Progress is a comedic fan-fiction written by Andrew J Talon, with derivative works by other authors and artists. They can all be found on Equestria Daily. It is one of the earliest and most influential Luna-centric fictions and runs on social awkwardness and run-away imaginations.
Plot[]
Each story or chapter is titled Luna vs. 'X', with 'X' being the object or concept that is giving Luna trouble. The first story involves Luna attempting to discern the purpose and operation of the castle's microwave while stubbornly refusing to ask for help. In the process, she acquires an abacus that eventually becomes something resembling a pet or stuffed animal to Luna, since it is a relic from her pre-banishment life that she actually knows how to operate. The second story has Celestia sending Luna to attend a baseball game with the Apple family, in disguise of course. The third story spans three chapters and tells of Luna's "assignment" by Celestia to move in with Luna's attendant Sundance and her boyfriend Hoyden -- who basically works as a crash-test dummy for an explosives company -- to better understand Earth ponies and how the normal population lives.
Characters[]
Luna[]
Adorkable in the extreme. She wants so badly to fit in to modern Equestria, but has a tendency to babble when she gets nervous. Gradually she learns about technology, sports, and other facts of life. Her imagination has a way of running away with her when things start to get awkward.
She often disguises herself as an earth pony or unicorn named Selene, but that disguise is rarely able to stand up for very long, especially around ponies who know the Princess.
Sundance[]
Whether through fear of losing her job or nearly infinite patience, Sundance is always ready to assure Luna that nothing is wrong and that her latest faux pas isn't the end of the world.
Hoyden[]
Sundance's boyfriend, Hoyden is a carefree earth pony. His cutie mark is a callout to the Jackass television series, and his principal job is described as 'testing safety equipment'. Two scenes of him at work have been shown; both times involved testing parachutes.
The Mane Six[]
The regular cast are supporting characters in this story. Applejack is the first shown, in 'Luna Vs Baseball'. The rest are met during the events of 'Luna Vs Ponyville', and they meet her near the (current) end of 'Ponies In Space!'.
Big Macintosh[]
Big Mac's appearances are rather spread out over the course of the fan fiction, but in nearly all his appearances (and usually a lot of the time in between them as well), there will often be hints of a developing relationship between the two (e.g. Big Mac calling "Selene" cute at the baseball game only to find that she's actually Luna, the two of them set up on a blind date with each other by Hoyden and Sundance, Celestia asking Luna if she should tell Big Mac that he has competition with Luna's Abacus, etc.).
Derivative works[]
Progress has spawned a number of side stories written by other authors. These include:
- Celestia vs Time (official) by Miyajima.
- Luna vs Threesome (unofficial) by Friendly Uncle.
- Luna vs Videogames (unofficial) by Baron Von Zakary.