Moonplot Art #2! Vertex and Cupcakes

Engraved on the blog is a finely designed image of Vertex the royal pony by Thattagen. Vertex is making an intimidating gesture.

Yes, it's time for more art! I love Dwarf Pony Fortress. Because of it, I will never run out of things to draw!

Moonplot's Flag

Engraved on the blog is a masterfully designed image of the alicorn pony deity Princess Luna by Fetchbeer. Luna is plotting.

In case you were wondering, this is Moonplot's official flag. Now you know where the name comes from.
We commissioned this flag from Fetchbeer the Zebra in the Spring of 109. That is, he just happened to have it on hoof when I asked him. Zebras are weird.

Moonplot Art! Crunchi and Grindstone

This is a masterwork engraving of Crunchi the Macepony, engraved in the autumn of 2011 by Thattagen. Crunchi is striking an intimidating pose.

Hey. Have you read the Moonplot Journal yet? Cause this art is based on it.

Among the ponies of Moonplot, Crunchi is arguably the best warrior. This is not due to training or skill, though. She is the best through sheer force of will. She is always the first into battle, and always strikes without hesitation. She will often land dozens of hits before her companions even land one.

The ponies started calling her Crunchi after she chased an attacking giantess around a nearby cave, bashing it all the while with her wooden mace. While the hits were ineffective, they distracted the giantess so her companions could bring it down. Afterwards, she upgraded to an iron mace, and has gotten several kills.

Another day, she got bitten on the rear by a giant capybara, leaving her with a jagged scar. Immediately afterwards, she went after every capybara on the mountain, without even going back to heal.

This is an engraving of Grindstone the Mason, engraved in the autumn of 2011 by Brokenhero. Grindstone is lamenting.

And here we have Grindstone, an ordinary mason pony. That is, he was until a minotaur burst into the dining hall, wreaking havoc on anypony still left inside. Once it stepped back outside, he cornered it with a few other ponies and bashed its face in with a well-placed buck. But two of his friends died in the attack, and he went into a tantrum shortly afterwards. The victims were a horse (not a pony) and a door.

Unfortunately, Grindstone is no longer with us. Once Moonplot became a barony, the Baron ordered the captain of the guard to punish all outstanding criminals. The captain swung his iron crossbow a little too hard, and broke poor Grindstone. May he rest in peace.

The captain of the guard was removed from his post shortly after.

Pony Fortress: Moonplot

The top layer of Moonplot. Every p is a pony.

I'll start this post by assuming some of my readers don't know what Dwarf Fortress is, or even what the above screenshot represents. Basically, DF is a fantasy sim-type game where you start with seven dwarves and attempt to carve out the most awesome fortress you can. You can dig deep into the earth, or build towers reaching into the sky. All the while, you must defend your fort from invaders, such as goblins, trolls, and more. Eventually, it all comes crashing down, but that's okay, because "Losing is fun!" Don't let the ASCII graphics fool you. This game is awesome.

Now, replace the dwarves with ponies. Ponies are about four times as large as dwarves, and even unskilled ones can deal  with most threats with ease. Goblins have been replaced by evil ponies with bat wings and tentacles and such. Seeing how violent they get is just one part of the awesomeness of this mod. (combat in the game is described in detailed combat logs, but happens in real time)

At the urging of some friends of mine, I have decided to start my own pony fortress, and to chronicle everything that happens within. Currently, I am at the end of the fortress's third year, and the fortress is so far thriving! There have been many ups and downs, a tragic minotaur attack, stone shortages, floodings, bad dreams (force reset!), badpony attacks, cupcakes (so sweet and tasty), and business.

But don't take my word for it. Read the journal for yourself:
Part 1: Spring 106 - Spring 109

Welcome to Moonplot! Enjoy your stay.