Postscript: Long Road to Friendship · 9:30pm Jan 31st, 2016
7.5 out of 10. It’s not Sunset of Time.
Long ago, there was a boy who knew nothing about the inner workings of the internet, or fandoms, or writing (The last one is still true). Then, one fateful day, he decided to watch a small, unassuming show called My Little Pony.
He had no idea of the slope he had just fallen down.
For when he finished, he desperately wanted more of these candy-colored equines. So, he set out on a journey to find them, and thus, he discovered the internet, the fandoms, and the fanfictions. All of the fanfictions.
After a time, he decided to throw his hat into the ring. Of course, he failed miserably the first three times (you will never find those stories), but he eventually published something close to readable. But, as much as he wrote and as much as he dived into the world of ponies, he said to himself, ‘shipping is too weird, I’ll never do anything like that.’
…
Welcome to the postscript of Long Road to Friendship.
Warning: incoming long post is long! Oh yeah, and spoilers I guess.
This is my second completed full length story! Yaaaaaaaay! As I did with Sunset of Time and as I intend to do with the completion of any major story, this postscript is designed to be a reflection of my work, a breakdown of how everything was put together, some bonus information, and an acknowledgement to everyone who helped me forge this story. It’s like a director’s cut. You’re not obliged to read it, it’s really more for me to air all of my thoughts out in one messy blog. But, if you want to know the inner workings of my mad mind, then read on. You might find something worthwhile if you stick around till the end.
Gosh, where do I even begin with this story? I was four chapters into Sunset of Time when the first Equestria Girls movie came out. I told myself, whatever happens, it would have no bearing on SoT. I saw it, liked it for what it was worth, then continued on my merry way.
Of course, like many of you, the heel-face turn of Sunset at the end had me rolling my eyes, but I didn’t think much of it beyond that.
Fandom wise, Sunset was written off as a stereotypical grade A queen bitch. My poor best pony. But hey, I had SoT to make up for it, and a handful of readers already telling me they enjoyed my interpretation better. So, what did I care?
Still, there was a small trickle of stories popping up about Sunset and the aftermath of the first movie, many of them kinda just accepting her abrupt redemption. Others had her retain her apha bitch status, but never really went anywhere.
Showing a more gradual redemption for Sunset might have been interesting, but still, what did I care? I had my own Sunset to worry about.
It was about late October, early November when it all started. Interestingly enough, I had finished watching The Emperor’s New Groove when I started stabbing at ideas for another Sunset story. Originally, it would have played out something like the movie, with Sunset as a princess or princess-to-be, gets kicked out of her kingdom and has to learn humility.
Then, my thoughts turned back to human Sunset sitting in the crater, and I’m struck by lightning. Why not make a redemption story out of her?
At the same time, my editors for SoT were making silly comments about shipping Sunset and Twilight together. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see the relationship being there, but they were teacher and student, that’d be weird (sorry, not sorry Twilestia shippers, it’s weird).
Well, after a little coaxing, I thought to myself can I write a romance story? The answer was, maybe. But more importantly was the question, can I write a realistic romance? Something natural and believable? Well, there was only one way to find out.
At it’s core Long Road to Friendship is a redemption story. But, that romance tag has been there since day one. My goal was to have Sunset understand friendship first, then have her slowly realize she has feelings for Twilight. It was always meant to be a slow burn.
Coming up with the concept of the story was an interesting plight. Not only was the romance supposed to be a slow burn, but Sunset coming to accept friends into her life was supposed to be slow as well. I wanted her to be completely sour after losing: prideful, angry, and vengeful. She would never hand out with the Canterlot High Five after they had beaten her. How did I get her to start spending time with them without having fifteen chapters of her screaming, “No!”
Well, that’s when I went back and examined the effects of the Elements of Harmony on past villains. Notably, most of them were imprisoned in some way. Since that clearly wasn’t the case with Sunset, maybe there could have been a different sort of punishment.
How I came up with the curse is a mystery. I just know that, at the time, I thought it was a sound idea. It sounds like Ella Enchanted so it’s gotta be good!
If I could go back in time, I would slap past me, then sit him down and have a nice, long talk.
The curse wasn’t baaaad, it just…. wasn't properly well-thought out. It did what I needed it to do, it pushed Sunset along and got her to interact with the rest of the cast. It caused a few problems and got Sunset to think about herself.
And then, it started to become a nuisance.
I had a chance to get rid of it in chapter 17, when Sunset realized she had friends, but she hadn’t met the criteria I had established in the wording of the penance. But I also realized that, she would never stop hating things completely. She would always resent Princess Twilight.
And, the curse is one of the central pillars of the story. I spent weeks pondering this predicament—if I got rid of the central plot device, is that grounds to end the story and start a new one? The premise would still be the exact same though. But the central focus behind the plot is gone. Gah!
In the end, I decided to keep it and hope I could make more shenanigans later on.
Well, I succeeded with chapter 31. Beyond that… eeeeggghhh, not my best work. Again, poor planning, but it really started to come down to the lesser of two evils. If I had Sunset able to talk about the curse, the whole conflict could be wrapped up in a chapter. If she couldn’t, well, it became convoluted, but at least I had my setup for the end.
To attach a reason behind why she couldn’t tell anyone, it’d be so no one could intentionally use the curse against her. Funny enough, that actually was going to be a plot point waaaay back in early development, but the story changed and never got to that point. Simply put, someone was going to make Sunset break up with Twilight which would have led to an even sadder version of the scene at Thanksgiving.
Actually, the story underwent quite a few changes since its inception. I think the biggest change is, it was technically cut in half. I originally had plans to keep this up until their graduation day, but again, around 17, I realized, Sunset was learning at a pretty decent rate, there was no way this curse could last until she graduated. That’s really what prompted the whole, ‘can this story go on without the curse or would I have to start a new one’ debate.
Other reasons popped up which ultimately led to me deciding to end the story at New Years. As a consequence, some things were cut and others pushed forward. The romance between Sunset and Twilight was always meant to hit its peak around the dance. However, I originally didn’t plan for Sunset moving out until later. Also, Twilight’s best friend is mentioned but never seen in the story. One of my biggest disappointments is having to cut her out because I love her character!
Others changes included the roles of certain characters growing much bigger than I first anticipated. The first to note is the Princess Twilight doll. I didn’t plan on having it do much after chapter 8, but when Sunset was having her nightmares, I found giving it a voice was a great way to have some dialogue when she was alone. That, and you all really took to it!
The Lulamoons were the other characters I hadn’t originally planned for. In the earliest draft, when Sunset finally did move out, she was going to stay with Rarity. I feel like, out of all the girls sans Twilight, Rarity would be Sunset’s best friend, and she would offer to take Sunset in first.
I can’t remember why I changed it. I just remember that Sunset living with someone outside of the Mane 6 sounded better. I know what the reason is now for switching it to the Lulamoons, but I don’t remember what it was when I originally thought of it. Either way, the reason I picked them and not Celestia like so many other authors choose, is because I want to give Sunset the full family experience. She has both a mother and father figure, and a sibling rivalry in Trixie.
And I’m not gonna lie, Artemis holds a special place in my heart. How he is is how I act to myself when I’m alone: a well meaning, narcissistic showman. Only, he can pull it off. He’s had an interesting history. He was first designed to be the villain in a story that will never happen now, with a tweaked personality. Far more dramatic and prone to speak in theatrical prose.
Selena pretty much got a fresh start in this story, since in the one where Artemis is the villain, she’s dead.
As far as their magic goes, they’re descendants of Merlin. Happy now? I didn’t want to talk about it in this story because that is a whole different can of worms to go into.
And as some people have already said, Sunset isn’t super wowed by their magic because she’s been hanging around them for half the story, she’s already kinda warmed up to the idea. And she has bigger priorities to worry about. There’s also another reason, but I’m saving that for later. Anyway...
The idea for the science fair was kinda a late game entry. I didn’t think of it until about chapter 15, but it was a great addition and helped Sunset and Twilight’s interactions.
That actually had several different outcomes I toyed with. The first one was a scenario in which their project wasn’t stolen, but a mishap still causes the CMC’s blimp to malfunction and set off a chain reaction ending with the sprinkler systems going off and short-circuiting the EMP and the robot. Every project would be messed up in some way save for Twist’s making her the winner. I just wanted to do it so I could say ‘what a Twist!’
There was a brief scenario in which Sunset and Twilight lost. Sunset would tell the boys to close their eyes, then lick her hand and press it against their mouths prompting Twilight to do the same. But in the end, I wanted the girls to win, one because I did tack on the lost project scenario, adding more kicks to Sunset while she was down, and two, I wanted them to get the tickets so I could send them to the museum for their date.
Sunset really needed a victory. She wasn’t going to get another one until the dance.
Everything past Thanksgiving underwent several changes multiple times. Some of them were quite drastic to what was decided on, while others were slight tweaks. The earliest one I believe was where, Sunset and Twilight didn’t have a brief falling out at Thanksgiving, but they didn’t kiss either (most scenarios they didn’t kiss). They go to the ball together, but Twilight wins the crown, much to her own surprise since she didn’t run. Seeing Twilight with the crown would make Sunset remember the other Twilight, and she lashes out at SciTwi, calling her ‘Princess’ in disgust. Twilight runs off in tears and Sunset storms out in anger.
I believe after that is when the rest of the girls would have their falling out. Sunset, lost and hopeless, would then go crawling back to Twilight to beg forgiveness and ask for help. Not sure what the plan was to get their friends back together, but they would and then Sunlight smooches on New Year’s Eve.
In another version, Sunset uses one of the artifacts in Artemis’ shop to contact Princess Twilight and ask for help, but that one didn’t work out either.
And then, in the first version of the final version, Rarity was going to win and give the crown to Sunset after seeing how hard she worked. But then I came up with Sunset’s plan to have Twilight win and thought, yeah, that’ll work even better.
Another reason I decided to end the story here was because, at the time, I didn’t have much of a story left to tell, at least in regards to Sunset’s reformation. I really didn’t think I could drag out until graduation. I had a few small ideas and a new character to introduce, but nothing really solid.
Then Rainbow Rocks happened.
Once again, going into the movie I decided, no matter what happens, I’m sticking to the plan! And I did really except for changing Twilight appearance to fit canon SciTwi’s. But, I did have a period where I considered using Rainbow Rocks as a dramatic finale for the story. Things would have been changed to fit my current universe, but the end result would have been more or less what happened in the movie with an added bonus of Sunset’s penance wearing off.
The only reason I didn’t go with that is because I thought it would be too much of a shift in the tone of the story. There was a lot magic goin’ on there.
Still, it showed that there is magic in this world, so I’m justified in my use of it. Nyeh.
Not a whole lot to say about the characterization of the main cast. Sunset started out as a defeated megalomaniac with some anger issues and the pride of a lion. The end game was to make her a jerk with a heart of gold.
I had a lot of fun exploring her psyche and thinking about what makes her tick and why she acts the way she does. Just being in the head of someone who thinks they’re so better than everyone else, and having them slowly realize the consequences of their actions is amazing.
The real challenge was making this Twilight different enough from the princess. I wanted her to be a little more shy and a little more… innocent I guess you could say. Now that SciTwi is a thing, I can pick of few little traits from her and add them to my Twilight. I’m already borrowing the look, but I don’t Sunset minds too much.
The interactions between these two are also some of my favorites. God, if it wasn’t for the curse, the amount of sarcasm Sunset would throw in Twilight’s direction in the beginning would be astronomical.
Pacing wise… well, if there’s anything I pride myself on for this story, it’s the pacing. While some parts went on longer than I expected them to, I think the entire story moves at a really good pace. It took 42 chapters to tell a story that took place between the end of September and the New Year. I think Sunset’s character growth through the months is solid as well, in fact, I don’t know how I could have slowed it down any more. Though, I do wish I could go back and write her as an angry, sarcastic, narcissist sometimes. Guess I’ll just settle for sarcastic.
Some could argue that the romance moved a little slow, but it really didn’t show until chapter 14. Still, I may have dragged it out just a little bit at the end. I originally wrote Victory Road as one chapter, but it turned out to be 13,000 words long! 12,000 word chapters are really pushing it for me, so that was an absolute no-no, though it pained me to have to push the kiss back another chapter.
Lyra was never meant to be a straight up antagonist, just a passive-aggressive bitch. Still, she was a lot of fun to write. In fact, I really enjoyed getting to use a lot of the side characters in the finale there. I also loved how all of you thought something terrible was going to happen. It’s like you know me or something.
41 was a blast to write because of adorkable Twilight. And Cadence’s little threat.
And the last chapter where Sunset wins. Twilight was always going to get the leather jacket for Sunset, that was determined at the start. Sunset getting Spot was decided on when I brought him back the second time. She needed a pet, and I thought the two of them would be adorable. Fluttershy agrees.
This story has 42 chapters. 42 is the answer to everything. Ergo, Long Road to friendship is the answer to everything!
I decided to break the story up into four acts because, well, I like to make separate acts for stories. Each of them are based on lyrics from a song I think fits Sunset. “Viva la Vida”, “Some Nights” (which was also the original name for chapter 17), “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”, and of course, “My Past is Not Today”.
My favorite chapters to write were 17, which took me really, about a day and a half to finish. It stands as the turning point for Sunset and I love how it all came together. 26, because I got to change up the writing style for the story and tell Sunset’s past from her perspective. I don’t think I could have done it any other way, telling it like the standard of the rest of the story would have been boring. It also really shows just how far Sunset has come. And, i got to write a little bit of bitchy Sunset, so that was fun.
Chapter 30 was like 17, in that, I could have finished it in a day, but I had to do some research on hydroelectric turbines so I at least sounded like I knew what they were talking about. But, after kicking Sunset repeatedly the last few chapters, having her win was a nice change of pace. And the word vomit Twilight has, oh that was so much fun!
I like 31 just because of all your reactions.
And finally, 39 and 40, because, well… you know.
Every chapter has something in it I like of course. I try my hardest to make each chapter worth remembering in some small regard. They’re sprinkled with so many things, big and small, that I have to always go back and read them to make sure I don’t contradict myself.
But, man, oh man, has it been a long journey with this story. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with it for quite sometime. Hell, as weird as it sounds, I was jealous of this story for being more popular than Sunset of Time. I poured my heart and soul into that story and it struggled for the longest time. This? This became an overnight success.
That’s not to say I didn’t try with this story, I always tried. I just couldn’t figure out why people liked this over a deep, adventure story. I learned to just roll with it eventually, but sometimes, I still stopped and looked back thinking, ‘this story sucks! Why do people like it?’
It’s still far from perfect but I’m starting to understand why a lot of you are so fascinated by it.
So, here we are, at the end. It two two years and two months but we finally made it! The S.S. Sunlight has sailed and I won’t apologize if you’re not onboard.
Geez, who do I have to thank? A lot of people, really. JustAnotherTimeLord and Icarus_Gizmo for teasing me and telling me Sunlight was a good idea. Cerulean Voice for editing up until chapter 16, and Nomad Sigma for all the rest. Flint Sparks and Starlight Nova for their contributions as well.
HenryAnthonyCourtler for helping me get back into it after Nanowrimo. Sholan for whipping me and doing a little editing here and there. Zomg for not hating it when it was shoved into his face repeatedly. Timaeus and Between Lines for trying to help me figure out the last quarter of the story.
Not done yet. Quayy for translating this fic into French. Freaking French! My fanfic has been translated into another language! And it’s going to be translated and printed in Russian! Thanks in advance to Lezvion! Vero-Chan who is doing the audio reading of the story, and it is amazing! It’s the reason why I understand what you love about this fic! (I’m not sorry about anything, Vero!) Pen Espers and Clownfish for making fanart for the story. I love all fanart I receive but I think this one might be my favorite if anything because, you can see the height difference between them.
Whoever made the TVTropes page, you have my thanks as well, especially for adding Sunset’s best quote at the top!
And then, finally, to all of you. You all vex me sometimes, but damn it if I don’t love you! Whether you’ve been here from the beginning or jumped in recently, thank you for putting up with me and this ridiculous story. Thank you for the comments, thank for the critiques (even if I don’t always agree), thank you for the support.
I’m glad that I inspired a lot of you. That’s really the greatest thing I could have accomplished, to inspire others to go out and follow their own passions.
Now, don’t thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Sunset for being such a good character and for putting up with me tormenting her. I’d say she’s earned her break.
As for me, well, there’s always work to be done.
Well, you’ve been patient, and you’ve waded through my ramblings (or just jumped to the end, don’t blame you if you did) so I think you’ve earned a little bit of a treat. I’ve said this before, but here it is, the official, 100% conformation straight from the author’s mouth.
Long Road to Friendship will have a sequel. The story will continue in Spectacular Seven.
That’s right, your favorite ice queen and all her friends will return later this year in a brand new story. It’s based on the pillars I’ve begun to construct in this story and will answer all the questions that weren’t answered. What’s the source of the Lulamoon’s magic? How far will Twilight and Sunset go in their relationship? Where is the human Sunset Shimmer? Who is Twilight’s mysterious best friend?
… I don’t know why I’m still trying to be ambiguous about that, I’ve already mentioned her like, three times in the story. It’s Moondancer. But it’s not the one you’re familiar with.
The story will start out as a slice of life, but will soon take a turn for the magical and adventurous. Currently, it’s broken into four volumes with the first being a retelling of Rainbow Rocks. Yaaay, I get to write the Dazzlings!
That’s all I can say about it, as it’s still in the early development stage, and I won’t be giving it a lot of serious thought until this summer, so expect it sometime this fall.
Well, that’s everything (hopefully). Thanks again for walking this long road with me. Stay beautiful Sunset faithfuls. And be on the lookout for my next Sunlight project Across the Shimmering Sea. They’ll be pirates!
Long Road to Friendship. End.
P.S. Feel free to ask anything about the story!
BEST AUTHOR!
I find it hilarious that you expected me to hate it, but, given my reaction to the Dazzlings after having them shoved in my face for months, I suppose I can't really blame you.
That said, I should probably finish reading this thing. >.>
You know, part of me keeps wanting to see Sunset take Sci-Twi to Equestria for a day or two, even if its just for a date.
These weren't the questions I most wanted answered. The question I most want answered, is what is Sunset going to do about her former home? The mirror officially reopens in 2 years, but if you're doing a retelling of Rainbow Rocks then it might open earlier (I have a hunch it won't); at that time, Sunset will likely have to make a choice and it is that choice that I'm most interested in.
Also, will there be fanart for Sunset's new jacket?
Easily one of my favorite stories. Thanks for writing, Albino.
To clarify something in the post-script: I'm the one who made the TV Tropes page. (I'm known as KingLyger on TV Tropes. Not trying to brag, just an FYI.)
As for a question, I've got one related to one I asked you in an FAQ before. You said the best writing advice you ever got was "write for yourself." Since you said in the postscript that you preferred Sunset of Time over Long Road to Friendship, how do you think that will affect Spectacular Seven when you write it?
This was like, the Holy Grail of fimfics. Thank you for writing it!
Can we get a picture of how you imagined Spot to be like?
Twilight isn't going to be part of crystal prep (if you do eventually cover friendship games to an extent) would certain things that might have happened to twi in that might happen to moondancer?
also would their be redemption for the sirens (if rainbow rocks in future stories)?
3725300 Spectacular Seven is ideally less slice-of-life and more action oriented like Sunset of Time and I think I excel more in that department. Every story I write gets a unique kind of love, SoT is just the standard I hold myself to.
That said, I don't have any super lofty or high expectations for SS, mostly because it is a sequel and we all know the stigma around them. But, I plan to tell a powerful tale not just for Sunset but for all the characters involved.
3725314 That's a hard one. I'll have to go look for something.
3725331 My Moondancer is very different from the one the show gave us. As such, her circumstances are different as well.
And that would be spoilers, so I can't say anything.
Congratulations on a spectacular finish. How do you feel?
3725351 Happy, tired, hungry. I haven't yet. And I still have work to do before I can take a break.
OK OK ok ok...... i love that you finished this amazing story i enjoyed reading it even through the long hiatus but please and i mean please finish Sunlight you left us on the worst of all cliffhangers.
My question: What are the reasons why you consider Sunset of Time to be the better work?
3725347 ^_^ fair enough.
there was the chace that you'd give me an answer in a PM but I'll wait.
Its just that having them just run off like that without more resolution at the end of rainbow rocks (and not even a cameo in friendship games) is the ONE thing that irks me about the whole EG universe/storyline
I still feel that sort of feeling where I don't know what to say! how do you sum up a long journey like this into a single post?
The first thing you wrote was that you never felt it was your strongest work and that Sunset of Time was superior. I honestly have to agree with that point. Back when that story was still updating, I honestly was much more excited to see that story going further instead of this one. I obviously really enjoy this story and all your works, but that one just felt like it had more going for it. It was an adventure, it had magic, it had ponies. It just had a very different charm and tone. This was a much more down-to-earth slice-of-life story with Sunset kicking and screaming as she's pulled down the long twisty path to friendship. The adorkable Future Sunset Shimmer is still my favorite interpretation of the character, as much as I've grown to enjoy this Squidward-y jerky Sunset with a heart of gold.
(And yes, I keep referencing Squidward Tentacles of 'Spongebob Squarepants' because his jerky, sarcastic, but ultimately good-hearted natured fits in a lot with how Sunset is
.)
That's not to say that there weren't tons and tons of things going on in this story. Both big and small. It was littered with hooks and it's a story where you really have to take your time to read through things carefully or you'll miss a hidden reference to something. As a reader, it was doubly exciting because the hiatus and breaks between chapters meant that I inevitably forgot some things from way back that eventually became relevant much later. The leather jacket in the final chapter was something I pretty much completely forgot. The same with the Aerospace tickets. As a reader, it's fun to see these things get pulled back at the end :3.
The slow burn of this story also made for some pretty incredible build-up. The Final Act was just heartbreaking. Shining Armor confronting Sunset outside of her factory will easily stand out as one of your best moments because there was just so much slow looming build-up to it. We knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but it was still squeamish and terrifying when it finally did.
In general, this story also didn't get as "epic" as I expected. I just kept thinking over and over that we'd see more of the demon and the Elements as the story reaches it's finale. You kept things firmly down-to-earth which does honestly fit with the tone of this story. This story just isn't a very 'magical' story at all. Even with the curse, it's got a somewhat gritty 'realistic' vibe to it that contrasts very sharply from the high-stakes magical adventure in 'Sunset of Time'. It's only empathized even more by the fact that Sunset Shimmer is very "rough around the edges", drives a motorcycle, and lives in a factory. I guess that's what happens in a story that takes place in a non-magical world like this.
Of course, there were certainly many things that I wondered about throughout the course of this: Why couldn't Sunset Shimmer open the door to her factory moments before Shining Armor discovered? what the heck is Lyra's deal with Sunset? Bon Bon curiously is no where to be found, so I assumed that had something to do with it.
As a whole, there were many many things that I was so certain would happen. It's interesting that you say there was going to be a plot where somebody was going to manipulate Sunset into breaking up with Twilight. I was just SO dead certain that was going to happen at some point! that somebody would pick up on Sunset's curse and use it against her in the final act to undo all of the help she's been. Maybe they would have accidentally said "please" and Sunset would have obeyed them. Flustered, they would ask what she's doing and Sunset would be forced to explain the whole curse to them. It would have really ramped up the drama in the final act and just make things really exciting.
Speaking of the curse, I honestly just went with the flow. While I can't name anything of the top of my head, I felt there were moments throughout where Sunset could have been forced to obey a command. It varies a lot in how it takes effect and I honestly stopped trying to make sense of when it decides to work. I don't necessarily see that as a strike, but I can understand if someone would want a bit more explanation on when it decided to take effect and when it didn't on others.
Speaking of going with the flow, that's exactly how I felt about the Lulamoon's magic. By Starswirl's pointy Beard, did people complain about that! I said more than once that I just treated it the same way that I treated Pinkie Pie. Artemis does what Artemis does and that was enough for me. He was easily one of the more fun additions and reminded me a lot of magicians from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In fact, all of these characters in this story could probably fit into a case in that game series. It's just so over-the-top!
And honestly, I expected Sunset to feel even a little grateful to Princess Twilight somewhere in there. I suppose the best is her admitting that she pulled her out of the crater, but I'm surprised that she never felt anything at all when it was because of her that Sunset fundamentally began her journey toward friendships. It was Sci-Twi and all her friends and experiences that led her on this journey, but it was Princess Twilight who started it all. Even if it was a tiny begrudging thanks, I was wondering if there would be anything at all. I guess even with everything she's been there, there's so too much baggage there for it to be fixed up in one story.
Off the top of my head, I think my favorite moment in this story is the Halloween party. It's immediately jumping to the forefront, and I think it's because it was Sunset's first major victory. She's having fun with these girls to her own surprise, she's adorable as she flees through the haunted house, and she pours her heart out to her new best friend. It felt like the first truly happy moment for her in this story and hugging Twilight in the kitchen could arguably be my favorite moment <3.
I feel that's all I can say! there's just so much to think about, and it's amazing that it's all over. Of course, you're making many more stories and there's always more to look forward too.
I can definitely say this though: thank you Albinocorn and all for all your work into this wonderful story. It was a journey of it's own watching it play out and you all helped to make one of the best stories on this website. I feel it's important I emphasize 'all' because all the editors, beta-readers and so on helped play a part too who deserve credit. It was a blast going through it all...and I will admit it was enough to pull me from my own writing cryo-sleep and continue my own journey that I haven't pursued in years. I don't know where I'm going with that, but it was enough to make me want to continue and learn. That might be the biggest thing this story gave me ^^.
Well done, all!
Questions? Just one. You mentioned in chapter 42 that Pinkie's birthday is on leapday. That means it's in february/march. Are we going to get PInkie Pie birthday shenanigans sometime in the sequel?
7.5/10? I CALL BULL ON THAT!!!! I say it's about.... 9.5/10 .
3725269 I think it would definitely fit into the story, with Sunset feeling (kinda sorta, in a way) homesick right near the end. But either through that or a Rainbow Rocks - type of thing I want her to meet Princess Twilight again. There's no way it's healthy to keep in as much anger as she still has there...
Plus it'd be so easy after Princess Twi came across to have Sunset later rant about her to Twilight...and be ranting to the wrong one
3725335 So do you plan on having any specific elements from either Rainbow Rocks or Friendship games (modified to fit in-universe of course)? Especially since I couldn't help but notice some of the group "seeming to glow" a couple times
So I need to make this clear: I really don't say this often, but right now I feeling it.
Albinocorn, if I could hug you right now, it would happen.
For as long as I've been following the fandom or its fanfiction, 'The Long Road to Friendship' is the first long form story that I got to enjoy back when it was three chapters in. Usually, these big, occasionally popular stories have already completed and found their accolades. It was great to ride this adventure in all its phases over the last year.
Thank you, Albi. Now take a big breather. We all eagerly, patiently, await your next work. No hurry, though.
P.S. Now that was a healthy dose of Sunlight.
will sunset ever acknowledge that she has all this due to princess twilights actions? i think sunset call her tormentor. i was just wondering.
I love the fact you said there will be a sequel.But like every good story it must come to an end.This is my favorite story about sunset and sunlight ship iv reed.You stayed true to the ending and did not add rainbow rocks and friendship games.You pictured Sunset exactly how i imagine her and i respect you even more for it.I cant wait for sequel and thank you for writing this story.
3725354 More work? Dood, get a bite and relax, you've earned it.
Thank you for the excellent story, I signed up for an account just to post thanks for wonderful stories like this. While post-Rainbow Rocks Sunset is pretty popular (I think?), it was just fascinating seeing EQ1 Sunset having to deal with reformation, especially one that still had a lot of pride and flaws, and didn't just have her personality instantly "fixed" by the friendship laser (well, I'm simplifying, but friendship laser is the answer to most in show problems). I can see why the curse was useful as a way to force Sunset's character development along, but glad that it wasn't that necessary after the story had its momentum going. Well, aside from ruining Thanksgiving, but happy you set the dance as Sunset's comeback. Though honestly the story probably could have ended there, but the other slice of life chapters were great too, and its nice to see Sunset enjoying life too.
I also loved how you wrote the rest of the characters, Artemis was fun, Trixie was good as a rival after Sunset cleared things up with Rainbow, even the Twilight doll. Sunset of Time is great too, its just that I was really curious to see what happened after EQ1, or for stories that filled the gap between EQ1 and Rainbow Rocks, so that was why I followed this one more closely than SoT. Well, that and I find the human counterparts to the Mane Six interesting too. You always had a great handle on Pinkie for instance (a Leap Day birthday makes a frightening amount of sense to justify her being only four... though I can't see Pinkie celebrating her birthday only once every four years, so she probably makes it up with unbirthday parties). Not to mention having Sci-Twi well before Friendship Games (and all those references to Moondancer have to be leading somewhere).
I look forward to more stories from you, all of your works are so much fun. Though I know its a low priority (with Sunlight and Firebird closer to completion), but Double Sun Daze is probably one of my other favorites, simply for the hilarity of it. I wonder, any chance of ever writing a Princess Twilight and Sunset romance, for a change of pace? Even before FG, I saw the pairing of Sci-Twi and Sunset often, and now its really taken off after FG. Looking forward to Spectacular Seven, I can't see Sunset being quite comfortable imposing on the Lulamoons forever (so Merlin instead of a human Star Swirl, hm? Unless Merlin is another name for Star Swirl in that world), not to mention her future, and her grudge against Princess Twilight. Sunset's putting it off for now, with the portal time limit, but I curious if you'll keep the time limit or Sunset's journal will pop up (don't think it has yet in this story).
It's finished? Congratulations! Where did I leave off on this...
Step 30. Oh. Well, I know what I need to do soon.
3725357 A lot of reasons really. Mostly, I feel I just do a better job at adventures than slice-of-life. But, I love the characterization I gave that Sunset and Vesper. I love the conflict, I love the interactions between all the characters. Generally, I felt like there was more emotion in that story. I love LRtF but SoT was really the first story where I felt I started to break out of mediocrity and push myself even further.
3725385 The door was just stuck. It was cold, it's an old door. The hinges stuck. Bon Bon, I have in my head is with Lyra even in this universe, I just never had a reason to pull her in.
3725392 Maybe. Since she's seventeen, doing the math in my head, her 'birthday' would have happened last year, but I might fit some sort of shenanigans in.
3725414 There will be a lot of modifications going into my version of RR. I think the most I can say for sure right now is that the Sirens won't just be targeting CHS, they'll be playing on a larger stage. Beyond that, the story is really my own, since a lot of my ideas came before FG. So don't expect to see the Shadowbolts.
3725416 I do have plans to address that eventually.
3725431 Can't. Homework to do. Stories to finish. Still, might eat something though. Maybe.
3725472 Any ideas brainstorming to work in Sunset's alternate self into a sequel somehow?
3725482 Oh, it's already been done. *Laughs evily.*
This story...for lack of a better word(s): Hilarious, cute, inspiring, insightful, charming, heart warming...need I go on? As one who dabbles in writing and is trying to get back into it; its VERY refreshing to see such a good story and I can't contain my excitement for the sequel! Rainbow Rocks is my favorite of the EQG movies cause it highlights Sunset at her "prime" for me...it shows her as the nice kind gentle smart and head strong girl I know her to be and the fact that her singing voice just melts my heart and soul every time i heart it lol xD Can't wait to see what you come up with...Should you need ANY help I'd be more than happy to help, Sunset is my FAVORITE MLP canon character PERIOD if only at a draw with Pinkie Pie...I know her character fairly well and truth be told...your version of her is AMAZING...Really i think the way this story happened SHOULD have been her redemption story in canon and I really mean that
Keep up the good work and i look forward to Spectacualr Sever
Oh, you're finished.
Maybe I'll get to reading the rest of it.
[grumbling intensifies]
It is honestly one of the best fanfictions I've ever read, and my favourite SunLight story. I am awed at how you stuck with this for 42 not exactly short chapters and fleshed out such one dimensional characters into such rich and amazing ones. Creating a whole level to the Equestria Girls universe that is basically yours alone and making it feel like a journey to us as well.
I only jumped into it when I found this site around the time of Friendship Games and started my own SunLight story September last year but I binge read the first 35 chapters like crazy. At times not knowing whether to hug you or slap you for writing such amazing work and alternatively coming up with too many ideas I wanted to use in mine. But thanking you ultimately even if it meant rewriting the first quarter of mine outright inspired by seeing what it could be.
Looking back at my own outline and what I have now, it's two different things, and that's for something that will never reach half the length or complexity of this epic, if I was so close to ripping my hair out, I don't envy the sleepless nights this thing caused.
But I look forward to the sequel, a lot. Honestly, it was such a great time reading this story beginning to end, you did something incredible with it.
Congratulations. I was thinking yesterday that this would make an excellent book, but this would be very hard to turn into an original fiction. It relies so much on EQG that it could not be completely stand alone. On another note, I now ship SunLight! Er, so long as you're writing it. It just feels weird to me to ship two girls together. But this was an amazing story. I actually liked it better than Sunset of Time, I'm not sure why. My reading preferences are so broad yet so narrow. Thank you for writing something so enjoyable, it even makes up for the month-long hiatus. So yeah. All I have to say.
*Buys ticket for sequel hype train*
So how was the curse lifted if Sunset still resents Princess Twilight? The elements said the last shard of hatred had to leave her for it to be over, but that never happened. Also, is the magic linked journal thing going to appear in the your sequel version of Rainbow Rocks? I almost feel like it'd be out of place having never once been mentioned before now.
Will the Dazzlings appear in any way shape or form? Oops Nevermind.
I don't know what I'm going to do with my life now that the story is complete.
I'm just completely flummoxed. How am I going to deal?
Probably just going to have to keep doing audio books to keep it nice and fresh.
Dang, Albinocorn, it's been a ride and I can't thank you enough for taking us on the journey with you. It's even got me kinda wanting to write a fanfiction of my own, but dangit I don't have the confidence! Haha, I can't wait to follow your work from here on out.
Because, whether we admit it or not, LrtF is a ship based story. AND WE ARE ALLL SUCKERS FOR ROMANTIC SHIP STORIES! Also because simpler stories are more...accessible to the average audience member than long, complicated, wtf is going on? stories. But of course I read that on the internet so it could be wrong, who knows.
I kind have to because this fic made me actually make a fimfic account back in April 2015, which has lead me to reading more fics than I'd thought I would. Some of them really good. So, thanks for inadvertently giving me reading material.
I do I have one question; how did you earn the discipline to sit down and write? I'm curious.
I have to admit, it's always a little sad for me to see stories I love come to an end, but it's more of a bittersweet feeling because it had a really good ending and there's also going to be a sequel which I'm excited for. I've been reading LRtF since about April about last year, and man it was so funny when I first found it, I read all the current chapters pretty much nonstop in about 48 hours. I just couldn't stop, it was so good! I couldn't believe I'd spent so long without knowing about it. It also helped because at that tie in my life I was dealing with a serious depression, probably the worst in my life thus far (fingers crossed I won't be dealing with anything on that level or worse in the future). So this fic, along with a few others, really helped me get through that dark time being able to look forward to it's updates and all.
I digress, this story certainly isn't without it's flaws, but nothing can ever be perfect. I would say I only starting having a little trouble with it after Thanksgiving (I clearly remember having to put down my phone before finishing the chapter, and nearly throwing it after I finished reading it). It was so hard to get through, not that the writing was bad because it wasn't, it was just incredibly heart wrenching, almost excessively so. Also I wasn't so certain about her living with the Lulamoons, but I think that was mainly because I, like Sunset, suffer from hubris, and have come to love independence to the point I would rather live on my own in a poor situation than accept the help of someone else (it seems you have helped me discover a character flaw of my own lol). Of course after seeing Sunset adjusting to living with them I could understand why (if not for the fact she would probably have to move out of the factory eventually) this was a good decision.
Anyways, this week of update has been amazing. It was incredibly satisfying to see Sunset and Twilight make up and then finally kiss. It also took away any doubts that I may have previously had in the story. Dare I say, I think this is probably one of the best Sunlight fics on this site if not the best. It's on of my favorites anyways. I plan on rereading the whole thing at some point, perhaps over spring break when I have time, or before the sequel is about to start.
Sorry for such a long comment, but I must say that you've made a faithful fan out of me! I can't wait for any and all of your future works, and I promise to read Sunset of Time when I get the chance so I can see what all the excitement is all about.
I thought Long Road was missing something by not having Sunset actually confront her feelings for Princess Twilight. But if the sequel is going over Rainbow Rocks then it'd be the best place to address that.
3725962
No, you're all suckers for LESBIAN shipping. Tell me, why is it that so many people go out of their way to write characters as LGBT, especially when it's done with characters that aren't LGBT material?
If you want to write lesbians, try writing for characters that would actually WORK as lesbians. Like Bon Bon and Lyra, or Applejack or Rainbow Dash. Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, on the other hand, just don't really give off a "Lesbian" vibe. I'm sorry, they just don't. Especially since BOTH of them have been romantically involved to some extent with Flash Sentry, a male character.
And speaking of male characters, you know what's great about straight pairings? It's that you have someone to root for, that you can relate to. You can put yourself in the shoes of the character of the same gender as you, and feel happy for them that they got this particular character of the OPPOSITE gender to be interested in them. Why don't most people in this fandom realize that?
I'm not saying that you can't get good characterization or storytelling out of LGBT pairings, but I think you need to be careful with which characters you choose to write about and how it's written, so that it makes sense. I don't think Sunset and Twilight would work as lesbians, but I could see another character like Trixie having lesbian feelings for them.
3726039 Because we matured passed the "ew, gay" stage of high school and realized that sexuality doesn't matter in terms of making it easier to root for a character.
Yay sequel!
3726082 That's not the point. I don't have a problem with LGBT people. Just have it make sense.
Why don't you acknowledge every paragraph in my comment before accusing me of homophobia? Or was that something you did fail to pass in high school?
3726133 Because I'm too busy laughing at your comment.
3726133
I thought you quit the internet. I am disappoint.
3726134 Really? Well, I'm laughing at yours, too. The idea of YOU passing anything in high school amuses me to no end, when THAT is the best response you have to offer.
3726141 derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/9/27/435846__safe_solo_image+macro_princess+cadance_idw_reaction+image_deeply+intrigued+cadance.jpg