Feedback - End of Line · 3:07am Aug 9th, 2015
Well, here we are. This is the end of the road for Feedback.
Where to begin? I am assuming that you are reading this coming off of the end of the story. If that is the case, again, you have my sincerest thanks for making it to the end. I certainly hope you enjoyed what you read!
What follows are some accounts on what went into Feedback’s development. Spoilers ahead.
It all started with a little idea. “You have to do something that will result in things becoming messed up in order to prevent something even worse from happening.”
Because, after all, Twilight is very integral to Equestria.
Strangely enough, I can trace the inspiration of such an idea to Black Mesa’s (a Half-Life remake) Inbound chapter.
When I began writing this story in the early days of January I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted. At the time, it was a simple “Mane Five look into the past and observe Twilight’s final days.” While there was a crystal ball, there was no parallel worlds and there was no time travel. In fact, there was no adventure or a grand attempt to save Twilight’s life. Half of it was because I hadn’t figured it out, half of it I had not planned for.
I am, somewhat visibly, a fan of Sunset Shimmer. Naturally, when I wrote the first chapter (Memento) her inclusion (despite it following her throughout the whole chapter) was a shoehorn. But in chapter two (Passing) I had a better idea of some things that would happen and gave her a definitive role in the train of events. And then in chapter four (Decisive) I realized that not only had she somehow become the leading character, she was necessary for the story to even exist (after all, she’s the one with the brains to figure what came afterwards out).
But even then Sunset’s struggle with finding acceptance within the group was more of a happy accident. While I wrote some lines in chapter one to illustrate how she felt, I didn’t think it would become a big part of her character arc.
By the time I published the first chapter at the end of March, I had already written up to the sixth chapter. It was by that point that I knew exactly where I wanted to go with the ending. I was able to add in those subtle clues, those tiny hints of what was to come. I made notes of every detail that needed to happen so that when it all came together… well, hopefully you saw for yourself.
But even then, you still sometimes discover the plot as you go. It’s even said in-story that the places they go in chapters six, seven, and eight (Accuracy, Relapse, and Broke), is completely arbitrary. I had no plan going into those chapters aside from what happened in mission control (snerk). That minor conflict in chapter thirteen (Causality) happened as I was writing that chapter as well.
And sometimes still, there are some things about my own story that even I will never know about. For instance; I have no idea what makes the Nameless so bad. I don’t know anything about it besides the fact that it is sealed behind a door and tethers onto living things in an attempt to get out. Perhaps it really is too unspeakable to imagine. I’d like to hear your thoughts on what it might be below.
And feels aside, I think that Feedback’s defining characteristic is the crystal ball. I personally don’t have a name for it, but it has unique operation in comparison to other crystal balls. What sort of name would it have anyways? If you have any ideas, also leave a comment below~
I think that’s all I have to say as far as this story is concerned. But what about the future?
Admittedly, I do have ideas for at least two more stories after Feedback. I would call them in-the-same-universe stories, but I’m not sure the term sequel would fit the bill since, after all, these ideas don’t follow the same genre. I imagine these stories would delve deeper into the mechanics of the crystal ball and the use in more practical, faster-paced scenarios.
But, chances are, I am going to move on to other, non-MLP projects. There is, for example, a story I have been trying to write for six years. I should finish that and try to get that published as soon as I can. I would like to try pursuing a career in writing after all~
And that does it. Again, thank you so much for reading through my story. I will leave you with a neat little graph/timeline looking thing.
-RQK
The left is a standard timeline where each bar represents a day. Chapter titles are included to distinguish what happens on what days.
The right is a illustration of how timelines stack next to each other as viewed through the crystal ball. If you consider the middle of the three, you can look left to see what day they would be looking at through the crystal ball, and if you look right you will see what day somepony would watch them through their own crystal ball.
It should be noted that they are not exactly alike. Accuracy, Relapse, and Broke are the primary areas where the sequence of events are different.
The right also shows the movement of The Answer throughout the worlds, as well as time travel routes. The red is Sunset Shimmer's time travel route, and the purple is Twilight's time travel route.
That's a confusing set of pictures...
Wow.
I look at the graph.
?
!?
!?!?!?
????????
Wot?
3306892
3306019
I blame improper labeling. Or rather, a lack of labeling.
Hopefully it should make more sense now?
3306989 it makes more sense now, thanks. Why did you title the spell the answer though? I'm getting some persona 3 vibes.
3307724 Nah, I'm not that clever. I thought of it more as the answer to the problem, the problem being Twilight's survival.
It's kind of a stupid reason really, but eh. It worked~
3308139 ohkay then. Well, good luck on your future stories!
The nameless is a G3 pony, obviously. Had it escaped, it would have infected the world with it's essence and tranformed it into G3 forever.
I might be three years late to the party, but the fact that it's unknown is part of what makes it so powerful. Who knows what the Nameless can do? The reality is likely far tamer than the horrors our imagination can conjure.