A Duet For Land And Sky: chapter titles explained, boring author story ramblings, plus Ask Me Anything · 12:50am Mar 13th, 2020
Warning: this blog contains full spoilers for A Duet For Land And Sky -- and, by extension, major spoilers for Triptych. Do not proceed any further unless you've finished reading both stories.
Additionally, this blog has a writer talking about their own work. Potential pretentiousness, ridicule-worthy claims, and the potential for anyone reading to slip into a coma lie ahead. Seriously: there is nothing more aggravating, pretentious, and ridiculous than a fanfic creator trying to explain themselves on any given piece. Especially me, because I'm a talent-free hack. So seriously, the best thing you can do is just click off this blog right now, followed by unfollowing and, at your option, going on Twitter to get an appopriate hashtag going. I'm thinking #CancelEstee. Which is short and to the point, but may make a certain cosmetics company very confused.
Do we all understand each other?
...of course we don't. Because Internet. But if you're still reading by this point, it's your own fault. So...
I wanted to do a much longer version of this with Triptych. (I still might. Possibly on the official Print Run Cancellation Day, because it turns out that when it comes to what artists will allow for commissions, I am the line in the sand. Porn? No problem. The most extreme fetishes? Pay up. Cover art for a certain 'verse? 'All of my booking slots just filled up. Forever.') I've been trying to find the motivation and time to put y'all on full life support with this one for weeks.
This is me pulling back the curtain a little. Because it's not always what the "writer" thinks, but it's usually what the writer was thinking about.
I was thinking about...
Setup
"But you can't just put any two ponies together and expect love."
---- Applejack, during Harmony, from Duet.
"Would have liked t' get him --"
---- AJ, during Angles, from Triptych.
Heh.
...and there's the first bit of pretentiousness. But I feel entitled to that 'Heh.' Because I am dearly hoping that at least one of you just looked at those two lines, seeing them in proximity for the first time, and realized what had been going on all along. I was laying the groundwork for this from Day One.
(Or at least from Chapter Four.)
And I went in knowing I was in trouble.
It's buried deep in Triptych's note file. The idea that Applejack's final onscreen act would be the choice of a new path: taking up her own hat (as opposed to simply wearing that which had once been her father's) and asking out the pony she wanted. You can also find me questioning myself: whether this would be perceived as something redemptive, or just come out of left field while making no sense whatsoever. After all, it's not like they share any real screen time during the story. There's no visible connection. There's no reason for her to be attracted to him.
So here's a truth which some of you figured out before this: a number of the side stories exist to establish concepts which Triptych didn't have room for. On a very fundamental level, a core purpose of Five Hundred Little Murders is to reinforce the idea that Fluttershy can kill -- something intended to set up a single moment of shattering doubt when she uses the bubble during Gallery. I wanted the readership to feel that in the name of ending Tish's pain, Fluttershy would be willing to consider ending the pony. One instant of thinking it was possible, and wondering if that was about to happen.
There was no place in Triptych to sell the idea of Appleflake. (Snowjack?) I had the Hue chapter and its breakdown of why the Mane Cast was still single: that at least let me establish AJ's previous standards of 'earth pony, male, within a few years of her age, must be able to keep up.' But there was the chance to use side stories...
(Not that it helps much. The side stories either don't get the same degree of audience or, for the ones which did better than the main, send back that many people for fresh overlap. But let's pretend.)
So I had to establish the 'verse version of Snowflake -- while making that pony into an individual whom Applejack would not only be attracted to, but making the attraction believable. That there were real reasons to not only look in that direction, but to keep looking.
In retrospect, it would have been a lot easier to give her a muscle fetish. But I just had to go for character...
The setup was spread out over five years.
The initial section? That was mine. Snowflake Shoe-Hare established his place in the 'verse: labor-for-hire, close to Fluttershy (something which turned up as odd echoes in a few places during the show's seasons-yet-to-come), her first choice of substitute for holding down the cottage when missions came calling -- and she wanted him there when, as AJ points out during Signature, Fluttershy could potentially get any vet on the continent. It let me begin to explain his personality and the very different background I'd built for him.
But then an idea was offered up on the Exchange: 'Scootaloo gets training from Snowflake'. I asked for it, was granted permission, and tilted it sideways. It let me explore him a little more, along with establishing his connections away from the cottage: namely, that he didn't have any -- And Then Scootaloo. Writing Scootalift created something unexpected: the concept that he and AJ were facing each other across two legs of the Crusade tripod, with each trying to moderate the damage.
There wasn't as much available on Applejack's side. Orange Is The New Blue let her be thankful for his intervention during the near-riot which threatened to hit when the false Zap Apples appeared. As a bonus, it let me reinforce the fact that he never fights for himself -- but don't threaten somepony where he can hear you. This was also following up on something in The Hypocrisy Of Tolerance: he's aware he's intimidating, doesn't exactly like it, and is still willing to occasionally use it by just -- standing there.
And then we had Drunk Little Ponies -- where I thought I'd given the entire game away.
More slowly, "Y'know... how some ponies are ugly? So ugly y'don't want t' look at 'em any longer than y'have to? But y'gotta, 'cause it's rude if y'won't?"
His cold claws accelerated to full scribble.
And just above a whisper, "Turns out... there's other ponies. Ones so ugly... y'can't look away. Ah saw a pony like that. An'... Ah wanna look away 'cause Ah've gotta, but -- Ah keep..."
She fell asleep. And he stayed with her until Big Mac arrived to take her home.
But it almost completely slipped under the radar. There might have been two people in the Comments who openly noticed it at all.
I was trying to play the long game, and that meant slowly placing the puzzle's pieces down in plain sight, then waiting to see who assembled the first edge -- or realized there was a puzzle at all. One person spotted a degree of the plan: Brumby Run commented that Snowflake might make a good match for Applejack if she could ever look past the wings -- and all I could do was silently upvote that comment and move on.
I wanted to see it as a good sign. Someone thought they could work together. But there was still the question of what was going to happen when I finally made the attempt --
-- because you can't put any two ponies together and expect love.
In a way, AJ's line serves as an anti-shipping statement (and in doing so, brings out that old Malus hypocrisy). You've got those two in a union? All right. Now, what's the connection? Sell me on why they're together. How they can stay together. Show me the common bond. Because we can look at the Mane Cast and find commonalities, things which might allow romance -- but there's also a lot of clashes. Once you get into the realm of background ponies, it can take some serious character interpretation to make things work at all. Time Turner and Rainbow? Fine. Why? And just as much to the point, How? The writer of a ship needs to explain why it didn't sink at the moment of launch, and I was...
...putting Applejack with Snowflake.
Snowflake.
You know. Mr. One-Word Vocabulary. The musclehead. Everyone's favorite steroid joke. That guy.
...oh boy.
Story themes
At the time it started publication, Triptych was 'today'. Duet turns into 'tomorrow'.
We'll get into individual character themes in a little while: this section is about the story as a whole. And part of the idea was that we had reached tomorrow. All of those events had happened, and they weren't going to be invalidated. As Twilight notes during Signature, everypony's changed from where they were at the start of Triptych. Life is change, those changes were going to keep happening, and --
-- Sun just came up. It's tomorrow.
Triptych became its own AU, because every fanfic is its own AU. But it also said that things were very different under the surface, and those differences weren't going away. There was only so long the illusion of normalcy could hold.
So as I see them, the story's themes are:
No Turning Back
The 'verse exists without a Reset Button, and it can do so because it is a 'verse. Duet is where we leave the map, and the only label on the uncharted space reads Here There Be Dragons.
The differences weren't going away. Nopony was going to come up with a one-shot global 'cure' for the hybrid process. This was a different Equestria now, even if there were only a few ponies in the world who understood just how different it was. So while Triptych has the baseline writer stupidity/ego of 'This is how things really are' -- which gets shared by a lot of AUs -- Duet starts off with 'This is how things are going to be.' The only way through is forward. Life goes on, and those lives have been changed.
One of the minor themes in the 'verse as a whole is that the past is frozen. Time travel lets you look -- and that's it. You can't change what's happened, and so events echo to the modern day. Everyone is the cumulation of everything that's gone before and yes, I know that sentence was pretentious, but just look at the blog as a whole and then you'll see how bad it really is.
Everything happened. Nothing can change that. Words are never unspoken.
So welcome to tomorrow. According to Discord, it's the place where anything can happen.
Consequences
Just about every major action anypony takes in this story winds up leading directly into another event. Applejack doesn't get to make her announcement in peace. Snowflake can't visit the prison without setting something else off. Turn in this direction instead of that one, and it ultimately launches the fight. And of course, everything which happened in Triptych is the reason all of this is happening now. So if you're going to blame anyone for the fallout, put that in the usual place: the author.
Now, in some ways, those consequences were moderated. (I can admit that freely now -- and we'll get into more detail during Macintosh's section.) But there had to be consequences, and they had to be real -- or the story wouldn't matter. Because we're also talking about --
Loss Vs. Gain
What did Applejack lose when she gave up the Secret? What does Snowflake sacrifice from finding out what he is? The early parts of the story start with our protagonists finding pieces of themselves pulled away. It could be argued that they're both losing their core definitions: he sees himself as a pegasus, while AJ largely defines herself by her family. Suddenly, everything they knew about themselves is either wrong or storming out the door.
And there's a line in Duet about spiritual agoraphobia...
The thing about a prison cell is that it can become oddly comfortable. Institutionalization: the routine is all you know and after a while, you're not interested in changing it. Being on the outside? For some long-term prisoners, that's so terrifying that they'll do anything they can to get back in.
Applejack was following her family's traditions, and those of earth ponies as a whole. On a much lesser level, Snowflake lives by his routine: always get the workout in (and the joke is having the story cause him to miss the first one in years), maybe he'll see one of his two friends, he's work for hire, he'll never be with anypony, and that's never going to change. Each one had defined themselves, and now they each have to redefine.
In Applejack's case, a good part of that rebuild was already done: she got a few foundation stones down during Triptych, and so her story is partially about the outside reaction to 'You renovated what now?' For Snowflake, we basically see the process happen in realtime. He's been broken down to the core (and that isn't going to be a unique reaction among the hybrids). Who is he now? Is it possible to be anypony at all, when part of you doesn't even see your own existence as real?
There's a lot of loss in this story. The family tree of the Apples may have seen the Malus branch severed. Scootaloo's home is gone, with precious secrets forfeited. (One followup I may need to explore is the town's reaction to finding out she's essentially been abandoned: there's a lot of redefining going on, and Scootaloo is not a filly who would take well to being the permanent guest of honor at a pity party.) And with all that having been lost -- what was gained? Was it all worth it?
All they found was each other...
Masks Off
Including the ones you didn't know you were wearing. Miranda is under orders to do what? Scootaloo's living situation gets a partial reveal? Oh, and what was that I said about Macintosh?
In fact, let's talk about that for a while. Let's look at the cast. Who they are, who they were, and who they might become...
Dramatis Ponyae: The Leads
Applejack
"But Ah'm still me. Ah'm just me with more experience."
---- Harmony
Honesty is the worst Element t' be.
Let's face it: AJ spends a good part of this story in screwing up -- and given who & what she is (plus the actions of the hack at the controls), there isn't much else she could have done. Only recognizing that the family was going to have an opinion after she'd done the deed? Oops. Not exactly moderating her announcement at dinner? That's just Applejack. The fight with Macintosh? Being somepony's sibling means having a wealth of information on where to kick: nopony can hurt you like family. She invokes for her side without fully considering what she's just opened the door for, and then the dominoes wind up falling in a pattern where Macintosh finds out what happened on that mission. The last part isn't directly her fault -- but who knocked over the first one?
A good part of Applejack's characterization in the show is bull-headed ("No offense." "None taken.") stubbornness. Once she commits to a course, it takes a full hauling team to make her partially change the approach angle. All right, she's asking out Snowflake: that's her decision. She can't take it back and there ain't no Reset Buttons available. So what happens next? Okay, that happened and it was horrible. But she still asked him out and now that something horrible happened because of it, she has to get that date. Apple Bloom pins it down early: in a way, Applejack is going through her own version of the Crusade. It looks horrific from the outside, all everypony else can see is the price being paid -- but you already paid, so might as well find out if it was worth it.
Part of this goes back to the way readers reacted to her throughout Triptych. Remember some of those early reactions? Here, let me sum them up for you: racist barn, racist barn, one-two-three-four. Why is she even a Bearer? How can she possibly be friends with the others? What has this hack done to her character? Answer: put her on a very long road, because that's what hacks do. I had to silently go through the accusations because I knew what was at the other end (regardless of whether readers would believe it), even if the accusations cost me readers while purchasing extra downvotes. Character interpretation is the greatest sin, and there were enough people who thought I'd stuck a bunch of sins under a hat and called it Applejack.
But she had her own journey. Her own arc. And at the end of that first section of her road lay a branch path named Snowflake, running directly through the land of Consequences.
Applejack commits. If she's asked you out? Then she's damn well asked you out. Secret's broken? Okay, it's broken: the next logical step is training Twilight. The Bearers echo each other, and AJ finds her closest resounding board in Rainbow -- right down to their shared ability to make a decision on instinct and then spend the next ten seconds trying to pull out of the crash.
She doesn't change much in this story: the biggest alterations already took place. This is more about 'I've accepted who I am now, but I kind of forget about what would happen when I told everypony else.' I feel as if she's still trying to reconcile somewhat with herself, right down to occasionally wishing for the walls to come back. It doesn't exactly help to have everypony else trying to figure out what's wrong with her...
AJ's side of the story can be said to start at the moment Bilbo Baggins came home: your journey took its toll, you're back on your own soil and everyone expects you to be the same person -- but you can't be. Only in this case, the change can't take place in a vacuum. She says a few words in the marketplace, and the tectonic plates begin to shift.
Snowflake
"...how?" he finally asked. "How do you live, when everything breaks? When you're not who you thought you were, when you can't be? How does anypony go forward from that?"
---- Profundo
Okay. Let's just put this out in the open. He's essentially an OC.
How did the 'verse Snowflake come about? Because I internally backlashed on the steroid jokes. Oooh, look at the tiny wings! Clearly his muscles are Compensating For Something! And my thought was Right. He's compensating for a birth defect.
That was the genesis of this version. View him through the lens of a handicap and everything starts to twist. The shouts of 'Yeah!' become a defense mechanism: I said that, so please don't make me say anything else. The strange build turns completely deliberate, then begins to add layers of isolation. Kick in some intellect, because he had to figure out how to make it all work...
I struggled to find a show image of him which showed some dignity, and it wound up as the cover for Snowflake Shoe-Hare. But by the time I found it, I had the plan for him. He was always intended to be one of the hybrids: the first whose mere appearance was strange enough to suggest something had been altered. I wanted him to be close to Fluttershy, brought together initially by Doctor Gentle's suggestion, then through the shared pain of being so different. (One of the later-arriving facets was the concept of having their infused essence harvested from siblings.) He was the truly shy one of the pair: at least she'd managed to form six social connections, while he was stuck at two.
Take the Handicapped Badass trope, add in a reluctance to use any of it, mix with Gentle Giant... it's easy to break down the ingredients that way, and perhaps it belittles them. But I had to establish him as his own character, and I did so at a time before 'Bulk Biceps' was officially born. It let him become his own pony, and...
...it had to be a pony whom Applejack would be attracted to.
Because good looks were usually temporary. But good character was forever.
Helpful. Reliable. Looks after everypony except himself. And of course, a hard worker, because it wasn't going to happen without that.
But in Duet... total upheaval.
Snowflake goes through a slow-motion version of what Pinkie and Fluttershy dealt with in the cells, only without anypony around to talk him through it. He winds up questioning his own reality. Labels are discarded: he's spent his life living by handicapped pegasus and once he's lost that, he starts to feel as if it would be so easy to swap in monster. There are several points in the story where his thoughts are visibly floundering: he can stay focused when he's speaking to somepony, but that's not exactly a common occurrence in his life. Isolate him again, and everything starts to fall apart.
Worse on the writing end: it's happening to somepony whom most of the readers don't know. After all, to the potential majority, we got here directly from Triptych. Who the @#$% is this guy?
So I had to introduce him all over again. Build in a few paragraphs what had taken stories to originally establish. And after that... prayer doesn't help.
In-'verse, his mark is symbolic: this is the burden he has to overcome. And writers -- even hacks -- especially hacks -- are cruel to their protagonists. (Speaking of Triptych flashbacks: who remembers all the times I was accused of hating Twilight?) You think you had something to carry before? Haul this.
So... why?
Well...
1. Just to repeat: when looked at outside of the conference, he's the first hybrid to learn what he truly is. His reaction won't be universal (and some may just be relieved to get an explanation), but it won't be uncommon. (Here's a comparison to get me in trouble: think of someone who was intersex at birth discovering they were surgically 'corrected'.) So a careful look at his exact emotional state seemed warranted.
2. I needed to connect him to Ponyville. In the view of the herd, Snowflake was an outsider grazing at the edge of the pasture. Nopony's going to try and drive him off physically because have you looked at him? -- but he's a social outcast, and a significant portion of that is self-made. The fight against Macintosh essentially served as his settled zone coming-out party: the first real look everypony else had at who they'd been dealing with. They don't just remember the slam (where, BTW, I was directly envisioning Charizard and now you probably are too): they're thinking about what happened before that. Somepony trying to talk Mac down, and only attacking after a filly got hurt.
3. Applejack isn't a prize to be won. But throughout the story -- for his entire arc within the Continuum as a whole -- I was trying to build one idea. He deserves a chance. Because she is going through all this over him and therefore, I had better @#$% well establish him as somepony who might be worth it. Seriously: can you imagine if she'd been through all this over someone's OC?
...oh, wait...
We're looking at a pony whom I rebuilt. Who recreated himself, and now has to do it all over again over a couple of days. We're seeing him at the single worst time of his life.
Guess that makes him a protagonist.
Secondary Players
Macintosh
...and here we go...
Mac doesn't have a lot of previous characterization in the 'verse -- which is entirely my fault -- and most of what's there had a choice of two forms: Moderately Supportive Sibling and Missed Opportunities. Lazy River is arguably the foundation stone there, stating that he'd decided not to attend college in the wake of their parents' deaths -- but there's a little before that. The fact that he's the only pony who checks the philosophy books out of the library, along with my getting to make him a little more verbose with his own family (following show tradition there) and showing there's somepony pretty intelligent wearing that yoke.
So. Um...
...keeping in mind that the 'verse splits off the mainline after S3, I only see the episodes about a year after they come out, and Shout Factory has screwed everyone over on S8 & S9 to the point where I had to order the former as a low-res DVD cramfest from Malaysia...
...I really thought Mac was gay.
...yeah.
Okay. So I sort of rationalized the 'love poison': you can see the process in Elegy, where Macintosh says it makes you want what you would never desire. But for the rest? Big guy who mostly keeps to himself, from a very traditional family. Based on what we can judge of pony looks, he wouldn't exactly be hurting for dates. Sure, he's on the publicly shy side and he's not exactly much of a talker, but there would be mares approaching him, right?
Which created the possibility that he just wasn't interested.
But I didn't give him enough framework. He didn't have enough exposure time in other stories, and what those paragraphs did say was 'diligent, occasionally exasperated older sibling'. And that's my fault. Added to the chapter-at-a-time structure of updates... yeah. Things went boom in a hurry, because my only true writing talent appears to be turning Apple family members into the villains. We had the usual Comments fights -- I have a 'usual' now -- while people waited to see how I was going to screw up the explanation, and that turned into a reprise of Triptych, Chapters #40 through #42: I locked up because I felt any Explanation was going to come with a hefty side order of Backlash.
It happened just about all at once. A more familiar kind of coming-out story, spoken in drunken honesty within the depths of a cell, because everything else had been lost and so there was no point in hiding any more.
You can transfer part of my characterization for Applejack to her big brother: neither sibling managed to come away from their time as a substitute parent without scars, and that period isn't exactly over. But with Macintosh, there's also an aspect of dreams denied. (I said his mark was metaphorical: I like to picture it as the ability to cut to the heart of an argument.) He was going to college? So much for that idea. Seeking love? The line has to continue and he can't be the one who does it, because The Most Special Spell has no stallion equivalent.
(Which, by the way, would likely work with a mare carrying. Yes, I know it's technically possible for a fertilized egg to latch onto the exterior of the small intestine, but it's not exactly ideal conditions, delivery is surgical, and I really don't want to write the fetish known as m-preg.)
But a lot more of it goes to the quasi-1940s environment of the local Equestria, amplified by the demands of tradition. In Canterlot, an openly-gay stallion can get married, adopt children, and lead a full life. It's a little harder when you're from a family which keeps the magic in the blood, and passing yours on would mean a lifetime of lies. Mac stays in the shadows because it's more quiet there, and tries not to think about what his life could have been because it has to be about what his sisters need. Always them, never him.
And you stay, when it's that kind of situation. You do what you have to, because you love them. But unless there's a halo floating over your head, there's going to be regrets. Resentments buried every day. And if alcohol does anything, it's pulling out the things you never should have said aloud.
Did his confession work for the readers? It's hard to say. It's character interpretation, not a lot of people commented there, and this Macintosh has left his original far behind. Maybe this story would have had more impact if it had been written four years earlier. But... this is who I thought he was, and so it was who he remained. A stallion who had stood at the door to everything he'd ever hoped for, and been forced to turn away. Out of love.
(It's possible that some of my own feelings about being a caregiver snuck in there. I'm mostly saying that so no one below has to.)
I'll freely admit to having moderated one of his potential consequences: like Miranda, I'm going to have a hard time putting a family member in prison -- although, also like Miranda, it doesn't take the possibility off the table. (However, pre-trial intervention programs are very real (although they don't always exist under that name), and he would be a good applicant for one -- so his degree of escape is based in the true.) But the other consequence holds true: from this point on, we're running a countdown clock on the time until Macintosh leaves. A little old for a freshpony -- but not too old to dream. And let's face it: even with Scootaloo's public forgiveness, it will not hurt him to get out of town.
On a side note: it's easy to see him forming a rough bond with Snowflake now, simply because they do have some things in common and they're finally talking. It'll just be hard to sell Ponyville on it, because the stories of that fight spread fast.
And I even managed to get in a Braeburn joke.
(I still don't know how the majority of the fandom decided Braeburn was gay.)
(I think I missed school that day.)
Okay. And since we've brought somepony up...
Miranda
In many ways, this is a story about accounting for your actions. Miranda's needed to explain herself for a while now, and part of that comes from having inherited problems which weren't originally hers.
I've said that some part of my creation progress is organic: I have notes for things I want to happen, while other aspects just appear as the writing goes along. Viewed in that light, Miranda Rights is perhaps the single most organic member of the cast, because every part of her sprung up from the needs of the moment.
It started slowly, and moved along the course of multiple stories. Ponyville has to have a police department, and so there's going to be a chief. (Or captain. There was some early confusion there.) Okay, so who is this pony? Unicorn mare: that's fine. It'll be nice to use a 'normal' name for once... so let's go for the reference. (For the record: while she's an Equestrian native, a portion of her family tree is in Protocera: it opens up some extra naming options.) Make her young, enough that some ponies question her holding the job just based on age...
But at the same time, I had a problem. We really start to meet Miranda over the course of Sick Little Ponies. By the time we see her in the Drunk version, she's a little more established -- and as some people did guess, she recruited Twilight as a one-day cadet with the intent of keeping the most powerful caster out of the drinking. Protest Too Much puts her at tough-but-fair while leaving her on the side of the kids. Clearly not the worst pony to have in charge --
-- except for one thing.
You know. The story where an officer with post-Discord PTSD gradually loses her mind, because the Crusade is being allowed to continue without mercy. There's a police chief in that story. Completely unnamed, because it was written before Miranda officially existed. So either there was a turnover, or the pony in charge had Bobbi Brassie spiral out on her watch.
...yeah. The writer has to do some accounting here.
Miranda has a mini-arc in the story, and most of that consists of having to explain herself. She's under orders from the palace to keep the Bearers free if at all possible, that aura of protection reached their families because nopony should have to move away... it's not something which has left her in a position of happiness. The Crusade continued because letting it reach the criminal court level stood a chance to drive somepony out of town. At least one file has been locked and buried: Twilight's post-Lesson Zero charges. And this was done by a mare whose talent is for law enforcement, because the palace gave her an order and there are times when you have to hope more good comes from bending the law than following it.
Her section of Duet is, in part, about the loss of control. There's things she has to turn away from. She knows Applejack is trying something -- and also knows she can't stop it. Like Marigold, she's in charge of the settled zone which turns into Chaos Central when Discord isn't in town, and there's a very limited amount she can do about any of it. She can't do enough and in part, that's because she's under orders...
I wanted to show some small part of how hard it would be, having to oversee a Ponyville which runs a little closer to reality. Maybe even -- too close.
(For the newcomers: it's the signature protest line of readers who feel the 'verse needs more raw levity and they can't stand to be here. The secondary, for those who enjoyed the stories anyway, is "Thank you so much. But also screw you.")
Miranda doesn't always sleep very well, and part of that is because she knows she lost an officer. Something which was, to a fair degree, her own fault, because she missed some of the slippage signs. And even if she hadn't, a good chief has a hard time not taking the blame upon herself.
She's a good chief, in some ways. A good pony. But she hasn't felt good about herself for a long time.
(One last organic bit: her trick didn't exist until the day I wrote the fight scene. I knew she had to have something which made her a strong combatant, I needed it to be unique -- and then I remembered that I'd given her a rare blended field color: green-grey. It begged the question of what happened if those colors separated. And for the record: the resulting field bubbles actively and automatically repel each other, making it a lot more effective than an equally-powerful unicorn who just creates a pair and has to manage the movements. Miranda doesn't have to think about or direct the effect: it just happens, freeing up capacity for other workings. She's also capable of kicking it into reverse, leaving ponies effectively glued together.)
Elstar & Akane Mutsu
You can see some of this in the Comments section -- but I'll repeat it here. They're named after apple cultivars, and I had been researching the worst-tasting varieties. As soon as I saw 'akane', everything was set: take the worst aspects of a character whose author had never let her mature or change, then run. The fact that the full names might have a vaguely Asian flavor turned into happy coincidence.
There were accusations that they're meant as hate sinks. And for that, I have only one reply: 'no kidding.' Macintosh wasn't exactly going to contact the Apple branches who might support the union. Plus... well, those of you with truly extended families might be familiar with the problem: you frequently wind up with the ones who, if they weren't related, would be people you'd never associate with on any level, and the only reason you don't split away is because you can't be sure how deep the fracture would go. Just think about your own reunions. Or holiday dinners. At the very least, someone's going to have That One Uncle.
So they were present to be the combatants. They don't stand for Tradition so much as Okay, Now I'll Get My Way. But the stallion who was convinced he'd raised his own daughters properly...
Take a character who won't listen and can't learn, then give her rules to follow. There's a natural result for that and for what might have been the first time in the life of any fictional Akane, she couldn't get out of it.
(Divergence here: to me, one of the more interesting aspect of writing earth pony magic is that it's the realm where I get to play with actual mysticism. There's a built-in sense of communion with something stronger, because that's part of how it all works -- but it's not as mechanical as unicorn or pegasus castings, because it's nowhere near as defined. One person in the Comments felt that 'verse earth ponies are very close to being D&D warlocks: in their view, there's a contract, something which creates a pact and gives them powers to draw on. Is that valid? It's a viewpoint. But as Applejack said in Earth Tones, something is listening -- and if something is listening, then it can decide to ignore you.)
I created hate sinks, and I paid a price for that: namely, when Akane was stripped of voice and hearing, there wasn't necessarily a lot of sympathy. A bad thing happened to a bad pony, which she brought on herself: some people probably just shrugged. I wanted it to have more of a sense of existential horror, and I blew it.
How effective can Elstar be in his campaign of disinformation? The Maluses believe that anypony they lose wasn't worth keeping anyway. But there's also the question of just how far this can spread. He has his motivation for revenge: it places the blame everywhere except himself.
He raised his daughter perfectly: namely, to perfectly dismiss anything she didn't see as important. I think we've all known people like that. And the hatred comes so easily...
Apple Bloom
Not much to say here. I wanted to show that she was growing up a little, and had insights most ponies wouldn't simply because the majority of ponies hadn't put themselves through anywhere near that much horse apple smear. But at the same time, she's still AB, and the "I wanna see it!" shows the youthful enthusiasm hasn't exactly faded. There's also an argument that she got the best line while insulting Elstar, and it's a case where I had no idea what she was going to say until she said it.
Granny Smith
...yeah, this one hurts. I can solidly say that a few of my own issues may have crept in here, because real life contains very little which approaches 'a good day'. So showing that she occasionally swings all the way back out to full lucidity is my openly indulging in a fantasy element. Let me have that much.
This was the first time I've worked with her, and a number of people spotted the Pratchett elements because they didn't sneak in so much as march while proudly waving a flag: a lot of Nanny Ogg with a touch of Weatherwax for good measure. (I suspect they'd all get along.) You don't choose weak ponies to open a new settled zone, and you don't become the last surviving town founder without fighting for it. Granny is a force in her own right -- but she doesn't always have full access to it, and the existence of good days more than implies the presence of bad ones.
But for this story, I wanted her to be the voice of experience and wisdom. Being able to draw on the Bright/Pear events helped (although in-'verse, Pear was pregnant during the ceremony -- and someone did notice that she never fully changed her name): there are cases where I will be incorporating S4-9 aspects, and it would have been something close to a crime if I'd left that out. She's willing to support her granddaughter, and did so where the grandson stormed off.
I also wanted her to give off the impression that on a good day, she can beat pretty much every earth pony in town. Rocksteady looks to her for intervention for a reason...
(We never really talked about anypony's field strength. Applejack is well above the earth pony average -- consider how much land she and Macintosh are helping to maintain, even with the Effect in place -- but on an absolute scale, she's not quite on the same tier as Rainbow, and neither would be in direct proximity to Twilight. Granny has more raw power than her grandchildren. Igneous is a terror, and this isn't a good time to discuss Maud.)
Scootaloo
More confessions? No problem.
Most of Scootaloo's story arc wasn't in the original plan. I only decided to reveal her living situation when I was about halfway through the master outline, and having her living with the Apples? That was last minute, and was mostly produced by the idea of another factor to unite the new couple: their respective little sisters would effectively become siblings.
I recognize that she and AB arguably reconciled too quickly: some of that is the foxhole level of pressure produced by the situation, and the rest can be laid at the feet of the hack. However, I can say that there's still some rough edges to smooth off before that friendship is fully restored, and they're not going to grind easily. On a very real level, Scootaloo has been her own master for several years. Cheerilee sent a note home? ...yeah, sure: she'll just file those with the rest. It's been a long time since anypony's exerted authority over her, and she's not going to take it well -- especially when Apple Bloom gets Youngest Kid's Revenge, also known as 'Now I get to boss somepony around!'
(As the Comments pointed out, Applejack needs her own lesson in how Scootaloo treats responsibility. Scootaloo is perfectly capable of being responsible -- if she sees that responsibility as being important. The true issue is in sorting out priorities.)
If I went full-scale Anvilicious anywhere, it was probably on explaining her true motivations within the Crusade. What's keeping her from reuniting with her parents? The fact that she hasn't manifested. And surely she can go through something with enough risk to prove she's capable of keeping up with them! It's now or it's Too Long, and it's been too long already...
...but here we have that Priorities problem again, because I don't think Scootaloo's really considered what it would mean to leave Ponyville. It would wind up as a choice of families, and the older dream is more enticing -- but she's about to get her first taste of something new.
I'm trying to show the Crusaders as slowly growing up in their own ways. Scootaloo had to forgive Macintosh, because there's something in her which understands forgiveness. (And when she finally starts to see the price of the Crusade, might start longing for it.) But she's been wearing blinders for a long time. And the worst night of her life may come when she finally turns around and truly looks over the last three years of it.
That may be a story of its own.
And as for where her parents are?
To Be Continued.
Celestia
Let's just say she's in a really bad place here. Heavy lies the head which wears the crown, and it's been a couple of years since hers had this much mass. Sometimes it's easier to face the end of the world than a change in it, and somepony who fought for order is trying to deal with a level of chaos which hasn't been seen in a very long time.
She wants to open up. On a very real level, she needs to. But she can't. She's kept the secrets for so long that there's a question as to whether she really knows how to do anything else. One seneschal per generation, a single confidant -- and the rest of the continent remains in the dark.
At some point, she and Twilight have to talk. It won't be an easy one.
Fancypants
"We'd like to welcome everypony to the founding of the Xavier Institute..."
Rocksteady
He's almost a pure plot element: somepony had to be the Advocate, and having it be the stallion who's second-in-command at the police station allowed me to get away with letting the duel take place in the necessary isolation. It's possible that I could do more with him later.
Fluttershy
@#$%, it feels good to write her angry side -- especially when she finally has somepony to be justifiably angry with. Do not tick off your big sister, because she has Much Stare.
Chapter Titles
As Triptych is built on art, Duet is openly themed around music. Earth ponies sing their magic, and when it comes to establishing a fresh chorus...
Post-Overture: There was something mildly comedic about the idea of having the whole of Triptych as nothing more than the orchestra warming up. On another level, we're looking at 'overture' as 'an initiative toward agreement or action' -- namely, we're looking at Applejack immediately after she asked Snowflake out, taking that initiative.
Tremelo: Repeating a note as quickly as possible to produce a quaking effect. This is Snowflake going over his own situation again and again, sounding on the internal notes produced by old scars. It's also indicating the vibrations he's unknowingly putting into the ground as he makes his way home.
Nocturne: A composition meant to invoke the feelings associated with night. Applejack making her way across the Acres under Moon, invoking the shadows of memories along the way. Additionally, a hint that things are about to go dark.
Dissonance: An impression of tension and clashing created by notes which seem to conflict. Describes the fight at the dinner table.
Sempre: Italian for 'always'. In music, this is typically used as a lead word for how a passage should be played: always loud, always on this beat. Here, it's Snowflake going through his routine: the same things he always does -- on the last normal morning of his life. The moments before sempre is shattered.
Maestro: A master of music: the one who created and maintains the composition. It seemed appropriate for seeing Doctor Gentle in his cell.
Sforzando: So we have a word which means forceful, frequently with added accent? Must be time to hear from Granny Smith!
Profundo: A voice in the deep ranges: typically bass, normally bearing a great deal of weight. Celestia is not in good shape right now. On a secondary level, it's just talking about things which could be seen as profound -- including learning that your flight never worked the way you thought it did.
Fermata: Holding the note for as long as the singer wishes. Applejack forcing herself through the search, keeping a single goal in mind while her mind stays on one thought: how well she really knows her brother.
Notes Inégales: Playing notes written with what look to be equal time values as long and short, frequently alternating those durations. It's one of the weaker connections, but I saw it as linking into the back-and-forth of the fight -- both the verbal and physical aspects.
Elegy: A song expressing mourning for the dead. Macintosh standing over the corpse of his own life.
Rubato: Playing with the tempo: speed it up here, slow it down there. Sure, it normally takes days to get letters out that far, but with Spike in play... For a secondary aspect, this is Miranda playing fast and loose with the rules, under palace orders.
Ostinato: A short piece which repeatedly appears during a composition. Applejack and Snowflake finally talk, with each getting the chance to state their positions -- especially for those things they've been repeating to themselves all along. I also liked the similarity to obstinate, as this is where AJ really digs in.
Madrigal: A secular vocal work, frequently with alternating singers forgoing musical accompaniment. The argument (such as it is) between Fluttershy and Snowflake, as well as having the Mutsus arrive -- new voices who don't quite see this as being secular at all, because it's a little more towards something approaching faith.
Toccata: A fast-moving piece designed to demonstrate skill. I was looking at this as the invocations for the terms of the duel, along with suggesting a bit of the upcoming battle.
Cantata: Vocal composition with multiple movements involved. There's a lot of shifting parts in play in the last moments before the fight starts, along with a few underlayers making their way in. It also suggests an order to simply sing -- something earth ponies generally don't get to do.
Etude: A short piece of high difficulty, presenting the performer with a major test of their skill. That seemed to be a pretty good way to describe the duel itself.
Atonal: Music which lacks an identifiable center. Refers to both the conjunctive piece failing to properly register Snowflake, and his own song coming out of nowhere.
Morendo: Decreasing volume and tempo to create the effect of having a note dying away. The Mutsus leave, and there's a certain question about Akane's long-term survival.
Alzate Sordini: Removing mutes from instruments, and so the secrets start to come out.
Coll'otava: Instructing the musician to double the notes. How do we double up here? By adding Scootaloo.
Harmony: ...well, what else was the last chapter going to be called?
Random minor bits
* I never really understood the fandom's love for taking two ponies standing next to each other and declaring ship until I had people witnessing Apple Bloom looking at the conjunctive item for a few seconds and immediately deciding it meant she was going to get that as her mark talent...
* Speaking of which: that little triple-threat really does raise a few questions, doesn't it?
* I'm just glad someone recognized "So... guess who's comin' t' dinner?" It was a last-minute addition, and it felt like one which needed to be there -- but given the passing decades, it wasn't anywhere close to a guarantee for being spotted.
* Okay, let's settle this once and for all. A fosse is the pit in which the duel takes place. It is not the duel itself.
* I never had any intention of showing the actual first date. Things were awkward enough already -- and as AJ notes, the walk to the market could almost be it.
* Here's a quick definition of pain: establishing rules for writing the central Apple accent and then having to type out an extended scene where nopony's talking who isn't an Apple. Death Of The Author. Also, Suicide Of The Spellcheck.
* The decision to loop 'There was a space between seconds...' for the final scene took place at the actual last minute. (Every so often, I pretend to have rolled that Author's Saving Throw.) But the last line was once again predetermined, and it took some effort to reach it.
* Ultimately, this was the most I could hope for: that the readership, upon seeing the way those characters exist here, would say 'They could work together.' That love was possible for this couple, if not necessarily instant. That the attraction could be real and in the end, good character meant a little bit more.
To the best of my limited knowledge, it's a unique ship. I haven't exactly done a full combing of the fandom, but I've never heard of anyone else working with it. But that may be because the local Snowflake became his own OC, Applejack went through some changes, and... I had the same excuse as most shippers. I wanted them to be together, and then I had to explain the how. Along with a great deal of why, while having them both reconcile with the fallout.
With this story, things changed again. Some of those are aspects which are impossible to change back.
We've been at AU status for a while. The 'verse where there's a stupid Secret and everything's far too cynical, with the hack who has no idea how to write anypony and if you think I'm dumping on myself, you should see how the people who like my work do it. The ones who oppose everything tend to echo each other's vocabulary.
But now it's also the 'verse where Applejack and Snowflake are together.
...well, that was clearly the worst decision ever. Who's up for pizza?
Ask Me Anything
This was a ramble. There are things I didn't cover, aspects which I couldn't, and probably a few details which got left out because blogs have a character limit and I wanted to get this done in one.
But that still means things I didn't cover. And so if you have any questions about Duet, this is the time and place to present them. I'll answer what I can.
Anyone forcing me to bring out the Squidward "FUTURE...! FUTURE...!" clip may live exactly long enough to regret it.
I haven’t read Triptych or Duet, so I skimmed through to the AMA in the hopes of getting a real answer to one of life’s many mysteries, only to find that it’s specifically about Duet.
Which is a shame, because I really want to know if you yeeted Fashion Horror Sunset off a bridge on your way out of Baltimore, or if she’s hidden in some dark corner because you would never inflict such an indignity on Chesapeake Bay.
Miranda's trick isn't just good in a fight, it's specifically good at stopping a fight, by making it tremendously difficult for two would-be combatants to get anywhere near each other. For the police, that's the primary goal, and coming up with something like that on the spot in a way that made it look intentional all along means you need to stop calling yourself a hack.
Ask Me Anything
That's a bold thing to say to someone who named themselves after crack-fiction...
Actually, I was wondering what you thought of an idea I had; namely, Rainbow upon hearing that Celestia was also Loyalty, decides that must mean she's cool and asks her to hang out. I don't know what they'd have in common but Celestia is in a bad place, Rainbow's a good friend and at the very least I want to see someone's face as they hear her say that now that Celestia has something in common with her she's cool enough to hang out with.
(Asking a writer to comment on your fanfiction...)
Also if we can ask anything is A Horse called Sunbut dead? Because I can make myself live with that, I just want to know.
And we thank you for it. Also, I don't think you're a hack. Also also, I appreciate the use of an entire parenthetical paragraph — it makes me feel much better about my own tendencies in writing to see someone whose work I appreciate use a similar style.
And looking back at the text...
Wow. The lady sure doth protest in hindsight.
Menacingly.
(Hey, you already brought Spongebob into this.)
Well, it all began with Dash trying to shave milliseconds off her best time and realizing she needed somepony who could keep time to that level of precision...
Doesn't make it any less true.
Nothing wrong with that, says a guy who did the same with She of the Seven Bubbles.
Pretty sure I was at the time as well.
Hey, you're far from the only person who did.
Fascinating take on Mac's talent.
I mean, there was the "Everyone's gay for Braeburn" meme, but I think it may have just been desperation for more male characters at the time. I came in between the Gala and Discord; it's a bit before me.
Given what glimpses we've seen of your Maud, i'm not sure if there's ever a good time to discuss her...
Yes. Yes it does.
And given Apple Bloom apprenticing under Ratchette, i think the speculation about her fascination is entirely reasonable, if apparently misguided. Maybe. Not like you directly said it was off the mark... I swear that was unintentional.
Honestly, the questions that come to mind will probably just prompt a cephalopod in the fetal position. Frustrating as your talent for teasing the deeper mysteries of this universe may be, I'm content to wait and see them when you reveal them. Thanks for the peek behind the curtain. It was a delight, no matter how pretentious you may have found it.
That's ALSO like Fluttershy
Yeah? Tell that to Fluttershy
She sees animals as people
Your Element ever compel you to KILL SOMEONE?
After "Five Hundred Little Murders" I thought of Future Twilight saying to current ponies
" 'I Can't Be Kind Anymore' is on her grave. It was her suicide note"
(segment from an abandoned idea)
I'll dispute that. I've caught people attempting to find deep meaning inside some of my stories that are really the shallow end of the pool. (A little like Kurt Vonnegut in Back To School (1986))
Are you caught up with season 9?
Are there any ideas/characters from seasons 4 - 9 that you enjoy but would never work in the Verse?
One of the things I really like about the Triptych verse is the way that you’ve created a very coherent world that dives deep into the minutia of ponies lives, and the workings of Equestria politically economically and socially. This is great in and of itself but what I really admire is the way that it provides a solid foundation on which to build and explore the deeper aspects of each character, and to understand each character’s thoughts, emotions and motivations. And even for (maybe especially for) background ponies like Snowflake, your stories have truly made me feel deeply about them, and that is no hack job!
So pat yourself on the back, and keep writing. And if liking your stories makes me a hack then I’ll wear those shoes proudly!
On the one hand, missing the hints the first time can be confusing.
On the other hand, Picking them up on a subsequent read-through makes the story just as fresh as it was the first time.
Reading one story also makes the others better because you start learning Estee-speak.
It's kind of like watching Babylon 5 where you have to get a few episodes in before you know the setting and characters well enough to really enjoy it.
Okay, that thought had been brewing for a while. I may have missed the significance of Applejack’s lines in Drunk, but I think that every time she saw him in any other story she commented on his work ethic. For somepony that saw “date” as “work beside me ‘til we drop” I didn’t think the pairing was too far fetched. Save the whole earth pony thing...
So, questions...
Was the “tradition” of courtship through working together just a way to explain to a young and prying foal why mum and dad were breathless and sweaty that time she walked into the barn unexpectedly?
Is there a stallion about town that has caught Mac’s eye, or is he going to wait until he gets to college?
One down, five to go? (Hey! A guy can dream...)
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Babylon 5 was amazing.
Estee is no hack, for certain. The Verse is well defined and with excellent world building that expands on the source material in glorious ways. Estee’s works are well structured and engaging. It’s a rare author that hits the mark so often. I would count almost all of Estee’s catalog in my favorites.
Can we see more Sunset, please? Pony Sunset with no EQG shenanigans is the best.
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I can't wait to find out what happens to her. Estee implied a mirror was still involved, I'm thinking Time Travel.
Big Mac is Gay
Seen some comments about that over at Poniverse
But, IMO there is a complicating factor: Demographics
Its at least 3-4 to one F/M. There flat out just ain't enough guys to go around
+ it seems monogamy is common, if not universal.
So, seems likely that lesbianism is at least tacitly condoned
-it's that or live alone.
Homosexuality, on the other hand, would face the attitude of
'unfair competition' & be tacitly condemned. It might be legal but
it likely faces a GREAT DEAL more social opprobrium.
As for monogamy…. I've sometimes felt that Pinkie is the junior wife at the Cakes.
Never saw that except in porn
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I’m relatively new here, so I’m sorry that I don’t know, but what’s the story behind that?
Sam Vimes got into that area in a couple of Pratchett's Disc World novels
Especially THUD
How do you picture a conversation between Miranda and Celestia going after the reveal of the Hybrids, if you don't show it? Also how would Miranda react if she found out about the duel and how it was circumventing parts of the law?
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First question "Is it in my jurisdiction?"
Ever see that scene in Silverado?
A posse is chasing the protagonists. They start shooting at the posse
The sheriff (John Cleese) "They're outside my jurisdiction"
"But sheriff! Your jurisdiction runs clear to...."
"Today my jurisdiction only runs to that rock"
(pointing to a nearby rock)
But Miranda could be heading for a blowup
"Permanent File 2: The X-Files"
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Well, uh... I like weird funny stories, and like, my name is Kai so Krack-Fic Kai my name now?
It loses something when I say it like that...
Am I not doing enough weird things? Am I toned down?
To me, Akane always brings to mind Akane Tendo from Ranma 1/2
Yours is sort of like the very worst aspects of her having a Bad Day
So much of writing lives in our heads and in our notes. We put shadow puppets on the page and hope readers can perceive the parts that we know to be true.
Thank you very much for this peek behind the curtain. The depth of your writing comes from all the very specific details that help make the characters and situations feel real.
I will admit, after reading all the way through Triptych, I am waiting for this talk more than any other plot thread. Everytime I see one of your new stories, I wonder, “will this be the one where Celestai and Twilight deal with what happened at the end of Triptych?”
I also look forward to Applejack training Twilight. I love your world building and look forward to learning more about the breadth of Earth Pony magic. I also have always liked AJ and Twilight's friendship. Honesty makes Magic face reality. Twilight doesn’t always like reality, her mark is all about trying to control it. But Twi knows she is better for confronting and dealing with hard realities, and knows AJ helps keep her ‘honest’. And Twi loves her for it. (Love in the sense of Philia, not Eros).
I live in anticipation and enjoyment of all your works. Thank you for sharing them with us.
This answered a lot of unasked questions for me, and confirmed a few suspected beliefs. Also, I get a little tickle of glee whenever I recognize one of your references -- apparently we read a lot of the same authors -- and so it's always a treat to be able to feel smug about having gotten it right.
That said, interestingly, it's a line in this Blogopost that tickled my curiosity-glands...
Let's talk about Rainbow Dash.
She operates almost exclusively on instinct. She's the poster child for a Jock who coasts by on being able to, in the heat of the moment, get themselves out of a problem just by being naturally superior. Those few areas in which she's lacking? Well, those are areas that aren't important, the realm of Eggheads and Touchy-Feely Horseapples, and who cares about that? She's about speed and power and being the best when it matters.
It makes me wonder what kind of mare just assumes that about herself. And the answer that looms up most obviously? It's a mare who has reason to believe it's true.
We know that the Square-Cubed law applies in Equestria, and that Pegasus Flight is made possible, at least at some level, by the application of magic. Maybe the wings work as a channel or a conduit for the magic, like a Unicorn's horn or an Earth Pony's hooves, so they're still required for flight. But a creature with the dimensions of a horse and wings the size we see in Equestria simply wouldn't be able to fly just by flapping those wings hard. And Rainbow Dash stays fit, sure, but she's so good at flying that at least a component of that has to be about her magic. So how powerful is her magic?
Pegasi, presumably, go through some manner of testing just like all the other Pony Tribes. Magic can be quantified, it can be rated, so it stands to reason she would've had that experience too. Probably at Flight School or even before. Definitely by the time she became a Wonderbolts Auxiliary. So if she'd tested below average? She'd be pushing to improve herself, because that's who she is. And since the level of magical power can't be increased, she'd train technique -- and that's not her. If she'd tested above average? Well, we've seen a lot of Rainbow Dash's insecurities already. And the idea that she was almost the best, but not quite the best... that'd needle her. She'd never quite be able to ignore the idea that somepony out there, somewhere, was better than her. No, Rainbow Dash assumes, sincerely, that she's just automatically the best there is. Which makes me convinced that she's been told she's the best.
We learned in Triptych that Pegasus Magic isn't something that they really talk about to other Tribes. Not as a defensive thing like Earth Ponies, they just... don't discuss it. So while it's a big deal that Twilight is at the top percentile of what a Unicorn can do, Rainbow Dash might not see it as something too amazing. It's just one aspect of the amazingnessitude that is her. Which means it wouldn't have come up, and any Pegasi who did know that Rainbow Dash's power level is absurdly broken... well, would you mention it out loud within earshot of her? Assuming you didn't want to invite Rainbow Dash to give a two-hour lecture on how awesome she was?
But we do have the Sonic Rainboom.
This is something that other Pegasi -- not just other Ponies who don't understand Pegasus Magic, but other Pegasi -- assumed was flat-out impossible. A burst of energy that propels the Pegasus in question forwards so fast that it shatters the visible light spectrum? And somehow that Pegasus is not reduced to a three-mile smear across the sky? Rainbow Dash has to demonstrate it before anypony believes it can be done. She's not just off the charts of ordinary techniques, she's into the territory of That Should Not Be Possible On Any Level. And again, it's Rainbow Dash, which means technique isn't a part of this. When she learns how to properly pull off a Sonic Rainboom it gets easy, and she can do it on demand, but the first few times it's pure instinct. Think about that.
On pure instinct, with no windup whatsoever, Rainbow Dash summoned up a burst of Speed, Magic, and Magically-Enhanced Speed that eclipsed what was theoretically possible in the minds of every Pony -- Earth Pony, Unicorn, Pegasus and Alicorn -- who's ever come before her.
Maybe I'm inflating the details in my own mind, or maybe it's a tweak of the Triptych Continuum that explains away some of the details, but all things considered? You take what we know about Rainbow Dash's drive and goals. You add in what she's proven herself physically capable of. Mix a healthy dose of her Psyche as seen by Twilight Sparkle having to think like Rainbow Dash to access her Pegasus Magic -- I Am Rainbow Dash -- and then season that with the pure ego that we know and love.
The conclusion I'm forced to reach is that, for this to make sense, Rainbow Dash's power level is a direct comparison to Twilight Sparkle. Which is to say, brokenly off-the-charts powerful, to the extent that she's not merely most likely the most powerful Pegasus currently alive, but may in fact have a firm claim toward being the single most powerful Pegasus ever to have lived.
...or maybe I'm thinking about this too much. Thoughts?
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I think that actually gets a mention in the ‘Verse, or I’m misremembering. I believe that it was said to be looked down on until the creation of The Most Special Spell. Then once female couples could conceive, it became more socially acceptable.
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Considering that she has at minimum four ponies in her jurisdiction that are hybrids, three of which she must deal with on a semi regular occurrence. She must deal with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Snowflake. Of the three Fluttershy will be causing the least amount of trouble but will the pegasi restraints work on her? Pinkie just became a whole can of worms that I don't think anycreature is ready for. It was directly implied that if Snowflake wanted to he could have gotten out of his cell.
So yes it would be important for her to understand as she must now protect the fourth pony from being harmed if the citizens of Ponyville fall into a very negative heard mentality.
Bold statement. I shall take it at face value.
What's your favourite flavour of ice cream?
i feel like to there are about 200 different points i wanted to make or questions to ask reading that but after trimming the redundancies a few dozen times it boils down to these.
first and foremost, you are not a hack and i as far as i can tell you are likely the best writer on this site. (or at the bare minimum you have the verse i like the best)
second, though i would like to spend several min refuting all the various times you've put down your own work here i'll only pick the most agrevious example and you can infer the rest.
no, i dont think you blew it, i dont care how much you dislike someone, some punishments go beyond that. that was very much a horrifying moment, you had already established how bad teleporting was for earth ponies because of a momentary loss of connection. loss like that.... death might (probably would) have been more gentle.
third and finally, thank you for this post. as ive mentioned, i love this verse and any chance to look into the little details of where and how it became what it is are greatly appreciated, i will leave the asking of actual questions to those more qualified to ask them (actual writers) and just wish you the best while quietly waiting for the next little peak into the universe you've created :)
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UHM... I'd buy it that, say, Lyra & Bon-Bon would take that attitude.
Wonder if Cheerilee will be quite that understanding
"Not as bad"<> "Good"
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I was thinking more about the duel, sorry I wasn't clearer
But, yeah. X-Files, The Ponyville Edition
& you've got to wonder "Can Miranda bend that far or will she break?"
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Twilight might have been The Most Powerful Unicorn Alive even before Ascending
Best EVER? Uhm… Well, in at least the Top 10. Michael Jordan better than Wayne Gretzky or Jim Thorpe?
Dash...Maybe. According to the books, Cadence was a Pegasus before Ascending
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True. But to be clear, I mean raw Power levels. We've seen multiple times over that proper technique trumps raw power ninety-nine times of one hundred. It's how Applejack won her duels, it's how Twilight Sparkle faced down Nightmare Moon, and it's a lesson that we've seen Rainbow Dash have to learn and re-learn multiple times over the course of the Continuum: That you can't just solve every problem by brute-forcing it in the most direct way possible.
But the fact that Rainbow Dash has had to learn that lesson means that it's not something that she, at this point in her life, had learned already. Which means that prior to right now, brute-forcing every problem has worked for her. Which, in turn, means that she must have a lot of force with which to brute, which for the record is now a verb. Tie that in with her accomplishments and, well, do you see my logic that Rainbow Dash's power levels must be pretty epic for her simply to be who she is?
As for Cadance, it's confirmed in Canon and the Continuum that she was a Pegasus before Ascending. But it's also made clear that whatever the criteria for Ascension may be, and we don't know what that is yet, it's not about being the most powerful. It certainly helps, and may be a factor as to why none of Cadance's friends survived the process, but there's no indication that Cadance was a uniquely-powerful Pegasus any more than that Celestia and Luna may have been uniquely-powerful Earth Ponies. If it were about power then Starswirl may have succeeded. So I'm not sure this means that Cadance was any stronger than Rainbow Dash.
Just wanted to say I liked this post-story analysis. It gives us an insight we wouldn't have on it. I would love to see more of those for your others stories.
Oh fuck it.
What is the Capitol of Assyria?
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$1.98 (old joke)
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That's one thing that, IMO, the show got Flat Out WRONG
I'm from a largish family & to me Dash's boastfulness?
That's a youngest kid, overshadowed by older siblings. Compared (unfavorably) to older siblings & compensating by bragging.
Oldest & onlys tend to be the tortoise in "The Tortoise And The Hare" & win by outworking rivals
Dash? Born hare
There are some particularly amazing lines in Triptych that clearly had years of thought and prep behind them, and it's cathartic to watch you take proper credit it for it in some way even if you felt the need to write "hack" thirty times to get through it. I've got a lot of respect for you. And for the record, pretentiousness is like schmaltz in that it's fine so long as the writer earns it.
And you made the first "20 percent cooler" joke I've ever laughed at. In 2019. Jesus.
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Heh. As the youngest of several kids, I'd have said exactly the opposite! It was always my oldest brother who was the cockiest of us all, the one who led the way into every disaster we went through as kids because he obviously knew best.
Either way, I think Rainbow Dash breaks both of our expectations as an only child, though. She's just naturally cocky beyond anything logical.
Having somehow read all of that without entering a coma, I'm in a position to thank you for the look behind the curtain. So, thank you. :)
(And, in my opinion, you are far from a hack. :))
I have to admit, ever since I read Cousin Braeburn Writes a Crop-fic, I've always viewed Braeburn as having that pony-attraction-switch in their brain stuck only half-way on and a flame for Strongheart that could eclipse the SUN itself.
An extensive write-up which I greatly appreciate.
Funnily enough, that heavy hint in Drunk Little Ponies didn't even seem a hint to me, since I'd only really known one pony to be described as ugly; there have been ponies who were ugly inside, but I don't recall any other pony having had that specific appellation (ha) stuck to them.
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My go-to example is the alleged story behind "I Am The Walrus", which is that some English teacher somewhere was analyzing Beatles songs to this sort of scale, one of the students told them about this, and they went and wrote the most nonsensical song they possibly could just to screw with someone who may or may not have even existed.
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The relevant section of the blog says that this was aggressively intentional. Like, Estee looked up bad-tasting apple cultivars to name the antagonists/boss fight, saw "Akane" and everything became obvious.
5 years fleshing out an AU for the payoff pitch. That's some Marvel level s**t right there.
Okay, Okay. I'll take the bait. After all, someone needs to ask something to bring out the spoilers. With that being the case....
With what you've previously mentioned in Joyous's story about Cutie Marks, is the existence of Starlight's spell more reality shattering than the Hybrids or no?
Additionally, is Starlight a hybrid?
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Will anyone ever point out to Miranda the way she managed the Crusade to keep all the Bearers happy and everyone together ignores the fact that of the three Crusaders only Applebloom has a guardian who is a Bearer. Sweetie Belle still has her parents and Rarity's business cannot afford for her to move and Scootaloo has no connection to Dash legally
Also how surprised were you when the show introduced another Pegasus with Snowflake's build?
What is Griffin magic?
Your authorial rambles are a delight, as always.
And yeah, AJ and Snowflake is an unexpected and unusual pairing... but you've put in the work, so I can look at them and say "Yeah, they can work together just fine!" and mean it.
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Not just out of his cell, but out of Mirandas force bubble.
I really love peeks behind the curtains like this, and I am both delighted and encouraged behind the reasons for both the chapter titles, as well as the character developments. It is these things that you might not fully realise as you read the stories, but what makes the full 'verse become so alive and meaningful. Like, the relation between Little Murders and that moment just blew my mind, as I fully felt that ambiguity when reading the scene, simply accepting this as a reasonable and likely action from Fluttershy.
My only grievance with this blog is the idea that elstar is a lousy apple, whoever claimed that either confused it with another cultivar or got a bad one. It is among my top favorite picks, so I was actually slightly bummed it turned up as it did, though my experience is mostly fresh from the branch, and elstar could be among the ones who lose flavor after time.
Hmm, suppose that might also fit with the character.
(My full favorite list is Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Elstar, Cox Orange and Red Pineapple for snacking, while for cooking I always go Ingrid Marie and Belle de Boskoop.)
Eh. Dickens and Shakespeare were also hacks. You’re in good company.
Cake or pie?
So, I get why the most special spell would only make females (only X chromosomes to donate), but how would a male version avoid giving a pair of Y chromosomes?
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No no no. Wolf’s River and Northern Spy for cooking, those are amazing and span the season between them. MacIntosh and Cortlands for hand-eating/cooking, as well.
And you only need four Wolf’s River for a heaping pie. Ridiculous things. Not so hot raw, though. They need the cooking.
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Hmm, have only run into MacIntosh before, I've heard about Cortlands, but never seen them. Will keep an eye out for the others, but it is likely a regional thing, who grows them?