On a school trip to a quaint little town, Sweetie Belle becomes entangled in the past. She soon learns that some stories infect everything they touch, like a virulent plague, creating sad, twisted clones of themselves. And they never truly die.
2582625 In the chaos of everything, I forgot to reply to this. Anyway, it seems like this is a personal dislike of yours, not necessarily an issue with the story/character as such. Kinda like how I don't like olives, but that doesn't mean olives are bad
As someone recently commented on Fillystata, the most dangerous thing in just about any Lovecraftian story is curiosity. Curiosity is the downfall of any protagonist. Frequently the only way to win is to never succumb to curiosity, because the moment you do you've lost. That's Lovecraft in a nutshell, really: Don't be curious! If you're curious, you lose!
It is quite likely that Twilight could have simply not bought the book in Fillystata, and then the story would have ended there. Or that she could have stopped at some later point, but Twilight is a curious pony by nature, and this makes her an easy target for Midnight's influence.
And Midnight did influence her to investigate. Midnight's magic reached through time to ensure that a descendant of hers became interested in her work. She placed books and documents in places where she felt that such a descendant was likely to find them, especially with a bit of magical prodding, but with only enough information that the descendant would be likely to summon Midnight in order to ask her to teach them the rest. This is hinted in Fillystata, even more so if you've read the CoCDW.
Don't think of it as a domination that can't be resisted, or which leaves no choice. Think of it a bit like the D&D Suggestion spell, only it is cast into the future, nudging a descendant and turning fate a little bit so that they stumble upon the right information. It might not have worked on other ponies, but Twilight was uniquely susceptible due to her high level of curiosity.
And in any Lovecraftian tale, curiosity makes you lose the game.
As for why they didn't use Midnight's own trick against her, there are many possible explanations. One is that Midnight's magic draining is a result of her being an undead spirit who needs the life force of living beings to live, and their magic to become strong enough to take over a body. Another is that, to summon Twilight's spirit they'd need her ashes, and they are lost in the ruins in Dappleshore under tons of earth, mixed with the ashes of hundreds of other ponies, not to mentioned washed away by rain long ago.
On Irenicus, I just want to note that while we do see failures of his, they are pretty much all either in his past or at the end of the game (exactly like Midnight). During the events of the game, Irenicus has found what he needs, worked out his plan, and is carrying it out with great efficiency. There is nothing the players can do that will upset his plans until the end. Take Yoshimo with you or abandon him? Doesn't make a difference. Choose Bodhi or the thieves? Doesn't make a difference. Go through the Underdark or go with Saemus on his ship? Doesn't make a difference. Irenicus, meanwhile, suffers only one setback during the game, and that's the attack on his dungeon at the beginning, and it doesn't actually affect his plans all that much, might even have turned out an advantage.
I can honestly say I've never read a series that intrigues me and makes me cry and smile at the same time. You've kept me here since Fillystata and The Mare in the Mirror, the stories that brought me to fimfiction, and now the series is complete. Might have to re-read all of it again! It was just that good!
I enjoyed the stream of consciousness feel of narration, a welcome change from a 3rd person view, and the characterization was boundary pushing, but it worked very much in your favor! I look forward to finishing this trilogy and hopefully seeing more from you! Awesome work as always!
There's a flash of bright indigo. My eyes widen and I feel my heart leap at her cry of pain and warm blood spattered across my face.
The world resounds like a crack of thunder and the darkness fills my head with pain as I collapse.
I am curious about what this entails... Though, I am glad we could find the end of Midnight's living story after all this time.
She sticks the shovel in the ground and sits down next to the grave she's covered.
Who was Midnight burying, if Daffodil was burned and scattered about the forest?
Lastly, I sincerely hope that the seventh chapter will give us some sort of insight as to what may have happened to the Twilight filly. (Yes, wishful thinking, but please bear with the ramblings of a curious reader.)
Don't get me wrong, though! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, particularly how it points out Sweetie as a perfect target for Midnight's reincarnation. Also, I'm really glad we now know more about Midnight's AND Daffodil's history. That made this story worth it in-and-of itself. I wish you luck with your last chapter, as I'm sure I avidly await it.
I am curious about what this entails... Though, I am glad we could find the end of Midnight's living story after all this time.
Midnight isn't dead yet. Remember, Fillystata makes it quite clear that she lives a long life, in fact longer than most ponies. How badly she was wounded is unknown (for now), but she was able to fight back and kill her attacker, at least.
Who was Midnight burying, if Daffodil was burned and scattered about the forest?
We don't know yet.
Lastly, I sincerely hope that the seventh chapter will give us some sort of insight as to what may have happened to the Twilight filly. (Yes, wishful thinking, but please bear with the ramblings of a curious reader.)
I think that would be a sequel for Mare in the Mirror, if anything. There's not really anywhere to explore that within the events of Fillystata.
It's been too long since I read MitM. IIRC filly Twilight (who was Twilight's soul and bound to Trixie) became joined with Trixie's own soul. Or something like that. My memory is a bit hazy.
Don't get me wrong, though! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, particularly how it points out Sweetie as a perfect target for Midnight's reincarnation. Also, I'm really glad we now know more about Midnight's AND Daffodil's history. That made this story worth it in-and-of itself. I wish you luck with your last chapter, as I'm sure I avidly await it.
I think you meant Mandrake's reincarnation (which is really Daffodil's reincarnation)? Yeah, I hope I made sense of that, and it's going to be quite interesting and kinda reminiscent of Trixie's situation in MitM with several souls all bound up in one body.
It's so tricky, and I always wonder if people even know what's going on. But I try to explain it without being too blunt at the same time. It's such a difficult balance.
Midnight isn't dead yet. Remember, Fillystata makes it quite clear that she lives a long life, in fact longer than most ponies. How badly she was wounded is unknown (for now), but she was able to fight back and kill her attacker, at least.
We don't know yet.
Oh. Good to know I'm not missing anything, then (I was worried).
I think you meant Mandrake's reincarnation (which is really Daffodil's reincarnation)?
Actually, I was pointing to Sweetie Belle being the only unicorn filly from Ponyville that Midnight/Gray targeted--after Twilight resurrected her. (<-- Fillystata)
Actually, I was pointing to Sweetie Belle being the only unicorn filly from Ponyville that Midnight/Gray targeted--after Twilight resurrected her. (<-- Fillystata)
Ah, well, Rarity's letter in Fillystata does mention that she took others from Ponyville too, it just didn't mention who. Midnight took what unicorns she could get without being caught, which forced her to go as far as Ponyville, maybe because ponies became cautious after the first few disappearances.
Of course, this doesn't mean she didn't have additional reasons to take Sweetie Belle. There'll be more about all that in the next chapter.
But to tell the truth, after going back to look at Fillystata, it's all a big inconsistent mess. When I wrote Fillystata I didn't know I'd be making it into a trilogy, and I wasn't very experienced as a writer either. I never really sat down and decided on the details or did anything beyond the most strictly necessary for Fillystata.
I never really had much idea about how Midnight died, for example, or when, or how many generations was between her and Twilight, or even just deciding how ponies age (I think the few facts I present in Fillystata and MitM don't actually add up, probably making it so that Midnight was alive while Manna was researching her death). I always figured since it didn't matter for Fillystata, I could just leave it vague, but that has really come back to bite me as the stories continued, and I never really sat down to settle all these questions, I just kept going and reinventing the background as I went.
I'm currently trying to fix this by going back to edit all three stories and make them consistent with each other. I really think it will help make things make sense, and also improve the stories overall. It's not how it should be done, but I think it's about time I did the right thing that I should have done from the start, and I think it will be worth it.
Of course, this doesn't mean she didn't have additional reasons to take Sweetie Belle.
Yes, I do remember Midnight craving foal blood for it's youthful energy.
Ah, well, Rarity's letter in Fillystata does mention that she took others from Ponyville too, it just didn't mention who.
Bah. I need to stop listening to hazy memories and just check on things before I say them.
Also, I can sympathize with you on timelines; chronology is a bi--er, not very nice. Otherwise, may I ask how far you've gotten into the rewriting? (I want to have all three stories as they originally were, just because they were awesome when I first read them.)
2741481 I'm still working on Fillystata and trying to outline the exact events and background. But I'm not going to substantially rewrite the stories, they'll pretty much stay the way they are. I'm just polishing them and making sure the details are consistent, maybe adding a few details here and there.
I will also leave the original version on dA, although I honestly don't think you'd want that over the edited version. Think of it a bit like a movie; it's not a complete rewriting of the script and refilming of the movie with new actors and everything, it's just the same old movie with improved colors and sound and a few added seconds of previously cut material.
2741666 True, I suppose, but I just can't get over the feeling of having an original. Don't let me hang you up, though. I'll just grab them now and be on my way.
2582625
In the chaos of everything, I forgot to reply to this. Anyway, it seems like this is a personal dislike of yours, not necessarily an issue with the story/character as such. Kinda like how I don't like olives, but that doesn't mean olives are bad
As someone recently commented on Fillystata, the most dangerous thing in just about any Lovecraftian story is curiosity. Curiosity is the downfall of any protagonist. Frequently the only way to win is to never succumb to curiosity, because the moment you do you've lost. That's Lovecraft in a nutshell, really: Don't be curious! If you're curious, you lose!
It is quite likely that Twilight could have simply not bought the book in Fillystata, and then the story would have ended there. Or that she could have stopped at some later point, but Twilight is a curious pony by nature, and this makes her an easy target for Midnight's influence.
And Midnight did influence her to investigate. Midnight's magic reached through time to ensure that a descendant of hers became interested in her work. She placed books and documents in places where she felt that such a descendant was likely to find them, especially with a bit of magical prodding, but with only enough information that the descendant would be likely to summon Midnight in order to ask her to teach them the rest. This is hinted in Fillystata, even more so if you've read the CoCDW.
Don't think of it as a domination that can't be resisted, or which leaves no choice. Think of it a bit like the D&D Suggestion spell, only it is cast into the future, nudging a descendant and turning fate a little bit so that they stumble upon the right information. It might not have worked on other ponies, but Twilight was uniquely susceptible due to her high level of curiosity.
And in any Lovecraftian tale, curiosity makes you lose the game.
As for why they didn't use Midnight's own trick against her, there are many possible explanations. One is that Midnight's magic draining is a result of her being an undead spirit who needs the life force of living beings to live, and their magic to become strong enough to take over a body. Another is that, to summon Twilight's spirit they'd need her ashes, and they are lost in the ruins in Dappleshore under tons of earth, mixed with the ashes of hundreds of other ponies, not to mentioned washed away by rain long ago.
On Irenicus, I just want to note that while we do see failures of his, they are pretty much all either in his past or at the end of the game (exactly like Midnight). During the events of the game, Irenicus has found what he needs, worked out his plan, and is carrying it out with great efficiency. There is nothing the players can do that will upset his plans until the end. Take Yoshimo with you or abandon him? Doesn't make a difference. Choose Bodhi or the thieves? Doesn't make a difference. Go through the Underdark or go with Saemus on his ship? Doesn't make a difference. Irenicus, meanwhile, suffers only one setback during the game, and that's the attack on his dungeon at the beginning, and it doesn't actually affect his plans all that much, might even have turned out an advantage.
I can honestly say I've never read a series that intrigues me and makes me cry and smile at the same time. You've kept me here since Fillystata and The Mare in the Mirror, the stories that brought me to fimfiction, and now the series is complete. Might have to re-read all of it again! It was just that good!
I enjoyed the stream of consciousness feel of narration, a welcome change from a 3rd person view, and the characterization was boundary pushing, but it worked very much in your favor! I look forward to finishing this trilogy and hopefully seeing more from you!
Awesome work as always!
2683124
I may have to re-read the whole thing myself, maybe even do some editing. But it's a lot of work
Really glad you liked it.
I am curious about what this entails... Though, I am glad we could find the end of Midnight's living story after all this time.
Who was Midnight burying, if Daffodil was burned and scattered about the forest?
Lastly, I sincerely hope that the seventh chapter will give us some sort of insight as to what may have happened to the Twilight filly. (Yes, wishful thinking, but please bear with the ramblings of a curious reader.)
Don't get me wrong, though! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, particularly how it points out Sweetie as a perfect target for Midnight's reincarnation. Also, I'm really glad we now know more about Midnight's AND Daffodil's history. That made this story worth it in-and-of itself. I wish you luck with your last chapter, as I'm sure I avidly await it.
2738472
Midnight isn't dead yet. Remember, Fillystata makes it quite clear that she lives a long life, in fact longer than most ponies. How badly she was wounded is unknown (for now), but she was able to fight back and kill her attacker, at least.
We don't know yet.
I think that would be a sequel for Mare in the Mirror, if anything. There's not really anywhere to explore that within the events of Fillystata.
It's been too long since I read MitM. IIRC filly Twilight (who was Twilight's soul and bound to Trixie) became joined with Trixie's own soul. Or something like that. My memory is a bit hazy.
I think you meant Mandrake's reincarnation (which is really Daffodil's reincarnation)? Yeah, I hope I made sense of that, and it's going to be quite interesting and kinda reminiscent of Trixie's situation in MitM with several souls all bound up in one body.
It's so tricky, and I always wonder if people even know what's going on. But I try to explain it without being too blunt at the same time. It's such a difficult balance.
2739798
Oh. Good to know I'm not missing anything, then (I was worried).
Actually, I was pointing to Sweetie Belle being the only unicorn filly from Ponyville that Midnight/Gray targeted--after Twilight resurrected her. (<-- Fillystata)
2740806
Ah, well, Rarity's letter in Fillystata does mention that she took others from Ponyville too, it just didn't mention who. Midnight took what unicorns she could get without being caught, which forced her to go as far as Ponyville, maybe because ponies became cautious after the first few disappearances.
Of course, this doesn't mean she didn't have additional reasons to take Sweetie Belle. There'll be more about all that in the next chapter.
But to tell the truth, after going back to look at Fillystata, it's all a big inconsistent mess. When I wrote Fillystata I didn't know I'd be making it into a trilogy, and I wasn't very experienced as a writer either. I never really sat down and decided on the details or did anything beyond the most strictly necessary for Fillystata.
I never really had much idea about how Midnight died, for example, or when, or how many generations was between her and Twilight, or even just deciding how ponies age (I think the few facts I present in Fillystata and MitM don't actually add up, probably making it so that Midnight was alive while Manna was researching her death). I always figured since it didn't matter for Fillystata, I could just leave it vague, but that has really come back to bite me as the stories continued, and I never really sat down to settle all these questions, I just kept going and reinventing the background as I went.
I'm currently trying to fix this by going back to edit all three stories and make them consistent with each other. I really think it will help make things make sense, and also improve the stories overall. It's not how it should be done, but I think it's about time I did the right thing that I should have done from the start, and I think it will be worth it.
2741406
Yes, I do remember Midnight craving foal blood for it's youthful energy.
Bah. I need to stop listening to hazy memories and just check on things before I say them.
Also, I can sympathize with you on timelines; chronology is a bi--er, not very nice. Otherwise, may I ask how far you've gotten into the rewriting? (I want to have all three stories as they originally were, just because they were awesome when I first read them.)
2741481
I'm still working on Fillystata and trying to outline the exact events and background. But I'm not going to substantially rewrite the stories, they'll pretty much stay the way they are. I'm just polishing them and making sure the details are consistent, maybe adding a few details here and there.
I will also leave the original version on dA, although I honestly don't think you'd want that over the edited version. Think of it a bit like a movie; it's not a complete rewriting of the script and refilming of the movie with new actors and everything, it's just the same old movie with improved colors and sound and a few added seconds of previously cut material.
2741666
True, I suppose, but I just can't get over the feeling of having an original. Don't let me hang you up, though. I'll just grab them now and be on my way.