For the Good of Equestria: Postmortem · 10:28pm May 4th, 2016
Hi everyone!
Phew--I just pushed the Publish button on the last chapter of this section, and, not gonna lie, it's kind of a bittersweet feeling. It's been a long road, but I hope that you enjoyed the final product!
Unfortunately, right now, I'm right in the middle of moving, so there won't be much/any fic-writing on my end until at least next week. As I said earlier, I plan on taking a short break from FtGoE, and focusing on WTF for now--but I'll get back on the horse soon, I promise!
Also, I plan on releasing a short side-story as well--just a little exploration into a different path that certain events in the story might have taken...
Frankly, I don't know when those will start posting. As I've said elsewhere on the internet, I'm something of an obsessive editor, so I try to have everything completely written and polished 'till it friggin' shines before it goes up.
As I recall, this first part of FtGoE took me about six months from start to finish, and WTF took about three weeks--but, now that summer is starting, I'm hoping to have a little more time to work on these. Either way, follow me if you want an update!
Now, before we go on to the fun stuff, I have to ask--do you guys have any feedback for me? Anything that you liked/didn't like about the style, plot, etc.?
And how was the update schedule? It felt good (on my end) to get chapters out twice a day, but I have no idea how it felt for you guys. Too much? Too little? Just right?
I'm also considering updating this fic when I get back to writing it, rather than submitting whole new fics. Any thoughts?
Now, on to some secrets I've been wanting to share: consider this behind-the-scenes info:
-Somepony/Somebody: A few of my prereaders noted that I used "somebody," etc., instead of "somepony." This was intentional; I wanted to go a little more serious with this story, and "somepony" has always sounded like a bad pun to me.
-Celestia's element: Celestia was the Bearer of the Element of Generosity--primarily because of a visual gag, actually. If you look on the necklace/collar she ordinarily wears, there's a purple diamond in the middle of the necklace. And who else wears a purple diamond? Rarity. Though it started off as a bad joke of sorts, I really like where it ended up going: Celestia's generosity is the self-sacrificing kind, where she gives all she can to help--and maybe a little too much.
-Cinder: Cinder's name was decided really early on, actually--if I recall correctly, I was studying Cinderella in a folklore class at the time, which might have influenced my thinking. ...however, I realized really late in writing that I named the pony who burned to a crisp "Cinder." D'oh.
-Evil Discord: I have a blog post planned on that, but very short version: Equestria is founded on the principles of harmony. Discord describes himself as "the spirit of chaos and disharmony." That's not how a funny jokester would describe himself--that's sounds more like literal Satan.
-"Anarch of Equestria": ...riding on the back of that last note, Discord describes himself as "the Anarch of Equestria." This is actually a reference to John Milton's Paradise Lost (indistinct highbrow noises). In the scene where Satan meets Chaos, the ruler of the gulf between Hell and Earth, Chaos describes himself as the "Anarch"--meaning, roughly, "not-ruler." I love that term (that may have even been where the term "Anarchy" comes from, but I don't recall...), and it seemed doubly-appropriate for Discord.
-Flash's Accent: Again, one of those little experiments I was actually rather pleased with. I wanted to give Flash Sentry something of a personality, to make him stand out from the generic non-entity he is in the show. As part of this, I wanted him to say he was from a long-forgotten city, to establish that he really is a pony from history. I stumbled upon the "Roanoke" --> "Roan Oak" pun basically by accident, and he just kinda coalesced from there: IRL Roanoke is in South Carolina, as I recall, so Flash became an over-polite Southern gentleman with an earnest heart and zero filter. I'm rather fond of the guy now--and he'll be back, don't worry.
-THAT ENDING: Funny story--while brainstorming some plot points on Reddit, That Plot Twist popped into my head. Though I liked it, it sorta wrecked my plans for the rest of the fic. I actually wrote the whole Crystal Empire section first, and sent it off to a couple alpha readers for a quick thumbs-up, thumbs-down, and included the section with That Twist in it as a sort of thank-you to the readers. To my absolute surprise, that was everyone's favorite part of the thing. So, it became canon after all, damn the plans.
-Crystal names: With the exception of Sombra and Flash Sentry (who isn't technically a Crystal), most of the names for the various Crystal Ponies are derived from actual crystals or rocks. Emery, for one, is the name of a black sapphire, usually used in cosmetics (i.e., emery boards). Hence, she's the (black) Crystal mare that takes care of the Sister's domestic needs.
-Chapter names: As I said in an author's note, many of the chapter names were chosen rather carefully. In order:
Dramatis Personae: This is the chapter where the major characters are introduced. "Dramatis Personae" is the name for the cast list found at the beginning of most plays, so it seemed appropriate.
The Waste Land: T.S. Elliot's "The Waste Land." Been long enough since I've read it that I can't tell you if it really fits or not, but it's thematically appropriate, at least.
Hamartia: Greek word for the "fatal flaw"--a character attribute or action that leads to the downfall of the character(s).
Apotheosis: Greek name for when a character becomes a god.
Entr'Acte: French for "Between the acts," i.e., an intermission. This chapter is a short break between the two arcs, so it works well, IMO
Rubicon: The name of a river in Italy, and, symbolically, the point of no return. Meant to suggest that crossing the Azure River is a bigger decision than they know.
The Valley of the Shadow: Psalms 23:4. Also, considering that "Sombra" means "Shadow," IIRC, it fits rather well.
Forking Paths: named for Jorge Luis Borges's kinda-trippy "The Garden of Forking Paths." The title is meant to suggest that a) the sisters are going their separate ways, and b) they're making decisions that are going to change history.
Et in Arcadia: part of the Latin phrase, "Et in Arcadia, Ego"--"Even in Arcadia [Paradise], there am I," "I," in this case, meaning "Death." Meant to suggest that, though the Crystal City appears to be paradise, there's something deeply wrong underneath.
Anagnorisis: The Greek name for the moment in a tragedy when the character(s) realize exactly what's going on, and how much they've contributed to their own demise. Appropriate, I think, for the number of revelations that take place in this chapter.
I think that's about it for now. Let me know if there's anything else you're curious about!
And, of course, if you're interested in contributing further...
Fanart Wishlist
-Flash Sentry riding Princess Celestia
-Posie, Sill, and Corky
-Celestia's Six (i.e., "The Knights of the Status Quo")
-AU Queen Celestia and King Cinder
-Hurt Celestia and Angry Luna in the snow
Evil Discord - I remember when most people used that interpretation. I still prefer that to the way the show went with it.
Please pardon my ignorance, but I still have to ask what "THAT ENDING" actually is
Oh geez, I still think Evil Discord is the best villain in the show--if not in all of literature. In my headcanon, he doesn't just "flip" the mane six's personalities--he brings out the parts of them that they hate about themselves, and redefines their personalities around those (that's why they manifest part of their "discorded" personalities in other contexts). That's not just evil, that's straight-up twisted.
That's the reason why, when Discord attempts to Discord Cece, he talks to her in terms of generosity--"give the responsibility to other people, give me the element," that sort of thing.
And "THAT ENDING" refers to the twist in the last chapter... y'know, the kid...?