THE GUIDE! · 5:52am Feb 21st, 2017
IN WHICH I PROVIDE A GUIDE
(last updated: 2019-06-14) Since many of my stories are interconnected one-shots or short subjects, I thought it best I link them all in an easy-to-digest way in their proper chronological order. I will edit this blogpost as work progresses. Keep in mind I sometimes write out of order and was often influenced by IRL weather, so the seasonal reality may make only slightly more sense than the Zelda timeline(s).
SUNSET'S RECOVERY ARC
0. Sasha (within a week after EQG1, so… Fall)
- Highs & Lows (during Winter Break)
- Night Of Faded Sun (several weeks later)
- Lows & Highs (a couple days after that)
- Rarity Visits Sunset At 4am (the next morning)
- Exes Meet (a week or so later; early spring)
Reconciliations (a week or so after that; takes place over 5 days)
~~Rainbow Rocks Happens Here~~
- Rarity Pays For Burritos (five weeks later)
- Sunset Shimmer: Spider Queen (a couple weeks after that)
- Rarity Reveals... (the next weekend)
- Minor Relapse (a Monday in late April)
- And That's Good Enough (the following Sunday)
- The Rejected (the week before Final Exams)
- Recovery (the last day of Finals Week)
- A Midsummer Day's Quest (when do you think it is?)
THE BURRITOVERSE
0. A Day In The Park (not long after Rainbow Rocks)
- Sunset Shimmer Buys A Burrito (this takes place…)
- Sonata Dusk Eats A Burrito (…at the same time as that)
- Adagio Dazzle Wants A Burrito (two days later, I guess)
- Sci-Twi Analyzes A Burrito (four weeks after Rainbow Rocks)
- Aria Blaze Steals A Burrito (a few days after that)
- Rarity Pays For Burritos (about a week or so later)
- Sonata Dusk Ruins A Burrito (late Spring)
- Maud Pie Inspects A Burrito (summer)
- Octavia Melody Rejects A Burrito (high-summer)
- Sonata Dusk Gifts A Burrito (cicada season; f-ing hot)
SUNSET×RARITY OFFSHOOT TIMELINE
- Not-Quite-Straight Talk (early summer)
- Whispers of the Heart (in the middle of summer)
- Grand Unified Theory Of Sunset Shimmer (same week)
- Her Shimmering Sunset (I dunno, July?)
SIDE STORIES THAT DON'T FIT ANY TIMELINE
- One Does Not Deny A Lady (summer)
- Death of the Author
- Sunset On The Couch (whenever)
- Orangelglow's Final Days (the last few days up to his death, duh)
- Aria Blaze Steals A Burrito (original version)
Hope that helps! 
So the Recovery and Burritoverse stories do intersect!
How does that work chronologically, though? Isn't Recovery set before Rainbow Rocks? Or is it more of a thematic intersection rather than a chronological one?
4430980 - You caught me. I knew I'd forget some major detail.
It's more a thematic intersection, I suppose. You'll find out tomorrow when the story drops and I update this blogpost, as it is permanently pinned to my userpage. Basically, there's a brief conversation where Sunset discusses with Beulah her absence from The Barn.
It was easy to say which of these stories took place before/after the others. It was hard actually setting them into an actual calendar in the span of ten minutes, as they were written individually over the course of two years with no foresight or thought of how they fit into any greater continuity.
Also, I never expected most of these stories to exist. I thought I was done with Burritos for good with Aria -- except maybe a rapprochement with Sonata -- until... well... you gave my 'verse a nod and I was flattered enough to give it one more shot, and in so doing broke the continuity of THREE universes. But I enjoyed writing it, so it's all good.
4431259
Multiversal chaos and destabilization, eh? My work here is done.
Thank you for the handy guide. I like your writing and wanted to be sure to read them all in the order you intended and this has made my life that much easier. Keep up the good work, I'll be looking forward to seeing where you go next with these arcs.
4482080 - You're very welcome.
I haven't had a lot of time to write lately due to real life commitments (which I'll probably detail in a blogpost this weekend), but it is my hope that I can finish something soon. I don't like having a lot of unfinished stories on my plate, but that's just how it's working out at the moment.
Thank you for the compliment and for deciding to follow me, by the way!
Going through the Recovery Arc stories and...
um...
They're not alternate universe. The AU tag should only be used if a story outright contradicts a canon setting. Which, well, these don't. I can see them taking place off screen.
4514601 - Not sure if you read the comment I deleted but, basically, I added the AU tags to begin with because a very prominent author got onto me during an evisceration of Highs & Lows for Sunset being "out of character", so I decided to add the AU tag just to avoid more criticism, just like how I was forced to drop the Comedy tag from Sunset Buys A Burrito because readers found it sad instead of funny.
But I've talked it over with a few of my readers and decided you're right. I have now removed the AU tag from every Recovery Arc story, as well as cleaned up other tags and group sorting. I've also updated this blogpost with a new title.
I have another group of stories planned after I finish Recovery that will be legit AU.
Good thing my phone has a nice, solid case.
I was not prepared when I clicked the link to Sunset Shimmer: Spider Queen!
And thanks for the timeline!
4524297 -
You're very welcome.
My readers have told me that making this post and linking it to all of my stories was the best idea I ever had. I hope you enjoyed Spider Queen. I had a lot of fun writing it, including the epilogue.
Next Recovery story is finished and should go public very soon! However, I want to get some other projects out of the way first before doing its final read-through.
So am I understanding this correctly that the recommended reading order is the chronological order, and not the order in which the stories were published?
4542920 - Pretty much.
For many reasons, I ended up writing & publishing a few of these stories out of order. This guide exists to show what the chronological order actually is. I think readers might get more out of the arc if they read it according to how I've laid it out here, because the plot progression (such as it is) will make more sense.
Of course you can read the stories in publication order; I won't stop you. A lot of my followers have and I've met with few if any complaints.
4542949
Alright, thanks!
Quick follow-up question: Does that also apply to Sasha or is that kind of a special case? I noticed that it's numbered "0" and it was also only added to the list rather recently. (I've had this page bookmarked for a while now, I just never got around to reading this.)
4543027 - Yes.
That story
will go live literally within the next half hour. I just finished making the final word-tweaks to ithas just gone live. Sometimes ideas don't come in a nice chronological progression, so I make do as best I can.I gave it a "0" for two reasons: (1) I was too lazy to renumber the other eleven stories, and (2) it serves as a beginning to both the Recovery Arc and the next Sunset-centric arc I'm planning, which otherwise does not share any direct continuity with Recovery. Confused? So am I. Yay for divergent continuities.
4543044
Thanks for taking the time to explain all this. I appreciate it.
And yeah, divergent and/or overlapping continuities are a pain to keep track of. :D
(I'm assuming by "Yes." you meant "Yes, that also applies to Sasha; read that first." and not "Yes, Sasha is a special case; don't read that first.")
4543092 - You would be correct in your assumption. Reading Sasha after a story like Rarity Reveals… will no doubt feel like a HUGE step backwards in story progression and character development. Because it is.
As an American, the dates you had placed on draft completions confused the living hell out of me for a moment. Then I realized you'd placed the year first, and deadpanned at myself.
I’ve caught up on the recovery arc. And out of them all, my favorite is Spider Queen because it’s so out there.
I wonder when your done with the recovery arc is that it for the universe or is it just a arc in a much larger universe?
4805826
Hi. The answer to your question is Yes and No.
Once the Recovery Arc and Burritoverse are over, they're over. However, that does not mean I will abandon my universe completely. I've already started another story that will take place in the same basic setting but with a slightly different continuity in which some events and details are changed.
Basically, in the Recovery Arc & Burritoverse, Anon-A-Miss never happens. In my future EQG stories, it does.
Does that help? No? Confused? So am I.
I'll write a blog-post soon attempting to explain it all. Watch my words-space.
4806144
I ment by the question similer to the weed verse one a ark is over is the connected story verse still goin on
4806155
Easy answer to your question: Yes.
It's actually more complicated because I have two different timelines with mismatched continuities but whatever.
4806165
Ok thatscool
Out of curiosity, will there be any integration of Friendship Games and Legend of Everfree? Or will those not be involved because of pre-established plans?
4839097
Friendship Games and Legend Of Everfree will not be involved in Sunset's Recovery Arc at all because, you're right, I already planned its basic structure before they came out. Plus, I have reasons for not wanting to introduce Sci-Twi.
As to the Burritoverse, same thing except I won't rule out appearances by FG or LOE characters, albeit before their respective movies.
Thank you for asking. I hope that answers your question.
4839221
It does indeed. Thank you.
Also, if you have a link to any other posts like this, I'd love to get one so I can read other continuities you have. I'm a big fan of this and want to see more.
What's a burrito?
Never mind I what it is now.
Erm the link to orange glows final days doesn't work
5212256
That's because I haven't written that story yet. I can't link to something that doesn't exist, I'm afraid.
It'll come eventually™.
5214057
Its cool also no joke your fic with sunset having a manic high moment helped me realize a new issue i got to deal with in rl mentality now i can regconize when im nearing a crash thanks
5063669
Universal, apparently.