Blackjack Fallout: Equestria Novels & Stories

Then, the screen surged back to life, but it wasn't showing the bikes. It was a grainy, high-angle shot of the Elders’ private sanctum. The audio hissed through the stadium speakers, amplified to a deafening volume. *"The Blackwood pack is a relic,"* the voice of Elder Vance boomed, clear and cold. *"They will lose this night. It has been engineered."* A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, a physical wave of sound. *"And what of the girl?"* a second voice asked—Elder Halloway. *"Maddison?"*

Jack was one of his newest warriors, and like most of the people on their way to the Moonlight Ball, he had just turned eighteen this year. “Delta, would you like me to drive?” asked Jack. “No,” replied Dane emphatically, holding onto the keys. He threw his bags in the boot of the SUV and hopped into the driver’s seat. Lucy, a pink-haired she-wolf who had also only just reached mating age, was the last to deposit her bags and buckle in. As the convoy reached the pack border and continued out of the territory, Lucy put her earbuds in and turned to look out the window, a clear signal that she was officially checking out of any chit-chat. Dane liked her immediately.

Madison Willow's POV : "Alpha Jacob Guzman! He won the league of pack championship again! " I gave a lazy look to my step sister, Cassandra, who was jumping with excitement as the new Alpha of our pack, Black Eclipse, made his way to the stage. Her newly done nails and make-up was the talk of the pack today. That's what she wanted in addition to grabbing Jacob's attention.

My wolf loves his scent so fiercely it feels like an incurable sickness in my bones. "What trial do your claws pull from the bag this time?" Second Master Vale demands, his voice shaking the water-fountain stones as he glares at the father and son sitting by the carved rocks. Eustace’s shifty eyes tremble as he stares down at the polished oak table before his knees. He lifts his chin, trying to look arrogant despite his pale face. "How about our paws play a game of cards? Since the border-scouts are blocked from the timber, there is no point running five full rounds in the woods. Let’s settle the ridge with a single hand of Texas Hold'em. But my teeth want to raise the stakes."

The unbuffered connection was pushing him to the absolute limit. "Did we do it?" Jax asked, looking at the empty rings where the crystal had been. "Check the feed," Ren choked out. TIME: 16:28 HOURS. LOCATION: THE ASH-FALL BRIDGE (REAL WORLD). STATUS: THE BLACKOUT. Leo braced himself behind the concrete pylon, listening to the deafening roar of the mech's rotary cannon tearing the barricade apart. "We have to fall back!" Torque yelled over the noise, reloading his shotgun. "The wall is gone!"

Blue, green, red, and black sparks flew through the trees, making the forest shake. As the Eclipse Wraith hung above, its shape got darker, bigger, and scary than ever. A storm of shadows that looked like snakes moved around it. Its anger made the ground shake under our feet. It hissed, "You... Moonbound!" and its voice was like sharp steel cutting through the night. Getting ready for the last blow! "You have chosen... bonds... love... loyalty... but it will cost you everything!""

"Jax didn't just reject me, did he? You knew. You knew this was going to happen tonight." "Of course I knew," he snapped, slamming the bottle onto the desk. "I’m the one who told Jax to wait until the Equinox. The buyer wanted the rejection to be public. He wanted you broken, Vespera. It makes the 'taming' process easier." He slid a thick stack of papers across the wooden surface. The logo at the top was a black wolf’s head inside a gold circle. There was no name. Just the words: The Blackwood Estate.

It is a legendary Black Diamond Dominion Card! A Black Diamond Card! A sacred token issued only to the elite rulers of the First Wolf King Lineage, carrying an automatic limit of ten million trade-tokens with no upper ceiling! How could a rejected moonborn like Gorgo ever hold such a legendary artifact in her fingers? The moment the server’s eyes land on the black diamond emblem, his entire demeanor shatters. He drops into an immediate, trembling bow, his face splitting into a dazzling smile. "My wolf will personally arrange the most luxurious grand suite for your presence, future Luna!"

I picked up the green obsidian Black Queen from the chess table on the stage. I looked her dead in the eye... and slammed the wooden piece down onto the concrete floor, shattering it into a hundred tiny green shards. "Keep your money, Madame Laurent," I said, my voice echoing like thunder through the vault. "And take your covenant. We’ll build a new academy on a dirt floor in the Bronx before we sell our souls to your syndicate." Madame Laurent’s cool composure cracked for a fraction of a second. Her eyes flashed with sharp, venomous anger. She slowly rolled up her parchment document and handed it back to her attorney.

“You ran up ahead.” “I thought I saw a ferret.” “They’re mongooses. Mongeese? They were brought here to help control the rat population but took over.” “Well, they’re cute. I want one.” “I think they’re mean.” “They just want love.” Quinn puts her phone back in her bag and holds out her hand. I take it, lacing our fingers and pulling her in for a kiss. We’re hiking today, on our way to see a waterfall. It’s hotter today, and the comfortable breeze is gone now that we’re in the thick of the woods. Still, being here with the love of my life is good for my soul. I didn’t know how much I needed this until we got here.