Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[Evilgidgit]

SilentCarto, you're suggesting that Eclipse became Cognitum?

Nnnno... Eclipse was Princess Luna in disguise. Cognitum is a brain-scan copy of Luna, or more likely, Nightmare Moon. At the demonstration in the passage I quoted, Horse first tried to scan Goldie, and when he avoided it, Horse put the helmet on Eclipse. He was clearly trying to sneak secrets out of their heads, and he got more than he ever bargained for.

Luna is Eclipse!? Oooooh. Guess I need to read back on those parts.  

[O. Hinds]

Eh? Where does it say that Vitiosus was a Legate back then? Or even that he was alive back then?

[SilentCarto]

Luna is Eclipse!? Oooooh. Guess I need to read back on those parts.  

Oh, yeah. Hehe. There was a scene once where Psalm was lurking outside Eclipse's office after being dismissed, when Celestia made a surprise visit and she heard Eclipse change voices into Luna.

[O. Hinds]

In other news, while we haven't finished brushing the chapter yet, the writing is now complete. It's about fifty-two and a half pages long, and so much happens. And the end of the chapter... :D

Also, SilentCarto, I'd really appreciate knowing where you saw that. None of us can remember it being in, and I'd like to get it taken care of.

[FeatherDust]

Luna is Eclipse!? Oooooh. Guess I need to read back on those parts.  

It's never been stated directly, but it's implied so heavily that it could implode a star.

The first one was in Ch 49 where Psalm visits "Miss Eclipse".

“I’ve never met this Eclipse. Do they work for the Princess?”
“Something like that,” he replied with a smile...

“Psalm to see Miss Eclipse. Also, she’s here.”
There was a pause as a mare muttered under her breath and then said, “One second. Almost… there…” And then abruptly the voice changed and became deeper. “Send Miss Psalm in.”

I’m sure that your... soul... can be absolved in service to the Princess. I know she’ll forgive you.”
“She… she will?” I sniffed, rubbing my eyes.
“I’m sure of it,” Eclipse said...

“Princess Luna needs you [Eclipse]. She needs to speak with her sister
and wants us present.”
Eclipse actually frowned and rolled her eyes. “Not again. Honestly, why
can’t she simply go stay with Cadance?” Eclipse snorted scornfully, and
my shock must have shown because she immediately coughed and forced
a smile. “Ahem. Sorry to cut this short, but sometimes there’s just no
reasoning with my… with Princess Celestia.”

Eclipse "something like" works for Luna, and is very free with stating what Luna will do in the future.  She is obviously disguising at least her voice.  Eclipse is "needed" for a meeting between the sisters, and speaks about Celestia with a shocking degree of contemptuous familiarity.  But the last bit was the real giveaway; Eclipse almost slipped and said "my sister".

So at that first meeting there were already a lot of people suspicious that Eclipse is not an OIA operative or something but Luna in disguise.

Then in Chapter 55's memory orb:
[Goldenblood] gave a small snort. “Oh please, Eclipse. The princess isn’t going to
need this report.”
“You never know. She might,” the pegasus said with a mysterious little
smirk.

“Espionage on her own subjects. What would Her Majesty think?” Goldenblood said in an almost teasing voice.
“Princess Luna knows nothing about it whatsoever. Princess Luna sits on her throne and makes impressive speeches while the Ministries do all their acts behind her back. Poor Princess Luna,” Eclipse giggled as the world began to blur away.

The banter makes sense if Luna won't need the report because Luna's the one he's talking to right then, and while the last bit could read as cold-hearted cruel laughter, it makes more sense if it's irony. What she's saying there is the fiction she's working to create for those who are in on the secrets and think they're all sneaky, but are in fact being out-sneaked by the Princess herself.

[FeatherDust]

Also, SilentCarto, I'd really appreciate knowing where you saw that.  None of us can remember it being in, and I'd like to get it taken care of.

It's in chapter 26, right before the first mention of "the Eater of Souls".

[SilentCarto]

Eh?  Where does it say that Vitiosus was a Legate back then?  Or even that he was alive back then?

I was probably mistaken. I can't find it now, I suspect it was just something that mentioned the last Caesar in conference with an unnamed Legate and I jumped to a conclusion. Sorry.

[The Tainted One]

Nnnng. Can't wait much longer.

[RoboRed]

yay   

[The Tainted One]

You really won't need to, the final touches are being enacted as I post this.
No midnight posting this time.

<3 yay

[Evilgidgit]

Pardon me for getting on my soapbox...or whatever type of box you stand on to say something, I speak for everyone here when I say thank you to Somber and the PH editing team for creating such a wonderful story. Someone with Somber's writing talent and ability to tell such an amazing story should be a professional author. And special cheers should go to O. Hinds, Bronode, and swicked too, along with Snipehamster, Hidden Fortune (even if they aren't involved any more), and Icy Shake and everyone else for their aid in making the story even better. Well done.

 

[O. Hinds]

And 65, a big chapter in both length and impact!

[SilentCarto]

And 65, a big chapter in both length and impact!

Geez, look how excited Lyra is.

[Meleagridis]

Legate... with the last chapter, some people began to suspect that he migth have been around for the last 200 years.

Oh, we've been suspecting that for a lot longer. He was a member of the last Caesar's cabinet, remember? There's good reason to believe that he is in fact Orion, the Eternal Warrior from Sekashi's story. Though there's also those ghouls in Rocket Town who follow someone named Orion... hm.

Orion? I thought he was just a Silly Zebra.

I mean, why would he help to create the Tokomare only to turn around and want to destroy the "cursed city" and break the Maiden of the Stars on its molten ruins?

Maybe it isn't the maiden that needs breaking. One of the things I hope we get answered in the new chapter is how much of the suicidal tendencies fof the Eternal Warrior from Sekashi's story was to reflect Blackjack's current conflicts with self-dustructiveness and how much of it was an actual need for Viti to... to...

And 65, a big chapter in both length and impact!

NO I HAD TO DO THINGS TODAY YOU MONSTERS! YOU BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL MONSTERS!

[O. Hinds]

I was probably mistaken. I can't find it now, I suspect it was just something that mentioned the last Caesar in conference with an unnamed Legate and I jumped to a conclusion. Sorry.

Ah, no problem. Yes, while Vitiosus may often be referred to in PH as "the Legate" (a title which I do not believe he deserves), Legate is, or at least was, a nonunique military rank.

Pardon me for getting on my soapbox...or whatever type of box you stand on to say something, I speak for everyone here when I say thank you to Somber and the PH editing team for creating such a wonderful story. Someone with Somber's writing talent and ability to tell such an amazing story should be a professional author. And special cheers should go to O. Hinds, Bronode, and swicked too, along with Snipehamster, Hidden Fortune (even if they aren't involved any more), and Icy Shake and everyone else for their aid in making the story even better. Well done.

You're welcome, and thank you for the thanks.

NO I HAD TO DO THINGS TODAY YOU MONSTERS! YOU BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL MONSTERS!

:D

Speaking of things to do, though, I'd better go wash dishes...

[WavemasterRyx]

https://i.servimg.com/u/f31/17/51/22/96/somber11.jpg
And 65, a big chapter in both length and impact!

*hugs Somber and Hinds each gently*
Thank you Somber, and to all of the editors for your hard work.

I had a little trouble with google, but managed to get my copy downloaded, so I'll be looking forward to reading it tonight.

[O. Hinds]

I hope that you enjoy it. :)

[Retl]

Itty bitty typo near the start, I think? 
"out of way" should maybe be "out of the way" or "out of his way"

Yay, chapter! I'm excited. Text to Speech pegs this one as 3 hours 52 minutes 27 seconds long, so I'll probably be listening to this one for quite a while.

[Evilgidgit]

I read it! I read it! Loved it! Oh sweet Celestia! It was...  

Spoiler:

[O. Hinds]

Itty bitty typo near the start, I think? 
"out of way" should maybe be "out of the way" or "out of his way"

Ah, thank you. The chapter is already full enough to prevent me from getting in, but I've put this on a list.

Yay, chapter! I'm excited. Text to Speech pegs this one as 3 hours 52 minutes 27 seconds long, so I'll probably be listening to this one for quite a while.

That long? Wow.

[Borsuq]

Well... another chapter that makes me super excited and yet pissed... especially over the fact that I'll have to wait to find out what happened to Blackjack.

Also, when I get back from my five-day trip, I am posting a list of ways I want Steel Rain to die. It's really amazing how you made me hate him even more with this chapter. Kudos!

But seriously, now he is my second most hated fictional character, righ after Garrosh Hellscream. I want him to die. I want him to suffer. And if Blackjack will stop over his corpse for a moment to feel guilty, I am going to spend every breathing second of my life to create a portal to this story and slap her.

I... think I'm taking it to seriously... I think I'll go to sleep now...

Overall, awesome chapter. Here, this properly desrcibes how I feel right now:

Two, four, six, eight!
Name a story that's really great!
One, two, three, four!
Keeps you coming back for more!
Two, seven, nine, three!
The story that we all wanna read!
Four, three, two, one!
Somber's Project Horizons, that's the one!


Well, not exactly what I feel, I suppose. Would need a few lines about maiming a certain clad in a power armor tailhole... okay, I stop now.

I would love to write more about what I think about this chapter, but I really need get some sleep now. See you in a few days!

[RoboRed]

...I am way beyond my ability to even right now.

Spoiler:

Apart from the various song playing around, this one was stuck in my head for most of the story. Fits kind of well, though.

Spoiler:

[FeatherDust]

Not reading comments yet.

Hinds: "From the left came a colossal crash, and I gave the striped mare a nod. She returned it, and together we raced towards the red bar on my EFS."

To my recollection, EFS still doesn't work in the core because of the vast numbers of red bars. Did that get cleared up or something?

[O. Hinds]

Not reading comments yet.

Hinds: "From the left came a colossal crash, and I gave the striped mare a nod.  She returned it, and together we raced towards the red bar on my EFS."

To my recollection, EFS still doesn't work in the core because of the vast numbers of red bars.  Did that get cleared up or something?

Hm, perhaps it's simply clearer in the big empty warehouse area than it is outside? There ought to be periods there, though, so I've put the bit on my list for that.

[Derpmind]

too much awesome:

Too much awesome. At one point I just couldn't comment anymore it was so everything. Thanks you for another chapter, and thank you again for the story itself.

[O. Hinds]

You know, Somber was worried that this chapter wouldn't be well-received? :)

Logic error. If this was made before Canterlot was destroyed, how would Cognitium learn of Spike's cave through LittlePip's memoirs? Even worse, Spike's cave is supposed to be kept a secret untill Gardens of Equestria is activated.

For the first, there's a simple explanation: she made it a while ago and updated it but liked the Canterlot-blowing-up animation she made so much that she kept it in.
For the second, though, hm. Checking…
Ah, no problem, I think. Whether or not LittlePip left out Gardens of Equestria (I didn't find anything saying that she did, but I also didn't find anything saying that she didn't), Spike's cave, if not in the Book of LittlePip, would be an obvious hole: mention of the Battle of Dragon Mountain, and the fact that it was over a very important secret, was included in the two-weeks-later radio address.

[Somber]

So, okay chapter then?

[Derpmind]

So, okay chapter then?

Chapter 65:

Yes.

[Retl]

I'm enjoying it thus far, but still haven't finished. 3:04:51 / 3:52:27. Off of the top of my head, there's at least three things that press my fun buttons in particular.

[RoboRed]

Emotionally nerve-wracking, but great.

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