Updates Round Three! (And more teasers!) · 12:13pm March 18th
Hey gang!
Figured it was time to update yall again! Things are coming along pretty well, though the story we’ve been plugging away at has grown to be a bit bigger than anticipated! (Not a bad thing, but we tweaked some plot aspects to tie in some stuff and do a little of that foreshadowing thing, and also really give Mama Velvet some time to shine—hard as it is sometimes to write her, I love the character so much, since she’s sort of an amalgamation all the best parts of my own mother, the woman who may as well have been my second mom when i was very young, and my wonderful girlfriend/co-writer on this tale—all three of them amazing moms in their own ways!) Once we’re done with that, the rest of the pre-Everfree shorts should write quick!
I had actually meant to be done with that story by last weekend, but my health had other plans, bleh. Hard to write when youre sleeping 20 hours a day.
Additionally, we’ve added two stories to the roster.
One will be an anthology of shorts called “Crystal Shards”—One and two shot bits focusing on characters affected by what happened at CPA in the aftermath of the games…minor or even background characters, a sort of snapshot of the way Choices made ripples that have long lasting consequences.
The second will be a short piece…maybe three chapters? About two characters who were a big part of the first Equestria Girls film and then almost non-existent the rest of the series. Characters Ive been meaning to touch on, who knew the old Sunset…
Finally, one of the other things that slowed down the story progress is that I decided to throw my hat in the ring to write a piece for a Sunset Shimmer Fanzine! I got in, and so I’ve also been working on that! (Super excited—its got some amazing writers and artists involved!) I cant tell you a lot about it right yet, but its gonna be fun! When i have information that can be shared about it, I’ll make a post about it!
Now…
I believe I promised some teasers…
Deciding to step in before the girls got worked up emotionally, Velvet suggested gently, “Why dont you just talk to them before you jump to too many conclusions? It may be nothing, or it could be them wanting your company, just as easily as it could be anything dire.”
Shoulders sagging, Sunset nodded. “Youre right.”
The doorbell rang…
And rang again.
And a third time…and…
“Did your friends just ring our door bell to ‘Shave and a Haircut?’” Velvet asked in amusement.
“That’s probably Pinkie. Be glad it wasnt Happy Birthday instead.” Sunset trotted to answer the door.
Velvet remained near the doorway to the dining room, wanting to observe Sunset’s friends and not seem like she was hovering. Teenagers were more inclined to speak freely if they didnt have an adult right there.
Sunset tugged open the door to a collection of faces. “Sunset!” was an immediate chorus of happy voices, and she disappeared in a sea of arms, hair, and faces, as the greeting turned into a group hug.
“Girls…” she wheezed, while Twilight hung back a few feet. “Easy on my ribs?”
“No promises,” said one raspy voice. “We know you can take it.” Then a head of wild rainbow hair poked around her shoulder. “Yo, Twilight. Get over here.”
Twilight made a shocked sound. “I—but—you—”
“Nope. Group hug—we took a raincheck after the fight. Besides, there’s still a free spot on Shimmer’s back that needs a body.” One sky blue arm snaked out of the mess and pointed. “Who better than her girl and the newest member of the team?”
The very pink girl had plopped on the floor and was leaning on the coffee table, studying Sunset and Twily intently.
Sunset arched a brow. “Something on my face, Pinkie?”“Mmmm…nope! But you both need some of Mama Pinkie’s Pick-Me-Up Cupcakes!” And one pink arm disappeared into the volumous pink hair, only to come back out with a tupperware container far too large to have fit in there in the first place. She pulled it open and selected two cupcakes with all the air of a professional trying to match eyeglasses, and set them in front of the girls. “Here! Just what the Pinkie Pie ordered!”
“I—but—” Twilight turned to Sunset. “Is Hair of Holding even possible?!”
Snagging the cupcake, Sunset began to peel the wrapper with relish. “Sparky, its Pinkie. Do not ask questions about how Pinkie does what she does. Accept that the laws of physics and reality politely look the other way when she’s involved, and that to dig any deeper lies the route madness.” She took a bite of the treat, savoring it briefly with a look of bliss, but quickly returned to the more serious matters while Twilight inspected her own cupcake somewhat dubiously.
Twilight cleared her throat. “I…um…have been meaning to ask…you get a horn because youre really a unicorn, right, Sunny?”
“Mmhmm…” Sunset hummed, said horn lighting up with that red glow to an even greater degree.
“…but all of you other girls are people—from this world, right?”
Rarity nodded. “We are, yes, though I understand we also have counterparts in Sunset’s world.”
“So…why do you gain non-human transformation traits?” Twilight kept glancing at Sunset’s fuzzy ears with longing, Velvet noticed, her fingers twitching agajnst her thighs.
Her question seemed to stump some of them. “I…assumed it was because the magic came from Equestria,” Rarity answered at last.
“Plus!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “The other us’s are all magic talking ponies! So of course we get pony stuff.”
Twilight wasnt satisfied. “Bird wings dont seem very horse-like to me.”
“Pony,” Sunset corrected absently. “Horses are a different thing entirely and they dont have cutie marks any more than zebras or donkeys do. We’re different species.” She was doing some kind of magic spell that looked terribly difficult, judging by the way sweat had broken out on her forehead and her voice was tight with discomfort. “And her counterpart is a pegasus, so…wings. It…has something to do with how ponies channel magic and how humans dont. Our magic isnt standard pony magic—its Harmonic—but it needs some kind of focus. A unicorn’s horn, a pegasus’ feathers, and earth pony hooves are all composed of the same magically conductive keratin-analogue. I suspect its a case of Harmony not wanting to reinvent the wheel, and Magic using echoes of the Equestrian Bearers to fashion some kind of focal assistance.”
Nodding, Twilight tapped her chin. “That makes sense.”
Fluttershy blinked. “It does?”
“Ah think she’s sayin’ that the pony parts help us use our magic easier,” Applejack ventured. “Horns, wings, and Ah guess…nails?” She frowned and stared down at her own digits a moment. “Guess that mebbe explains why Ah ain’t busted mine up as much since the fall.”
Rarity’s eyes went huge. “Are you saying that magic is the reason I havent broken a nail in months?” She beamed. “Sunset, darling, I take back any complaint I have ever uttered about magic.” Idly, she inspected a lock of dark purple hair. “Does that also apply to countering split-ends, do you think?”
And with that, im off to take another dose of meds, curse my immune system, and try and sleep off the last bits of whatever is kicking my ass and triggered a damned flare of my auto-immune disorder. See you soon, folks!
I'm starting to miss the weekly updates. What if the topic of Sunset's true age were to be touched upon? I have that doubt. Best regards, and I hope your health improves.
Only Rarity would gush over the fashionable benefits that come with magic.
I was thinking about asking for an update a couple days ago. Glad to hear some great progress has/is being made!
Hope you get better soon!!!
I love these sneak peeks. Really shows the contrast of before where Sunset is trying to compartmentalize different secrets to after where everything is now out in the open, including Sunset and Twilight's relationship, Magic, Equestria and the like.
Also, I'm pretty sure even pony Rarity would get split ends without any mane and tail upkeep.
Aaaaahhhhh! I’m so excited for this! Thank you for the sneak peaks!
Hope you feel better soon!
Hope you feel 100% soon!
Something I should have asked many chapters back has been on my mind. Sunny's demon side very specifically says they have to save THEM when referring to Twilight during the trip to hell. I'm assuming this means that Midnight Sparkle is already a piece of Twilight and part of why the big bad was feeling so much power in her all along. Do you think any of that will be popping up any time soon?
Asking for a friend.
Me.
I'm the friend...
And adorable, fuzzy ears to scritch!
Pinkie is part demigod. Her power unknowable. That's my conclusion and I'm sticking to it.
5836679
Working on it, lol. Soon (TM)
5836683
You know she would.
5836697
Yeah, progress is happening. Life is just not being cooperative.
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Very much. The ability to come clean about the magic is a huge shift in her behavior.
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I'm definitely on the mend, which is good.
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Thanks!
Yes, yes it does say "THEM"...
What does that mean?
*maniacal cackle*
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Sure, lets go with that.
I hope u feel better! And honestly wow I only came on here due to lzjian little recommendation to here and best choice I ever did! but I’m so surprised on how it only has 10k views when you’ve been writing since 2019 which is so shocking this type of writing should’ve at least gained more than 10k at least 😭🙏 I love how much thought u put behind each and every words as well actions and just how so well thought out each chapter are! Though will we ever get to see sunset pass through the portal to reunite with celestia in the next volume? 🤔