Notes for Interlude 2 (all parts) of The Siren · 2:28am Jul 4th, 2023
These are the notes for Interlude 2, a set of five chapters, of my fanfic The Siren. Don’t read until after you’ve read the chapters.
Interlude 2A
This would finally be the point where I could justify adding 
as a character tag.
Interlude 2B
“The Suppressor is enchanted so it can only be removed by me, the pony who put it on you.”
I hope you notice the contradiction here. You might have to remind me to address it in the sequel.
“…my studies of marine life…”
This is from the My Little Pony: Legends of Magic limited comic series, written by Jeremy Whitley. (Stygian wasn’t enslaved in that comic, though—that was my idea.)
Star Swirl’s use of a time-travel spell
This is how I reconcile him being “the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era” (“Luna Eclipsed”) with his operating a couple of decades into the Classical Era. Back before the whole Limbo business, fan writers speculated that Star Swirl was a time traveler, given that the time travel spell was invented by him (“The Cutie Re-Mark, Part 1”), as a way to get him into the present day.
“Siren” vs. “siren”
I’m not sure if I did a good job of this throughout the novel, but I try to use rules in when I capitalize “siren”: ponies who tend to think in generalities, like Star Swirl and Twilight, always use “Siren” when they are referring to a creature, while Sonata, who always thinks of her fellow sirens as individuals, always uses “siren” in lower case.
Interlude 2C
“I’m no hero.”
The last half of the Legends of Magic miniseries tells how Stygian united the Pillars to fight against the Sirens. He narrates his own tale, and this phrase is a constant refrain. I think this arc does a better job than the flashback from “Shadow Play Part 2” in showing the causes of Stygian’s fall into darkness.
Interlude 2D
…so she didn’t end up in a cage.
Proof that I can be subtle when I want to be.
…except for a pale orange siren exploding into sea mist all over her.
Proof that most of the time I am not subtle.
Interlude 2E
There are no notes for 2E.
