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shadowcipher17 · 2 years ago

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Equestria Girls Ship Tier List

I decided to do an Equestria Girls Ship Tier List because I wanted to do one and never thought about Equestria Girls ships and this went differently than I thought it did. Most of these comes down to character interaction honestly. So here we go.

1. Y’all They’re Sisters

It’s self-explanatory, The Dazzlings are sisters. It’s an automatic no ship zone.

2. Dislike

I don’t really like the ship between Sunset and Adagio. I feel like it wouldn’t work and going by their interactions I think Adagio would be the dominant one against Sunset since she was able to bring her down twice. Also, I think this is worth a mention...Adagio is over 1,000 years old as well as Sonata and Aria. The Dazzlings were around during the time when the Pillars of Equestria were formed and we’re the reason The Dazzlings were sent to the human world in the first place...so that’s actually a big factor of why I’m against this ship.

3. Don’t Really Care

K-Lo and Su-Z: Meh. Don’t really care about their ship because I didn’t really care about them in general...or Sunset’s Backstage Pass in general. The best part of the special was seeing the Dazzlings again, but K-Lo and Su-Z were meh to me.

Rarity and Ragamuffin: The ship went nowhere and it was obvious that Rarity would fall in love with Applejack if she was a guy since she fell in love with Ragamuffin on the spot. But it went nowhere and Ragamuffin was mainly used as a joke for Rarity and Applejack shippers, and also he came after Roller coaster of Friendship where Rarity and Applejack had enough shipping in that special.

4. Fine...I Guess

Timber and Sci-Twi: First of all, I don’t get why Twilight’s the one to get the guys in this series out of the main group. First, it’s Princess Twilight and Flash and now it’s Sci-Twi and Timber. But with Timber and Twilight, they’re fine. At first I liked it, but then I feel like the romance was forced as I re-watched it. But they are canon. Honestly, even before Timber was introduced I didn’t really ship Sci-Twi with anyone and if it weren’t for Timber I wouldn’t ship her with anyone. So I’m fine with Timber as a ship for Twilight by default.

Pinkie and Sonata: I should’ve put them in the friends category, if Sonata were to reform I could see Pinkie being the one to do it. They can bond over food. Also design wise, since they both have variations of pink, magenta, and blues they look good standing by each other. But ship wise, same rules apply with Sunset and Adagio and it’s even worse for Pinkie since she’s a human teenager and Sonata is over 1,000 years old in a teenagers body.

5. Friends

Timber and Flash: I could see them potentially being friends. Too bad they never interact with each other.

Sunset and the HuMane 5: Honestly, I only really see them as friends. I don’t see Sunset and any of the HuMane 5 in a relationship. Sunset’s good friends with each of the girls but relationship wise, no.

Sunset and Trixie: I genuinely liked the interaction between the two in Forgotten Friendship and I wish we could’ve seen more of the two interact in more shorts, but they’re fine as friends.

Sunset and Starlight: They’re fine as canonical friends, but as far as Starlight goes I can only see her with Pony Trixie (despite me not being fond of either of them)

Sunset and Sci-Twi: Without a doubt Sunset and Sci-Twi have had the most interaction with each other in the franchise but I only see them as friends or Sunset being more of an older sister to Sci Twi. I think the main reason is only because of the “she-demon” thing. Like it’s to the point where Sunset and Twilight gravitate towards each other but at the expense of the other girls and that’s kinda an issue, but I don’t really ship them but see them as friends or a sisterly friendship.

Sunset and Flash: Now despite them dating, then breaking up I see them as friends. First off, it doesn’t matter that she’s in a human body, she’s still a pony so that’s a no-no. I do wish we got a short on the two focusing on the two of them instead of just interacting in the background but I like them as friends. One scene I didn’t care for however was in Legend of Everfree where Sunset tells Flash to “get over” Twilight. Although she states some facts and Flash takes her advice, the issue is that she’s not in the relationship and it’s not one sided. Twilight was interested in Flash too. In general, the scene comes off as an attempt to just sink Princess Twilight and Flash but there’s one important person missing: Twilight herself. Speaking of which...

Princess Twilight and Flash: I’ll be honest if Princess Twilight wasn’t from Equestria and she was the human world’s Twilight and if they developed Flash and Twilight throughout the movies and show, I’d genuinely like the ship. I still like the ship despite the fact that Twilight’s a pony and Flash is human because it comes down to the character. Flash liked Twilight for her character not because of what she was, same thing with the Humane 5. I wish Twilight and Flash got time to develop their relationship, but I can also see them as friends because it canonically wasn’t going to work out with them. One thing I really wished Equestria Girls did was give Princess Twilight and Flash closure on their relationship, like the two of them talk about their relationship and end it as crushes and just be friends. I still like them as a ship based on character and could’ve been developed more, but I feel like they would be good friends as well.

6. Like

Curly Winds and Wiz Kid: These two backgrounders have the most consistent relationship in Equestria Girls from beginning to end. (The human versions of Lyra and Bon Bon were introduced in Rainbow Rocks). From Curly Winds helping Wiz Kid with the ladder all the way to giving each other gifts during the holidays. One of my favorite background ships.

Rarity and Applejack: Yeah, Rarity and Applejack can honestly be labeled canon more so than Pony Rarity and Applejack. Rollercoaster of Friendship proves that immensely. I can’t see Rarity or Applejack with anyone else.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash: I like them in FIM as a ship too. Later shorts have them show more interaction with each other from the show and the comics. I like that they’re different and they already knew each other from Cloudsdale Junior High before going to Canterlot High for high school. Same thing goes for Flutterdash in FIM, I like how close the two are outside of the Mane 6/Humane 6 group dynamic by having background with each other before.

7. OTP

Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle: Yeah, they’re my OTP without question. If Sunset was in FIM, they would still be my OTP. They easily could’ve been the enemies to lovers trope. The only thing holding each other back is the fact that Sunset is exclusive to Equestria Girls and can’t be put into the main series and Princess Twilight for some reason can’t go to the human world and is only regulated to Equestria. Let me tell it, Sunset and Princess Twilight would be interacting more in the human world...heck Princess Twilight herself would be interacting more in the human world. But as for canon material, there’s a good amount for me. For one they started out as enemies and rivals (the whole plot of the first movie was them running for fall formal princess and ran against each other) and then became friends. Since, Princess Twilight occasionally shows up in the Equestria Girls franchise, I can mainly go by Sunset’s interactions when it comes to Princess Twilight and on all forms of media ranging from books to the movies to the specials, Sunset admires Princess Twilight like crazy. Friendship Games proved this a lot with her writing to Twilight even to the point where she was going to go back to Equestria for the first time since the first movie just to see her. My favorite scene with the two was the kitchen scene in Rainbow Rocks where the two had a bonding moment over the expectations of others. Again, I like polar opposite dynamics and these two just scream opposite. From they’re physical features with Twilight’s apperance being more on the cool side in terms of color palette while Sunset is on the warmer side, Twilight rose from Celestia’s ranks while Sunset fell from grace, in the context of the first movie Sunset gets the crown and turns into a demon while Twilight gets the crown and essentially turns into an angel, Sunset divided people, while Twilight united people, they’re both different but at the same time they come from similar backgrounds and have similar interest (honestly wished they interacted more about being Celestia’s students) but they go about it differently, for example Sunset mentions that she’s more of a hands on and getting her hands dirty type of researcher as opposed to Twilight who’s more of a reader. I honestly see them having more substance as a ship than Sunset and Sci-Twi do.

#mlp ship tier list #mlp tier list

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ask-iamnotanalicorn · 4 years ago

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Previous: The Nightmare Moon Timeline

The Tirek’s Reign Timeline

After Nightmare Moon’s return and battle for the throne, Princess Celestia and her protégée, Princess Cadence, subdued the maddened alicorn and managed to imprison her. Celestia had no time to celebrate not having to re-banish her sister for another thousand years; she went into a deep study, searching for the missing key that would activate the Elements of Harmony and free Luna of the poison darkening her mind and feeding on her ancient wrath. Princess Cadence and her husband Shining Armor took over running the throne of Equestria, giving the sisters time to find a solution and reconciliation. She is a wise and fair leader, despite her youth, and the uneasy country began to settle.

But with Celestia so distracted and Cadence not yet trained in monitoring the ancient dungeon of Tartarus, Tirek made his escape unnoticed. He was more cautious now than in his last quest to steal Equestria’s magic: the theft of a few ponies’ magic here, the emptying of a lonely hamlet there. Rumors of a magical plague and a strange monkey-horse creature who ate magic were all Cadence and Shining Armor had to go on, and they and the Royal Service were baffled by this creature or affliction that struck and then vanished again and again. Panic began to spread through Canterlot as more and more ponies on the outskirts of the city reported their magic stolen.

By the time word of a magical plague and centaur sightings reached Celestia, the only pony present who would recognize the significance, it was too late. Tirek had gained enough magic to come into the open and make his attack. First Cadence and her husband and guards fell, unprepared for what they faced. With Cadence’s alicorn magic combined with the many ponies’ he had stolen, Tirek defeated Celestia in spite of her best efforts. And lastly, ignoring her spitting invectives, he drained Nightmare Moon, as well.

With such potent magic flowing through him, Tirek’s lust for more power grew worse than ever before. He set out to steal the magic of every pony and magical creature in Equestria - and there were none who could hope to stop him.

----

In the town of Featherhorn, there lived a young stallion with his parents, brother, and sister. He was a perfectly normal pony... or he would have been, were it not for the wings and horn he was born with. He got on alright - he had a few good friends and a supportive family, a love for his work and a faith that sustained him – but there were a number in the town who disapproved of him. He was the butt of many jokes and accusations, and often distrust. And the cultists who carried on in town caused trouble and made things worse for him, since he got the blame. He found it more and more tempting to stay out on the road, plying his trade and absorbing the confusion of strangers better than he could take the dislike of his own neighbors.

One day while the stallion was home, the town received word that a monster was coming. The monster had stolen the magic of the princesses, and now he was a giant, rampaging across the land and stealing the magic of every pony he found. He would soon be upon their town, and there was little time to flee - for who could run faster than this massive monster? Were they all doomed to lose their magic, and worse, their marks?

There was a small chance: a system of caves where they could hide, deep enough that the monster might not find them. But there was not enough time to get all the townsponies out, especially the sick and old; they could already hear the creature’s thundering hoofsteps on the horizon. If only they could distract it somehow, or slow it down... but who could hope to even do that much with a monster so powerful?

Nopony expected the young stallion, the alicorn imposter, to speak up:

“What if he believed there was another alicorn?”

The plan was dangerous. He would need help; handicapped in both flight and unicorn magic, he wouldn’t be able to fool the monster for long on his own. Few were willing - and of those who were, only a small number had the abilities that were needed. In the end, it was the stallion’s own brother and mother who helped him craft the final bits of his plan.

When the monster came upon the pony town, ready to further engorge himself with pony magic, the brown stallion appeared in the sky. He flew with confidence, bolstered by the carefully-directed winds of his expert flyer mother. His horn blazed with gold and silver light, bright as a star, aided by his magically gifted brother. And the monster believed the facade, and hungered only for more alicorn magic.

The chase lasted an hour, carefully-aimed magically bolts reflected through Sales’ horn by Pitch Black, skillful dodges aided by Pitch Forward. They had no hope of continuing the charade indefinitely, but that hour was enough; the townsponies were able to escape, hiding deep where the power-mad centaur wouldn’t find them. When at last the centaur swatted Salespitch from the sky and drained the magic from his injured body, the monster was enraged to taste such a miniscule amount. Black and Forward attempted a rescue, and were drained as well, their weakened bodies falling beside the unconscious Salespitch.

When the monster turned back to his initial target and found the town empty of all ponies - what’s more, he could not detect pony magic anywhere nearby - his wrath burned the town to cinders. But when he returned to find the ponies who had tricked him, in order to punish them further, their bodies had vanished.

Eventually, the monster left, continuing his rampage across the landscape. In a hollow of a tree, Pitch Black waited with the unconscious body of his mother and the severely injured body of his brother, the three of them blessedly undetectable now that they lacked their magic. But Black did not need his cutie mark to remember his driving purpose: to be there at the zero hour, when those he cared for needed him most.

The townsponies found them eventually; the father and daughter were overjoyed to find them alive. But Sales would not waken, though the best healers in the town mended his wounds. Badly injured and drained of magic, he slipped into a coma. Only alicorn-level healing magic might stand a chance of healing him, but that was lost to the monster.

But the town had been humbled. The one many of them had scorned the most – the pony who so hated being mistaken for something he was not – had taken up the very trait that caused him such trouble in order to give everything for the sake of those who despised him. The townsponies of Featherhorn vowed to protect him until he could be healed, and to keep away the members of his cult should they reappear to take advantage of his comatose state. And should he waken, they would treat him with the respect a hero deserved.

The monster still rampages. None in this group of refugees can hope to defeat him. But they have a refuge where they can stay safe until the nightmare has passed - and but for three of them, every pony and zebra has their magic. Perhaps one day, their fallen few will regain their magic, and the princesses will rise again.

But for now, they wait. And they guard their fallen hero.

-----

Fun Facts About The Tirek Timeline/Art:

- Yup, you guys just got a pretty close parallel to the mysterious Tirek Incident. It obviously didn’t go down quite like this in the comic timeline, but some of the important bits are in there. We’ll eventually find out what happened. I so wanted to avoid too many spoilers, but the story wouldn’t make sense without SOME of them, so... merry early Christmas, I guess XD

- And yes, I did consider letting Sales die in this timeline. But I just can’t kill off my boy. I also snuck in the meaning behind Black’s cutie mark, I’m curious to know what ya’ll think :D

- When Tirek sucked the magic out of Nightmare Moon, he unwittingly drained out the corrupting magic that was so heavily influencing Luna and fueling her rage and paranoia. Additionally, Luna got to see her sister lose her magic while fighting to protect her from Tirek. They reconcile over this event and join with Cadence to search for the missing Elements of Harmony.

- The Crystal Empire will come around because it has to, but Sombra bides his time a bit more when he realizes there’s a GIANT MAGIC-SUCKING CENTAUR hoarding the collective magic of the entire nation of Equestria, and it has bomb-blaster beams that can level towns.

- Meanwhile, a certain race of bug-ponies are infiltrating the Crystal Empire, seeking safety from the magic-eating centaur who is just TRASHING the place for fun now that he’s got so much power to chuck around. Plus there are rumors that this kingdom was once RUN on love, and Chrysalis really wants to figure that out. There’s a whole ‘nother story in there, I’m certain, and it probably involves a few specific changelings making friends with a few crystal ponies and learning about giving love. Maybe this time, without several humiliating defeats via pony love shockwaves and weaponized rainbows to harden her pride, Chrysalis might actually be willing to give it a try herself.

- This is a timeline where the princesses DO find ponies who can wield the Elements of Harmony. Ironically, Twilight was drained of magic along with the rest of Canterlot, but her studies in magic theory and history lead her to studying ancient texts about the Elements, and one thing leads to another until the princesses meet her. Also, Twilight is a bit better at making friends in this universe since she wasn’t constantly distracted with trying to please Celestia (not that I blame Celestia for the canon events, I mean look what could have been avoided in THIS timeline!). They don’t have the special Super Power-Up box and keys, but I like to think the initial power burst of the reactivated Elements does the job on Tirek as well as it was meant to on Nightmare Moon.

- No, Luna does not get the bad magic back when her magic is restored along with everyone else’s. The Elements don’t play that game, that stuff is burned. She and Celestia go back to ruling Equestria together once this is all over while Cadance works on connecting with the newly liberated Crystal Empire and their changeling allies.

- Honestly, I didn’t expect it, but this is one of my favorite of the art pieces in regards to composition and color. I just really like how the color turned out, and the magic glows. I was rather happy to find I could duplicate the effect of Tirek’s magic illustration from the show without too much trouble. :D I also borrowed a lot of tones directly from a screenshot of the show scene. It’s really nice when art things come together!

Next Week: Discorded

#mlp ask blog #mlp #tirek #pony ask blog #alicorn #salespitch #pitch black #pitch forward #celestia #luna #cadance #princess cadance #sacrifice #love

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chaptersofnow · 5 years ago

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next of the Chapters of now and their siblings

Scroll Flame and their siblings, Losers Weep, Finders Keeper, Crater Crumble

they are the kids of Twilight and Luna

Bios under the cut

Name: Scroll flame Nickname(s): none, doesn't like nicknames Age: 22 Pronouns: They/Them Identity: Agender Butch lesbian crush/relationship: cuursh on colrisia she's trying to get over it, its stupid. shut up Parents: Twilight and Luna Siblings: Looser Weep, Finders keepers, Crater Crumbles Special Talent: memory, writing fast, calligraphy Occupation: keeping track of records and history as well as taking care of the royal children Chapter of now (element of harmony): Symbol of Charity Artifact: Scroll Flames Writing Pen Location: cantorlot Likes: working hard, smell of ink, calligraphy, orginizing Dislikes: messes, loud noises, ponies who are really huggy and lovey physically Bio: when the elements and darkness went into a slumber to never be heard from again everyone went their own way to start family and discover all they wanted to do. this including spike and twilight. spike traveled and twilight settled into the role of princess of ponyville. then years later spike returns home to the lonely ponyville princess who tended her castle alone. All her friends went off making their own lives. Time went by, twilight's friends were in love, with kids and living their best lives and twilight just felt like there was more for her than being the princess of friendship in a world that no longer feared total darkness and actually strives to follow her ways in friendship on their own. Spike once again was to leave twilight's side to travel and find them self once again. This time with lull in the kingdom of equestria, Twilight joins Spikes in their long travels. Exploring equestria until she was in dragon country. Where, she met a young young Kirin Child who was more dragon than horse. The youngling hadn't parents and had an attitude problem from her upbringing. unable to control her flame she was unwanted by others. To all but Twilight who welcomed her under her wing, giving her a name and home in ponyville. Scroll Flame the young Kirin girl mothered by Twilight and now learning to control her flames. Scroll Flame happily grew up in the large castle with her mother and on the occasions would spend time with the other kids of her mothers friends. however Scroll flame was a very serious kids, not taking to jokes or most fun and enjoying quiet time reading and writing. When Scroll Flame was about four their mother twilight started her relationship with the moon princess Luna, a long long pining friendship. Twilight and Luna came to live together giving scroll flame two of the rowdiest and loudest sibings with Lunas children, Loser and Finder two wild kids created from discords magic as a gift for the once lonely princess. When Scroll flame was 13 a scare in equestria occurred with Darkness returning in great mass to equestria. A hidden bit stored away out of eye sight and gaining power once again until it was strong enough for many years. Twilight and Luna sent their children away to Appleloosa to stay with breaburn and little strongheart, their children and Applejacks and Big macs Kids. a large house FULL of loud children. even with their parents away for over a month to stop the uncoming darkness the kids were loud as ever and Scroll Flame as grumpy. The elements were able to seal away the evil once again, but not without having to give up their powers, as done many many time through history. they know and feared the cycle of the world the darkness will eventually come back and the elements will search out new host. The kids returned home to their parents andyears and years later after everything has settled down, twilight is still married to Luna and loving their four children. Scroll Flame now currently lives in cantorlot castle as the record keeper, event scheduler and all around caretaker of the royal children. working them all on a path to success, becoming a full time adviser after Celestias's trusted personal adviser Raven Stepped down after a scandal with Blueblood. Scroll Flame in current day watched the darkness return in full force once again corrupting the younger princess Princess Ordomia, corrupted from princess of order and balance to Princess Erroria a Broken Character bent on changing all to falsehoods

she being one of the ones to have personally known and worked beside Ordomia was able to help talk her down along side the new elements

Scroll Flame took on the role of the Element of Charity and begun to study with past elements.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Name: Losers Weeper Nickname(s): Age: 23 Pronouns: She/Her Identity: Bi cis girl crush/relationship: REALLY close to splat Parents: Twilight and Luna (discord magically created her) Siblings: Finders keepers, Scroll Flame, Crater Crumbles Special Talent: night based magic inherited from mom, small choas magic from discord Occupation: Princess in training Location: cantorlot Likes: jokes!, small cakes, parties!, spying on people Dislikes: long meetings, metal cups, bad textures Bio: After Celestia married and had kids of her own Luna wish for kids of her own, plus getting a kid meant an heir to her throne. Luna claimed to have no luck in the romance department despite the years and YEARS of pining between her and twilight that anyone and everyone knew about. However she seeked out her old friend discord for help on the matter. With his ability to create life at will he created her two children made from her genetic identity and his chaotic magic. Finders Keeper and Losers weeper were created side by side as the children of the night. beloved by their mother Luna and weird uncle Discord. if anyone tries to insulate discord is their father they will visibly gag and say 'ew' because he is their funny uncle and that their mom loves twilight (this embarrassing luna before she and twilight got together) Losers weep and her sibling were created side by side so there was no clear cut 'older' sibling entitled to the throne, which to Luna was preferred. She saw it as a way to protect them from having immediately force one of them onto a path of ruling or having one feel more important than the other. She decided that as time went on both would take on training and which ever ended up taking a shine to the responsibility would take the throne in their own time. When they were a bit older when Luna and Twilight finally married after a very long years of longing and yearning, adding to their family a new Mother and an adoptive sibling Scroll flame, a reserved kirin child who was adopted by twilight not long ago, being just a bit younger that the twins. Later their mothers evened it out with a fourth baby. Weep in current times still acts very childish goofing off often and being generally a night terror with Finders Keepers, however she loves her mother Luna and her grand abilities since she was a young foal. Losers Weep wanted to follow in her footsteps one day and be able to be as cool at her mom, as vigil as she was, the ability to stand strong and mighty in her work in keeping the night safe and quiet for all the dreamers. Weep's dream is to one day inherit the throne, but in the mean time she's happy to take what time she has to goof off and visit with her friends. Losers Weep spends a lot of her time at Club Vibes, Run by the Child of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, Evening Fun. Weeps other bestest friend is Splat, the child of roaming entertainers Applejack, Pinkie pie and Rara. they travel all over equestria entertaining and selling baked goods to many. So Splat doesn't get to stay in one places for long, but when she visits Cantorlot they party hard! To Losers weep's delight in a funny way, after the corruption and redemption of Princess Ordomia after she was taken over by darkness forcing new elements to take their roles, her dear friend splat was chosen and is now moving to Cantorlot to learn under her own mother pinkie pie in the ways of her role.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Name: Finders Keepers Nickname(s): Age: 22 Pronouns: They/Them, He/Him Identity: Nonbinary gay man crush/relationship: Parents: Twilight and Luna (discord created her) Siblings: Losers Weepers, Scroll Flame, Crater Crumbles Special Talent: chaotic magic from discord and slight night magic Occupation: local goobus, prince in training Location: cantorlot Likes: trinkets, props, painting, acting and dancing Dislikes: sugary stuff, school, long travels Bio: After Celestia married and had kids of her own Luna wish for kids of her own, plus getting a kid meant an heir to her throne. Luna claimed to have no luck in the romance department despite the years and YEARS of pining between her and twilight that anyone and everyone knew about. However she seeked out her old friend discord for help on the matter. With his ability to create life at will he created her two children made from her genetic identity and his chaotic magic. Finders Keeper and Losers weeper were created side by side as the children of the night. beloved by their mother Luna and weird uncle Discord. if anyone tries to insulate discord is their father they will visibly gag and say 'ew' because he is their funny uncle and that their mom loves twilight (this embarrassing luna before she and twilight got together) Finders keepers and their sibling were created side by side so there was no clear cut 'older' sibling entitled to the throne, which to Luna was preferred. She saw it as a way to protect them from having immediately force one of them onto a path of ruling or having one feel more important than the other. She decided that as time went on both would take on training and which ever ended up taking a shine to the responsibility would take the throne in their own time. When they were a bit older when Luna and Twilight finally married after a very long years of longing and yearning, adding to their family a new Mother and an adoptive sibling Scroll flame, a reserved kirin child who was adopted by twilight not long ago, being just a bit younger that the twins. Later their mothers evened it out with a fourth baby. Finder in current days is the biggest goof ball in the world, even more than his sister Losers weep. Everyone in town knows him when they see him and he's considers them all his friends. Despite often using his powers to be a harmless nuisance that can get on other ponies nerves. He's very good at sneaking away and finding every hidden nook and cranny to explore and the only ones who can ever find him or his siblings. His favorite time of the week is when him and Losers Weep get to go out to to Club Vibe, owned by the child of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, Evening Fun. You can always find him taking up room with his big lanky body on the dance floor wiggling it out.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Name: Crater Crumbles Nickname(s): Milky, dusty Age: 14 Pronouns: She/Her Identity: Not sure yet! probably a bi girl crush/relationship: Parents: Twilight and Luna Siblings: Losers Weepers, Finders Keepers, Scroll Flame Special Talent: Astrology Occupation: Princess, student Location: cantorlot Likes: Cookies and milk, warm baths, summer nights Dislikes: tangled hair, early wake up calls, playing alone Bio: Fourth and youngest kid to Luna and Twilight. a sweetheart of a kid with the loud voice of luna and the fun fact random trivia from twilight. She's as sweet as smores and dearly cared for by her family. No one can deny she's the pampered baby of the family even Scroll Flame can't help spoiler her. She's a bit younger and hasn't taken to learning princess stuff and is happy going to public school and playing with her friends. Crumbles is pretty smart for her age but she can tell you some obscure weird fact on just about any every subject that is brought up. She also will tell you your horoscope weather you asked for it or not, if you not looking to hear it you can't let her know your birthday. Crumbles is a very quirky kid.

#mlp #next gen #twiluna #scroll flame #finder keeper #loser weeper #crater crumbles

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ponett · 5 years ago

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Welp... it’s over. After nine years, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is over. I just got done watching the series finale with Anthony and, just like I knew I would, when the credits rolled, I cried my eyes out

I should probably say something, huh. I’ve been sharing thoughts like this mostly on Twitter lately, but I started using Tumblr to blog about MLP, so I don’t think it would be right to post this anywhere else

I have a complicated relationship with MLP:FiM. It’s a show that got really hit or miss after the second season, and it has a fandom so toxic and so full of edgy libertarians that it scared me off from formally participating in fandoms for the rest of my life. But it’s also probably my favorite TV show of all time. There are other shows that are much better written, that have more to say, that are more consistent, even including several other cartoons from the same decade. But I think I’d be lying to myself if I said it wasn’t my favorite show

No other piece of media has had as massive of an impact on my life as My Little Pony

I grew closer to some of my closest high school friends because of our shared enthusiasm for the show. I started PonyPokey with Jake and Derek and made a bunch of bad videos and got invited to be on a wildly disorganized BronyCon panel with Jenny Nicholson in 2012. (We went on stage immediately after Lauren Faust’s panel. I barely said a word due to stage fright.)

After years of being too afraid to share my art online, I started putting more effort into learning digital art so that I could draw ponies. It started out rough, but with the drive to improve, I quickly got better. I started Fluttershy Replies. For the first time, I had an audience. I had people who cared about my work and supported me. Even as times have changed, many of you have been following me since way back then

Around the time I came out as bi in 2012, I got really into MLP shipping. Writing sappy comics and drawing sappy art became an outlet for my years of pent up feelings, and helped me sort out a lot of stuff. My Little Pony also completely changed the views on femininity that had been beaten into my skull since childhood. Suddenly, it wasn’t this strange, alien thing to be afraid of. MLP, at its heart, is a show about how there’s no wrong way to be a girl. That’s an incredibly powerful message. Rarity wasn’t a vapid snob. Fluttershy wasn’t a background character who got made into the butt of the joke. Pinkie wasn’t a ditz. These were characters written to be empathized with. And writing about my own feelings from the perspective of Fluttershy felt... right. It took me a few years to fully process those feelings, but eventually, I realized the truth. I was a trans woman. And a cartoon about horses was the first step on my path to realizing this

In 2013, one of the roughest years of my life, I decided to download RPG Maker on a whim to give myself a distraction. Naturally, my first instinct was to make a game where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash kiss. What was initially supposed to be a short, Fantastic Game-esque playground of silly little jokes spiraled out of control and became Super Lesbian Horse RPG, a game that I poured my heart and soul into over the course of a year. And then, a couple years later, my desire to preserve the ideas from my copyright-infringing fangame also spiraled out of control, as all my creative projects do, and became SLHRPG’s successor: Super Lesbian Animal RPG. SLARPG isn’t really a reskinned MLP fangame anymore--it’s more like a new game inspired in part by my old project. The story has been drastically rewritten, the characters changed, the levels and gameplay redesigned. Most of the cast of the new game wasn’t in the original project in any form. There’s much, much, much, much, much more new content than old left in the game. And the original game had already strayed so far from the canon anyway. But I’m also not sure it would exist without MLP

I made a bunch of friends online, including close friends I still have to this day. I met the people like Bee and Thomas who I’m still working with on SLARPG. Most importantly, because we both blogged about MLP and had some mutual friends, I met Anthony, the love of my life. We’ve been together for five years now and supported each other through good times and bad. This is the lamest, corniest, stupidest thing I will ever say in my life, but he’s the Rainbow Dash to my Fluttershy

...

So what about the finale itself? (spoilers, obviously)

I have... mixed feelings on the finale. There were some things that really annoyed me in there. But also, like I said, I cried, so I think it’s safe to say they did good overall

I think the thing that stuck in my craw the most was Discord. Which I guess shouldn’t be surprising. I’ve been saying for years now how I hate Discord, how he spits in the face of everything the show stands for. He’s an obnoxious elderly manchild who constantly causes problems on purpose and torments his so-called friends the second they stop paying attention to him. But they have to put up with him and give him infinite second chances, because he’s a god and Celestia said they had to reform him

The overarching plot of the final season is that Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Tirek, and Cozy Glow (a Darla Dimple-esque filly villain from season 8) had teamed up with Grogar, a “new” villain taken from G1. While this goes on in the background, Twilight is making her preparations to become Celestia’s successor, as we’d known would be her destiny since the day she got wings six years ago. The villain team-up stuff was genuinely fun, and a highlight of the season for me. But then, in the three-part finale, it’s revealed that Grogar was actually Discord in disguise, and that he’d been intentionally trying to orchestrate a big attack on Twilight’s coronation so that she and her friends could save the day and get a big confidence boost going into her reign as princess. This is like... one of the most bafflingly stupid plot twist of all time. It’s literally the end of the show, and Discord has learned nothing. He’s “nice” now, but he’s still intentionally causing huge problems and putting everyone’s lives in danger to solve his problems. He freed four different villains they’d already defeated just so Twilight could beat them again, and in the process they literally blew up the goddamn castle in Canterlot and nearly killed everyone. And yet... they still forgive him, because they have to

I did, however, think that the last two-part adventure episode was fun overall. It tied a nice bow on much of the series, bringing back a bunch of old friends (including cameos from the movie cast!) to band together and save the day. Of course, in the end, they beat the bad guys with a big rainbow laser and sealed them in a statue. You know, even though a previous season finale was all about how solving their problems with a friendship laser and sealing the villains away never worked. Also, Cozy Glow might be evil, but she’s still literally a child? And now her petrified body is on display in the center of Canterlot? What the fuck????

I’m complaining a lot, but again. It was fun overall. It was nice to have one last big adventure, and to have the mane six reflect on how they’d grown since Twilight moved to Ponyville

...

And then we got the actual final episode. And boy did this one hit me HARD

I’m so glad that they ended on a quieter episode about the main cast’s friendships, because that’s what the show is actually about. The two-part adventures to save Equestria every season are fun, but that’s not the real show. We all came back every week for Twilight and her friends

There are things I can complain about here, too. Spike being a buff adult dragon with the voice of a child is fucked up. I’m still not used to seeing Twilight be Celestia’s size. But more than anything, I was always worried that we’d get a Harry Potter ending, where all the characters are paired off into arbitrary marriages so they can all have kids. Thankfully, this didn’t really happen. The only one who had a kid was Pinkie, who apparently got married to Cheese Sandwich (Weird Al’s character) at some point. Like, they literally shared two episodes together, with no hint of romance? But then they got married and had a kid off-screen??? What the fuck???? A lot of people also think that Fluttershy ended up with Discord, and I know I’m massively biased against that ship, but... I mean, they teased the FlutterCord shippers, but there wasn’t really any actual textual evidence that they were any closer than they had been previously. Y’all weirdos who ship Fluttershy with an obnoxious elderly man can interpret that as being “canon” if you want, I guess, but it’s not

The other relationship that shocked everyone in the finale was Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who... appear to be a couple? It’s definitely hinted at. I have... very, very mixed feelings about this. I mean, okay, obivously I’m the big FlutterDash fangirl. But I think AppleDash is cute, too! The problem is that, like... they’ve barely interacted in years? Like, they had a lot of episodes together in the first two seasons, but then the writers barely ever had them interact past that point. I can’t even remember when the last time we got an actual episode focusing on them was. And no, the one where Rainbow takes Granny Smith to pony Vegas doesn’t count

Like... yeah, it’s cute. It’s a nice gesture. Lyra and Bon Bon getting married in the background was also cute. But we can do so, so much better in 2019. We have so many explicitly canon lesbian couples in cartoons. Couples that actually kissed, or got married, or showed feelings for each other. Rainbow and AJ barely even fucking talked to each other in the final few seasons. I dunno, it just feels very hollow to me. Even the Equestria Girls crew admitting they were pushing RariJack felt more substantial to me, because at least they were given on-screen chemistry and lots of canon interaction

But in the end, complaints aside, the finale was about Twilight moving back to Canterlot, and worrying that her friendships would fade because of it. Honestly, I think this is what the finale of the show always would’ve been. It was the perfect story to end on. And boy, it hit really close to home

And then the last song happens, reflecting on how things have changed, but how they’re all still friends. And we see all the other friends they made along the way. And the camera zooms out, and the book from the opening of the very first episode closes, bringing the entire nine-year saga full circle

And then I started sobbing really hard in Anthony’s arms

...

I dunno. I just got done nitpicking a lot, but I still think that the last episode was a good and very emotional ending for the show

I’m going to miss this show dearly. I know it will be back in a new form, and that the leaks indicate that it’ll still star slightly different versions of the Mane Six. I’m also used to shows like this getting rebooted. Hasbro cartoons are honestly lucky to last past three seasons. FiM, on the other hand, got over 200 episodes, a theatrical film, a few specials, some shorts, a bunch of comics (which I still need to read), and a spinoff human AU series that was also really great. There’s no shortage of content, and I’m sure I’ll be returning to the series for years to come. I’m also glad that the show managed to go out on a high note

But still. It was a constant presence in my life for nearly nine years. Even as the quality got really hit or miss, even as they took the premise in strange directions, even as the crew of the show grew more and more dominated by men, it was still a show I could rely on to always be there, 26 episodes a year. I’ll miss it. I hope what comes next is just as good, if not even better. I also hope it’s gayer

I was going to end my ask blog, Fluttershy Replies, around the time the show ended. I’m not sure if I’ll do that just yet. I don’t know. I think that might be a bit much for me to process emotionally. Too many doors closing in my life in quick succession. But I do want to do more with it. These characters will be special to me for the rest of my life

I mean shit, I haven’t even drawn StarTrix yet. I’ve still got a lot of work to do with these horses, folks

#bobby thinks about horses

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mordenheim · 5 years ago

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Dr. Mordenheim’s Travels, Book 1: De Writer’s Equestria, Ch. 7

Dr. Victor Mordenheim has traveled to many different realities in his many centuries of existence. This series, which I shall add to from time to time, will explore some of them, beginning with the world of @ask-de-writer.

=============================================================

Victor sighed softly as he tiredly cleaned the last of his tools and set the gleaming silver instruments in their proper places. He brought in his glowing “Ring Bell For Service” sign as he closed for the holiday and looked out towards Ponyville proper. It was late at night and fluffy snow was falling slowly from the overcast sky. Through a long break in the clouds the moon and stars could still be seen glistening against the night sky. He tilted his head a little, cocking an ear as he could still hear peals of laughter and joyful music in the distance.

Closing the door, he trotted back through his clinic, turning off the lights as he went. He placed a few foal’s books back upon their shelf before opening a side door. The huge zebra stepped into his small but comfortable living quarters. He spent a bit of time building a fire in the small fireplace before taking a few moments for a nice, hot shower. He dried himself thoroughly and slipped into his forest-green robe.

Clean and dry, he trotted over to the refrigerator. Taking a small wrapped package of leftover steak from Caramel Treat's, he sliced it thin and prepared himself a sandwich along with a snifter of apple brandy. It had been a gift from the Apple Family for helping Big Macintosh get back on his hooves after spraining his knee during the fall harvest. Now seemed as good a time as any to have a drink.

He sat in silence, listening to the crackling fire as he finished his meal and the glass of brandy. It truly was an excellent drink. He trotted over to the window once more and gazed out at the town. It was quiet now. Most of the lights had gone dark except for a few along the main royal roads. Feeling restless, he draped his dark cloak around his shoulders and put on a green scarf. He picked up his pipe, filling it with a fine, sweet-smoking weed before lighting it with a punk from the fireplace and trotting out into the snow.

He gazed up at the moon and stars shining overhead, framed by silvery clouds and took a long pull on his old ivory pipe. He exhaled a plume of smoke that coalesced into what seemed to be a Hearthswarming tree. Three smaller clouds formed into two ponies, large and small leaning on one another and what looked to be a small colt tumbling excitedly around the tree. He smiled a little wistfully at the scene and began to sing.

“O bonny Portmore, I am sorry to see Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree For it stood on your shore for many's the long day Till the long boats from Antrim came to float it away.”

He trotted through the image, scattering it into wisps in the wind, heading a little farther down the road before taking another pull on his pipe and exhaling again. Another Hearthswarming tree, but four figures this time. A large male with a small, older-seeming female leaning against him and a young, happy couple sitting with them. They all looked to be speaking excitedly about something, occasionally seeming to laugh at some forgotten joke.

“O bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand And the more I think on you the more I think long If I had you now as I had once before All the lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.”

He trotted through the smoke once more, smiling a little less than he did before. He looked tired as he took another pull on the pipe. Exhaling again, the smoke billowed out into another scene. There was just a small tree on what looked to be a bedside table this time. The larger pony sat, unchanged from the first ghostly image, however now there were two older ponies standing off to the side as the larger had his hoof resting upon that of an elderly looking mare in a bed. His head hung low as he nuzzled her cheek gently.

“All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep Saying, "Where will we shelter or shall we sleep?" For the Oak and the Ash, they are all cutten down And the walls of bonny Portmore are all down to the ground.”

He walked more slowly now, his head hung down as low as the stallion in the smoky image as he walked on through the falling snow, unaware that he was now being watched from the forest nearby. He took one last pull on his pipe as the red glow from the bowl faded and died, the weed spent. He exhaled a final plume of smoke revealing the large stallion once more, still unchanged as ever appearing in a field. Three small stones sat before him as he lie on the ground, hooves covering his face as he wept. The tall zebra's voice quivered slightly as he sang one final verse.

“O bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand And the more I think on you the more I think long If I had you now as I had once before All the Lords of Old England would not purchase Portmore.”

He sat heavily in the snow, not even feeling the cold as the pipe slipped from his teeth, clattering onto the snowy cobblestone. He head hung low as cold, stinging tears slipped from his single eye. He tried to keep quiet, wrapping his forelegs around his chest to hold in wracking sobs as he heard a soft voice behind him.

“Uh... uhm... e-excuse me. Doctor Mordenheim? A.. are you alright?”

He blinked, wiping at his eye and turned to see a small yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane dressed in a pale blue coat looking up at him. “Er.. yes? May I help you, Miss Fluttershy?”

She trotted a little closer, but he could tell it was taking a bit of effort. For a moment it seemed she would break and run at any second. Then she calmed and reached up to place a hoof gently on his shoulder. “Well. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come for a walk. I couldn't visit with my family this holiday as I just had too many animals to watch over and needed a few moments to clear my head. Then I heard this beautiful, sad song I had never heard before.”

The zebra blushed a little at that, his white cheeks turning pink in the silvery glow of the moon. “Yes, it is a song from my homeland, and was one of my wife's favorites.”

She smiled a bit sadly, then nodded. “I see. Um.. Would... you like to join me for a cup of tea. It's getting colder and well... Nobody should spend Hearthswarming alone if it can be helped.”

He paused for a moment, about to turn her down. Then he looked down at this mare, the bearer of the Element of Kindness, saw the determination behind her soft gaze and smiled softly.

“Thank you. I think that would be lovely.”

The two of them turned and followed the path towards the small bridge that lead to Fluttershy's small shack near the Everfree.

“Happy Hearthswarming, Doctor.”

“Happy Hearthswarming, Fluttershy.”

#MLP #text #story #mordenheim #pony #Hearthswarming #Xmas #sad #ask-de-writer

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digikate813 · 5 years ago

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My Top 5 Favorite Ponies from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

One thing that’s amazing about Friendship is Magic is just how many memorable characters there are. Not only were there six main ponies who each took turns having dedicated episodes, but each season brought with it new locations, new challenges, and yes, new characters. All diverse and most endearing. Which is why today I”m counting down my Top 5 favorite pony characters. And since ponies are what started all of this, we’re gonna stick with ponies. Although there are many great characters in Equestria and beyond who aren’t ponies that could easily make for a list of it’s own. But let’s start this off with…

#5 Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo

No I am not calling her Muffins. Nobody calls her Muffins besides Hasbro. But if that’s what it takes to keep this adorable wool eyed mare around, then so be it. As someone who came into the fandom right before Season 3, Derpy as a creative piece and what she represents to the fandom, fascinates me.

Of course what made Derpy special right from the start is how fans personified her. From a simple animation error, she developed a character that attracted people. And from what I can tell, as the first season continued, fans assigned her personality traits like they were an improv troop. Derpy is really excited about muffins? They must be her favorite food! She drops things out of a moving truck? Maybe it’s a delivery truck. Maybe she’s a mail mare! From becoming a companion to a time traveling stallion to being a single mom of a unicorn filly also in the background who looked a little like her. It was the first time (though certainly not the last, not even on this list) the brony fandom created such a rich and involved life for a character who was never meant to do more then fill in the background.

But then “The Last Roundup” controversy happened. And something about Derpy’s role in the fandom culture, changed. Suddenly Derpy was, a symbol. People related not to the people who complained that she was offensive, but how her presence on the show was censored and almost silenced. One of the most relatable things to a brony is being ostracized from the outside world for expressing yourself. As time went on, Derpy began to become a symbol of strength and self love. Heck my favorite song in the fandom and one of my favorite songs period, was inspired by a note left behind to the writer and performer at Bronycon saying “It’s Great to be Different. Love Derpy.”.

Derpy went from being a lovable joke, to an icon that represented the failures and triumphs of many members of the community, and those who chose to tell her stories. That even if you are different in some way, you can still live a full and loving life. And when “Slice of Life” came around, it felt like it was the true celebration of what Derpy was to all of us that she was meant to be back in The Last Roundup. But because there was more screen time now, they were able to show all of what makes Derpy so adorable and beloved.

From her many future appearances in the show itself, to the empowering and endearing fan made content surrounding the little gray pegasus that’s been produced since, Derpy is an amazing creation that is so wonderful to watch no matter what form she takes. And now for the complete opposite pony…..

#4 Twilight Sparkle

I generally consider MLP an ensemble show, since there are so many characters who get almost an equal amount of focus. However, there’s no denying that the show started with, and therefore mostly revolves around Twilight and her journey. Her friends and then their friends and family, as it expands into the massive cast we know and love. But that all started with a studious little unicorn.

There’s so much to like about Twilight. On the surface I always found her excitement for knowledge and study to be a great trait, especially to display to kids. Showing how excited people can be to learn and explore without being the “token nerd”. And of course her freak outs are legendary.

But what I appreciate about Twilight is her external and internal journey as a character. That despite being the studious one, she doesn’t know everything. That just because she’s really good at the skills she acquires, doesn’t mean she’s perfect all the time, or that she should be expected to be.

Twilight’s journey represents the path of the entire show. Learning different lessons on friendship and responsibility. That just because things happened in the past doesn’t mean you can’t evolve if someone’s willing to give you the chance. That just because someone is different and maybe a bit closed off, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it to try and get to know them. That when you move up in the world and magically sprout a pair of wings, and it feels like you’ve achieved everything you thought you could, doesn’t mean you have.

There are always things to learn, ways to grow, mistakes to be made and friends to find. That lesson and advice can come from the most unlikely of places like Discord and Starlight.Twilight had a cray journey through the 9 seasons of Friendship is Magic, but the most important thing is that she never stopped learning. Even when she moved on to teaching.

Twilight represents how no matter what you think at the time, there’s no one path to life. One day you’re focused on being a princess’s best student, the next you’re a princess yourself. Or venturing out beyond the borders of your land. Or opening a school to all creatures so you can help them all. To eventually, ruling the land. And even after achieving that, there are still challenges.

A friend of mine once pointed out that Twilight’s journey is quite a bit similar to some of the reformed villains. Somepony who was isolated and alone and wanted nothing to do with friendship. Who thought she could do everything herself. Until five random ponies decided to march into a forest to lend a hand, and changed her life forever. Twilight represents that no matter how much you succeed or how much you fail, there’s always something to gain from it. And that nobody accomplishes greatness alone. TL:DR, Twilight embodies the magic of friendship. Which is pretty obvious I know but it’s still worth celebrating.

#3 Princess Luna

Luna Luna Luna. Everypony loves Luna. At least everypony in the fan base does, it took a while for the ponies in the show to warm up to her remember. So Luna makes this list above the main character who I just said embodies what the entire show is about because, thanks to Luna’s overwhelming popularity, it sparked my curiosity enough to watch the episode she featured in. My first episode of MLP was “Luna Eclipsed”. So yeah, Luna is partly responsible for getting me involved in all of this and why you’re reading this right now.

Some people think Luna is overrated or not worthy of all of this praise. And while I understand where these people are coming from, I can’t say I agree. The reasons to love Luna only got longer as the years went on, but I think the spark in the beginning was her story as Nightmare Moon. Can you imagine how easy it would have been to make Luna Celestia’s opposite in every way? Not just in their functions for the land? Relatives who are evil for the sake of evil are hardly rare in children’s media. Especially in the stuff marketed to girls.

But what set Luna apart is that they gave her motivation. An actual reason for why she wanted to plunge the world into eternal night. Because she wanted to be appreciated. And while Luna may not have, taken the best approach towards accomplishing that, who can’t relate to that?

And I’m always a huge fan of villain redemption stories personally, so as I watched “Luna Eclipsed”, and saw Luna fitting back in with the ponies was something I really liked. And after getting more involved with the series, it was really gratifying to see more of her as she slowly began to have a more prominent role in the show and progress more as a character.

Having her teach the CMC through their dreams was a great idea for a group of episodes, showing that Luna can use her past mistakes to teach other ponies to be better. Watching her still struggle with those feelings of guilt and regret from her actions as Nightmare Moon in the somewhat controversial, yet beloved to me and quite a few others, “Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?”. And much later, getting to finally see how she spends time with her very different, yet still loving sister.

The show may have had many villains see the error of their ways through the power of friendship and rainbow lasers, but Luna was the first, and to this day, most loved. She dominates the charts every time a “Best Princess” poll comes up because apart from Twilight, she’s the most interesting and developed.

There may have been times where they had to work backwards for development, but in the end Luna had an amazing presence throughout the series from Day 1, and in a way, may have been one of the keys to it’s first spark of appeal to older viewers. But who knows?

#2 Time Turner/Doctor Whooves

Well we’ve all got a favorite background pony. And as much as I love Derpy, this eccentric scientist remains my favorite. Like with Luna, part of the reason the fan named Doctor Whooves is one of my favorite ponies is because he got me more involved in the fandom. And just to clarify, no. I was not a Doctor Who fan before I was an MLP fan.

But there was just something about the bizarre combination of My Little Pony and Doctor Who that just peaked my curiosity. And thanks to the likes of the incredible audio dramas Doctor Whooves and Assistant and Doctor Whooves Adventures, I became even more interested in both MLP and Doctor Who, and dove full force into the fandom within a fandom that was the Doctor Whooves community. So many Doctors, so little time. And it was glorious!

Doctor Whooves is just one of those concepts that is so enjoyable to create stories and concepts around. Between the two worlds the possibilities are endless! And it was always fun and exciting to come across someone else’s version of this idea that’s, weird, but works. And I myself have celebrated my love for the time traveling stallion in all sorts of ways from animatics to reviews to traditional fan art.

And then, “Slice of Life” happened. While he wasn’t an actual time traveling thousand year old alien (not as far as we know anyway) I really loved how they characterized him in the show itself. His eccentric experiments, Peter New’s delightful rambly voice work, throwing in a couple of Doctor Who references that are blatant and subtle at the same time. It was so much fun to watch, and to see him again every now and then during the remainder of the series.

And to think all of that came from a random hour glass cutie mark and someone out there thinking his mane looked sort of like David Tennant’s hair. Have I mentioned how much this fandom’s imagination blows my mind???

#1 Fluttershy

Oh my dear sweet Fluttershy. One of the benefits to having six main ponies is that they can cover a broad spectrum of character types. Everyone develops a favorite among the group at some point, and while there are many different reasons for a character to be your favorite, 9 times out of 10 when someone is asked who their favorite is among the Mane Six, it’s usually because they can relate to them. That they see themselves in one of these pastels ponies personalities or goals or growth. That is what Fluttershy is to me.

I relate to Fluttershy, so much it scares me sometimes. Being really quiet around people I don’t know well. Getting nervous about things others might find ridiculous. Apologizing profusely for things. And most importantly, trying to be genuinely nice and understanding, even when it’s hard.

I understand both Fluttershy’s highs and lows. How she really tries to be stronger then her anxieties, that are tough for those who don’t have those issues to understand why she’s acting that way. How satisfying it is in those times when you can overcome your anxieties, and look a scary person or situation in the eye and face it. How the friends you make can make you more comfortable and open to new opportunities and experiences.

Despite her shy nature, Fluttershy is a tower of strength. And her development throughout the course of the series is the most satisfying to me. Going from not being able to talk to a new pony in town, to sincerely befriending the lord of chaos. From being kicked around by strangers in a marketplace, to being assertive with her own brother and helping him get his act together. From bending over backwards to not hurt other ponies feelings, to firing workers who weren’t respecting here wishes.

Probably the best thing about Fluttershy’s character development is that, it takes it’s time. But the progress she makes is clear. As she says in “Fame and Misfortune”, it took her a while to get there, but you don’t learn a lesson once and completely change who you are. Fluttershy represents the very subtle development we all make everyday if we try. It may not show too much the next day, but if we keep striving to be better and more outgoing, the results will speak for themselves over time.

I love absolutely everything about Fluttershy. Her design is adorable. Her voice work from Andrea Libman is perfect. Her work with animals and the kindness she spreads throughout the show is sweet and admirable, and she’s a beacon of hope for those who feel weak or suffer from anxieties. Who feel like they can never improve. Fluttershy shows that you can make improvements every day. It doesn’t mean you have to change overnight. And that the quietest pony, can turn out to be the strongest.

So those are my Top 5 Favorite Ponies, and be sure to let me know who some of your favorite ponies are. Not just your all time favorite, but some of the runner ups. There are many different reasons to love certain characters and that might not all apply to one of them. That’s the fun thing about this topic. With so many great characters and so many reasons to like some of them, everyone’s answer is unique and interesting. Just like the ponies themselves.

#My Little Pony #analysis #top 5 favorite ponies #derpy hooves #twilight sparkle #Princess Luna #doctor whooves #fluttershy #MLP;FiM

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snowy-charm · 5 years ago

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A Treatise on Charm, Snowy

(TL;DR warning: This post is kinda long. The quick version is that I’m gonna make music now! Next post will be one of said musics. The rest of this post goes over the story of why I’m doing it. Also I use a meme twice and link some rad music three times.)

The year: 2017. October. I was given the name “Snowy Charm” as a fun pony name to facilitate a secret santa exchange online. Even though I’d been a fan of these little horses since ~2012 I’d never delved into the world of having one to call my own. I was more than satisfied bearing witness to the growing cast of canon characters - and of course my hot and heavy courting with the cast of Fallout: Equestria. (Side note to anyone who may be reading this: FoE is pretty dope, but it is also the essence of grimdark. Read at your own risk!)

Suddenly at odds with this new OC acquisition, I quickly came up with a fast and loose backstory! He was a crystal pony from the wintery crystal kingdom (”Snowy”) and was probably an artificer or craftsman of some kind (”Charm”). I joked that the reason behind my name is that I live in a snowy climate (read: the tropics) and I was quite charming (the jury is still out on that one).

The following year was my first ever convention: BronyCon 2018! An artist friend of mine graciously designed my OC with little to no input on my part and came up with a design that I instantly fell in love with.

(Pictured here subtly in front of a rack-mounted EQ I have never used, but is appropriate for an upcoming revelation.)

Isn’t he ADORABLE?! I will forever wear that badge because it is awesome. The cutie mark has been redone a little since then, and no other artist has remembered his beard yet, but I digress; this story isn’t actually about him.

Of course, BronyCon was a blast! This became my impetus to be more than simply an observer in the fandom, but to be present and belonging with others through our communal enjoyment of My Little Pony. My friends, in general, had a disinterest of the show - which, you know what? That’s fair. I don’t particularly care for Game of Thrones, Desperate Housewives, or the DCU, and it would be hard for me to feign a genuine interest in the developments thereof - but as of BronyCon I was able to play on an even field with others who shared my same passion for these candy colored equines!

Now, another thing to note of me, which will be important in a moment: I’m slightly musical. Not amazingly talented or anything, just.. slightly musical. I was REALLY into marching band (and won the John Philip Sousa award my senior year!!), but stopped refining my craft during college and onwards. Turns out playing a $5000 instrument puts a damper on your ability to own one. (Here’s a second video, and a third; I freakin love marimba.) I picked up the Ukulele for the the occasional “BUT YOU LIKE TO MAKE MUSIC” urges, but more or less ignored actually honing my abilities.

But now that I found myself surrounded by the magic of friendship combined with the magic of ponies, I wanted to CREATE. I suddenly realized that Snowy Charm was to be a MUSIC PONE. I would make FANDOM HITS that nopony had ever HEARD BEFORE (or after - I didn’t/don’t expect to be horse famous [or really even horse known (triple parenthetical asides are super cool, by the way)]).

Aaaaand promptly realized I had the better part of a decade’s worth of rust hanging onto my high-school-level skills. Not to mention that I still didn’t own the only thing I was good at playing.

“Okay, okay, it’s fine. Don’t hyperventilate, self. We’ll just make this into a project about growth in music instead.”

- Me to myself circa the realization I can only really play a single instrument, and not even well.

I decided to make the project about my journey in the music field instead of pumping out dope jams. The goal was to lay out where I was musically and pick a song each week. I’d then practice that song all week and post a recording of my warbly self performing it by week’s end. Pick up a new instrument here, learn a new software there. Maybe I’d do originals now and again, but likely I’d just scream into the void and wait for it to call me back.

Of course, the dope jams would (hopefully) come, but as Jake says:

Long story short on that one: I didn’t.

Be it procrastination or a busy schedule, I can’t really defend my past self’s choice at this point. I made all the social media accounts and sturdied myself to make the first bellow into the abyss --- but then silence rung out. (Of note, I got my twitter anniversary notice today, so it has been exactly a year from my first tentative steps.)

Flash forward a couple months - October once more. My little festive community starts up again! More fun names are given out and lore starts being woven together about these new OCs! The stories start coming quick: There’s a stallion who HATES CRANBERRIES and one who makes bomb smoothies! A diamond dog who wants to celebrate Hearth’s Warming but is the target of seemingly the entire diamond dog population’s scorn! There’s a whole school filled with students, teachers, and a will-they-won’t-they janitor/counselor combo! Snowy now owns a potion shop specializing in musical applications, not to mention somehow he’s now the ambassador to those diamond dogs! But then, unexpectedly, on the day she was supposed to return from the hospital, my mother passed away.

I had recently lost my job and moved into my folk’s home out of town. Unemployed, isolated from friends, and yeeted into the throes of grief; I did all I really could: I picked up my dumb noise stick and sang about life, love, death, and colorful talking horses.

I made my first honest-to-goodness song - Drink In - during that period. It’s about that on-again-off-again pair I introduced earlier, but it was also about my grief and healing. I’ll share some of the lyrics here that, after I wrote them, spoke to me as if I didn’t pen them my damn self:

Take a deep breath Exhale regret Drink in sunsets The best is what’s left

It may not hit you the same way as it did me, music is often subjective, but it was an imperative reminder to let go of the stress I was compounding inside of me. I needed to hear that message badly - and put a pin in that, I’ll loop back to it in a moment.

I started working to better my craft again. I helped mix/master the album that my little festive family put together. I borrowed a bass guitar from a friend and started learning a little. I even got employed to do live mixing at the church I attend! Little by little I was getting better.

But let’s fast forward again, shall we? This time to August of this year, BronyCon 2019! One of the best times I’ve ever had, but that’s not the point (maybe I’ll go into it in a later post?). I came home invigorated and ready to face the world again after being exhausted for almost five months straight. I felt free from burdens and there was something on my mind that hadn’t been there for a long time: I was ready to CREATE.

If you were at the con, or if you’ve been on twitter recently, this next refrain may strike you as familiar:

(Patch done by @sew-adorkable)

I knew I had to make a song about it, but I had to make it good enough to be heard by folk. It had to be perfect before I could release it and have guitars and electronic music stuff and all the bells and/or whistles. I have a launchpad, unused, from last year - so I plugged it in with Ableton Live so I could make them funky horse beatz (with a z of course, because that’s 20% cooler).

Aaaaand promptly realized I was way out of my depth.

I’ve recorded live performances (and myself) with Reaper and Audition before, and I feel like I know at least some of the basics with them. I can put a vocal into compression, mix the instruments okay together, do some EQing, etc. But I was now adrift trying to get the computer to make sounds that I wasn’t able to do myself.

I couldn’t figure out how to put anything other than the default synth into reaper and I opened Ableton because that’s better for electronic music I hear and I want to learn how to do that and they don’t even have a timeline and use clips and what are clips and how do you make them and what are samples and how do you get them and how do I even record a voice in this thing and there’s not a TIMELINE and when you stop the noise the session isn’t stopped and the launchpad won’t work and I went back to reaper and they have a drum sampler and how do you get a sample and how do you install things and is this my personal hell and I understand this is a run on sentence - I was frustrated and I quit.

Remember the pin I told you to put in earlier? Refresh that into memory, here’s where it’s relevant.

About two weeks after this whole debacle I was listening to shuffle all on my phone and Drink In happened to come on. I remembered how the completely unintentional message of my own song really struck me a year prior. This stupid song about a pair of pony OCs with terribly played ukulele and shitty bargain bin percussion recorded with a mic not suited to record anything except vocals... and despite all that, despite all of the technical barriers that were in the way, despite clipping during recording ukulele and hearing the distortion every time I listen to the track, it helped me restore tranquility when my inner world was naught but a maelstrom of grief and tumult.

...I guess it didn’t have to be perfect to reach folks. Who knew?

And that right there is the moral I’m learning today. I struggle with it a lot, but there’s a problem with perfection: allow yourself only to produce perfection and you’ll produce nothing. I mean it’s a well known quote, right? Nobody’s perfect.

So, I apologize in advance to all people with ears, but it is now my intention to bring (hopefully) pleasant noises to the grandiose cacophony that is the internet. They won’t be perfect, but I’ll work on it.

Anyway, come to TrotCon.

(Art by Witchtaunter, Flitterfel, and Mentita Kirby)

P.S. Holy bananas you actually read this monster of a post? Give yourself a pat on the back! Future posts likely won’t be as herculean of a read, but no promises. Next time I’ll actually upload “Drink In” so you can hear this song I’ve referenced so much - and then I’ll talk about where I’m at mechanically and the goals I have by doing this whole thing. Oh, and don’t expect all the neat art to happen every post! I went a little YCH/commission crazy after I got back from BronyCon, but I’m also not made out money so it won’t last forever. I don’t expect really anybody to read a huge post ostensibly about someone’s OC, and even the lifetime of this project I expect less or equal to about 10 people, but I hope you find a sense of belonging and participation here! Hello to all 10 of you!

See y’all next time!

#I don't know how to tag things #MLP #Probably MLP #Horse Music?#Snowy Charm #long read #I'msosorry #I met Wootmaster at BronyCon last year #I sang the Halo theme at him #It was pretty cool #notice me senpai

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glapplebloom · 6 years ago

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The Beginning of the End for a lot of things...

It begins with everyone running towards Canterlot Castle. They all got an emergency summons to see the Princess and being an emergency, they think its the worst case scenario. When they arrived, nothing is wrong but the urgent summons is a legit urgency...

They have decided to retire from being a Princess. And who’ll take over being the ruler of Equestria? A certain Purple Alicorn we all know. And the exchange in power will take place in a few days. Twilight takes it well...

Twilight is so predictable on how she would react, everyone decides to call this Twilighting. Also a meta joke about Twilight wondering what they would do without Princess help and them realizing they really haven’t been.

Meanwhile, someone has been gathering the greatest villains of Equestria (as well as Chrysalis) together. This also includes the VERY TALKATIVE King Sombra. Earlier I was wondering how Sombra was going to be like and technically my 3 and 4 were correct...

This Generation’s Grogar was the one who gathered them all together. And with him being able to get Tirek and Cozy out of Tartarus and Sombra from out of the Ether (gonna assume the shard explosion was that), he united them for one goal: to destroy Twilight and Her Friends.

Now if you have been reading my Twilight and the Ministry, I have a currently ongoing story that has a similar premise. I joke about them stealing my idea, but a team of Super Villains uniting is a trope that pretty much anyone has done, and people have done with MLP. So let’s instead focus on improving problems I had with the villains.

On Grogar’s side: the one thing that bothered me from his original was the frikkin bell weakness. Either remove the one around his neck or ring a giant unguarded bell and boom, you beat him. They removed the Bell and also made him not only the first ruler of Equestria, but also the father of monsters. In a sense, everyone here is his kids.

On the flipside: Sombra has become a completely different character. He’s shown more personality (and said things) within this one scene compared to the two parter. In fact, he wants to go at it alone to take over the Crystal Empire himself. So Grogar allows it: if Sombra succeeds, he can keep the Empire. If he fails, either he’ll return to serve Grogar or return to the darkness he once came.

At the School of Friendship, Twilighting has gone Code Red. Starlight tries to do reverse psychology by Twilighting herself when she heard the news that she’ll be taking over the castle and the school when Twilight takes over Equestria. Didn’t work.

After being sent there by Grogar, Sombra takes over the Crystal Empire pretty easily. Those helmets mind control ponies, which he can do without them. And once he captured Flurry Heart, Cadance and Shining fell. Luckily she sent a note to Twilight before that happened. Of course, this wouldn’t happen if the Crystal Guards were good at their jobs.

Back with Twilight, since Discord refuses to help (you’ll see why later), Twilight gathers her friends to stop Sombra by bringing with them the Elements of Harmony because they fear he will have the Crystal Heart. While Discord says it doesn’t count on handling things on her own, when family is threatened she has to take no chances.

And they seemingly defeated Sombra pretty easily. But it turns out this was all a ploy by Sombra to follow them to the Tree of Harmony and destroy it alongside the Elements. At this point I figured: oh, they’re still in the Sombra Nightmare and they’ll bust out when they realize the elements are within them. But nope, this is all real.

So let’s summarize the next few parts: Sombra captures them, decides to not give them the Sombra Nightmare Stare because he’s going to use Ponyville as his army against Canterlot. He succeeds in taking over Canterlot because the Princesses weren’t there. And because the Tree of Harmony was keeping the Everfree Forest in check, vines are taking over Ponyville.

So remember when people were complaining that Sunset Shimmer’s plan wasn’t going to work? Sombra pretty much showed that yeah, it totally would have worked.

Back to summarizing, the Girls dig their way out (including Rarity), Luna, Celestia, and Starswirl kept the Everfree Forest at bay and the girls got passed all of Canterlot and Ponyville (including against the Wonderbolts) to try to face Sombra on their own.

With the exception of Discord because he probably could have solved this instantly. But after saying Fluttershy is his favorite, Sombra attacks her. Discord jumps in front of it to save her, and seems hurt serverely. But one last pep talk from him gives Twilight and the others the confidence to defeat Sombra.

Because they are the Elements of Harmony. They don’t need no stinking Jewelry to defeat him. Sombra is defeated once more. Everyone is back. Discord reveals he was pretending to be hurt to give them confidence, and the Princess delaying their retirement because, while Twilight has proven she would be a great leader, it was unfair of them to rush her into the role.

But with Sombra’s defeat Grogar warns them that unless they work together, they will succeed where Sombra fails. Overall, a great beginning to the end of the series. I bet this will lead to a great finale.

Rewriting it is going to be tricky. For starters, spoilers, Tempest is going to be working the Crystal Empire beat. So off the bat they’ll be major changes with the story going forward. Plus, I reformed Sombra taking into consideration the Siege of the Crystal Empire as canon. So I would have to figure out how Sombra became bad.

Decided to go the clone route because, face it, this Sombra and the Sombra we saw previously are like two completely different people. One is so questionable if he was a threat and the other definitely showing a lot more creativity, personality, and ability. And with how powerful Grogar is, I can totally see him making a Sombra from the Evil that left him (maybe throw in the Mirror Sombra as being a base, maybe not).

So the difference will be the following: Grogar united the villains to defeat Apple Bloom once and for all. He created the Copy Sombra to fill in the ranks, but because of how different he is refuses to go along and try to take over himself. Grogar allows it, knowing he could always make another. When Cadance sends a letter to Ponyville, its to Apple Bloom.

Tempest, realizing how the Storm King took over the Crystal Empire, went to protect Flurry Heart before Sombra could get to her. So Tempest and Cadance takes on Sombra while Shining Armor does his best to deal with those under mind control. Sombra is doing well since Tempest is doing double duty on protecting Flurry and Cadance, who she doesn’t want to see get hurt.

Apple Bloom eventually arrives and tackles Sombra away from the two. This gives Tempest time to give Flurry Heart to Cadance and join the fight proper. Sombra isn’t doing as well against two Green Lanterns, but every time Apple Bloom tries to capture him he slips by. That’s when Tempest got an idea.

Using the Ring, Tempest creates a Green Energy Ball that looks similar to her time working with the Storm King. While Apple Bloom continues to distract, the Tempest comes out of nowhere and hits Sombra head first with it, turning him into stone. Apple Bloom catches him before he smashes to the ground, because she wants answers as to why Sombra turned bad again.

So while Grogar warns the others about failure, the real Sombra and Hope make their way back to the Crystal Empire, finally finding a way for Sombra to be next to the Crystal Heart without being hurt. This will lead to next week’s story... Also, I’ll be needing to resprite Sombra as well as make a new Tirek sprite. I get the feeling I’ll be needing them soon enough.

#mlp review #season 9 #Green Lantern Apple Bloom

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darkcloud-kcalifornia · 6 years ago

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Alrighty, seems like we’ve finally got a return of pony, with episode 14, “That’s a Laugh”. Synopsis on the screen is telling me it’s gonna have Cheese Sandwich in there again. So things will undoubtably be a bit on the goofy side, leaving us with the question on if there’s gonna be any shipping fuel as well between Pinkie and Cheese. Or would the thought of Pinkie getting romantic with anypony be a laugh?

* How is Dash the last person to show up for an emergency meeting? I’m guessing the others must have been closer by. Actually come to think of it how did Pinkie send the message? It kinda seems unlikely she’d go around to everypony and ask them to meet up rather than just gathering them as she went.

* Did Cheese Sandwich just become Equestria’s Willie Wonka?

* Pinkie using AJ’s hat as her purpose is a pretty good one. What more purpose would she need? Oh, and uh, apparently she’s wondering what she’s gonna do with her life. Yeah… heh heh… been there… constantly.

* That sure is a “fun” looking factory!

* That sure is a pony in a Cheese Sandwich suit! …Definitely getting the vibe this episode is going to be about the soul crushing nature of the business world.

* Either Cheese isn’t actually there, or there’s gonna be a revelation about how he’s in a rut and so invited Pinkie to get some new ideas for his lineup. Which she seems to be doing a pretty good job of, albeit unknowingly.

* I dunno, I think the slipperiness is inherit to the comedic value of the banana peel. I mean, having stickiness would be unexpected, but then it’s just annoying. Of course slips have a far greater likelihood of causing injury than sticking in normal contexts and it humor shouldn’t be trying to cause harm. Transgress societal norms and offend as necessary, sure, but not harm. Hmm… that is a tough one.

* Yup, Cheese is in a rut.

* Sounds to me like Cheese would be better off leaving the more immediate supervision of the factory in Sans’ hooves and going back to direct interaction with the public.

* It is kind of interesting that Sans doesn’t seem to be portrayed as a villain here. I mean yeah, everything went wrong once he came along, but he did have a solution to the problem Cheese was having at the time and he does seem worried about Cheese’s condition. It’s just that, well, Cheese isn’t the right person for this kind of career.

* You know, they say you can’t dissect a joke without getting all these icky gooey gory bits all over, but that seems like what the factory has basically done to Cheese. He’s gotten so used to crunching the numbers of jokes that he doesn’t see them as jokes anymore. Definitely needs to spend some time out in the field rather than in the lab. Of course he doesn’t want to be seen until that problem of his is solved, getting him in a Catch-22. And he never even read the 21 previous books!

* Yeah, Pinkie might have figured out the problem, but she needs to find a better audience stand-in.

* Unintentional spoonerisms to the rescue!

* Sans’ humor weak point is puns?! That’s it! I’m shutting this factory down!

Well that’s the episode. And while I may not think it’s one of the greats, it is a pretty good one. Both Pinkie’s and Cheese’s dilemmas are fairly relatable in an abstract form at least, and Sans might have been partially to cause for the problem, but he wasn’t a bad pony just because he was serious-minded compared to the two clowns. So overall I have no complaints about this one.

Now to see how many screaming Pinkie “fans” want me to keel over and get sodomized by a red hot cactus (not necessarily in that order) because I didn’t give the episode a 11/10 review!

#tv talk #episode reactions #my little pony friendship is magic #mlp:fim #mlp s9 e14 #that's a laugh

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saintheartwing · 6 years ago

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Undertales of Friendship: Toriel’s Got Talent

Toriel walked through the classroom, humming a tune from a show Mettaton had intercepted in another dimension. The song was somewhat somber and maybe a little sad, but at the same time it was beautiful.

"Come little Children... I'll take thee away... into a land of enchantment..." Toriel sang, perfectly in tone with the soft spoken singer who sang the tune. As she did, she closed her eyes and began to dance, leaving a trail of flame as she did, feeling the fire twirl about her ever so gently.

"hey Toriel."

Toriel eeped and fell over a desk as she was startled by the shorter of the skeleton brothers. She moaned and winced as sans helped her to get up, never losing that smile of his or that gentle, caring look in his eyesockets. After coming to the surface, the two had become good friends. It would never be more than that really, since sans was more like a big uncle to Frisk and Asriel, and Toriel had no interest in marrying again after Asgore.

Still...

It was nice to have a good friend like Sans. And yet he did have a knack for finding embarrassing times.

"Sans, dear, I thought you were seeing the kids to the train to Canterlot?"

Sans nodded. "i did. i saw them as they got to the station, then I closed my eyesockets once they got there so I didn't see them afterward. but I will see 'em later when they get home."

Toriel giggled. "You're so bad, Sans." she hugged her friend and went to finish up with the cleaning.

"nah, just a bonehead."

Toriel bust out laughing, neither unaware that outside two very famous ponies had been listening to Toriel's singing. The one was a greyish brown pony who had her mane done up in a nice little style, as highly refined as the Stratamarevius cello she played. Beside her was the polar opposite in many ways, wearing purple shades and having a mane done up in blue, white, and neon purple that just went everywhere, her coat white as fallen snow. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were best friends in Ponyville and two of the finest musicians in their fields. They KNEW talent when they heard it.

And they had heard it walking by the school.

"Wow Vinyl, can you believe it? Who knew that Goat Lady was so talented?"

Vinyl shrugged. "Eh, it ain't bad that's for sure. With some wubs backing her up she could REALLY rock!"

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Always with the WUBS, Vinyl?"

The rocker DJ chuckled. "I'm all about that Bass." She hmmmed. "But she really is a great singer. We gotta get her to share that talent."

Octavia nodded. "Yes... still we should be subtle about it. I recall Rarity telling me how she and her friends tried to get Fluttershy to sing in public. Did NOT go well."

Vinyl hmmmed. "I think I got an idea, girlfriend."

Octavia chuckled. "And there we go with the shipping jokes."

The DJ chuckled, lowering her shades. "Like I was the first one." She winked through the fourth wall, setting off to finalize things.

Later that day, Toriel was stunned at her guests. She had been busy making some pies for when her sons come home, and the smell of apple, butterscotch, snail, and even one blueberry experimental pie hung in the air.

She lived in a modest little house, like most monsters did after arriving here in Equestria. it was a cute little one story made of magical brick, several unicorns helping put it together. In many ways it looked like her old home in the ruins, with a similar house layout... except now it had a bathroom and a basement. Toriel also had a much larger kitchen here, since she was baking lots of goodies either on her own or with Muffet and Pinkie Pie. But today she had different guests.

Two very specific musicians.

"You want me to what?" She asked again, trying to place what she had just been told.

"We want you to sign up for the talent competition." Octavia said. "We heard your singing voice when we walked by your school. It was just amazing!"

Vinyl smiled and handbanged a little... oh no... she was just nodding. "Yeah, you rock girlfriend!"

"I thought I was your girlfriend?" Octavia said with a wink, the playful DJ smiling. Toriel chuckled some, thinking perhaps these two were like Alphys and Undyne in some ways. But she shook her head.

"Not interested." She said. "See... I'm really not that good. Oh I love to perform before a crowd, I do it every day a a teacher. But singing... I only really know the one song, mainly because I can relate to it."

The two ponies sat on their haunches. Octavia tilted her head. "I don't understand."

"You see... before we came here to Equestria, my ex-husband had a policy of killing any human who fell into the underground. I hated it so I left him and hid in the ruins. I was determined to protect any child who fell into the underground but... well, I failed. Now we have six human souls who don't hate us, but are still trapped, still waiting to either be freed and sent home or given new bodies."

Vinyl still wasn't making the connection. "Soooo... why that song?"

"See... I always wanted to take those kids and take them away somewhere that Asgore could not touch them. We could be happy and free, and it'd be so lovable. It was my dream for-"

*knock knock*

Toriel blinked. "Oh no... now what?" She went to the door and opened it... only to be greeted by the hulking form of her ex-husband. He was white furred like she was and had larger horns, but was also very much a goat monster, with similar floppy ears, vampire-like fangs, and a big golden beard. He was dressed in overalls and a blue shirt, as well as a big funny looking straw hat. Toriel glared at him.

"Dreemurr." She said with definitive daggers in her voice. Asgore smiled, embarrassed.

"Sorry, I just was seeing if maybe... oh there you two are!" Asgore pushed past, Toriel clenching her fists as he walked in. "I was looking all over for you two. I wanted to sign up for the talent show."

Octavia clapped her hooves. "Splendid! And your talent?"

Asgore smiled. "Strength. I have been working out on the Apple Acres Farm-"

"Sweet Apple Acres love." Vinyl corrected.

"Ah, whoops. Anyway, Big Macintosh has been helping me train my strength, and we want to work together for an act." He turned to Toriel. "Shame you won't be in it Toriel."

Toriel fumed. "And why not?"

"Oh sorry Tori, but you kinda are outdone with most talents, except maybe your pies. And I do not think those would work for the competition."

Now Toriel literally was burning up, fire forming in her hands. She turned to Octavia and Vinal and spoke with a voice that would scare Satan himself into hiding in his room under the covers.

"Sign. Me. Up." She spat, her flames intensifying. The three guests suddenly a little spooked. An upset Toriel was NEVER a good thing.

"Ummm... I better go." Asgore said, nervously walking out. He eeped as Toriel opened the door, almost getting Asgore burnt when she did. As she closed it however, she smelled something burning.

She soon realized she set her door on fire.

"Oh no!" She gasped, trying to put it out quickly, the two deciding it might have been a good idea to confirm Asgore first for this kind of stuff to prevent property damage.

Toriel stood in the main room of her home, trying to rehearse the song she was going to sing for the show. She had sang it a few times, and the snails she had caught were listening, rocking their heads in the soft time of the somber and beautiful singing.

But she felt like it wasn't right. All she did was stand there and sing... It felt a little like a part of a greater whole. She loved music, yes, but to actually sing was not her thing. From the time she was little she liked to bake more than anything, had…had Asgore been right?

Asgore. Thinking about him made her almost redouble her efforts as her cell phone rang. She sighed and answered it, the voice of her son Frisk on the other end.

"Hi mom!" He said cheerfully. "How are things back in Ponyville?"

Toriel smiled as she focused on her son for now and away from the talent show. "Oh, same as always. How is Canterlot?"

Frisk giggled. "It's fun! Asriel and I are kinda getting a few stares from ponies but overall we like it. We are doing our best to help Twilight with her work here."

Toriel smiled proudly. That was her boys, always eager to help others. "Is Asriel there, son?" She asked. Frisked chuckled some.

"He's with Princess Celestia right now mom."

"Ahhhhhhhh... Those two are going to spoil him rotten at this rate." Toriel giggled.

"More like HE will spoil THEM!" He laughed in return. The two spoke a little further before finally Toriel said it.

"By the way, I will be in the talent show later this week. But I won't tell you what I am doing yet. It's a surprise."

Frisk ahhhed. "I cannot wait to see it! Until then mom, I gotta help Twilight and Spike with some of the books, then we are going to go hang out with some of her old friends. Talk to you later!"

"Be good son!" Toriel said, hanging up, unaware that now someone else was in the room.

"hey Toriel." The familiar voice said, still making Toriel eep out of her fur.

"Sans, will you stop that?! Why do you keep popping up out of nowhere?!"

Sans shrugged. "actually i was in the closet." He said shrugging even more.

Toriel sighed. "Great, I have a closet case in my ho-" She whacked her face with her hand. "OH I soooo walked into that one!"

Sans smiled. Though he was already smiling. "nah, i came outta that one." He said, pointing to the hall closet. "hey, gotta question for ya. you think doing things outta revenge or hate is the right thing to do?"

Toriel blinked. "What? Why do you ask?"

Sans made his empty eyesocket stare. He did it primarily to make a serious point. As he spoke, he actually followed punctuation standards. This was a serious sentence.

"I think you know what I mean Tori."

Tori. The way her name was said that way. She sighed and nodded. "No... it is wrong."

"then why are you in the competition?" Sans asked. "ya doing what you want to do in it, i hope?"

Toriel sighed. "Well... Octavia and Vinyl Scratch think I should sing my song, so I am going to do that. It is my best bet right?"

Sans shrugged. "heck if i know. i am just a judge alongside the princesses and Mettatin."

"Ton." Toriel said.

"2000 pounds." Sans said without a beat missed. "but joking aside your majesty, if the only reason you're singing is to beat the king, then you're doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason. you should focus on a talent you love and want to share with the world."

Toriel blinked. "I see what you mean... but I can't bake pies for the competition."

Sans placed a bony hand on her arm. "i don't mean that. what fills you with a burning passion? what sets your heart afire?" He smiled, winking. Toriel just stared.

Sans waited but no answer came. He sighed and chuckled. "eh, you'll figure it out if you follow your heart." He placed a hand on her chest. "listen to it." He smiled and opened the oven door. "well, gotta go." He said, climbing in. Toriel opened it... but Sans was gone.

"How DOES he do that?!"

The day of the talent show arrived and Toriel was nervous as all get out. She had rehearsed her song for some time but it still didn't sound right. As she went to practice one last time, she heard another singing voice...

We were searching for our place for awhile there,

Trying to find out where we fit in!

But when we failed those times before, we kept on trying more,

Cause the Cutie Mark Crusaders don't give in!

Now there's new faces here in our home,

And they need a Crusader's help too.

So just like the friends we got, there is now a whole new lot

And we'll show them all just what we can do!

We'll make our mark!

For Changlings and Monsters too!

We'll make our mark!

Do our best to see them through

To the ultimate reward, of a Cutie Mark!

Toriel blinked, following the source of the song, and saw three very familiar little fillies, working on an adaptation for their song, making it their own.

"Miss Toriel!" One said, a familiar alabaster filly with a musical note in a coat of arms for her cutie mark. "You wanna help with the next verse? You know it right?"

Toriel smiled. She did, the Crusaders had sung it in her room so many times before. But she had one better. She cleared her throat…

Toriel: I think now I see the true path before me.

I think I know now what to do.

You've helped me see that I must follow my heart.

And I just want to thank youuuuu...

Sweetie Belle: I'm so glad we have helped when you needed.

We want to show you the way.

Together: Because if at the very start, you just follow your heart,

You can help to make it a better, brighter day!

We'll make our mark!

And we'll let our talents shine,

We'll make our mark!

And it will be so divine!

To find the ultimate reward! Our Cutie Mark!

Toriel hugged the three phillies, smiling. "That was wonderful! There is no way my singing can compete with it. You three have the true talents, not me."

The orange brown coated one, Scootaloo, smiled. "I don't think so, you have a real talent too."

Apple Bloom, the custard coated pony with reddish mane smiled. "Yeah, and you add so much, your dancing and your skill with fire, you're amazing!"

Toriel smiled. "Well, when I hear a song I like, I dunno, I just cannot keep the passion inside, I have to let the flames of it come o..." She froze. "Girls! That's It! I know what my TRUE talent is! I gotta find Octavia and Vinyl right away!"

Sweetie Belle smiled and pointed a hoof towards one of the tents near the talent show stage. "I think they are over there."

Toriel hugged her one last time, and went to see them. Now she knew what she wanted to do!

Big Macintosh smiled as Asgore lifted another pony on his back, now up to 15. He was huffing some. He had to do it. Just one more.

"Big Mac, your turn at the top!" Asgore said, sweating. Big Mac nodded, grabbing a flag, climbing the upside down pyramid held up by Asgore, everyone staring in awe. Big Mac climbed steadily until he was at the center post part at the top, and held up a flag.

Asgore straightened out, legs buckling but his strength holding as he went to full height, giving a mighty yell. From the back, Undyne and Alphys wolf whistled and cheered at the sight. With help from the pegasi, the volunteer ponies were lifted off, one by one.

"OHHH! AMAZING DISPLAY OF SHEER BRAWN YOUR HIGHNESS! ONCE AGAIN, KING ASGORE AND HIS TALENT OF UNYIELDING STRENGTH, WITH BIG MAC AND HIS SKILL OF CLIMBING AND TOSSING PONIES!" The audience cheered as MC extraordinaire, Mettaton, placed a huge smiley face on his... um... face... and rolled aside to let the slightly winded but proud king walk by. As he did, he saw Toriel.

"Tori..." He started, but Toriel shushed him.

"I still hate what you did." She said... then smiled. "But you know, you did good out there."

Asgore smiled. "Thanks. But the goal was really 30 ponies. Ah well. In any case, I wanna see what you can do Tori."

Toriel gave a little wink. "I think you will like it." She stepped out on stage, nodding as below appeared Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, instruments ready. Toriel stood on the stage, breathing deep.

It was time to show the world her passion.

The two ponies began to play a melancholy tune filled with passion, the passion of a mother whose heart was breaking, the passion of a mother who could not stand the thought of her child about to face the underground alone.

Heartache.

As the music picked up, her hands lit up with fire. She began to twirl the flames about her in a dance, spinning and leaping, trying not to cry as she recalled the last time she had heard this tone, the source of her passion as a mother.

That day in the underground, when she forced Frisk to prove himself. And he had, not fighting, letting his love shine through.

Toriel recalled this, shooting fire into the air, making the audience awe as they saw it explode like fireworks, guided perfectly through the audience and around them, not touching a one, each flame guided by her magic, each motion like a dance within a dance. All the while Octavia and Vinyl played their hearts out on the instruments, gritting their teeth, eyes filled with tears as their music filled the audience with feelings of awe, sorrow, and hope.

This was her passion. The burning desire inside her. The dance. The dance that changed everything for her, for the underground, for everyone. Frisk's Dance.

With every move the story seemed to play out for those watching, Frisk especially in awe of his mom as he watched it, recalling that last, loving hug. Asriel was unable to keep from crying, it was so beautiful.

And as the music ended, everyone in the audience was on their hooves, stamping and clapping, Toriel exhausted but smiling with a tear in her eyes. She saw Frisk and smiled.

Her children gave her the talent she had. And the happiness she felt, from the time she was one herself, could only come out in the form of her flames and in her dance.

She looked to the two musicians, who smiled, Vinyl sobbing while Octavia bowed.

"That was beautiful." Was all she said. And it was a thought shared by Asgore as he watched from backstage. That was the Tori he remembered.

He also could not stop crying.

As the show ended, Toriel went to the crusaders, hugging them again. "Thank you, little ones. Without you I might not have realized the truth. Music is a love of mine, like my kids or my baking. But when I hear it, I have to let the feelings it gives me out. I have to dance. Even if I have to fight with the music in my mind I cannot keep from making it a dance."

Sweetie Belle hmmmed. "You mean like that spider lady?"

Toriel went wide eyed. "Oh my... your right! I guess I never made the comparison, hehehe" She smiled and hugged again, unaware that Muffet had watched and, like everyone else, was in awe."

"OK, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! IT SEEMS THE JUDGES HAVE MADE THEIR DECISIONS! BEFORE PRESENTING THE GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST IN SHOW, WE HAVE PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING TALENT!" Mettaton first held up an award with a musical note on it. "FOR BEST MUSICAL TALENT... THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!"

Sweetie Belle gasped. "We... we won?!"

Toriel just beamed as she watched the three walk to the stage and collect their prize. Mettaton them picked up one with a pair of Groucho Marx glasses.

"FOR BEST COMICAL PERFORMANCE... OH MY, THIS IS BORDERLINE AGAINST THE RULES, BUT I THINK WE ALL AGREE! PAPYRUS!"

Everyone chuckled as Papyrus came up with...

...a dusty tutu.

"SANS... YOU ARE SO DEAD FOR THIS ONE."

"oh relax bro, at least that was the best Nutcracker."

"SWEET!" Everyone laughed as Papyrus walked into that one. "*SIGH*. WHYYYY MUST I TRY SO HARD FOR APPRECIATION..."

Mettaton then lifted the next trophy.

"FOR SHEER AND UTTER PHYSICAL TALENT... BIG MACINTOSH AND KING FLUFFYBUNS!"

Asgore blushed some as everyone laughed at his nickname, the two stepping forward to take the barbell trophy. Mettaton now lifted the final one.

"AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... THE BEST IN SHOW, THE TOP TALENT, PONYVILLE'S PERFECT PERFORMING PRESENCE! AND THE WINNER IS... TORIEL DREEMURR!"

Toriel was wide eyed as she stepped forward, everyone again giving a standing ovation complete with cheers, claps, wolf whistles, and shouts for a speech. But Toriel could only say one thing, something which, in many opinions, is the moral of this story.

"True talent is not about something your good at, or even something you love to do. Talent is, in many ways, something you are good at loving."

Well said Toriel. Well said.

THE END

...

...Asriel breaks the fourth wall and smiles.

"Wasn't that an awesome talent show? Who knew mom could dance like that! And the way she could move the fire... amazing!

"Hey! You liking the series so far? Have ideas for Misterebony or NGrey651? Comment below! But... no killing okay? Please?

...

..."Well... that's it this time. See you in the next episode!"

#Undertales #undertale #toriel #asgore #fanfic #My Little Pony #friendship #friendship is magic #CrossOver

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shadowcipher17 · 5 years ago

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Ranking the Friendship is Magic Premiere's from Best To Worst

So, today I’m going to rank the Friendship is Magic Premiere's from best to worst and why. So with that being said, let’s get started.

1. Princess Twilight Sparkle- 10/10

I loved this premiere for many reasons and especially since this was the season that kicked off the new visuals for the rest of the series was really good. I particularly liked the lore in these two parts with the Tree Of Harmony and backstories such as Nightmare’s banishment and Discord’s imprisonment. I liked how this premiere put Twilight in a role where she had to step up as princess despite her being nervous about it and how she’s struggles with her wings. The plunderseeds attacking Ponyville and capturing the princesses put her in a position where she had to step up and take charge as a princess and a leader so that she’ll be ready (in Season 4’s case) to take charge if something were to happen to Celestia and Luna. There was nothing wrong with this premiere I enjoyed it and it remains my favorite premiere of the series.

2. The Return Of Harmony- 9.5/10

The Return Of Harmony is second because it was more emotional driven thanks to Discord. Twilight had to overcome the lack of friendship that the Mane 5 had while being corrupted by Discord which made for some funny scenes but also giving Twilight growth from the past season and how after 26 episodes she’s come to care for her friends. Also Discord was a highlight of the episodes. Unfortunately now, I really see Discord as a comedic base character but back in Season 2 he wasn’t a force to be reckoned with. He was technically the only villain to straight up win in Part 1 of the respective premiere. But I liked the friendship struggle that the Mane 6 had to go through while being affected by Discord’s spell and the Rainbow Dash chase scene was great too.

3. The Crystal Empire- 9.5/10

I liked the Crystal Empire a lot because it was nice getting a chance of scenery from Ponyville and Canterlot to see a new kingdom for the first time. I liked the introduction to dark magic and I really liked King Sombra. Despite being in the background for the majority of the two parter he was cunning and was a step ahead of everyone. Also going back on his defeat, the Crystal Empire citizens actually saved the day with their hope and love. I really liked the lore behind Sombra and the Crystal Empire. I liked how Cadance and Shining Armor weren’t one time characters and ended up being useful against the threat for as long as they could. Twilight and the Mane 6 got equals amount of screen time in the second half with Twilight and Spike finding the Crystal Heart while it pans back to one of the Mane 5 trying to keep the Crystal Ponies entertained. And of course Spike had a role in saving the day.

4. Friendship is Magic- 9/10

The premiere that kicked off the series. Right off the bat we start the episode off with narrative and lore about the Two Sisters and how Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. From that point we’re introduced to our main characters in the first half and they each get good amounts of screen time to know who our Mane 7 are and what they’re personalities are like and then at the end of the episode we end with a cliffhanger with Nightmare Moon making her first physical appearance and SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL! Part 2 was also good, with the Mane 5 each displaying their elements through different acts to overcome Nightmare’s obstacles (although Twilight states that they got through all the obstacles Nightmare threw at them, I don’t know how she put two and two together that the cliff was Nightmare’s fault WE as the audience knows but it’still a bit of a stretch). I also thought it was good that Twilight wasn’t easily able to use the elements and she realized that the elements were her friends actions that helped them. Ultimately good characterization for the start of the series.

5. The Beginning Of The End- 6/10

I only liked Sombra, Grogar, and the stakes that Sombra set into the episodes. The rest I didn’t care for because it was executed poorly. I understand passing down the mantle but the only thing Twilight has come close to in terms of royal duties is planning parties and functions. Twilight and the Mane 6 running Equestria when the seven of them are no where near qualified nor have any experience with running a country or the majority of them have actual jobs. Starlight being the principal of the School of Friendship....just no but then again the School was only there to promote the Student 6 so it’s not that important. On the flip side, I liked how Grogar was introduced as a villain who understood the essence of the Mane 6′s success by working together and I really would’ve liked to see Grogar use that strategy against the Mane 6...TOO BAD HE WAS USED FOR THE SAKE OF A FUCKING STUPID PLOT TWIST! (Season 10 comics BETTER elaborate on the REAL Grogar). The only villain I cared about returning was Sombra. Chrysalis and Tirek lost their villain likable status from me when they were turned into comical jokes and Cozy was just flat annoying. Now despite Sombra’s “new personality” he got more things done than the rest of the villains in the finale which I liked. His second death was pretty brutal. But Sombra giving stakes to the episodes were the only good things about this premiere.

6. Celestia Advice- 4/10

The staff learned never to do one episode premiere’s after this episode which I find funny. I’m gonna keep this really short. Seeing the background characters were nice. The new changeling forms were nice to look at. The best part about the episode was Celestia’s story to Twilight about how she had to send her to Ponyville. Everything else I didn’t care for and the episode was pointless by the end of it so it was just a waste of about 15-20 minutes.

7. The Crystalling- 4/10

FLURRY HEART IS THE CUTEST WIDDLE THING! I like how the Mane Cast and all 5 Royals were present in the episode. As far as the B plot I like Sunburst however he’s really just a plot point for Starlight and that’s it and I don’t like that at all. It’s not fair to him, he should be his own character without Starlight always being in range or mentioned. Yes, I get that they’re friends but they don’t have to be together all the time. Which was why I was happy when he got solo spotlight in A Trivial Pursuit. But other than that, it was alright.

8. School Daze- 3/10

I liked the Student 6 and the design of the School of Friendship. Despite Chancellor Neighsay being racial towards the other creatures, he was in the right in shutting down the school. The Mane 6 aren’t qualified as teachers and since they’re the go to heroes for Equestria so they won’t really have time to be at the school as well as the Mane 5 have jobs and professions. But they manage to make it “work” but the School of Friendship was a bad idea.

9. The Cutie Map- 1/10

I liked the Mane 6, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, Night Glider, and Double Diamond. The rest was boring. The town was boring. The colors were boring. Starlight was boring for being YET ANOTHER TWILIGHT COUNTERPART. What made it worse was that this came right after Rainbow Rocks where Starlight actually has similar colors to one of the main antagonists in the movie so much so that there was an actual theory if Starlight was the pony version of Aria Blaze. Another thing that was a turn off was this season starting the trend of non intense premiere’s. I mean if you look at the first 5 rankings on my list all of those have a degree of action and intensity to them as opposed to the bottom four. Another aspect that’s a turn off is the colors. The colors are dull and boring and I didn’t feel invested at all. Honestly, S5 for me was when MLP was slowly going down hill and then S6-S9 was when it really went down hill.

And these are my rankings for the premiere’s of Friendship is Magic. And these are my opinions and everyone has their own opinions so please don’t hate if you thought one premiere was better or worse than what I listed.

Shadowstorm Out! 💜🖤

#mlp rankings

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ask-de-writer · 4 years ago

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CRAWFEATHER! : MLP Fan Fiction

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CRAWFEATHER!

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

1382 words

Writing begun 10/16/19

//////////////

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Cory grinned meanly as he bounced the heavy bag from hoof to hoof while he offered, “Yah, I got the money that I owes you, Canter. It's right here. Not gonna pay you, though. Not yet. I means, it is Nightmare Night. I will give you the money first thing in the morning. Just spend the night in the old Crawfeather place. Should be a piece of cake, after all, you don't believe in ghosts, so you says.”

“You are on, Cory. But make it 300, if you make me stay in there for the night!”

“You got it, Canter, if you stay the night, I'll make it 300 when you come out at dawn.”

Now he was creeping down one of the empty hallways of the long abandoned mansion of Crawfeather. The darkness relieved only by the single candle held in Canter's magic. Old furniture mostly covered by aged dust covers dotted the passage. He shivered, and it was not from the cold. He was wishing that he had not taken the dare to spend this Nightmare Night in the reputedly haunted Crawfeather mansion. Still, 300 golden bits was 300 golden bits.

Canter remembered all too vividly the ghastly past of this place. The land that the mansion was built on was originally owned by the Bordens, back in the very earliest days of Ponyville, before there was any sort of formal town.

After the Apple Clan had demonstrated the value of the land in the area for farming by creating one of the most productive apple orchards in Equestria, the land rush was on! The Bordens had claimed a big area and invested all that they had into clearing the land. It proved to be too stony for any sort of farm. It wasn't just loose surface stone either. Rough upthrust sedimentary rock made up most of it. Clyde's attempts to sell it to newcomers became a local joke.

Clyde Borden put the land up in a card game and lost it to Jason Crawfeather. For weeks afterwards, Clyde crowed about how bad Jason was taken in by winning that worthless land. Jason and his family quietly ignored him and set industriously to work. It was not too long before the Crawfeather Quarry was supplying the good building stone for foundations and nicely split slates for stout, weatherproof roofs that the rapidly growing community of Ponyville needed.

The fortune earned by the Crawfeathers and the resentment of the Bordens stoked the flames of the feud that followed. The orgy of murder was started by Poxy, one of Clyde's grown colts.

Swinging an ax, he charged into the Crawfeathers and some guests, who were dining on their plaza! By the time that it was over, Chance Crawfeather was carried up to his room, his life blood soaking the sheets and bolster of his bed as he died.

Sweetbriar Crawfeather, Jason's wife was laid out in the great room. One of the guests was a doctor who managed to stanch her wounds and saved her life. She would carry those scars to her grave.

Poxy was caught before he could escape. Three strong unicorns from the quarry held him down while Jason brained him with his own ax.

Pretending serious remorse for the actions of her brother, Lisset Borden came to serve the remaining Crawfeathers as a maid. She soon learned that all three of them, Jason, Sweetbriar, and their remaining filly, Sunblossom had a fondness for tomato soup. She served the unsuspecting family a tasty soup of tomatoes, basil, and a strong portion of poison hemlock.

Sunblossom collapsed at the table. In spite of the pangs from her own stomach, Sweetbriar assisted Sunblossom up to her room. In her attempt to appear innocent, Lisset helped her too.

Jason, in spite of the agony in his own innards, called for help from the house staff. It took them only moments to find the bottle that had contained the deadly concoction. They captured Lisset as she was coming down the stairs. Lisset was made to drink the soup that remained. She was dead before the ghastly wails of Sweetbriar announced the passing of Sunblossom.

Both Jason and Sweetbriar were ill for weeks before they recovered from the effects of the hemlock. In one regard Sweetbriar never recovered. Seeing both of her foals murdered by ax and poison drove her into madness.

She was known to haunt the rooms where they died and sought them about the mansion and their play yard. She even went down into the quarry seeking her “lost” foals. Most watched her with pity.

Searching the play yard again, as the year was passing into autumn, Sweetbriar stumbled on something concealed from her sight by her madness. The headstones of her missing foals, Chance and Sunblossom could no longer be denied. She avidly read what was on each stone. Instead of wailing her loss, her heart became harder than the stones of the Crawfeather Quarry.

On a late autumn night with no moon to betray her, Sweetbriar sneaked down into the developing town of Ponyville. Unseen by any, she poured lamp oil over the front porch and back stoop of the Borden house and set it ablaze. Cunningly, she did not stay to see how her plot played out but repaired back to Crawfeather, avoiding the many foals out in fanciful costumes.

Entering the house, she beheld the horrid sight of Clyde Borden hacking at the dead body of her beloved Jason with a double bit ax! She seized the weapon from his grasp as he pulled back for another stroke! With the power of her rage and madness, she took Clyde's head from his body in a single stroke!

She dropped the ax, which stuck upright in the floor boards. In her struggles to drag the corpse of the assassin off of her husband's body, her feet slipped in the spilled gore and she lost her footing! She fell on the ax and the razor sharp blade cut her throat!

The house staff and their foals returned from their Nightmare Night, which had been made more exciting by the deadly house fire that had destroyed the Borden house and, apparently all the remaining Bordens!

The town's newly appointed constables had far more to deal with than the usual Nightmare Night pranks. At least the feud would go no further. Neither Borden nor Crawfeather remained alive to carry it on.

Canter's reverie was broken by the creaking of hinges. His ears straining to hear more failed to spot any further sound. This was not the first such sound that he'd heard, either. He had traced the first ones to open windows upstairs and drafts making old doors swing.

There was a creaking floorboard behind him! Whirling about in startlement he saw . . . Cory!

“Just checking up on you, Canter. Realized that you are missing out on Nightmare Night partying. Brought you a little to make up for it. Here. Got you something to drink in the bottle and a bunch of candies.”

“Nice of you, Cory.”

As Canter took the bag, the knife that Cory was hiding behind it plunged up, through the bottom of his jaw and into his brain through the weak area of skull on the underside!

Canter collapsed, dead before he hit the floor.

Cory's gloat of, “Looks like that money stays mine! You ain't going to see the dawn . . .” was interrupted!

Screaming foals in Nightmare Night costumes ran from the old parlor and out into the night! The last one bucked the doors shut! The locking click of the latch was like a trump of doom! Cory was panting frantically and pounding on the door when the old handle turned. The opened door showed a brace of constables waiting to take him to jail.

Canter looked about, sort of puzzled. Everything was sort of gray, in spite of which, he could see clearly. There was a pony before him, also gone gray, and a good thing. He had several huge wounds. At least he was not bleeding from them. Canter could see furniture through him.

He invited, “Canter, right? I am Jason. Why don't you come with me and meet the rest of the family?”

~THE END~

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#CRAWFEATHER!#MLP Fan Fiction #Tales to read AFTER the Lights are OUT #Written by De Writer

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frederator-studios · 7 years ago

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Kate Leth: The Frederator Interview

One of our top-most frequently asked Qs is: “Do I need to study art or animation to become a creator”? Our long-winded answer could really be replaced with: “Look up Kate Leth”. For many of you, this intro itself will be redundant. Since she began posting her personal Kate or Die! comics in 2011, the growth of Kate’s now-ginormous online following - as well as heaps of talent and hard work - opened doors for her to become one of the most exciting comic book creators and animation writers working today. It was awesome talking with Kate about her adoration for Plum, the rising tide of female and non-binary voices in animation, and witches - lots ‘n lots of witches.

Kate: So now, where are these being posted?

Cooper: On our Tumblr! We have a long-running Studios blog. Do you know the Frederator // Tumblr origin story?

K: Maybe??

C: David Karp launched Tumblr from his desk at Frederator when he was an intern! Fred Seibert was one of its first bloggers and investors.

K: Oh that’s funny! I still use Tumblr sometimes, as like a less stressful platform than Twitter. Which it used to be much more so?

Yeah, Twitter’s really taken over, huh? Do you like Twitter or does it feel like a chore?

Half and half! I like the fun side of Twitter but it is also pretty depressing. I’m starting to use Instagram more, cause it’s just happier. It’s like a nice break, scrolling through pictures of my cute friends!

Has social media been very important to your career?

Oh yeah - all of the work I’ve ever gotten has pretty much been through social media. I come from a super small town in Canada, which makes it harder to network and connect with people. It used to be you’d meet people at Cons, but now you meet everybody online. So many of the connections I’ve made and so many of the jobs I’ve gotten have been through Twitter and Tumblr. I don’t know where my career would be without those platforms!

That’s amazing. Did you know those opportunities were out there when you started posting?

I got into Tumblr just to follow people. I worked at a comic book store at the time, and my boss knew that I was drawing and encouraged me to put my stuff online. So I did, and slowly started to amass a small following. It got bigger, and that was how I got discovered by BOOM!, which is how I did my first published comics—including the Bravest Warriors comics, which is kinda funny!

Whoa, cool! From comic book store employee to comic book writer - how was that transition?

I started working there in like... 2009 or 2010? It was part time; I was also working at a dress shop. But I got fired from the dress shop (laughs) so I became full time at the comic book store. My boss, Calum Johnston, was a really engaged member of the arts community. He pushed people to make comics and share them, and that’s how I got started.

He must be so stoked to see where your career is now.

It’s really wild to look back on. When I wanted to self-publish my first zine, I had no money. I was a super broke art student. Cal sold his original art of the cover of the first volume of Scott Pilgrim and used the money to help me and a bunch of other people self-publish our comics. He’s a really good dude.

That’s so generous! Do you stay in touch with people there?

Yeah, I try to! His daughter is in animation school now. I’ve known her since she was like 14. It’s cool cause now I can promote her work and help her get a foot in the industry, so it comes full circle!

When you got the job at the store, were you just a fan? Or did you know you wanted to be a creator?

Just a fan! I was really big into autobio and self-published comics. Kate Beaton, Lucy Knisley, Erica Moen, and Jess Fink were all creators I was following at the time. Kate Beaton is from Nova Scotia like me, and I watched her get successful on LiveJournal and things as a comic artist—and yet she had studied history! She had no formal arts training; she’d just started making comics for fun. I had always thought that if you didn’t go to art school, that wasn’t an avenue for you. Seeing what she was doing made me realize, “Oh, people can do that!? Maybe I could too!” I’d been reading web comics since junior high, but it was never something that I thought I could do, until I started doing it. Being on Tumblr was also really encouraging; seeing so many other people just starting out and at a similar skill level with their art.

How did the path from self-publishing to BOOM! go?

It was sort of accidental. An editor came across Kate or Die!, and I was offered a backup strip in one of the Adventure Time comics. Only like 2 pages - super short. And then they came back with an offer to write a whole graphic novel? I’d never written anything longer than 4 pages in my life. But I was like, “Sure, I can do that!”. So I wrote Seeing Red, my first Adventure Time comic. And it did well, so they asked me to write another one. And all of a sudden that was my job! I was like, “Oh, okay, I better get good at this.”

Wow, so you taught yourself how to write comics? And to screenwrite?

Oh yeah, I didn’t go to school for any of this. I went to school for makeup and photography. I was a professional makeup artist for a couple years. Then I studied photography for two years. Then I dropped out. A college dropout made good! At first, I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing. I’ve been writing comics for 6 or 7 years, and I only now feel like I’m good at them (laughing) I know people will disagree! I’m very self-deprecating. But I definitely feel like I understand what you need to craft a story now. When I started, I didn’t think about stories as a whole: knowing where you’re going, how you’ll get there, the themes you’ll touch along the way. I did a lot of improv in high school, so I felt fine sitting down and just starting! I'd make stuff up as I went. But that doesn’t make for as good of stories. So over time I’ve learned to sit down and really figure out the world, the arcs, the timing for big moments. I fill books with outlines!

Do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on?

Spell on Wheels, which just came out from Dark Horse last year, is something I’m really proud of. It’s about witches on a road trip. Megan Levens and Marissa Louise, the artist and colorist I’m working with are so awesome; I’m really happy that we’re gonna do more of it. And it’s nice to have an original series out there, because I’ve worked on so many other people’s properties.

What are the biggest differences there?

It’s very freeing to write an original. You’re not beholden to any corporate standards or licensers, so it’s easier to tell the kind of stories that you want to tell. Especially in terms of things like diversity and queerness, there’s nobody saying, “Oh, we can’t do that because it’s not in the TV show”. It’s nice to not have to worry about things like that. Dark Horse has been very supportive of it, which is cool.

Is Spell on Wheels your main project right now, or what else is goin’ on?

I work in animation primarily now, so I’m working for Hasbro and some other places that I can’t talk about yet, as is always the way. But I’ve been with Hasbro for about a year and a half, as a sort of jack of all trades writer. I’ve worked on My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, Littlest Pet Shop, and a bunch of other things that haven’t been announced yet. As for comics, I’m currently working on the Mysticons graphic novels - the first one comes out in August.

What do you like best about being a writer?

I love it. I think it’s amazing to create worlds and characters and stories and see them brought to life by so many different kinds of people, with so many different artistic styles and talents and specialties. It’s just like magic. Animation is so exciting. You write a script and then you wait... like a year... and then it’s animated! And there are voices saying your jokes! I feel like the thrill of that might wear off at some point, but it definitely hasn’t yet.

What are your favorite cartoons?

Sailor Moon is top of the list. And Cardcaptor Sakura - any magical girl anime I would just eat up as a kid. I watched Disney’s One Saturday Morning religiously, Doug and all of those shows. And now Steven Universe is a big favorite. I got to write an episode for Craig of the Creek, which is great, and I’m really excited about that. And I’m a huge fan of Bob’s Burgers!

What is your episode of Craig of the Creek about?

Witches. I’m very into witches! I grew up on Buffy, Charmed - every YA book I could get my hands on. Practical Magic is my favorite movie. I feel like there were so many movies and TV shows about witches in the 90s. I’m ready for that genre to loop back, in a BIG way. And for the episode of Craig of the Creek, I created characters that ended up becoming part of the recurring cast! So it was neat to contribute to that world a little bit.

What is your favorite thing about Bravest Warriors?

Plum. Just Plum, in general. She’s my favorite character to write - she’s just so fun. She’s silly and weird, and once you get her voice right, she’s such a laugh. She's so blunt and harsh, but in this innocent, unintentional way.

Your episode “Chained to Your Side” has the Scaley Williams Dance - what inspired your play on Sadie Hawkins?

We don’t actually have Sadie Hawkins dances in Canada, which is funny. But I’ve always been kind of fascinated by the concept: “Oooh it’s so rebellious cause the girls ask the boys.” Which is so outdated! So I thought, what’s the futuristic version of that… and got: ‘the girls ‘dart’ the boys’. And we had this conversation, like, “Okay, they dart the boys - but it has to be consensual! They have to say yes!” That was very important (laughing) I could only take that joke to a certain point. But I knew the dance idea would let me do a lot with Beth and Plum. And I love beating up Danny. Like that’s my favorite thing to do in the comics. Just let terrible things happen to Danny. He’s such a goofball.

What are the themes that recur in your characters and stories the most?

Surface level, the obvious: witches and gay stuff. In a deeper sense, things I come back to a lot… there are a lot of characters I’ve written that work retail or minimum wage jobs. Because that’s what I grew up with—I moved out when I was 17 and started working, and did that up until 4 or 5 years ago. So that’s a huge part of my experience. Definitely characters who aren’t borne of privilege and are struggling to prove themselves. Like Hellcat especially, is very much about someone in their 20s just trying to get by. And I talk about self-acceptance a lot. I like genuine moments between people. Amid the comedy, I like there to be something real - especially if it’s something difficult to talk about. Hellcat is this really upbeat superhero, Saturday Morning Cartoon vibe—but I did an entire arc about how people misinterpret and mistreat men who are bisexual, and how that’s different from how bisexual women are treated. So it’s this funny comic, but still touching on real topics. I like to try to say something. But not, you know, hit people over the head with it.

Do you have a cartoon project that’s your favorite?

Yeah, but I’m not allowed to talk about it yet! I have had a lot of fun working on Equestria Girls. It’s so exciting to write stuff for kids. Since I started in animation I’ve actually tried to shoehorn myself: I want to write action-adventure for girls. That’s what I want to do. I’ve managed to get to a place where that’s everything I’m working on now, and that’s really exciting. A lot of people don’t want to be pegged like that, but I’m like, “Oh, you want me to write girls punching and having feelings? Good, I’m here for it!”

It’s funny to pigeon-hole yourself! Most writers seem to want the opposite.

I doubt I’ll want to do the same thing forever! But I definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to tell stories for girls. For a long time I think there was an onus to make sure your show could appeal to boys, and that led to a lot of female characters getting side-lined, because executives would say, “Boys need someone to relate to!” And I agree with that—but I really don’t believe there’s any reason boys can’t relate to or look up to girls. And I think perpetuating the idea that they can’t is pretty harmful.

In your time in the industry, have you noticed animation becoming more inclusive and diverse?

I’m lucky in what I’ve worked on. Hasbro has a huge female staff and a lot of the executives are women, so they’re very supportive of that. There’s always room for more diversity, but it’s been good. I know there are parts of the industry that are still very much a boys club, but I’ve stayed pretty far away from those, and would prefer to keep it that way. There are so many women coming into animation now. I know so many women and non-binary folks working in the field that are just going to keep rising. It’s definitely a rising tide.

That’s awesome.

Well, I have to believe that, or else I get depressed! (laughing). My boyfriend and I play a game where at the end of movies, we count how many title cards we get through before seeing a woman’s name. (I groan) Yeah, it’s wild. Usually it ends up being a producer, or the casting director, or a costume designer. It’s rarely someone on the creative end. And when you start looking for it, you really start noticing it. But it’s heartening when you see a movie that defies that. Like at the end of Black Panther, there were a ton of women’s names early on in those credits! That’s my goal, is to like (laughing), be the early in the credits female name. And then fill the rest of those credits with people I know.

Oh cool, so you would want to make a feature film?

Yeah. I have lofty goals. We’ll see what happens, but I don’t want to close myself off to any opportunities.

Do you know what that movie would be about?

Probably witches. But I guess we’ll see! ❀

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Follow Kate on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr: @kateordie

Thank you so much for the interview Kate! I’m excited for your upcoming projects, especially the ones about Girl Magic. Soo... all of them :D

- Cooper

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