Story status and The Bronycon Experience

Hi everypony! Well, it is/was Halloween and as I had stated in the previous post, I'm here to give an update on the Silverstream/Gallus story and some of the other stories I've been working on as well as my time at my second (and the fandom's last) Bronycon. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad to see it pass away into legend so soon after discovering it.

Anyhow, I was attempting to have chapter 8 up by this point but hit a snag with one scene that I need to rework for Silverstream to keep the story's continuity. I and my editor disagreed on what the characters were supposed to do and how it did or didn't work with the message the story was trying to convey. I thought the way I had the scene was good and getting the emotion across but my editor had me pinned at the message it was sending. So chapter only has about 2/3 in the first edit while I'm trying to get the last 1/3 written and should have it to my editor very soon. Chapter nine is well under way from its outline form but my editor came up with a neat twist that would add a new dynamic to the plotline that I hadn't thought of and decided to include it with what I have written out so far.

"The Apple-Pie Hubbub" story for the 'write an episode' challenge group also has moved along into a first cursory edit by my faithful editor and, surprise surprise, they actually liked it. Sad part is, with the 8500 word limit, I've had to remove parts/scenes I wanted that made the whole thing seem more endearing and closet to the heart. I've had to strip it to (at least by my estimates) barest bones and stick to the most basic element of the storyline. It's about half way between fully written out and just the 'story mechanics' outline, as I call it. It sits at just over 10K words and I know my editor can help whittle it down some. I know there's one part I'm going to have to cut out due to the word limit and I'm bummed about it. I'm pretty sure the story will be okay but not have the emotion or impact I'm hoping for. Writing a short story with a word limit is sure a lot harder then I ever thought. Three cheers for those who can because it's a struggle for me.

The "Limestone Daphne Pie Saves Hearthswarming" story, my first posted story, is going to get retooled and updated, now that the series has come to a closing of one chapter and the opening on new ones. The changes, I think, to get it more in line with the cannon as it has been left off as shouldn't be too much of a stretch to do. There is one part I just can't decide if I should change it to bring it in line with the story cannon or keep it as my heart wants me to keep it because I love it so much.. I will hint at this point; it was a topic that had been a source of much deliberation and some angry word between fans for some reason. Being a late Brony to the fandom I didn't know it was such a hot button topic and that there were sides chosen on the Yea or Ney of it. Wow, wasn't expecting it get so intense.

The big adventure story; working title 'A tale of Two Princesses and the Unforeseen Consequences', has only had the first three chapters worked on. Mainly because In was holding off until the end of the series and wanted to see what/how it was left off. Somehow, through seasons 7, 8 and 9, this story idea managed to dodge every possible bullet of conflicting with the cannon of the series and can fit snugly somewhere in that timeframe of happening; only thing that might be a snag; should it take place before the School of Friendship existed or not? Having some new 'secondary' characters to bring in and not rely solely on the Mane-6 from some parts will make the reworking a little easier and has added some new possibilities to this story. I had originally envisioned this story idea after viewing about 20-25 episodes randomly selected from season six and back and watching the MLP movie twice. Part of me wanted the challenge of coming up with something on my own with limited exposure to the source material and since I was starting in season 7 as a fan.

The first goofs I wrote because I didn't know the show well was 1) I thought Starlight was a member of the Mane-6 and not Twilight's protégé along with 2) I didn't understand how the Map worked and the summoning for a Friendship problem, 3) I thought Twilight lived with the Two Princesses in Canterlot and Twilight had invited Starlight to stay with them; didn't know Twilight had her OWN castle. But that's all in the first chapters and has been changed. My editor thinks with just me reciting the basic story premise and interworking of what happens to the characters works, but needs to read the actual draft to be sure. This story is done start to finish, but there's some places where I just wrote out the scenes and didn't put in the dialogue. I guess in good time it will get sorted out and set right.

My Equestria Girls 'Rock N' Romance' story, 'I'm in the Band' is still sitting at chapter 6 outline stage, mostly because I'm in so deep with the Wonderbolts story right now. This was also something I was trying to make into a short story with a maximum of 30 pages in length. I really want to do a romance story for Rarity or Applejack; as the same lead male character can play off either character and still have the basic story plot work. Main reason I want to finish this story; lots of TRIXIE LULLAMOON in it! I was hoping the EQ girls series would have gone on longer as I liked seeing Sunset Shimmer finding herself a place in the Human world and be able to cross back to the Pony world. This series had the chance to tell a little more mature stories aimed at a teen audience but I guess it was not to be.

As I had only seen the very end of Game of Thrones (I'm not nor desire to become a fan) because my editor had it on the TV while we were working together one night, and by the sheer violence and graphic death by dragon's fire I watched, it gave me the most fantastic nightmare based on the MLP world that had me in tears when I woke up from it.
I have its working title as either 'Sunburst's Question, Twilight's Gift and Starlight's Rage' or 'Blackened is the End'. In about an hour's time and through the tears I just could stop crying, I wrote out what I could only describe as the darkest, ugliest, blackest, most violent and horrific thing that has ever come to my mind. Even after I was done writing it and went back and reread what I'd written, I just kept crying because it was so unbelievably violent and upsetting to imagine characters I love so much acting so horrible. When I showed my editor the outline I came up with, even they were upset by how the story came to an end; they didn't like it and recommended softening the end somewhat. I did make myself this promise; once it gets written out and edited and posted, I am destroying the printed manuscript and erasing the story from my drive because I NEVER want to see it, read it or work on it beyond what I have already. There is just too much darkness in it.

As a big fan of Starlight Glimmer, I have an outline for a story about her younger days of what might have pushed her along to her hating Cutie Marks beyond the brief reasoning the show had for her. It's written out in outline form and have its working title as 'Behind Blue Eyes' as inspired by The Who song of the same name. I drew a lot of inspiration for this story from that song and it really did help bring out some of the feelings I wanted Starlight to go though. As we the don't know weather Starlight's mom is alive or dead, I went with the latter and thought it as, maybe, the catalyst for her going the way Starlight did. I also wanted to show Firelight struggling as a dad; trying to raise a young daughter alone and run a business.

I grew up playing RPG games and loved the Dungeons and Discords episode immensely. So, I thought the next logical story should have been a follow up; 'Dungeons and Discords II; The Return to Spiketopia' where Spike, Big Mac and Discord are joined by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash for an adventure. I'm sure others in the fandom have done this idea but I though about giving it a try at some point. This story idea is written out for the most part but at the rate I write, it'll 2025 before I get it done.

I'll add the time I spent at Bronycon for the next installment of this blog ass it's taken me way longer to write this out then I thought and need to get back to writing. Leave any comment or question you have for me here and I'll respond ASAP to it. Bye for now everypony!