FIRST STORY SPOILERSo far this story is pretty good but considering what we learned at the end of the first story I'm not sure what is going on...is this real? Was there some point in the last story where it was real and became a dream? I'm so lost...

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Anniversary takes place entirely in the Her Heart timeline. There's no time jumping in this story. Think of it as continuing from Spike's "Bad End" at the end of Her Heart 4, and don't worry about Twilight's attempt to make things right in Her Fate 3 beyond the fact that her actions set up the events in Her Heart 3. You know, since the difference between Her Fate 1 and Her Heart 3 is whether Twilight remained at the Carousel Boutique or not.

I guess reading a lot of Visual Novels helps you understand how Branching Narratives work, but if you're really in need of a timeline I'm willing to make a blog post. Though I would enjoy seeing if anyone else would want to try their hand at making one.

Ok several things< thank you for the idea for my next spike drawing "The broken dragon"

("I wouldn't mind havin' a few rounds with you, if you know what I mean." Shaman gestured with his eyes and made a knowing smirk toward the white pony.

"Yes, well, I don't advise that course of action, dear. My husband's the jealous type.")

I can'r help but see this and every other conversation shaman had with rarity as a shot at me and my rarity fixation XD.

When the three characters got on the scene...I couldn't stop laughing.

Yessssss....bring fallen spike back, bring back the dark dragon!!!

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That is pretty much what I figured....yep I read G/N also XD

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I fear that spike will go into another rapepage if Starla somehow manages to fix his broken mind.

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Ya see after then end though I thought none of it ever actually happened...

Even in the first story I never really understood the end of the her heart section because it's later stated that all the times he was with Rarity had been dreams. I'm getting an inception vibe from your stories...dream, within a dream, inside the matrix of another dream!

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Inception? Puh-lease, I prefer The Usual Suspects and Memento. I'd refer you back to the Visual Novel example, of the events of the story changing as the characters, (mainly Twilight as revealed through Her Fate) made different actions, thus leading to vastly different scenarios. Short answer is that Spike was a variant of Unreliable Narrator because he's unaware of Twilight's actions and had to come up with his own conclusions.

If you want a fuller explanation you can PM me or wait for someone else to try their hand at explaining.

1224813it maybe easier for some to go with the inception theory lol

When the cat's away, the mice will play...

So, Spike's cognitive capacity is controlled by magic he 'eats' from ponies?

I am assuming a pony can influence him when he consumes their magic through their thoughts or emotions. That would explain why Spike is obedient and stoic; Rarity just used a dominant persona or no thoughts at all when they were together. So when he consumed Starla's magic somehow it was like a wakeup call for his sentience, only its probably been turned off for so long it might take a bit of time to get back up to speed, and then back to his old self in the first story. Obviously when he 'eats' their magic, the 'food' gets pleasure or something else out of it.

Is that pretty much the gist of whats going on?

Wow, you certainly don't hold back on punishment now do you? That was one serious mind breaking session going on right there

Wrath was a top class mercenary, a sarcastic ass, professional, and very good at "bonuses." I approve of this interpretation 120%

1225744 We might not be the most original OC namers, just saying.

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Like I told Typewriterpony, when I come up with mlp oc they were never ponies, but instead dragons. You ask me to come up with a dragon name and I can give you some crazy sounding stuff. Yea, but shaman was actually meant to be a real shaman and I had no clue he was going to be a mercenary or his name would have been something more like cut throat. heck I would've made him a earth pony with a more savage personality XD

1229668 I'm just messing with ya

Oh God, Rarity has a Mind break fetish...

And so do I...

Please tell me Glam isn't the only one who gets broken in this.

mfw I see

boards.4chan.org

in referrals when glancing at the story stats

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What's "non-Spike good"?

Looking at Dirty Sexy Pony and this, I noticed my story actually has some similarities (it came after,) mostly with Spike having fallen completely under the influence of something, and actually needs to revert back to normal.

I also noticed Path_of_Cloud's Wrath. Good job.

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Are we talking Meus Flamma Diligo or Dragon's Notebook?

1288630 both, actually. Meus Flamma Diligo, it's ol' greed while the Dragon's Notebook is a little harder to explain.

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He's always rock hard, of course.

Whoa. Dude. This is the best written clopfic I have ever read in my LIFE.