This story is a sequel to The Unicorn and the Stranger
Changelings have lived in Equestria for a long time, and have survived by staying hidden and keeping their existence a secret.
Driftwood of Portside, a changeling long residing there in disguise, broke that cardinal rule of secrecy when he met Rarity of Ponyville. When the Royal Guard discovered him, her intervention change his fate, sending him towards Ponyville by way of Hoofington rather than to Canterlot, as her involvement would mean that Princess Twilight Sparkle would be personally interested.
Driftwood is not a pony, and Equestrian law does not have provisions or allowances for changelings. He is a stranger in unknown country, and his fate is beyond his control, resting squarely with those who may have no reason to care what becomes of him.
Cover art has once again been provided by goshhhh.
but note that
A promising start all in all. I always did agree with the idea that Twilight would not be easily forgiving towards changelings.
Not off to a bad start. I'm really glad to see the ponies in charge taking this seriously, as these kinds of stories tend to struggle with crafting a realistic response. I'm definitely interested to see where this goes, moving forward.
Also,
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I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so far. Re: the response, I do agree. Usually, the response we get is either too low-key or hilariously over the top.
Re: errors, I do think I'm going to start requesting those in PMs, that way comments can be focused just on the content and reactions rather than editing mistakes. (I'll still correct the one you point out when I don't have to do it from a phone)
Alot of authors have that issue either too little or too much. This can apply to the background as well seen authors describe items that have no baring on the story at all,.
Interesting hoping this is explained more as it counterdicts established facts in the TV show
Very interesting chapter
Too many word.......brain hurt....nah I'm just playin
Whoo hoo! Story influence!
Certainly an interesting development in that case. I look forward to how she goes about resolving her feelings for Driftwood now that such has been made clear.
So, you struggle with most of the mane six?
Well I think you did pretty good with Pinkie in this story. I do admit she is very hard
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I seem to do alright with Rarity and maybe Applejack. With anyone else, it's a crapshoot. Again, the value of AU; no one notices, or at least no one points it out.
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Thanks. Really she's probably the toughest one, what with finding that balance so she doesn't end up "Too Pinkie" or "Not Pinkie Enough." I guess here she's kind of medium-well.
7929601 yes, that is a very good quality of AU
A perfect end to a perfect romance, I love it!
In the end, a simple, well-told story. Again, very glad to see the situation being treated seriously.
I like the strong characterization here. Neither this story, nor the first one, were very long, but I feel like I have a good grasp of Driftwood's personality and worldview. And though their time in the spotlight was brief, I think you handled the canon characters pretty well.
Though, one thing that bothers me (and possibly only me, I'll admit
) is the way the story is divided into chapters. Some of these chapters don't really feel strong enough to stand on their own, and they're sliced so thinly that aspects that are supposed to blend into the background (description, exposition, etc..) stand out more than they probably should. Not a serious issue, but one I thought I'd mention.
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I chalk that up to the style of storytelling, where the total story is a series of vignettes. The Unicorn and the Stranger uses the same style, but it has more exposition and more description, so the chapters tended to be longer. The Stranger Among Friends is a more minimalist style because that's what felt correct to use. I'm not completely certain how I'll write The Strangers in Ponyville with regards to style because part of that story overlaps with A Matter of Interest.
Breathe
Aw, where's the rest?
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Hopefully, it will be available this coming Monday.
"Breath" is a noun, "Breathe" is a verb. "Breath" is the thing, "Breathe" is the doing.
Eh, cupcakes are overrated. Shut up, Pinkie, you know donuts are better.
Lol
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All the chapter titles are nouns.
Interesting, was it Twilight's idea to make a show? Does she not trust the guard to be able to finish escorting their prisoner, or is she making some grand gesture to the townsfolk?
It's a set-up to make a scene, and we wonder who holds the greater portion of fear..,
Honestly surprised there wasn't any reaction from the townsfolk. Did nopony notice the procession? Must be hiding. That'll change...
The level of detail is fine but wholly superfluous in this scene. It's a drab building not decorated for an event. Might have been more effective to focus on how it sharpened ponies moods for the seriousness it implies. Sure it's boring, but more importantly it's not fun or relaxed, and enclosed with no escape, in stark contrast with his hut from before.
Ok, changeling type 4b class A with modifications f, 6, and probably 9.
It must be quite hot with the gas lamps, and stuffy to boot.
Twilight's line of questioning is curious and evasive. Her inexperience with interrogation shows but perhaps that's a good thing. She's so far away from the important questions we wonder if she's even trying to ascertain his role at all.
Yep, the other bearers are there literally to cause trouble.
Well at least we got that interesting tidbit.
Props to Flutters. Seriously, MVP right here. Thus far she's been the only one to drop her prejudices and observe the situation objectively, and that's really flipping awesome. Her testimony will be powerful.
Eyyy, there's the philosopher we've been waiting for. Really, providing a strong enough scenario to push doubt is the first step to push them off balance enough to open their eyes.
Now, where's Pinkie off to,...?
Heh, cute.
Don't worry Rainbow, that little amount of world-shattering knowledge is just a small tidbit.
Thank you, Twilight, for realizing the rocky situation you've accidentally been thrust into. Harmony had many reasons for this path.
Let's see whose ideology wins out...
Ah, there she is, right on schedule. Honestly thought it was going to be vanilla with rainbow speckles, but chocolate works fine too.
And everyone relaxed for a moment. Well, until the town woke up. Seriously, did we miss where it was mentioned the train arrived late night? We know it was the last train, with primarily freight and mail with to cars only stuffing the guard in with their captive, but it seems we missed the time hint that might explain why the town wasn't eagerly looking on as an unusual gathering awaited that train to arrive...
Anyways, fun is fun, quite a bit of ago about not much at all.
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First chapter, first sentence, and ye shall find what ye seek.
Seems like you've enjoyed it again, although in my opinion this one is the weakest of the three and serves as more of a bridge than anything else.