Five random horrible story ideas which I may or may not write. · 3:51pm Jul 8th, 2018
(As opposed to the random horrible story ideas which I generally do choose to write.)
(Saved you the trouble.)
Mythtaken (OC, Diarchy)
One day, while the sisters are visiting a distant nation, an archaeologist comes across a set of ancient scrolls. They seem to date from the absolute end of the Discordian era. They describe, in great detail, a conflict between heroes and monsters. Good vs. evil. The titanic struggle of cosmic forces, and do so in such a way as to leave no doubt that, despite the total lack of evidence that any of this ever happened, this must be an eyewitness account. The archaeologist begins to publish excerpts from those scrolls, a little at a time. Newspapers pick up the story. Ponies look at those writings and find the first seeds of a new religion.
Two weeks later, Luna gets home, takes one look at the front page, and asks who had the sheer nerve to publish her old fanfics.
Protest Too Much (CMC, Filthy Rich, Diamond, assorted Ponyville kids. Possible 'verse story.)
Most of us are familiar with holiday creep in retail: the tendency of any celebration to occupy as much of the calendar as it can. The Easter decorations go on sale while the valentines are still being taken down, and Christmas shopping often seems to start in July. In fact, this week, I opened a supermarket circular and found the first Back To School sale.
My inner child had one reaction to that sight, and it's not printable.
The concept here is basic: Mr. Rich's advertising staff makes the same error, posting a school supply sale less than two weeks after school lets out. And Ponyville's kids? Really don't want to think about that yet. They have nearly their entire vacation in front of them and suddenly, all their parents seem to be thinking about is getting them back to school.
So the CMC decides to lead a boycott of Barnyard Bargains. None of Ponyville's junior citizenry will buy anything there until Something Is Done. And how strong is this boycott? Did you happen to notice who was leading it?
But as more and more kids join in...
(One of the central issues on this one is POV character. This could easily be told from a CMC perspective, that of Mr. Rich, Diamond, or in frequent switch-off. Decisions, decisions.)
Clothist Colony (Mane Cast, OCs. Random Comedy if I ever saw it. Inspired by Skywriter's most recent piece.)
There's always somepony who goes against the crowd, isn't there? That one pony who insists that Sun and Moon move themselves, nothing is safer than playing with a dragon's hoard in front of the dragon, and the Princesses are wearing paper-mache cones on their foreheads. And when they get together in groups...
One day, our heroines find a little settlement which nopony's ever heard of. This group lives under a simple rule: nudity is wrong. Obscene. Anypony going about in nothing more than their fur is committing a crime. And so they live separately from the rest of Equestria, happily going about their fashion-clad lives. They have a lot of need for fashion. In fact, nothing does business like the dress and suit shops. And so at first, Rarity thinks she's finally found her people.
The last mysterious village in the middle of nowhere led to Starlight.
Given that, the current one might eventually be seen as a very minor improvement.
Dinner Special (Mr. Flankington, Slice Of Life. Title is placeholder only. 'verse story.)
Why does he keep running a restaurant when nopony ever eats at it more than once? What keeps him going? What kind of pony is he at the core? Can he be made to stop? Should he stop?
Did you know he's the very first Ponyville-based OC to be mentioned in the 'verse? But he went for stories upon stories without even being seen. And even now, we don't know much about him. There's an argument that he's way overdue for some degree of spotlight.
He's a decent pony. He means well.
Maybe that's the pity of it.
War Journal Notes From The First Equestrian Revolution: (2nd Grader Rarity Belle Commanding) (Comedy, Adventure. 'verse story.)
There's a little mention in Cut, Color, Carat, Clarity about how Rarity and AJ, as the only two Ponyville natives in the Mane Cast, spent their childhood together. To wit, they didn't. They had no real connection with each other, let alone any degree of friendship. They moved in different circles, and kept doing so until Rarity's path diverted her, against her will, to boarding school.
But I also mentioned that there was one decidedly temporary, very successful alliance.
And this would be that story. Two fillies come together, mostly against their will, to take on the deadliest force either has ever encountered:
A teenager.
There. I wrote them down.
Can't look back and laugh at something without writing it down...
These are all intriguing to one degree or another. Especially the more in-depth look at Mr. Flankington and Equestria's answer to the Children's Crusade. (Especially if they're retaking
the holy landa playground.)I like the back to school one, and as a kid we've all been there.
I'd love to see the Clothist Colony. It could go an any number of fun directions.
I am so offended. SO offended. That you didn't go with my suggestion of having this be a literal fight between the CMC and the Filthy RIch.
I want them all to go into the boxing ring and have Rich absolutely fucking LAYING IT on an 8-year-old, while two other 8 y/os try to find something heavy enough to knock out Rich if it falls on him. Rich doesn't even notice this. He's too busy demolishing this random kid who dared to challenge him. Just. Iron-clad determination. Total ruthlessness. No mercy, but no passion either. Cold, bussiness-like efficiency. In the background, the other two CMCs are like, looking for the right anvil or something, among a comically large mountain of anvils that is there for no adequate reason.
Because Filthy Rich put it there. He knew this would happen. This is what makes the fight interesting.
This, for 12k words.
In order from most interesting to least:
War Journal
Protest too much
Dinner special
Mythtaken
Clothist colony
I think the first three stories would be awesome!
Protest Too Much
Yes, but how mow much do kids actually buy, as opposed to their parents?
You'd need a picket line
IMO, different points of view for each chapter would work best.
Is DT for it (to keep her popularity), or agin' it (it is her father)?
Clothist Colony
Since this means clothing sales, I'd expect Rarity to approve
Dinner Special
Yes, something about WHY would be interesting.
Is he related to Sizzler?
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lyrics+the+food+blues&&view=detail&mid=C8E106092E84FAD9E09EC8E106092E84FAD9E09E&&FORM=VRDGAR
War Journal Notes From The First Equestrian Revolution: (2nd Grader Rarity Belle Commanding)
I've often thought that in Simple Ways (S4 E13), Rarity WAY over reacted. Almost as if this wasn't the first time that something like this had happened.
Of course, small towns you've got "town vs country", plus AJ was obviously a jock/ rodeo pony & Rarity would be theater clique + glamour girls & so very different circles.
I thought that "Clothist Colony" was a play on "Clovis Culture", but no, it's a play on "Nudist Colony". Makes sense.
I like that idea, 'cause there's the mystery of how it's gonna go wrong... Maybe someone else has a clue...
Oh, Pony!Recess. I like this.
So, Prance.
ALL of those seem like things I would love to read, especially the first one!
I like clothing colony. Especially if they cover what they consider obscene, but not necessarily what we would (everypony must wear hats, or you can't go out without a shirt).
I like all these ideas. I am a bit disappointed Mythtaken isn't a crossover with Robert Lynn Asprin's Myth series. It would be fascinating to see Skeeve, Aahz, Tananda and the rest of the crew of demons (short for dimensional travelers, if you please) making a pit stop in Equestria.
It's been too long since I've read those books. I don't even know where I stored them.
I would read any of the first three without a second thought.
More Barnyard Bargains shenanigans is always a good idea. And it absolutely must be from Filthy's POV. :3
I like that last one a lot, too.
Cobalt Blue Plate Special - Fits Mr. Flankington better :)
4897344 And the internal conflict they're having between the Hatters and the Tail Shrouders can make it *impossible* for a third-party to try to remain neutral.
4897299 Barnyard Bargains wants a secure place to park their carts at night. The CMC (and other kids) want to keep the old empty field with the BYB wall behind it for their kickball games (because without a proper wall to backstop, anypony who misses a pitch has to go chase the ball, and that can take forever) The orange cones go up and war is declared.
I have a take-off similar to Mythtaken that I've been musing. It's called The Real Diary of Clover the Clever and the Incompetent Boob She Works For in which Twilight discovers a diary in Starswirl's unlocked laboratory that paints a... ahem... slightly different picture of her treasured idol than she expects. Still musing on how to write the ending.
Stop pretending you're not gonna write all of these at some point and just do it xD
Gotta go with Clothist Colony
4897393
Darn it, now I want Clover's diary to be part of a trilogy. Because you just know that her counterparts vented in their personal writings as well.
I like the first and third, the rest leave me with the same sort of dread that your first version of anchor foal left me with.
4897409 The Real Diary of Private Pansy and Her Difficulties Serving Under the Bedwetting Coward
Smart Cookie and Chancellor Puddingheads Guide to Sub-dimensional Rift Management and Chronal Radiation Containment Through Baked Products.
i'm trying to imagine how "clothists colony" could go wrong...
maybe they have very rigid ideas about what "proper" clothing is? so anything new or different is immediately rejected?
Mythtaken
Protest Too Much
Dinner Special
Clothist Colony
War Journal
According to the rules of scaling didasters, the easiest way for the CMC to fight, would be to do absolutely Nothing. The vast reduction in daily Ponyville disasters will by magic and physics laws demand reetribution in all the disasters occuring all at once. For an example, see Asterix and the Pirates.
As for Luna, Im Mythinc something here, but its probably just my Mythconceptions and confusion with that holiday firm, Phules Paradise.
Mr Flankington Torgue Esquire?
No no no, that's not how you do it. Observe:
or play to the Internet's well-known feline weakness:
or even:
One of each for me please.
Could this be the first time that Diamond joins forces with the CMC? Story time is going to get awkward in the Rich household.
Oh look! The next story Estee publishes here will be Estee's 100th!
I wonder whether it will be anything special... Not that it has to be.
No pressure... *Peers through window at Estee's house with a crossbow in hand* No pressure at all...
All five seems really interesting but i'll admit Protest Too Much and Dinner Special seems more appetizing to me.
I want to read all and any of these. You golden goose, you. (but not a crystal goose)
The first two sound great. I'm not sure what the third would possibly turn out like, and the fourth doesn't hold much interest for me just because I haven't dabbled in your AU. The fifth sounds somewhat interesting, even if my take on their past together happens to be different.
But hey, that's what headcanons and fabrics are for.
For some reason, my mind immediately goes to having it be from the perspective of Amethyst Star, be it revealed at the beginning or all the way at the end. (Speaking of holiday sale creep...)
Until they learn that she rarely wears even so much as a single accessory. (Well, rarely by comparison to them.)
4897299
I count at least two that could qualify as "Equestria's answer to the children's crusade" myself.
I'm always down for another Filthy Rich story from you, but I also really want to see that Applejack/Rarity one.
My order from most to least favourite would be:
Dinner special
Really, really want to see this one. What does it do to a pony to have a mark that society isn't quite ready for in order to flourish? The psychology potential here is fascinating.
War Journal
Always up for more mane six backstory and seeing how they related to each other in your verse before canon.
Protest too much
Sounds funny! The annoyance of holiday sales creep is something most people know so there should be a bit for everyone here.
Clothist colony
Could make for some fun worldbuilding. Considering Rarity has established "trade relations" with her local pack of diamond dogs I also wonder if she wouldn't manage to set something up with these people too even after things go pear shaped.
Mythtaken
Luna always seems to get the "sounds crazy and funny but then dives hard into super sad" stories. Also the "documents from the discordian era" line made me very excited. But then it's fanfic. I'd rather love to see some real teasers of that era... if something like that showed up somewhere in there too my interest in this one would rise.
Yeah, I can't work out how Mr. Flankington is still in business either
Protest to much sounds fun, but I'd like it better outside of the Tryptych verse
4897393
My money's on the hatters in the end. Tails are meant to be free.
4898342 Exhibitionist! Swishing your naked tail out in front of foals! Aren't you ashamed? Obviously your brain is overheated by that atrocious hat!"
4898411
Faust wouldn't've given us tails if they weren't meant to be seen.