There are good reasons why most unicorns want nothing to do with time magic: it's dangerous. One tiny slip-up could have far-flung consequences no one saw coming, something few understand better than Starlight Glimmer now that she's seen it for herself.
Which is why, after testing a temporal spell of her own creation results in her waking up in her old village with a nasty headache, she sets out to fix her mistake at any cost... only to find that destiny seems to have a different plan in mind for her, and a rather unlikely set of allies.
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Chapters (11)
Interesting read already!
Good start I hope you will be able to update again soon
Okay...... Now I'm interest to see where this goes, and how fickle destiny is gonna be, and in what way.
Bwah?! Okay, wasn't expecting Sunset...
Big problem here. It is fact that Starlight's village was only a few months old when the Mane 6 arrived. So if Twilight hasn't gotten to Ponyville yet, Starlight's village won't exist for at least a couple more years. At least.
Rock Solid Friendship shows that her village was just being built during season 4.
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...
Uh, whoops.
The next chapter might take a little more work than I thought...
Good story otherwise. I just tend to get a tad picky sometimes.
You don't have to change it. It can just be an AU, which it already is.
I actually realized this myself when watching the episode. Maud says she was working on her rockterate (?) When she met Starlight. And she had just started her rockterate in her first appearance in season 4. In the flashback you could see the houses in Starlight's village just being built. And the fact she was still looking for some place to put cutie marks shows she hadn't started collecting them yet.
Just thought I would point out any differences from the show that people tend to overlook. I don't think many people catch on to what that flashback means and still assume she ruled a village for years.
I just put 2 and 2 and 2 together. 😈
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I only watched the episode once as it aired, so the detail slipped my mind. Continuity errors are sort of embarrassing...
I'll lampshade it at least, if not find a way to address it properly.
This little thing might also mean Starlight is a lot younger than people think.
I am liking this. So Derpy, The Doc, Sunset and Starlight are replacing four members while keeping a couple of the original.
After thinking about it, I am going to take a stab at guessing.
The timeline hasn't changed like Starlight and Sunset think. They're just in another universe in the multi-verse. One where they are the destined ponies instead of the originals. Am I close? 😊
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I will neither confirm nor deny anything!
So, is Dash Fluttershy in this continuity?
Still good so far. Keep up the good work.
I thought Starlight was loads older than Twilight. Oh well.
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Where has it even said that anywhere in the show? Her village was only a couple months old when the Mane 6 arrived, so the fan idea that she was running it for years was totally wrong.
That has always been a fan assumption. But you know what they say about assumptions. 😈
Ok this story is awesome. Looking forward to the next one.
I just had a idea but are Sunset and Starlight really Sunset and Starlight? I mean, could the spell somehow copy their memories onto alternate versions of themselves?
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Who cares' You are the only one resposible for the dimension you created, so different things end up happening different ways, that's how every story is. You never have to do a world that follows every single thing, which makes your story even better since you can make things fit better in your story.
Well, good luck Starlight, becaus eif I'm correct you will meet our dear Princess Luna
So... Pinkie is still living with her fmaily then because destiny was changed... again, I swear, keeping track of where every bearer of the elements is in every single dimension is a problem every time something like this happens.
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Except in this reality, she is not an element.
Great to see another chapter. It always brightens my day.
Sunset/Starlight would be really cute and interesting here. Keep it up
After reading all the chapters up to this point, this is very interesting story wise. Gives more questions than answers but that's a good thing. So I'm guessing the Starlight/Sunset/Derpy/Doc/Applejack/Rainbow are the Mane 6 for this Alt. Universe.
Although I am very interested in what really happened to Fluttershy. Did she die and Rainbow changed her ways to fit the Fluttershy persona OR is this Fluttershy going to become the Gilda of this universe? Also wonders what happened to Rarity/Pinky/Twilight/Spike. It does have one interesting string of answers waiting to be revealed in future chapters.
Another great chapter. This story always brightens my day.
Hmm... given the time travel and her Swiss-cheesed brain, I find myself picturing a hologram pony named Stock Well showing up to help her put it right. That aside, nice work so far. I already upvoted a couple days ago after starting this, and it's a little early to say too much, but really engaging premise and execution in the early goings. Thanks for writing!
Okay... that Avengers reference was a little forced... but I laughed, so it gets a pass. The rest of this... really cool. I'm wondering if a certain pony known for her kindness towards animals... and in general... helped Rainbow reach some of the wisdom she's speaking here. 'With a little help from my friends', and all that. What would have led her towards this take on life (and this mark)...? Hmm... onward I go.
Quite a bit darker, this rendition of history. Wonder why that is...
Regrettably, I've reached the point where I'll be waiting for an answer. See ya next go round!
Umm are we ignoring the first EQG movie? Because Sunset can definitely teleport.
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Yeah, but she also forgot she could use magic later on before Starlight had to remind her. And she couldn't use her hooves the way a normal pony should be able to. (We still need to know how hooves work...) Plus she kept forgetting to walk on four hooves instead of two feet.
So, basically, I see nothing unusual about her forgetting about a pretty advanced spell, snice she kept forgetting more basic things than that.
I think it's because she is now content with living the rest of her life in the human world so she doesn't have to or need to remember those things anymore. Before she was always planning to eventually go back to take over.
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Well yeah except she states she was never capable of teleporting.
Yeah I gotta say the 'I never got the hang of teleporting' line is suspect. It's basically the first spell we see her use when she's introduced; it was an establishing moment that was fundamental to her character. I don't buy her forgetting; she takes too much pride in what she does, before and after reforming. The girl who sang Embrace the Magic isn't going to forget she can teleport, and even if she did she wouldn't word it 'never got the hang of' because at that point I want her checked for a concussion or something.
Their workaround didn't add anything to the scene, but I know what you're thinking. But Sun, it wasn't padding; it set up to tension for the next scene because she couldn't escape. If anything though, thst scene can have more tension by having teleportation blocked by the same trap. After wasting precious seconds and power trying to escape on her own, she reached for the bridge, and her friends, as consciousness fades...
And that way, we're invested in the scene rather that reading it while thinking: umm... yeah, she certainly can teleport.
That suggestion aside, love the escalation of stakes here. The danger of what they're facing feels more serious this time. Nightmare isn't toying with them to try to break their wills; she's fine with killing them. Looking forward to next time!
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Let's also face the fact that it's not the first time a pony forgot they can teleport. Remember the scene with the Hydra and the chasm in the series? And people were smacking their heads at the fact Twilight didn't just teleport?
Or even when Twilight just met Sunset when she stole her crown. The only thing Twilight could think to do was run after her and try to catch her with her mouth.
Or why would Sunset even need to go right up close to the table to levitate the crown. She could done it from the doorway.
This is well within the spirit of the show.
It's just best not to question it.
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2 wrongs don't make a right. Throughout the entire movie I was saying 'you know you can teleport, right?' It was annoying there and it's annoying here.
Also, again, read it carefully. There's a huge difference between 'I forgot' which in the heat of the moment can happen, and 'I never got the hang of it' which implies she remembers trying and not succeeding to do so. Sorry, but she's either senile or it's a mistake by the author. ...Or an AU thing that's only serving to distract, which could also be called a mistake.
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God, you just made me think of another problem with EQ Girls. Sunset knew where the mirror was and she had the crown. Why didn't she just teleport back to the room with the mirror. Even if it woke Twilight, she wouldn't have seen Sunset or seen Sunset going through the mirror.
Let's just say it. Sunset really isn't the smartest when she is a pony.
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Well, teleport range is a potential issue, but you make a valid point. Even short hops would be better than running. I get that the writers can't make it that easy or there's no tension ever... or the show gets too complicated for the target audience as magic has to counter magic and the show gets more cluttered. I figured it more she didn't want to risk magic (which is bright and occasionally noisy) during a theft, especially of a magical artifact from an alicorn. Who's to say what could wake her? If Sunset hadn't stumbled over Spike (a mistake of pride thinking she had already succeeded, playing to her character), she would have been gone, and would anypony even suspect the mirror portal? Hell, almost nopony even knew about it. Spike the hero..
Just saying the character is dumb is risky. She's Celestia's former student. Is it really believable that she's dumb because her plan didn't work in hindsight? It's the same here. I don't belelieve she'd say 'I never got the hang of teleporting'. To me, that's not Sunset Shimmer. It broke suspension of disbelief as I pondered why the story would attempt such a line. The show takes shortcuts for storylines, and we call them on it. Fanfic has far fewer constraints, and this particular shortcut doesn't seem to do anything (to my eyes) other than pull me out of the story to stare at it and go '...what?'
That said, dear author, if you're reading this, bear in mind my criticism of the scene only happens because I'm invested in the story as a whole. It's good work even with this little nitpick.
By the same token, titan, it's a pleasure discussing it with you... keeping me less bored at work
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I enjoy it to.
You know, as much as I don't mind EQ Girls, the thing that bugged me the most is the time difference. Sunset was only on the human side for 2-3 years tops when she finally went back to Equestria. But on the Equestria side it was obvious at least 10 or more years passed. Twilight became Celestia's student when she got her cutie mark, so Sunset went through the mirror before this.
From the movies, we see time is passing at an equal rate between the two worlds. So there shouldn't be that big a time discrepancy I have in the above sentence.
Someone f**ked up here.
We really need a time line for this show, because if time is passing at an equal rate now, I am wondering how long the girls have been in high school now.
Because judging by the comic she would have just entered high school, based on not looking much different from the way she looks in the movie, and this was years before the start of the MLP timeline. Now 7 seasons later, she and the girls are still in high school. 
It's for the best that they keep it seperate from the MLP series canon. The timeline in EQ girls is just to f**ked up.
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Yeah I can't remember, did she come back after one cycle or maybe wait a couple? 3-ish years or a couple sets of same? I don't recall. Then again... thinking about that... I think about Celestia and Luna in that world and get a headache about those ages...
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Going by the cycle. 30 moons, right? That would be about 2 and a Half years if you went by how we count moons.
So even if she waited 90 moons, it still doesn't sych up.
Yeah. And Celestia and Luna in the human world really do not make sense. Since as humans they should have died like 1000 years ago in the human world.
Yeah....
Then you throw in the Sirens.....
And why do the dragon doubles lose their sapience and are dogs, while Diamond Dog doubles are human. Unless Spike is the only dragon that has a dog as a counterpart. Meaning Spike really is just a pet...
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I just realized how off topic we are, so this'll be my last reply. Besides... While I wish I had an answer...
Twi and Spike are meant to be together. Not in a shipping sense, but a team. Adopted little brother woulda made more sense (Although other dragons being like timber wolves I could see, Spike is pretty domesticated by dragon standards), but then he couldn't follow her around and help easy. So... plot contrivance, not a good one but the one they went with.
Ugh, the Sirens. Yeah I got nothin, heheh. That was just... time wise...
Anyway, it's been fun, but we're off topic to the story and the author may not appreciate that. Besides, neither of us can explain EQG... i don't know that it can be done in universe. Enjoy your night, day, both, whichever. See ya next go round!
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Clearly the answer is that details have changed due to this being an AU and it definitely hasn't been like an entire year since I last watched EQG1 and even if it wasn't I certainly would never forget a detail like that how can you insinuate such a thing I am deeply insulted how dare y
...
(I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story in spite of my continuity errors.
I'm not opposed to rewriting it, it wouldn't take too long... or should I leave it as-is?)
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Relaaaax. Yes we are clearly invested in the story, and with good reason. We seem split on how major an issue this is, but in the end: not very. Personally I think this part could be rewritten. Sunset teleports over, gets trapped. The trap, clearly tailored to her anyway, blocks teleportation. She can still reach out with telekinesis as she does to fix the bridge. From there, same story. If anything, a bit of mana burn from trying to port out could be useful later if the story needs them to rely more on each other than on their strong magical talents.
Edit: (was phone typing at work, and not on a break that time, so got cut off). That said, it's basically the same story from here either way. So if you'd prefer to focus on the story moving forward, I can't say I'd blame you. It was a nitpick, and yes a distraction, but in the grand scheme? The overall story is good either way.
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Version 1.1 Patch Notes
>Fixed a bug that prevented Sunset's Teleportation from functioning.
Also, for the record, I do appreciate people pointing out stuff like this. The original scene went the way it did because I specifically did not recall seeing her teleport at any point, and thought it would be an interesting detail to touch on briefly. Turns out I goofed.
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. Since I'm in the middle of writing myself, I'll have to check out the change later tonight. Enjoy your day!
As a frequent gamer, the wording there is appreciated
EDIT: Checked it out, liked it. Her line about 'no way she'd ever forget it' was particularly funny. Don't be too hard on yourself, but an occasional chuckle at one's own little stumbles is probably healthy.
Alright that's one problem dealt with now to find out in what other ways this timeline has changed.
I find this of my interest. Please continue.
"Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer..."
Nice touch with Starlight there, and tying together this first part.
Very interested to see where we go now. We are missing a few friends, and a lot of answers. Looking forward to seeing them, and/or whatever else you have planned here.
This was great so I'm guess they are gonna see what happened to the rest of the main 6 and find out if any of them can take their place as elements before they are able to head home.
Looking forward to it.
Hah, I actually followed before reading the author's note, or the chapter. Looking forward to seeing the others. What makes AUs so fascinating for me is the characters we know and love conquering different challenges and facing different decisions about life and how to live it. And in this case... well quite the decisions to be made. And with the portrayals you've given us here I'm confident what's next is going to be great as well.
Setting aside the canon Bearers (for now)... maybe they could also track down the local Starlight and hug the crap out of her before she goes all cult leader. It's not like they haven't already altered this AU, why not do them that favor? Besides, when they go home they'll need to have passed on their Elements to somepony.
This was a great ride, really nice work. Thanks for writing!