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Arkensaw Pinkerton 410160

Joined February 2012
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    Arkensaw Pinkerton's Stories (4)

    • Three Magics
      Twilight rediscovers her purpose, through studying the magic of three friends.

      38,880 words · 7,062 views · 483 likes · 11 dislikes
    • Fixing Up Miss Smartypants
      A comedy of errors launching a full fleet of ships!
      50,330 words · 7,824 views · 636 likes · 20 dislikes
    • Raindrops' Wrap Up
      Raindrops is about to have a very, very weird winter wrap-up. A choosable path adventure!
      43,219 words · 1,382 views · 72 likes · 0 dislikes
    • Bloody Bones
      Fluttershy's found a strange changeling near the Everfree's borders- and she needs Rarity's advice.
      2,331 words · 684 views · 53 likes · 7 dislikes

    Twilight's cutie mark is fading, and Celestia sends her a series of lessons to rekindle her passion for magic- and for friendship. Twilight must study the magics her friends possess, as well as casting a serious eye on her own gifts.

    This is technically a sequel to "Fixing Up Miss Smartypants", so I totally recommend that you read that first. It's set five years later.

    First Published
    20th Feb 2012
    Last Modified
    30th May 2012

    Comments ( 380 )

    #1 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Woah... must find out what happened to everypony now, tracking for sure.

    #2 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    #3 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    My god, you're a productive bost'tet. And the quality has clearly not given way to quantity. Always an inspiration, always a great read.

    #4 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    I wonder if Twilight's symptom has a time limit. To make things more exciting. Running out of time, must take lessons. :raritydespair:

    I'd give this one a track. :yay:

    #5 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Intriguing! A fading cutie mark is certainly an original concept. I especially liked the tantalizing clues about a previous relationship with Mac. Consider it tracked!

    #6 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    A dashing figure strides into a resteraunt, His Magnificence proclaimed to all. He's dressed impeccably, From his Gilded tuxedo to his Tower of Thirty-Two Tophats (crowned, ironically, by a bowler), From his Atomic pocketwatch to his Trio of Monocles. Truly Arkensaw Pinkerton (for it is indeed this Marvelous fellow we are speaking about) is a man of class, grace and poise. The same cannot be said for Lordlyhour who, when noting there was a new Arkensaw Pinkerton fic out Promptly Dropped his Mobile computing device, Hit himself in the face with it in the process and Wrote half of a Minific Involving a convoluted series of gags revolving around dressing up in drag(of which only the Descriptor of Arkensaw at the beggining of this post remains) to express his joy at said new Arkensaw Fic. Tracked and Thumb-upped before I read. I knew I was not Clicking in vain.

    #7 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    >>238886 How in blazes did you know about my Atomic pocketwatch? :rainbowhuh:

    Seriously, though, this made me giggle. Thanks for reading!:rainbowkiss:

    #8 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    awesome.

    #9 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    >>238897 The answer to your query is a long and harrowing tale, recorded thusly for future generations!; I sometimes follow you about sneakily. I occasionally make Forts out of your impeccable trousers, I sneak off with shiney things whilst your back is turned and I have a nest in your Basement. Your butler charges me no rent. I'd pay, but he says my presence keeps the restless ghosts of the Hobo's buried in the mass grave quiet and that's payment enough.

    #10 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    This... This is so far, awesome. It'll be interesting to see how yu handle the reunions/ explore the whys of Twilight leave and all.

    p.s. I'll laugh if her mentor is 5cootaloo

    #11 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Too many shadows, whispering voices

    Faces on posters, too many choices

    If, when, why, what?

    How much have you got?

    Have you got it, do you get it, if so, how often?

    And which do you choose, a hard or soft option?

    I believe these song lyrics sum this up pretty nicely :rainbowkiss:

    The entire song: West End Girls

    #12 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Hmmmmm.....given that her power is based on the magic of friendship, it seems to me that what Celestia is trying to get her to do is reconnect with those around her. Given that her preference is to sit in her library and ignore the world as it passes her by, Mystery Pegasus (:derpyderp2:?:rainbowderp:?:yay:?:scootangel:?) has her work cut out for her.

    #13 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    >>239353 or him. Let's not be sexist, here (though it's kinda a foregone conclusion... Wich would make it even funnier if it's, like, Soarin.)

    #14 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    >>239548

    It could indeed be Soarin'. Or, for that matter, Pound Cake......

    #15 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    >>238951 your comments on this fic have been the most entertaining ones iv read on this site so far

    #16 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Losing one's cutie mark is a Bad Thing.

    #17 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 6d ago · · ·
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    I'm curious if you will explore the 5 years in which Twilight and Mac both found their relationship, and then lost it.

    #18 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Ack, and your first story was so heartwarming! This is a situation I could easily see happening to these characters, although I don't really like it. You tell a damn good story regardless, and I'm eager to see where you take this.

    I hope this ends well for Twilight...

    #19 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Woah... A 5 year jump in time?!  :derpyderp2:

    Well there went another bit of sanity....  O well, didn't need that bit anyways.  Being crazier is a lot more fun.  Now where is that muffin button?

    .... Darn can't find it.  I guess the thumb up button and track box will have to do.:pinkiehappy:

    #20 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Yeesh... The future sounds like its pretty bad from Twilights perspective, if the show does go on for five years, I hope it isn't like this

    #21 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    This is wonderful! By the second paragraph, I was already hooked.

    #22 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    My face when I saw this was a sequel to Fixing Up Miss Smartypants:

    My face when I see that Twilight's relationship and social life have gone to hell:

    #23 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    ? didn't fixing up miss smartypants end on a happy note?

    #24 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>240206 this this this! :twilightoops::raritydespair::eeyup::rainbowderp:

    #25 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Oh dear. This will be good. I hope there's a happy ending. :unsuresweetie:

    #26 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Awww, I hope everything works out for Twilight in the end.  I'm assuming Mac's place as a major character will lead to that.  It's sad to know that they're no longer together.

    Easy track and Thumbs Up for me, I adored your first, so I shall read your second.

    #27 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    I see, she was consumed by her research

    #28 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Whoa. What a bombshell. I had no idea Twilight would give up Big Red for studying. Makes me wonder what else happened. Tracked, and I will know more. I must. No excuses!

    #29 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>240237 It did end on a happy note! Fixing Up Miss Smartypants was a traditional comedy, where it is easy to see from fairly early on where everyone should be and then I tease you by making it look as though they won't end up in those places but then they do. Hurrah!

    Because this is so much later than the first story, don't expect every relationship from Smartypants to go where you hoped it would. I'll admit some of this planning kind of broke my heart a little.

    #30 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    O,O someones about to be pissed off :pinkiecrazy:

    #31 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Ack, well written but kind of depressing.

    #32 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    What did I do to deserve an update like three hours after I finished the first chapter?

    Now you've got me hooked. Well, I guess I can wait for the next one. If I have to.

    #33 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Oh, dear. We know what she did to piss off the pony who's about to yell at her dumb ass but what did she do to antagonize Scootaloo? And why haven't we heard about Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom?

    #34 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Thumbs up, well written and a little confusing at times but I love it.

    #35 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242104

    You are an evil man for making them break up... I want more!!!

    #36 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242381 There's a tiny hint in what scootaloo says as to why she's mad at Twilight. :twilightoops: As far as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle go, fret ye not! They'll return to the narrative eventually.

    #37 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242429

    Ah....The "When I needed help, you had your muzzle rammed in a book and told me to not bother you with 'trivialities' " thing. Gotcha.

    #38 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242369 At least she is becoming friends with Dash again.  So there is hope for a happy end.

    ..... Of course everything could go wrong and it ends really really badly.......

    We will just have to wait and see...... yep.... wait..... and.... wait.... and............ Sigh, there sure is a lot of waiting for these great stories, but it is totally worth it.:pinkiehappy:

    #39 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Hrrrm. Either Spikkety-Wikkety-Woo Feels Under-Appreciated and vents to the CMC or Scootaloo has a Crush on the Purple Menace and He's being worked too hard for her to see him with any Regularity

    #40 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    I may have an idea on how this is going to end. Ain't pretty at first but that's how some stories go, right? :trixieshiftright:

    #41 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Oh boy. Applejack is going to buck her pretty hard.

    #42 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    You're certainly good at breaking your readers' hearts, guy. But you're also good at making us feel pretty darn good, so I hope you manage to put both skills to good use.

    But wait, why the hell was Dash delivering mail instead of seeing Twilight? That doesn't seem like her thing. And I don't see her getting so angry when Spike says she's not delivering personal mail, but a little annoyed. She can just go see Twilight, and all her friends are aware how wrapped up she can get in her work. Didn't THEY come see her? Friendship IS a two-way street, and it doesn't seem like they've been good friends either. If they were, they would have put forth the effort to bring her back, not just give up at the first sign of trouble. And Dash is the element of LOYALTY, so that makes even less sense...

    What happened to Pinkie Pie? Wouldn't she be focused on making sure that stuff like this never ever happens? I know she could be in Canterlot with the princess, but you'd think that if she knew trouble was brewing in Ponyville, she'd be able to come right down. I mean, Canterlot isn't THAT far away, after all. I can see Fluttershy allowing herself to drift away, and Applejack, seeing her stubbornness and the whole thing with Big Mac, but not Dash. Not at all. Or Pinkie, as I've said.  Rarity is somepony who gets caught up in her work all the time, and somepony that knows Twilight, so I don't see her getting hurt because she won't answer the mail or something. I see her as the one who understands her plight the most.

    And it's not just that: ALL of Twilight's friends get her little quirks and deal with them, just as she deals with theirs. I don't see a compelling reason why they gave up on her instead of trying to work things out. She was one of their closest friends, and it sounds like they did fuck all in trying to keep her friendship, from what I can see. That's like if Pinkie went Pinkamina in Party of One and Dash just left her there to stew in her anger and then everything went to hell because her friends kept ignoring her.  I can't see that happening either, because friends take care of each other. It's even less forgivable in this circumstance, because they know that Twilight can get caught up in her research, they KNOW she can have tunnel-vision sometimes and forget about important things. And Twilight has SPIKE, her assistant who knows her problems better than anything and has the contacts necessary to end this whole conflict and has done so when Twilight was doing weird stuff before.

    And what about the bucking princess? Come on, she had to know what was happening! Twilight obsessively wrote her letters about friendship, and I daresay she knows about all of this. I mean, how can she NOT? You have Luna up there with Pinkie Pie, and Twi is one of Pinkie's closest friends. And I bet the others at least send letters up there, or that when she heard about all the troubles--okay, that might be too dependant on how characters wound up in the story, but based on what we know, it still wouldn't matter. Most of them are still in Ponyville, and there's no real reason put forth why they wouldn't try harder to save her than not at all.

    You had a good ending, author, and I don't really see why you needed to go and make it really sad and depressing on us. But at least make it logistically sound, and don't put all the blame on Twilight for this. I don't know, maybe you have answers for all this concerns, but they REALLY stick out to me as a reader right now, and I can't see a single reason how things could have got this way if Twilight's friends were being her...well, friends. I don't really see a reason they wouldn't be, so it just seems like it was done just to have everything go to hell.

    I can SEE Dash acting how she does now once Twilight gets to that point a little--no, I can't even see that. I can't imagine her and the rest of the gang not constantly mentioning her when they run into trouble and trying to make her come around, or even just in the day-to-day. I'm sorry, author, I LOVE your previous story, but this does not make any sense to me at the moment. I know you're a good writer, but I don't know if you can get me to buy this premise. And it's not because you're a bad writer, but I don't know if it's POSSIBLE given the scenario you have, them just drifting apart when a good chunk of them, if not all of them, still live in Ponyville.

    I wanna hope that you can pull this off, but...I dunno.

    #43 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    I want to know if Spike is going out with Sweetie Bell... and when is Twilight going to befriend Spike again after becoming distant with him, she doesn't really know anything he does now.

    #44 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Tracking this! :pinkiehappy:

    #45 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242670 First things first- it is hell of heartwarming to me to see someone take this much time to deconstruct the fic. It means you've really read it and engaged with it, and as an author, I can't ask for much more. Let me see if I can answer your points one at a time, but bear in mind that I will occasionally say "Wait and see"- this fic has been planned a lot more comprehensively than Smartypants, and I think I've got answers for most of your questions.

    Okay, first of all: why didn't Dash just go and see Twilight instead of writing? There's really two parts to this one. Firstly, i figure Rainbow did, for the most part and for a long time, invite Twilight to things personally. Twilight just keeps non-comitting and not showing up. Secondly, the mail she mentions not getting through isn't from her- it's from Rarity, on her behalf, when she's feeling upset. Rarity strikes me as the type to prefer a heartfelt letter when trying to reach a friend as opposed to the personal intervention. I figure Rainbow finds out, long after the fact, that Rarity wrote to Twilight and asked her to come visit. Rainbow is grateful to have a reason as to why Twilight didn't come visit her- the mail got lost! She finds Spike first and asks him what is the deal with not sorting out Twilight's mail properly so she loses her messages, and Spike reluctantly tells Rainbow he was under instructions not to deliver it. Rainbow sort of gets a double-whammy of rejection, and for her, that's the thing that makes her think hey, Twilight's not my friend any more.

    As far as Loyalty goes? Rainbow shows a heck of a lot of that in this chapter. Despite drifting apart, Rainbow's still pretty sure Twilight's not a total jerk, that there's some reason why she's shut everypony else out. She shows a lot of loyalty to Twilight- she also shows a lot of respect for what she saw as Twilight moving on with her life and leaving them behind.

    What I'm going to change, and it's a subtle change but an important one that you've highlighted- I'm going to change 'mail' to 'messages'. Spike's not just limited to the mail. He's under instructions not to let Twi be bothered, and I think that'll help clarify what I meant, so thank you for that!

    Secondly, Pinkie is the focus of the next chapter, so I'm going to go into the hows and whys of her relationship with Twilight collapsing there. I can't give too much away now, but suffice it to say- I think you're right that Dash and Pinkie are the two ponies most focussed on keeping the group together. You'll see exactly what happened soon, but the points you raise are great ones. I'll go into it a bit more after chapter 3 when it's up!

    Thirdly, you're right that Twilight's friends try to give her a lot of slack for her quirks. They know she can tunnel-vision. What I'm hoping to show as the narrative goes on is exactly how tiring it can be to constantly reach out to someone who keeps seeming to reject that friendship. I do promise I will go into the effort it's taken here- but there's only so far people or ponies will go to keep trying to be friends with someone who seems not to dislike them, but just not to be very engaged with their lives, constantly and consistently.

    It's not all Twilight's fault, I promise- there are big segments of the narrative that deal with a lot of your worries and concerns.

    Finally, why hasn't the princess done something? That was something I wrestled with during the planning of this story. Suffice it to say there are reasons as to why the princess is dealing with the situation as she is, with this series of lessons, and reasons why she did not interfere sooner.

    I think that covers everything! Oh, wait, one more thing- why do a sad followup to FuMS? Because I've not written something sad before. I wanted to stretch myself- to see if I could credibly write a character who has fallen away from what they should be, and their attempted redemption (which may or may not be successful to greater or lesser degrees, I'm not giving away the whole plot!)

    In any case, I would love it if you would bear with me on this one. Your criticism is well thought out and extremely constructive, and I think you will, genuinely, enjoy where I'm going with this.

    #46 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    yup, this is a track-worthy story. im interested to see how things worked out between pinkie and princess luna. :pinkiecrazy:

    #47 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    ...Don't like the part with Filthy Rich. He didn't seem to be that kind of asshole in the show. He seemed to be on genuinely friendly terms with the Apple Family with only his daughter being a stuck up little brat.

    #48 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242929 That's fair. For the fic, I figure he was on good terms with them but couldn't resist this particular deal.:applejackunsure:

    #49 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    It seems to me that the point of all of this is to get Twilight to see what her absence has done. I've been going over this in my head and I've come to the conclusion that while things would still have gone much the way they did, her presence would have made what couldn't have been prevented had she been there more bearable.

    #50 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>242929 This is essentially Filthy's fanon persona.  The show itself lacks true flankholes, and the brony community tends to fit characters more towards what they would be viewed like in real life.  For example, the common portrayal of Derpy as Ditzy, a surprisingly intelligent pony striving past her eye condition.  

    On a related note, I could totally see Scootaloo going somewhat punk as a young adult, as well as using technical to compensate for RD's superior natural speed.  It shows she followed her intentions, but as she grew up she let go of the absolute hero worship of youth and did it her way.

    The idea of pegasus magic being "fueled" by emotion is an interesting idea, and certainly meshes with the concept of pegasi's active attitudes.  Not sure if Pinky Pie can be considered a good choice for earth pony magic though, since her fourth wall breaking borders on the psychic/astral well beyond "standard" earth pony magic.  Or perhaps it's an extended conciousness of earth and sort-of beyond making her the perfect candidate.  Looking forward to how this plays out.

    #51 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    This could be interesting. You have my attention, lets hope you can keep it, as it's span is shorter then a retarded squirrels':derpytongue2:

    #52 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Only problem I got with this is that friendship goes both ways. If they really wanted to keep Twilight as a friend, they would have tried harder than just writing letters.

    Other than that, I like it.

    #53 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    I'm not sure what to think anymore, I'm going to be tracking and reading along, but well... I'll let you know if I feel some criticism crops up out of confusion.:fluttershyouch:

    #54 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    A bit sad to hear all this about Twilight... I feel sorry for her... Still it's good written and I like the idea of there being different magics for each of the race :D

    #55 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    >>242753

    Rainbow doesn't strike me as the type to let Rarity handle it. There was this excellent fic that dealt with the same thing yours did: Twilight getting caught up in her studies and ignoring her friends. And despite Twilight's insistence that no one was to bug her, despite Spike trying to keep her away, Dash barges in her house and forces her outside.

    THAT is Rainbow Dash, and that's who I have the most problems with in your story right now. Your job is to get her to the point she's at now, so I can't rightly say anything about it except for how hard it's going to be; Personally, I think that you have some gold going with 'life happened' and I couldn't fix it, because she'd be longing to fix it, and that's the only thing that could or would stop her, and even that would have to be dealt with carefully.

    But then there's the issue of how she acts towards Twilight, which I CAN comment on. That did not feel like Dash at all. I can see her angry and resentful, but not callous. I would think she'd be guilty about what happened, how she could have done more to stop it, and that even though she'd still be angry, still be hurt, she'd jump at the opportunity to try and makes things right. The Dash you have here is just...cold. That's almost the only way I can describe her. It doesn't feel like her in the most basic way, and that, to me, is a huge issue. You say Pinkie and Dash hold the group together, mostly, and that's true. But Dash is the only one who'd actively recover a dying friendship however she could, who'd beat herself up everyday for failing to do it...

    Getting Dash to stop trying is only part of the problem, as big as it is: it's her entire attitude. If she had some guilt, that would be a little easier to take in. If she were eager to repair this whole thing and thought of Twilight as pitiable,  she'd be perfect. But she seemed almost uncaring, like she'd moved on. And that just doesn't feel right to me. It seemed even stranger, given the opportunity you had in this chapter to show Dash's emotions...

    Like I said, the big problem in this story is going to be justifying the break of friendship. Twilight is the link to the princess. Twilight is the glue that holds everyone together, Twilight's friends all would do anything for each other to keep their friendship. The interesting thing to me is to note why Twilight didn't have friends to start: she was exposed to many ponies, she just ignored them. And now she's around ponies that won't let her, and that she doesn't WANT to ignore them to start with. These are some stubborn friends who wouldn't let her get as far as she does. I know you said that you can only do so much, but that's a stretch given the characters. Someone would have drug her out by her horn before days had gone by, let alone weeks, or months, or years. And after that, Twilight doesn't seem--now--the type who would go back after seeing what she did wrong.

    It's going to be really hard, and I'm not sure if you can ever do it right. The conflicts in the friends lives, although it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't go to her, wouldn't constantly be thinking about her, would be key in this. Maybe Twi's friends let her alone because of her relationship with BM and their relationships, and when they break up they leave her alone to process it. It wouldn't TOTALLY make sense, and the idea has pretty much the same flaws as the story has now, but it's along the same lines as something I'd want to see, because those flaws are to a much lesser extent.

    But I'm not buying that they would just get frustrated and give up on her. I don't think I ever will. And unless there's something else to it, that's probably going to be the case for a lot of people. Not to try to push you in any direction, but I'm totally going to push you in a direction: that is the most important issue that this story MUST solve in order to be believable. I get that this is a redemption fic, and that it will focus more on that, but it also, by definition, have to focus on what led to what caused everything to go to Shit City quite a bit as well.

    I also hope this ends up happy. By that, I mean that they at least all wind up friends with some hope for Twilight to have a future love interest. Maybe  not even Big Mac, perhaps PREFERABLY not Big Mac. (That fic I mentioned earlier has me thinking of TwiDash. Oh how complicated that would be in this story, although RBD living with Rarity when they don't love each other anymore would be an interesting story dynamic--Celestia I have to stop before I write this!)

    I mean, Celestia has to have some plan, right? It just wouldn't make sense that she'd let everything get this fucked up if she didn't have a plan.

    Edit:

    I just came up with exactly how I wanted to put my problems with Dash in text even better: Dash is emotionally driven. She doesn't DO cold that well. (DON'T even say 20% cooler or I will slap you). I can see her be really mad, sad, and resentful.

    "How could you do this? I love you, your friends love you, this whole TOWN loves you..." etc. Bonus points if some sort of breakdown follows. But her being like,

    "Oh, yeah, I guess we're not really friends anymore. I mean, you weren't THERE for me. I didn't even want to BE here right now. But I guess we could give it another shot..." Sounds wrong on so many different levels. It's distant, it's detached... Like something you'd tell an acquaintance, not a former best friends. I'm sorry, but it just REALLY bothers me.

    Other than that, I'm grateful for the answers you gave me, and I'll keep a close eye on possible answers to my questions you couldn't answer yet. Keep it up!

    I had one of those weird moments of clarity: So I'm wondering as I'm doing yardwork, Dash, no matter how neglectful Twilight is, will always want to come back to save her, more than the others, even. How do you solve that? Make her not want to come back! It's SO simple. I mean, you can have Twilight hurting and Rainbow Dash bugging her to come out and Twilight saying the wrong thing at the wrong time out of hurt and then BAM! You have the toughest character crying and Twilight to blame. And she wants to apologize, she really does. But after she's done with this one last thing with her work... And when they come around to demand an apology, Spike turns them away. THEN you have the fallout! THEN you have the anger.

    I'm not saying you should use it, in fact it would take an entirely different Dash than what you've portrayed to pull this off, and I don't think this is the angle you're going for, but I thought it was pretty near.

    #56 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    Yeah, I added an Author Watch to the Previous Fav that 'Smartypants' got and the Track that I have on this.

    I've read a few of the deconstructing comments and your replies and I feel like you just kind of deserve the fans you have.  So you, yourself are on my watch list.

    You officially have another fan,

    Sincerely,

    PRG

    #57 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    This story is awesome and it's going in my list of fave's xD

    #58 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    I want this to be a multi-million dollar movie, i'd watch it many times over :yay:

    #59 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    >>244598 Celestia damn it, I love your comments! They're so thought-provoking. I'd be lying if I told you I hadn't taken a good hard look at my plans after reading them, and I'd be lying even further if I said nothing at all has changed. You make some excellent points- I believe the fic will answer them.

    Now, I'm going to get back to writing it, because I want to discuss this stuff with you- I really do- but I have information you don't have. Yet. I'd love to hear if you think it justifies what's happened, when it's up.

    On a second note- I was actually pretty surprised to see that you've no stories up yourself. You really know your little ponies, you write very clearly, you have a knack for plot- story plot, I mean- and I know I went to your profile to see what you'd written. Your criticism is excellent. I believe your stories could be likewise. Think about it, okay?

    #60 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    This sounds realistic, I like it so far.  Depressing, but good.  And although I can see that the other 5 could have tried harder,  there is a two way street, and sometimes, if someone wants to be left alone, there's nothing you can do.  I can see why they would be angry.

    #61 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    I already had this tracked. (One of Two Elite stories I am tracking)

    But seeing reviews longer than the Chapter really confirms that I picked a good one!

    One thing that bug's me is that all the ponies are acting like they are "Old".

    5 Years is along time but it doesn't turn them into "Geezers".

    Love your story.

    #62 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 4d ago · · ·
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    >>246429

    Heh, the only story I've written was Cupcakes, Magic, and Dragons, and THAT was something I was too embarrassed to post here. I guess you could find it if you really wanted to, but it was pretty bad. I think I slapped that together for the WTG around week...four(?) in two days. Horrible flow, an abundance of exposition blocks, characters that I did not and could not bring to life...really, the kindest thing my readers could tell me was to stop. I might pick up the pen someday when I figure out how to use it.  But I love fanfics to death, and I love helping you guys any way I can. Comments like yours make me want to stand up and shout, "I'm helping!" Thank you for the praise and thank you for considering my ideas! :pinkiehappy:

    #63 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 3d ago · · ·
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    I loved Miss Smartypants, and this has been good so far.  But for the sake of my heart, I'm going to interpret this as a being a separate continuity than your last work until things start looking up again.  It ended so perfectly for everypony that I'm keeping them like that mentally for now.

    It's so true (and tragic) how people don't drift apart all at once; it takes time, small acts of forgetfulness or apathy until you just have familiar strangers.  The heaviest part of it all is that this is completely within Twilight's character.  She's not a bad pony, just a flawed one.  It's such a powerful message because it's so relateable.

    I really look forward to seeing how it all turns out.  I'm so invested in the characters at this point...

    ...Aw man, I guess I really can't do it.  It's the time and enjoyment from Miss Smarty Pants that's keeping me so invested, and I can't just ignore that for the sake of protecting myself from what may happen next.

    So I guess this is what I'm saying.  You're carrying the hearts of a lot of readers for the time being.  It's a powerful position and a burdensome one as well.  They'll continue to follow your work because it's just so good, but be careful with them.  A heart is such a fragile thing.

    #64 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 3d ago · · ·
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    Personaly im not one for sad fics like this but it is a sequal to fixin miss smartypants and i love i also have one thing to start more comedies after this your hilarious when it comes to comedies man keep up the great work you like my favorite write and your doing amazing hope to see more like this really soon

    #65 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 3d ago · · ·
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    Tracking and thumps up! Ill leave by wall-o-text as more chapter is up :D

    #66 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    >>244598 I disagree heartily! Rainbow Dash is all about 'callous'. 20% cooler indeed! Rainbow Dash is always trying to seem aloof and unfazed, as is anybody pursuing the ideal of 'cool'. I don't see anything wrong with her bottling things up.:pinkiesmile:

    #67 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    >>251870

    There's a difference between ACTING callous to hide your emotions and actually BEING callous, to not appear to have the emotions or emotional response that would be appropriate.

    #68 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    >>252999 I think Rainbow did feel the emotions. Didn't Twilight feel Rainbow's anger and sadness when she drank the potion?

    Another point is that it's been a few years. Anger cools with time. Rainbow might've been furious at first, and then given up. Though that gives the question "Why didn't Rainbow go and give Twilight a pounding years ago?"

    But yeah, I'm no expert and you seem to have a rep' for knowing your way around such matters, so I'll defer to your judgement. :pinkiesmile:

    #69 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    >>253105

    That's what I thought. But it was mostly anger, and it didn't seem like she really cared for Twilight that much at all. The author--and I apologize if I got the wrong impression--seemed to hint like they eventually gave up on her, that they just drifted apart. And that's pretty much it. No explosion of emotion, no big fight...they just...give up.  When Dash said the they weren't really friends so calmly, it bugged me. To quote myself:

    "Oh, yeah, I guess we're not really friends anymore. I mean, you weren't THERE for me. I didn't even want to BE here right now. But I guess we could give it another shot..."

    "Though that gives the question "Why didn't Rainbow go and give Twilight a pounding years ago?"

    That's my main question.

    "Another point is that it's been a few years. Anger cools with time. Rainbow might've been furious at first, and then given up."

    I expect that. But how much that justifies things depends on how the author presents it, and I hope it's in a different way than he's presented Dash so far.

    "But yeah, I'm no expert and you seem to have a rep' for knowing your way around such matters, so I'll defer to your judgement. "

    Oh, PLEASE don't. I'm far from all-knowing, and you brought up some excellent points and questions.

    #70 · Chapter 1 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    >>242104

    I do hope that, at least, the aformentioned wedding was with the Doctor?

    #71 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    >>253154

    I d'know. I see your points, but... 5 years is a long time. Assume, what, 2 years for things to go wrong and the fallout to settle? That's still 3 years of nil contact. I'm sure Dash lasted longer than the others, but that's still plenty of time to got from 'Ex-best friend' to 'Aquaintance... yeah, I guess we were close once...'. She holds the Element of Loyaly, but she's not one to spend the rest if her life carrying a (non-romantic) torch over a failed friendship.

    Heck, if she was still worried about her lost friendship after all this time? You could make a decent fic over people telling her to get over it.

    #72 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    What if Rainbow did try to go after Twilight, and Rarity (or somepony else) stopped her?

    #73 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    As Bashfluff is alluding too...

    The plot doesn't really fit within the guidelines of the previous story. Characters have taken quite a turn from their previous positions, and without a significant amount of back-story, it's somewhat abrupt. Even then, the limited dialogue between TS and RD seems to lead that Twilight grew distant rapidly, not gradually, and that nobody seemed to do anything about it. Highly unlikely from a variety of perspectives.

    I don't think the story would have gone through as many issues if you hadn't set it into an already pre-established fan-on universe. I'm tracking, but too many elements clash for me to say its a good read. Sad I can deal with, but it needs to have a real cause behind it.

    #74 · Chapter 2 · 64w, 2d ago · · ·
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    Coming from your previous story, this might be the biggest mood swing sequel I've ever read.  I was taken aback to see everypony have their happily ever after become... this.  What!  How?  Why?  I hope not all our ponies got their lives shattered; this fic's already depressing enough

    And that's why I'm tracking this story.

    #75 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 11h ago · · ·
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    Sorry for the delay on this one- I've been pretty sick.:pinkiesick:

    #76 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 11h ago · · ·
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    Second and nice story

    #77 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 11h ago · · ·
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    YES YES YES! I was hoping the earth magic tutor would be Pinkie :twilightsmile:

    Spike's part made me want to cry :fluttercry: (Though emerald crumble sounds delicious... Somehow....)

    Hope you feel better soon!

    #78 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 11h ago · · ·
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    The beginning of this depressed the FUCK outta me.. and I mean that by the fact that Twilight became so socially disconnected that she didn't even know the BIG things about her friends! but at least the other two chapters are picking it up some. Tracked, and I hope you keep adding to this! :ajsmug:

    #79 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 10h ago · · ·
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    Amazing work there.  And done while sick?  Well, sickness can cause the body to have strange effects while sick.  I was even able to lift things easier one time when I had a mild headache. Of course my body ached like crazy the next day.  I hope ya feel better soon.

    #80 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 10h ago · · ·
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    >>253465 Just so you know: I really, really want to answer this. But the story will answer it itself, I promise you.

    #81 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 10h ago · · ·
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    This story's really well written, it's amazing. But I don't ever think that Twilight would become THAT much of a social recluse. :facehoof:

    #82 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 10h ago · · ·
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    "I’m not quitting on Twilight, okay? I know she’ll find time. Eventually.”

    Now that, good sir, is loyalty. :ajsmug:

    #83 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 10h ago · · ·
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    I like it. I agree with the idea that it's improbable that twilight, as a character, would go on a 5 year "FRIENDSHIP DON'T GOT SHIT ON MAGIC" binge, but it works anyway.

    My one problem is the contrivance that two of the 3 leading experts in their respective fields of magic just "happen" to live in Ponyville, and just "happen" to be the mane 6. You could explain it away with something like "they're not really the most powerful, but the real magic is friendship yadda yadda", I guess.

    #84 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 9h ago · · ·
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    Ah, my. It's sort of depressing that Twilight's still not quite ready to understand Pinkie's power.....or that she isn't quite willing to see herself as part of a larger whole. As I said, most of what happened would probably have happened anyway but with her there, the blow could have been cushioned. Also, I have got to see who the unicorn is that Celestia has lined up. My suspicion is that THE LECTURING SHALL BE DOUBLED!!!

    #85 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 8h ago · · ·
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    I really liked the ending to this chapter, it was really feel-good compared to the rest of it. And I'm glad to see Spike and Applebloom are still getting along so well :pinkiesmile:

    Question about Applebloom's cutie mark: an appleflower? Does that mean a flower stem and an apple instead of a flower? Or an apple next to a normal flower? Or something else altogether? Hmm...

    #86 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 6h ago · · ·
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    >>261985

    More than likely, it's a flower that blooms on  an apple tree.

    #87 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 6h ago · · ·
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    >>262173

    Ah, that would make sense. And I just thought about it, Applebloom, appleflower. That's cute! :rainbowkiss:

    #88 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 6h ago · · ·
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    Not bad, things are starting to look up a bit, and there appears to be the suggestion that Mac is still carrying a torch for Twi. I can't wait to see the eventual confrontation with AJ, which I am guessing will happen at the birthday party?

    The next chapter can't come soon enough.

    #89 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 6h ago · · ·
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    Tutor is Pinkie Pie, Translator is Applejack.

    #90 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 5h ago · · ·
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    pinkie pie. who would have thought that? (except for everyone). seriously twillight, do you even know your own friends? she is able to break the 4. wall, she is able to teleport (or how did she catch up with rd in episode 5 of the first season) and she can get things out of nowhere (the rarity canterlot episode)

    #91 · Chapter 3 · 64w, 3h ago · · ·
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    Feel better soon. And keep up the good work. And something tells me it's not going to be just pinkie pie there...

    #92 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Was I a bit depressed at the start? You bet :ajsleepy:

    Did I mellow as I continued? :twilightsmile: I would say so

    Did I see Pinkie coming? Ummm... :pinkiegasp: :yay:

    Now, who in Equestria can translate her being.... ummm.... her?  I'm afraid that's a harder question than asking Pinkie to explain herself....

    #93 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    I could tell you that it was nothing less than the greatness that I expect only from Arkensaw Pinkerton, but you already knew that.

    #94 · Chapter 2 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    >>255045 I know, im in the same boat. You go from a happy ending, to complete mayhem. Awesome job! :eeyup:

    #95 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Spike's face after he saw twilight > :pinkiegasp:

    #96 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    I hate to say it but this depressed me a bit more than needed. The fic is awesome but it doesn't really help me cope with the loss Derpy.(You will be missed.)

    #97 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    Excellent update, I think I really like where this is going :pinkiehappy:

    Get well soon!

    #98 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 6d ago · · ·
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    This feels kinda like a pony version of a Christmas Carol, with the three instructors revealing the world Twilight is missing out on to her.

    Here's hoping that whenever Applejack makes her big entrance, Twilight will survive :twilightoops:

    #99 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 5d ago · · ·
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    Wow, like the story of fixing up miss smarty pants, I know this will take some time to complete.

    It will be so worth the wait

    #100 · Chapter 3 · 63w, 5d ago · · ·
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    >>254618

    It's called 'in media res'. It's supposed to be an unexplained 'WTF' disconnect; we find out what happened as the story goes. As long as the explanations are good, it'll all make sense in the end.

    >>261887

    I'd say that the 'strongest magics' live in Ponyville because they are the Mane 6, and the fact that they are from the Mane 6 is no coincidence at all. Either they became the strongest because of the influence of the Elements, or they were chose to Bear the Elements because they were (or had the potential to become) the strongest.

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