More Edits to ReSearch

Alright, I'm a little reluctant to reveal there were more significant edits to the Prologue and the events therein. I think it's definitely better, but I also want to summarize them so that a reader doesn't have to reread them to see the new edits.

Also: Chapter 4 is on its way. I'm in the middle of a slight bit of writer's block, which has slowed my progress to about 200 words a day. On top of that, it looks like this new chapter will probably be the longest one yet, there's just a lot of events I want to have before I feel comfortable with the reader taking a mandatory pause. Maybe if I can pace it right I'll split it up into two chapters.

Basically the main edits to the events were Season 4 now happened. I wanted to wait to see what the conclusion with the Elements of Harmony were, and if I could make it consistent with my plans, and surprisingly I found a way, and the last three Episodes provided surprisingly good ammunition for some detail later. Also Apple Bloom doesn't show up in the Prologue. The events of the backstory still happen, but Spike doesn't get a conclusion sort of out of nowhere. Aside from her showing up (and the rest of the Apples and CMC) everything proceeds the same, though. Spike abridges his description of his miserable romantic follies as well.

I intend to stop myself from making more nontrivial edits (grammar improvements or improvements to language and descriptions are fine, but plot and major scene edits will be done) after this. I don't want the backstory to become a moving target, and am making an exception for Season 4.... and I need to keep moving forward. I could literally spend forever editing and I don't want to.

Even more specific details on edits:

Twilight and the Elements use Rainbow Power (even though it is not named as such) in the very first scene vs. the thestral.

Spike lived in the palace after Twilight disappeared, which was hinted at that it was a popular destination for the populace until Twilight left, and used to have servants and everything, but now it's just Spike cooping himself up in it and taking care of it all alone. Russet Page is a bookish steward Spike requested that Spike surprises with the revelation that he is leaving. Page still seems terrified of Spike and relieved he won't have to deal with Spike. It appears that Spike knows that he can come back, since he's got a throne and everything, but that he never felt like the palace was really 'his' just that he had a permanent invitation to stay.

Apple Bloom and Spike no longer reconcile. Sorry Spike, but you don't get closure. I was sort of worried about this at some point, but ignored it, but it has been confirmed to me that it seems weird to introduce the conflict and solve it in two pages in a tens-of-thousands-of-words story. Also his speech to Rainbow Dash is much shorter.

The flashback chapters in the far past so far take place between S3 and S4, or during S4. Later flashbacks were always vague as to where Spike was, so instead of the basement of the tree he's in an unnamed Palace research room he set up.

Spike no longer spontaneously thinks about his quest on the way to the institute, he sees a newspaper with Dawn Gleam being a little haughty and works himself up into a mental rant.

There is no longer exposition on what happened to the Elements in Chapter 1. Later, when Dawn and Spike meet in the flashback she reveals that it was discovered the Elements simply fell from the tree, turning back into plain stones. Discord, since he was no longer unfriendly and lazy, removes his planted Evil Seeds, but not without some difficulty.