My Little Pony XVI: There's a Pony for That!

[the_druid_droid]

Or else he wants to hang out with (insert pony here) who he has a crush on, so he just has various magic disguises he uses to follow them around.

Fluttershy. Totally Fluttershy. Maybe he thinks she'd like him better with wings.

[EsperDerek]

Or else he wants to hang out with (insert pony here) who he has a crush on, so he just has various magic disguises he uses to follow them around.

You know how everyone is said to have a doppelganger in the world, a person that looks exactly like them? Well, Carmel has two.

Legend says, if the three were to meet, the end of all things would surely follow in their wake.

[darthbobcat]

You know how everyone is said to have a doppelganger in the world, a person that looks exactly like them? Well, Carmel has two.

Legend says, if the three were to meet, the end of all things would surely follow in their wake.

So Caramel has his girl cousin Carmel and an unrelated pegasus doppleganger somewhere? Works for me.

[dromer]

Bits. Horse bits. Now I get it. A subtle anti-capitalist message on how money is the way of the ruling class to control us? Probably not.

I always thought it was a subtle pun.

[Thanqol]

Not really. Programmer guy has taken the lead and has been setting weekly goals for us. We didn't entirely reach last week's and next week is looking a little out of grasp as well. Most of this is because the goals are mostly art-based for now and we only have one spriter and me with the concept art working when we can.

Anyway, regarding the project: a debate has arisen! Kind of. On the subject of relationships.

The question was brought up (because programmer guy went to try and find some more volunteers over on the Canterlot forums) about how we were going to handle relationships like the ones you get in almost every Harvest Moon game, e.g. fall in love, start a family. Programmer guy sees this as problematic.

My thinking is that we'd have a 'best friend' system where you'd end up being friends with the main six like they're friends with each other. Getting to the endpoint of the relationship would mean that that pony would be willing to help you in their own unique ways. The way I see it, it sticks close to the feel of the show and, while it may disappoint a few shippers, it's something a lot of people should be okay with.

The only weird part is whether or not we should have a pseudo-marriage system where you declare one of the six as your best friend and then get that special friendship bonus and how that would be determined. I'm cool with letting you be 'best friends' with as many of the six as possible, but if I had to make it so you can only choose one, I've got a couple ideas.

One last thing, I've been thinking of the timeline and, while I haven't brought it up to the others yet, I want to start you off the Spring before Twilight first arrives in Ponyville. Means we can have some of the events from the show in the game, rather than a somewhat generic 'X years in Ponyville'.

Firstly, let me give my ringing endorsement for everything SiuiS has just said.

I personally am not hugely sold on the idea of a lifetime best friend thing. Narratively it's kind of awkward. Historically I've found myself annoyed at influence systems, particularly as implemented by Bioware games. I have two suggestions:

Low influence becomes rivalry, which gives you bonuses in the same way as high influence. Means that you're free to dislike characters without suffering mechanical disincentives. It worked wonders in Alpha Protocol.

Influence should be relatively free wheeling and easy to swing dramatically in either direction over short periods. You shouldn't have to pick every dialogue choice strategically based on what maximises influence. You should be able to say what's on your mind and be reasonably confident the game won't slap you for it.

[darthbobcat]

Firstly, let me give my ringing endorsement for everything SiuiS has just said.

I personally am not hugely sold on the idea of a lifetime best friend thing. Narratively it's kind of awkward. Historically I've found myself annoyed at influence systems, particularly as implemented by Bioware games. I have two suggestions:

Low influence becomes rivalry, which gives you bonuses in the same way as high influence. Means that you're free to dislike characters without suffering mechanical disincentives. It worked wonders in Alpha Protocol.

Influence should be relatively free wheeling and easy to swing dramatically in either direction over short periods. You shouldn't have to pick every dialogue choice strategically based on what maximises influence. You should be able to say what's on your mind and be reasonably confident the game won't slap you for it.

Right. Like, in FFVII, where your dialogue choices determined whether you went on a date with Tifa, Aeris, Lufi or Barret. No larger effect on the game, just your dialogue choices impact that. A system where your choices had short term consequences (who you went to the Grand Galloping Gala with, who you helped out for Winter Wrap Up, who helps you during Turnip Bucking Season, etc) that would have a small impact on your relationship with the characters over time would be nice.

Like, playing Knights of the Old Republic Two, I realized, at the end, that I was just ONE BIT OF INFLUENCE AWAY FROM GETTING THE SMUGGLER GUY'S COMPLETE STORY. SO CLOSE. END OF THE GAME. WE LOVED EACH OTHER. I'D HELPED OPEN HIM UP TO THE FORCE. But he didn't trust me enough for that LAST little bit of dialogue. THAT is annoying. Unless the game is exceptionally short, that isn't replayability, that's an annoying case of pure Guide Dang It, to quote the trope.

But at the same time, some sort of influence that lasted from set event to set event gives your choices an impact. Perhaps if you had a relationship rating of 1.0 with Fluttershy during the Fall Weather Friends time of year, you start with a positive bonus during Winter Wrap Up or Winter Solstice time, like just .1 or .2. Meanwhile, if you had a -1.0 with Rainbow Dash, she won't be happy to see you and you start at a disadvantage.

Also, the occasional either-or decision would make things interesting. You can't help with the apple harvest AND the bunny census, so you have to chose your friends.

[the_druid_droid]

Hmm, random question. Would you pronounce Lyra's name as (leer-ah) or (lie-rah)?

[RdMarquis]

Right. Like, in FFVII, where your dialogue choices determined whether you went on a date with Tifa, Aeris, Lufi or Barret. No larger effect on the game, just your dialogue choices impact that. A system where your choices had short term consequences (who you went to the Grand Galloping Gala with, who you helped out for Winter Wrap Up, who helps you during Turnip Bucking Season, etc) that would have a small impact on your relationship with the characters over time would be nice.

Like, playing Knights of the Old Republic Two, I realized, at the end, that I was just ONE BIT OF INFLUENCE AWAY FROM GETTING THE SMUGGLER GUY'S COMPLETE STORY. SO CLOSE. END OF THE GAME. WE LOVED EACH OTHER. I'D HELPED OPEN HIM UP TO THE FORCE. But he didn't trust me enough for that LAST little bit of dialogue. THAT is annoying. Unless the game is exceptionally short, that isn't replayability, that's an annoying case of pure Guide Dang It, to quote the trope.

But at the same time, some sort of influence that lasted from set event to set event gives your choices an impact. Perhaps if you had a relationship rating of 1.0 with Fluttershy during the Fall Weather Friends time of year, you start with a positive bonus during Winter Wrap Up or Winter Solstice time, like just .1 or .2. Meanwhile, if you had a -1.0 with Rainbow Dash, she won't be happy to see you and you start at a disadvantage.

Also, the occasional either-or decision would make things interesting. You can't help with the apple harvest AND the bunny census, so you have to chose your friends.

Hate to admit it, but I never played the Harvest Moon games. Unfortunately, after tearing through all the SNES Final Fantasies, I thought a game about a farmer would be too boring. The Persona games have a relationship based gameplay mechanic though.

It might be interesting to take a leaf out of their books. For example, befriending one character could unlock the opportunity for a relationship with another. You wouldn't be able to talk to, say, Luna unless you knew Twilight and Celestia first. Maybe have some requirements for that first meeting with somepony. For example, Applejack would be too busy with her orchard unless you had the necessary skills and equipment to help her.

[Bayonet Priest]

Hmm, random question. Would you pronounce Lyra's name as (leer-ah) or (lie-rah)?

I'm pretty sure it's (lie-rah) but even so, I can't seem to read it as anything other than (leer-ah). I'm always correcting myself.

[PhoeKun]

Hmm, random question. Would you pronounce Lyra's name as (leer-ah) or (lie-rah)?

The official dictionary pronunciation in English is Lie-rah, but leer-ah is a commonly accepted iteration as well. I tend to lean towards 'leer-ah', myself because it sounds prettier, and that's how I remember Lyre being pronounced in Greek courses during college.

[the_druid_droid]

I'm pretty sure it's (lie-rah) but even so, I can't seem to read it as anything other than (leer-ah). I'm always correcting myself.

Same here. I have the same problem with the constellation. Oh well, she'll always be (leer-ah) in my heart...

@^: Aha! Good to see that I'm not alone.

[Bayonet Priest]

The official dictionary pronunciation in English is Lie-rah, but leer-ah is a commonly accepted iteration as well. I tend to lean towards 'leer-ah', myself because it sounds prettier, and that's how I remember Lyre being pronounced in Greek courses during college.

Well if its good enough for you then I'm gonna stop correcting myself. I think 'leer-ah' sounds better too.

[InkwellPony]

I always thought it was a subtle pun.

I personally think it is both - a reference to both the monetary bit and the horse bit.

[erikun]

[color="darkblue"]Have you ever tried to open a coconut? There are three ways to open a coconut.

1) hit it thrice with a rock; once on each seam in the center, to peel away the entire shell.
2) crack it repeatedly with a hammer, and eat the remaining coconut bits with a straw
3) I WILL €69$%)££>#*#€ MURDER YOU COCONUT!!! DOR YOU WINK AT ME!!! AAARGH SUPERSAIYAN PONY FLURRY CLEAVER ATTAAAAAAACK!!!

I'm actually fairly sure that I'm allergic to coconut, given how I react whenever I've tried eating any.

And I thought coconuts were normally opened with a machete.

I wish I had the drive to read this fic. Nyx looks cute.

It's pretty good. I'd recommend taking a look if you have some free time you want to kill, although I wouldn't call it one of the must-reads. It is updating rather quickly as well, so you have a bunch to read through.

The question was brought up (because programmer guy went to try and find some more volunteers over on the Canterlot forums) about how we were going to handle relationships like the ones you get in almost every Harvest Moon game, e.g. fall in love, start a family. Programmer guy sees this as problematic.

I am not a fan of shipping (at all) and so would not be inclined towards the psudo-marriage idea. I'd think that random fans coming upon the project wouldn't expect such shipping or "special friends" either unless that was advertised as a clear point in the game.

Then again, I'll be the first to admit that a Harvest Moon game without relationships turns out very boring. I should know, I've played most of them. If you're taking out the marriage relationships, then I think you'd want to replace them with something to encourage players to keep talking with townsfolk. Perhaps make them an "honorary member" of whatever the pony works at? For example, ending up with Twilight would make you a Magical Assistant, with the ability to cast a few spells, while ending up with Applejack would make you a Sweet Apple Acres farmer, able to work on Sweet Apple Acres as well and harvest from there. (This could go with my earlier unique cutie mark idea as well.) Of course, once again, I'm just throwing out ideas that involve a lot of extra work for you...

Although,

A second thought is to make it ... Me... Mee... Meh... Meetay? Meetah? M-E-T-A, where Sunny does relationship stuff to help bracket-I-bracket other bracket-slash-I-bracket ponies" - man, is that some sort or code? That is so awesome! I wonder I'd Twilight could help me figure... Oh! Um... *ahem* "help other ponies fall in love. The player could try and get Big McIntosh and Fluttershy hitched, for example."

This sounds like fun, especially as ponies "in love" don't really need to do anything beyond hang out together most days. That said, it might annoy some fans if you assume a sexuality counter to common fandom.

One last thing, I've been thinking of the timeline and, while I haven't brought it up to the others yet, I want to start you off the Spring before Twilight first arrives in Ponyville. Means we can have some of the events from the show in the game, rather than a somewhat generic 'X years in Ponyville'.

I actually like that idea. The biggest problem would be order of events - Twilight's arrival would need to be one of the first, but if you want Nightmare Moon to be significant for the player you'd need to place it much later. I suppose it could be just a "come along and watch" event, where your character just follows the group and sees them beat Nightmare Moon, but unless they are rewarded for doing so it would feel rather pointless. (Can call in a favor from Luna for helping?)

It would also require mapping out a significant part of the Everfree Forest, unless it is an intro-like cinema.

Other than that, a lot of the episode events would be fun to see. I'd recommend keeping such events limited to what happens in town, for the most part - one day you'll see the girls affected by Poison Joke, and have the option to follow them to Zecora's, for example, rather than going after Zecora to get Applebloom the first time.

[SiuiS]

Curse the tongue in my headfor being so restless! One day I'll realize the world turns despite my giving my opinions, not because of them...

Firstly, let me give my ringing endorsement for everything SiuiS has just said.

I personally am not hugely sold on the idea of a lifetime best friend thing. Narratively it's kind of awkward. Historically I've found myself annoyed at influence systems, particularly as implemented by Bioware games. I have two suggestions:

Low influence becomes rivalry, which gives you bonuses in the same way as high influence. Means that you're free to dislike characters without suffering mechanical disincentives. It worked wonders in Alpha Protocol.

Influence should be relatively free wheeling and easy to swing dramatically in either direction over short periods. You shouldn't have to pick every dialogue choice strategically based on what maximises influence. You should be able to say what's on your mind and be reasonably confident the game won't slap you for it.

That sounds like a good idea. Bonuses for like or dislike, but Luke warm and wishy washy gets you naught but blank stares. So if you earn enmity from Rarity, maybe you get the same mechanical bonus with different dialogue; Rainbow Dash compliments you on your pranking, or AJ commiserates how hard she is to get along with.

Right. Like, in FFVII, where your dialogue choices determined whether you went on a date with Tifa, Aeris, Lufi or Barret. No larger effect on the game, just your dialogue choices impact that. A system where your choices had short term consequences (who you went to the Grand Galloping Gala with, who you helped out for Winter Wrap Up, who helps you during Turnip Bucking Season, etc) that would have a small impact on your relationship with the characters over time would be nice.

Like, playing Knights of the Old Republic Two, I realized, at the end, that I was just ONE BIT OF INFLUENCE AWAY FROM GETTING THE SMUGGLER GUY'S COMPLETE STORY. SO CLOSE. END OF THE GAME. WE LOVED EACH OTHER. I'D HELPED OPEN HIM UP TO THE FORCE. But he didn't trust me enough for that LAST little bit of dialogue. THAT is annoying. Unless the game is exceptionally short, that isn't replayability, that's an annoying case of pure Guide Dang It, to quote the trope.

But at the same time, some sort of influence that lasted from set event to set event gives your choices an impact. Perhaps if you had a relationship rating of 1.0 with Fluttershy during the Fall Weather Friends time of year, you start with a positive bonus during Winter Wrap Up or Winter Solstice time, like just .1 or .2. Meanwhile, if you had a -1.0 with Rainbow Dash, she won't be happy to see you and you start at a disadvantage.

Also, the occasional either-or decision would make things interesting. You can't help with the apple harvest AND the bunny census, so you have to chose your friends.

Trouble is, those either or decisions feel meaningless without the Guide Dang It moment. So one end of the scale, who cares because all you change is which pony buys you a drink (and it's a sprite change rather than a cutscene color swap if you're lucky), or you get to the end game screen and see that you were .7 away from being super BFFs with Rarity and ragequit.

So, I guess those little EITHER/OR moments need to have emotional but not mechanical value.

Hmm, random question. Would you pronounce Lyra's name as (leer-ah) or (lie-rah)?

The official dictionary pronunciation in English is Lie-rah, but leer-ah is a commonly accepted iteration as well. I tend to lean towards 'leer-ah', myself because it sounds prettier, and that's how I remember Lyre being pronounced in Greek courses during college.

Well...

I say Lyra in my head, and Leera & Bon-Bon doesn't fit as well; the vowels don't complement each other as well as with Ligh ra. Want to say it's the short or long vowel sound, but I can't recall which is Which.

Interestingly, I called the instrument a Leer (like the king) until the flavor text of a magic card failed to rhyme Stars and Garters I've been substituting words and didn't realize it till I went through the rhyme in my head.

Ach.

I'd say "lir-uh", then. It's closer to leera but doesn't clash with Bon-Bon's vowel structure quite as much. I'll pro'lly continue to say Ligh-Ra for a while though.

[darthbobcat]

It's pretty good. I'd recommend taking a look if you have some free time you want to kill, although I wouldn't call it one of the must-reads. It is updating rather quickly as well, so you have a bunch to read through.

Yeah, that's part of the problem; I've had a bit of a fanfic burnout, and I've only been reading fanfics I've been prereading (or writing myself). So the fact that it's a long one is sort of a turnoff. But I've been enjoying the Nyx art I've been seeing on deviant art. Makes me wish I had the time and inclination.

[InkwellPony]

Yeah, that's part of the problem; I've had a bit of a fanfic burnout, and I've only been reading fanfics I've been prereading (or writing myself). So the fact that it's a long one is sort of a turnoff. But I've been enjoying the Nyx art I've been seeing on deviant art. Makes me wish I had the time and inclination.

Oh god, I understand that burnout. I'm currently suffering a bit of an art burnout and it's driving me up the wall!

[Kyouhen]

Other than that, a lot of the episode events would be fun to see. I'd recommend keeping such events limited to what happens in town, for the most part - one day you'll see the girls affected by Poison Joke, and have the option to follow them to Zecora's, for example, rather than going after Zecora to get Applebloom the first time.

This leads to minigames where you have to hold off the parasprites until Pinkie saves the day and put enough obstacles in the Ursa's way to make it not trample though your crops.

Also I made something!

Spoiler

Show

Pinkie Pie is the best at all parties. This includes war parties.

Made that with some acrylic paints I had kicking around. I'm happy with it, though I should probably look at getting some of those fancy markers people normally use to do this stuff if I want to try more.

[erikun]

Yeah, that's part of the problem; I've had a bit of a fanfic burnout, and I've only been reading fanfics I've been prereading (or writing myself). So the fact that it's a long one is sort of a turnoff. But I've been enjoying the Nyx art I've been seeing on deviant art. Makes me wish I had the time and inclination.

I would actually recommend Mort Takes A Holiday over Past Sins, especially if you're a fan of Discworld. The author has the feel of the series down pat (although I suspect it is a very similar plot to one of the books).

But yeah, Nyx is cute. I'd say enjoy the art and possibly look at the fic after you've recovered from the burnout a bit. I mean, it isn't going anywhere.

I prefer to read the full thing before giving my final "Read/Don't Read" verdict, though, so you'll excuse me for being vague.

[darthbobcat]

I would actually recommend Mort Takes A Holiday over Past Sins, especially if you're a fan of Discworld. The author has the feel of the series down pat (although I suspect it is a very similar plot to one of the books).

But yeah, Nyx is cute. I'd say enjoy the art and possibly look at the fic after you've recovered from the burnout a bit. I mean, it isn't going anywhere.

I prefer to read the full thing before giving my final "Read/Don't Read" verdict, though, so you'll excuse me for being vague.

Sadly, I haven't read Discworld (for someone who thinks mostly in fantasy tropes, I don't actually read fantasy novels; I think the last real one I read all the way through was The Hobbit in grade school). The only crossover with something I've actually read/seen was that Battletech one (loved Battletech back in the day), but I've not had the drive for a 17 chapter story. Most everyone writes about games I haven't played.

[SiuiS]

I'm actually fairly sure that I'm allergic to coconut, given how I react whenever I've tried eating any.

And I thought coconuts were normally opened with a machete.

They can be opened with a machete. Or an axe.

Unrelated, I'm not allowed to bring the following into the kitchen;
-Bowie knife
-hatchet
-hunting knife
-carpenter's axe
-Phillips screwdriver
-silicone cookie sheets
-tofu
-nunchaku

Two o those are a joke. The rest are long stories.

I am not a fan of shipping (at all) and so would not be inclined towards the psudo-marriage idea. I'd think that random fans coming upon the project wouldn't expect such shipping or "special friends" either unless that was advertised as a clear point in the game.

Then again, I'll be the first to admit that a Harvest Moon game without relationships turns out very boring. I should know, I've played most of them. If you're taking out the marriage relationships, then I think you'd want to replace them with something to encourage players to keep talking with townsfolk. Perhaps make them an "honorary member" of whatever the pony works at? For example, ending up with Twilight would make you a Magical Assistant, with the ability to cast a few spells, while ending up with Applejack would make you a Sweet Apple Acres farmer, able to work on Sweet Apple Acres as well and harvest from there. (This could go with my earlier unique cutie mark idea as well.) Of course, once again, I'm just throwing out ideas that involve a lot of extra work for you...

Although,

This sounds like fun, especially as ponies "in love" don't really need to do anything beyond hang out together most days. That said, it might annoy some fans if you assume a sexuality counter to common fandom.


I actually like that idea. The biggest problem would be order of events - Twilight's arrival would need to be one of the first, but if you want Nightmare Moon to be significant for the player you'd need to place it much later. I suppose it could be just a "come along and watch" event, where your character just follows the group and sees them beat Nightmare Moon, but unless they are rewarded for doing so it would feel rather pointless. (Can call in a favor from Luna for helping?)

It would also require mapping out a significant part of the Everfree Forest, unless it is an intro-like cinema.

Other than that, a lot of the episode events would be fun to see. I'd recommend keeping such events limited to what happens in town, for the most part - one day you'll see the girls affected by Poison Joke, and have the option to follow them to Zecora's, for example, rather than going after Zecora to get Applebloom the first time.

Aye, you're better off getting Honorary Membership than having a baby with one of the cast members. You have to have something, but you want to avoid this being a dating sim.

Hm. Though instead of blue feather, you could always use a Gala ticket if you go that route.

And as for NMM; she's significant in that 1) she made the night last almost 48 hours, 2) she almost blew up town hall, 3) she became the moon princess. Sunny wouldn't have to deal with NMM at all; just handle the challenges of farming in the dark for a couple days.

Oh god, I understand that burnout. I'm currently suffering a bit of an art burnout and it's driving me up the wall!

Just doodle, and to the moon with "art". Shake things up, try some crayons for a good ol' fashioned fun pitcher drawling. It all starts to get better once ou let go of a sense of obligation, including obligations toward certain styles or quality levels.

Unless you're having trouble because you're, say, due on a commission. Then I can't help you, except to say the phrase "Semper Fi" works kind of like Carpe Diem for me. Sometimes you just have to soldier on through the muck.

Or silence the witnesses <.<
Either way, good luck mate.

This leads to minigames where you have to hold off the parasprites until Pinkie saves the day and put enough obstacles in the Ursa's way to make it not trample though your crops.

That's brilliant!

Also I made something!

Spoiler

Show

Pinkie Pie is the best at all parties. This includes war parties.

Made that with some acrylic paints I had kicking around. I'm happy with it, though I should probably look at getting some of those fancy markers people normally use to do this stuff if I want to try more.

this is an unrelated but still up there Brilliant!

I'm all for Hold off the parasprites, minimize property damage Via Ursa, avoid Derpy Delivery "accidents", help Lyra get a gig, fight off the bunny stampede, and protect yourself and crops from the big storm from The Sleepover Episode (tm). There's also bound to be stuff I'm forgetting.

And yes, I'd like to see a subplot where Spike gets paired with Rarity, even I'd it's just a dance at the harvest festival.

[dromer]

It's pretty good. I'd recommend taking a look if you have some free time you want to kill, although I wouldn't call it one of the must-reads. It is updating rather quickly as well, so you have a bunch to read through.

I got through three or four chapters before the stylistic problems caused me to quit. I thought the premise was pretty unique, and the OCs are handled pretty well. Give it a 'meh' on the scale of recommendation.

[darthbobcat]

Something occurs to me. Lyra didn't necessarily HAVE to give up her whole career to be with Bon Bon. I notice that some episodes have Bon Bon hanging out with other ponies (Green Isn't Your Color, for instance). Maybe Lyra goes on the road sometimes with her performance group. Sure, she's gone for a few weeks, and it's sad being away from the one you love, but it'd be a reasonable accommodation for Lyra's career. Plus it keeps Lyra from getting Cutie Mark Denial Insanity Disorder. (CMDID)

[Titanium Fox]

Yeah, that's part of the problem; I've had a bit of a fanfic burnout, and I've only been reading fanfics I've been prereading (or writing myself). So the fact that it's a long one is sort of a turnoff. But I've been enjoying the Nyx art I've been seeing on deviant art. Makes me wish I had the time and inclination.

I would honestly strongly recommend it if you ever do. However I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, I've read every single fic that's popped up on EqD in the past week or so. So I might be a little biased in saying it's a good read. xP

[darthbobcat]

Actually, that isn't entirely true, now that I think about it. I've read a couple. I liked that one that had Cherilee and Twilight grading papers (though I skipped over the makeouts like I usually do with ponies). They're obviously friends (see Show Stoppers), and I'd like more fics exploring that.

[Kyouhen]

I got through three or four chapters before the stylistic problems caused me to quit. I thought the premise was pretty unique, and the OCs are handled pretty well. Give it a 'meh' on the scale of recommendation.

Yeah, I've worked though... I think 8 chapters so far and am going to agree with this. I'd probably have stopped reading a while ago, but I have this weird thing where a book has to be astronomically bad for me to stop reading once I've started. (So far there's only been one book I've never finished. And that was after 5-6 chapters of "Well we COULD just go check if the murderer really was buried, OR we could go running around the country for a few weeks to figure out why he's running around killing people.")

Nyx has started to get on my nerves though. And it's still largely her name that's bugging me. I can't seem to get it into my head as a pony name, and it was brought to my attention earlier that Nyx is the name of the Primordial Night from Greek Mythology. Yeah, Twilight decided to give Nightmare Moon a disguise and name her after a goddess of night. Brilliant idea!

That and there's more calls back to the show than I care for. I can't help but get the feeling that all the events of the story started the day after the Gala.

I do like the author's justification of how nobody can escape Pinkie though.

[Lix Lorn]

One time I nibbled on my hair and then it metabolized and my mane smelled more like cottoncandy then I kept doing it and I saw how Equestria was made and I was like BOOOOOO-riiiiiiiiing I was there there was a huge rainbow and my hair poofed up!

Fixed that for you?

[Kris Strife]

And as for NMM; she's significant in that 1) she made the night last almost 48 hours, 2) she almost blew up town hall, 3) she became the moon princess. Sunny wouldn't have to deal with NMM at all; just handle the challenges of farming in the dark for a couple days.

Wait, where was it stated how long Nightmare moon stopped the sun?

[MCerberus]

Fixed that for you?

The important thing is that Pinkie was there when the 4th wall formed and is the only system known to pony kind that breaks the law of conservation of energy.

[SiuiS]

Wait, where was it stated how long Nightmare moon stopped the sun?

it wasn't stated anywhere, and that is almost entirely my sense of chronological bias showing.

The way I figure it though;
It was night time, waiting for dawn.
Dawn never comes; NMM kidnaps celestia, and the regrouping, searching the library, etc. Takes roughly all day.
The mane six travel the everfree forest (a vast enough swathe to conceal dragons and stellar bruin) at a slow walk for most of the trip, with frequent stops.
By the time NMM is defeated and Celestia reappears, or is already time for the next dawn.

Fridge logic: how did Twilight know where to go? Forest is hundreds, maybe thousands of miles square; let's walk in and hope for the best!

But aye, the assumption of 48 hours was 12 night + 24 day (which makes no sense, really) plus maybe another 12 night. 36 is probably more accurate, and 2 hours is just as likely to be right.