This story is a sequel to Melancholy Days
“Don't ask me questions about necessary love.”
Ever since confronting the painful side of his transition between worlds, the human guest has been settling into a comfortable life in Ponyville with the assistance of some new, dedicated friends. As the normalcy of life takes hold, he comes upon questions about what connections entwine him with others and how important they are to sustaining his spirit; questions about what it is that is so essential to friends and family. Twilight ever seeks to help understanding and friendship along, and she hopes to make use of a strange stroke of good fortune to do so.
If fortune indeed is what it is.
A story of connections and emotions.
The philosophical saga of friendship between Twilight Sparkle and her human friend continues. Personal character interaction and dialogue continues to be important, but this time even more drama and confrontation is added compared to Melancholy Days. While the prior two tales took on the shapes of a short novel and a long novel respectively, Necessary Love has developed into a longform serial story with a host of added cast and their own many subplots.
What Separates was the initial confrontation of divisions. Melancholy Days was the coming together to face true troubles. This story is about the deep ties; the lasting bounds; where they are and what they mean.
I really wasn't expecting you to write the next part so soon but I'm glad.
Do you see this story running for as long as Melancholy Days?
4786703
The final chapter of Melancholy Days was posted on the 15th of July, and the very next day I started doing some grammatical cleanup on it and combing through old notes to see what I could use for a new story. By the time yesterday rolled around I had enough of a start to be able to bang out most of chapter 1 of this new story, and as it was a short and straightforward chapter, it didn't take much time.
I honestly can't even guess about length. It surprised me how long What Separates lasted and then I thought, at the beginning anyway, Melancholy Days would be about as long as that story, but it turned out nearly twice as long. As for this story... like at the start of the previous two, I have a fairly good idea of the broad strokes of the tale, and a stronger idea of the key notes and events I want to hit in the story... but... I don't quite know how one pieces moves to the next; how things go from here to there. That's for me to figure out as I write it.
I wouldn't expect it to be any shorter than What Separates, for what my guesses are worth.
Off to a good start and I am here to see it progress this time!
Man, Melancholy Days just stole away my whole night!
T'was worth it. Let's see what kind of psycho-babble you can throw at me in this one, hmm?
(I have no doubt it's not psycho-babble you use, but I can never make heads or tails of the jargon/concept this late/early, so it comes across as such.)
8/10 (for M.D.) "There's something wrong with the G-Diffuser!"
-Kenny McCloud
I have the feeling that Twilights weekend plans just got destroyed.
This is not going in the direction I had hoped for so far..
4846028 Seconded. I have a feeling that Fluttershy's gonna receive a "STAY OUT OF THIS" before the end of the fic.
4846028
:)
Then there may be good news for you on that front: this Star Glitter/P.V. stuff is just a shorter opening event that resolves quickly while letting me do some exploration for fun (the selection of Fluttershy, James, and Rainbow Dash is very intentional.) As far as the larger story goes, this sequence introduces some of the themes and concepts that will reappear or last throughout the story.
In other words, it's similarly purposed to all the stuff that happened before chapter 7 of Melancholy Days when the primary plot kicked in.
Heh, this ending was gold.
Though the way Fluttershy was going on made me throw up my hands and say "Ugh, just raise your tail and give him a sympathy lay!"
4933214 Good sir, that last line made my rather shitty day. Thank you!
Heh... That was funny.
Just another day in Ponyville, am I right? Haha..
Well, that was unexpected.
"Bemused" means perplexed. It's not an alternate spelling of "amused".
Hmmm, I felt like the dialogue between Twilight and James felt a bit heavy. Guess I need some sleep
5020273
Good catch. Looks like amused wasn't the intended word anyway, though the sentence is still wrong regardless.
Twilight is supposed to be just a little bit surprised (in a relaxed and comfortable sort of way) at James' words since not only is she a friendship scholar and as such familiar with how different individuals can come together, but she knows both of them went through What Separates where a central lesson was that their differences don't inhibit them from uniting. It just startled her a little that he essentially implies that the lovers' differences should keep them apart.
Bemused is absolutely the incorrect word choice since it doesn't really get that across cleanly and more significantly, as you've shown, that line is just screaming to be read as "amused giggle," which in turn too weakly conveys the concept I think.
Thanks. Scribbling that one into the list of corrections.
The foreshadowing is legit.
Hmmm... Cutie Mark Crusaders + Poppy =
.....
........
.............
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT. EVERYPONY INTO THE WEYR; WE'RE PULLING OUT!"
Ambassador Poppy is best ambassador ever.
Wow. It actually physically hurt a bit when I envisioned what Pinkie looks like at the end there. Kudos, dear author.
I don't think Pinkie knows that human males are vastly different when it comes to emotions. Typically, men don't put as much emphasis on it and can't process it as well as women can; they tend to try and think things to their logical conclusion. While this is the standard, it isn't a rule by any means.
Oh well, that gross over generalization is out of the way. Good job, sorry for my mindless philosophical conundrum there... Don't know why it happens.
Oof. Pinkie isn't really one of my favorite characters, but I felt pretty bad for her there at the end.
Depressed Pinkie is the worst Pinkie.
Sadly, while Pinkie does have a solid intuition and social skill, James is (while I hate to say it) out of her league.
Extra-terrestrial entities tend to do that. (Or Extra-Equestrial in this case.)
Can't say I sympathize with miss Pinkamena here. She's forgetting the very simple fact that Jim is NOT a pony and as such doesn't behave like one. Hope she learns something about tact and comprehension from this complete flop.
This part made me laugh.
Felt a little sorry for the Crusaders during James' rant; but I do agree with him that they needed to at least try and finish up with the rest of the ponies that they scheduled time with. Humans can become a sorta Jack of all trades if they put their minds to it and actually try. I can feel for the crusaders on being down but really they are going about it all wrong. Cutie marks in my mind manifest when the pony really feels they have found something they want to do and improve on for the rest of their lives.
I still hope they do an episode either in season 5 or 6 where one of them actually succeeds in getting a cutie mark. Would make a wonderful episode where a friendship could be tested by one of your friends getting something that you are still trying to get.
5281722
Considering the show's creative choice to occasionally change the status quo I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened already.
Interesting touch on the musical number, though if I may inquire... what was it set to the tune of?
5382195
No particular tune in my mind. I've sung it a few different ways while working on it.
I write poetry from time to time. From a construction standpoint the songs I put into stories usually are built more like poetry. One example of that here is that each crusaders' verse has three blocks that all flow a little bit differently; perfectly fine for poetry but can easily have an awkward feel when translated into musical measures. Likewise, there's a certain physical space to music; speed, and pitch, and all the things about how it's sung. But I often include only a small amount of physical direction for the 'singing' in the story. Things like the parentheticals, which you can imagine are maybe the others singing as backup, or the dashes in "just - no - good" which sort of lets you imagine something like having an empty beat between each note.
Still, I ensure that I can sing the songs in some fashion myself before I include them. One just has to create their own music in their head.
Alright, I'm all caught up. More please? I can't help it, when I find something which sparks my interest, I dive in.
Unleash the pinkamena
And then everyone declined and left Twilight on her own.
James needs to get laid.
This resort makes me suspicious.
Changeling Trap confirmed.
Twas an excellent chapter my friend. Though Pinkie Pie was displaying some extremely worrying symptoms. I hope she and James come to some sort of reconciliation.
I can see the confusion James is having with Pinkie. I used to have the same issue with some of my loved ones. They were always too busy or too involved in something to give what I wanted: a straight and honest answer with serious thought. If I had to guess I would say that Pinkie brushed off what James said because Poppy was around and she didn't want to risk bringing the mood down, she can be sensitive like that. For James, it probably took a monumental effort just to broach the subject (because of how uncomfortable Pinkie makes him) and Poppy being there was likely the only reason he was able to work up the courage to do so. This is a dill-y of a pickle. I feel sorry for both of them in this case. There is no villain and no hero, just two individuals who want to work out the situation but cannot seem to do so. Sad face. I REALLY want to see this rectified!
5557304
This was my thought after 5 seconds. "They're asking for backgrounds on a deserted island where no one but the staff will be there? Why that's the perfect place to replace people."
If this vacation goes as planned or only has interpersonal drama without either changelings or the island being used for some vague, doomish ritual, I will be shocked.
I don't know why but all of this seems so, forced so wrong in many ways
Yeah, it feels very unnatural. That is a problem, since it makes the story feel a bit fake.
This resort sounds like a cross between Fantasy Island and The Twilight Zone.
I can't tell what's about to happen... either changlings, sacrifice to a volcano, could be some random fucking "we picked you cuz you can help us", or this could just be them all dealing with their problems, instead of being able to relax... I can't fucking tell, and that's good.
Also
At this point I'd be noping the fuck out of there, cuz that's some ominous shit, I don't care how cheerfully you say it.
The writing in this one has been amazingly stilted and artificial altogether, in comparison to the other two. It's more than just a single step down. For all that I criticized about the plotting, I didn't think the writing itself was bad. This, though, makes me feel like slapping you with a copy of Elements of Style while shouting SHOW DON'T TELL, SHOW DON'T TELL over and over. Did you forget how to do dialogue, or why is everything nothing but paragraphs upon paragraphs of narration describing how a character feels about this or thinks about that all of a sudden? I feel like I'm reading a sermon, not a story.
Something seems very strange about all this; like there's something hidden just beneath the surface...
Out of curiosity, will you be going into substantial depth with James and his 'lack of human ladies' problem? Exploring the effects of isolation away from the fairer sex has always been interesting to read about in this Fandom.
I'd really rather he wouldn't. There's only so many masturbation jokes you can write before it stops being funny. Most people have at least one extended dry spell during their lives and manage to cope without getting all "woe is me" over it, so I think it's safe to assume he does what any man does in that situation and otherwise ignore the topic as much as possible.
Funny how the handlers seem tailored to fit exactly the kinks of the vacationers in order to get them infatuated. Sweet Nothing shows it best.
And this "change the world" talk... these ponies are gonna be some twisted, magical terrorists, aren't they? Or changelings, that works too if they feed on lust.
5752542
Substantial depth? No, probably not. It's not going to be ignored; his feelings about the issue will play some role in things that happen and how he responds to such events, which is one of the reasons why the subject is being touched on a little now. As always I know where I want the story to go and the major beats I want it to hit on the way, but I sort of figure out how it gets there as I go along. So I can't nail down the future with irrevocable certainty but I don't predict that the nuances of it will be dug terribly deeply; only at most in the context of some sort of larger thought.
5754045 I share a similar sentiment towards filling in the details. Thanks for the input! I look forward to seeing where this sojourn arc is going.
So this confirms it. The way the concierges mirror their clients' more obvious personalities to microns in exactitude, the almost dogmatic way Vesuvius and especially Venus speak of their "venue", referring to Twilight as "the prize"...
I feel kind of bad to say this, but now I'm very glad that things are sour for most of the others. That way they won't be as dazzled by the blatant feather-flaunting on what they presumably appreciate the most in the way that Rarity has been by the Casanova wannabe, and Twilight seems to be getting to with the maniac-depressive geek they saddled her with.
Because an euro to a button that this is some kind of cult.
John really need to get a bitch slap...then get laid...
Hmm
Okay this is getting interesting i love how everything is going to be played out
to me it seems that the islanders are going to try to worm their way into the main sixes hearts and...do something
Love, or some amalgam of it, is a power on the island
Also i do find it funny how the six just become silent when Sex is introduced right now
but that almost seems like how some teens react to hearing about sex shy and just not wanting to talk about it
Makes me think what would happen if this conversation was brought to Celestia
A con i would have to say
To Me
is that the environment is given heavy detail...it could be that i am tired and i am just trying to skip over it
but i believe you could skimp out on some details
Unless anything about the environment is Extremely crucial for the Audience to know then do as you wish
but i think it would be crucial to only mention the environment in cases like the end scene in this chapter
But still
Great Story