Epilogue 2 - Canon? We don't need no stinking Canon!
Twilight’s sun dipped below the horizon, at last bringing the day to an end. The orange hues bled out of the streets of Ponyville, replaced by the deeper purples, and eventually the blues of night. The grand old city had seen many sunsets like this one, and would see many more like it in the eons to come.
But for one couple, making their way out of town, towards the top of Kite Hill, the highest natural elevation near the city, this would be their last in this world.
For Discord and Fluttershy, the Former Spirit of Chaos and the Element of Kindness, respectively, were ready to die.
“You know?” the ancient, silvered mare mused, “I remember when we renamed it Kite Hill. Starlight’s funeral was so beautiful. I wish Sunburst had lived to see it.”
Discord, hardly changed by the centuries since his retirement, pushed along his wife’s chair and chuckled, “I think you didn’t mean to be cruel with that wish, my love.”
“Oops!” Fluttershy blushed, “I forgot! Please, don’t think poorly of me. I’m so forgetful these days…”
Discord leaned down and gave her a soft peck atop her silver mane, “Never. It’s natural for a pony your age to be a little forgetful.”
“Hm,” Fluttershy nodded, “Oh… how old am I again? Funny thing, memory.”
“Four-hundred and eighty-eight!” Discord loudly pronounced as they crested the hilltop, “But you don’t look a day over two-hundred. By design, you know…”
The two slowed down. Or, rather, Discord slowed down, and the chair-bound mare had to oblige him. They sat beneath a sea of stars, both looking up for a moment to marvel at the heavens one last time. A Draconequus paw settled onto Fluttershy’s shoulder, and her hoof held onto it in turn.
A small cough, however, interrupted their quiet moment.
“Um, hi?” Anarchy, Princess of Chaos, waved a hoof at her parents, who now turned to look at her. “What… is this?”
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy frowned, “Is something the matter?”
“Besides the fact that you’ve suddenly gotten old?” Ann trot forward, looking over her shoulder at the city below the hill, “I mean, Ponyville looks like Manehattan right now. And I’ve gotten taller again. So, yeah. Something’s the matter.”
Discord gave Ann a look she’d only seen once or twice on her father’s face, and neither of those occasions were very good. He scrunched up his nose and sneered in her direction.
“Dad? What’s wrong with you? Seriously, a minute ago, we were all hunky-dorey getting to know Zee and May…”
Ann looked about, growing concern on her face, “Oh no! Where are the babies!?”
“Babies?” Fluttershy shook her head, “Ann, you’re not making any sense! May’s been working in Canterlot for… oh my, centuries now. And Frenzy…”
Fluttershy looked away, “Well, he always took more after his uncle in that regard…”
“What?” Ann sputtered, “Centuries? Canterlot? Uncle Zephyr? What?”
It was then that Ann noticed her father’s face shift. Before, he seemed positively peeved, like she had just interrupted something important. Now though, he almost looked… scared? No, concerned. Definitely concerned.
Discord glanced between Ann and Fluttershy several times, in rapid succession. Seeming to have made up his mind, the Draconequus reached over, and snapped his fingers right in front of his wife.
Fluttershy fell fast asleep, instantly. Magically. Her adorable little snores only confirmed it.
“Please,” Discord said with a pleading tone to his voice, “Please tell me you know what an Epilogue is?”
Ann frowned and threw up her forelegs, “Epilogue? Of course, I know what an epilogue is! What do you think I am? An idiot?”
She put on her best pout and crossed her forelegs in front of her. Then, with just the right amount of huff, she added, “But, for the benefit of the readership, why don’t you explain to them what an epilogue is?”
Discord gave a flat look to his daughter, and raised one eyebrow suspiciously.
“Ahem,” Ann coughed again, then smiled sheepishly, “Please?”
This got the former Lord to smile, and roll his eyes mirthfully. He began walking to the edge of the hill, and beckoned Ann to follow. They approached the edge, where Discord took his seat. Ann sat down beside him, and leaned in, as though she were listening to a story.
“Alright,” he began, “So… when you tell a story, what parts do you need?”
Ann frowned, and stuck her tongue out in thought. “I… think Miss Silver Spoon didn’t get to that part with us. Shady says he likes stories where everything makes sense…”
Discord pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay, let me make this simple. Every story begins. Every story has something happen in it, and then every story…?”
He left the last part hanging for Ann, and she was quick to pick up the pattern he was laying out for her.
“Ends,” she said, “Every story needs… an ending…”
“Good! Glad you can follow along.” He held out his claw, and waved it about theatrically, “But sometimes, there aren’t enough endings to an ending. Sometimes, where the story should stop, and where the author wants it to stop, are two entirely different things.”
“I don’t think I get it,” Ann laid down in the grass, “If the story stops… then the story stops. There can’t be more ending than the ending… right?”
She felt her dad’s talons take hold of her cheek.
“Ah, my darling little thing,” Discord chuckled, “Proof that you don’t know quite everything yet!”
Ann didn’t resist, per say, but she didn’t much care for the cheek-pinching. Never did. Never will. Once he let go, she rubbed the sore spot and thought over her father’s strange remarks.
“Hmmm,” she hummed, “So… an epilogue is when the writer makes a mistake?”
Discord shrugged, “Close enough. He forgot to put more of something or somepony in his story, and desperately wants to throw some more in before it’s all over and he can’t anymore.”
“Can’t? Anymore?” Ann’s face morphed from confusion, to concern, to suddenly fearful. “Does… does that mean he’s not gonna write about us anymore!?”
“Ann…” Discord tried to speak calmly.
“OMIGOSH!” Ann leapt up into the air, “But I still had so much to do! So much to experience!!!”
“Ann…”
The Ponequus spun around in the air, pulling at her ears. “Did… did I not try hard enough? Didn’t people like my stories!?”
“Ann!”
“Was there fanart!? TELL ME THERE WAS FANART!!!”
Deciding that he’d had enough of this, Discord stuck his pinky talons into his mouth and let loose a shrieking whistle. The sound split the air, and cracked more than a few windows in the city down below. Far in the distance, one could hear car alarms going off.
Ann landed on her haunches, and covered her ears through the ordeal, even keeping her eyes shut, just in case. When it was all over, she slowly lifted her head, and looked up at her father.
“He’s going to write more of us, you know?” Discord said, warmly, with a smile. “He’s just got a bunch of other projects to get to.”
“Oh… that makes sense,” Ann mumbled. Her cheeks practically glowed in the night, so embarrassed was she.
Then, her face went all quizzical again. “But… wasn’t the last chapter an epilogue?”
“Can’t have too many epilogues, in my opinion.” Discord chuckled, and began walking around the hill top.
Ann pondered this.
“So…” she tapped her chin, “Why is this epilogue so much further ahead than the last? I… I was kinda hoping to be a foal for a while…”
Discord nodded, knowingly, “And you will. Jumping ahead like this doesn’t set anything in stone.”
“It doesn’t?”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then,” Ann waved her hoof about, trying to collect her thoughts, “Why is that? What’s the point?”
Discord smirked, and raised his eyebrows magnificently.
“Why, my dear,” he laughed, “Because this isn’t canon!”
“It’s…” Ann was taken aback, “It’s not?”
“Nope!” Discord smiled with glee, “Right now, anything is possible! The author wanted so desperately to have one more go with us before wrapping up that he went ahead and plotted this out!”
“Then what’s the point!?” Ann scowled, “If nothing matters…”
“Then everything matters!”
“That… that doesn’t make sense,” Ann shook her head.
Discord just nodded. “Yes. And?”
Ann paused in thought.
“Oh,” she sighed, “I guess that would make this…”
“Chaos Central!” little fireworks went off as Discord laughed.
Ann facehoofed, again. This was yet another of her Dad’s weird Chaos ventures. She’d thought she’d be done with these things by now.
“So… what?” she said, “We get to just… spout off headcanons and crackships to our hearts’ content?”
The way Discord’s smile kept growing, Ann was certain he’d pop before too long. And when that happened, she was not cleaning up the mess.
“But why does Mom have to be old?”
Discord sighed, and sat down in front her again. He pulled a chunk of grass out of the hill, revealing it to be filled with nougat, which he began sucking on with wild abandon.
“Basically,” he said in between mouthfuls, “This writer guy came up with a little Tolkien homage way back when he started planning this all out. But, in the meantime, things changed. Ideas changed. And before you know it, he had that whole ‘Twilight investigating Alicornhood for her friends’ subplot.”
“Oh, yeah,” Ann nodded, following along, “Guess that’s gonna come up with the sequel? Or, anthology? What the heck is he doing…?”
Discord waved her concerns away, “Regardless, things changed, but he liked the idea too much to delete, so here we are. We have a nice family moment, hint at some lore that may…”
“Or may not!” Ann smiled at the notion, now catching onto what this whole business was about.
“… come to pass!” Discord cheered, “And then wrap up the whole series for the moment with a song!”
Ann frowned again, “A song?”
“Well,” he shrugged back, and hopped up to his feet, “Theme song. I guess he listens to it while writing you.”
“That’s not weird or creepy at all,” Ann groaned.
Discord walked back over to where they’d left Fluttershy snoozing. “Now, help me out with this, have some fun, and let’s give your mother a nice ‘Grey Havens’ type send-off before the author makes everyone immortal and ruins his own alt-verse.”
“Would that be so bad?” Ann trotted over to where she thought she’d been standing before.
“Eh,” Discord shrugged, “Personally, I like the sadder stories where everyone dies. They’re more realistic, and they tend to have Twilight maturing and moving past loss, like a real person ought.”
“She’s a magical purple horse!”
“Irrelevant!” Discord brought his talons up, ready to snap the story back on track, when he looked over to Ann and asked, “We need to seed more lore stuff. Who’d you ship yourself with?”
“What?”
He persisted. “Come on, who’d you ship yourself with? Cheese? I know you liked him enough to go evil…”
“What!?” Ann’s eyes flashed fire as she realized what he was asking, “Ew! Dad! No! I’m three-months old! I shouldn’t be shipping with anycreature!”
“You’re a couple centuries old right now…”
“Stop it! You’re my Dad! Stop thinking about it!”
Discord huffed. “Fine! I was just trying to be an involved parent…”
“Just snap your dang fingers already!” she scowled, “And stop thinking about my love life before I do!”
The Draconequus quickly snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy awoke. She groggily lifted herself up in her chair, and yawned deeply. Then, almost embarrassed, she looked around, and blushed.
“Oh my! I didn’t mean to nod off there!”
Ann walked up to her, smiling, “Ah, it’s okay, Mom. It’s past bedtime, right?”
“Oh, yes. I suppose it is,” Fluttershy looked up at her husband again, “Didn’t you say there was something to see up here?”
“In a while, my dear,” Discord patted her head, “Just a little while, then I’ll show you my surprise.”
The three took up a spot atop the hill, and took in the stars once more. They’d shifted and changed in the short time they’d been up tonight, courtesy, no doubt, of a bored and awake Luna killing time before her next…
“Gig?” Discord offered, glancing curiously over at Ann.
“I guess?” she hummed for a moment before saying, “Maybe she’s a DJ?”
Discord frowned, but said nothing. He clearly didn’t approve, but it had already been established in the canon-not-canon of the epilogue.
“It will just be Twilight left,” Fluttershy sighed, wiping away a little tear, “She’ll only have Flurry Heart and her family, and Celestia and Luna… oh, and Celeste…”
“Liches…” Discord scoffed and rolled his eyes in contempt.
“Gesundheit,” Ann whispered.
“… and then there’s the Apples, the Pies, Ann, May, Zee, my animals…”
Fluttershy blinked a few times, and for once not to look past a cataract.
“Um, on second thought, I think Twilight will be fine, actually. It sounds like she’s still got a lot of us around…”
Fluttershy slightly leaned forward, and began glancing around.
“Mom?” Ann frowned, “What’s wrong?”
“Just feels like somepony is missing,” the elderly mare continued looking about. Then, she looked to her daughter, and asked, “Where’s Cozy Glow?”
Ann’s lips tightened. She’d completely forgotten about her parolee! The Ponequus looked up to her father, panic settling in.
Discord shrugged, and mouthed back, ‘Make something up!’
So… that’s what she did.
“Cozy… um,” Ann patted the grass at her hooves, “She’s… fine.”
“Fine?” asked Fluttershy.
“Fine!?” Discord gritted his teeth.
“Yes,” Ann nodded, “Um… we’re fine.”
“We?” asked Fluttershy.
“WE!?” Discord began tearing his ears off.
“Yes,” Ann licked her lips, thinking fast. Too fast. “We’re married, remember?”
Discord’s teeth clenched so hard they shattered. Fluttershy’s eyes widened, slightly… but then she just nodded, and smiled once more.
“Oh, yes. I forgot. The grandfoals were cute, at least…”
Ann took a step out of Fluttershy’s view and started silently retching and choking. Discord joined her, quickly pouring both a cup of seltzer. That being downed, Ann pulled a pair of ear-mufflers out, and placed them over Fluttershy’s head from behind.
“What was that!?” she whispered, shocked and disturbed by what she’d said.
“A good sign I need to take you to improv classes when we get back to Continuity,” Discord shivered, “Eugh… grandfoals…”
“Don’t remind me!”
“Well, we’d better stop before this Not-Real-Reality can’t take it anymore,” Discord glanced around, wondering aloud about the universe’s stability, “Don’t want Lil Cheese to have turned into an accountant or something…”
Ann grabbed her father by the shoulder, and forced the Draconequus to face her. “Look, Dad… Mom’s supposed to be the reader, right? That’s the metaphor we’re working with here?”
“Right,” he nodded.
“Good,” Ann frowned, “So, you want to give her a good send-off? Give the readers a good send-off? Then, now. Do it, now!”
“Alright. Alright!” he sighed, “Spoilsport…”
Ann smirked, “They’ve already read over a hundred-thousand words, you know. Don’t want to drag out that good will any more than we have to. Now get on with it!”
Fluttershy, ear-mufflers still on, gasped. “Oh no!”
Ann whipped them off her mother’s head and leaned in close, “What’s wrong?”
The Element of Kindness blushed, “I forgot about Sombra. He and Twilight’s anniversary is coming up soon. Wish I’d left a gift or something…”
Ann and Discord shared a look. It was angry. It was disgusted.
“Right,” Discord sighed, “Shipping was a dumb idea. This needs to end. Oh, look!”
Right where the Regent of Chaos pointed, off in the star-studded sky, a new light appeared. Slowly, the light approached, as the light of a boat that comes near the shore. It bobbed, and flickered, and it shone white as the moon.
And then, Ann realized it really was a boat. A rowboat, to be specific. The craft set its prow into the top of the hill, mooring itself. It was worked in dark oak, covered in spiraling designs and symbols of life; trees, birds, animals big and small.
The boat’s pilot appeared to be a rather small pony, dressed in a familiar white robe and beard.
Ann glanced up at the pilot. “Uh… why are you wearing that?”
“Because you didn’t,” Screwball peaked out from under her hood and winked her spiraling eyes.
“Huh?” Ann frowned.
Screwball looked around for a moment, looking for something. Then, the earth filly pulled out a stack of papers crudely stapled together, and began flipping through them.
“Okay,” she paused in her quick reading, “Is this the first or second draft?”
“We’re up to three,” Discord held up a claw with the number. “You’ve got an older script.”
Screwball tossed the whole thing over her head, “Oh, phooey! Who’s playing Gandalf then?”
Ann rolled her eyes, “Don’t you have your own universe to annoy?”
“Well!” the other pony of Chaos sniffed, “I can see where I’m not wanted. Fine then! Have it your way!”
Screwball took a bow before her small audience, and then spun her propeller hat with a swat from her hoof. It spun and spun and spun… until the filly herself was suddenly sucked straight into the hat, and… poof!
She was gone.
“Hm,” said Fluttershy, smiling, “She was nice.”
Discord coughed into his paw, then said, “Yes, well… um, Fluttershy? I do believe your ship has come in.”
“Ship?” the pegasus tilted her head, curious.
Discord indicated the floating rowboat, “Indeed! It’s time that we made our final exit.”
“Oh,” this time, her voice was low, and quiet, “Already?”
Ann’s hoof fell onto her shoulder, and the elderly mare looked up into the face of the first Ponequus she ever loved.
“It’ll be fine, Mom,” Ann smiled. Her throat tightened, but she pushed onward, saying, “We’ll see each other again, right?”
Fluttershy smiled back, and reached up to nuzzle her little girl one more time. “Yes,” she said, softly, “I suppose you’re right. Every journey ends, but that’s never the end of the story…”
Lord and Princess of Chaos locked eyes with one another, and nodded as one.
“Couldn’t have said it better,” Discord held out a paw for his beloved.
Fluttershy took his paw, and, with great difficulty, she pulled herself from the chair. Her hooves were shaky, and her vision blurred. Her wings shivered in a cold wind only she could feel… and yet, she stood.
In fact, she walked. It wasn’t more than a few feet away, but Fluttershy’s legs held as she marched forward, one hoof supported by Discord, and a protective batwing from Ann held over her other side, just in case.
The three reached the boat, and Fluttershy stepped aboard. Instantly, Ann could see the change. Her mother’s legs steadied. Her wings ceased their fidgeting. The old mare turned…
And Ann saw a smile that could coax the sun out at midnight. Its beatific nature felt like a rush of cool, clean air, like a sip of spring water. It was so beautiful, Ann thought she would cry.
In fact, she did. The tears flowed on their own, without her consent. It had only hit her now, just what this was. Just why this was happening. This was the end. The real ending. Be it her mother, or the readers, or innocence, or what have you… this story was over, and she could never take it back or do it over.
It was the finality of it all that got to Ann. That things had to end.
Fluttershy, dear Fluttershy, saw all that and more. She reached over the lip of the boat, and kissed Ann’s tears.
“Well,” Fluttershy sighed, meeting Ann’s eyes with her own, and sharing all the love she could through that one act, “Here, at last, at the edge of Kite Hill, comes the end of our fellowship. I won’t say, ‘don’t cry’, Ann. Not all tears are evil.”
Ann… just stared. She glanced, quickly, to her dad…
Whose jaw had dropped. When their eyes met, he silently asked her, ‘Did you tell her about that quote?’
‘No!’ Ann’s eyes screamed, ‘I thought you did!’
They stared at one another a moment… before the giggling started. And within moments, Ponequus, Draconequus, and pegasus were laughing beneath the starry, starry night. All thoughts of loss, or of threads, or of narrative devices were forgotten for a moment.
They could just live. And laugh. And love.
As family.
There were no more words, nor tears to share. Discord picked up the discarded paddle, and stood at the back of the little boat. While whistling a jaunty tune, he pushed off from the edge of the hill, and allowed the boat to drift back into the air.
Discord and Fluttershy waved their last goodbyes, and with a flourish that was all his own, the former Lord of Chaos carried his beloved into the night sky. He looked out, and saw the first star on the right. There was his goal now… straight on til morning… and then… white shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise…
As that boat sailed off into its final journey, Ann waved her last goodbyes. For now, she hoped. Whether this was the first tale of many, or the very last, she didn’t know. But as she lay down atop the hill overlooking Ponyville, she could only hope and wonder.
And dream. She could always dream of the words to come. Of Zap Apple’s first steps, and of May and Zee’s first days of school. The adventures she and the other Crusaders would go on. Cheese, and Shady, and Pearl, and Goldie, and Dib, and Beau, and Flawless, and Moon… The laughs they’d share. The heartache too. The beauty of imagination unbound.
“And the fanart,” Ann smiled, as sleep closed in, “Gotta remember the fanart. Hope they get my eyes right…”
The Real End
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W. T. A. F?
And this was when I finally lost it
A silly but sweet ending to a fun story. I really enjoyed the ride, and can't wait to see Anarchy and company again some time in the future!
What the buck. The only words that can describe this little bit of madness.
Ok good epilogue, thank goodness it’s not canon. So shipping suggestion of my own is a love Equilateral between Ann, Shady, Cozy glow and Cheese.
So: Ann x Cheese or Ann x Shady
And Cozyx Cheese or Cozyx Shady
And a potential Ann x Cozy though this would require the intervention of some eldritch being
Ann_________Cheese
|………………………|
Shady________Cozy
10125983
Genetics? like the need for chocolate milk (Flutters had to produce it herself, 'shiver')
10125362
10125513
10125695
Ah, good. I've broken your minds, as well as your spirits. My work here is done.
10125413
Thank you! Credit goes to Toriandthehorse for helping with the design and concept of those two rascals.
10126000
Excellent! The Shipping Wars have begun!!!
10126176
Hehe, I will gladly fire the first shots
Honestly thought we’d get this song at the end. Oh well.
https://m.I like that this gives food for the readers to chew on. They’re POSSIBILITIES, but nothing set in stone yet.
In which Discord and Fluttershy's foal has a story, abuses reality while she's at it, and ends up having a heartwarming friendship lesson.
Apart from the admittedly rare spelling mistake here and there (which, at this point, could just be chalked under margin of error), this is a fantastic and lovely story you got here! The worldbuilding was in-depth and sensible without being so in-your-face that it would detract from the story, the characterizations for just about every character is spot-on, even for the more wacky ones (like Celestia and Luna). For being a non-serious story at times, it sure is serious about not being serious in order to keep the reader's interest high! Also, bonus points on pulling off the snarky/lemony narrator at the right time without being overbearing!
And then we get to the stars of the show: Anarchy, her Crusader friends, and then there's Cozy Glow too. I don't want to bog this down with too many spoilers or in high detail, but I just want to say... for someone with nigh-omnipotent (even "cheating") powers, you made Anarchy quite the relatable character (especially so when she doesn't have her safety features)... and her friends too, what with their unexpected (but, I guess, expected in the end since it's in the future where Equestria has become a more multicultured and diverse place) friendships with her (and applause on subverting my expectations on not making Flawless and Anarchy friends the first time around!) And then there's the character in the spoiler tags... needless to say, you've not only characterized them well, but somehow made her redemption believable precisely but not having it fast and loose, even with the epilogue and all.
I don't know, but I get the feeling that this all writes out as a love letter to the whimsy and light-heartedness of the show, even at the story's darkest points. I guess that should be expected given that we're dealing with the spawn of Discord here, but still... you could almost say that I felt fuzzy or something like that at times while reading this because it oozes with pure writer joy in that they can write anything they want and they're relishing in it because they know how to make it work.
Overall, bravo! Thanks for this great story and for bringing Anarchy to the world!
10215725
First off, thank for replying to me so quickly.
Second, be glad that you didn't read it. It was written like a play, which makes it miserable to read, but someone on Youtube did a very good job of getting artists and voice actors together to make it come to life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBlnLlXewwA&list=PLbb3pETnt4wpr7MP3WRYcVqbnO6E8tKWL
*look behind the keyboard* Nothing... *Look under Anarchy* Nothing... *Look around Cozy Glow hair* Nothing... Where is the sequel? When is coming?
Leaving that aside, good story, I liked it, Cozy still traumatized and doing the mistake of fighting head on instead of using tactics like her cutie mark tell her and should had learned after years, but good enough
10200138
Don't know what I could say to that, or add. I suppose, thank you, shouted through one megaphone, into another one, into a mic synced up with a stereo the size of the moon might come close, but where would I get a wire long enough? Regardless, thank you, sincerely.
10215759
Ah, I'll have to check that out then. As a fan of Shakespeare, I understand perfectly how something can be better heard as opposed to read.
10218380
Sequels are coming, eventually. Gotta finish another big project before then. I'd hate to jump the gun with Zap Apple and end up with three anthology stories being written simultaneously.
10218410
As long as you don't forget the wedding between Cozy and Ann only to be interrupted in the moment of "If somepony have anything to say, talk now or shut down" and Lil cheese interrupt declaring his love for Ann and they decide to marry together... (Joke)
10218426
You jest....
10218444
Maybe in some different timeline, that could happen... Maybe in some other timeline Ann decide to marry the future daughter/son of Spike and Rarity instead, or make a harem full of fillies and colts
My review of this story has been posted on the "I Just Want A Comment" group.
10246510
Thank you very much!
You're nailing Discord and Grogar.
I love this and will finish it post haste
That car thing made me laughed and it's true that if the Mirror World and Equestria actually worked together. Equestria probably would end up with more advanced technology really fast.
This was a fun read. I didn't think you were that good. Oh, now I also think I get your icone too. This is to the author by the way.
10427662
Thank you!
Oh... um, thank you?
Do you now? What do you think it is?
And thank you, for reading the whole story. Can I ask what you liked most/least about it?
10631348
So, thank you. 
Well. I'm horrified to my core now.
After greatly enjoying Midnight at the Crystal Library, Home Again, and continuing to enjoy All These Midnight Days, I hesitated before reading Anarchy. And some of my fears were justified.
Before the fears, the accolades. The story was brimming with your great humor, characterizations, engaging OCs, dramatic turns, and heartwarming conclusions. You honor the canon in both detail and in spirit. I am very happy I discovered your work and enjoy reading it a lot!
Most storytellers use sleight of hand to manipulate the audience. But they try to hide it as much as they can to promote immersion in the story. In Anarchy, making some of the characters, and the reader, aware of how the necessities of the narrative are impacting the story pushes that manipulation into the readers face. I agree being "meta aware" is in canon for Discord. But, I suppose I am sensitive to that kind of manipulation and in this case it was just… too much.
For example, Cozy’s conquest was way too easy, her path greased by the necessity of the narrative. It makes the non-protagonists who left the path open look foolish and makes me care about the conflict less than I could have.
Too many things in your stories with “all powerful” characters make most of the choices and striving of the non-protagonists feel meaningless. I like the characters in your stories, protagonists or not, and making any of their choices overtly meaningless makes me care that much less about their part in the story.
I read the “sequel hook” in the Epilogues, not with anticipation, but with a shrug. I hope you end up focusing on the “Twilight investigating Alicornhood for her friends’ subplot.” rather than focusing on Anarchy and her kin subplot. I love the way you write Twilight, Spike, and the Mane 6, and hope to see them in the center of more stories.
Regardless, I will continue to check out your writing for all of the wonderful things you share with the fandom.
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Mmmm... I hadn't really thought of it that way. I might be spending a few long nights staring at my wall now. Or a whiskey bottle. One or the other. I hadn't thought I was doing that, and now I'm going to be rethinking everything over some more... maybe.
I thought I did a good job explaining Cozy's success as being an extension of her Cutie Mark and personality. She's a chess master. A planner and manipulator extraordinaire. It's just that, in this case, she has the element of surprise, and so decides to "Speed Chess", brute-forcing her way to victory by working and thinking quicker than everyone else. I suppose that didn't come across, and that's on me.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It's honestly the only thing keeping me going some days. I'm sorry if the story ended up not to your liking, if that helps.
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I guess I was confused about Cozy’s execution of her attack. I agree with your conception of her Cutie Mark and think of Cozy as a “planner and manipulator extraordinaire”. However, even she comments about how unnecessary planning was in this case because everything was right in front of her at each step and no one did anything to stop her.
“I can’t believe how easy it is to get away with this stuff with you ponies!” Cozy threw her head back and laughed. “I try and sneak off to plot, and you just sit there and let me! I want to steal Grogar’s Bell, and you just sit there and let me!
“I haven’t even had to plan anything today!” she clutched her aching sides as she continued to laugh, “You realize this has all been off the cuff? Why did I ever bother plotting against you idiots when I could have just winged it from the start!?”
For a while I thought Grogar had set up the timing of Cozy’s release so that everything she needed for her take over would be easily available. But in the end it looked like everyone who wasn’t Cozy was just… not very competent.
And just to make myself clear, I love the way you write MLP fanfic. Even if I enjoyed some of your other stories more, did not mean my time reading Anarchy was wasted. There were lots of great elements in the story.
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I suppose bad jokes aren't excusable, even if they're deliberate...
I enjoyed story. Now i wonder what Frosted Apple has done to get kicked. I have 2 guesses now:
1) usage of dark magic to harvest apples faster
2) she invented freezer and was kicked, because she wasn't storing apples in traditional way
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Hmm. Those are pretty good! I might have to steal one... but a real answer should be coming along eventually.
Thanks for reading! Hope it was satisfying!
You know what this is.
May Twilight have mercy on our souls.
Didn't realize my comment was deleted, so
Aw, that's one cute pone
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Only the dead will know mercy from this...
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She is indeed!
Loved this story Ninja! ❤ Especially all the references and 4th wall breaking! Hehehe when you got a character like Discord, gotta break it as much as you can, right? XD
Took a while but read it all. Good story.
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Surely not all???
Either way, what was your favorite part?
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Favorite part? Cozy discovering she 'dun goofed. Because the amount of time promised that her torture would last? The whole diamond mountain thing? Beautiful.
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Excellent! That was one of my favorite parts to write!
Got to this through some prequel links, glad I followed them. While I'll echo some setiment that certain parts of this story were a bit... contrived(?) when analyzed objectively, for me the push and pull of the narrative and tension were more than enough to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride anyways.
I've read a fair number of Pinkie and/or Discord fics, but I don't know if I've read someone that managed to write Chaos with a capital C. The gags were not just subverted expectations, inverted rules, or funny nonsense without reason. This was downright Absurd, yet still following some tortured thread of logic to tie it all together enough to make sense if you let a few screws loosen up temporarily. Very well done; this was most enjoyable and I look forward to catching up with the rest of this zany universe you've got cooked up.
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I’m glad you enjoyed the story! A lot of the story was an experiment in absurdity. Learning how to weave together narrative themes and topics with silly dialogue. I will admit, it’s not perfect. I definitely overbloated the story with characters, partly because I was trying to build a universe. Especially near the end. And at times, the tortured logic just wouldn’t work the way I needed it to.
But I still think it’s one of my strongest stories. I managed to make a lot of cute things happen. I thought I got across a lot of great jokes and gags. And especially near the end, I feel like I was able to express the grandiosity I felt was necessary for a dramatic finish.
Uh. Rant over. Sorry. Very happy you enjoyed it, and I very much look forward to any comments you may wish to leave on any of my other stories! Did you happen to have a favorite moment from the story? Or an unfavorite moment you think I totally dropped the ball on?