History Lesson Final Chapter and Special Announcement · 2:09am Mar 20th, 2017
To be read after you have read the last chapter, not before. There are major spoilers below.
Well, History Lesson is finally complete! Standing at just shy of 65,000 words, it's by far the longest single piece of fiction (or nonfiction, for that matter) that I have ever written. I've had tons of delays, and I'm very sorry or every one of them. Writing this story was quite an experience; I'd even say it was a journey. I've grown as a writer, and over the months I've been working on History Lesson, I've definitely discovered some "do's" and "do-not's" of writing and publishing a chapter story. I hate to pull the "first story" card, especially since it isn't truly my first story. (It's my first published story. At least here on FimFiction.) But thank you all for sticking with me for so long.
History Lesson was the answer to the question, "How did Starlight's alternate universes get so bad, so quickly?" I feel I have answered that question. However, the only way I was ever able to get through writing this was by constantly reminding myself that these aren't the real characters. They are alternate versions of the characters. Even as Starlight created seven hellish universes, I now have one to my own name. In my first-ever sequel, History Reimagined, Starlight will be fixing the "History-verse." But in a way, I will also be fixing the History-verse. In that way, I will be like Starlight.
There. I hope that's a big enough buffer to anyone who's scrolling through their feed and came across the blog before they saw/read the chapter. Last warning: Spoilers ahead!
The following announcement for History Reimagined will be made via a trailer-style announcement. The following 700-ish words are set to a two-minute piece of music and intended to be read at a rate just over the national average (as per my sources) of 300 words per minute. Apologies if your reading speed is off to a high degree on either side. Balancing the flow of the music with the pacing of the reading is hard enough; read for comprehension, and if the music fits, then great. If it doesn't, well, that's the risk I'm taking in putting this thing together. If it doesn't fit, that's my fault, not yours. I would encourage you to read through it again later, piecing together the little hints I've thrown in there. 
And now without further ado, I present to you my trailer-style promo for History Reimagined.
Starlight Glimmer walks down a long, straight railroad track running through an otherwise empty plain. On the horizon, where the rails appear to converge, the skyline of Manehattan can be seen.
Starlight lays shackled in a dark jail cell. The door creaks open and Zecora and Rainbow Dash walk in.
“Why have you come to Manehattan, changeling?" Rainbow demands.
Starlight pauses, looking up into the face of her accuser. “I’m not a changeling,” she states. “I’m here to fix your world.”
Rainbow snorts and Zecora approaches.
Rarity is thrown against a wall in a dungeon.
"P—please… no more,” she whimpers as a shadow looms over her.
A Blue Changeling huddles against the wall in a Canterlot dungeon cell.
"A city near you is in grave danger,” Luna’s voice urges as a medium-sized town fades into view. "If you do not aid them, Starlight Glimmer, the results will be terrible.”
Chrysalis magically holds her glowing-eyed foal aloft. It elicits a loud, reverberating, joyful shriek accompanied by an enormous blue-green mushroom cloud.
Trixie approaches the foot of the Crystal Throne and bows. “What is thy bidding, my King?”
"Chrysalis has just shown us a display of power. I require you to find an artifact that would grant me equal power. I require the Alicorn Amulet.”
A half dozen changelings stand in front of Chrysalis. “Report.”
“The vehicle has passed its field testing, your highness.”
“Excellent,” she replies, turning her attention to a crude treaded tank behind the changelings. “Build me more of them. I want a full armored regiment ready as soon as possible.”
Sombra stands on a cliff overlooking Appleoosa. "Acolyte, you may begin the invasion when ready.”
A column of crystal ponies slowly advances on the town, their shields forming a tight wall.
Rainbow flies low and fast over a sweeping plain, voicing-over for herself. “You can’t possibly expect to fix everything, Starlight!”
Rainbow collides with a changeling head-on, spinning out but recovering a few moments later.
Starlight responds. “That’s not going to stop me from trying!”
Sombra fires Dark Magic at Starlight, who throws her head back and raises a dome shield. She glares back at Sombra a moment later, her teeth grit together.
Applejack voices over for herself while staring at a mirror.
“Look at me, Starlight! This ain’t who I’m s’pposed to be!”
The changeling growls and punches the mirror, shattering it.
Two Starlights stare at each other in Our Town.
“So you’re telling me you’re… me?” asks the markless Starlight.
Starlight and Twilight are taking cover from a battle behind a bale of hay.
“Twilight, your very talent is in magic!” Starlight shouted, pointing at Twilight’s cutie mark.
“I haven’t done magic like that in years! I have no idea what will happen if I try!”
Spitfire flies through Manehattan at night in her military gear.
“I’ve got a changeling ace on my six!”
A bolt of green energy blasts past her as she rolls off to one side.
“He’s not letting up!”
The buffalo and Appleoosians stand side-by-side in defense of Appleoosa.
“You taught us that friendship is magic,” Chief Thunderhooves states. “We will fight beside our pony friends,” he says, voicing over a shot of himself leading a charge against Sombra’s forces.
The Alicorn Amulet gleams beneath Sombra’s smile. “Ready for a rematch?”
“More ready than ever!” Chrysalis levitates her foal into a position in front of her.
The two monarchs fire at each other, creating a ball of magic that grows rapidly. Green and blue magic on one side mingle with the black and red magic on the other side, culminating in a blinding flash of white light.
Back in the jail cell, Starlight looks up at Rainbow Dash and Zecora.
"Please,” Starlight pleads. “Just give me a second chance.”
Zecora lowers her head to Starlight’s green painted hooves and places a key in the lock. With a twist of her neck, Starlight’s shackles fall to the ground.
Starlight looks up at Zecora in disbelief. Zecora smiles down at her and extends a hoof. Starlight hesitates a moment before accepting.
History Reimagined
Coming Fall 2017...
And thus begins the second installment of the "History" Series!
One of the other questions I seek to answer with History Reimagined is "Why didn't Starlight get a more severe punishment?" My answer is quite simply, she did. We just never got to see it. Starlight only made a few appearances in the season after the map was fixed in "Spice Up Your Life," the episode hinted at in the last scene of History Lesson. I have already begun planning, outlining, and fitting together loose ideas for the sequel. Unlike History I, History II will likely be completely or mostly finished before I upload the first chapter. As such, this is going to take some time; History II will likely be as long as if not longer than History I. In the meantime, I'm going to be uploading a number of smaller projects. And of course, every Friday I'll be posting to my Fandom Music Friday blog.
I hope you guys enjoyed History Lesson. I enjoyed writing it, not necessarily because I get jolly off of blood and guts and little ponies (well, ok maybe just a little), but definitely because I'm passionate as a writer. That next-to-last scene where the trio ends up back in Zecora's hut really brought me back to when I first wrote this story. Just like Starlight, I'm not the person I was all those months go when I started, and that's a good thing. It really is. In that same scene, I really felt like I came to understand Starlight a little better. There she was so broken, friendless, and sad. I understand Hasbro only had 45 minutes to tell the story of the Season Five finale, but Starlight's turnaround seemed all too abrupt, and I'm so glad for this venue that exists for content creators to read between the lines and shine light on certain characters and situations. I'm so thankful for this fandom, I'm thankful for you, dear readers, and I'm thankful that you've put up with the recurring delays and hiatuses.
If you enjoyed History Lesson, be sure to give it a thumbs-up and leave a comment on the story. (There's a link back to the story right here for your convenience.) If you don't want to miss History Reimagined this fall or anything else going down on this page, go ahead and hit that Follow button up there. I've already got a few things in the works. Got Spring Break coming up here real soon, can't wait for that. Hopefully, I'll see you guys on my next story! Peace until then!
