha, she inked him, didn't she! That's what happens when you give the Blackjacktopus her Wild Pegasus and a tub.

      @Mint
      ... DEFINITELY INK, YUP. (the gutter version makes P-21's reaction funnier in a very unfortunate way, though)

      ReplyDelete
    146. Thomas P.December 22, 2011 at 11:11 PM

      @Cobalt

      Not gonna lie, my brain went to: "Oh no, tentacles, it's /that/ kind of anime." (Again, same reaction hilarity by P-21.)

      ReplyDelete
    147. RainbowYoshiDecember 23, 2011 at 12:11 AM

      @ Bronode

      Ah, but he was born
      Without a self. His journey
      Is discovery.

      This is very fun.
      We should have started this a
      Long, long time ago.

      ReplyDelete
    148. O. HindsDecember 23, 2011 at 12:38 AM

      Well, the chapter's in queue. I feel a bit drained at the moment. You'll see why. Oh dear.

      (Also, we've changed Blackjack's magic color from red to white and would be very much obliged if you kind commenters would help us track down any overlooked instances in the earlier chapters. Great speed would be further appreciated here, as we want to get everything ready for Kkat.)

      ReplyDelete
    149. nuub3dDecember 23, 2011 at 12:43 AM

      @derp actually i know that just wanted, mainly, Show the reports.... You could argu that owl is a spy of goldenblood ^^ na just wanted to Show them becaus they fit, exept for the owl, so well in

      ReplyDelete
    150. swickedDecember 23, 2011 at 1:51 AM

      @RainbowYoshi
      I’d feel remiss to not insist that haiku is annoying
      To illustrate my love or hate as thus I’m not enjoying
      So I’d prefer to now confer it in a different verse
      Because there’s none but twenty one great in that universe
      With bombs and locks and stealth that fox can take most any down
      A powerhouse built like a mouse who’d been so beaten down
      He now employs explosive toys to turn his foes to tar
      A bombing thief. What is your beef? He is the best by far.
      His attitude, if drawn to brood, shows a dark wisdom still
      “Stable pony” in this story, though never fit the bill
      His knee was blown, though not alone, it’s crazy he kept up
      Through suffering and toughening he’d more than make it up
      A squeaky brace you’d say, at face, would keep him making noise
      His stealthy skill ‘loud him to fill his role with wond’rous poise
      A worthy friend, ‘till any end, he fights his demons well
      While locks are picked and term’nals tricked and… I just think he’s swell.
      So go declare some silly mare, just ‘for your rant begins
      I know the score, I’ll hear no more, and P-21 wins <3

      (Kinda got lazy with all the shortening of words toward the end, but I got stuff to do in the morning, so…)

      ReplyDelete
    151. Jack DorkingsDecember 23, 2011 at 3:36 AM

      Guess its time to put my F5 key through its paces and get on the PH rollercoaster again.

      ReplyDelete
    152. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 3:50 AM

      UPDATE!

      ReplyDelete
    153. No OneDecember 23, 2011 at 3:56 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    154. No OneDecember 23, 2011 at 4:07 AM

      I'm sorry I just got to the part with Rarity and Blueblood.

      I have to say its so out of character for Rarity it physicaly hurt to read. The aftermath was deliciously funny, but that part. Just, no.

      Sorry Somber.

      ReplyDelete
    155. KimDecember 23, 2011 at 4:45 AM

      @Mint Julep

      Welcome back to the gutter, I kept your seat clean xP And am I horrible for seeing P-21 push Glory into the "tub" going "Take one for the team", then running off? And just to go there: You do know octopuses have a "breeding arm" right? (or is that only the male ones?) since in that case, it would make BJ a... no bad, mind, back to your cage! xD As for tentacles overall, growing up with D&D and the "real" tentacles, I see them for the "real" purpose rather then the general internet one :P

      And now I can't scroll down any more since I gotta read the chapter, curses. The day before x-mas and all. And I thought I could get some work done... althou I didn't do much at all yesterday despite 10 hours of free workspace, 4 pages. Goddess I am useless xD If there's a virtue of trailing off, I'd have two of them.

      ReplyDelete
    156. No OneDecember 23, 2011 at 5:02 AM

      Finished the chapter.

      What I didn't like:

      Anything taking place pre war.

      What I liked:

      Anything taking place in the present.

      More specifically I disliked rarity blueblood thing... like... a lot. Like I'm going to bed in a few minutes and pretending it never happened.

      I did however enjoy the lack of Goldenblood. he was in a little bit, but just a little.


      What I liked.

      Honestly everything else. I really do love this story. I love the characters, their adventures. I love the sadness, the despair and I love how they keep fighting. Somber you're a beautiful writer.

      Oh and Glory's death. if she died. It was well done and emotional, and if she is truly dead I'm okay because she deserves to rest more then any other pony.

      Oh, and for the first time I enjoyed seeing Goldenblood because you totally tricked me. I like being tricked, and that was good.

      ReplyDelete
    157. DarcySupremestDecember 23, 2011 at 6:04 AM

      Hey Somber
      I'm DarcySupremest
      In a couple of weeks I'm going be having a big Fallout Equestria Week on my little one pony review site here at
      http://supremestfanfictionreviews.blogspot.com/
      And I was wondering If you would be interested In answering a few questions in an interview?
      If you want any more Info hit me up at my email
      nicholasdarcy@live.com.au
      Have a good one
      ~DarcySupremest

      ReplyDelete
    158. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 6:45 AM

      Oh hi Goldenblood.



      Huhzhuwah huzzah. Bu HUH!? /rainbowdash


      Ohh. Oh you stinker.

      ReplyDelete
    159. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 7:12 AM

      I'm giving up on the Haiku format for now; it would take far too much thought to maintain any sort of complex format through a full commentary.

      Okay, now we're going to continue the theme of last time and have a nice calm, happy chapter, with a maximum of two major traumas inflicted upon our sweet little-

      "Mortality"
      [buy some apples!]

      No, Blackjack, you don't want to make a deal with Sanguine, you want to sneak in, kill him with extreme prejudice (ooh, that'll be BJ's first time fighting a Canterlot ghoul... that should be pleasant), remove any assistants that try to help him, and take over his equipment and research for Glory to use.

      Wheee! We need fanart of Scotch flying.

      The frogs... *shudder*

      Huge invisible dragon? Should not want...

      Ah. Withdrawal, phantom pains... it's never simple to fix an old injury, because even if everything is physically perfect the painkillers you've been taking and the part of the brain that's gotten used to injury won't be willing to let it go. But isn't a full medical treatment with an autodoc supposed to fix addictions too? Hmm. I want to ask Triage if they skimped there, but it's unlikely that we'll see her for a while.

      He needs Priest. Between the addiction and Scotch he's not acting like himself, and everypony else is too used to him being sensible to question him now, and not trusted enough for him to open up about any worries he has himself.

      The photos... actually best I don't comment there.

      Enervation for the past hour... meaning that it's building. And going into an orb now is unwise. That's our Blackjack! At least Lacuae can carry her out when things inevetably get worse...

      Oh... my.

      Rarity? Really? He's certainly a better choice than anyone else in the family, but... I guess I don't really know much about him, so I'm hardly one to judge, and I should probably shut up now, but... Really?

      "'after what that bastard did to her.'"
      Right. Goldenblood must die. Slowly. Creation of the Ministries, mind-wiping Twilight, murdering Dewdrop? That's all understandable. Directly causing Fluttershy to cry? There shall be no forgiveness.

      ReplyDelete
    160. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 7:13 AM

      Ah. I'd been wondering about that. There are external signs that one is taking part in a "good" memory orb.

      P-21 smiling though. Totally worth it. And Lacunae blushing has got to be adorable.

      Corspes. Lots of them. And they haven't been looted; that scares me more than anything else.

      Looks like knights. Not stripped of their armor, despite the irreplacablility of the tech; that means there weren't enough survivors to carry it back. Explains the lack of looting at least; if they couldn't bring their own fallen back they wouldn't bother with anything a wastelander carried.

      Hail. Things just keep getting better, here in the Hoof.

      Oh, hey, just realized. Bowl shaped region, weird weather patterns, sounds like an impact crater to me. Big one. Where the Eater of Souls hit all those centuries ago. Not that I doubted the zebra legend, but it's nice to see it reinforced by everything down to the geography. And it's a nice fridge brilliance point with everything matching up.

      It begins. Scotch is a clever pony. All these lies are going to come crashing down, and the longer it builds the more damage it'll do.

      Case in point. Without Scotch you wouldn't have spotted the trap until it sprung. Now to get the hell out of here.

      Screams... Lacunae's probably already down. dammit.

      The lights and the music get stronger the more they drain. This almost seems to confirm that Enervation is a side effect of whatever's powering the Hoof. And that Enervation shifts to specifically eat ponies rather than just moving randomly or sitting passive.

      Schmuck. Obvious in retrospect. As it always is, I suppose.

      Interesting. Green ring that emits or focusses enervation, hooked into the electrical system that got stronger as they were drained more... seems to confirm that E-fields are a power source, but the mechanism is far from what I expected. And this was definitely put here after the war; somepony's been experimenting.

      Name for Taurus' rifle... you know, this would have been an excellent thing to figure out when you were talking to the close personal friends of Taurus.

      Hey, Blackjack saw P-21 hide! She must be getting more observant.

      ReplyDelete
    161. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 7:13 AM

      Ah. Clover. *twitch* Nine bucks, unknown number of noncombatants with collars... stall them long enough and P-21 will have dealt with all but one of the hostages. After that it get's tricky, and I don't like Clover's chances. It'd be really nice to have a Canterlot Broadcaster now...

      Clover exploded. And now everypony dies messy.

      Hum. Blackjack is showing admirable restraint. More than Arbu, even. Security saves ponies. And she's not an executioner.

      pop. one moment. Something seems to be dripping on my keyboard.

      None of them? Just one pony? Is that too much to ask? Fuck.

      Steel Rangers. Two. I almost feel sorry for them, but they did shoot at a filly unprovoked. Wait, we need to talk to them. Called shot to the missile launcher?

      Scotch hit hard. Stopped moving. dammit no thisisnotallowed-

      She's okay. The Rangers don't need to die yet.

      ...smooth.

      Well, you've got one that's even worse at sense motive than you are at bluff, and the other you spared the life of once already, so this is probably your best chance to talk.

      Right, time to talk to the Flashers and exterminate the Boomers. Not necessarily in that order. Depends on who you run into first. And by talk, I might mean kill; dunno yet, depends on them.

      Yeah, Blackjack really needs a Hoof native on her team. Between three Stable ponies, an Enclave scientist, and Lacunae, they have no idea what's going on around here.

      Grenade machine guns... I've played New vegas. I followed Steelhooves through the wasteland. It still seems like such an absurd and horrifying concept.

      Ah wonderglue. Almost as good as duct tape.

      Conversation between the Enclave and the Flashers? You're recording this, right?

      Lighthooves. He cannot be allowed to leave this building.

      Diamond is sounding an awful lot like the Overcunt. Her odds of surviving this chapter are thankfully slim.

      Playing dress-up with P-21. I really shouldn't laugh at this.

      ReplyDelete
    162. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 7:13 AM

      Oh dear. This looks so much like something has gone wrong. But the whispering with Sparkler, the look he gave BJ, the promise not to shoot...

      Ah. Sent upstairs with the key and a single guard. Smooth. P-21 is a clever pony.

      Talismans that are off the books. Goddammit Blackjack, you were recording this, right? 'Cause that quote there, sent to Thunderhead, would fix so many problems...

      Receptionist? Wait, no reaction. Hologram then. Shiny. Wonder if it's portable... It would be so useful to be able to project a realistic programmed image, say, where your opponents are shooting. While you sneak around the back.

      Shouldn't that be 'Ministry of Arcane Sciences' instead of 'magic'? Seems like an odd mistake for a preprogrammed message... Unless it's like how they called their creation 'miraculous'.

      *snrk* coulda handled that one better. At least you learned about their holograms and shields before setting off the security!

      ...Suddenly very glad that Scotch is elsewhere. So, the cyberdaemon (still using that until I get a better name for it) is able to take over systems miles away if they send a security alert regarding one of the Projects. It's clever enough to imitate Golden, but does not include him. It is quite capable of surviving a blast from Folly, and being creative in its tactics. It's either well and truly insane or sadistic, because it prefers tearing off limbs to cutting when given the option.

      Glory is best pony.

      The loss of the shotgun is going to hurt later. Nice Checkhov's grenade there, by the way.

      no. No. NO!
      where's Lacunae? That Ranger buck? ANYPONY?!?
      dammit.

      ReplyDelete
    163. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 7:13 AM

      @No One
      Rarity wasn't with Blueblood, she was with Vanity.

      ReplyDelete
    164. SomberDecember 23, 2011 at 7:29 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    165. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 7:52 AM

      The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to let Flash industries know that wondrous magical illussions of light are HER gig and ohhh you did not just try to out class her at her own gimmick. It Is ON.

      ReplyDelete
    166. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 7:52 AM

      @Sindri: My first thought was. "Oh my goodness, I want to draw flying Scotch."

      After finishing, well... it should be obvious what I want to draw.

      (And don't none of you say "trap P-21". XD)

      ReplyDelete
    167. Jack DorkingsDecember 23, 2011 at 8:12 AM

      Glory...
      I'll come back and leave a longer comment later. I seem to have something in my eye...

      ReplyDelete
    168. nettickDecember 23, 2011 at 8:22 AM

      BY THE NINE!

      Glory falling to her death is that supposed to be ironic?

      Anyway great chapter can't wait for the next one, also am so glad you killed those insufferable flash fillies god i loathed them.

      ReplyDelete
    169. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 8:23 AM

      @SOmber

      Oh Somber. That sex scene with Rarity, how could you?! Trully, if the suffering, violence, death, slavery, other sex scenes including rape did not shatter my INNOCENCE - Then that scene did it. Innocent pure Rarity is forever ruined for me! I can never look at ponies, the same way again! *falls onto dramatic couch* *notices a few stacks of Husstler Buck and Playpony sticking out from under the couch and discretly kicks them back out of view with a hind hoof*. Innocence ruined I say!

      ReplyDelete
    170. SomberDecember 23, 2011 at 8:31 AM

      @DotRook

      Please. They weren't made of stone. And I am holding true to the standard set by Kkat that they are hetero. However, your reaction is exactly why Rarity covers it up. It is one thing to allude to naughtiness while being unobtainable. It is entirely another for everypony to know you can be obtained.

      @nettick: Technically, most of the Flashers were outside dealing with the Fruit Punch and Radishes.

      @hawkeye: Sorry...

      @mint: If I had any artistic ability what so ever... this is what I'd draw:

      I dared to look. Slowly, she rose. A foot. Two. I reached out my left foreleg to her as she stretched out hers to touch my hoof ever so gently. There was no fear in her eyes. Simply wonder. Simply love.

      @Sindri: Again... sorry.

      ReplyDelete
    171. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 8:31 AM

      re: Glory.

      And then Rampage bursts out of the rubble and catches her and she swoons and BJ's all, "Dang, even I think she's --"

      Shut up! Rampage withdrawl is ugly.

      ReplyDelete
    172. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 8:37 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    173. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 8:44 AM

      @Somber. Hmm *taps hoofs nervousy* I actually liked the scene because it did show her to be quite.. uhh. 'Human'? Though I did actually have the 'huh. Rarity? Sex?! Vanity?!' Reaction go off in the back of my mind and it just seemed so silly to feel that awkwardness after.

      I uhh, really need to work on expressing playful sarcasm through text don't I?

      ReplyDelete
    174. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 8:56 AM

      Never mind that stupid, soppy shit I just posted.

      My daughter just drew me a picture of Luna because I'm on here drawing ponies all the time and she wants to, too. And if she's fearless, what am I complaining about?

      I'm gonna get that last scene right, just you wait.

      ReplyDelete
    175. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 9:29 AM

      @Somber

      On that note. Some of the things you are doing with. The story are very brave. In particular showing that the ministry mares had lives and relationships. And you're handling it well. That you have a mature reader base probably helps too.

      ReplyDelete
    176. xeneresDecember 23, 2011 at 9:40 AM

      Glory... welp, guess I'll be on edge until next chapter. like I said in my previous comment, emotional rollercoaster. I was so glad to see Blackjack having a break for once, then the slaver thing poped up, then it didn't seem so bad, then...well....ya. But I'm happy. There's nothing like a nice big emotional slap to the face, guess I'm maso or something, but dammit did I ever love evrything about this chapter, and I mean evry single little thing. Thankyou Somber, keep being awesome.

      on a side note, as far as mistakes go. I didn't find any red magic related mistakes, though a few instances of blackjacks eye being pluralised
      appeared here and there.

      ReplyDelete
    177. SomberDecember 23, 2011 at 9:43 AM

      I'm just afraid it's going to get too stark... too dark... and we haven't even reached Black yet. Once we get through that... things should... must... get better.

      ReplyDelete
    178. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 9:50 AM

      Don't be afraid to go there, Somber. Please, don't hold back. It's been a hell of a trip so far and I've loved so much of it. You've made me empathize and identify with and adore a pony who I originally thought was just some stupid jerk.

      And now, more and more, I find myself using these ponies as inspirations.

      ReplyDelete
    179. SindriDecember 23, 2011 at 10:07 AM

      @Somber
      I had two immediate and simultaneous reactions to that:
      1) But... but you said that 22 was going to be the worst, and after that everything gets better! Things have to get better!
      2) If we were afraid of the dark, we wouldn't be here. Well, okay, I am afraid but it's worth it. Reading this story, particularly at the darker points, hurts. But it does it so beautifully that we all keep coming back.

      So don't worry too much, and always keep writing. Just please... if you can bring the next chapter fairly quickly, I think we'd all appreciate it. The end of that chapter is a difficult place to stay for a week or two.

      ReplyDelete
    180. Merc312December 23, 2011 at 10:09 AM

      Yay Somber!

      I have to admit, I didn't expect that sex scene with Rarity and Vanity though.

      (I just realized that their names are quite similar) xD

      Also, I wonder how far along the Fallout timeline this story is right now. Lacunae hasn't lost her mind and Applejack's rangers haven't been heard of.

      ps- And in the unlikely event that Glory dies..


      ..I don't know! Noooo Glory!

      ReplyDelete
    181. xeneresDecember 23, 2011 at 10:18 AM

      Is there really such a thing as a story that is too dark? I don't know, for some of us probably, but not unlike four verry special ponies, I'm sticking with Blackjack until the end, and you know what, I'm happy to do so. Rollercoasters are fun because the drop, so if it doesn't go lower it can't be fun. Ofcourse, you need to climb back up ocasionally or else it just doesn't work. but no matter how low this rollercoaster falls, I'll stick to it to the end and wont regret it. and I know I'm not the only one to think this.

      we're reading this till the end, even if the drops are scary sometimes, even if some turns or decents are a bit too sharp for some of us, even if the ride where to finish as low as ground level. At the end, we'll all dissembark, take in a deep breath, adnd say "Damn...what a ride!"

      ReplyDelete
    182. KaileaDecember 23, 2011 at 11:35 AM

      @swicked

      Old commnet, but wow that was amazing, especially if you just thought that up on the spot!! I'm surprised no one else mentioned that awesome poem of yours!
      (saving it... somewhere on my comp)

      And I also adore P-21
      :)

      ReplyDelete
    183. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 12:20 PM

      @Kailea... Why did I skim that poem before?

      Poetical gauntlet... thrown.
      Challenge accepted.


      @swicked

      *cough cough* Ahem.

      "Reply to Swicked on why Rampage is best pony: A sonnet"

      Oh wicked one, allow me to explain
      Before some foalish stallion you support
      Please prick your ears toward my clever retort
      I am impressed with his legerdemain
      Dexterity and skill -- of course, his brain
      His wit is dry, and though his temper's short
      His whole development I will exhort.
      And on his palette, well... I like his mane.

      Still that misguided mare I love, Arloste
      Has suffered more than any of the rest
      From filicide to losing her own mind
      To better the wasteland she's paid this cost
      And been repaid in suff'ring and unrest.
      Some home someday I hope Arloste can find.

      (Ah, and this is how I use 4 years of college. Prof. Seufert would be so proud.)

      ReplyDelete
    184. MuninDecember 23, 2011 at 1:14 PM

      And here i thought Kkat was mean to her characters. Somber why do you hate Glory and Blackjack so much?

      ReplyDelete
    185. DRTJRDecember 23, 2011 at 1:40 PM

      Considering the Blunt force trauma that Rainbow can take I say Glory is fine. Although considering it's A FOE story she's doomed. so I'd give it a 50/50 shot she is still amoung the living.

      ReplyDelete
    186. KippershyDecember 23, 2011 at 2:01 PM

      I FUCKING SWEAR
      SHE BETTER FUCKING MAKE IT. SOMEHOW. I FUCKING...


      WHAT. HAVE. I. DONE. TO. DESERVE. THIS?!


      I don't know if I can continue reading if Glory dies.
      Somber. I mean it.

      I don't know if I could handle it.

      I don't know if I can handle this even.

      ReplyDelete
    187. AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 2:13 PM

      If I remember right, Somber mentioned many many pages ago that originally, Glory was supposed to die back in the Fluttershy medical center. Ho boy, now I'm worried.

      I....really hope she's ok. Or.. not dead. Atleast not dead.

      I actually think that seperating them at this point wouldshake things up... but please not dead.

      ReplyDelete
    188. KippershyDecember 23, 2011 at 2:30 PM

      it would shake things up, but that's too drastic and too much for me to handle.
      I need Glory - just as much as Blackjack does.

      because Glory and Blackjack being together is the only thing that gives me any hope whatsoever for myself - with everything I've been through from betrayal to simple [but utter] hurt, I'd found myself given up on the idea of romance in my life.

      Gloryjack reminds me of the good side of things. of what can be, of what should be.
      I don't think I can handle her dying after all she's been through.

      Nor can I realistically believe Blackjack would be capable of living after that either.

      she's tried to kill herself how many different times now? both indirectly and directly.
      She's fighting a losing battle over what she's cost everypony, including those not in her group...


      she can't handle Glory dying. especially not like this.

      ReplyDelete
    189. swickedDecember 23, 2011 at 3:05 PM

      The crop? You watch that ask blog, too?
      Kkat's story contained two types of characters: Canon ones, and her's.
      Yours previously had three types: Canon ones, kkat's (very minimally), and your own.
      Now OTHER people's OCs are game? Will we ever come across surprise? Or Ipsyswitch? Color me intrigued...

      ReplyDelete
    190. SomberDecember 23, 2011 at 3:13 PM

      no. And I asked if it was okay and the artist said it was fine. Ipsy has her own story and I wouldn't tread on it. I was just curious how many people would pick up on it.

      ReplyDelete
    191. Thomas P.December 23, 2011 at 3:21 PM

      I did! I'm gald you asked first -- that had crossed my mind.

      (Either way, link-plug: http://askvelvet.tumblr.com . I assume most folks follow her at this point, but still for the few who might not... Obviously it's NSFW. And oh my god, the design is just so perfect. I babble about her palette all the time. >.>)

      ReplyDelete
    192. beyondxhorizonsDecember 23, 2011 at 3:52 PM

      Oh Somber... Why do you do this? Not Glory!! If she's gone I don't see how Blackjack can do anything but stay in a heroic BSOD for the rest of the story. MUST WRITE BLACKJACK HAPPY!!!

      ReplyDelete
    193. FrisbyDecember 23, 2011 at 4:38 PM

      @Sindri

      >Grenade machine guns... I've played New vegas. I followed Steelhooves through the wasteland. It still seems like such an absurd and horrifying concept.

      Oh, they're way past the concept stage.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZrfKhP_PTI
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG4bVtkyupI

      ReplyDelete
    194. swickedDecember 23, 2011 at 5:02 PM

      I saw grenade machine guns back when I first played streets of rage. So... Yeah. A long, long time ago.

      ReplyDelete
    195. SomberDecember 23, 2011 at 6:21 PM

      Sigh... I guess I killed my story. I don't think I've ever seen so little response. Maybe it's the holiday or maybe my suck has finally caught up with me. I tried getting started on 30, but its so discouraging that can't get past the first two pages.

      Sorry... I don't know what to do or say. Did things get too dark and harsh? Have I crossed a line or something? I dunno... Sorry.

      ReplyDelete
    196. Jack DorkingsDecember 23, 2011 at 6:29 PM

      @ Somber. Everything's OK. It hasn't gotten too grim too quickly at the moment. Well the slave rescue was a bit grim but stuff like that happens from time to time.
      It was a really good chapter, especially the last few pages were amazing.
      You took a gamble with Rarity (which I don't mind- the ministry mares are only mortal after all).
      I'd put lack of responses sown to christmas. It's now half past one in the morning and I haven't stopped since about 11AM getting stuff dorted for christmas- I'm sure a lot of other people are in the same boat.

      ReplyDelete
    197. SomberDecember 23, 2011 at 6:37 PM

      Sigh... I guess. I hope so. It just feels like my failometer is redlined with 'OMG I ruined my story forever.'

      Sigh... nevermind. Just... nevermind...

      ReplyDelete
    198. O. HindsDecember 23, 2011 at 7:01 PM

      @Somber
      Remember what Bronode and I told you in the chat yeste…this mor…the last polishing session, whenever that was? You are no longer allowed to call yourself a terrible author! As for the lull: It's the holiday season. People are busy. Remember, though I know you'd rather not, when you had your relatives over? A lot of people are probably in similar situations. Others are out buying presents, occupied cleaning house, or visiting grandparents who never bothered to get one of those internets things. I know that, due to a family gathering, I almost certainly won't be able to read the FoE Afterword when it comes out. Give it time.

      ReplyDelete
    199. Overlong Analysis CobaltDecember 23, 2011 at 7:06 PM

      I'm about to comment, honest! I'm just still writing it because Christmas things I didn't anticipate are bogging me down! I really really really liked it, not despite but because of how much it hurt! (oh god that sounds bad - don't care, it's the truth)

      ReplyDelete
    200. KeeperofthedarkDecember 23, 2011 at 7:08 PM

      Dude, you really shouldn't be that harsh on yourself. Like some people have been saying, it's nearly Christmas. People are just finishing up their preparations. Besides, this story is the only one besides Fallout Equestria itself to have an entire second post for comments. Take pride in that.

      ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)