A Brief History of Lyra · 4:32pm Jun 2nd, 2012
Greetings Marsupials,
The rough draft to BP Chapter 9 has been done. With the help of several pre-readers, I'm endeavoring to get the final draft completed. It may be late this evening that I update. It may be tomorrow or the next day. Whatever the case, it's just around the corner.
However, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on something that's become very important in Background Pony as of late: the timeline.
A wonderful marsupial has done quite a bit of homework for my lazy ass, and in so doing he's highlighted several chronological incongruencies with my work as a whole. In truth, when I started this dayum fic, I did so in a spirit of casual absent-mindedness. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I never expected this story to become so friggin' popular. Still, I should have anticipated anything. Instead, I slapped forth chapter after chapter with little to no structure as to the plot or chronological framework. Now that BP is halfway done, the series of events are requiring greater and greater detail. I can no longer afford to be uber vague and infer that "Oh yeah, this chapter--like--totally happens two months after the previous, never mind the fact that Summer is suddenly six months long and I've contradicted myself half a dozen times in Lyra's previous journal entries."
So, taking his notes into consideration, I've gone back and done a few tiny edits. I do emphasize "tiny". These are Rey Mysterio edits; I've done absolutely NOTHING to the content and dialogue and themes of Background Pony or what have you. I simply went back and altered the numbers on the "months," "years," and "weeks" that were mentioned to have passed in the story.
Also, to keep you marsupials abridged of this backtracking, I've slapped together a really ghetto timeline thingy. Let us assume that the return of Nightmare Moon is the Year 1000 in MLP-verse, and that the day of the Summer Sun Celebration is thusly June 21, 1000.
Chapter 1
June 2, 1001 - Lyra speaks with Twilight Sparkle and learns about Elegy #7, the "Threnody of Night."
Chapter 2
June 20, 1001 - Eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Lyra talks to Caramel and tells the story of her experience at June 21, 1000 Summer Sun Celebration.
Chapter 3
June 25, 1001 - Lyra is minding her own business in her cabin when Applejack visits during a rainstorm. The two talk, and Lyra recalls her previous encounters with AJ.
We witness:
June 25, 1000 - Lyra is taken to Applejack's home. She receives the hoodie.
June 26, 1000 - Lyra starts planning to replace the barn with a home of her own.
Late July, 1000 - After performing several musical numbers in the center of Ponyville, Lyra has gathered enough bits to afford herself a few things.
Early August, 1000 - Lyra employs Rainbow Dash in destroying the barn.
August - September, 1000 - Lyra starts chopping down wood to make room and supplies for building the cabin.
November, 1000 - January, 1001 - Applejack helps Lyra build the cabin.
March, 1001 - Applejack helps Lyra build the cabin's chimney, then invites her to Winter Wrap-Up.
May, 1001 - Applejack gives Lyra advice on growing/grafting apple trees
Chapter 4
Early July, 1001 - It is thirteen months since the curse began. Lyra gets the soundstones from Zecora and performs the "Threnody of Night." She collapses and has a flashback to June 19 - June 21 1000, when she first arrived in Ponyville and got exposed to NMM's curse.
Lyra wakes up to the makings of the Eighth Elegy in her mind.
(There is also a brief flashback of Lyra talking to Twilight about two weeks after June 21, 1000.)
Chapter 5
Mid July, 1001 - Lyra visits Rarity over the course of a week to get the four soundstones re-enchanted. It's still summer, and Rarity mentions upcoming fall fashion.
Chapter 6
Late July, 1001 - While working on the Eighth Elegy, Lyra takes interest in an experiment that Twilight Sparkle is performing with Dr. Whooves. When the teleportation equipment goes awry, Lyra intervenes and saves Scootaloo's life.
Chapter 7
Early August, 1001 - It's about fourteen months since the curse began. Moondancer visits Twilight Sparkle to help her with the local school curriculum. Over the course of a week, Lyra's two friends break up.
It's inferred that the Grand Galloping Gala is taking place in four weeks' time. (While Twilight and her friends received tickets in 1000, they were advanced invitations for the 1001 Gala)
There are two flashbacks to when Twilight, Lyra, and Moondancer were young fillies, approximately the summer of 980.
Chapter 8
Late August - Early September, 1001 - The bulk of Lyra's experiences with Morning Dew take place over several weeks. She doesn't summon the courage to take him on a "date" until the very weekend of the Grand Galloping Gala, in early September.
After "giving up" Morning Dew to Ambrosia, Lyra's resolved to finally tackle the Eighth Elegy, which has taken shape completely in her mind.
That puts the upcoming Chapter 9 in the middle of September. Background Pony has essentially been transpiring over a three and a half month period, while at the same time possessing a twelve month period of relatively vague backstory. It can be suggested that Lyra learned Elegies #1 - 6 at any time during the months of June 1000 and May 1001, though it's a safe bet that most of her research was likely performed in late 1000 at the earliest, seeing as she had to focus more on setting up the cabin than just performing the elegies.
There are likely more flubs and mistakes to show up, in spite of my (meager) attempts to make things more cohesive. So if any of you marsupials discover me doing stupid things, please don't hesitate to highlight them for me and I'll do what I can to make the whole thing more digestible.
Anyways, until the BP9 update, live long and farm kidney stones.
-SS&E
Damn, that homework must receive extra credit.
First handed in!
I love this story.
and SS&E I know you probably have heard this a million times and you probably don't want to hear it again
but I feel I must ask still.
End Of Ponies? I loved that story too and I hope you still plan on continuing it.
until then. MORE PONIES!
That was brief?
the timeline certainly clarifies a lot. Thanks for that, and looking forward to the new chapter. Out of curiosity, when you said chapter eight was the halfway point, did you mean that you planned on writing sixteen chapters?
149047 You obviously haven't read any of SSaE's stories. Anything shorter than 5000 words is brief compared to that.
As I recall BP was supposed to be a oneshot was it not?
Other than my impression the the Gala was a Springtime event and my headcanon that the mane 6 are a few years younger than you suggest, this is good.
I wasn't entirely sure of all the seasons in the recent chapters, so the timeline really is a big help.
In any case, keep up the excellent work
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4705-rBQfN.png
Multum te amo.
Cool dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra.png
149166 Needs more cowbell
It's rare that I have time at the RIGHT time to "help" with this story. Today may be one of those grand times. In ~6 hours, I will likely have the opportunity to sit and read/write for the remainder of the evening!
Of course, I haven't actually read chapter 8 yet, but if I can blast through EoP 16-21 in 48 hours in "edit mode" I'm sure this paltry chapter will take no time at all - especially considering I needn't take notes on an already published thing. And then 9? I spit on the length of your 9.
Do you think 24 to 64 ounces of terribly sugary and bubbly drinks every single day is an efficient farming method? I haven't even found a single stone yet.
149235
Be warned, buddy. I may be posting this shiznet in the next few hours. :/
And dammit, I need to have a blog for nothing but Lyra pics some day. Gawd, I love Lyra. I'm totally not high on Dr. Pepper right now.
-SS&E
You missed a key date.
July 14, 1001 - Lyra turns her backs on the fans and joins the Nation of Domination.
149392
I could never understand how Lyra would fight in the rumbles with those huge-ass hoop earrings.
It doesn't help that now she's retired, she does nothing but shoot on the Clique.
I love you for updating so often, despite the vagueness.