Retcon est Magica · 8:01pm Jun 11th, 2020
When I went back to complete PGS four years ago, and decided to revise and rewrite earlier chapters to close certain plot holes or change certain elements that struck me as problematic to the narrative, I told myself that I would use the boundless powers of revision and retroactive continuity sparingly. And only for good. Never for evil.
I also wanted to avoid doing that with future multi-chapter works, specifically, Wallflower Become Meguca.
That being said, I've been a naughty bitch. I hit a snag while writing the fourth chapter, and to straighten it out, I've retconned a couple of things from the first three, with the help of Soup Boy.
Before, Sunset held the assumption that magic was an exclusively Equestrian phenomenon, and that the human world functioned without magic until Equestrian magic entered, via both the mirror portal, and SciTwi's dumbass science fair experiment. Further, she assumed Equestrian magic was the only magic in the world. Lorelai, Briar Rose, and the system related to them challenged her assumption.
This has been revised as follows:
Sunset has always theorized that magic exists in the human world.
The laws of physics appear basically identical between the human world and the pony world. Magic is a fundamental law of the pony world, so Sunset infers that the human world must have a system of magic in place as well. However, up until recently, the presence of native magic in the human world has been strictly theoretical, because she couldn't observe, or use, the magic native to the human world,
Sunset initially operates under the assumption that there are no magic users in the world besides herself, her friends, and anybody lucky enough to stumble on an Equestrian artifact, or unlucky enough to get corrupted by Equestrian magic
The different races of ponies, and the other species in the world, possess their own unique physiological means of tapping into Equestria's innate magic. Unicorns have horns, pegasi have wings, and earth ponies are constantly oozing dirt out of their pores. Evolution in the human world didn't follow the same path as in Equestria, however, which means humans never developed any kind of innate means of harnessing magical energy. Hence, they need artifacts to act as intermediaries, like the Element of Magic, the Memory Stone, or SciTwi's enchanted watering can. Since all of these artifacts are Equestrian in origin, and draw specifically from Equestrian magic, Sunset concludes that the only ones who can use magic in the human world are those with some sort of conduit to Equestrian magic.
Lorelai, Briar Rose, and the magical girl/witch system indicate that other magic users exist, and derive their powers from non-Equestrian sources
Based on Twilight's research and Sunset's own observations, there is nothing remotely Equestrian about Lorelai or other magical girls. The existence of magical girls in folklore and myth suggests that the magical girl system far predates the initial contact between Equestria and the human world. This also confirms Sunset's theory that non-Equestrian magic does exist innately in the human world. How magical girls are able to harness it, and what, precisely, witches are, eludes Sunset for the time being, however.
Why am I telling you this now? Said retcons required me to make some pretty significant rewrites to some parts of the first three chapters in order to keep everything consistent. Sunset's assumptions about magic have been repeated and developed enough times that I figure anybody reading the story has internalized them already.
It just seemed disingenuous to make such visible, drastic changes to the story without cluing people in, first.
I'll post the revised excerpts from the first three chapters below a break, so you can see for yourself how these changes show up within the story. I'm working on the fourth chapter now, and I've fallen a little behind on it, but now that this is straightened out I'm confident I can catch up.
Chapter One
Sunset discusses the difference between Equestrian magic, and Lorelai's bullshit, with Wallflower
Wallflower snorted. "You mean like a stone that can erase people's memories? Or music that can hypnotize a whole school into acting like zombies?"
"Like I said, that's Equestrian magic," said Sunset, her eyes scanning the sky for any trace of Lorelai – she'd lost track of her while talking to Wallflower. "Magic that came from enchanted artifacts, or everyday objects that got possessed and turned into totems. Hell, even the Dazzlings needed their gemstones to do what they did; humans can't use magic without something to act as a conduit."
A crossbow bolt the size of a sedan slammed into Briar Rose's central mass from above. The knot swayed and jerked, but the remaining cables managed to hold it aloft. Lorelai fell from some unseen point high above, caught the handrail of an upside-down fire escape, and fired a handheld crossbow through a vine before dropping out of sight again.
Moments later, another root snapped. The knot lurched, pulled down to one side, as a worrisome groan echoed through the expanse.
"But she's not following that rule," Sunset finished. "And what's more... that's not Equestrian magic she's using."
And I don't I like what that implies.
Chapter Two
Sunset takes explicit notice of Lorelai's soul gem
Red-faced, Sunset yanked her hand away and took a step back, holding her hand self-consciously. Ignoring Lorelai's chuckle, she looked down at herself, flexing her fingers experimentally. No pain. That ring, that gemstone, the light it gave off, healed her wounds completely.
She used that thing in the alley, too, Sunset thought, glancing at the ring. Doesn't look Equestrian, though.
Not wanting to clue in Lorelai about the existence of Equestria, Sunset vagues about the difference between Equestrian and Meguca magic
Lorelai stayed silent for a long moment, taking a delicate bite of her beef hash, chewing thoughtfully, and swallowing. "So, she was your first witch, then?"
Sunset paused to nibble on her omelette, chewing over her response. The vaguer she could be, the better; if Lorelai hadn't caught on that her magic and Sunset's weren't the same, then Sunset wasn't about to clue her in.
"I've never encountered anything like that before," she said, finally. "Anything like you, either, for that matter."
"Guess you have a lot to learn." A smirk oozed across Lorelai's face. "Want me to fill in the blanks for you?"
Chapter Three
Twilight describes her theories about magic use in the human world to Sunset
Sunset looked down at her book, feigning reading. "I'm pretty sure whatever Lorelai was using wasn't Equestrian magic. Until last night, I assumed this world had no native magic users. But you studied magic before the Friendship Games. What do you think?"
"I'll remind you, it was before and after. You filled out the dossier I wrote for you, Sunset, you should know this."
"I guess I repressed the memory. My little overachiever." Sunset sucked her teeth. "You're sure you never saw anything indicating there were magic users in this world before Equestrian magic crossed over?"
The smug look on Twilight's face dissolved. She looked down at her phone, tapping and swiping rapidly through her photos.
"Before the games, no. But afterward, I researched various branches of folklore and mythology, to compare our own legends with what you told me, and with what was coming in from Equestria. I wanted to confirm that what's happened here at Canterlot High really is the first time magic's been used in this world. If nothing else, I thought I could find something in our own history to help me understand Equestrian magic better."
"Phone pictures? You can't just beam the memories of them into my head?" Sunset thought, with a worried glance at Cheerilee. "We're trying to be discreet here, Twi."
"I don't remember them precisely, Sunset. Although I appreciate you assuming I have an eidetic memory." The corners of Twilight's lips pulled down. "Unfortunately, all that folklore and mythology turned out to be just that – pure superstition. Nothing remotely helpful, and nothing to prove, or disprove, that magic use is an exclusively Equestrian phenomenon."
Twilight tapped one picture on her camera roll, and turned the phone toward Sunset.
"But, like you, I'm starting to rethink that conclusion."
Sunset compares the "healing holy light" from Twilight's story to the light from Lorelai's soul gem
"That's gratitude for you. The light, though. Lorelai had some kind of stone that she used to transform, the same way you and I do. Used it to heal me, too. Flashed a big green light."
"Perhaps those stones are a common element to all magical girls, analogous to our geodes," thought Twilight, tapping her chin. "Green light, you said? Maybe she's really Daisy Buchanan."
"That doesn't even make sense. Just because we're in English class doesn't mean you can make literary allusions all willy-nilly."
Sunset describes her connection to ambient magic, and summarizes the theory on Equestrian vs. Meguca magic
"You know that I was a unicorn in Equestria. And unicorns are naturally attuned to magic. It's hard to explain what that feels like, exactly, but the best way I can describe it is as this ambient pulse. Like a heartbeat, or a super chill bass line, that you always hear, always feel. But when I first arrived here..."
"...You didn't feel any of that," Twilight supplied. "What about now, though? Do you feel it when you use your geode, or when you pony up?
"I mean, yeah, but it isn't the same. It's distant, somehow. Weaker. Like I'm not connected to it directly. And it's only when I pony up, or use my geode. Otherwise..."
A hint of the itch on her palm returned,. Her discomfort must've shown; Twilight gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
"I thought it was impossible for humans to use to magic without some kind of conduit or totem," Sunset continued. "Like the Memory Stone, or Princess Twilight's crown. And I thought it was only possible to use Equestrian magic, to boot. So, I just assumed that meant nobody ever used magic in this world before she and I came, and I left it at that. Never followed up on it. Never did my homework, like you."
Twilight smiled faintly. "Chronic overachiever. That's me."
"If I had... maybe I would've seen what you saw. Maybe I would've rethought my grand machinations. Then again, maybe I would've doubled down, like an idiot." Sunset scoffed. "I was never as diabolical as I thought I was."
"Yes, I know. Rainbow told me about the doctored photos of Princess Twilight. And the bodega."
"Please, stop bringing up the bodega." Sunset sighed. "So, magic use in this dimension predates Princess Twilight and I by... heaven only knows how long. A couple hundred years, at least, or a couple thousand, I don't know. And I don't know how to handle that, either. Do you?"
I warned him.
lh4.googleusercontent.com/yFlMzNEqEomKM337kES1Mi6JCrG74B9BtSf_LNwdn6-VOjKnvZKqjDLi_8IE2YQ0LwaYTgJylEgtodOpLANYsWU4bwhONmoPRxpoVWWoAwxC31-WmimN7vUpBY14xWGoCWOivu81
5282703 >Light theme
What the fuck is the matter with you
5282704
You already introduce enough darkness to my life.
A reasonable bit of retconjuration. Thanks for the overview of what changed.
Though I still have some questions.
Outlines! They help.
5282724 I have one. Things just don’t always unfold the way that they’re initially outlined.
5282736
That's fair. Sometimes the characters seem to have minds of their own and steer the story in unforeseen directions.
5282704
5282708
Will you two just get married already?
5282781
I would love to, but he keeps turning me down.
Okay George Lucas I say while standing in the broken shards of glass that was my house
Honestly tho as far as retcons go this isn't bad. I probably wouldn't have even noticed anything was off in the next chapter if you hadn't said anything, but good to cover your bases anyway I guess
*accidentally kisses you too hard and pushes you into a field of broken glass*
become meguca
5283561 Meguca forbiddeneded