Chapter Seven Extended Author's Note · 10:11pm Jul 27th, 2015
I lied about posting it on the first of August...
So let's get into this, shall we?
[SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ CHAPTER SEVEN OF EL]
BY SAYING THAT HOLY SHIT THAT WAS A REALLY LONG CHAPTER. It's funny because when I started out, I figured that I'd have it all wrapped in like... seven thousand words max, but it just kept getting longer and longer and longer and oh god. Does it count as three chapters?
Anyway, let's start with the letter, shall we? I did a bit of world-building there, as well as changing up the dynamic from Twilight's journals. We'll see another Cadance letter in the future, as well as a Luna letter. There was a mention of a changeling queen, and since she will not play an active role in the story, I can't say if she's Chryssi or not.
Now, as for the chapter.
This chapter actually holds a special place in my heart because 90% of it were things I imagined way back in September of last year, around the same time I posted the EL one-shot. That was before I had ever considered writing the multichapter, and when EL was strictly "Shenanigans in the library". The tone of this chapter is therefore much closer to the tone of the oneshot.
We also had the proper intro of the currently incomplete CMC. The CMC will play a rather prominent role in the story, specifically Sweetie Belle, so this is not the first time we'll see them hanging around. It was... a difficult thing to write for them. I am admittedly not adept at their characterization, so hopefully I didn't do too bad. I also aged them up a bit in my head, and on hindsight I wonder if I should have made that clearer. Hmm...
I also delved more into Rarity and Twilight's friendship. This chapter had special meaning to me because there are no words to describe how long I've waited to write the last scene. Even before I started the multichapter proper, I knew at one point I wanted that exchange to happen very badly, to the point it was dubbed "The Smile Scene" in conversations with skype friends. I think in a way that's the good part of slowly building up their relationship.
I've now set up a lot of things, but the next chapter specifically will be more complicated to write. We'll delve much more into the history of Ponyville in this universe, as well as the role the Apple family had in what happened long ago. This, of course, means I need to go read Apple family fics and watch the episodes because I am remiss to admit I am not as good as writing for them as I'd like.
I think that's mostly it for now!
Thanks as always for reading,
~ Chrome
1) I've been hoping you'd post it sooner. Glad you lied!
2) Not fully reading this blog, yet, because SPOILERS!
3) Just came in to comment on how a certain person got a very cute, adorable, new OC pony avatar that's simply beautiful. Grats! Fits you quite well.
EDIT: 4) Going to read newest update soon as I finish watching a couple movies with my friend here. xD
5) Welcome back!
No, no lo hiciste, chingada madre.
3274504
omg thank you! My friend Chibs drew it for me a while back after she found out I didn't have a ponysona. Her name's Ducky Ink :3 And yeah though it was sad to get rid of Donald omg Goodnight sweet duck...
It was a lovely chapter!
Also, I found the hidden message in Cadance's letter. Very sneaky...and ominous.
3274537 Tell chibs to get back to Hubbyjack! xP
I thought you did a decent job with them, but it wasn't apparent at all that you aged them up.
3280006
omg well, if i may confess, I did that because I was afraid I'd make them sound too grown up (something I was told way back in chapter one), so I guess in my mind I was playing it safe by thinking that.
3280057
That is a common issue writing child characters. I think the best thing to do, with most characters, is just go look at episodes with them and see if you can get a feel for how they talk, what little mannerisms they have.
Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo, for example, are primarily defined by being
stupidreckless, but it's not everything they are.