Why isn't Ponies Make War updating next week?! · 1:36am Nov 19th, 2011
I doubt anybody is actually panicking about the delayed update. But some of you might be a little worried, so I'm just putting this blog post / announcement here to alleviate some of those worries. After all, a delayed update could mean any number of bad things, such as:
1) I'm not going to finish Ponies Make War.
This is false. I cannot stress that enough. I haven't lost inspiration, or gotten discouraged by negative feedback, or anything like that. Ponies Make War will come to an end. In fact, the part that I'm not releasing until two weeks from now? It's already half written. I just like to be prepared. Like, really prepared
2) The speed at which I write is slowing down.
If anything, the opposite is true. I wrote "She's Alive" over the course of two days. I then edited it over the course of a week. Pretty neat, huh?
3) I'm getting lost in my story.
This one is something that I'm especially afraid of. The fic is currently closing on 90 000 words, and it's safe to say it will easily break 200 000 by the time I'm finished. I could explore every single historical fact, give a detailed description of the laws governing unicorn magic, cram in a relevant back story for every one of the mane six, do a flashback to the war fought between Discord and Titan, give roles to the background ponies-
You may be starting to see the problem. Some of those things sound cool (at least to me,) and I could definitely make them work within the fic. In fact, there are dozens of things at this point that I could add and explore.
The problem with doing that is that suddenly my fic is 400 000 words long and the main story becomes less than half of it. Think of how chapters four and five read. I'm not saying that Ponies Make War won't have any subplots or exposition from now on (In fact, some of the things I mentioned up there may actually be in the works,) but rather that I'm making a conscious effort to ensure that everything I write is in service to the story.
4) I hate you.
Okay, I don't seriously think that anybody read the delayed update notice and thought to themselves "Aesthetic hates me. Me, specifically!" I just want so stress again that I love you guys. This is the first time I've ever written fiction outside of an English classroom, and I'm trying to do it right. I know that starting an incomplete fic can be like taking a leap of faith. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, the fic won't get finished. Sometimes, Applejack becomes Hitler. I make it a point to let you know when I'm updating, and to read all of the comments, because I want you to know that I'm close by. I'm not going anywhere (Well this doesn't sound creepy at all.)
So, why is Ponies Make War not updating next week? I'm glad you asked, dear reader, because it brings us to the real purpose of the Google Doc / Blog Post: Shameless self promotion (couldn't you tell by now?) I, the author of Ponies Make War, perhaps the most generic warfic in the fandom (so generic its title is Ponies Make War, for Celestia's sake,) am writing a comedy! It's just a little one-shot (about 15 000 words) that I'm doing as part of my ongoing quest to teach myself how to write. So stay tuned for that.
Also, I won't be leaving you totally without Ponies Make War come next Saturday at midnight. I'll be taking the first 2000 words of chapter one and replacing them with about 5000 new ones. So if you want to read a new fight scene between Celestia and Luna (it's a flashback,) as well as a little more dialogue from T&T, you can check that out next week.
And that's that. Instead of the weekly 10k+ word update, you're getting 5k and a whole new story. I'm starting to wonder if this required a giant wall of text to explain, or if I'm just pulling a Lesson Zero (Tardy!) Let me know if you like reading me ramble, or if you just think that this Blog Post / Google Docs Announcement was just an excessive waste of time.
Wait, so you're saying Applejack isn't going to become Hitler? Dammit, I was looking forward to that! You obviously do hate me.
807
You, Specifically.
808
Aww, I hate you too.
Ain't 'cha you gonna update mister? 'Cause Ah want it naaaao.
1256
Fear not, it's on its way. The next two chapters are already written, and are just awaiting another coat of polish. I'll be settling into a regular release schedule again soon.
1486
I love you too, AestheticB 
But..., but..., we want it nao!!