These are questions that will need answers. And if you can't answer the question, maybe something needs to be changed.
Questions For Equestria
• Why don't Celestia and Luna talk about Andromeda?
(Answer: Why don't I talk about Norm? Why has Applejack never talked about her parents? They were younger at the time, and losing her the way they did was traumatizing. People just -- don't talk much about those who have died.)
• How does Twilight's student factor into the story?
(Answer: it could be like with some of Celestia's students. She isn't as big as Twilight, she's more like Sunset or something. Though not evil. X'D)
• Where does Discord come from?
(Answer: Grogar, the Father of Monsters, created Discord back in the Ancient Period.)
• Where does Celestia go when Nightmare Moon returns, and what does she do?
(Answer: She runs, because the memories are too much for her.)
• Why does Sombra kill every Unicorn and Pegasus in the Empire?
(Answer: He kills them to cut down on the power among them. Earth ponies can't fly, or perform magic against him. He had planned on killing them all, but things got complicated when he was unable to completely transform.)
-•- How does he kill them?
(Discussion: Maybe he gathers them all in a place where they can be extinguished all at once. He lets rumors spread, as the ponies left question the whereabouts and well being of their comrades. Hearing whispers of a terrible fate, they hope they will be spared.
Or he uses them to help with the gemstones. If there are larger ones, they can break them down or something.
Answer: He builds a small army of mind-controlled soldiers, and makes them kill every unicorn and pegasus in the Empire.)
• Will Coal and Moon Spark get the chance to be restored?
(Slight answer: Maybe. The Nightmare Forces might have decayed them, though. Maybe Coal can come back, but Moony can't.)
• Does Alstonite know what the Amulet really is?
(Answer: No. But she senses evil magic and age-old wrath emanating from it.)
• Where do Alstonite and Tanzanite go when Coal gets rid of them? Or what happens to them?
(Answer: Sombra kills them during the crystalling ceremony for Cadence.)
• Why would Queen Liliane leave her daughters in the care of Star Swirl and other wizards?
(Answer: She catches a glimpse of the terrible power of Lorelei's magic. She knows Alidia will fall, but she can save Equestria if she goes to slow it down. Which means someone needs to learn how to control the sun and moon.)
• Why does Lorelei's magic use Moon Spark as a tool?
(Answer: It feeds on strong magic. They sensed Moony had great magic, like that of her brother's, tucked away within her. If these powers could be built up, unleashed, it could feed.)
• How do the dragons factor into the story now?
(Answer: They live in the mountain that would eventually become Canterlot. Sombra rules them, and despises ponies because of the Alicorns who drove them out of their home. After the events that killed Andromeda, the rest of the dragons cross the sea and inhabit what is now known as the Dragonlands.)
• Is Tempest Shadow immortal?
(Discussion: Perhaps. Idea-vomit: Each time she dies, she goes to Inferius, where she prepares for reincarnation. And maybe this is where she reincarnates Lorelei. She wants to know whether or not she can reincarnate other beings. Turns out she can. X)
Maybe she has a required number of years to live?)
-•- What happens when she dies?
(Answer: She goes to Inferius, aka pony-hell.)
-•- Why does she go to Inferius, rather than Elysia?
(That's a good question.
Discussion: Perhaps her death has to be a noble one, rather than her dying by starvation or Ursa Minor. But if she defends someone in Incarnate or Time Whispers, and dies in the process, she can't come back to lead the expedition. So could she die by natural causes? Could she have died by starvation, then? If that's a natural cause, then it can't be that.)
-•- Why does she give her new friends a false name?
(Answer: She wants to deny to herself who she really is, what her power is.)
• What happens to the young six?
(Discussion: So, I just added to my list of extra stories -- I now have Young Courage, which will reveal what happened to the young six during the attacks on their territory. Gallus will be recruited into the dragon army. Smolder is a double agent. Ocellus will help her tribe stand strong against their captors. Yona might be separated from the Yaks, and try to come to Equestria. And Silverstream might be hardened. Her tribe was hit the hardest by the dragons. )
• Is Sombra interested in young Cadence?
(Discussion: Maybe not. Maybe he intended to kill her, but when she just kinda disappeared he's like, meh, fuck it. He's still transforming. If she really poses a threat, he can just smash her.
Answer: When he sends out his soldiers to kill every unicorn and pegasus, he tells them to also search for Cadence, because he thinks he might be able to use her magic.)
• Does Lorelei remember anything from her time as Starlight Glimmer? What does she remember?
• How does Celestia know that if the Elements are destroyed, they can be restored if at least one remains?
• Is it possible that Celestia made Luna forget about Andromeda?
(Discussion: Oooooooh.
If Luna was really upset about losing their sister, maybe Celestia thought casting a spell on her sister to make her forget was for the best. But, what could they possibly gain from forgetting?)
Questions For Beyond
• Where do the Alicorns get materials for the Threaders from?
(Discussion: Perhaps they get spiderwebs from the Harpies, which they make stronger with magic, for thread.)
• Energy Capture. How do the Portmanteans use energy, and where do they get it from?
-•- Social Organization.
-•- Information Technology. Writing and books.
(Discussion: Stone tablets are used to document important information, since there's little to no trees and they wouldn't just skin cows or something. )
-•- Where do they get water from?
(Discussion: If the area where they live is akin to a desert, but not quite a desert, then they need a good source of water. Perhaps there is a waterfall that pours into a river that runs all around the inside of the wall.
Answer? There's a river that cuts in two and flows around the edges of Portmanteau before exiting through the wall and flowing into Hellion and Zebra territory.)
• Why would the Crystal Keepers use a dragon heart instead of regular crystal?
(Answer: Because a dragon's heart has special magic. It's part of what allows them to breathe fire. Not just any old crystal can do that.)
-•- So then how would they know that?
(Answer: Wyverns. Distant cousins of dragons, but with the same kind of heart. After the Portmanteans had killed a few Wyverns, they discovered that each had crystal hearts.)
• If the Nightmare Forces feed on and absorb power, does it take the power of the Portmanteans?
(Discussion: Perhaps somepony in Portmanteau realized what the Nightmare was doing, and was like, "All our power needs to be destroyed...we can't stop it now..."
Or maybe the Nightmare Forces really did gain all that power, but either split itself up to cover more ground, or lost the power somehow.)
• Do the Portmanteans have enemies, or other animal species near them?
(Answer: Yes. So the Alicorns are taught defensive skills to help protect against the more dangerous creatures. The Crystal Keepers are also taught how to channel their magic and give their comrades more strength.)
• Can an Alicorn be born in Portmanteau?
(Answer: Yes, but it only happens rarely. Every Portmantean born an Alicorn becomes a Crystal Keeper. )
• How do the Alicorns become a member of the Mantle?
(Discussion: Perhaps, if certain Alicorns display traits that could be useful in being a member -- such as, an understanding of how agriculture works -- then they could be groomed into having a deeper knowledge. If proven worthy of the position, they could replace a member. Or they could serve underneath one. Oooooor, the Portmanteans come together to discuss who could become a member of the Mantle.)
• What will happen to Lorelei's magic when the
Mantle takes it away? Where would they put it?
(Answer: They put it in a jar. The Mantle put the jar in a safe place beneath their castle, where the magic leaks out and rots the foundations, making it easier to destroy the place.)
-•- It seems like Lorelei planned on her magic escaping, or at least doing something. Why didn't she go back to Portmanteau and regain her magic?
(Answer: She met an unfortunate end after leaving Portmanteau. An Alicorn outside of Portmanteau without magic is as good as dead.)
-•- What happens to her remains?
(Discussion: Someone needs to find her remains, so she can be reincarnated.
If she is reincarnated as a filly, then maybe ...)
Template
Questions for ()
- What's the conflict?
- What's the inciting incident?
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
What happens?
Where does it take place?
When does it take place?
Why did that happen?
Logline:
Questions for C¤C
- What's the conflict?
Ponies versus history
- What's the inciting incident?
Lorelei's betrayal
Lauren leaving Portmanteau with her daughters and the gem tree seed
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
Three sisters, the dragons,
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
Ponies, dragons, spirits,
What happens?
Where does it take place?
All over Equestria
When does it take place?
Over the course of a thousand years, give or take
Why did that happen?
Logline:
-- TLOTCE
- What's the conflict?
Sombra and the Crystal Empire, Nebula becoming an Alicorn.
- What's the inciting incident?
I think there's two: Nebula becomes an Alicorn, and Coal is possessed by Sombra. Although, it could be chalked up to only being the Alicorn thing.
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
Nebula's inner conflict over becoming ruler, Coal finding the Dragon Amulet, King Sombra getting rid of Nebula.
- 5 W's
Who is involved? Nebula, Coal, King Sombra. What happens? Nebula becomes an Alicorn, Coal is possessed by a dragon spirit, and Sombra becomes king again, for a short while. Where does it take place? The Crystal Empire.
When does it take place? Over a thousand years ago.
Why did that happen? Ponies have wronged Sombra in the past, so he intends to make them pay. Nebula became an Alicorn because the Crystal Empire needed a new ruler, and she bonded with the Heart.
Logline: When a colt of the Empire finds a dangerous Amulet,
-- Stardust
- What's the conflict?
- What's the inciting incident?
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
What happens?
Where does it take place?
When does it take place?
Why did that happen?
Logline:
-- Moon Spark
- What's the conflict?
- What's the inciting incident?
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
What happens?
Where does it take place?
When does it take place?
Why did that happen?
Logline:
-- Revival
- What's the conflict?
- What's the inciting incident?
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
What happens?
Where does it take place?
When does it take place?
Why did that happen?
Logline:
-- Time Whispers
- What's the conflict?
- What's the inciting incident?
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
What happens?
Where does it take place?
When does it take place?
Why did that happen?
Logline:
-- Incarnate
- What's the conflict?
- What's the inciting incident?
- What's the story arc?
(Working on this...)
What key elements stand out in the storyline?
- 5 W's
Who is involved?
What happens?
Where does it take place?
When does it take place?
Why did that happen?
Logline: