The Mane Six have left Ponyville for the summer, each traveling to a different part of Equestria for different reasons. But a few months and a little distance can't stop their friendship!
The Mailbox: Reloaded is an experimental collaborative project, chronicling our cast's trips away from Ponyville for the summer in letters written to each other. Each character is performed by a different writer. This story collects the letters for each week in an easy-to-read format. Our cast:
Twilight Sparkle is played by bats
Applejack is played by bookplayer
Rainbow Dash is played by Jake R
Pinkie Pie is played by JaketheGinger
Fluttershy is played by Peroth E
Rarity is played by TheLastBrunnenG.
Chapters (10)
14,000 words for only one week? Dang, them ponies sure do have a lot to say.
Great to see this here.
4451631 One week.
4451636
I have been known to have selective reading. XD
4451639
And then suddenly, I make a fool of myself. XP
Should this be in its own group?
Edit: and now it is.
4451666
I was workin' on it; the group didn't have any folders to add it to until I made one.
Is it bad that I forgot Jake was doing this?
explains a few things, at least.
So, you guys completely reworked a story for this. Awesome!
Ohhhh, shit. Rainbow, you can do it. I believe you can fly.
There's no mention of where Spike is.
4452201
Not yet, no, he hasn't come up.
4452201 Who cares? :P
God damn it... Just what need... Something to tug on my Feel Strings...
4452206
If you have any interest in adding Spike at any point, bats, I could make the time.
4452206
4452220
4452222 All six of the most important people in Spike's life are spread across the country. He has no clear relationships with any other characters. To think he wouldn't keep in touch as much as the mane six (if not more) is not only absurd, but goes against what we know of canon.
4452311
4452258
4452294
For the record, Spike is in Ponyville. Part of the Castle Tree was modified into a library since the old one was kablooied, and the library still needs to be run. Twilight left Spike in charge of it while she's gone. This has not been mentioned in letters yet because it didn't come up yet.
4452327 Being mentioned by his friends isn't really the issue. It stands to reason that he'd be writing as many letters as they are.
4452358
We covered the main characters of the show. If they have reason to write to Spike, or receive a letter from Spike, we'll cover that when we need to. As is, he doesn't have a writer in this one, same as the CMC, Luna, Celestia, or any of the other supporting characters on the show.
If you really want a Mailbox where Spike has a writer, you organize 6+ writers to engage in a season-long collaborative improv experiment.
4452201 I thought it was just implied he'd be strutting around the castle/town/everywhere like Risky Business. Or relentlessly hitting on Rarity. Or any female that moves.
Maybe even Twist if he's desperate
no one is that desperate4452499 Don't forget the frantic leg humping. He's alone with Rarity after all. He's probably managing significant PSI here.
4452499
4452376
Hey, yeah! Where the hell is Twist, dammit!
4452505
Twist is still in the junkyard full of dogs.
4452516 Spike fans post on the MRA subreddits.
But really, now I wanna write a totally not official, not canon story about Spikes debauched summer without adult supervision. Like a three month long Ferris Beuler's Day Off
4452517 what is this sorcery and oh my god its full of stars
Heeeeeeey, so, it would seem to me that we're making a big issue out of something that's not-so-big.
So I'ma go ahead and get this out of the way: Spike wasn't considered for the project because we weren't interested in including him. While he has a no-doubt valuable connection to the main characters, we were more interested in the Mane 6's letters to each other.
All you need to know is that Spike is safe, sound, and happy in the castle enjoying the high life once more while goofing off with Rarity and the CMC.
Spike's inclusion wouldn't change much other than a seventh perspective to every story and event and it would mean we'd each have to write one extra letter. Not a big deal, but we're busy enough as is outside of FIMFiction. It would also bring up questions of why not the CMC? Why not the rest of the family?
Because then it would get terribly bloated and lose focus with all the close, personal connections the girls have with each other. Spike is indeed a part of their lives and is one of their friends, but he has simply been deemed unnecessary to the development of this project and its stories.
Please respect that this is a choice we've made together as the primary writers and that his lack of inclusion is in no way malicious or meant to insult his character, but no amount of asking (or whining) will change our minds.
Keep to the topic at hand people, don't veer the comments in the wrong direction.
4452705
Spike rolled over, head pounding and with a pair of venetian shutter shades on. He also appeared to have acquired a white suit jacket at some point the previous night. He took off the utterly ridiculous looking sunglasses to take stock of his location, as well as some evidence of what had happened the night before. The answers came fairly quickly; there were ponies passed out all over the floor, surrounded by random trash and empty cider and beer bottles. He vaguely recalled having a few of his friends over. It seemed that those friends had invited a few of their friends and so on, like a terrible party fission reaction. The reaction seemed to have been catalyzed by the performance of some super group involving Vinyl Scratch, apparently named "EVERYPONY GETS LAID". At least he had hoped that was the band's name, because the flyer stuck to him announced "TONIGHT AT THE TREECASTLE, EVERYPONY GETS LAID! Door $5, 2 drink minimum". He sincerely hoped he would at least get a cut of the profits; he'd need it for damage control and repairs.
At that moment, Discord strolled into the room. He was wearing the biggest pair of designer sunglasses imaginable and a shit eating grin; he was in his elements.
"Ugh, what the crap man? I thought you were on royal probation and couldn't do this anymore!" Spike groaned out as he sat himself fully upright, only to raise his stubby knees to put his head between.
"Me? Oh no, my dear dragon. You managed this one all on your own. You told the three little avatars of my will they could, and I quote, 'try their hooves at throwing a rager cutie mark'." Discord lowered his shades to peer over them condescendingly "Take a wild guess how that worked out for you."
Spike's pupils constricted as adrenaline flooded his body, realizing that if what he was being told was true, he had screwed up bad. The crusaders were nowhere to be found, however. This was a universal constant; should the three fillies be involved in destruction, they would most certainly not be at the point of origin but rather at the end of a path of pain and misery they were blissfully unaware of.
"No. Come on, I'm way smarter than that."
"I'm afraid so, however you had been...how did you so eloquently put it? 'Day drinking like a beast all day' when you said yes. I must say, I am impressed by your flagrant disregard for sanity and safety in the pursuit of mindless enjoyment. The band's name most certainly got ponies in the door, by the way. My hat goes off to you, sir, as only I thought Pinkie could possibly cause something like this!" Discord congratulated as he rolled a top hat out of thin air down his arm from a mock salute, and bowed."
"Okay, this is bad. Very, very bad. Double plus un-fucking-good!" Spike shouted and ranted as he got to his feet and paced the room, taking care to not step on blacked out ponies. "Fuck me, this can't get worse."
"Oh, but it can!" Discord positively beamed. "You did something amazingly stupid and hilarious last night, just after I got here. And with no prodding from me, either! "
"...I am all kinds of terrified. What did I do, Discord?"
"Well, you made out with a certain young filly you know. Most of your peers saw, cheered, and I believe a few wagers were made."
"Oh no. Oh please don't be who I think it was..."
"Oh it's not. But I do remember her saying that you were just 'thuper' however." and with that, Discord left the room as he cackled maniacally.
Spike became a few shades visibly paler, and sprinted to the nearest garbage can to evict the current tenants of his stomach. He would spend the rest of the day in the shower, crying, desperate to achieve a clean that no scouring could deliver.
I regret nothing
4453066
Wwwwwwwelp. That answers that.
4452376 No need to be an ass about it.
4452705
You were making sense up until then. Answer: the rest of the cast have their own families and friends to stay with. Spike has nobody in his life but the mane six. Keep that in mind.
As for that close, personal connection, I can swing with that to an extent. Because aside form saving Equestria or the bond shared between girls, there is no reason for Spike to be excluded from that connection you speak of. The show never gives us any fucking examples. The only thing lacking is your imaginations. I believe one of the best authors in the fandom volunteered?
I respect your decision to cut out one of the main characters from this series, but I still hate it when the cast is portrayed like that--and that people somehow manage to include and balance all six pones, but Just. Can't. Bear to go that extra length and make a place for Spike--so my downvote stays.
4454100
I'm not the person who came onto a story to downvote it because it wasn't about Spike and therefore didn't have Spike in it. Ass.
4454117 I don't care that the story isn't about Spike. I'm annoyed that he's not as involved as the rest. It doesn't make sense, and it perpetuates the idea that he's not part of the mane six.
4454129
He is not a part of the mane six, no matter how much you say he is. Spike is to Twilight what Apple Bloom is to Applejack, what Sweetie Belle is to Rarity, or what Scootaloo is to Rainbow Dash.
4454129
media.moddb.com/images/downloads/1/55/54507/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-is-Mag.jpg
Six.
4454100 Maud, please.
Don't make this a big deal. Let's cut this short before it carries out any further. If you don't like the story, leave it at that. We aren't going to change it, you aren't going to change your opinion.
We've given our reasons. Before things get worse, please leave it at this and this alone.
4454100
Yes he did. About four months after the rest of the project was lined up and the entire story outlined without Spike being more than a footnote, TD volunteered to shoehorn in a seventh PoV. Cheers to him for that, but the inclusion would increase the total workload of everyone already involved in this project by about 20%.
At this point in the game, raising a fuss isn't really conducive to anything except bad attitudes.
4454147
i.gyazo.com/9852d9a19c8cccbfe53659f9e474d1d9.png
Seven.
4454165 Shit. Shit. You're right. We forgot Discord. :P
4454187 Downvoted. Worst story.
4454147 that's because you used the wrong vector. Try the one that has all seven in it.
4454151 Some people call it the mane seven. And I'll definitely be skipping Rainbow Dash's parts. You're clearly the asshole of the group.
4454157 Frankly, I'm kinda glad I put you off to a rocky start. Anyone who writes about how special the mane six are to each other without Twilight closest friend "being more than a footnote" should be given a hard time for it. And I like rocks.
4454196
Oh, by all means, you don't need to read the story. You've already downvoted. You're welcome to leave now.
4454196 fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/063/7/7/mane_seven_by_eonevolution-d4rqhxw.png
Done.
4454175
4454187
I volunteer to write Discord.
Oh my god the joke about spike was a fucking goof this derail is horrible and I wrote fan fiction about it.
Maud has bad opinions and should feel bad. If it pleases the thread, I may continue the tales of Spike the Swagnificent when the
comments suck lessstory moves on.But probably not because apparently it generated drama so thanks for running a joke into the groud! Now I hate it.
Thanks for nothing, Maud.
Whoo, chronological order
Sadly the lack of chronological ordering is why I haven't gotten around to reading the first mailbox
I saved the terrible thing I wrote, burn the comments to the ground now. I ran out of give-a-shit
4454336 Well, to be fair the original mailbox /is/ in chronological order. Every letter is in order. It's just that they're all split along the pairings and not combined like this.
This is a thing you've gotta do as it goes, otherwise it's a huge pain.
4454359
I avoid deleting comments, so you're fine. Also, you didn't spark this, so don't worry.
Laughing to the point of tears, Per. Dat moustache ride
4454367 I could swear things were being deleted. And either way; spark it, fuel it, throw high test rocket fuel on, I didn't exactly help the terrible posting. So on that front I'm sorry.
I'm not sorry for Spike/Twist while discord watches
4454361
Yeap, and when I finally get around to reading it I'll be dumping it all into a gdoc in full chronological order. And once I've gotten that I'll probably give access to the person who posted it as a story, cause why not at that point? (my apologies to whoever that is, I tend to remember people by face/avatar not name)