May 2021 Update · 2:57am May 3rd, 2021
Going to restructure these updates a bit, as posting a list with "Not a lot of changes" isn't especially helpful, I feel. And I often work on things when I have a good idea for them, not just because they're on a list.
So, a review of April:
Let Me In, Twilight Sparkle: This story ended up serving a few purposes, both giving me a chance to work on a relationship fic and resolving a lot of my lingering issues with Twilight the Triumphant. As a bookend story it cleaned things up well, I think, and I'm quite pleased with it overall.
The Manehattan Sanction: I've wanted to ponify Bond for a while, but when I sat down to write it I planned to use an OC named Lime Light as the lead character (partly because "Light. Lime Light." as an intro made me chuckle). After writing about 2/3rds of the story I didn't feel it was working the way I wanted, so I rewrote it, cut most of the introductory sequence, and crafted it for Starlight instead. From the start I planned on at least one follow-up, so that will be coming in the not too distant future. Tentatively, the follow-up is titled The Baltimare Affair. It will be much longer than a brief one-shot, and much more epic in nature.
Now, for May:
I'm hoping to get at least two stories out for May. One of them will be an entry for the Original Pairings contest. I've had the idea for this one percolating for a few months, but was holding off to write it given time constraints and other challenges. Now that the contest is official I'm going to make it happen.
The second story, I'm not sure which it will be. It'll honestly depend on what I feel like working on the most, and how well production goes. If I can squeeze a third fic in, I will, of course.
To close, I thought I'd try something new this month, with a slight preview of some largely unedited prose for an upcoming project, Coronal Imbalances. This is an excerpt from the expected opening of the story, but don't be fooled - it's much more of an action/adventure piece than this excerpt would hint at.
I'll put it below the break, that way those who don't want to read it can simply click away.
Thanks for reading, and hopefully we all have a pleasant May!
- Graymane Shadow
Coronal Imbalances
“Princess? We’re ready for the next test.”
Twilight Sparkle crossed the final t on her report, setting the quill back in the inkwell before looking at her visitor. “Thank you, Rhombus. I’ll be along in a few moments.”
The young unicorn nodded once before leaving her in peace. A research student, he’d been assigned to Twilight upon her arrival, serving as her assistant in place of Spike, who hadn’t accompanied Twilight to the Frozen North.
And he wasn’t the only one, Twilight thought with just a touch of bitterness.
Intellectually, Twilight knew that relationships had their ups and downs. She knew that disagreements were bound to happen, and that time apart could be a good thing.
She knew all that and more. Yet all her knowledge did precisely nothing to ease the ache that was tightly nestled in her heart.
Six weeks was the longest she’d been away from Luna since they’d first started courting, but for Twilight it might as well have been an eternity. That the absence had started just after a fight only made it worse.
Luna hadn’t wanted her to go on this research expedition. She had protested of the dangers and hadn’t appreciated when Twilight had pointed out all the other times she had been in far greater danger.
Luna had said Twilight wasn’t being considerate of her opinion. Twilight had said that Luna was being selfish. It had escalated from there until Twilight had, none too politely, told Luna where exactly she could shove her opinions, and teleported away before Luna could reply.
In light of her behavior, and knowing Luna as she did, Twilight knew she shouldn’t be surprised that the other alicorn hadn’t written to her in the six weeks since her departure.
But it still hurt.
Sliding off her chair, Twilight rocked back and forth a few times, to work some of the stiffness out of her joints. Between the cold and the lack of anywhere to actually roam, most of the ponies in the small facility were facing similar difficulties.
And yet, for all her worries, Twilight truly was glad to be where she was.
Cool! I'm looking forward to it!