It's A Great Idea! ...Until I Started Thinking About It.

Okay, SO...

This thing, right? This story of change, grief, and intrigue that's captured the imagination of so many people? Myself included?

Gonna be a few CHANGES comin' its way.

Now, when I say CHANGES, I don't mean any major story-shifting twists and turns that will completely ruin the original fascination. I mean PRACTICAL CHANGES. For instance, how would I balance a story that has one major plotline and two subplots operating parallel to each other?

The answer? Use a notebook. And if that don't work? Use more notebook.

Take this issue of Twilight Sparkle starting her own branch of plotting, which will doubtlessly involve face-in-books and writing letters to mentors. I have this nice little surprise lined up for it, which must be good considering I don't like surprises. I dropped a spark for that subplot back in chapter one, and have done exactly buggerall to build upon it. But the more I've thought about it, the more I wanted to write it. So now that's a thing.

Now take this issue of Fluttershy being driven from Discord's side after his moment of anger. Surely she's got to be shocked, sad, and saddened and shocked, yeah? She still needs to come to terms with Discord's CHANGES, so how should she go about it? Well, she's gained insight and courage from certain friends of hers in the past, so she'll likely reach out to those who can help her. Help her to help her friend. So that's a thing too.

But still, take the larger issue of Discord's arc being partway through, and the fact that I left it on such a depressing note. There's more to tell, certainly...but now I have other parts of other stories to tell in tandem with his, and I've sorta shot myself in the FOOT with the way I've set it all up thus far.

Which leads me to these CHANGES. The next few chapters have been reworked - as in, scrapped - because I cannot operate on developments that have not developed. Namely, I can't have Fluttershy returning at dusk (whether with fear, resolve, or pity) if we haven't yet seen her pity, resolve, or fear take hold. Neither can I have Twilight come back into the tale before we figure out what steps she has taken to correct what she feels is her monumental error. Which means these CHANGES are gonna be:

•New chapters to arrive next will cover Twilight's and Fluttershy's subplots (order to be determined).
•The chapter order of the fic itself will be rearranged after said chapters are up and ready. I'm gonna interject the current chapter three and four with something else, and also worry about another piece of development (that I have thus far ignored...) to be set up either following Seeing Red or before Dirt and Straw.
•AFTER these CHANGES have taken hold, the main plotline of Discord's struggle will continue, this time with the story's own CHANGES held accountable.

For instance, take this matter of Twilight sending a letter at the end of chapter one. Left alone by me until now. And you'd best hope...finally expanded upon for you.

Why am I trying to make a parody of the Meet the Engineer video I mean i don't even PLAY TF2 what am I doing Jesus Horse...

But yeah. Writing hit a pretty solid wall once I realized where I had gone wrong. It's gonna pick back up soon, now that I know what I can do right. And then I can ruminate on my crimes once more.

~Leo

Day one! Work's begun! Keep in mind that writing's fun!
Grammar camp, it's 'tope' not 'toop'; spellin' words that look like poop.
This part don't make sense! Remember what happens hence.
You plan's to explore Discord, don't make all your readers bored!