So, I think we've determined that each of these chapters is going to be about the Elements:

1. Being taken by Discord to some location near a bearer from the corrupted verse.
2. Finding the bearer
3. Doing something or solve some problem that helps restore the bearer from despair
4. Then being whisked away by Discord for the next chapter

What we need to know for each Element chapter is:

1. The Element/multiverse bearer
2. Who the corresponding Corrupted-verse bearer is
3. Where the scene is located (in order to see more of this world, I'd vote that all six should be in different cities)
4. What task the Elements must undertake to free the corrupted-verse bearer from despair.
5. Which other multiverse Elements will be in focus in the chapter. (In order to avoid this seeming like an unconnected set of vignettes -- the Cadanceverse chapter, the Luanverse chapter, etc. -- I think that each chapter, in addition to having one Element 'lead', should have a focus on one or two other Elements and show a bond forming between them. This will also help us show that the multiverse team are becoming friends too.
6. The order

So, for instance:

CADANCEVERSE CHAPTER

1. Octavia Philharmonica, Bearer of the Element of Honesty, is the element for this chapter.
2. Pageturner is the corrupted-verse bearer. In the Cadanceverse, she was Octavia's assistant until she got fed up, resigned, and returned to her hometown. In the corrupted-verse, she's a world-weary prosecutor.
3. This chapter takes place in Chenneigh, the pony-world equivalent of Chennai.
4. Pageturner is prosecuting a horrible crime: stealing forty pies stealing resources that were going to be used to help ponies in the city. Pageturner has suspects on trial; a general sleazebag and low-down pair of ponies named FlimFlam, but while FlimFlam are not good ponies, they're actually innocent of this crime. Pageturner has long since given up on the hope that honesty will prevail in the justice system, as years of battling the city's corruption have given her a sort of 'everypony is corrupt, everypony should be in jail, so whoever comes my way, I'm going to put them there' attitude. It will be up to the Multiverse 6 to vindicate FlimFlam, find the real thief, and say "Objection!" as many times as is possibly.
5. In supporting roles, I think this chapter should feature... let's say Auntie Orange, since they have a connection in one of the universes (Manehattanverse), and maybe Pinkie, just because Pinkie will probably be the hardest for her to get along with.
6. No preference as to order.

2849953 Not you too! Stop confusing Pageturner and Paperweight!

2850062 : *Whistles innocently*

Sorry. I spent all day writing something and now my brain is fried. It's fixed now.

Um, only thing I can comment on is #6: Do them in intro order. I.e. you started off with the Dashverse, so that one should be first, and so on own the line. It's nice parallelism.

2850656
As good an order as any I suppose. Anyway we slice it I'm going last so I've got time to prepare. Just off the top of my head though...

1. Spike "Purple Prose" Flail, the Element of Magic

2. Ink Blot is the bearer for this verse. In Flipverse he's the editor in chief for The Canterlot Sun and Spike's boss. Haven't quite thought up how that's changed here yet.

3.Chapter will take place in Canterlot. Though the thought occurs to me... If Celestia and Luna never fought, then the ancient castle shouldn't be ruined, right? Would that change where Canterlot actually is (Like maybe putting it where Ponyville is today)? Would there even be a Canterlot?

4. Spike is convinced when they get to their destination that he knows who the Element of Magic is: his older brother, Shining Armor. So one part of the problem is Spike and the team needing to realize that Ink Blot (an earth pony) is the one that they're looking for. Not sure how Ink has been affected just yet.

5. Not sure about supporting roles yet. Since I'm so late in the line whichever ones we go with will probably be wrapping up any arc they started. Though I'm tempted to list Octavia, seeing as she's the only other pony from a universe where the Element of Magic isn't Twilight or Trixie.

6. See my answer above, but no matter what I think we can all agree this one is last.

2850698

2. What's going to be the major connection between a newspaper editor and Magic? If we focus on the concept of "Friendship is Magic," then there might be something about a newspaper bringing everypony together, and how many lives are touched in different ways by its publication. There's the local and national news, the editorials, obituaries, sports, comics, TV listings, classifieds, and advertisements. In the days of a place like Ponyville, the local newspaper was a major community builder. Since the Gabby Gums route has already been claimed by the show, is there a J. Jonah Jamison route that the paper could have taken perhaps, attacking the princesses for "disappearing during their time of need" or some such thing?

3. I was wondering about that myself earlier. Nightmare Moon never trashed the Castle of the Royal Sisters in this universe, so would the sisters still live in the Everfree? It would certainly make it easier for them to have been captured by the vines.

Perhaps the Sisters relocated to Canterlot due to the Everfree Forest not being a particularly friendly place to live and a desire to be closer to their little ponies.

2852029 : Alternately perhaps Canterlot just cropped up in the last three years after the vines took the alicorns and made the old castle uninhabitable.

2850698
2852029
2852238
Ah was never quite clear on when an' why Canterlot came into bein' in the first place. The Old Palace may have been damaged by Nightmare Moon, but it was still standin', which would make usin' it easier than buildin' a whole new castle. Ah s'pose it coulda been bad memories fer Celestia, but even at that, in Granny Smith's flashback Canterlot seemed pretty new, considerin' the ponies there lived in tents.

2849953

How about having Spike take second lead in your story, I would think his journalist experience would be useful in finding out what actually happened. Pinkie could almost do a rewrite of "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" with her coming up with increasingly bizarre idea's on what happened.

2850698

I'd say Caterlot was a major city but not the capital.

If we go with the castle of the pony sisters still being the capital we could do a while sleeping beauty thing with it. The princesses and the whole population of the city knocked out and tied down by the vines which attack anyone who tries to free them. Ponyville being close to the forest is presumably ground zero for the badness so if anyone uses it it can be in a really bad way (Mad Max style?)

1. Dame Ditzy Doo, Bearer of the Element of Kindness, is the element for this chapter.

2. Castor Cut / Amethyst Star (Sparkler) is the corrupted-verse bearer (I'm planning a bait and switch on which one if actually the bearer and I haven't decided which way round to do it). In the Lunaverse, Castor was Ditzy's lover who abandoned her when she became pregnant with Dinky. Amethyst is Castor's daughter she blamed Ditzy for her parents divorce. In the corrupted-verse, Castor is a great humanitarian (Equineitarian?) who has given up and wants to protect his daughter from the evils of he world.

3. Fillydelphia.

4. With the appearance of the Plundervines many ponies were forced to flee their homes and Castor used his considerable wealth to covert his home into a homeless shelter to help. Unfortuantly, one of the ponies he was helping (I'm thinking of using Trixie's dad, Scummy McScumbag-sexy-accent or what ever he's called) seduced and ran off with his wife May Bell. Castor has since converted his home into a virtual fortress to keep his daughter safe and from ever leaving. She still manages to slip out every so often to carry out random acts of kindness and to meet with her coltfriend Pokey Pierce.

5. In supporting roles, I was thinking Orange Sherbet, as I've pointed out her personality is very similar to Ditzy's but in this situation less forgiving. Once she finds out what Castor did in the L-verse she cannot believe that in this universe he can be anything but scum despite admiring what he tried to do for the city. No sure for someone else, Dash maybe to bond with Sparkler?

6. No preference as to order, however, I probably won't be able to write until Mid March or even late March as I've got some other projects I need to finish off.

I think Canterlot can be there, just not the capital. I mean there's no info one way or the other in the show, and in this reality a pony who's been dead for 1500 years in the hasbroverse is still alive.

Anyway...
2849953 1. Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter.

2. Surprise. In the Hasbroverse, she's Pinkie Pie's direct ancestor, traced all the way back to the days of Dream Valley.

3. I have... no idea at the moment. Some neo-Dream Valley?

4. Surprise is trying to keep everypony's spirits up, but she's too strict on the fun. If the party's not fun enough, she breaks it up! Pinkie Pie has to show the original party pony that the ponies can have small amounts of fun, too. And that breaking up the small fun doesn't lead to more fun, but to sad ponies.

5. Octavia, to show that partying in moderation is a good thing. And Ditzy to show that there's more than one way to party. I'm thinking Pinkie's got a smartphone hidden in her mane, if only to show the others pictures of Megan and her family.

6. Not next! Not next!

EDIT: Changed the support ponies bit.

2853448

Maybe Octavia as a support pony, she might have something to say about Partying in moderation or in a more stylish way. Ditzy for understanding others point of view about partying?

2853448 Why am imagining Pinkie explaining the 1500 year old ancestor thing in another dimension to Surprise and Surprise just totally accepts it without any problem?

2853850 Good ideas. I can imagine something like this:

*Surprise is pointed out*

Pinkie: "B-but that's impossible! Surprise is dead where I come from."

Octavia: "Oh, Pinkie. I'm so sorry to hear." :(

Pinkie: "Oh, it's okay. I never actually knew her!"

Octavia: "Oh... she was an inspiration to you?"

Pinkie: "I guess? She died about 1500 years before I was born."

Octavia: "Flat what."

Pinkie: "Well, she's my direct ancestor from the Dream Valley Enclave pre-Alliance. It's... complicated."

2853981 I think you just wrote the ending to my chapter.

Okay, I'll update my previous post. Thanks, you two.

2854448

Pinkie: "Granny Surprise!"

Surprise: "Pinkie!"

They hug

Octavia "Wait you know each other?"

Pinkie: "Surprise is my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, times a thousand grandmother. On my mothers side."

Surprise: "I didn't know that, it just seemed a good time for a hug. Oh my Gosh we have to have an I've just met my descendent from another universe party!"

Pinkie: "That's just what I was going to say."

They bounce off together.

Ocatavia: <Twitch> "Two of them!" <Shudder> "Kill me!"

2854516

Octavia: "I am the anti-Pinkie. See me not bounce!"

And I have decided that Pinkie will have a smartphone in her mane with pictures of Megan and her family. And she will show them to the others. And one of her and Optimus Prime.

2849953
2852962

I was thinking Spike could have second lead as well for the same reason.

2852029

There was another thought I had, though I'm going off of something of a tangent...

In a world where the Princesses solve everything, there's not much in ways of new news. Maybe rather than a newspaper editor, Ink Blot might have wound up as a Royal Herald, probably the chief herald at that. He gets the job of making sure royal proclamations are spread from one corner of Equestria to another.

His magic came through originally more in the form of faith and hope. Belief that things will turn out for the best as long as Celestia and Luna are around. When everything started going to hell he could have been using the network of Heralds (and working with Shining Armor) to keep ponies' spirits up and searching for any news of a way to save Equestria. As time wears on and Canterlot (or its substitute) is forced to seal itself in Shining's magic bubble for protection though, he finally wears out. From there, yeah, he could become embittered, decrying Celestia and Luna for abandoning Equestria to anypony that will listen but for the most part just doing what's left of his job. Namely, using the heralds to hand down new policies and orders to Canterlot from their current leader: Shining Armor.

Did I think on this a wee bit too much perhaps?

2852962
2854725 : okay. So Auntie Orange and Spike in the Cadanceverse chapter, then.

2853448 : Octavia as a second works nicely there. I could see Octavia having some interesting adventures in the Land of Forced Partying.

2854611
You mean this photo?

2854725

That sounds a very good idea.

In a threatless world I wonder what Shining Armour did though?

I suppose he could have been the equivalent of a survivalist, one of the few ponies prepared for the Princesses to disappear.

2854725 I like that a lot. It's not overthinking when it's good.

2854838 Thanks.

2854928 Ah... the pic's not showing up. I might just take a pic using one of my many Pinkie Pie toys and either Masterpiece 01 or 10 Optimus Prime.

So... should Pinkie's chapter be in some version of Dream Valley, complete with G1 ponies and/or expies of them?

2854963

Maybe the link will work better.

It's your chapter and our universe so it's entirely up to you how you do it.

I could see it being one of the few places the vines are currently mostly kept back from.

2855007 Ah, that one. I love that one. As for Dream Valley, heh. Looks like I'll have to rewatch My Little Pony and Friends, then. Not that that's a bad thing, mind. ;)

2855408 In your opinion. I didn't watch it growing up, and even G4 pushes my "kiddie" tolerance at times. The stuff from the 80s G1 seems like it would be a bit much. On the other hand, I grew up on G1 Transformers, so I know how much nostalgia can get you through the ham and cheese of the 80s. I love that electrum combined with cybertronium creates temporary super armor, at least until the electrum breaks down. Electrum by the way, is a 75/25 mix of silver and gold, and the stuff they used was an exact color match. I think they were trying to make up a metal and thought "electrum" sounded sci-fi enough, not realizing that it was a real thing that looked exactly like the stuff they designed.

Even though they never used it again in the series besides that one episode, I have always had the hilarious mental image of Megatron robbing a jewelry store so that he can get a super armor coating before a major battle.

Though, do you suppose that due the lack of threats since Sombra, Equestrian society stagnated for hundreds or a thousand years?

Alright, let me give this a try now...

GENEROSITY CHAPTER

1. "Auntie" Orange Sherbet, Matronly Mare of Manehattan, is the bearer of the Element of Generosity.

2. Lovestruck is the lost Generosity bearer. In the Manehattanverse, she's an old friend of Sherbet's who works at an amusement park. In this universe, she's an outright con mare.

3. Manehattan will be the location for this chapter, unless that's too obvious.

4. Lovestruck was always clever. She lived a modest life, but always knew how to make the money flow. She was saving up to live her dreams, and might have made it if not for the Plunder Seeds. When the vines came, causing a lot of damage and cutting parts of Equestria off from each other, she knew the widespread panic would cause deeper problems, but Neigh York was big enough that it could survive. She devised a way to keep supply chains throughout the city running, at great cost to herself. She thought she'd done it. But something went wrong. Somewhere in the infrastructure, somepony was siphoning resources for themselves, and in the end, the whole thing collapsed, a lot of ponies suffered and Lovestruck lost everything she had trying to salvage it. Now, she'd like to regain what she lost, at the expense of anypony and everypony else. She doesn't know which pony is the greedy monster who ruined her efforts, so for the time being she'll just assume they all are.

5. I'm trying to think of supports, but my brain keeps getting sidetracked by half-formed patterns. I think I need to cut back on the caffeine.

6. No preference as to order.

2859425

Well Pinkie would seem to be the most at home in an amusement arcade.

Other than that maybe look at which characters haven't been use yet.

Now we have most of our plots sorted out I guess we need to discuss some factors common to all of the stories: -

1) Where does Discord go?

I assume he isn't following the rest of the team around all the time so what happens to him while he's not playing taxi? Does he just zip off, does he fall asleep, turn to stone?

2) How do the corrupted elements get 'fixed'?

What physical effect happens when the local element get jump started? Do the 'out of town' elements actually have to place their elements on the local to 'spark' them. Do the locals choose to take the up the mantel or does it just happen. Are we having a chapter where the locals have to go and collect the elements?

3) How does the 'vined' equestria look?

How effected is the country? It may well vary from location to location.

4) What does the Discord teleportation effect look like?

I'd go with each teleportation being unique, say a wibbly portal, disappearing, stretching into streams of light, appearing to explode, etc

5) How do the locals get to the Everfree.

Does Discord teleport them? Do they have to make their own way? Where are they meeting, Ponyville?

2859439
Ah don't think "who's left" is a constructive way ta look at it, but if we assume everypony's gonna be support in exactly two chapters, that leads to the followin': Sherbet an' Dash have ta pick two each, an' Spike still has ta pick one. Both Sherbet and Dash must pick Spike, an' neither can pick Octavia. The remaining options are Pinkie, Ditzy, an' Dash. Dash can't support herself, so if Sherbet picks one of the other two, that locks in the picks for all three. With that in mind, Pinkie is the best of the three for Manehattan. That'd also mean Dash is Spike's support, which might actually be funny, 'cause as ah remember it, Dashverse Dash had a crush on Shining Armor...

2859478

I can see your point about not forcing anybody to choose a specific support but I think that each character in addition to their own chapter should got at least one support role so it doesn't look like we're favouring a specific character / universe over the other.

2859449

I do like the bit for number 4 there. I had a funny idea for my chap, actually. Basically, when Discord tries to port them into Canterlot, he gets bounced off because of Shining's shield. Only Discord, I should add, leaving the Elements inside without him.

If Discord is as drained of power as we/he say, then it makes sense that he might be riding in somepony's saddlebags or something playing up the whole "I'm tired, I'm weak, let me rest" bit for a laugh. He is actually to drained to do much between warps, but let's face facts, it was fun to watch Discord in "Three's a Crowd"

In order to cope, our Elements could pass around "Foal Sitting Duty" for who has to carry/tend to Discord while they're searching. Ditzy and Sherbert would probably tolerate him most, but I could picture Dash getting flustered and looking for a way to get even with his obnoxious demands.

Just something off the top of my head.

2860377

I'd think Pinkie would be most keen on Discord sitting. Of course after a while he'd have had enough of her and want someone else to carry him, and maybe get him a small glass of water.

2860462

: "Alright, we're here so..."

Octavia: "Whose turn is it to watch Discord?"

*waving hoof in air*: "Oooooooh! Memememememememe..."

Discord: "DASHY! I haven't gotten a chance to ride with you yet!"

and : "Awww man..."

That could make an awesome running gag. Could cap it all with, when Pinkie is finally the last one left, it's when we get to my chapter and Discord is stuck outside the city.

2860482 Your ideas are amazing! Also, on note for your teleport idea, Pinkie's chapter should have the explosion teleport. They explode at the start, and then reappear in a separate explosion in Dream Valley.

"We just exploded! Twice! My theory was right, it can happen! Ponies can explode twice!"

"Do I want to know why she even came up with that theory?"

"Probably not."

2860377

How about Discord commenting on how confinable the different ponies are as transports: -

Octavia: A high class ride, the Rolls Royce of Ponies as it where
Dash: A well tuned racy model
Pinkie: More of a clown car really.
Orange: A classic, a vintage roadster, a few miles on the clock but still purring like a kitten (Thank you dear, I think)
Derpy: A comfortable middle of the road model with just a few flaws.
Spike: Well I was expecting more of a muscle car but I guess this will have to do.

Putting all of the recommendations and selections above into a spreadsheet, I think this is what we have.

Auntie Orange: Pinkie Pie and one other
Ditzy Doo: Auntie Orange and Rainbow Dash
Octavia Philharmonica: Auntie Orange and Spike (taking T&T's suggestion of using Spike instead of Pinkie here)
Pinkie Pie: Ditzy Doo and Octavia Philharmonica
Rainbow Dash: ?
Spike: Octavia Philharmonica and Rainbow Dash

Pinkie has only been used once. The only open spots are with Orange, who is already using Pinkie, and Dash, so Pinkie winds up with Dash. The remaining choice is between Ditzy and Spike, one of whom supports AO and one who supports RD.

Does this look okay to everyone? (BOth in the 'did I make any mistakes' meaning and the 'does this look acceptable' one) If not, say something--if you want a character that's already been picked twice, I'm sure we can shuffle around ponies until we get something everyone is happy with.

Ah think ah'm gonna say Spike fer Sherbet.

No problems on my end.

2856089 Fair enough on your end. Different strokes and all that. I like G1, you don't. Cool.

2860462
2860482 Eh... Pinkie, well Hasbroverse Pinkie, would hate Discord-sitting duty. You did notice how much she hated him in chapter two, right? In the Hasbroverse he's pretty much a complete monster. Like in canon!

2863280

If she's holding him she can keep an eye on him all the time, maybe even two but then she'd keep walking into things.

2863391 Hmm, yeah.Good idea.

Also, chapter two is up. *Kicks writing ball* HAVE AT THEE!

2863432

“Oh, what a tale to tell, my dear Octavia. He waggled his talons at her.

Missing a quotation mark there.

2864315 Okay, chapter three? Let's also point out grammatical errors and typos, too.

2864409
Ah pointed some out before ya posted it, ah jus' didn't happen ta catch this particular one until a friend brought it up over Skype.

2864443 Fair enough, sorry.

Anyway, namar13766 pointed out something over at Space battles:

Just, well, I get the whole idea of both sisters talking to each other and working through their differences. No problem there.

Just...how would that translate into the self-perpetuating cycle of the ponies in general not growing at all? Wouldn't there have been a (need to reference Star Trek) Borg, Dominion, or something to snap them out of their complacency of their self-assured arrogance? Shouldn't there be more external enemies wishing for a piece of the equestrian pie? Are they that scared of leaving the cradle? (I'm talking both the Alicorn sisters and the ponies in general)

Unless you're going to have them debate whether it's better to learn from your mistakes or never make the mistakes in the first space, I'm not exactly seeing this Beigequestria learning and growing after the crisis is fixed this time.

And I think he's got a bit of a good point. Basically, the 'complacency' of Beigequestria, which on a mild tangent IMHO is a great name for it, should be addressed. "You can't rely on the Princesses to clean up all the messes." Or something like that.

2872395

I think it's really a mater of scale.

Griffon/Changeling attacks? Relatively low scale, and manageable.

Evil plant that literally alters emotions on such a grand scale?
Much more serious.

It's both parties, the Princesses and the Ponies, realizing that they can't rely on only one of them to clean up all the messes.

2872395 I think it would be more of an 'Innocence Lost' situation to this Equestria. They just found out that there is a bigger threat that can suck out life and positive emotions out there and they couldn't rely on their princesses and themselves to solve that threat problem.

2872651
2875366 Yeah, those are some good points too. Wait... you're agreeing with him, right? Because it reads that you are, at least to me. Now I'm confused...

But overall I think he's got a good point is what I'm saying. Now off to buy the new EQG Trixie!

2880533

More-or-less.

2880613 Okay, cool.

Also, in all seriousness, who is writing next?

2880804

I have no idea.
Who's the first element they're looking for?