Substitute - End of Line · 5:00pm Jan 8th, 2017
Well, here we are again. We’ve reached the end of Substitute.
I think it’s time for another post-script. I want to take a few moments to talk about Substitute’s development cycle. I think, this time, I’m going to have much more to talk about, since this story actually managed to be so many things before it took on its final form. I also think that there’s more interesting stuff to talk about now.
There are, obviously, major unmarked spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned!
When I wrote Feedback, I knew that my source of inspiration was Black Mesa’s Inbound chapter, but specifically the music. Back then, that sort of plot was something that I had been cooking for some time and had intended to use in a small author’s group on Facebook that never ended up happening.
For Substitute? Believe it or not, it was Pokemon battle music. Vs Zinnia, from the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes. Neither of which I have actually played. It was the vibe that I got from the music and what little scenes I saw with it. Over time, as I listened to it more, I envisioned a battle where neither side actually wanted to win but knew they had to.
I also had a specific sequence in mind that I really wanted to do with the crystal ball. What later turned into chapter three with Sunset and Starlight on the train was originally Rarity and Sassy Saddles vs some changelings (as I had this idea right after Canterlot Boutique aired). I wanted to do a bit where Future Twilight would warn them that some tracks were not switched, Rarity would communicate with a past Pinkie Pie to switch the tracks, and then they would be switched.
Speaking of changelings, I had at one point considered giving Chrysalis an integral role in the plot. I felt that she could serve as an ally of sorts to Adamanthine (her name before I realized it wasn’t spelled with an h), since I figured they would be in similar situations. Of course, such an approach would have required a somewhat not-in-character portrayal of Chrysalis and, furthermore, would have undermined the story since it would no longer be Adamantine making the decision on her own; it would have been under Chrysalis’ influence. I do, and always have, considered Substitute to be the tragedy of Adamantine.
Some other changes included Sunset and Twilight butting heads over the issue of Adamantine, where Sunset would have defected and tried to help Adamantine out. This would have led to them actually fighting over it, with Twilight emerging victorious but unwittingly setting herself up to battle Adamantine. However, this fight would have been me indulging a scene that I’m actually curious to see play out. I realized pretty early on in the writing process that there was no way in heck that this could actually happen in the story, which is probably for the best. Another change involved Starlight watching the final battle turn to a draw and she would have to physically choose the victor (which, in effect, would have meant choosing between the missing Equestrians and the unponies). I was interested in the psychological effects it would have on her and what the consequences of her decision. I also realized that this could not work due to requiring some contrivances.
And, lastly, I have envisioned Sunset finding a way to world hop, thus able to visit other layers. However, she would only have been able to do this via projecting herself through the crystal ball (thus her spirit could travel, but not her body). Her projection could project some number of times but would become more unstable with each layer she traveled. My plan was, after traveling enough layers back in time, she would run into Adamantine and actually, inadvertently, set the whole catastrophe in motion (which would have played into her conviction in saving the unponies and thus why she would be willing to butt heads with Twilight).
Nonetheless, all of this was from a time when Starlight was still creeping around. I hadn’t even written a single word down yet. As such, I could maybe see 10% of the story at the most, and I had no possible clue on how to connect any of it. But I should clarify what I mean by that: I had a way to connect it but it wasn’t any good, which is the same thing as having nothing. Even when I fell into the throes of NaNoWriMo for an original work, I had little progress on figuring anything out with which to tie Substitute together, and I did not plan to write a single word either unless something actually happened. The above was where I stood.
Well, The Cutie Remark happened.
It took a while for me to realize it, but that episode gave me everything. It gave me a way to tie everything together. From the actual events within the plot to a lot of the themes spread throughout. Most importantly, however, the alternate timelines gave me something intellectually stimulating, which in my humble opinion is a key component. After all, what made Feedback what it is was that mixture of character interactions and those things that made you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting to think about.” And I knew from the get-go that I did not want to write Substitute without having both of those things.
And so, it was early December of 2015 when I started writing the story. Even then, I had a feeling that it would be longer than Feedback by ten, maybe twenty thousand words (115% to 130%), and I figured I would be done by the end of August. Heck, I even scheduled things to drop that first chapter in March and complete by July. So, wow, this took a lot longer than I thought it would. And a lot longer than it should have.
I think that a lot of it was that there were so many scenes that were grab bags. Aside from a few things within those sections where they solve the alternate timelines, a lot of that was off the cuff. As such, there were a few times where I’d say to myself, “Yeah, okay, what happens next?” There were also a lot of scenes that were difficult to write because I knew what I wanted to happen in them but wasn’t entirely sure how to tie them all together. Sequencing can be a tricky thing, after all. There were also quite a few real-life causes that probably prolonged the writing process.
I also harbored this fear while writing the later sections that the plot would get stupid and farfetched. I can only hope that I actually managed to solve it!
I come out of this story having a few curiosities of my own. After all, if the unponies are stones, then who is Adamantine really? How did the beings that made the seal determine that there were alternate timelines? Were those beings ponies or nah? I know that only one of those can be reasoned out based on what happens in the story but it probably takes some thought.
So, yeah. What happens now?
Well, I said in the post-script for Feedback that I had ideas for two stories after it. This was the first, obviously. The idea for a second story exists! But, it’s sorely lacking in the intellectual department. And I currently have lots of reasons not to do it. But, naturally, we’ll see what the future holds.
I do have ideas for other My Little Pony stories. Two, actually; one focuses on reforming the sirens by teaching them to sing positive songs, and the other story focuses on a reality-hopping, alternate version of an older Flurry Heart. I don’t have strong opinions on which I should do first or if I should do them at all. They may not happen. But, on the other hoof, they might.
Actually, I’ll be taking part in a SunLight collab which I will imagine will drop sometime in March. That is a thing that is definitely happening. I’ll make a blog post about it later!
I think that, really, I will spend some time focusing on original work. I will finish that there story already, for dang’s sake.
That’s all I really have. Again, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story. It’s my opinion that, in the end, it’s you, the reader, who makes all the blood, sweat, and tears worth it.
-RQK
I leave you with this crudely conceived image, for your consideration~
I'll comment here rather than in the story, but I was really hoping that the tragedy tag was being misapplied, as some people do.
As for your next story in this series, I'd possibly like to see a prequel-ish story. Nothing exists forever, and so the Nameless and the Seal had to come from somewhere. There are questions that could be answered, like why exactly 9 days? And I say prequel-ish because perhaps it could be sequel-ish too, either from characters having some reason to go back in time that far, or because the future is the past and events yet to come create the Nameless and Adamantine.
Maybe even roll your Flurry Heart story into the third story here.
4374355 Ah! I knew the tragedy would slow cook so if I managed to elicit a feeling a dread, then I think I've done exactly what I set out to do!
And there are some ideas there. Hmmmmmm...
Hello. I know I am late to the party, but having finished reading Substitute this week, I wanted to check in and see what you had here. I did, and decided I wanted to comment, then twice I convinced myself not to comment. So I'm just going to go ahead and comment.
I think a lot. Probably too much. So prepare for some ideas that are probably crazy.
In Substitute, you referred to the timelines/alternate timelines like a tree and asked the question what the main line was. What if the Rainboomverse is the main line? In Substitute, you also kind of implied/said that Twilight has immortality. What if the time loop is larger than they all believe? What if the time loop isn't just 9 days stretching on however many timelines are affected by the crystal ball, but the entire tree of timelines, or at least the section visited are stuck in a time loop/cycle that repeats? One Nameless, one seal, the same series of events constantly repeating every few billion years after the end and rebirth of the universe. What if Twilight is the one who made the seal, the stones/unponies, and Adamantine? If she's immortal, then by the end of things, she should have the knowledge to make it, but that still leaves the question about what the Nameless is. I don't recall any description of the Nameless from Feedback or Substitute, so I could be crazy, but what if the Nameless is a pony? Or, what if the Nameless is a yet undiscovered threat which doesn't come into existence for a very long time, and Twilight trapped it? Of course, that doesn't explain why she wouldn't just destroy it, other than of course, to preserve the timeline. It also raises the question of how it would survive the end of the universe, and what happened to the seal that existed before the new one was created. Now, what if the Nameless is specifically Twilight? Probably crazy, but if the "remote" part of the unponies were linked to the seal/Nameless before its death, then linked to Twilight, could that indicate that there is some relation between the two other than just Twilight having been caught in the seal, then revived?
Great story! I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.
4513580 Not at all! I'm glad that you ended up commenting.
Firstly, I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed the story, and even more so to hear that it got you thinking. It's a lovely comment that you left up there and I would be remiss if I didn't give it a proper response. So, let's get into it!
It's not necessarily provable within the universe itself but I do like to think of the Rainboomverse kinda like this. We know that the seal spans all timelines (and could conceivably be the trunk but it is precisely because of the events in the Rainboomverse that the other timelines could even diverge! What would be interesting to think about is if they exist only because they could diverge in the first place. But, again, unprovable concepts.
I did? Oh, you'd have to point this one out to me because I wouldn't have meant to imply it (but, recognizing that it's a popular theory and is possible, I wouldn't have implied the opposite case either).
I may or may not be currently playing around with something like this idea.
Ah, this is a tricky one. It would require the case that Twilight is long-living and answering the question on how she would survive the end of the universe and where she would be before the new one is created. If we actually take the definition of immortal, and Twilight surives, she would have to move on to another universe (otherwise as the number of cycles grows large, there would be a large number of Twilight Sparkles running around, and we would necessarily have to take the cycles in the limit of infinity. She would also have to be aware of the cyclic nature of the universe (perhaps it is possible to discern that when you are way far into the future). Nonetheless, it goes without saying that if Twilight is able to survive and exist beyond the end of the universe, the Nameless follows suit (because the method exists).
I don't know either, so your guess is as good as mine!
Depends! Again, we must suppose the above and Twilight survives into a new cycle. If we do suppose that Twilight is the Nameless, we would have to ask how like her old self she would be (i.e. if she could even be recognized as Twilight). If she's not (which, if we believe Discord, she wasn't) then that doesn't really tell us anything. Any trace of her would have been constant across all unponies from all timelines, after all. If she had been somewhat recognizeable, and they could recognize those leftover traces, that would be another thing entirely! But, for now, that's entirely for speculation.
Phew! I think I hit on everything that you speculated about. I'm so very glad that you did it, too. And by all means continue speculating! I feel free to respond to this, even~
4513679
Please ignore that I am months late to the conversation. I just got done re-reading Substitute as it finished during a sort of chaotic point in the year and as such I needed to re-appreciate it.
Theory: The Nameless isn't Twilight. The Nameless is Twilight's Nightmare.
Some time in the future** Twilight has her own fall from grace and becomes...I dunno, Nightmare Allure? (There are no name-sounding synonyms for Magic. Had to go a bit down the word tree.) Completely cleansing Nightmare Allure is impossible For Reasons (no embodiment of the Elements, the Elements can't be used because Twilight is Magic, maybe the physical forms have gone on another millennia long vacation?) so the best that can be done is to separate Twilight from her Nightmare. The Nightmare is then banished away and becomes the Nameless that we see in your stories' present day.
**This requires the "Twilight is immortal" possibility to be a thing, obviously.
Yes.