Chapter 33
"Are you guys ready for this?" Jigsaw said.
The trio stood in the control room. Lights flashed along the rows of corroded monitors, displaying information on the state of various parts of the airship. The magical fourth wall shimmered, displaying small river and verdant forest spread out below them.
"I've been waiting for this," Incendia said with conviction. "It's time we end this. For Stalliongrad."
Jigsaw nodded. "Tiptoe?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "I'm sticking with you no matter what."
Jigsaw smiled. "I guess this is really it, then. Once we cast off, there's no going back. Once we get the final Celestia fragmen
Antipodes
Chapter 32
By PK
(In the last chapter, our intrepid trio ventured deep into the Everfree forest only to find it twisted by an unknown magic. Jigsaw fought with a manticore and was fatally poisoned. Working together, Incendia and Tiptoe brought Jigsaw to a mysterious ruined castle, where and unconscious Jigsaw collected the new fragment and Luna fully reformed, expunging the poison in the process.)
"I you're what?" Tiptoe spluttered.
Jigsaw's solid silver eyes flashed in Tiptoe's direction. For a moment, a slight frown creased his face, but then recognition dawned. "Tiptoe," Luna's voice said, "I understand that you
Antipodes
Chapter 31
By PK
The bright blue juices from the strange fruit drizzled down Incendia's muzzle, the bitter, slightly electric, taste fresh in her mouth.
"Are you sure these are safe to eat?" she asked, eyeing the half-eaten fruit floating a few inches in front of her.
"Pretty sure," Jigsaw said, his own fruit hovering next to him. "When I examined the tree, I really didn't feel anything malignant. These definitely aren't natural, though, whatever they are."
Incendia's stomach growled in hunger, but she put the fruit away.
"I think I'll save this for later," she said.
The trees only grew thicker as they walked. A layer of thi
Antipodes
Chapter 30
By PK
Tiptoe extended her wings, soaring over the emerald green carpet spread out below her, wind buffeting her back and forth through the air as she made an unsteady landing on the top of the airship. She trotted over to a small, round hatch on the top of the airship and flipped a lever with her hoof. The door sprung open.
Tiptoe fluttered her wings as she descended into the control room. When she touched down, Incendia glanced up and gave her a curt nod. She sat on the ground in front of a monitor, which flashed blue and displayed a sentence in the language of the old world. A small quill floated in the air before I
Antipodes
Chapter 29
By PK
The sea serpent undulated as it prepared to let loose a deadly blast of energy.
"Move!" Tiptoe shouted as she darted up high into the air.
Jigsaw and Incendia glanced at each other and each galloped off in opposite directions. The beam of light burst forth from the serpent's throat, blasting a crater in the rock where they had been standing.
Incendia flashed bright orange, igniting a whirlwind of flame. Digging her hooves into the ground, she slid to a stop, turning to face the serpent as she took aim. Tongues of flame sprouted from the ground at her feet and shot towards the sea serpent, wrapping it in white
Antipodes
Chapter 28
By PK
The crowd that had gathered around the airship was impressive. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and races, had turned out to wish the trio of refugees a happy goodbye. Young pegasi hopped up and down on the top of the airship, shrieking with laughter. Moonbow stood in front of the trio, dressed in the heavy blue robes they had seen around the city so often.
As he turned to address the crowd, they quickly grew silent.
"Citizens of Totemhoof!" he bellowed, his voice strong and clear. "We have assembled today to bid farewell to the team that single-hoofedly saved our city. For thousands of years, Totemhoof has been pr
Antipodes
Chapter 27
By PK
Boom!
The explosion shook the ground under Spike's feet, causing him to stumble and as he scrambled over the rubble of a ruined building. All around him, flashes of light from mortars and mines drowned out the harsh light of the sun. The heat was unbearable.
He knew he couldn't pay attention to the war going on around him. It wouldn't let him.
It had sought him out, explained its plight. It said it could help him if he helped it. All he had to do was let it, and he had.
He ripped aside a pair of sun-bleached drapes and leapt through the shattered window frame. The building he was in now had an intact roof, an
Antipodes
Chapter 26
by PK
Tiptoe awoke with a start. Something had stuck her- hard- in the back. She attempted to roll over, but was hit again, this time just below her ribcage. With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself out of the bed and spun to look at what was hitting her.
Unsurprisingly, it was Jigsaw. He was tossing and turning violently in his sleep. The sheets lay in a heap at the foot of the bed, presumably kicked off. Tiptoe didn't know how she hadn't been woken up before, Jigsaw was trashing so violently. She approached the bed to try and wake him when she noticed something odd: even though the lights of the city had only
Antipodes
Chapter 25
by PK
Jigsaw stepped out into the cold, wintry breeze and surveyed the city below him. Hundreds of pinpricks of light shimmered from the streets below, a mixture of dim yellow bulbs and bright blue magical flames. He noticed something he hadn't the night he arrived- there was a distinct distribution of magical lights versus mundane. Their cabin was on the south slope of the valley that Totemhoof sat in, giving Jigsaw a good view of the whole city. The farther east he looked, the more common the arcane lights became, culminating in the giant, decrepit radio tower on the west hill, complete with the mysterious glowing si
Antipodes
Chapter 24
By PK
Hey, guys. It's me. I just wanted to personally apologize for the truly ridiculous wait between the last chapter and this one. I don't really know what I can do except apologize profusely and give you this chapter. It's my second longest, if that helps!
Incendia made her way down a cobblestone pathway which weaved in between the many short buildings built into the side of the hill. She was reminded vividly of Stalliongrad- the buildings here seemed to have been pieced together out of plates of metal from some long-demolished structure, just as they had been in the slums of Stalliongrad.
This place was different
Chapter 33
"Are you guys ready for this?" Jigsaw said.
The trio stood in the control room. Lights flashed along the rows of corroded monitors, displaying information on the state of various parts of the airship. The magical fourth wall shimmered, displaying small river and verdant forest spread out below them.
"I've been waiting for this," Incendia said with conviction. "It's time we end this. For Stalliongrad."
Jigsaw nodded. "Tiptoe?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she said. "I'm sticking with you no matter what."
Jigsaw smiled. "I guess this is really it, then. Once we cast off, there's no going back. Once we get the final Celestia fragmen
Antipodes
Chapter 32
By PK
(In the last chapter, our intrepid trio ventured deep into the Everfree forest only to find it twisted by an unknown magic. Jigsaw fought with a manticore and was fatally poisoned. Working together, Incendia and Tiptoe brought Jigsaw to a mysterious ruined castle, where and unconscious Jigsaw collected the new fragment and Luna fully reformed, expunging the poison in the process.)
"I you're what?" Tiptoe spluttered.
Jigsaw's solid silver eyes flashed in Tiptoe's direction. For a moment, a slight frown creased his face, but then recognition dawned. "Tiptoe," Luna's voice said, "I understand that you
Antipodes
Chapter 31
By PK
The bright blue juices from the strange fruit drizzled down Incendia's muzzle, the bitter, slightly electric, taste fresh in her mouth.
"Are you sure these are safe to eat?" she asked, eyeing the half-eaten fruit floating a few inches in front of her.
"Pretty sure," Jigsaw said, his own fruit hovering next to him. "When I examined the tree, I really didn't feel anything malignant. These definitely aren't natural, though, whatever they are."
Incendia's stomach growled in hunger, but she put the fruit away.
"I think I'll save this for later," she said.
The trees only grew thicker as they walked. A layer of thi
Antipodes
Chapter 30
By PK
Tiptoe extended her wings, soaring over the emerald green carpet spread out below her, wind buffeting her back and forth through the air as she made an unsteady landing on the top of the airship. She trotted over to a small, round hatch on the top of the airship and flipped a lever with her hoof. The door sprung open.
Tiptoe fluttered her wings as she descended into the control room. When she touched down, Incendia glanced up and gave her a curt nod. She sat on the ground in front of a monitor, which flashed blue and displayed a sentence in the language of the old world. A small quill floated in the air before I
Antipodes
Chapter 29
By PK
The sea serpent undulated as it prepared to let loose a deadly blast of energy.
"Move!" Tiptoe shouted as she darted up high into the air.
Jigsaw and Incendia glanced at each other and each galloped off in opposite directions. The beam of light burst forth from the serpent's throat, blasting a crater in the rock where they had been standing.
Incendia flashed bright orange, igniting a whirlwind of flame. Digging her hooves into the ground, she slid to a stop, turning to face the serpent as she took aim. Tongues of flame sprouted from the ground at her feet and shot towards the sea serpent, wrapping it in white
Antipodes
Chapter 28
By PK
The crowd that had gathered around the airship was impressive. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and races, had turned out to wish the trio of refugees a happy goodbye. Young pegasi hopped up and down on the top of the airship, shrieking with laughter. Moonbow stood in front of the trio, dressed in the heavy blue robes they had seen around the city so often.
As he turned to address the crowd, they quickly grew silent.
"Citizens of Totemhoof!" he bellowed, his voice strong and clear. "We have assembled today to bid farewell to the team that single-hoofedly saved our city. For thousands of years, Totemhoof has been pr
Antipodes
Chapter 27
By PK
Boom!
The explosion shook the ground under Spike's feet, causing him to stumble and as he scrambled over the rubble of a ruined building. All around him, flashes of light from mortars and mines drowned out the harsh light of the sun. The heat was unbearable.
He knew he couldn't pay attention to the war going on around him. It wouldn't let him.
It had sought him out, explained its plight. It said it could help him if he helped it. All he had to do was let it, and he had.
He ripped aside a pair of sun-bleached drapes and leapt through the shattered window frame. The building he was in now had an intact roof, an
Antipodes
Chapter 26
by PK
Tiptoe awoke with a start. Something had stuck her- hard- in the back. She attempted to roll over, but was hit again, this time just below her ribcage. With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself out of the bed and spun to look at what was hitting her.
Unsurprisingly, it was Jigsaw. He was tossing and turning violently in his sleep. The sheets lay in a heap at the foot of the bed, presumably kicked off. Tiptoe didn't know how she hadn't been woken up before, Jigsaw was trashing so violently. She approached the bed to try and wake him when she noticed something odd: even though the lights of the city had only
Antipodes
Chapter 25
by PK
Jigsaw stepped out into the cold, wintry breeze and surveyed the city below him. Hundreds of pinpricks of light shimmered from the streets below, a mixture of dim yellow bulbs and bright blue magical flames. He noticed something he hadn't the night he arrived- there was a distinct distribution of magical lights versus mundane. Their cabin was on the south slope of the valley that Totemhoof sat in, giving Jigsaw a good view of the whole city. The farther east he looked, the more common the arcane lights became, culminating in the giant, decrepit radio tower on the west hill, complete with the mysterious glowing si
Antipodes
Chapter 24
By PK
Hey, guys. It's me. I just wanted to personally apologize for the truly ridiculous wait between the last chapter and this one. I don't really know what I can do except apologize profusely and give you this chapter. It's my second longest, if that helps!
Incendia made her way down a cobblestone pathway which weaved in between the many short buildings built into the side of the hill. She was reminded vividly of Stalliongrad- the buildings here seemed to have been pieced together out of plates of metal from some long-demolished structure, just as they had been in the slums of Stalliongrad.
This place was different
Hey, all- I've just started a new story! A sequel to Antipodes, though I like to think it's accessible for first-time readers too. But here's the thing- it's going to be posted exclusibely of fimfiction because I hte DA's text editor. If you want to read it, head on over here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/70738/lodestone
Hope you enjoy it! :D
Ack! I don't have any excuse this time. It's been almost three months since the last chapter and the only one you have to blame is me. I've been in a total creative slump ever since the last chapter finished and I'm finding it very hard to focus on writing. Basically, it's all my fault, and I'm sorry I've kept you all waiting.
However, I would like to remind you all that the audiobook project is still chugging along at a good speed and it's a great way to experience the story all over again! Check it out http://www.youtube.com/antipodesaudiobook hereif you haven't already!
Additionally, to help fill you antipodes-less gap, there is another
Hey, loyal readers! Did you know I'm going to Bronycon? It's true! Did you also know that I'm sitting on a fanfiction panel and will be talking about antipodes and taking questions? Also true! I sure hope you guys will show up so I can say hi to all of you! Check out the schedule here: http://www.bronycon.org/panel-schedule/ (I'm at 5!) What's that? You're not going to Bronycon? No worries. You can still take part by watching the livestream!
See you all there!