Alright time for another of these. There was actually something I forgot to mention in the last part regarding Malakhar. But I’ll take the chance to get into it now.

Malakhar tricks Twilight into opening the bottle by describing that it would make her magic stronger, rather then just telling her to open it - In the rough draft, Malakhar actually gives Twilight a reason to open the bottle. With the promise that it would make her magic stronger. This of course had a really skeptical Twilight, who finds it hard to believe that what looks like an empty bottle would make her stronger. But Malakhar insists her not to judge too quickly. Frankly this might of been something I should of kept for the Origin story because it serves as much more detailed way to trick Twilight into opening the bottle, but I suppose I left it out because Twilight doesn’t seem like the one who would go for power-ups like that. She believes more in studying hard and practicing in order to get stronger. It kinda seems weird that Twilight would agree to a stranger telling her the bottle would make her stronger. So in that way it doesn’t quite work.

Twilight at first was literally a blank slate in terms of Genie power in the Rough Draft - When Twilight is released and having an (angry) conversation in the rought draft, she threatens him but Malakhar counters that she can’t do anything to him yet. Because in the rough draft, the thing about new genies is they literally have no powers until the Master wishes so. Which isn’t a fact Twilight knows fully until she’s reading the book with Spike. But Malakhar now that Twilight was released a little too early, he’s purposefully not telling Twilight anything so she doesn’t get any retribution for what he did to her (Malakhar kinda seems a bit more evil early on in the Rough Draft ain’t he? It’s part of the reason I kind of toned things down, Malakhar isn’t supposed to be looked as a villain. I think if I went with how the Rough Draft did it, I think even if I still had the point where Twilight starts to forgive him it’d seem out of place just based on Malakhar’s actions previously. I think I even had him maniacally laugh in the Rough Draft when Twilight’s being sucked in the bottle for the first time. Which definitely would of got Readers confused on why he isn’t a villain or something). Until Spike makes his first wishes down the line, Twilight literally can’t do anything. Not even the spells she knew by heart before she was a Genie. While in the Tumblr story she can do everything she did before and some starter abilities. Why she doesn’t use them to take retribution in the origin story? Well Malakhar I imagine gets on his knees and begs, Twilight may have been mad but she’s not so low as to attack someone who’s essentially begging at her knees (Or well below her Genie tail at this point). Even if they did do something she didn’t quite like. Though it’s not like Twilight’s piercing glare wasn’t a punishment in itself, Malakhar literally thinks Twilight’s never going to forgive him now. And it’s why he apologizes more then once near the ending, even saying sorry again after Twilight had decided to remain a Genie. Every man/stallion’s weakness is going to be the wicked stare a women/mare gives them when they’re far from happy. And it was no exception here.

Spike’s Decision (Look-back into when it was going to be an interactive story) - After Twilight goes back in the bottle, Spike carries the bottle outside to do what Twilight told him to do. In the interactive story version however there was going to be a choice where Spike could either do what Twilight wants him to do immediately or buy some gems now that he has money in his possesion. This would lead to two different paths. Remaining with what Twi told him of course continues the pathway that is shown in the Origin Story and the Genie pathway. However deciding to buy gems first would lead to Spike going to buy gems, having to let go of the bottle for a short time in order to pay and grab the gems. But when he looks where he left it. He finds it gone. In that pathway, Twilight’s bottle with her still inside was going to be taken by thieves. I was thinking of it being from Desert Dogs, a sort of Saddle Arabian variation of the Diamond Dogs from A Dog and Pony Show. The problem was I doubt I could really write a really good adventure story that it’d eventually become (Spike would have to go alone and save Twilight, while at the same time whomever the leader of the Desert Dogs were was going to force Twilight into doing his bidding by granting his wishes.) And became a big reason I just couldn’t go through with the interactive story, I was getting way ahead of myself and going well beyond my abilities to write so many stories. Because remember the Genie pathways weren’t going to be the only stories, I had other ideas too for the Interactive story. Like one where Twilight gets invited to the palace, where the Prince of Saddle Arabia gets a crush on her but she doesn’t return the favor. Making Twilight having to find a way to escape the palace while the Prince does everything he can to try to make Twilight stay in Saddle Arabia forever. Or another that’s a much more lighthearted and probably shorter story where Twilight meets a magic carpet seller who lets her ride on where she and Spike use the carpet to soar through the skies. It was just too ambitious of a project for me. Say that I had two pathways for each of the three major paths. I’d be essentially writing six fanfics in one. And I just couldn’t do that. I had good ideas for much of it, but I just realisitically couldn’t do it. As there’s alot that I couldn’t think of. I grew much more fond of the Genie pathway anyway, and I went in the direction of just making that one. Which of course led to the Tumblr blog you see today.

Origin of Kubuya’s name and her appearance count - As you saw Malakhar was not the only character that was made specifically for this story. There was also the nice bookstore mare named Kubuya Atka. In the rough draft, she actually makes less apperences then she did in the Origin Story. She appears twice, when Spike first comes to the bookstore, and of course when Twilight and Spike head in there. While in the Origin story, we see her three times (With a mentioned 4th one). Once before Twilight even becomes a Genie, one with Spike carrying Twilight’s Bottle, One with Genie Twilight and Spike, and one where Twilight gives a wish to her after she had decided to remain a genie. While she’s not a major part of the story compared to Malakhar is, she is there as somepony who keeps up some of the positivity for Spike and Twi throughout the story with her behavior. Also as a bookstore owner she has something in common with Twilight in terms of liking books so there’s that one connection Twilight has to instantly befriend her. Kubuya also gives some worthy contributions to the Treebrary by handing Twilight an assortment of books. The very thing she came to Saddle Arabia for in the first place. Anyway, just like Malakhar though, her name didn’t come out of nowhere. Kubuya is a purposeful misspelling of Kubaba the only queen on a list of Sumerian Kings. Atka might of been completely made up though. But there is a four-letter goddess named Anat that could of helped me choose how to give that last name.