When a mysterious phenomenon in Ponyville sends the Elements of Harmony out of their world, they are confronted with mysteries that will make them question the very foundations Equestria stands on. Follow them as they embark on an epic adventure, exploring ancient ruins, unearthing dark secrets, and fighting to defend their home from enemies long forgotten.
Original idea by Mindblower, adapted with his permission.
Cover art by Mr Tech.
So, after years of work, two rewrites, and one change of the main author, the Dissonance saga has finally been written
Its story began all the way back in season two, and I had the pleasure of working on the plot intricacies of the first rewrite. When the sheer volume of the idea outgrew the free time of the original author, I was too invested in the project to just let it fizzle out, and so Mindblower allowed me to pick it up. It took another 6 seasons to finish, but finally, all the 60 chapters are done, and will be published weekly.
There is a lot of people that contributed to this project in one way or another, and it is my deepest regret that I don't remember all the names. (if you think you should be here, please PM me)
As it is, I'd like to thank Mindblower, who started it all, Bongo, Teddy Brooswelt and Kyria, who were members of the original creative team, as well as my pre readers and proofreaders, Everhopeful, Nonagon, Gadman85 and Basic Information, especially Everhopeful, who did most of the work in that regard.
And so, we begin. I hope you enjoy it. As always, please leave a comment. I thrive on those.
9536775
Nice stuff
Oh man. On the list of things I never expected to happen, seeing Envy and Arrogance finally finished after seven(!) years was probably top five. Probably even number two on the list behind only the completion of The End of Ponies.
I don't think words can describe how excited I am and how high my hopes are.
Man. Man oh man.
*of
You forgot to move Roseluck's line to a new paragraph both times.
You do this a couple times where you remember one comma for the explanatory phrase or direct address and forget the second.
I also tend to hate music links in stories, but this has so much nostalgia backing up the musical aspect of the story that I just can't help but enjoy that, too.
9537188
Three proofreadings and these things still show up...
That's the only kind of comments I'd rather receive via PM.
Also, I will now stress over whether my work can meet your high expectations
On the one hand, I'm really feeling all the suspense. It's great!
On the other hand, I'm really trying hard to remember what I can from Envy and Arrogance and Guilt and Hate, and it's basically nothing. I almost wonder if I should reopen that wound and reread them now that this is a thing... 🤔
9537406
EIther way, some key elements have been purposefully changed
Oooooooof.
So I've gone back and read through my comments on the old fics. Obsidian was apparently a character then, so that's why that name is familiar in this setting, but that's about all I've got
So based on what I do remember, the old fics were an "anti-Elements" series of stories. The idea was that there were opposite Elements to the Elements of Harmony with their own bearers. Unfortunately, I can't remember the lore that would relate to Obsidian's statements about the Elements and Celestia.
9537442
Man, and now I'm not sure any of my potential theories about how this continues will be any good. Everything is muddied by vague memories of the old stories
Clearly the answer is to just repost all my old thoughts from Envy and Arrogance
9537442
Well I hope Pinkie being awesome will not be changed!
Oh wow I thought this day would never come. Even if its done with a different face, and I read the original run..then the re-run, and now its this, I still get to finish what was started in the Dissonance saga. And from an author who wrote another cool story I read int he past too to boot.
Thanks Brain. I can wait to see this (though weekly, 60 chapters, a year of reading, wow).
9540234
what was the other story?
(Finished Chapter 2)
I am very confused...but intrigued.
I legitimately have no idea what's going on, and that's what's drawing me farther in. You've done a great job at setting up a strange, Lovecraftian setting and drama. You've done a brilliant job describing the setting: I can clearly see everything that's going on as it's described. Not a feat many writers can pull off!
The characters all feel natural and in-character, and their interactions are great, particularly Twilight's dialogue. I do feel that you could use dialogue a bit more to describe the scene and the ponies' thoughts and reactions, but this is a very minor issue.
There is one bit of criticism: the bit with Pinkie Pie and the snowglobe in Chapter Two. I don't understand what that's supposed to mean. What did her showing us represent?
Nonetheless, this is a really great story! I look forward to reading more when I have time!
9543447
I wrote it six years ago, and in hindsight, I have doubts about it too.
Long story short, Pinkie was being overly dramatic. What she wanted to say was actually simple, but if she expressed it in words, her manner of speech would probably clash with the scene. So a snow globe miniature of Ponyville was like an extreme case of Buffy-speak.
9543495
That...the city is like a snow globe? That it's self-contained? Fragile? I still don't get it.
9543515
And now I know it didn't work as intended.
I thought it was a common enough symbol in movies.
What it was supposed to mean was a miniature that is not real
9543586
Oh, okay.
Shoutouts to Pinkie.
I vaguely remember trials before. Hm. Anyhow, of course Pinkie would be the first one to figure things out.
9540268
Your follow up to World of Ponycraft, A Day at the Quest Hub. It was a long time ago but I do recall enjoying it. I may go back a second time to just refresh my memory on a slow night too.
"Souls don't get concussed."
Hell of a wham line. So is this like Ghost Story, where Twilight will only feel pain if she believes she should?
Hmm...I am most intrigued by this headcanon. You do bring up good points about Equestria's history having a lot of gaps and lost knowledge, and the idea about how the Elements work is interesting. But what reason would Celestia have to lie?
This better not turn into a Tyrantlestia story, though, I hate those...
9551834
It seems we both like to watch our readers suffer
Now, that made me think. I actually wrote this chapter years before reading Ghost Story, but now I see so many pararels...
9551846
Obsidian certainly seems to think so
It just occured to me, that for all the banana memes, I've only ever seen one fanfic where that notion was played straight. Some comics perhaps, but as far as fanfics go, I've seen way more good Chrysalis than evil Celestia. Then again canon Celestia got a postman stranded in the realm of chaos, because she was bored.
Mediocrity is such a horrible fate.
9556388
The comments are getting a bit meta...
First Pinkie, now Fluttershy. Things are looking good for those five! We're just gonna pretend Rarity is not gonna be tempted by that key...
Obsidian feels funky to me right now, but I can't put my finger on it. Hm.
I wonder, what made you choose to use a variation of Dragonshy for all the tests?
9570443
It wasn't planned when I started. Finding the right tests, especially for Generosity and Honesty has been a problem in all the incarnations of the story.
I just started brainstorming, and the idea emerged organically.
I like how you use Pinkie Pie here; giving her a role beyond forced comedy, actually using her extrasensory perceptions to help the characters, and the reader, understand what's happening.
What I'm most curious about now, though, is what's going to happen to Rainbow now that she failed her test?
9597279
Both her and Rarity are already linked to their Elements, so the failure won't prevent them from using their powers... but they'll have to continue on knowing that by Obsidian's standards they don't make the cut. That's a burden when there's a lot at stake.
You have been reviewed.
9621288
I'm grateful
"It's been almost a year."
You, sir, are becoming the master of Wham Lines.
9622709
of all that happened in the episode, this is what caught your attention?
9623798
Oh, there were other interesting details. That just stands out for some reason.
“Twilight Sparkle, I don’t feel so good.”
9632558
Complete coincidence I'm pretty sure this chapter was written before Age of Ultron.
Indeed, Celestia's looking more and more suspicious by the moment. I can't really imagine how she'd have a good reason for sending Zecora to spy on Twilight.
Minor critique: your writing could stand to be a bit more evocative with emotions. This scene, for instance:
This seems a bit dull and flat (especially since it's Rarity talking). You could spice it up by adding some details to tone and action, like this:
Show, don't tell is the motto. It takes practice, but you've got a good story regardless! I look forward to more!
9537188
I never realizsd that what Braininthejar was working so hard on was adopted from another author. It was only recently that I got the time to dedicate to checking this out. Do I need to read any Mindblower's works to understand this? Like the Envy and Arrogance line? Because then I would need another month until I could get back to reading this.
9632571
I think you mean Infinity War, although I
like Age of Ultron more.
9641272
1 No, this is a rewrite from the ground up, so it is meant to be self-contained (although some of MY fics are side stories to it)
2 No, I meant Age of Ultron, as a measure of time - this part was written that long before Infinity War
Celstesit ia lying.
the bones the girls found proved that ponies have changed due to their breeding with one another.
Please get twilight away from the sisters so they can learn the truth.
So celestia is either trying to discord twilight or steal her magic.
9662718
bzzzzzt wrong. Keep guessing.
All of celestias students where cultivated and then siphoned from to give her magic again.
9536775
So where does this fit in the whole envy and arrogance timeline, is it a sequel, a rewrite, a reboot, or what?
9698169
What is a difference between a rewrite and a reboot? The story is retold anew. Some things are changed because Mindblower got new ideas, some because I did. As such it is separate from the old Envy and Arrogance, but shares the world with some of my fics (both Tales of a Hidden World, and Adventuring Archeology)
9698456
Good question. I actually found this and for some reason thought it was a part of airstreams series. But now that I know where it fits it will be a lot easier for me to read.
Especially since it’s finished
9698583
I'll be grateful for any comments. My ego is starved for writer-reader interaction.
The atmosphere is great. I barely recall how this series worked but it was definitely fun to read.
That said it’s a fucking chore to read this on mobile which is a shame since the music adds a lot to the atmosphere
I hoping that this is going to come together since im a little lost, I also dont want to reread envy/arrogance and either potentially spoil myself or worse try to make this compared to it.