Things I Have Been Reading: A World Worth Dying For by ClanCrusher · 9:02pm Sep 29th, 2016
Things I Have Been Reading: A World Worth Dying For by ClanCrusher
So, I finally got my ereader back.
Over the years I've gotten into the habit of reading fics on tablet. Then, my friends hooked me up with e-paper ereaders, specifically by getting me a Cybook Muse with Frontlight and I fell love with that thing, chewing through fics on it like crazy.
And then it fell out of my laptop case one morning and broke.
And due to a variety of factors I didn't get it repaired for months.
I was sad Nyronus indeed. My fic uptake waned greatly and, for some reason, aside from a few exceptions, not a lot of what I managed to read on my second hand kindle was good. Which is one (of many) reason why these posts just haven't happened in a while.
Of course, now I have my baby back, and I've been reading fics all day. In doing so I came across a piece that I found fairly interesting all told.
The fic takes place in the center of the conflict during the Season 5 finale, with Twilight constantly slipping between alternate timelines when she suddenly finds... a peaceful one. In fact, the more she sees the more it looks like this world is better off than the one she left aside from the detail that she died in this universe.
At least... at first.
I'm generally not a big fan of mirror universe/butterfly effect stories. They're usually rather hamfisted and lazy. Step on a butterfly, and Nazis take over America and everyone you know is now a cartoonish Nazi, or something like that. What caught my eye about this story though was that... well, this one isn't.
The author focuses on the personal for this alternate timeline. We learn that the crucial difference here was one of personality rather than events, and the author illustrates the subtle, but subtly disturbing differences between the characters in each world, and slowly builds to the darker and more dramatic changes that occurred due to this world's Twilight having eventually died stopping Tirek. It's always focused on the characters, and how their beliefs and choices affected each other, making for more engaging writing than the typical goatees and bootstraps that come with this genre normally. Discord's fate in this world was particularly affecting for me. Once the fic gets really rolling the emotional pacing is solid, with new details and character choices coming to the fore all leading to an intense climax.
That said, the fic wasn't exactly perfect. I wasn't entirely sold on the pathos of the alternate mane-6's reactions to Twilight showing up after having been ostensibly dead. I also didn't entirely care about the ethical conflict a lot of the action centered around, although I felt that that did end up paying off ultimately even if it felt forced at the start. Beyond that, the author changed small, random details about the Season 5 finale to force the plot to work, added in new ones, and kind of ignored some others. This makes the fic fit in... weird, with the established canon. There is also the fact that the ending to the story sapped some of the drama and pathos from the S5 finale, and all in all I worry I was reading some kind of weird fix fic being worked in at the last minute on what was an otherwise unrelated story. That said: points to the author for having Twilight visibly carry away some goals and character development from the experience.
All and all though, despite those problems honestly dragging down the experience for me, I did feel the fic had some interesting saving graces. I definitely recommend it as a study in a new take on butterfly effect/mirror universe style fiction that I felt worked well. I definitely was struck by it, so hopefully you will be too.
Ultimately, when I theorized of this story and began outlining it, I wanted to do a few things. First, provide a logical explanation as to why Twilight was having difficulties with Starlight Glimmer. Second, answer the question of, 'Are these six really so important that all of Equestria is doomed if they don't get together, and is Rainbow's Rainboom really the key?'. Third, tell an actual story rather than just throw Twilight into a scenario where people talk at each other about 'what if' scenarios, and fourth, have Twilight carry something away from the experience and events.
Also, have a fight where Discord is on Twilight's side for once. Honestly I'd say the entire idea sprang from how Discord might change in a universe where Twilight gave her life to stop Tirek.
As for the criticisms...
Yes, I did change some details about the Season 5 finale, namely that the conflict had been dragging on for quite a bit longer than it played out in the show. The excuse for that was that Twilight needed a reason to stop and wait in this world (beyond just the spell scroll getting frayed) and spend time in it. It was also to more accurately showcase her fatigue at the entire situation and provide some temptation for her to possibly stay.
As for the ethical conflict? Well...if you don't care about it, then you don't care about it. I suppose part of the problem stems from the fact that no one really knows what's going to happen if Twilight leaves the world and everyone is just guessing. However, I still thought it was important for each party to make their case and present their theory so as to inform their emotional states during the climax.
The ending was something I struggled with. I was tempted just to stop things at the end of chapter three, and honestly I could have probably worked in a full fourth chapter to this story if I wanted to sit down and really agonize over it, but every time I thought about how the conflict would play out from that point, it was basically just a reiteration of the season five finale, and if there's one thing I absolutely wanted to avoid in this story, it was retreading old ground. I didn't feel there were any significant changes I could have made to that arc that the show didn't already cover, so I decided to try and show something that might have happened afterwards. Not to mention putting in another fight scene with Starlight Glimmer on the heels of the third chapter would have been a bit much.
I would argue that this isn't really a 'fix fic' though. Starlight basically ended up in the same place that she did at the end of the episode, and the only thing I hinted at otherwise was the possibility that maybe Twilight might have a chance to bring Sombra back and smooth things over with Chrysalis. Sequel potential perhaps, but at the moment I'm still hard at work on the sequel to Winds of Change which has been taking the majority of my time.
Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed the story overall. Thank you kindly for the review, and I look forward to potentially hearing from you again for my future works.