Marginalia - App Stories and Odds and Ends from Ponyville Ciderfest

by Nyronus

About The Authors

After speaking with that staffer, you watch them leave, but something sticks in your mind. You’re curious. You want to know more. So you follow.

Rounding a corner you see a door ajar. You’re not sure you should be there, but there are no “staff only” signs, and you’re pretty sure you saw them head this way. You approach the door and stop. There are voices on the other side! And you recognize one of them is the staffer you spoke to!

“I’m just saying the aardvark is a deeply symbolic animal, and Fizzy turning into one will add so much pathos to the story!”

“I mean, I just don’t see it. Plus don’t you think Discord river dancing Grogar to death in the finale is a bit much?”

“I’m kind of iffy on both of those, but where are we going to fit in the Soarin/Braeburn scene? I really think that will tie the whole thing together!”

You realize they’re talking about the main story! They must be the Storytelling Leadership Team and they’re working on the con’s story right this minute! You have a fly’s eye view of the actual future of the con at this very moment! Imagine what you could learn!

You lean in, helplessly eager to hear more. Unfortunately for you, what you hear is someone rapidly approaching the door.

“I’m gonna go get six more energy drinks in me before we edit the ballet/death battle/Rainbow Dash x Kitchen Sink romance scene, does anybody want - hey!”

The door swings wide to reveal one of the Storytelling Leadership team members glaring down at you. They seem displeased.

“You shouldn’t be here. This is a staff area, and we’re having a very important discussion about the deep symbolic lore of aardvarks, river dance, and Soarburn. You need to leave.”

You’ve been caught red handed. They’ve spotted you and none of them look pleased…

…but there’s an opportunity here.

You’ve been caught in a moment of CHOICE. Will you be a GOOD little guest and leave? Maybe you see a chance to do something quite CHAOTIC. Or, perhaps in a moment of Miltonian defiance, you will strike out and do something very VILLAINOUS.

[CHOICE]

> Be a GOOD guest.

> Cause some CHAOS.

> Be the VILLAIN you were always meant to be.

[ENDING A: Be a GOOD guest (Hero)]

You bow your head in shame and make to leave. You know in your heart it was wrong to eavesdrop, and hearing potential spoilers just makes it even worse! As you walk away, though, you feel lighter and start to raise your head up high. You made a mistake, yes, but you did the right thing in the end. The knowledge that, when the chips are down, you can make the right call lifts your spirits. As you stride out into the convention, you realize being good really is its own reward.

Plus, the team member who caught you seemed rather annoyed. Best not to take chances. They were already complaining about needing caffeine, and it’s never wise to cross someone when you’re between them and their energy drinks.

(+1 page for Heroes)

[ENDING B: Cause some CHAOS (Chaos)]

Now is your chance!

Using the skills you picked up over a lifetime of free running, navy seal service, ninjutsu training, and playing DDR you i-frame dodge roll through the staffer before he can even react. With a flying leap you dive onto their computer and begin furiously typing.

You make it canon! All of it! Your OTP! Your batpony headcanon! Your unsolicited opinions about Mare-do-well and the Anon-a-Miss comic! All of it is now canon to the con’s story, and they’re too slow to even hope to stop you! Screw the pages, you have direct access to the master G-doc for the entire con! Unlimited power!

“Stop them! Before they take out Sombra’s big musical number!”

But you only have so long. They’re closing in! But you’ve done everything you need to, and with another dodge roll you make it to the window and then take a flying leap out into the Milwaukee night air, effortlessly tech canceling the landing to prevent fall damage, and race off into the darkness.

Unfortunately for you, the team does just Ctrl + Z away all your edits. They appreciate your panache, though.

(+1 page for Chaos)

[ENDING C: Be the VILLAIN you were always meant to be (Villain)]

With a laugh, you shove the staffer aside. The fool! You rush the computer they were writing on, and before they can even react, you send a copy to yourself. Just as fast, you rush out, shoving the staffer again for good measure, you blackguard!

You start rushing through the con before they can recover and do the most vile thing you can: reveal spoilers!

Barley and Caramel end up [REDACTED]! Fizzy [REDACTED] then [REDACTED] and ends up [REDACTED]! Grogar [REDACTED]’s a [REDACTED] only to [REDACTED] with a spoon! Discord and Twilight [REDACTED] before [REDACTED] to Coco Beach!

But… wait, something is wrong. You try to shout more spoilers, but everything you say ends up… [REDACTED]

Unfortunately for you, you are still a character in the story we’re writing. Which means even if we let you get one over on us, we can still edit things to keep you from causing too much trouble. It was a nice try, but metafictional comedy is a tricky genre to exist in. Better luck next time!

But don’t worry, tomorrow you’ll [REDACTED]. Enjoy the convention!

(+1 page for Villains)