Cover Image

The Transient's Detail

by J Winters
"I will find you, dad. Dead or alive, I will find you, and hopefully some answers..." "... but things can never be that easy."

Left with many questions after the sudden news about the disappearance of his father, a young man decides to take the leap out of the safety of his homeland so he may finally lay to rest his doubts and the memory of his parent. Embarking to the planet below that has been lost to his people for longer than anyone can remember, he soon discovers a path that leads him much farther than he could have imagined. Lost in an alien world, what started as a quest that was easy to understand becomes muddled in obligations to foreign royalty, and the question must be asked: Are there more important things than his search for what might only be a corpse?

First novel of the story is now complete and posted here! Second novel is in the works at this time. I do not do periodic chapter releases (unless it is a special occasion or is side material). When the second novel is complete, it will have daily releases of chapters, but there will be a lack of updating for a while until then. Report on the status of the second novel can be found here.

Special Thanks:
L. Rose for his assistance in the story-boarding and initial editing.
Fence Sparrow for generously supplying the cover art.
Y. Laney for her taking on the daunting task of editing this entire story.
Yu (AKA: Queue, or Formerly Known as Queue) for being able to resolve "The Issue with Ooh," and thus, for being a cool and informed person.
Hasbro (of course) for their life-changing, magical, technicolor equines.
Bay 12 Games for making and continuing to develop Dwarf Fortress, which was an inspiration for the events of Songring. I did not include a Crossover tag for this because the story is at no time set in the Dwarf Fortress universe, and borrows no official characters or places from their lore.
Additional thanks to Nidokoenig for the "My Little Fortress" mod used in my version of the game. Creatures from the mod have been used as major inspiration during this story.

Cancelled
Adventure
Gore
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Dark
Human
 
ODPMO

268672 words: Estimated about 22 hours to read
Download:textHTMLePUB

75 Chapters:

  1. Introduction 2013-03-06 22:00:26 UTC
    616
  2. 1: Embark 2013-03-06 22:00:34 UTC
    1080
  3. 2: Leaving Them Behind 2013-03-06 22:09:32 UTC
    4051
  4. 3: Seclusion 2013-03-06 22:09:45 UTC
    1515
  5. 4: Lower Learning 2013-03-06 22:12:08 UTC
    2150
  6. 5: Out of the Pan 2013-03-06 22:12:35 UTC
    2605
  7. 6: In the Fire 2013-03-06 22:13:29 UTC
    1355
  8. 7: One Tooth Less 2013-03-06 22:13:55 UTC
    2350
  9. 8: Am I Lost? 2013-03-06 22:14:12 UTC
    1939
  10. 9: Hospitality 2013-03-06 22:16:08 UTC
    1423
  11. 10: Blank Flank 2013-03-06 22:16:26 UTC
    2612
  12. 11: Libel 2013-03-06 22:16:46 UTC
    2083
  13. 12: Alienation 2013-03-06 22:17:14 UTC
    4674
  14. 13: Empty Pockets 2013-03-06 22:17:28 UTC
    3018
  15. 14: Temper 2013-03-06 22:18:11 UTC
    2652
  16. 15: Rhyming Bother 2013-03-06 22:18:55 UTC
    3377
  17. 16: Cross-Eyed 2013-03-06 22:19:37 UTC
    2260
  18. 17: Blanker Flank 2013-03-06 22:23:19 UTC
    3003
  19. 18: Phobias 2013-03-06 22:23:47 UTC
    4505
  20. 19: Reconsideration 2013-03-06 22:24:55 UTC
    2161
  21. 20: Quickly 2013-03-06 22:25:16 UTC
    310
  22. 21: Incarceration 2013-03-06 22:26:13 UTC
    1202
  23. 22: Audience 2013-03-06 22:26:36 UTC
    3874
  24. 23: Diplomacy 2013-03-06 22:28:22 UTC
    1340
  25. 23+: Synopsis of Clean Ages 2013-03-06 22:31:33 UTC
    3536
  26. 24: Fired 2013-03-06 22:31:44 UTC
    1128
  27. 24+: Letters 2013-03-06 22:32:24 UTC
    855
  28. 25: Assignment 2013-03-06 22:32:40 UTC
    1536
  29. 26: Songring? 2013-03-09 02:59:19 UTC
    3352
  30. 26+: Transcribed Audio 2013-03-09 03:02:11 UTC
    2400
  31. 27: First Month 2013-03-09 23:26:03 UTC
    2667
  32. 28: Tanks for Nothing 2013-03-10 20:14:17 UTC
    2510
  33. 28+: Transcribed Audio 2013-03-10 20:18:21 UTC
    1468
  34. 29: Homesick 2013-03-11 13:21:45 UTC
    4349
  35. 30: The Merchant Bullion 2013-03-12 13:15:15 UTC
    6036
  36. 30+: Letters 2013-03-12 13:15:57 UTC
    2466
  37. 31: Accidents Happen 2013-03-13 12:40:32 UTC
    2961
  38. 31+: Letters 2013-03-13 12:41:01 UTC
    606
  39. 32: Sober 2013-03-14 12:20:21 UTC
    3956
  40. 33: Allons-y 2013-03-15 11:43:56 UTC
    4791
  41. 33+: Letters 2013-03-15 11:45:03 UTC
    2246
  42. 34: Indignance 2013-03-16 13:47:29 UTC
    1720
  43. 35: Washed Out 2013-03-17 13:58:05 UTC
    6452
  44. 36: Waiting Out Winter 2013-03-18 13:35:14 UTC
    4570
  45. 36+: Letters 2013-03-18 13:35:44 UTC
    1544
  46. 37: Relocation 2013-03-19 12:59:56 UTC
    5300
  47. 38: Complications 2013-03-20 13:35:52 UTC
    3848
  48. 39: Returns 2013-03-21 13:11:35 UTC
    6268
  49. 39+: Letters 2013-03-21 13:11:48 UTC
    1996
  50. 40-1: Pb 2013-03-22 13:46:42 UTC
    4751
  51. 40-2: Perception 2013-03-22 13:47:07 UTC
    6727
  52. 41: Each Day is a Gift 2013-03-23 13:57:33 UTC
    3769
  53. 41+: Letters 2013-03-23 13:58:39 UTC
    1532
  54. 42: Piper 2013-03-24 14:22:25 UTC
    6714
  55. 43: Post-Mortem Curiosity 2013-03-25 12:11:43 UTC
    3407
  56. 44: Bees 2013-03-26 13:34:20 UTC
    4726
  57. 45-1: Winter of 1224 2013-03-27 12:56:28 UTC
    3657
  58. 45-2: Ben's Addendum 2013-03-27 15:03:15 UTC
    2804
  59. 45+: Letters 2013-03-28 14:07:57 UTC
    1242
  60. 46: Numbers 2013-03-29 14:19:22 UTC
    2942
  61. 47: Vacation 2013-03-30 14:34:41 UTC
    5040
  62. 48-1: Economy 2013-03-31 14:18:21 UTC
    5664
  63. 48-2: Syndromes 2013-04-01 12:32:40 UTC
    3128
  64. 48-3: Productivity 2013-04-02 12:33:01 UTC
    3305
  65. 48-4: Decisiveness 2013-04-03 12:47:37 UTC
    6146
  66. 49: Vexglove 2013-04-04 15:45:17 UTC
    7014
  67. 50: Authority 2013-04-05 11:56:40 UTC
    6627
  68. 50+: Letters 2013-04-05 15:03:45 UTC
    1402
  69. 51: Hearts and Hooves 2013-04-06 13:52:30 UTC
    11057
  70. 52-1: Lopeyette 2013-04-07 16:51:13 UTC
    5297
  71. 52-2: Brewery 2013-04-08 13:57:08 UTC
    12319
  72. 52+: Letters 2013-04-08 16:09:59 UTC
    1073
  73. 53: Yersinia 2013-04-09 13:51:55 UTC
    8667
  74. 54: All I Can Do 2013-04-10 12:40:14 UTC
    5420
  75. Vexglove Study: Drink It Away 2013-06-24 23:37:22 UTC
    9526