Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[Ketchup]

You mean this?

“When that zebra bullet punched through muh brother’s armor an’ pierced his heart, it broke muh heart too.”  I could see Applejack’s eyes start to tear.  Her voice trembled, but she pressed on.  The room was now dead silent except for her.

The point of that was that it wasn't (or at least Applejack took it not to be) that the bullet was particularly good, it was that the armor wasn't good enough. Hence the Steel Rangers.

Hrmm, maybe it was another character, then? Or I'm entirely wrong and I'm remembering that scene incorrectly.

[Sindri]

You mean this?

“When that zebra bullet punched through muh brother’s armor an’ pierced his heart, it broke muh heart too.”  I could see Applejack’s eyes start to tear.  Her voice trembled, but she pressed on.  The room was now dead silent except for her.

The point of that was that it wasn't (or at least Applejack took it not to be) that the bullet was particularly good, it was that the armor wasn't good enough. Hence the Steel Rangers.

No, that's not it... It was definitely a reference to it being 'our/my/their bullet what/that killed him' or words to that effect. If nobody else does I'll try to locate the quote when I have time, but it'll be a while.

[Kippershy]

Yeah, probably just some retard going "wait, this was changed" because they never did specify when.
That's the trouble with everyone insisting on being anonymous as if it really matters and that everyone has to be untraceable.

[Ketchup]

No, that's not it... It was definitely a reference to it being 'our/my/their bullet what/that killed him' or words to that effect. If nobody else does I'll try to locate the quote when I have time, but it'll be a while.

That's what I remember as well, but maybe it's from PH and not the original.

[Sindri]

No, that's not it... It was definitely a reference to it being 'our/my/their bullet what/that killed him' or words to that effect. If nobody else does I'll try to locate the quote when I have time, but it'll be a while.

That's what I remember as well, but maybe it's from PH and not the original.

Point, it might have come from the records in Trottenheimer's place. My memories of FoE and PH do sometimes get blurred, in which case I owe Kkat an apology. But I still have the impression it was from longer ago than that...

That's the trouble with everyone insisting on being anonymous as if it really matters and that everyone has to be untraceable.

What amuses me about it is that most of them are laughably easy to trace. Most don't even know what TOR is. Having a screen name and being difficult to find are pretty much entirely unrelated, unless your personal habits make it easy to guess (like how I tend to use some variation on 'Sindri' or 'Suncatcher' when I'm not trying to hide, though I'm hardly the only one using the names). I generally just ignore anything posted as 'anon' or 'anonymous' because they seem to be universally trolls and idiots.

Even on 4chan and similar sites, what few scraps of value float up out of the much are always attached to a real screen name.

[Stringtheory]

and the best way to reconcile what Kkat said about it is that Equestria had developed AP rounds years before the zebras did, and that power armor can stop a normal armor-piercing round from a normal rifle, at least if it isn't to the head.

or that AP rounds were just extremely rare, and only given to specialists, like Psalm, until after this point

Well, except that it was said (or at least strongly implied) that Big Macintosh would have survived his fatal wound if he had been wearing power armor. Applejack was driven to develop the armor specifically by his death.

...But was then disturbed by the development of AP rounds that could penetrate powered armor. It's pretty foggy, maybe there are two types of AP rounds?
Aside from that, .50 will penetrate most personal armor, regardless of bullet variety.

looks like we're having a hard time applying Scotch Tape to this Plot Hole...

[WovenTales]

Quotidian, I'm not picking at you alone with either of these, you just had nice wordings of the topics in a single post.

Spoiler:

I don't see it so much as forcing a particular sexual orientation as it is pushing a particular view of sexual orientation, and the Enclave is just a bit more aware of it than we are. After all, just about anything here that's not being made to bring the issue to the foreground describes the ideal couple as heterosexual and monogamous. The greater visibility might be to try to override the seeming estrus push toward finding a stallion over more normal preferences (which is itself interesting), but it sounds like it's more awareness than reprogramming.

Spoiler:

They're both focused on different groups. Kkat's history was focused around the Ministry Mares, while Somber uses the Marauders. Since the group is never really fleshed out in FoE, the characters are definitely Somber's, and since a lot of their scenes were offscreen and lacking detail, seeing them firsthand does make it feel more like Somber's making them her own than is actually happening.

I do agree that the Marauders' interactions with the Ministries, and especially Goldenblood's machinations, get much closer to taking the original over, but I still think this is a better idea than holding everything sacred. Not touching the Mares at all is obviously impossible if we want to see anything of consequence from the war, and leaving the organization as it was would mean even more meddling with the past to use the Mane Six in a way that doesn't feel tired. Sure, having Goldenblood mastermind most of the grand plans is quite a different feel than we got in FoE, but I'd rather have that than force Somber to work according to a very strict blueprint, with very little left to explore.

[Moodyman90]

"There's your truth, my truth, and somewhere in the middle the real truth."

Throw in that it happened 200 years ago, was a dramatic, world changing event, government secrets and unrevealed projects, what the general public knew to be "true", what individuals know to be "true", it pretty much comes down to if you're able to come up with something to make it work for you.

I understand not everybody can do that, that they need a set in stone, can not be mess with canon. Me? I'm a laid back guy. Currently I'm cherry picking suggestions made here and putting them into my head canon.

If it helps, while we think history is set in stone, it does change. New discoveries, more information, overlooked details getting the spotlight put on them.

My memory is hazy, but while Applejack was one of the more active Ministry Mares, wasn't there a bunch of deals and plots going on behind her back? And how long was it before/after Big Mac's death did she put her hoof down on those things? Try as she might certain things slipped by her. Why couldn't AP rounds be one of those things?

And once again Psalm did get those rounds from Goldenblood who had his hooves in everything and blah blah blah I hate to use that as a handwave but most of PH has been dealing with stuff he's done and how well he kept certain things hidden and concealed.

Also, I think Dragonslayer rounds could count as AP rounds since they have to punch through dragon scales, but they wasn't widely produced.

[chinman]

I'm new to this board (just registered today, wewt!) so I
unfortunately don't know how to mark things as spoilers yet, which is a
problem considering this post will include at least a few potential spoilers.
So with that in mind I'll try to make it clear before I start that there will
be spoilers in this post. With that in mind:

**PH CHAP. 54 SPOILERS AHEAD!**

I know this isn't really related to what the previous comments were about,
but I figured now would be as good a time as any to introduce my pet fan theory
as to the possible true identity of the recently revealed Legate Vitiosus. If someone else already put forth this theory
without my knowing, well then I guess I’ll be more than happy to tell it a
second time.


So starting with what we learned in chapter 54, Vitiosus is presented as a
mysterious, rune covered beast of a
zebra capable of some absolutely game breaking feats, including but not limited
to control over the elements, the ability to shrug off an otherwise fatal wound
from BJ’s startmetal sword (which as previously revealed in Hightower is
capable of damaging even the otherwise indestructible soul jars), and the
ability to stop a freaking tank
shell with his bear hooves. So it suffices to say this guy is
presented as a pretty unbeatable warrior.
Now wait a minute, where have we heard about this sort of thing before?

Let’s look back a minute to the first point in the story
where we hear about Legate Vitiosus.
While I couldn’t tell you exactly what chapter this is from, I can say
that the first time anyone mentioned the name Vitiosus was not long after the
first encounter with Lancer, when Sekashi was telling BJ the “funny story”
about how she ended up marked for death by the Remnant. Apparently she was originally one of Vitiosus’
wives, before she found herself alone and dying somewhere in The Hoof. In a desperate
bid to save her life, she made a deal with the stars to save her
life. While her wish was ultimately
granted, the price for her survival was that now her “heart was filled with
doubt,” which lead her to peruse a number of the Remnant’s forbidden texts
regarding the stars before inevitably getting caught. So what does that have to do with Legate
Vitiosus?


Fast forward a couple more chapters to another one of
Sekashi’s “funny stories” (again, I don’t know exactly when this occurred, but
I’m pretty sure it was just after BJ’s second encounter with Lancer at the
museum). In this story, Sekashi makes
mention of a mythical figure in zebra folklore.
According to the legend, there was a zebra that called upon the stars
and demanded that they grant him the power to become an unstoppable force on
the battlefield, capable of shrugging off even the most grievous of wounds and
emerging victorious. While he was
granted his wish and then some, this came at the price that from then on he
would cause death and havoc where ever he went, and would eventually go on to
become the original Proditor.
As noted in the recent flashback where BJ witnessed Shujaa’s
last sacrifice to save Twist, it doesn’t appear as though most zebra legates get an awesome set of superpowers as part of the position. Additionally, if you go ahead and google the
name “Vitiosus”, you’ll find that it can translate as either “defective and
corrupt” or “wicked and depraved ”. Hmm now there's a name to run away from really fast :P



Its worth noting that when this particular “funny story” was being told, it
was probably safe to say most of us readers assumed this was a big hint towards
Rampage’s backstory due to the similarities.
After all, not only is she much faster and stronger than a pony her size
has any right to be, she’s also effectively un-killable, and the stripes seemed
to be a pretty dead giveaway too.
However the events at Hightower effectively joshed that particular theory,
thanks to the revelation that both Rampage and her phoenix talisman were the
product of Rarity’s own experiments in necromancy, just before the bombs
fell. So she couldn’t possibly have any
relation to a figure mentioned in ancient zebra folklore. After Hightower it seemed that the story of
the first Proditor may have been just a simple piece of folklore after all, at least that is until Legate Vitiosus makes his appearance, and demonstrates many of these same traits.




It’s at this point that the various clues start coming together.
When Sekashi bargained with the stars to
secure her own survival, they revealed to her that Legate Vitiosus was in fact
the ancient Proditor of legend.
Naturally more than a little disturbed by her revelation, Sekashi started
pouring over the forbidden texts to confirm the truth. When Vitiosus discovered what she was up to he
was understandably pissed. If
the Remnant were to discover that their “brave leader” was in fact the
legendary Proditor, and that all those amazing powers of his were the result of
a pact with the stars rather than his status as Legate, it would pretty much
destroy his image amongst his followers.
So Vitiosus branded Sekashi a traitor and sent his own son to kill her
in order to prevent the truth from getting out.


Of course if all this is true then it still leaves a number
of questions. Does Vitiosus truly
believe that he is fighting for the good of zebrakind by waging an endless
war against Hoofington, or is this just a cover for a decided less than altruistic
agenda such as claiming the Tokmare’s power for his own?
**END SPOILERS**



Well, regardless of whether or not this crazy fan theory
turns out to be true, 54 was one heck of a chapter. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait as long
for the next one!

[Sindri]

I'm new to this board (just registered today, wewt!) so I
unfortunately don't know how to mark things as spoilers yet, which is a
problem considering this post will include at least a few potential spoilers.
So with that in mind I'll try to make it clear before I start that there will
be spoilers in this post. With that in mind...

Welcome! Easiest way to learn formatting and stuff is to click the quote button over somebody else who did it; you'll see what they entered at the top of your reply box.

Spoiler:

title text:

[Moodyman90]

First and foremost, glad to have you on the site!

Secondly, the Spoiler thing is labeled under "Others". Just highlight the text you want to cover, hit "other" and then click "Spoiler".

Got to say, that's a heck of a first post. I'm hesitant to agree with all of it, but it makes a scary amount of sense.

It also brought back to mind something that crossed mine while reading the chapter last night.

Spoiler:

.

[Quotidian]

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

[Sindri]

~snop~

Okay, I like the way you think. And it does make an awful lot of sense. So, first theory is that he is the legendary Eternal Warrior, once cast out and reviled for the destruction he brought, the tribes he destroyed, and his dealings with the Stars. Perhaps, in the last days of the war, Caesar was desperate enough to offer the terrible pariah forgiveness if he served faithfully. And who better to lead the assault against Hoofington, the cursed city of legend from which untold horrors arise and against which untold legions have broken, than the cursed warrior who cannot be defeated? And it certainly explains why Caesar's last order has been kept so faithfully in the long years since the apocalypse; what's two hundred years of death and destruction to one who'd suffered worse for thousands, especially compared to the man who gave his life back?

But in the legend, didn't he have red stripes?

And those books Sekashi studied, the ones so forbidden that she was cast out and hunted for having read them, the ones which allowed her to strike her own terrible bargain with the stars, minor as it may be in comparison to those in the legends? Whose were those exactly?
The ponies managed to create Rampage, a shadow of the Eternal Warrior, in a few short years of fumbling in the dark. What could be accomplished by someone who had access to tomes like the Black Book for years, and who already understood the basis of alchemy and talismans which they had been built on?

Perhaps the Eternal Warrior really is just a legend. Perhaps he went elsewhere long ago, or stayed out of the war. But when the Nightmare rules the nation of your enemies, when they stand poised to twist themselves into reflections of her power, when their terrible spells have the potential to wipe out all zebra life, forging a new legend is almost mandatory, and the price the Stars ask seems so little...

Spoiler:

Goldenblood is clever, yes, but we've seen him defeated more often than not, and he was hardly the only one doing monstrous things in the shadows of the Ministries. He was barely directly involved in half of what went on back then, and half of that he was opposing.

[chinman]

Yup that theory isn't without its problems. Probably one of the things I like the most about Somber's work is that you can't always predict where the plot will go. Sometimes the direction the plot takes is heavily telegraphed from the get go, and sometimes it comes screaming out of the left field. Definitely keeps you on your toes.

Spoiler:

On another note, wow this board does not like it when you cut and paste onto it. That first post got pretty badly mangled.

[tylertoon2]

I'm new to this board (just registered today, wewt!)

Hey Welcome to the forum! We hope you enjoy your stay!

https://cloudsville.rpg-board.net/t897p1020-official-project-horizons-comment-crew-chat-thread#1422520- Here is the official off topic board for our merry little band of pychopaths here.

https://cloudsville.rpg-board.net/t749-phccminecraft-server- Here is the thread for our little private minecraft server of which I cordially invite you to join in on.

Have fun.

[CamoBadger]

Chapter 54:

[Vergil]

The best part of how badass he was is how badass BJ will apparently have to be when they meet again.

I think I just mildly confused myself with that sentence.

[Stringtheory]

Yup that theory isn't without its problems. Probably one of the things I like the most about Somber's work is that you can't always predict where the plot will go. Sometimes the direction the plot takes is heavily telegraphed from the get go, and sometimes it comes screaming out of the left field. Definitely keeps you on your toes.

Spoiler:

On another note, wow this board does not like it when you cut and paste onto it. That first post got pretty badly mangled.

welcome to the forums , pick one to be your gift if you plan on sticking around: a shotgun, a bottle of whisky, or infinite sanity (I choose sanity, not worth it, should've gone with the shotgun)

please time all breakdowns to not coincide with anyone else's or the release of a new chapter, though with the creation of the chat thread, the second one doesn't matter as much anymore

also I'd recommend getting an avatar to tell yourself apart from the few other people who don't

[O. Hinds]

A small part in Chapter 45 was discovered to no longer fit with the desired version of events and has therefore been altered. The altered section is duplicated below to save the reader the trouble of accessing the chapter. Apologies for any formatting problems.

Spoiler:

[O. Hinds]

Spoiler:

[jacky2734]

crazy theory time:

What do you think?

[Ketchup]

Spoiler:

Re-enlist, maybe?

[Sindri]

crazy theory time:

What do you think?

Plausible. Larger scale than anything ever built before in the Hoof though; just getting the tokomare running in the first place was a monumental undertaking. Unless... what was the time scale on Project Horizons? Because the Core has been putting out constant power, and there are tunnels all over the Hoof with little or no interference, and those industrial sprite bot construction things (can't remember the name right now) could keep building without live input as long as they had a good computer and a steady power supply... that count-up that was approaching ten million, was there anything there indicating it wasn't feedback from an almost-complete network of shield generators?

[O. Hinds]

Spoiler:

Re-enlist, maybe?

My dictionary says that "reenlist" is correct, but thanks for pointing out the diplomatic dent. This was composed in a bit of a hurry.

[Luminous Lead]

Hah! Looks like Blackjack finally caught on about Psalm. I was rereading some of the earlier chapters Saturday night and saw a couple of references that really made this chapter for me: As she's reading a log at the weapons manufacturer Blackjack finds that a "GB" is contrabanding Dragonkiller rounds from Trottenheimer. (as soon as I noticed this I thought to myself "Huh, weren't those the things that were used to attempt to assasinate Celestia? Isn't Psalm Goldenblood's assasin? Isn't she always seeking atonement for some terrible thing?... Ohhhhh, I see!") I guess we see them finally used here. Talk about a Chekkov's gun! Also, before getting the Applejack bobblehead Blackjack reads a journal entry from Hoss, in which discovered Psalm "a black mare [who] snuck in the barn".

Man, Hoss was really awesome in retrospect. You guys remember Hoss, the unburied skeleton from way back in Chapter 2? He directed Marigold's foal, Blackjack's Ancestor, to a nearby stable so that she could survive the megaspells. His final wish provided a moment for Blackjack to do something for others. He would also have offered Psalm a place to belong (while unknowing of the fact that she'd killed his grandson, but I suspect he would have done it anyway), had she stayed around to accept it.

He was just a minor character from way back in the second chapter, but his actions made Blackajack's very existance possible, and have given her strength from her from the beginning of her journey.

Very few simple throwaway characters, especially early on. There is so much foreshadowing in the early chapters that it would make your heads explode. I love this story.

I wonder if Psalm knows she's in the head of the great-great-great grandfoal of the stallion she murdered?

[Kippershy]

So, question. A stupid question, but a question all the same.

Spoiler:

[Karasu]

Ah, thank you. I've not capitalized "moon", though; "Moon" would be appropriate only in the particular case where a culture uses that as the name, while "moon" is generally correct.

I didn't even notice the first instance in the sentence; I was just referring to the second one, which was part of "Nightmare Moon"--I think the broken formatting didn't help there, so I'm sorry about that again.

Re Kippershy:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

[Sindri]

So, question. A stupid question, but a question all the same.

Spoiler:

On a personal level? He's a dogmatic, murderous, assholish zealot responsible for untold suffering not only from his enemies but from his own followers, and every word he said made me loathe him a little more.

As a villain? He's interesting, powerful enough to be a huge threat even in person and at the current power level without having some stupid 'I win' button.

As a story element? He's got an interesting and mysterious background, and his mere presence shakes things up in a big way even if he weren't acting directly against Blackjack and co.

But I get the impression that you're asking less about him and more about his big fight scene. To which I will say that you're probably not the only one to hate it, but you seem to be in the minority this time around. My own thoughts were split pretty evenly between 'holy shit,' 'are you fucking kidding me,' 'that was awesome,' and 'how did he pull that one off, and how would one replicate these results?'

[Guest]

Review, or at least the start of said.:

EDIT: LOL troll groundskeeping trucks immediately start idling outside my window, screwing around with sand stashes underneath my room the second I finally decide to get some sleep. HA. HA. WHY DON'T I HAVE ANY IBUPROFEN?!

[AGurdel]

So, question. A stupid question, but a question all the same.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

And could we please stop putting everything regarding chapter 54 in spoiler tags? Everpony who visits this thread should have read the chapter by now (I stopped reading this thread the moment the new chapter was announced).

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