I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should actually be "streaming" my writing sessions for you guys. I know that's how I managed to get through Wingmares, after all. The fact remains, however, that I'm taking a screenwriting course this quarter and there's a lot of emphasis on the notion that I keep as many ideas to myself as possible.

It's not that I'm afraid you guys are going to steal my ideas. On the contrary, if you were to do that and take this story off my hands that'd be splendid and I could focus on other projects. But I don't want to let that happen, of course. It's more me worrying about whether or not I'll be able to keep my interest in this story alive, as I tend to get complacent very easily and find the reliability of my work goes down at the first hint of praise. I can't tell you how many times showing off a WIP since Wingmares has sapped that project of something vital to its continuation.

Well, I have you here reading this blog, so you might as well get your money's worth. I'm going ahead and rewriting this story from scratch, so speak your piece if you feel like reading the old chapters once I archive them. I'm rewriting this story partially because it'd be unfair of me to send this story through the FimFic and EqD moderation queues again, but it's much, much more that I was unhappy with the pacing of the story at first. Five chapters went by and not a single pony set foot in the dragon lands. I couldn't start Chapter Six with a simple "the soil of Drakvarna scorched Fluttershy's hooves with every step" for some reason, and the story stalled.

With any luck, you'll have a maximum of three chapters before the dragon land arc begins, and this time, I have a much better idea of what I'm going to put into it--minus one flash of insight I failed to write down that is now lost forever to me. Such is life, though, and perhaps I'll chance upon it randomly in the future.

In the meantime, A Fire on the East Mk II is officially over 2,000 words long, and if I can juggle my time at work tomorrow with a lab report well enough, you'll face the happy dilemma of reading that first chapter tout de suite, or waiting until I've written enough to get Fluttershy into the dragon lands and get some TRULY new story going. I'll go with what you guys want from me, Pinkie Promise.

Man, I haven't gotten to say this in a while, either.

Thank you for reading.

- Couch

... all right, you can have this:

It caught the corner of her eye like last words whispered.

A star detached from its seat in the heavens, gaining speed and size in impossible measure. And it drew closer, outpacing all sound. It acquired a halo of white flame and became an eye that only saw her.