Here, you guys and gals can pretty much talk about anything. Just keep it civil. Questions and such will also be answered.

What's the point of divergence between the Shimmerverse and canon?

3943142 I don't have an exact divergent point. This universe has always been violent and decrepit in ways.

However, it could have still had the same bearers, or some of them, if certain events hadn't happened. Namely, had Sunset not been adopted.
Still, the truth of the matter is that while events are similar, this world isn't the same as the canon-verse.

3943187
So, if it isn't technically an alternate timeline, could we have just a random, one-off story where Sunset and the Mane 7 meet their counterparts from canon? Possibly also the Mane 6?

3943195 I have thought about that. It happened in the Lunaverse and if I was to do it myself, it'd probably either be a small adventure story or just be more of a slice of life.

Have they experimented with anything similar to the runic magics from The Conversion Bureau: The Other Side of the Spectrum?

3943541 I haven't read a lot of that fic, since....It doesn't have Celestia in a good light and...Discord isn't Discord.

However, I do know a little bit of the runic magic. Yes, they have. However, it isn't extensively used since they can weave enchantments into armor. Runes are usually used more extensively by other races who aren't so magical, such as humans, griffins, etc.

3943825
Out of curiosity, how close to being a god is Celestia in this fic? Is there anything in existence other than the elements that would be able to do anything to Celestia? In other words, has something similar to the runically enhanced DSR .50 from TCB: TOSotS been developed?

3945494 Most mortal weapons will not pierce her skin. (She is a god in this universe. No question of that.) There are weapons that can hurt her, but as any god, she can mend them. If she were to 'die', she would eventually be reborn. {It would take time though, but still}

There are few weapons that can 'kill' her. Even a mortal wielding it can do so, but they must be exceptional to pull it off. For the most part, only another god can kill a god. Even then it's difficult.

As for those, yes. The pistol Celestia has on her person, which was given to Shining Armor upon his stature as Field Marshal of Canterlot's army is such a weapon. Probably one of the more powerful ones. Runes and magic are usually put into weapons. Repeaters are concepts in idea, but as is, only a few higher ups have pistols as only a few can be made. {The smiths keep it a tightly held secret.}
The only other 'guns' are muskets, but they aren't heavily used. (Just kept within local militia ranks, not the standard army which prefers crossobows.)

How far along is this Equestria when it comes to technology? 1880s? 1890s? 1900s?

3945514 It's kind of a stew of time periods. Because of magic, some fields are further along then others. Medically, Equestria is in the 1900's with some machinery, but for the most part, they are in the mid-1800's (1850-1870).

With weaponry, they are much more behind. (muskets are weak, slow weapons, so guns weren't really pursued, except for local militia to ward off animals or crowds) Though, they do have repeating pistols, but again, they are rare and only given to high ranking officials.

3945514 Fashion wise, yes, 1800's. (Most ponies prefer to wear at least something most of the time.)

What is this universe's version of Discord like?

3947960 This world's version of Discord is generally more malicious, but also far more 'gone' in the head so to speak. He can be quite cruel, except for children who he will never allow harm to come to them.

3948136
Is that a case of Even Evil Has Standards, or something else?

3948164 Kind of. Childhood innocence and creativity is actually quite 'chaotic' at its core nature. As well, Discord himself acts more akin to a child, so he bonds with them better. However, once they age he loses interest and they become just another plaything for him to mess with. (Though some can still have his favor.)

Is there sort of a definitive cutoff age, or is it random?

... I just answered my own question, didn't I?

3949322 Eh, somewhere in the early teens. It matters....Okay, yes, it's mostly random.

So it depends on who he's dealing with?

3950854 A little bit. He still has favorites, so some of them get power ups and stuff he thinks would be fun.

Am I the only person who is commenting on this thread? Other than the author, that is?

3950969 Yep....I don't have that many fans and the ones I do kind of keep quiet most of the time.

What about transportation technology? Have lighter than air flying machines been invented yet?

3951635 Flying machines? Most of that is done by pegasi, but they do have air carriers and troop transports in the form of zeppelins and similar aircraft. (Like the airship in 'The Type of Pony Everypony Should Know' song of Raritys)

As with the fic, Quickfix is working on the world's first automobile. No such luck, so most transportation is pulled by Ungals, which are sometimes, the large ones, used as battle transports themselves.

Mimids, such as Gallimimus, are used by officers and battle units as quick time runners. (Their version of our horse.)

The 'tank' is a concept, but they haven't really given it a lot of thought. Normal cannons are still powderkegs, they need to be reloaded from the outside after each shot. Magical cannons could work, but they need to be massive since it takes a lot of energy to power them. That's a lot of resources, so other than some prototypes, nothing major there. (I would believe that Quickfix's automobile might help with it.)

Or, they could make the tank Leonardo Da Vinci style, where they turn the tank to aim and use a reload system similar to the USS Monitor.

3952358 That could work. Maybe somepony in Aperture Industries might give it a whirl.

Has anyone thought of using an airship to drop bombs a la the Kirov from Red Alert?

3953034 Yeah, but 'stealth-bombing' pegasi are the preferred method since air ships can be vulnerable in some conditions.

Do the goblins have conventional aircraft? ie. Fighters, bombers, that sort of thing?

So, what are humans like in this fic's universe?

3953078 Yeah, fighters. (ww1 types) bombers are just zeppelins. Same thing with Fluffs, though their aircraft are designed differently so to keep their fur inside.

Romans. Build and all.

3953094
Huh. I wonder what this universe's reaction to first contact with our universe's version of humanity would be.

4720478 It would vary from nation to nation. Celestia would try and brocure peace, partly because she believes in species unity and partly because Equestria doesn't need another foe to counter. The humans of Equis would probably go on about how this human world is rightfully theirs. The Troa, Troodon nation allied to Equestria, would be terrified out of their minds. {The Roman Empire of Equis tried to exterminate them centuries ago.}

4720755
In order I suspect the reactions of the humans of this Earth would be:

1. So long as it only involves peace with Equestria and the Troa, taking Celestia up on her peace deal.

2. Laughing their asses off that the Romans are trying to exert will over modern superpowers, then diplomatically humiliating them, possibly by revealing that they are very much the tiny fish in a massive pond.

3. Reassuring the Troa that the humans of Equis and the humans of Earth are very different, and that it is unlikely any human nations would want to exterminate them.

4721703
Now that I think about it, there would be other nations with strong thoughts on this.

The Griffin Empire would invade, superior human tech or not. They are a rather violent and numerous nation and would try to smash a new threat that came along.

There's the possibility that the human nations might get a changeling infestation. Changelings work a bit differently in the Shimmerverse, acting more like an intelligent version of Tyranids. They're quick to grow in numbers, given available biomass. Pinkie Pie's swarm is the only 'nice' changeling swarm out there. There's only two other active swarms as of this moment: Gera, the Sea Queen, is content to stay in the depths living with their siren cousins, though they do prey on unwary sailors and other such travelers of the seas.

Then there is Medonna, the changeling queen of the Roman Empire...Let's just say she's devoured enough noble blood to be incredibly pompous and vain. Of course, she's one of the few changeling queens who's developed a personality and doesn't want to 'devour and spread'. {Though she is still hellbent on conquering the Roman Empire.}

Any other changeling queen would only have one thing on their mind: Feed. *cue Tyranid style actions and infiltrators*

Lastly, there are rogue chaos sorcerers. While they aren't that prevalent, it is possible they might try their hooves/hands/claws at spreading the word of Discord through the human world.

4728011
Correction, the Griffin Empire would TRY to invade. They would then get roflstomped by whichever country the portal to Earth opened into, then the Empire would get invaded in retaliation. This would likely make anyone with half a brain stop and immediately throw out any plans of invading the new human nation that just curb-stomped the griffins.

3945510

Just how godlike are we talking here? What are her and Luna's limits? Is Discord the only god stronger than Celestia and Luna here or are there other beings out there that could crush them in a fight if they ever got too cocky? For example, how would a reasonably old and experienced dragon fair against an alicorn? Reason I'm asking is because OP god-mode alicorns are one of my biggest pet peeves on this site. I don't mind them being portrayed as powerful but I want there be at least some limits on there power or at least plenty of things that can challenge or defeat them, otherwise it just kills the story for me.

4890876 Gods in the way similar to most ancient mythologies. They're beings so incredibly powerful, but can still fall to mortal vices and, if you have the power or weapons needed, can kill them. Keeping them dead is another matter, since some gods are tied to objects or ideas and said power can only be passed on when there is another worthy to become the aspect of it. Such as Luna and Celestia, who are tied to the sun and moon and a few minor aspects.

There are different levels of gods and their powers. Luna and Celestia are amongst the most powerful, but Celestia herself is a Top Tier class. In her regular form, Luna is about amongst the lower scale of the top tier.

Dragons are naturally resistant to magic, which would give both sisters trouble, however the sisters have much experience in dealing with dragons and their power level is greater than unicorn mages so it would take the oldest, strongest, drakes to pose a challenge if we're talking about one on one. {This doesn't include Eastern drakes, who can effectively use magic on par with gods.}

Besides Discord, there aren't really any 'current' beings who go toe to toe with Celestia. They're either dead {killed by her, DIscord, or another god/mortal}, imprisoned, or on friendly terms with her. In pre-modern times, there were beings that could give her a challenge or outright beat her, which is partially why outside of the 'season openers and two parters' she won't be doing much if any fighting.

However, there are beings around that can still give her pause. Hel, the current lordess of Tartarus, is impartial to everyone and wouldn't hesitate to attack Celestia if it ever came to it. Eastern Drakes, while overtly kind and wise, do have those amongst their ranks who can pose a real challenge for Celestia. {She was nearly killed by one, until she tricked it into absorbing the very sun itself to mock her, which then let her kill him.} There are a few others, mostly gods of war, that could put up a fight.

Chrysalis herself produced a few creatures that have and still give Celestia trouble, including the sirens, succubi, and rogue changeling queens.

4894126

Okay, that sounds fair, but this raises another question for me. If this is based on Classic mythology, does that mean that gods can breed with mortals? And if they can, is it possible for said offspring to become stronger than their parent or other, lesser gods? For example, let's say Discord had a son with Clover the Clever before he was turned to stone after tricking her with a false identity. Discord is at the very top of the divine food chain and Clover is up there with Star Swirl and Twilight for title of most powerful unicorn mage to ever live, so would a union between them produce something more powerful than the alicorn sisters but still below Discord? Like, if we were using a rating scale, Luna would be an 8, Celestia would be a 10, the Son would be a 15, and Discord would be the guy making the rating scale, or something like that?

Now that I think about it, that might actually make for an interesting character to introduce. What do you think?

4897801 Yep, they can.

Fluttershy is a demi-god herself, as she's Chrysalis's grandchild. Chrysalis' other children with Commander Hurricane went on to become some of the strongest beings about.

Of course, Clover was a guy and I"m not sure if they lived at the same time, but given Discord's nature, he could screw around with gender/death. As for the scaling, hmm. I would have to think on that.

4897836

Clover is a guy here? I did not know that. Why did you change the genders around? Also, that was just an example I was using. If they didn't live around the same time, then we could just make it that Star Swirl was the parent and Discord took on a female form with him. Being the personification of chaos, that's probably akin to a change of clothes from his perspective.

4897863 Because I didn't know he was a she officially. So I just assumed it was a he, since Hurricane was a guy and whatnot. Okay, so I'm spitballing a few genders since I haven't gotten the Journal of the Two Sisters.

4897865

Well.... I would have thought the name would have suggested female but, it's your universe, so, whatever.

4897874 Well that and I shipped him with Princess Platinum. Eh, I don't think the gender really matters.

4897880

Probably not, let's just forget about that part.

Have you ever thought of doing an episode that takes place in outspace/another planet?

5025591 Before Nightmare Moon's betrayal and the Equestrian Civil War {Twilight War}, Equestria had psuedo colony on the moon {That was the Gallopfreyan City} As well as, through the Time Chargers, starting to explore Mars. However, Nightmare Moon put a stop to that. So it's a possibility Celestia might try and go back.

That or try my hand at a parallel world through a mirror.

5030278 Thanks for the answer.

3943201 I have a couple of ideas for possible crossovers between the canonverse and Shimmerverse could meet. The first idea inspired by Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, Secret Wars, and Blizzard All Stars . two godlike beings kidnap the Mane 6 plus spike and the Shimmerverse 7 and forces them to compete in a series of games.

The second idea is that both group are facing the same villain that threatens both their worlds. Maybe Sombra from the mirror universe? They both meet and are divided how to stop this foe. Sunset Shimmer thinks the villain should be killed and Twilight is against this.

Please tell me your thoughts on this.

5122785 I've always wanted to do a canon/Shimmerverse crossover. A few like the Lunaverse have already done so and I wanted to try my hand at it. I definitely know it's been done with the EQG universe by another writer for the Shimmerverse but I haven't heard from him in months. Perhaps when I have the time, I'll think it over.

As for the ideas, the first one is 'eh'. It might work but I'm not sure about it.
I do however like the second one much more and that's something I'd probably follow, or if I do the first one, I'd follow this idea for a sequel.

Thanks for the ideas. As well as the support. I really need it since the Shimmerverse has kind of been quiet.