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// Author's Closing Words and Notes 
// Story: Of Hooves and History 
// by Ahmad J Charles 
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I'll start with a confession: This story isn't the best. Especially when compared to my older works, because back then I believe I had a stronger connection to My Little Pony (albeit a little crazied one!) than I do now. However, there still exists a strong bond with ponies nonetheless. 

Confession Number Two: I did cry as I wrote the final chapter. Partly 'cause I was listening to "The Magic of Friendship Grows" during the process.

But don't get me wrong. It's been a lot of fun writing this story. It began right after I watched the movie My Little Pony: A New Generation and immediately had an idea for a "Human in G5 Equestria" story. All the basic elements - the submarine, the main human character being a historian, archeologist, and submariner - were all there from the first inception. I also wanted to be among the first to write such a story on this site, and for the most part I believe I succeeded in that.

When I began writing this story, I intended it to be a fun adventurous story with a streak of mystery. But after Aiden's arrival in Zephyr Heights, I began to slip into slice-of-life mode and dragged the story out too much. (Shoutout to StarzGecko for helping me realize this!) You'll notice right afterwards I started to condense events and amplify the depth of them to shorten the timeline. Personally I believe this isn't good writing.

Due to personal life circumstances, I will be taking an extended break from writing. I can't say exactly when I'll be back, but hopefully early next year. Large, complex stories like this one are no more - I will stop writing them for good, simply because they're difficult to keep consistent progression with due to the hectic life I lead lol. As some wise old folks have said, keep it short and sweet! So that's exactly what I'll be writing next after my break - short, fun stories about Sunny Starscout and her friends - whilst keeping in line with canon. I also plan to write a story about bat ponies, too.

Speaking of canon, I need to catch up! I put so much effort into this story I haven't watched anything beyond the first movie and the first ten episodes of Tell Your Tale! Neither have I read any of the IDW comics! And the Make Your Mark special is calling my name desparately! I did get spoiled on a few things, such as  Sparky Sparkeroni, and Opaline's castle. I hate getting spoiled, because it ruins the excitement and fun of seeing something new for the first time. Keeping a positive atttitude, I turned it to a positive by mentioning Opaline's castle in the last two chapters by way of foreshadowing.

I will also be writing some reviews/commentaries/analyses on Tell Your Tale, Make Your Mark, and the G5-verse overall.

I'll see you all soon. Take care of yourselves.

With love and friendship,
- Ahmad J. Charles