"The Reality I Choose" EXTRAS: Thoughts, Themes, and FAQs! · 10:05pm Dec 11th, 2015
When I wrote "The Reality I Choose," I did so as a one-off to explore an idea I saw in a video that seemed interesting. Nothing special, just a little something that I hoped people would like, and maybe it would get a hundred, maybe two hundred views.
Cover art is "Lost in Time, Lost in Space" by Huussii, used with his permission. If you haven't seen his work, check it out!
So, imagine my surprise when, after a slow build on Sunday and a little more on Monday, the story suddenly surged into the Featured Box on Tuesday and by Wednesday it had climbed all the way to the 2nd highest spot. I am utterly mystified by how popular the story is and by how it has seemed to resonate with so many people. Pleasantly so, but still. 
(Though I will admit that I wish my main project, "The Iron Horse," had achieved the same level of explosive popularity, as it's the work I've put my heart and soul into, but I'm still pretty happy so many people have enjoyed my work, even if it was just a side project. If you like my writing style and enjoy dramatic moral dilemmas with a healthy slice of humor, consider giving it a look!)
Now, normally, I'm in the habit of thanking every fave individually and responding to all comments on a story. However, in this case I've got a MASSIVE backlog and it's getting bigger by the second. I still intend to stick to my guns, but it's just going to take a little while. But that's not what I'm here for right now. I'm here to discuss the story, so let's get cracking!
THEMES
One of the biggest themes is, of course, the topic of moral ambiguity. I think that might be one of the things people like about it, and it's certainly the main thing I wanted to explore in the story.
Twilight has essentially a simple A or B choice in front of her: go back and try to stop Starlight again, or don't and stay in the "Sunset-verse" forever. However, this simple choice is complicated because both choices carry a lot of weight and neither one has a totally positive outcome, and in fact imply some horrifying outcomes. And that's based on the two competing models of how time travel works.
Scenario 1: "Time is a River" - One Timeline: This one is the model of time that Zecora mentions in the show. If this is the one that exists, then it means that there is only one timeline and only one universe. The upside on this is that it is entirely possible to redo the timeline until it turns out right and Twilight can rejoin her friends and the peaceful Equestria we know returns. But the consequence of this is that it will undo Sunset's timeline, negating relationships, livelihoods, and even potentially some lives. This might have been good in the hellish futures, but Sunset's timeline is decent, if a little different. Does it not have the same right to exist as the world Twilight knows?
Scenario 2: "The Garden of Forking Paths" - Multiple Timelines: This follows the "multiverse theory" that the Doctor suggests to Sunset. If that's the case, the upside is that Sunset's timeline gets to continue its existence no matter what Twilight does. But the downside is that every single awful timeline Twilight has seen will also continue to exist, and going back might create even more awful ones. (Astute readers have also pointed out that it could even mean that Twilight can never return to her true native timeline, but I prefer to think that she still has the chance to return there, as that would otherwise mean that Twilight's original timeline is lost and her struggle is futile, and that wasn't what i was going for. Still, if that level of bleakness works for you, then go for it. 
)
The point is that there isn't a clear-cut right action. Twilight makes her decision and Sunset supports her, but that doesn't mean it's right. Or wrong, for that matter. In essence, she hears out Spike and decides to save/return to her own timeline because it's her reality that she chooses (hence the title). I don't see enough of that in fanfics, and I wanted to portray that sort of dilemma.
The other major theme is unknowability. No matter what Twilight chooses, she will never know the consequence of her action. She might tell herself that it all worked out in the end when she returns to her own timeline, or she might well be haunted by guilt at knowing she erased Sunset's time, or that she doomed multiple Equestrias to miserable existences. But she will never ever know what really happened due to the nature of the time spell.
And, for that matter, neither will the reader. Which leads us to...
FAQs
Let's start with the big one...
Q: Sequel?
A: Honestly... I don't know. I'm really happy people like this story and want more, but sometimes it pays to keep people wanting more rather than try to give them what they want and end up disappointing them. Everybody wanted more "Star Wars" movies throughout my childhood right up until we got the prequels. Everyone was stoked about Samus Aran getting more character development until we got "Other M." 
The problem with a sequel is that it kinda ruins that whole "unknowability" thing I just mentioned. If there's a sequel, then you automatically know that Twilight didn't end up erasing Sunset's timeline. I think not knowing and wondering is what makes the story more interesting, as it allows the reader to project his or her own thoughts onto it.
Most of the rest of the comments were questions about the Sunset-verse, so here we go on those...
Q: Why didn't Luna get reformed? Why did she get sent back to the moon?
A: Because the Elements of Harmony are weird like that? 
No, just kidding, I did seriously think about all the distinct choices and events of the Sunset-verse when I wrote this out.
So, really, why did the Elements send Nightmare Moon to the moon in the first place, if you think about it? Well, some have suggested that since Celestia was wielding them alone instead of with Luna, they weren't powerful enough to dispell the dark magic ensnaring her sister. I figure that Sunset Shimmer was probably still kind of a stuck-up b
ch and didn't meld well with her new friends as well as Twilight did with hers (and leading to a much more antagonistic confrontation as a result), making the connection to the Elements weaker. Of course, they got closer later, so they eventually had enough power to purify Sombra of his dark magic when he showed up.
Q: Why is Sombra still alive and not asploded?
A: "Asploded?"
Q: Yes.
A: They used the Elements of Harmony on him instead of the Crystal Heart. Sunset is a lot more aggressive in her approach than Twilight, so she came prepared.
Q: How did the Rainboom affect Sunset?
A: Celestia says of Sunset in Equestria Girls: "Sunset Shimmer. A former student of mine. She began her studies with me not long before Twilight. But when she did not get what she wanted as quickly as she liked, she turned cruel and dishonest. I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path." (And thanks for quoting that in the comments for me, Great Derpsby!)
In the Sunset-verse, however, Twilight didn't pass her magic test initially and so was delayed by a year. Thus Sunset was Celestia's only student for a while. I imagine their bonds grew stronger and Celestia tried harder because she had more time to give Sunset her sole attention. This meant that Sunset never got as bad as she was in the main timeline, although she was still pretty acerbic until befriending the others in Ponyville.
I should also note that the comics imply that Sunset might have left Canterlot even before Twilight got her cutie mark (reader Steel Resolve pointed this out - credit where it's due!). However, if that was the case, Sunset should be much older than Twilight and when Twi went to the EQG universe, Sunset would have been in college. So I'm operating on a much simpler principle: timelines in MLP are bullst. That's my story and I'm sticking to it: Sunset's a year older than Twilight and two years ahead of Twi in her studies in the Sunset-verse.
Q: Why Cheese Sandwich instead of Pinkie? Without Pinkie, how did he become who he was?
A: When Cheese came to Ponyville, instead of coming to a party thrown by Pinkie (since in this timeline she never came to Ponyville), he found a group of ponies who were friendly and invited him to a party, but nopony knew what to do. Cheese hesitantly made some suggestions and found that he was really good at it. He found his calling and decided to settle in Ponyville, becoming the local party pony.
I believe Pinkie still became a party pony, though. Perhaps she became the traveling party pony instead of Cheese Sandwich or just settled in another town.
Q: Sombra and Celestia? Why??
A: Comics. In one storyline, Celestia and a mirror-universe good Sombra are in love and it is adorable. 
Q: Why are these 6 the Mane 6 (Sunset, the Doc, Derpy, Cheese, Applejack, and Rarity)?
A: AJ and Rarity are still essentially themselves. They still got their cutie marks, just at different times. But as residents of Ponyville, they grew up as neighbors and friends (which you can see in the Sombra-verse, as AJ knows Rarity), so they were around to meet Sunset when she showed up for the Summer Sun Celebration. The others, I admit I mostly picked because I like them. I wanted to fit Lyra and Bon Bon in there, but I only had 3 slots and Lyra and Bon Bon work best as a duo rather than in a big group, if you ask me.
Also, here's a fun fact: originally, I was going to have Derpy as the Element of Laughter... but then I thought people might think I was implying that she was that Element because other ponies were laughing at her.
Q: I wish this was longer!
A: That's not a question.
Q: Um... why isn't this longer?
A: Better! It's short because I didn't want to get too bogged down in the details. The point wasn't to do a whole lot of world-building, but rather to establish firmly that the Sunset-verse is just as nice as the Twilight-verse. That was the point of not seeing the whole conversation at Sugar Cube Corner. By skipping it, Twilight could just give a brief overview of what they discussed rather than read 10 pages of back-and-forth.
Of course, that means a lot of these backstories are glossed over. But that's why I'm answering the most frequent inquiries from the comments here. 
Q: Why is Spike called "Sir" Spike?
A: Since Spike was raised by Celestia and spends his time at her side, he grew up more responsible and serious and gallant. As a result, he got the nickname "Sir," at first as a means of poking fun at him, but he took it to heart and it stuck. All that's in my head, of course, but from a writing standpoint, it gave something appealing to Spike that might make him more conflicted about leaving other than just Rarity returning his feelings.
Q: Where are Sunset-verse Twilight and Spike?
A: I'm going with the assumption that Twilight and Spike are more-or-less replacing their alternate counterparts, rather than them just being somewhere else. That would explain why we never see alternate Twi and Spike in the episode. But I left it ambiguous, since that's what the episode did.
Q: So... will there be anything else from this universe?
A: Well, kind of like Twilight, this universe is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. In other words, I don't want to just milk the success of this story and end up writing an extended alternate retelling of MLP as it happened in the Sunset-verse. I don't usually find those very fun to read, so I don't think I'd enjoy writing it. I have other stories I'd like to tell and I don't want to get stuck writing this timeline for the next year or two.
However, I may sporadically add a few chapters to this to glimpse a few major events (like how Sunset met the others, the Canterlot Wedding, Sombra, Tirek, Sunset becoming a princess, as well as a few other things that might be unique to the Sunset-verse). But if that happens, it will most likely be sporadic. Maybe one every few months, just as a treat to say thank you to the folks who like this universe. That depends on what you all think of the idea. Like it and want more of it? Or is it "sequel or bust!"? I appreciate the feedback.
FINAL NOTES
Okay, I know, long blog post is long. But two quick things I need to say. First, I forgot to credit two of my editors who helped look over the story and they deserve some recognition: GenerousGypsy and E3gner. Sorry I forgot to list you in the story description, gents, but it has been fixed and I owe you my thanks for your help. 
And one more thing: so, it has been brought to my attention that there's another story that's A LOT like "The Reality I Choose." It's called "All the Myriad Ways" by Doppler Effect. It came out a little before my story, but I did not see it until after I wrote and published it. Interestingly, I had this story written by the first of the month, but I wanted to give the editors a chance to look at it, so we were probably writing at about the same time! 
Anyway, if you like the idea and want to see a different execution of it, go give his story a read. Please don't leave comments like "Hat Man's story is better" or "Hat Man's story is worse," though. I know I wouldn't want my story compared to his if our positions were switched.
Anyway, thanks for reading. If you have more questions or comments feel free to let me know. I'm very thankful for all the wonderful, kind comments people have left and for everyone who faved and especially to those who added me to their watch lists. The warm reception from folks here on FiMFiction has been very encouraging and makes me glad to be a part of this community. I hope to see more of you in the future!
I still say Twilight and Sunset should go back in time together and tag-team Starlight's candy ass,
3611643 In truth, out of all the comments on the story and suggestions about sequels, that one is absolutely the very best.
That's just the way it is with fanfiction, isn't it? That long-form epic you pour your heart and soul into gets mild attention, while one-shot about the recent episode that you cranked out relatively quickly shoots into the feature box.
3611708 Yeah, it is, but I'm not ungrateful. Any way you slice it, I wrote something that I still am pleased with and people liked it a lot. I can't really be too upset, and if it gets more people to look at my other work too, then so much the better.
I have a question related to one of the answers, though it would probably seem more like an explanation. You mentioned that Pinkie would become the traveling pony instead. How would that work? Although this is based on my own assumptions, Pinkie gained her cutie mark because of the happiness she felt watching the rainboom, but since it never took place, wouldn't she still be living on the rock farm as Pinkamena? Sorry for the long comment. I enjoyed your story by the way.
Wow. Good luck with replying to everyone!
"The problem with a sequel is that it kinda ruins that whole "unknowability" thing I just mentioned. If there's a sequel, then you automatically know that Twilight didn't end up erasing Sunset's timeline."
Hm, not necessarily, I'd say. The story could be about Twilight thinking over this afterward, maybe even bringing up that very "Is this truly my original timeline, or just one that looks like it?" idea you mentioned above, or it could be a prequel of sorts set entirely in the Sunset-verse (perhaps explaining how the PoD operated, or just an adventure or whatnot there). Just some ideas, if you want to use them; there'd still be the concern you raise in the paragraph above the one I'm replying to here, but I thought I put these up to hopefully help a bit. Though, for my part, I'm a bit conflicted about a sequel or prequel here; after all, time spent working on a sequel there would be time spent not working on The Iron Horse, and while this story is already nicely complete, that one's still going. :)
after reading further: Ah, I see that you already thought of at least part of that. :)
Ah, thanks for the clarification on the PoD.
And on Cheese Sandwich. :)
"Perhaps she became the traveling party pony instead of Cheese Sandwich"
...Perhaps even with a full reversal of being inspired by one of Cheese's parties. :)
3611643
3611665
Ooh, that has some dark implications, though, in either timeline model. If changing the past erases the line and creates a new one, one or both of the two will be destroying their home timeline. Things are slightly better in the many-paths model, but, even though their timeline might still exist, returning to it could be significantly difficult and take a while, depending on how easy it was to make the magic work.
...Hm. Also, that might actually give some, not a tremendous amount, but some, support to Starlight's assertion. "See? You and your friends aren't that important; other ponies can do the job just as well!"
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A paragraph is "long?"
Well, this is all speculative since I never mentioned it in the story and the important thing was that Pinkie wasn't there. But my guess is that she found herself thrilled by something other than the Rainboom and felt compelled to throw a party. Pinkie loves her family, but it's also pretty obvious that she is ill-suited to life on a rock farm, so she'd go somewhere else. I didn't say that she would be a travelling party pony, just that she could. In fact, one of the other commenters on here proposed that the roles got reversed and Cheese Sandwich inspired Pinkie to become Equestria's premier party planner.
Just a thought. I couldn't imagine Pinkie just staying sad and party-less on the rock farm.
Personally, I'm one of the readers who agrees with you that this shouldn't get a sequel. It's one of the few one-shots I've read that works best solely as a one-shot instead of a prologue or first chapter.
Not saying a sequel couldn't be done, even done well, but it would have to be done in pretty much exactly the right way to avoid cheapening the impact of the original.
There are times when I wish I hadn't written out sequels to stories of mine. I've burnt out in the middle of writing them, even though I know where I want them to go. So I definitely know where you're coming from there.
That being said, what I'd like to see, is not 'sequels', but 'episodes', stories set in Sunset's timeline. completely separate of the fact of Twilight's visit. There's a lot of time from before she arrived. Let's see some different adventures that have taken place, between then and now!
I agree that writing a sequel is a bit much. But whatever other additions you make, I look forward to with baited breath~
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That's pretty much what I've decided I'll do, though I don't plan to update such a story regularly, at least not while I'm still writing "The Iron Horse," my main project.
Still, I'm happy the story was a hit, and I'm happy to explore this timeline a bit as much as the fans are.
For the first question, I'd be interested in a story that considered the ambiguity of the ending. I could imagine each chapter being split into two parts. The River portion would focus on a returning Twilight coping with the fact she either created a bunch of disaster worlds or destroyed a good one. All the while, she would notice small, subtle changes that make her realize even her current world isn't where she was from. I'm not talking anything large here. Maybe a Pony carrying a bag of apples rather then oranges, a tulip blooming where a rose was before, etc. Personally, I think once someone travels back to the past , they can never return to their own timeline. They can come close if they don't step on too many butterflies, but it'll never be exactly the same.
The other part of the chapter, The Ocean, would focus on stories from the other created timelines. This could range from stories from the Chooseverse (pretty sure Sunsetverse is already taken), or stories from the other realities Twilight and Starlight created.
Combined, they would still preserve the ending of the original story, since it'd be possible that one of them is non-canon.
You could doa "sequel" thing. Maybe do a mini-story showing exactly how Sunset comes to befriend each pony in her friend group.
3633609 That really would be interesting, but part of it is something I'd rather not consider - the idea that Twilight could never return to her own universe. That, plus the idea that Twilight's choice was ultimately futile, that she's either personally lost the exact same reality she knew at the cost of Sunset's, or that she's inadvertently created numerous horrible realities and still cannot return to her own. I think that would just add an extra layer of hopelessness, and that's not what I was going for. Although, again, it is a really interesting idea.
Pfft, they don't hold copyright on the term! ...But Chooseverse works okay too.
I've pretty well decided that I might do some views on the, um... Chooseverse, yeah. I doubt I'll do more about the other universes, though. I think other authors have covered those pretty well.
Thanks for the feedback!
3634106 That's more or less what I've decided I'll do. I don't want to do a complete retelling of the series, but periodically I'll do little glimpses of how the "Chooseverse" came to be. Hm, I'm starting to warm up to that name.
3636650 Yay!
That's a fun name!
3636541 Could inverse it then. Twilight returns and everything is exactly the same, but she's still unsure. This leads to her wondering if something something was different last time she passed by. She eventually gets Lesson Zero levels of obsessed over what may have changed (maybe not quite LZ obsessed). Meanwhile her friends and their memories of her are exactly the same as before. In the end, either Spike calms her down, or her friends see her anxiety and reassure her. I suppose the chandelier in the map room could help too, considering it contains memories of her friends. Before I wasn't aiming for hopeless as more of same but different. Like if you decided to wear a red shirt in one timeline, and a blue shirt in another. They're not quite the same, but your day is going to be more or less the same in both timelines.
3636650 That's just what came to my mind first. Yeah, Sunsetverse is already being used. It's a similar premise though. Sunset doesn't go off the deep end, and Twilight becomes a second student under Celestia.
I haven't read Doppler Effect's story yet, but from what I can tell... Comparing the two might be like your Twilight comparing the Sunset-verse. I like your story, but the other could possibly be it's equal. Who knows? I will keep the result a secret for both your wishes.
I just thought that this was an interesting thought.
While the answer is obvious from a meta-perspective (contradicts the story's goal), I have one question: why didn't Twi just stay longer to ensure that they could preserve both timelines? The fixed destination of their time-travel spell meant that they could've waited as long as a dragon and alicorn could live, and under most headcanons, that's a very long time. Long enough for Starlight to have forgotten why she was doing what she was doing in the first place.
I like seeing Sunset as a Princess. She's a lot more of a go-getter than Twilight is, and less book obsessed. I like Twilight, but Sunset is getting a lot more interesting. I hope the new Equestria Girls movie (or some future episode) will have Sunset come back to Equestria and realize she's become an alicorn, because of what happened with her and Midnight Sparkle. She had wings and a horn in her glowy pony-type form when she defeated Midnight. If she doesn't return to Equestria, perhaps have her realize she's now an alicorn by having her grow wings when she "ponies up".
I'm petty sure other ma have done what i'm about to put down... but i want this off my mind
Yes this, said a thousand times.
Like in back to the future you can split time up into different possibilities, and LIKE in back to the future
you CAN get back to your present...but changed for better or worse
in marties case it was WAY better due to him strengthening Georges resolve
in twilights case it was a simple case of allowing an event to happen the way it was meant to happen so the timeline is 'relatively' the same