Issue 1: Lemon Grove
How many ponies could say they had met one of the celestial sisters? Walking back to her family farm, Tilia Linden felt lucky to know somepony who had the honor: not only had Cobblestone met both sisters, but he was one of the ponies who had heeded their call to retake Canterlot. It was there that the sisters had finally been able to vanquish Discord. He had returned home only the day before – having spent one week in Canterlot after the victory, then another on the road – and was telling everypony in town about his adventure.
Sighing softly to herself, Tilia turned onto the path that led to her family's farm. She wished that she could have met even one of the sisters, just once. Lemon Grove was a safe town, though, far away from Discord's attentions. Towns like it were visited by refugees fleeing the chaos, not by revolutionary heroes. Like most ponies, she had been too scared to go to Canterlot—Cobblestone's stories would have to be enough for her.
The sun was hanging low in the sky; somewhere, probably in Canterlot now, Celestia was lowering it to make way for the moon. The constancy of the shift between day and night had been a symbol of hope for two long years—the first sign in so long that something was actually beyond Discord's influence. With the chaotic tyrant gone, everything was finally normal.
Walking towards the sun, Tilia squinted. It was hard to make out, but she thought she could make out the sight of somepony walking into town. She stopped and shielded her eyes from the sun with her right hoof.
Sure enough, she could see that somepony was crossing the bridge over the stream. With the slight elevation of the bridge, and the sun so close to the horizon, the traveler almost looked like she was stepping out of the sun itself.
"Oh, hi!" Tilia immediately exclaimed, waving her hoof at the newcomer. She trotted closer to her and was able to see more details. Though she wore a cloak, her orange coat and brown mane were visible under the hood. She pulled a large cart behind her.
The newcomer stopped as Tilia approached her. Something about her blue eyes struck Tilia: she seemed like her mind was far away. It was a look she had seen before, on far too many ponies who had come to Lemon Grove in the past.
"Good evening," the newcomer said. She looked around to her left and to her right. There was no sight of anything but lemon orchards on either side of her, and for at least two miles down the path behind her. "Have I reached Lemon Grove?" she asked.
Tilia nodded. "Yes," she answered. She paused for a moment, unsure of what else to say to the pony. Up close, the cart's contents were visible. It seemed to be mostly filled with necessities: some tent poles, rope, and a few sacks that probably contained supplies. The only personal item she could see was a large box, three feet on its long side, painted white. It looked almost like a music box, but Tilia had never seen such a large one before.
"Um..." she stammered. Her eyes moved from the newcomer's cart back to her eyes. At the moment they were regarding Tilia with patient attention, so she felt permitted to speak her mind. "Are you a refugee?" she asked. "The sisters defeated Discord two weeks ago," she said. "Nopony needs to run anymore."
The newcomer paused for a moment, considering Tilia. "I'm looking for a friend," she finally replied. Her eyes turned down the path, looking at the town in the distance. "I heard he was traveling this way."
"Oh," Tilia said. Her face scrunched as she thought. "We had some ponies come in last week. What's your friend look like?"
"He's very loud," the newcomer said, looking back at Tilia. "And doesn't fit in very well." She paused again. "If he had come to town, he would have been the first thing you wanted to talk to me about."
"Um... No then," Tilia said. "I don't know about anypony like that in town, sorry."
"Thank you all the same," the traveler said. She started walking again, following the path into town. As she watched the stranger pass by, Tilia caught sight of the stranger's sparse wagon again. With so little to call her own, she probably didn't have much to trade or pay for lodging with if she tried to go into town.
"Um, hey!" she called, moving to catch up with her. "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" she asked once she was walking alongside her.
The stranger shook her head. "No," she said simply. "I just need somewhere safe to keep my cart, and somewhere to put up my tent."
"Well," Tilia said. "If you want, I'm sure my parents would let you stay at the farm tonight."
The stranger nodded. "I'd appreciate that," she said. "Thank you."
"Come on," Tilia said. "It's just a bit back the other way, over the bridge again."
Tilia woke up groaning. The first thing she was aware of was an annoying throb in her head, like somepony had been screaming into her ear while she slept. She turned to the clock at her bedside, which said it was two o'clock in the morning.
Wide awake, she hopped out of bed. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well check on the orchards before going back to bed. She smiled as she realized how silly it was: with Discord gone, the odds of a sudden cold snap were low, to say the least. Still, it was a habit that her parents had drilled into her since she was very young. The fresh air would probably help clear her head too; even though she had only just climbed out of bed, she could already feel the throb lessening.
She shivered as soon as she stepped outside. It was no blizzard, like they had one night the previous summer, but the night had a definite chill to it. She could practically feel the cold's fangs nipping at her ears.
Everything outside was still, exactly as it should be. As she walked towards the north orchard, Tilia could feel her headache vanishing—as if it was draining out of her ears and into the night. Briefly, she considered going right back to bed. She had already gotten up though, so she decided that she might as well give herself some time to get drowsy again.
It only took her a few minutes to reach the edge of the north orchard. She stopped and listened but didn't hear any sounds being carried towards her on the breeze. Having second thoughts about checking the orchard in any more detail, she stopped. There were an awful lot of trees, and sweet lemons weren't as fragile as their name implied.
Habits were hard to break, but Tilia nodded and told herself that with Discord no longer walking Equestria, she didn't need to check the trees anymore. Besides, the trees would warn her themselves if there was any trouble.
As she turned back to the farm house, she spotted the large shed where the stranger was keeping her cart. True to her word, she had pitched her tent outside of the shed.
The traveler had briefly shared the family's table for dinner. She had spoken little during the meal, restricting herself to first expressing gratitude for the food and then complimenting each dish in turn. After the main course, she had thanked them for their hospitality and excused herself from the table. Father wasn't one to allow the family to talk about anypony behind their back, so that was the end of that.
Still, Tilia was curious. She stepped quietly, not wanting to disturb the traveler's sleep, towards the shed. Once there, she opened the door gently. Luckily, the hinges had been oiled recently—they did not creak.
The contents of the traveler's cart were illuminated by the moon, hanging high in the cloudless night sky. Tilia could see that she had been right before: the traveler carried few mundane possessions. Her white box, however, sat prominently in the cart.
Its appearance perplexed Tilia. There was some sort of very fine grating on the left and right sides of the box, and a spout sticking out of the front. There was a pretty picture of a fountain on the front, drawn in gold leaf. A blue gem was embedded in the front, a few inches above the spout, and it glinted as Tilia looked at it.
The box was beautiful, but she still had no idea what it was for. She thought for a moment. The gem looked magical so it might make the box do something. Leaning her chest on the cart, she reached a hoof towards the gem.
"Please don't touch that."
Tilia jumped as the voice came from behind her. She spun around to see the traveler standing with her head leaning slightly to the side, those distant eyes seeming to look beyond Tilia and into her soul.
"Oh, I," Tilia stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."
"Don't worry," the stranger replied. "You wouldn't have broken it."
Sheepishly, Tilia closed the shed door again. "I'm sorry," she said again after the door was closed. "I didn't mean to wake you."
The stranger shook her head. "I was already up," she said. She turned her head to the north, where the breeze was coming in from. Her mane blew in the wind as she looked into the night, with those far-gazing eyes of hers.
Tilia looked to the stranger's tent. With the way it was pitched, the breeze must have been blowing straight through the tent for some time. While the stranger stared at the orchard, Tilia's attention turned back to the shed.
"I have a question," she said. The stranger turned back to her, then nodded. "What is that box on your cart?" she asked. "It's beautiful."
"It cleans bad water," the stranger answered. Tilia furrowed her brows, confused.
"I never heard anything about the rivers going bad or anything," she said. "Is there really that much unsafe water out there?"
"I seem to run into a lot of it," the stranger said. She turned back to the north.
"Oh," Tilia said. Standing behind the stranger, she waited for a moment. Her walk had fulfilled its purpose: she was just about ready to go back to bed. She lifted a hoof to begin her walk back to the farm house. Just as Tilia was about to excuse herself, the stranger spoke again.
"My friend is going to arrive tomorrow," she said. The change in subject was sudden enough to surprise Tilia. She set her hoof down, and the stranger turned to face her. "Would there be any way for you to assemble everypony in town tomorrow morning?" she asked.
Tilia opened her mouth to ask why but realized that she probably wouldn't get an answer. Closing her mouth, she thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, everypony would come to a town meeting, I guess."
"Nopony would skip it?" the stranger asked.
"No," Tilia said. "Everypony likes to get together and say 'hi' to their friends, if nothing else."
The stranger nodded. "Then I would be most grateful if you could call everypony together tomorrow morning."
Tilia smiled at her. The stranger had asked for so little, it warmed her heart to be able to give her something she didn't need, but wanted.
"I would be glad to," she said. The stranger smiled back at her. "Well," Tilia said. "Good night." She yawned. "I need to get back to bed." The stranger nodded to her, then turned back to the orchard as Tilia made her way back to the farm house.
The dull murmur of the crowd filled the town square in the early morning. In a farming community, everypony was accustomed to getting up early. True to her word, Tilia had gone through town telling everypony about the meeting. From there, word was sent to the farm houses outside of town. Everypony had gathered to see what the fuss was about.
In Lemon Grove, town meetings were at least as much about socializing with the neighbors as they were about disseminating information. Cobblestone had attracted quite a crowd, and everypony else had at least one friend they wanted to chat with while waiting for the assembly to get underway.
Gradually, the crowd hushed; everypony was ready to hear what Tilia had to say. Nervously, she stepped onto the speaking rock and cleared her throat. She had always wanted to call a town meeting, but they had never seemed so scary back when she was standing in the audience. Now that she was looking at a hundred pairs of eyes staring back at her, she realized why she had never called one before.
"Um, hi everypony," she said, grinning anxiously while butterflies flapped around in her stomach. Her stage fright was silly, even she recognized that. She closed her eyes and concentrated, while everypony in the audience smiled knowingly. They were too polite to chuckle, and risk making her even more anxious, but it was always a treat when somepony called their first town meeting.
"Okay," Tilia said. She opened her eyes and looked back at the crowd—she was ready. "Well," she said, addressing the crowd. "Let's just get right to it! Last night, a traveler came to town. She said she was looking for a friend, and she thinks he's going to—"
Tilia had clamped her hooves to her ears before she even realized what had happened. The need to shut out the sound was so powerful, she didn't even know if she was still talking. In front of her, as her eyes filled with tears, a hundred more ponies fell to the ground, hooves on their ears trying to block out a sound that echoed in their skulls. Wincing with pain, she forced her eyes shut.
It was a howl—a monstrous howl. Her heart beat furiously, trying to hammer its way through her ribcage. Panicked breaths flew in between her clenched teeth, and her chest heaved up and down.
When she had finally recovered enough to open her eyes, she saw the stranger standing beside her. Somehow, the stranger was standing tall, as if she were unaffected by the sonic assault.
"He's here," the stranger said, looking down at her. She turned to the crowd. A few of the ponies were stirring, but most of their limbs were locked in place. "Those of you who can move: don't." She walked through the crowd, her eyes fixed on something in the distance.
Tilia tried to get up but couldn't. Her head was still spinning, but she thought she could see something approaching. Some thing.
It had the same shape as a wolf, but it was enormous. Standing on all four legs, it was at least half as tall as the building it stood next to. Its mangy black fur was thick and revolting. Its black claws were long. Though they were dulled, they still looked like they were sharp enough to cut deep into a pony's side. The saliva dripping from its mouth had a faint green tint to it, but its gums were sickly and red.
The long, yellow fangs sticking out of the gums were what she focused her eyes on, though. They were gigantic and filled the mouth from front to back. Each was sharpened to a dagger point, and the memory of the howl echoed though her mind again while she pictured those yellow teeth biting clean through her leg in one mighty chomp.
Terrified, she tried to scream. She tried to cry out—to warn everypony, or to try to distract the thing so she could run away on her dead legs, she didn't know. No sound came out of her mouth but a soft squeak and a desperate, sickly breath.
Having seen enough, she closed her eyes. Even against her eyelids, though, she could still see the beast. It dove at some poor woodland creature, swallowing it without even taking time to chew. Savoring the sensation of sustenance in its ever-empty belly, it bayed into the night. The breeze carried the dread sound for a distance. When it tired the orchard took over, passing the warning from tree to tree.
Her lemon trees—they had been trying to warn her. Tears streamed from her eyes. She should have known to listen to them—known to warn everypony, known to run.
The echo of the howl bounced through her mind again, like the monster was forcing itself into her thoughts. So clearly, she could see herself and her family running from their farm, only to be leapt up by the monster. It—
It was too terrible. Her eyes flew open, and she saw the beast looming over the crowd. Through her tears, she could also make out the stranger, standing in front of it. The stranger, always confident, had seemed so tall around Tilia; in front of the monster, though, she looked like a small herding dog standing up to a mighty stallion.
The monster utterly dwarfed her but it seemed to regard her cautiously. Though it could easily see the mass of helpless ponies from its high vantage, it seemed uncomfortable looking over her. It twisted its neck from left to right, trying to see around her instead.
The stranger didn't waver from her stance. She, alone among all of the ponies, was still standing. If there was anypony else who could still move, they were certainly too scared to do so, for fear of attracting the monster's attention. Unafraid, the stranger stood in front of it, head tilted up so she could look directly into its bloodshot eyes.
"RARGH!" The monster shouted into the sky. "Why!?!" it demanded. "Why you not let it feed?" It leaned down towards her and snarled. Tilia could swear that the thing's jaw came within inches of the stranger's face, but she didn't flinch—she didn't move at all.
It roared again, this time directly at the stranger. Still in control of her face, at least, Tilia managed to grimace as the sound assaulted her ears. It was different than its howl—it was just as savage but it was purely natural. There was no magic in the roar, just rage.
"You think so clever!" it shouted at the stranger. "Too many ponies can hear, its howl not hurt them!" Tilia tried to gasp, but the outburst came out as more of a hiccup. If its howl was weakened by there being too many ponies that could hear it, what would have happened if it had made its way into town with all of the farmers back at their homes?
Its lips curled back, and it bared its fangs at the stranger. Tilia looked up at its eyes, and the creature didn't seem angry anymore. In fact, it seemed to be smiling. The howl echoed in her head again, and she saw a picture of the beast pouncing upon the stranger, clamping its jaw over her back, and—
Tilia tried to call out to the stranger but she choked on the words in her throat. Tears started flowing out of her eyes and down her cheeks again, as she tried to watch what was happening.
"You brave," it said to the stranger. With a sudden burst, it leapt forward. "Not smart!" It only had a short distance to cover, and its jump was swift.
The monster's jaw reached the stranger too quickly for Tilia to make sense of the movement. When it snapped its teeth shut, however, it didn't bite into the brave mare. They closed on empty air, and Tilia's eyes opened wide. All of her tears were gone—she was too awestruck to be scared.
The stranger had darted to the left as soon as the monster started its leap. As the beast attempted to pull its head up and back, she lifted her front-right hoof and slammed it into the bottom of the creature's jaw. She stood up onto her hind hooves, pushing as hard as she could.
Tilia's eyes opened even wider. The hammer blow to its jaw hadn't merely annoyed the beast—it hadn't even done something so slight as staggering it. Reeling from the stranger's strike, the beast fell onto its back. Shaking its head, it rolled over and hopped to its feet.
Not wasting any time, the stranger charged forward. Quick in a fight, the monster swung its claws straight for her. Each claw must have been almost as thick as one of her legs, and it would only take one of them to tear her flank open.
Each claw could have been as wide around as a tree trunk, for all the good its swipe did. Long before the claws could connect with her and dig into her flesh, the stranger had already leapt at the beast.
Arcing gracefully though the air, she landed on its head while it was still driving its claws at the spot she had been standing just the instant before. It took her a mere moment to turn around, then she lifted her hind hoof and brought it slamming down onto the beast's skull.
The beast was so strong, it had barely noticed the added weight of a pony standing on its head. The devastating hit from the stranger's hoof was a whole different kind of problem for it, though. As soon as the hoof struck its skull, the creature's head came crashing towards the ground, chin-first. The stranger herself was flung into the air, the force of a single hoof still being enough to lift her up much further than the mightiest leap of any pony Tilia had ever even heard of.
CRACK! Chin struck ground with horrific force, and Tilia could hear the sickening sound echo among the buildings. The monster stifled whimpers, turning them into deranged growls in its throat. Even from so far away, Tilia could see the last parts of white in its eyes turn to red as it struggled to rise.
CLACK! The stranger finally hit the ground, and her landing echoed through the buildings even more loudly than the breaking of the beast's jaw. Standing to its left, the stranger examined the creature. Though it was in terrible pain, it opened its mouth.
"It..." it choked out through its broken jaw. "It KILL YOU!" The movement was so fast Tilia couldn't even see it: all she could see was that in one instant the beast was lying on the ground – vanquished – then in the next it was standing up on its two front paws with its mouth open, as if it were shouting as loudly as its massive lungs could manage. The stranger clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and turned her head away from the sonic assault.
Tilia closed her own eyes and flinched, expecting to hear the beast's horrific roar again. After a moment, though, she realized she couldn't hear it. She opened her eyes and looked to the crowd. A few ponies craned their necks to see what was happening but nopony attempted to cover their ears. Somehow, the beast was focusing the entire attack on the stranger.
Feeling panic rising up in her again, Tilia forced herself up to her hooves. Her movements were stiff and slow but she could finally control her muscles again. At first, she turned to run. With dread, though, she realized there was no way she could hope to outrun the beast. With great effort, she turned back around to look, to see if it was behind her.
Her eyes fell on the monster, still sitting up on its paws. It was panting for breath, exhausted, and its eyes were wide with bewilderment. "How..." it choked out as it panted. "H-how?"
In front of it stood the stranger, her eyes narrowed. She didn't say anything. When she struck, she was quick and brutal. In a flash she had turned her back to the monster and dove forward onto her front hooves. Tilia could hear the impact from two hundred feet away as her rear hooves struck the beast's throat.
The monster reeled backwards again, this time flying until it hit a building. After impacting the structure, the beast crumbled to the ground in a heap, coughing and sputtering. Propelled by the force she had unleashed on the beast, the stranger's front hooves dug a short trench in the dirt street until she, too, was stopped by striking a building.
Everypony in the crowd was finally starting to stand. Those who had better control of their bodies helped others who still couldn't move as well. Each pony looked to the others, hoping that somepony else would break the eerie silence that had descended on the scene, but nopony seemed to want to speak.
Eventually, all eyes turned to Cobblestone. He had faced Discord's minions in Canterlot: it just seemed right that he should be the first one to speak.
Cobblestone was barely aware that anypony was looking at him, though. His eyes were focused on the monster. It was laying on its back, leaned against the sweet shop, silently gasping for breath. But for the actions of one pony, it could have devoured everypony in town. Eyes wide, mouth opened in disbelief, he was at a loss for words. It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke.
"By the Sisters' light..."
Nopony could disagree.
Down the street, the stranger returned from around a corner with her cart. She had already put her cloak back on and turned away from the crowd so she could walk towards the monster. The stranger's white box sat prominently on the back of the cart, its spout hanging over the edge.
As the monster's howl echoed weakly in her mind, Tilia could feel its fear. The stranger finally reached it with her cart and stopped. She stepped out of the cart's harness and walked around to the back. Without sparing a glance to the felled beast, she pressed the gem on the box's front.
Upon being touched, the gem began to glow. After a moment, the monster's fur began to glow as well, as if it had acquired an aura the same color as the sky.
The gentle glow gradually turned sinister as it penetrated deeper onto the beast. As more of its body began to glow, those parts that had already been lit turned into a fine mist. The fog sought out the box, entering through the grates on the side, and through the top.
After a minute, there was no monster anymore. The last of the mist was sucked into the box, and the gem ceased its glowing. Water poured from the spout, less than a cup of it, then everything was still again.
Wordlessly, the stranger hitched herself back up to the cart. Her eyes turned east, towards her original path. Turning the cart around, she headed back to the town square. She paid the ponies in the square no mind, but her approach stirred something in the crowd.
A few of the ponies in the crowd who were closest to her bowed as she neared them. After that, a wave struck the rest of the crowd, and each pony hurried to kneel to the stranger. Tilia hurried to press her head to the ground as well. Everypony heard as the stranger and her cart came to a stop.
"Get up," she said. Nopony could see her face, but the irritation was plain in her voice. Too nervous to move, nopony rose from their bow. "I said to get up." Still nothing. Tilia could hear as the stranger sighed.
"I am an atoner," the stranger finally said, addressing the crowd. "Not a savior." Perplexed, and comfortably at the back of the crowd, Tilia dared to look up. She could see the stranger standing, still harnessed, but nopony else had lifted their head. Seeing that somepony, at least, was willing to look at her, the stranger turned her head to look Tilia in the eye. Tilia cringed, but something inside her gave her the courage not to duck her head back to the ground.
"As I have done wrong, I must now do good," the stranger said. She nodded to Tilia, then turned back to her journey.
Tilia shivered. Everypony else was still kneeling, their chins on the ground, but something made her stand. She clenched her teeth, looking out at the stranger as she walked down the road. Breathing heavily, she looked down at the townsponies: her family was there, her friends. But so was Cobblestone.
She couldn't let fear hold her back. Not a second time.
"Wait!"
Her voice was enough to startle the townsponies into a reaction. Heads sprung up, and gazes turned to her, but Tilia wasn't going to back down.
"I was too scared to go to Canterlot!" she called out. "But not this time! Let me help you!"
The stranger looked at Tilia from behind her hood, then nodded once.
Immediately, Tilia started running through the crowd, stepping around and hopping over the ponies she had known all her life. She passed by Cobblestone, who looked up at her with heavy brows and understanding eyes. He didn't try to say anything as she ran past him. All he did was nod once, then it was over. As quickly as that, she had passed him by.
"Tilia." Her mother's voice pulled at her, and it was enough to make her stop. The mare looked up at Tilia with her big, purple eyes. "Please," she said. "Be safe." She fought back a sob as she closed her eyes, and tears started gently streaming down both cheeks.
Tilia leaned over and nuzzled her mother. "I will," she promised. "You all just take care, okay?" Giving her best, most confident smile, she looked her mother in the eyes. "I'll be back, with all sorts of stories. You'll see." She nodded and turned back to the stranger.
Determined, she continued making her way through the crowd. When she was finally clear, she broke into a canter, leaving her family for adventure.
At the edge of town, the stranger waited patiently. Tilia ran to her side, then stopped. Wearing a brave face, she turned to the stranger and smiled. Looking back, the stranger was as calm as ever.
"You know, this is not a path that all ponies can walk," she warned. "All I can promise you is that if you ever wish to turn back, your way home will always be clear."
"I'll see it through," Tilia said, setting a hoof down and puffing herself up. "I promise."
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Who ya gonna call?
I really like how this story starts off. But it's weird how the monster turned into water. At first I thought it might have been a container of something or a Pandora Box. I look forward into learning how all of this will play out.
I only wish I had a bit more of Tilia deciding to go with the mare than her just running after her and her mother just knowing what she was going to do.
2380813
You're not the only one to express concern about the ending. I've amended the ending slightly, so hopefully it shouldn't come across as quite so abrupt. Equestria is a land of wonder and adventure, but that doesn't mean that I can't pace scenes a bit better.
I really like how you made the stranger act very kindly. I see too many stories it seems like where strangers often act rough and bullyish before you get to know them. this stranger acts calm and is always collected, always not hurting anyone's feelings or acting rudely towards anyone.
i.e. i like her.
Ooo, an original Adventure fic. Who doesn't love adventure?
This got featured on EqD ALREADY?
Ok, who did you bribe and how much was it?
Man, it's been forever since I've seen honest-to-god, good old-fashioned adventure. I expect more excellent fight sequences in the future.
Im getting a Claymore feeling from this story. I really like it so far.
The only thing that kinda bothered me was that the paragraphs weren't indented.
An interesting start. Here's to hoping it goes well with musing inspiration.
Reminds me some of the Claymore manga. That's a good thing. I read the start of that but never actually read the manga. Hopefully this story lives up to it's beginnings!
That certainly is an interesting start...
2449248
2450155
I certainly agree with OMJay and TheStratovarian, it has been a while since I have seen a good, original (and complete!) adventure story.
Just out of curiosity, how far and thoroughly have you planned out the overall story line? All too often it seems that an author will start an adventure story with an intriguing, promising premise but then loose direction 4-5 chapters in, causing the plot to meander out of control and dissolve like a salt covered slug. Inevitably the story gets cancelled to the dismay and sadness of all.
It seems to be a common affliction with this genre, possibly because all the characters, events, and locations are usually invented out of whole cloth without any elements from the shows to fall back on.
Best of luck to you, and I look forward to more.
2469331
I have the subjects of the next four chapters pretty solidly in mind, along with what the second half of the story will be about and the two huge confrontations of that half. Most importantly, I know where the Mare is headed, and why.
Be more worried about me prying myself away from Victoria 2 long enough to write. But for you guys, I can do anything.
2469748
I'm surprised you find time to write if you play EVE Online.
2479835
Oh, it's been so long since I've played Eve. Those were the days, though.
2482474
But... but... you have an EVE avatar! D:
2482603
Yep. I like it so much I've kept it all these years.
2484050
Caldari?
2484083
Aye, Deteis Caldari. The ambassador of industry, too. Wrote the science and industry guide way back when the only information about it was either an out-of-date guide or asking someone on the forums. People have written better guides since then, but I still hear back about the guide every now and again.
2484087
*runs around the room screaming in joy*
I did it! I called it! I knew just by looking at your avatar... what race... you chose...
You know, now that I'm typing it out, I'm feeling kinda sad...
Still, VICTORY~!
Also, did you release your guide in '08?
2484104
*checks guide*
Early 2006. Very early. Last updated early 2007.
2484152
Ah, never read it. Sorry.
But, hey! EVE Online!
This look like it has the potential to be really good.
her parents let her go too easily to seem realistic. also, the fear everyone else has is completely irrational. but good story otherwise. dis guna b gud!
