• Member Since 7th Feb, 2012
  • offline last seen 31 minutes ago

Alex Warlorn


Just your average Brony who happened upon an idea that might actually turn out to be clever enough for guys to love.

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FANFIC READING BY DR. WOLF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGGIruwlHw

Five of the Mane Six wake up one day, and find the world has changed completely, and has become alien and wrong from the world they've known their whole lives, and why is their friend Twilight acting so guilty?

Each of them tell their stories of how they earned their destiny, and when their destiny seems to suddenly turn on them. Fate is what you make it.

My Little Pony Season 3 Finale (and originally planned as the series finale). Magical Mystery Cure.

This is not part of the pony pov series. I wrote in my own personal response to seeing the finale.

Kendell2 helped me with this. He is NOT however involving himself with the Pony POV Series! He's still my friend and willing to help me with other stuff. But NOT with the Pony POV Series!

MLP FIM: Copyright hasbro.

Image by Empyu http://empyu.deviantart.com/art/Embrace-Your-New-Destiny-362711465

Chapters (1)
Comments ( 104 )

This was certainly different.

I'm a bit tired, but I think I got the general gist of the idea behind it.

I like it, really. Nice work.

~Skeeter The Lurker

4203162

Thanks! I FINALLY got to watching the finale of season 3. And this was my response.

4203168

Wait.

You mean to tell me you JUST now saw it?

When we're neck deep in S4?

Wow...

~Skeeter The Lurker

4203170

Was holding off until I finished the first draft of my version of Canterlot wedding (I have a bad habit of making stuff longer than I should).

4203214

Ah, ok.

I get ya.

~Skeeter The Lurker

Really, Really enjoyed this :pinkiehappy:

You have an awesome style of writing and it was really interesting to read :rainbowlaugh:

4203266

Happy to hear you enjoyed this!

In retrospect I should have maybe divided this up into multiple chapters. So each POV could be digested individually.

I've been told multiple times I do best when writing things POV.

Y'know, one of the besst things that I had always found with Pony POV is that...it made Season 2, better. Don't get me wrong, season 2 was one of the est of the whole dang show, but Pony POV added a certain-something. Like a story behind the story that made the show even better or the characters even more real than they were before. The way that the stories gave us a chance to see how deep the scars of Discord wore on our heroes made the season something else to see. Heck, it does this with "MAre-Do-Well" and so much more.

And you know what? Somehow, I don't know, maybe because you are such a fantastic writer or something like that, you did the same thing here. You expanded on the episode and turned it into something even better than what we are given. This is saying as a guy who liked and had a blast with the ending (not as good as the wedding and needed to be a 2-parter, but that was denied for some odd reason). I loved how this gave us an idea of just what the other world was like, of how the other world's elements came together, and who was who (for a second, I was confused as to how was Flutters still kindness when she was in Pinkie's spot, but then I understood)

Luna's speech is something that I always bring to me when I think of the alt verses (speaking of wich, did you reference the Lunaverse when you mentioned Celestia going evil instead of Luna?) That they are not excatly the same souls that are in each world, but there is something much deeper that lives in them all that can bring them together, even if they don't know it.

Life goes on. I'm still going to live in Ponyville, and I'm still going to be friends with all of you!

Yeah, Twilight it does, it most certantally does.

Again, this is one of those examples I love to hand out when I tell people "Fanfics are more than just shipping and Mary-sues. There are terriffic ones out there as well".

Thank you again for adding something great to a great show.

4203325

"Y'know, one of the besst things that I had always found with Pony POV is that...it made Season 2, better. Don't get me wrong, season 2 was one of the est of the whole dang show, but Pony POV added a certain-something. Like a story behind the story that made the show even better or the characters even more real than they were before. The way that the stories gave us a chance to see how deep the scars of Discord wore on our heroes made the season something else to see. Heck, it does this with "MAre-Do-Well" and so much more."

You're welcome.

"And you know what? Somehow, I don't know, maybe because you are such a fantastic writer or something like that, you did the same thing here. You expanded on the episode and turned it into something even better than what we are given. This is saying as a guy who liked and had a blast with the ending (not as good as the wedding and needed to be a 2-parter, but that was denied for some odd reason). I loved how this gave us an idea of just what the other world was like, of how the other world's elements came together, and who was who"

Thanks! That was easily the best part!

It's not quite the FiM verse we've come to know and love, but it has it's good parts and bad parts just like any other world, and the good generally outweighs the bad.

The problem with the spell was that it was INCOMPLETE. The ponies got the cutie marks on the surface, but none of the talents, skills, or muscle memory that were supposed to be part of those cutie marks. If it had been cast when complete, IMHO, it would have allowed them to PROPERLY live a day in each other's horseshoes.

"(for a second, I was confused as to how was Flutters still kindness when she was in Pinkie's spot, but then I understood)"

EXACTLY! I read the various interpretations of the MMC-ponies and was inspired from multiple sources. One thing you have to love about the MLP fandom is the fannon is so open sources, everyone's fanon is shared by everyone.



"(speaking of wich, did you reference the Lunaverse when you mentioned Celestia going evil instead of Luna?)"

Ironic IMHO that are MANY scenario that use that device.

"Luna's speech is something that I always bring to me when I think of the alt verses
That they are not excatly the same souls that are in each world, but there is something much deeper that lives in them all that can bring them together, even if they don't know it."

Cool! Deep! :-D

"Life goes on. I'm still going to live in Ponyville, and I'm still going to be friends with all of you!

Yeah, Twilight it does, it most certantally does."

:-)

"Again, this is one of those examples I love to hand out when I tell people "Fanfics are more than just shipping and Mary-sues. There are terriffic ones out there as well".

I'm happy then that Pinkie Pie and Big Mac in this feels like PART OF THE STORY, and serves the story, rather than the other way around (that other way around is not always a good thing). I wrote it because I've seen it used elsewhere for the MMC verse and I felt it made the most sense.

And yeah, that most certainly ARE more than just shipping and Mary Sues.

"Thank you again for adding something great to a great show."

Welcome.

This is really brilliant -- you've shown how the destiny-shifted characters perceived their previous life histories (which was a whole internally-consistent alternate history) and how they perceived the shift in which they no longer had the appropriate skills.

I wonder if the restored Pinkie Pie still has feelings for Big Mac? I don't know how much she remembers of her alternate self's marriage to Big Mac, but even hazy memories of marriage, even of the affection involved in any decent marriage, is not something one can easily ignore.

Watch the fourth season!!!

Y'know, one of the besst things that I had always found with Pony POV is that...it made Season 2, better. Don't get me wrong, season 2 was one of the est of the whole dang show, but Pony POV added a certain-something. Like a story behind the story that made the show even better or the characters even more real than they were before.

"Lesson Zero" becomes a much darker story if one even makes the root assumption Alex did, namely that the psychological scars of the Discording did not immediately fade. One can see the episode as representing Twilight discharging a lot of the emotional tensions she'd accumulated -- she was never directly Discorded, but she had to be the Only Sane Mare in a world gone mad, suffer rejection from her friends, and she so very nearly fell ...

4203485

She DID fall, Celestia's letter however pulled her back.

4203477

"This is really brilliant --"

Thanks!

"you've shown how the destiny-shifted characters perceived their previous life histories"

There were a lot of sources I drew from for this. Inspiration. There were tons of good ideas people threw about but had never translated into fanfiction form for the most part.

"(which was a whole internally-consistent alternate history)"

Which hinted at how this was more than just a delusional state brought on by having their cutie marks switched about.

"and how they perceived the shift in which they no longer had the appropriate skills."

Indeed. When things go wrong, they're not dense enough to not notice things going wrong, but we don't normally think to ourselves what WE are what's wrong.

They went through that entire ordeal having the wrong soul in their body! But souls don't translate to muscle memory, experience, etc. And while reality distorted around them, it DIDN'T give Fluttershy's animals the souls of Rainbow Dash's animals, so they felt no emotional endearment or trust towards her for example.

"I wonder if the restored Pinkie Pie still has feelings for Big Mac? I don't know how much she remembers of her alternate self's marriage to Big Mac, but even hazy memories of marriage, even of the affection involved in any decent marriage, is not something one can easily ignore."

They likely remember what they thought to recall at the time. And if Pinkie Pie DOES remember, this isn't quite the same Big Mac THAT Pinkie Pie married, she'd have to get to know him all over again.

"Watch the fourth season!!!"

Any particular reason? I got hit with lots of spoilers. Including the Elements being swept under the rug by the writers. Which is a shame. Because I felt they were never used ENOUGH and the writers just wanted them out of the way.

:derpyderp2: That's... all I can do. But very interesting story idea, I love it! :pinkiesmile:

That was really confusing at times, but really good!

4203786

What spots need to be less confusing? And how are they confusing?

4203630

"Apple Pie." And, to a lesser extent, "Filli Vanilli."

For another possibility, "Pinkie Pride."

They've been doing interesting things with the character -- some claim they're Flanderizing her, but I actually believe they are doing what they are doing quite deliberately, and increasing her depth in the process. From the very first two-parter, Pinkie Pie has always known more than she cared to reveal, or reveal in a form which other ponies would believe.

Oh gods that crap was supposed to be the SERIES finale? Thankfully it wasn't; that would've left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouth

4204449

It's what I HEARD, I never read an official source on the subject.

Alternate realities make me happy. Displaced characters from worlds in alternate worlds make me even happier.

4203877
It was mostly the different points of view. I had to remind myself that I was reading about a different Equestria. It didn't make the story bad, or even hard to read. It was just a few things that I needed to remember as I read.

4204785

Now imagine the MMC with the souls of the mane six trying to fulfill 'their' destinies and failing.

4204492 Well, considering that season 4 was confirmed at the dawn of S3, and that the only real reason why Princess Twilight was so abruptly dropped on us is because Hasbro wanted DA MONEIZ, I think it's safe to assume that that's a "no"

Great to see this story here. And I still think that the bits with Pinkie and Big Mac, and Rarity's handling the weather, are my favorites.:pinkiehappy::raritywink:

4205092 Aaaaand I feel a sudden compulsion to just kind of fall over.

Not really my headcanon, but an interesting take. :pinkiesmile:

Very well done. This really clears up a lot of the issues I have with the original, and being able to bridge the gap between universes and switch cutie marks is certainly a very new sort of magic for Twilight to master, even if it did take two of them. Nice job. :twilightsmile:

Great take on the MMC episode. I liked the way you changed up the ponies' origins. For some reason I really like the Pinkie/Mac pairing you have here. I also am a sucker for sophisticated Apple Jack. Though I have only seen a couple of stories with her like that.

Like, this story isn't bad as a concept. Alternate universe cutie marks. Yeah, I like that.

But, Yeshua bin Yosef, what is wrong with your commas. They are everywhere. You got commas where a period should be all over. If you gotta make it a singular sentence, you got em dashes for that. Semi-colons. Learn to comma.

"But today. The world was wrong."

The one place you should have had a comma and you blew it. YOU BLEW IT.

My new head canon. Also I love how the mane 6 are out of character while still being in character.

4205501

Yeah, I'm a suck for 'lady applejack' too. I felt Pinkie Pie's marraige to Big Mac was good fanon for her in this case.

This is what I've been looking for ever since I saw "Magical Mystery Cure."

But I can't quite figure out what elements everypony has? Do they all have the same ones in this alternate universe? Because it seems like Fluttershy would be Laughter, but you seem to imply that she's still kindness. And I suppose I see how that works, but I'm not really sure how Pinkie is still Laugher then.

Also this bit from the start of Rarity's part confuses me:

Rainbow Dash's new 'friend' Discord tended to pop in and watch me work with a bag of popcorn for my magic being so 'delightfully different than the norm'. We weren't friends yet, but I admit having an audience was enjoyable.

This is right in the middle of Rarity explaining how she got her cutie mark, but Discord would still have been in stone then, so that doesn't make sense. Unless this is supposed to be taking place in the present or more recent past, but in that case I think it's out of place.

Very well done story, except for punctuation.

Coummas, periods, and em dashes could be used much better correctly. It didn't bother me much, though.

Loved the concept and execution.

4205319

Thanks for respecting my headcannon. :ajsmug:

Pinkie's piece of this story reminds me of a Pinkie/Big Mac story called "Unforeseen Consequences" that uses the alternate timeline memories (and the fact that Pinkie is pregnant with Big Mac kid) to bring the two together and also shows how in the alt timeline they got together just a shame it hasn't been updated for 1 year

4206472

That's what it's called? That was one of my inspiration for this fic!

4203162
Not sure if you ever read it, but Memories We Never Had is basically the same story (or at least, a very similar one). I preferred that rendition to this one, as Memories We Never Had was more poignant in part due to being more succinct and in part due to being more integrated and having more impact on the characters.

Not that this was a bad story by any means - I enjoy the whole alternate universe thing, and exploring the idea of what ifs that Magical Mystery Cure brought up - but I think that story hit me in the feels where this one's explanations felt a bit less integrated into things, the flow not quite as good, and the whole "soul swapping" thing seemed overlong and, because it was denied to Twilight, a lot less meaningful.

Hmm. I noticed that you mentioned "Cross and Arrow" and the Lunaverse towards the end.

4206822

I did.

It was indeed good.

~Skeeter The Lurker

This is an interesting take to be sure. But if the soul-switched ponies actually had been doing those jobs all their life in their own world, then why were they suddenly terrible at them after they were exchanged?

4207062 Because they only have the memories of doing the jobs not the skills to actually do them which are very different things. Its like the difference between a book about doing something and one that tells you how to do it.

This was good up until Luna The Exposition Machine started talking. Sweet Jesus I've never read such telly exposition in my entire life.

"So she'll never know, that when she cast the incomplete spell in our world, another Twilight Sparkle cast the same spell in another world. She'll never know she didn't 'scramble' the cutie marks of her friends, so much as switch them with the cutie marks of her friends inhabiting another version of our Equestria as her twin did the same."

"Whether she realizes it or not isn't the point, if she does, she does, if she doesn't, she doesn't."

"And she didn't realize that as she raced to use the Elements and the actions of her friends to instill their original fates, that another Twilight Sparkle was doing the same thing, to get back the fates of her friends. We say again, they were not scrambled, they were switched. And they were not 'restored' but exchanged between worlds. The 'one' and 'another' referred to another version of themselves, not the other members of the Elements."

But I think overall it deserves an upvote.

4206544
It's got one of my many stars I just selected PP and Big Mac in the tag bar and it popped up

4207468
But they have the memories both of doing those things and of learning how to do those things. This entire story is them explaining where and when they learned those skills in the other world, so they must still remember how to do them if they remember learning them.

I could see it being a problem where for example Applejack would have trouble bucking trees in the body of her dress making counterpart as that body would be far less used to manual labor and would be lacking in muscle memory, but things like alternate Fluttershy not being able to make jokes in her caretaker body wouldn't work because making jokes is entirely down to your mental affinity for making them.

4207621

They switched souls, not brains. The memories they had were an ill fit.

just one thing I noticed at the end of the story.

"Me and Discord are living proof nocreature deserves friends, Twilight," Rainbow reminded.

aren't that the same as saying "No one deserves friends" shouldn't it be everycreature deserves friends?

Very interesting and worked out story. Insightful.

What fascinates me is that, according to several sources, the writers fully intended the Swapped 5 to have fully developed memories of lives justifying their new positions (i.e. Pinkie remembers a life leading up to her living on the farm). Since you say you didn't watch the episode until recently, I'll assume you didn't know about this, and instead developed the idea on your own. That's really interesting. Kudos!

I agree with 4207571 that the scene with the princesses was very exposition-heavy - almost a bit rude, like someone explaining a joke they just told because they assume you didn't get it. I admit that some facts had to be dropped for everything to make sense, but it went a bit too far. The scene with the Alt-6 in the very end established that they were real and not just delusions just fine on their own.

Dash befriending Discord through a display of Loyalty? Rarity building a tentative friendship with Trixie over their skill with weather, and studying in Cloudsdale? The smoothly meshing backstories for the Alt-6? Excellent work.

4207621 Remembering learning how to do something is not the same thing as having learnt how to do it. Declarative memory of experiences and information is different from procedural memory which consists of the actual skills learnt. When their souls were swapped their declarative memories went with them so they remembered the facts about their lives in the other universe but their procedural memories didn't so they don't have the skills to go with them.

There are real world cases of people due to neurological problems remembering learning skills but not actually having them any more or learning a skill and being able to use it but not being able to remember learning it.

4207904
I suppose that makes more sense. Though I question the validity of somebody's soul being the truest essence of their self if they were to leave a significant portion of their memories behind with their body. Surely things learned procedurally are just as significant in defining your personality as the ones you learn consciously.

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