(Spoilers) TGnPT discontinued, story reveal megapost · 6:51am Dec 5th, 2013
I basically don't have as much interest in MLP as I used to, so I am not really motivated to complete the fic anymore. Sorry. :(
I know some people would be interested to know how the story would have ended, were I to have written it out. Unfortunately I can't give a clear answer, as a lot of the specific events in the chapter get inspired as I am planning and working on a draft, and the story has changed to be quite a bit more than I had originally thought when I first started writing it. What I can give are some planned ideas and inspired snippets of scene and dialogue. If people have questions about specifics (like the dream scenes) or if anything I missed in this journal, then I'd be happy to answer some questions about it.
- - - - -
Chapter 7
All my chapters tend to be emotional rollercoasters, but this one was going to be more a hopeful up-turning before the final chapter. Sweetie Belle's secret plan at the end of chapter 5 was to take Trixie on a picnic in some remote scenic location, on the day of the Running of the Leaves when most ponies would be elsewhere. The two would relax, eat the food made by Sweetie Belle (with AJ's help), and cloud-gaze. Trixie gets to relax and ponder her feelings, and share some wistful moments with Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle would have brought along the windchime, now another personal treasure and memory of her accomplishments and growth. This event sort of heralds the end of the fic, as Trixie knows she has to leave based on previous events (the fight with AJ, knowing she can't magically fix everything). Sweetie Belle knows this too, despite being a child she is not stupid. She knows that Trixie won't be able to stay and had lied to her so to not make her sad, but Sweetie is pretending not to know so she wont break the illusion. Trixie doesn't show despair however. She knows she can't change what happened in the past, only try to change her future. Tender, but with an underlying tinge of bittersweetness.
I was unsure how, if at all, I would be including Rarity and AJ in this chapter. One of the problems with the fic in general is that I did not know how to 'redeem' Rarity from her initial image as a horrible parent. I sort of hoped that by the end, the reader would be able to take a step back and see the whole fic as a small snapshot as life than as a story contained in the moment, thus avoiding the 'Rarity-awful-pony' problem.
I initially had an idea where Trixie returns later that night to retrieve a forgotten item from the picnic site. This was originally from a time where my idea for Trixie had her much more fixated on her hate of Twilight Sparkle, where she would muse on Twilight's destiny to be favored by Celestia and image as a hero, and her own to suffer as an orphan and a hated villain. This ended up not playing as significant a role in the story, so I had not yet come up with a refined way to adapt the idea. Seeing the full moon and stars, Trixie recalls the decorated night sky of childhood bedroom. She laments her fate and that her life could not have been different. Another scene tug at the heartstrings.
Chapter - 8
As you have seen, I like to open my chapters with moderately lengthy introductory scenes. This one I planned long in advance, being only as follows :
I’ve gone to Everfree forest.
Don’t follow me.-Trixie
Following this would be a number of scenes.
Trixie, characterized with emotions of stoic, understanding, hope, and resignation, would meet with applejack to say goodbye, and to thank her for her hospitality. I tried very hard to make the reader notice that in fact, AJ, Rarity, Trixie, all share similar painful pasts. Namely, their parents are all dead. Sweetie Belle being the youngest is in a similar, but not yet tragic boat. In line with AJ's inner musings in chapter 5, here AJ would express her regret to Trixie that had she acted differently at their first meeting (meaning in the fic, not in the episode Boast Busters), and had not lied at the start in order to hide her presence in Ponyville and instead tried to help, that maybe she could have been able to stay. Trixie would say something in the feeling of "Maybe, but what is done is done and nothing can change the past."
Here I would want AJ to say that maybe someday, Trixie could come back, and that she thinks Sweetie would like that that a lot. But at the same time, I also wanted Trixie to wish Applejack farewell, and that they would not meet again (Easter egg: If you've played SotN you should recognize this as Alucard's last line of dialogue in the game). These two ideas clashed a bit, one being hopeful and the other being somber. I wasn't sure which I was going to pick.
Sweetie Belle's initial panic at finding Trixie suddenly missing without her being able to say goodbye would lead to her meeting with AJ, and AJ telling her that she had gone and wanted AJ to tell her goodbye. Sweetie Belle would not accept this, and charge off to Everfree. She would meet Trixie there (either because of Trixie's lingering or a close time window between the events). Sweetie would ask why she was leaving when she promised she would stay. Trixie would repeat what AJ told her at the end of Ch.5, that she would have to leave when Sweetie returned to Rarity. Sweetie would pressure why, and Trixie would say that she was not a good person in the past, and had hurt a lot of people, and that she would need a lot of time to make up for it. Sweetie would say that she doesn't care and wants Trixie to stay, and Trixie would say that she is sorry, but she can't change it even though she desperately wants to. Sweetie would start to say she would run away with Trixie (in that desperate wishing sense, but knowing she can't), and Trixie would say no, they both no she can't do that, because Rarity would miss her, and besides, she's still got growing up to do, and even Trixie does too. She promises to come back some day, to see Sweetie's special talent once she finds it. Sweetie Belle asks her to promise, and Trixie promises. Sweetie agrees, and asks Trixie to take with her the crayon drawing the two of them drew together. Trixie tearfully agrees, and in exchange puts her wizard cap on Sweetie's head, and tells her to keep it, and that she'll be great at magic someday. Sweetie, asks about the photo of her dad, Trixie says she doesn't need it anymore, and that he'll always in her heart, just like Sweetie will. The two hug, and Sweetie Belle watches as Trixie walks away into the Everfree forest.
The last scene in the fic, about a day later. Sweetie Belle waits at the train station with Applejack and Rarity. Applebloom and Scootaloo come off the train, finally returned from their summer vacation. Scootaloo has a broken wing in a cast, in reverse of her earlier enthusiasm in the first chapter she injured herself and had to sit out all of camp. Similarly, Applebloom is gushing over the great time at Appleoosa, being endlessly spoiled by Big Mac during her visit. Here we see a full circle of the joke I started in the first chapter. Remember where AJ told Big Mac to behave himself? Applebloom would be gushing about her wonderful time after... "I found Big Mac and Braeburn bucking apple trees in the orchard after midnight, but they said it was okay because they were cousins but I had no clue what they meant. But they took me to dinner and shows and stuff every night after that!" So yes, I had a homosexual incest joke between Brae and Big Mac planned from the first chapter. I'm funny like that. xP
So anyway, after that AJ would give Big Mac the glare of death and the three crusaders would reunite. Scootaloo and Applebloom would ask the glum-but-happy Sweetie Belle if she was okay, but Sweetie would just say that she missed them and give them both a big hug. RD would escort Scootaloo away and AJ would take charge of Applebloom and a very embarrassed Big Mac. Sweetie would return to Rarity (the two now made up at this point), who asks Sweetie if she's ready to go home, Sweetie would agree, hug rarity, and there ends the fic.
- - - - -
So there you have it. If you have any questions on specific scenes, please, feel free to ask me. I'd be happy to answer as best I can.
In the meantime, here’s the little playlist I built of the most iconic, inspiring songs that helped me write this story.
“You’ve Got Growin’ Up To Do”, by Joshua Radin
This one basically characterized the entire ending with Trixie accepting that she has to part ways and leaving willingly. The section of lyrics “And this old corduroy coat, its not keeping me dry” made me think of Trixie’s sentimental attachment to her iconic hat and robe, and inspired the idea of her giving the hat to Sweetie Belle at the end.
“Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down”, by Alicia Keys
I don’t listen to pop music, but I heard this on the radio in a friend’s car and the tone of the song felt right so I looked it up when I got home. The song lyrics seem to be one of praise, but the notes give me a melancholy feel, as if it is for an anthem of something hoped and longed for that will never come true. Although I didn’t write many scenes about it, this characterized how I felt about Trixie after her tragic childhood but before the events in Boast Busters, struggling to continue her life without her father.
“Story Board”, by The Album Leaf
(The speech you hear at the talk is actually part of the song)
Remember that painful stabbing in your gut you felt over Trixie’s past during the interlude chapter? This is that song for me, a recollection of all the painful things that came before. A number of other songs by The Album Leaf helped me write along the way, but none so much as this one.
“Exile Vilify”, by The National
You know this song as it was popularized by Portal 2. I am not the first person to see the possible connections between the lyrics in this song and with Trixie, but I felt the need to give it the tip of the hat. It works very well.
“Stay Right Now (This Song Does Not Exist)”, by Allison Weiss
Mediafire link
(This version of the song is from an older mixtape CD that isn’t available for sale anymore, and isn’t hosted on youtube or any other site I could find.)
I’d owned this song for awhile but hadn’t listened to any music by Allison Weiss in awhile. I just happened to go back one day while writing and realized how perfectly this fit. This is my song for Trixie, as if sung by her. The lyrics referencing ‘A lifetime full of liars’ is spoken as if to her father for dying and abandoning her, to herself for every lie she tells herself to keep going, and everyone in her life that has shunned and rejected her. The line ‘Its okay, and I’m fine’ feel to me as if spoken in a knowing lie, because things will not be okay, much like how Trixie would lie to Sweetie Belle to not make her sad and keep the illusion that everything is alright. Lastly, ‘And for the first time in my life, I can’t sing what’s on my tongue’ is about her feelings for Sweetie Belle. A very sad song.
“when frailty fails”, by Proem
Everyone tells me this song is odd or creepy, but to me it feels melancholy and the lyrics are as if from someone who has been abused. The line ‘I will not complain or fight with you / to save you from your life’ characterized how I approached AJ and Trixie’s past. The lyrics on the internet are not entirely accurate I think for some of the lines.
Hope you enjoyed reading this post and my story, even though I did not complete it.
Thanks to everyone who helped out, and to everyone who followed along. Seeing my reader’s reaction and hearing your comments really made it all worthwhile.
I'm gonna miss this, but thanks for the heads up and summary of what you would have done. Good luck in your future endeavors.
This was hands down my favorite story on the site. My discontent was great after reading each chapter knowing that I had to tune in next week for the next part. It's so sad, seeing it end like this. But like Trixie, I am willing to let go . I hope for you the best!
I think this is only the second time I see someone give a summary of what the remainder of a story was going to be like after cancelling it. Usually an author simply disappears or a Cancelled tag appears. Maybe with an accompanying blog stating a reason. So for giving the summary I thank you.
Thank you for posting this. It's always better to know what author had in mind for the story than keep wondering for years if there's ever going to be another update.
Good luck with whatever you are doing these days!
... Canceled? That wonderful, wonderful, story about Trixie, canceled?!
It's too bad, but I understand completely. I myself have abandoned fics that I just don't have the enthusiasm to finish.
It was nice working with ya! May your future endeavors bear sweet, succulent fruit!
Not gonna lie. That sucks. Although I also felt it was too mean to Trixie.
better then nothing that's for sure and i can say that i think it would have been a great story.
what confuses me however is how anyone in their right mind could not plan to make a short epilogue where trixie comes back to ponyville. oh well, I'll just go for a bioshock kind of ending where about 20 years or so later, when sweetie is a great singer who is renowned for using magic as she sings to be all awesome, she gets an invitation to come to ponyville from rarity. as she comes there and has a kind of reunion with her rarity and the rest of the CMC they take her to see a new building, a magic school to be exact. as she compliments it trixie reveals herself. que tearful reunion and "i promised" moment. trixie tells how she one way or the other got her life together a bit and became a magic teacher an found that she was really good at it. after teaching a lot of nose-in-the-air spoiled noble brats and earning a nice pennie she decided that "fuck these snobs, im gonna teach those that can't otherwise afford decent education". thus gaining the sight of some of the more nice canterlot ponies ( i.e. fancy pants) and receiving a bit of funding to help. after the thing starts to run itself and she has helped lots of ponies she feels she has managed to get some redemption and decides to finall go to ponyville and receive judgment. stuff and things happen, twilight answers what the judgement was and that was trixie teaching the unicorns of ponyville how to magic cus twilight can't be arsed. more stuff and things, play the heartstrings a bit more and then boom, roll the rest of the credits.
anyway, good shit you did and thanks for the conclusion.
I have to admit that this makes me sad. I always liked the story and the quite unique view-point on Trixie and Rarity – even if the story is very Alternative Universe now, it wasn’t at the start. I will wait a few weeks before I read your blog post completly – perhaps a change in mind happens :-).
1587960
I've had almost a year between the last time I published a chapter and now to think about it. Trust me, I wont be continuing the fic aymore. Sorry.
Well... looks like I got here really late; disappointed to see this cancelled but at least now I can put it on my favorites list. Thanks for the amazing story!
Well, at least we kind of got an ending... good luck man!