I have no idea how many people are going to come here or what questions you all might have. As such, I'm not sure what questions have been frequently asked. However, I can still answer Questions Asked Sometimes. Fire away.

Oh, and replying to this post would probably be helpful. I'll check it regularly, but still.

Ooo! Ooo! I have a question! What is the canonical status of the great waffleborg explosion?

5063468
100% canon. Twilight and Pinkie have since lost their coffee privileges and aren't allowed to be alone together.

Why does Ditzy pony up when exposed to Hocus Pocus: The Get-Together? In the Elementals of Harmony canon, we were told that it's a sympathetic connection with her planeswalking self, just as the combination of friendship and harmony lets the Rainbooms synchronise with their pony selves. Is that still the explanation?

Is Elementals of Harmony officially part of the Oversaturated multiverse, or should crossovers be relegated to jokes and places where Discord is involved?

And am I overanalyzing the relative canonical status of tiny horse fanfictions?

Is there an ETSAB safehouse in the Mirror Universe, and what is it's probability space coordinates?

5063650
The human world Ditzy Planeswalker visited wasn't the Oversaturated World. Both happened—such is the nature of probability space—but they have little to do with one another. (For the record, there are good odds that the Fausticorn-topped world OW!Ditzy saw in One Day... was the Equestria where Elementals is set.) OW!Ditzy got her wings through the closest available facsimile to actually comprehending and moving between worlds, much as those musicians who had music-related special talents transformed when playing.

(On an unrelated note, I am getting far too much amusement out of "OW!Ditzy." Probably something she'll be hearing a lot in the near future.)

5063960
As of One Day..., the ETSAB is picking the best location for its branch office in Universe Zero-Five-Sigma. Sunset Shimmer has yet to get back to them on whether she's willing to lease a patch of the Astral Plane. The last time they checked, her response was, "AAAA Antimatter bubble AAAA!"

Are Pony Aspects the only aspects allowed? And how did the existence of magic affect the nonhuman species--?

...

...

...

You know the nice thing about the internet is that you can't see my evil evil grin.

5065570
Pony aspects are far from the only ones, just the only ones I've written up thus far. Diamond Dogs, sea serpents, griffins, minotaurs, pretty much every species is possible. There may now be a Scandinavian country full of people with diaphanous wings and a pollen obsession. Generally speaking, pony magic is more common than the other aspects, especially for those people in the human world who have no analogues in Equestria (usually due to starkly different population numbers.)

As for the matter of magic impacting nonhuman species, I haven't given it much thought, but the scenario you've posited is within the realm of possibility. Not sure if Sea Swirl is going to be the president's Wranglish*-to-Dolphin interpreter or not, but it's certainly possible.

* A term derived from the Wrangles, a tribe who lived in the Bittish Isles and later culturally merged with the natives of Saxoneigh to form the Wranglo-Saxons. Only after Sunset remade the world did anthropologists and archeologists begin to understand why horse puns permeated the naming conventions of so many cultures.

5065933 It turned Spike sapient, so there's definitely some effect.

5066158
True, though he's a special case. Spike was directly exposed to a level of radiation that, if it weren't magical, would've roasted him in his own juices. The higher magic levels are probably going to have a general boost on animal intelligence, but the species to watch are those that were already debatably sapient anyway: other primates, cetaceans, cephalopods... and yes, maybe some dog breeds. Still, don't expect language out of them any time soon. At least, not anything most people would recognize as such.

Does the mirror portal still turn ponies into humans?

Not to answer my own question, but I'm really hoping for a "no" on this one.

The morphic field restriction was most likely put in place by Human Magic, not by Equestrian Magic or whoever built the portal. The only purpose it serves is to hide the existence and nature of extradimensional intruders from the regular humans, which is definitely Human Magic's style - and I refuse to believe that Harmony would knowingly deprive the Element of Magic of her horn. After Sunset remade the world and Magic revealed itself, there's no reason for it to hide the existence of ponies any more. They'll hardly be the strangest beings around anyway.

Also, from a Doylist perspective, it'll really help differentiate the two versions of each character.

5066439
The transformation does serve another essential purpose: It allows highly magical creatures to keep existing in a universe with very different laws of physics. The mirror doesn't just conceal, it also adapts, especially in worldlines where the pony and human languages are based on entirely different libraries of vocalizations. Even after Sunset patched the universe, the Oversaturated World and Equestria are still very different places. As such, the answer to your question is yes... for now. As the world stablilizes, Sunset may have the time to tweak that, especially on behalf of a certain dragon.

That being said, the opposite is no longer true. According to whatever logic process the mirror possess, residents of the Oversaturated World qualify as sufficiently equine that they will not be transformed when entering Equestria. Any natives of Equestria will still return to their normal forms when returning home, but those born human will stay that way.

Also, when in doubt, I recommend using different outfits to distinguish between different versions of a character.

5066707

Speaking of which, how big is a pony to a human?

5067761
About waist height on the average female Canterlot high student. I'm going by this comparison.

5067889

Whelp, this is going to make the Flashlight ship very awkward.

5067991
Especially since pony Twilight can't safely visit the Oversaturated World for some time. Still, true love will find a way. (And if it can't, then it clearly wasn't true love.)

I suppose this means Sunset will never be able to go back to Equestria? Or does she get special travel privileges now?

5068027
It will be centuries before the world will be stable enough for her to be away from it for long periods of time, and that's with the ETSAB's assistance. Right now, she can manage brief visits, a few minutes at most.

5068097 The price of immortality, I suppose.

5086299

So, Twilight is Princess of Science?

Oh, and is that canon?

5087367
Human Twilight is neither princess nor alicorn of anything. Sunset's making absolutely sure that there are no alicorn-aspected people in the Oversaturated World before it can handle that level of magic density. (Discord's cleaning up his own mess as he goes.) However, between bonding with capital-M Magic and being an analogue of the Bearer and alicorn thereof, human Twilight has a disproportionate degree of occult significance. Combined with the deep sympathetic link she has with her equine analogue and her area of specialty, pony Twilight and Discord's exchange was sort of like chanting her True Name (which may or may not be a thing in this setting; blame Discord for the uncertainty.)

tl;dr: Not in the way you mean.

As for the canonicity of the mini-stories, I'm going to say yes unless contradicted by something longer. Silliness and experimentation are welcome there, especially as we suss out the finer details.

What do we call the event of Sunset rewriting the universe? As in, "Canterlot has been a world leader in magical research ever since The SomethingOrOther and indeed slightly before".

5096315 How about The Saturation Point?

5096315
I've considered several possibilities. The Reconfiguration, the Phase Change, the Investiture when I'm feeling particularly Sandersonian. The inevitable Church of Sunset (which is a few decades down the line, though she's already grumpy about it) will call it the Revelation. I do like 5096328's suggestion, but I'm not sure if it would occur to anyone who didn't know the name of this group.

Hmm. I suppose Pinkie could always propose it.

5096440
5096328

Damn, all of these are good. I'll add the Transcension, the Sunrise, and the Big Pronk. But all the sensible names aren't catchy enough and all the catchy names aren't sensible enough.

In relation to Group Precipitation, would it be acceptable to use this thread to answer questions about things that made it into that story?

5260321
Sure. While we're on the subject, did you mean to make Sour Sweet an alicorn? Pretty sure that's the case; I just want to be certain.

5260326
No, she's just unicorn-aspected schizophrenic. If magic is controlled by the mind, and the mind has hallucinatory tendencies...

5260329
Ah. Got confused by the lightbow. Thanks.

5260331
That was Lemon Zest...

5260333
Oh. Derp. I'd say it was a vague pronoun reference, but looking back, it's anything but. In any case, great term.

5065933 want to know a funny? I'd NEVER read this when I added my short to the file. I just figured that animals were animals maybe with a small upgrade in this universe. I just knew I HAD to get spike to talk.

Magic Of The Wholesome

The Wholesome is the earthworld equivalent of changelings, consisting of a religious/philosophical group led by an ex-girlfriend of Luna. Their basic tenant is that everyone is incomplete, and only by interaction can completion be made; prior to the Saturation, this primarily consisted of members serving a microscopic form of communism and unofficial polygamy. Their true might was not made apparent until the Saturation occurred.

Ordinary cultists of the Wholesome have gained a method of magical enhancement, wherein being the subject of positive opinion gives them a boost to the raw power they have; for this reason, they tend to be free-love and very eager to please in both sexual and nonsexual manners. They've also learned to directly manipulate their chromelanin; while this does not outright allow them to switch their associated pony caste, it has given them a reputation as shapeshifters and impersonators. Usually members of the Wholesome use their chromelanin alteration during their attendance of Wholesome Services, shifting to the black-skin green-hair of their leader to signify that they all are one, but some have used it to hide activity meant to "even" economics or take on personas to spy on or provide therapy to those outside the Wholesome. All secrets learned are shared, but only with those within the group.

Wholesome members can be converted to High Priests, and indeed most of the High Priest caste are the original members of the group. High priests lead sects or cells of the Wholesome in lieu of Chrysalis, acting out her will in places she cannot. In addition to the usual Wholesome magical abilities, the High Priests have the ability to connect to their followers on a deep mental level; while using this ability, they can feel what their followers feel, and their eyes glow an eerie shade of blue. This allows them to mentally assess who needs what in their sect and act accordingly; while they cannot use their empathy on those outside the Wholesome, the high priests do study psychology and sociology to better use their ability and thus can be remarkably talented at reading those outside the group, to the point that some accuse them of being outright mind readers. High priests are also able to generate green fire, which won't burn unless it is separated from their magic field either willingly or by force; still, it's intimidating and can be used as a weapon in extreme cases.

Chrysalis herself has gained outright telepathic connection to the high priests, and is unique amongst the Wholesome in the fact that she is able to change her aspect at will. Furthermore, she has demonstrated genetic-based physical alteration, being able to take on the form of any human she sees and can imagine; while she can theoretically match up eyescans and finger prints, she does need to see them first. Because of her position as the head of the Wholesome, she receives a constant influx of respect and outright worship from other members, granting her significant magical power; this, combined with her ability to mimic spells she sees, makes her a highly-capable and very dangerous magician. Fortunately for the world at large, her goal seems to be 'filling the holes of humanity's soul'; she does not seem to be intent on outright conquest, but rather a gradual religious conversion to the Wholesome.

5087367
Figured the discussion in the flash fiction thread merited movement to here.

Going by the capital letter, it sounds like you have something specific in mind when you say "Mindheal." Please, elaborate.

5335068

Figured the discussion in the flash fiction thread merited movement to here.

True.

Going by the capital letter, it sounds like you have something specific in mind when you say "Mindheal." Please, elaborate.

Hmm... Nope... I don't think so? I think I just wanted to capitalize that? 'Cause it sounds sort of spell-like? Sorry about that...

So, if Ditzy's mind exploded from Eldritzification, could Sunset repair it? And if so, does she have the ability to cure other mental issues? ... Wait... Maybe that's what I meant... If general mental 'repair' is possible, then I'd have to wonder why she didn't do so on Sour Sweet...

OH! Mental repair is what Harmonification does! ... I think...

Also, the link is off? Should be #5335064 ?

5335064

5335071
Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Fimfiction doesn't notify people when you try to reply to one thread in another.

In any case, it may be possible for Sunset to repair damaged sanity. Nightmare Moon provides a precedent for harmonious magic being able to do so. However, it could be argued that trying to do so with a genetically-related condition, possibly including Sour Sweet's schizophrenia, might not work. Harmony usually returns things to baseline, restores them to how they "should" be. It's unclear how that would interact with an inborn issue. Plus, Sour herself might resent the implication that she needs to be fixed.

And, of course, healing the sick isn't going to do anything to keep people from thinking Sunset is a god. That wouldn't dissuade her from doing it, but still. Furthermore, there are a lot of unwell people out there, and Sunset has only so much attention to spare from keeping the universe together.

5335077

If Harmony wouldn't help, how about Chaos? But, it's inherent unpredictability makes it unwise to use it for curing or anything other than experimentation?

5335083
Precisely the issue. Mr. Discord might be able to reliably cure insanity with a snap given sufficient practice, but even then, "reliably" would mean "95% chance of success, 5% chance of turning the patient's skull into meringue."

There aren't human versions of magic dampeners /restraints /whatever those horn-rings are called, right? ... Apparently I'm bored and trying to find an alternate solution to Sour Sweet's Manifested Hallucinations problem while letting her keep her magic...

5335088
Truth be told, I always pegged Sour Sweet as a pegasus aspect. (Call me dull, but I like the idea of each Shadowbolt matching her CHS counterpart.) Masterweaver's idea of her reifying her hallucinations is fascinating, but probably not going to end up canon. Not for her, anyway.

And no, no one's developed antimagic devices yet. A few can suppress or counter, Sunset being the most notable among them, but there's no headgem covers, suppressor cuffs, or similar devices outside of purely hypothetical models. Not yet, anyway.

5335096

I like the idea of each Shadowbolt matching her CHS counterpart.

Good point. I remember you saying that before, and it makes sense.

Rules of Criffleball

The objective of Criffleball is to score the most points by either getting balls to the goal zone or eliminating the opposition. First team to sixty points wins.

Equipment:
-Football Field
-Eight specially enchanted enchanted balls
-Enchanted gloves--these interact with the balls
-Marked shoulder-padding for every player
-Scoopgloves for earth-aspected players
-Various padding

Games are played on football fields, with end zones. Teams consist of twelve players on the field, with a roster of sixteen. A team can have as many of any position as it wants, so long as it has at least one of each aspect on the field. Each team begins each round with four balls, which cannot be in possession of a Criffler or a Bomber at the start of a match. Pegasus-aspect players cannot go higher than half the width of the field into the air.

Positions:
Florper: A unicorn-aspected player, allowed to cast on balls not in any other player’s position.
Caster: A unicorn-aspected player that can cast on the field and can score goals.
Criffler: A pegasus-aspected player that can score goals.
Bomber: A pegasus-aspected player that can eliminate grounders.
Skramper: An earth-aspected player that can eliminate other players.
Charger: An earth-aspected player that determines progression and can score goals.

Florpers, Crifflers, and Skrampers wear marked shoulderpads. It’s possible to switch positions between rounds by removing or adding the shoulderpads. Players who act in the other role their Aspect can take are Splarching--this is technically a foul, and costs the team a point.

A Skramper or Charger also wears a scoopglove--a specially shaped glove on whichever hand they like meant to throw the ball long distances.

Balls belong to whoever last threw them or, in the case of Florpers, used their magic on them. A claimed ball that hits the ground becomes unclaimed, and can be picked up by anyone. Balls are enchanted to show the color of the team that claimed them, white being the color of unclaimed balls. Catching a ball claimed by the enemy team does not count as being hit by the ball. When an opposing team member is hit by a claimed ball, they and the ball are teleported to the Outbox; neither can return to play until the next round. If a claimed ball hits somebody on their own team, it’s considered a Grope--the ball becomes unclaimed, but the team who threw the ball or was hit loses a point. A Claimed ball that makes it to the enemy goal does not count as a score unless it is in the hands of a player that can score goals; Claimed balls that are not held but end up in the goal space become unclaimed and known as Nest Eggs.

Before every round, spells are cleared and position is determined. If it’s the first round or a goal was scored, position is mid-field; otherwise, the position of the last Charger-Claimed ball of the last round is used. Teams organize themselves a minimum of five feet away from position, on the side closest to their goal. Rounds are played until there is either only one ball on the field or a goal is scored; when a round is over, points are calculated by determining how many players were eliminated, calculating the difference, and giving the team with more remaining players two points per difference. That is, if team one eliminated four players and team two eliminated three, team one would receive two points. A scored goal counts for four points to the team who scored, no matter who has more players left.

Florpers are allowed to cast spells from a select list on balls directly, whether or not the ball is claimed. These spells are generally things like brightness increasing or weight enhancement that change how the ball is used, and such spells will be removed when the ball becomes unclaimed. However, a very brief telekinetic push is among the allowed spells; it is possible to use this on an opposing ball mid-flight, not only changing who claimed it but also its direction, and if it hits an enemy it’s known as a Squipo--or a Squiporo if it hits the enemy that originally threw the ball. Casting a spell on a ball that already has a spell is known as Wrapping, and is a foul that costs the team a point. Florpers cannot score goals.

Casters are allowed to cast spells from a select list on the field, but not on players or balls. These spells range from slicking the ground to building up walls. Each caster can only cast one kind of spell per round, but can cast indefinitely and on regions already casted on. They can choose to switch spells between rounds; however, casting a new spell in the middle of a round is known as Wandlust, and results in the immediate expulsion of the violator for three rounds (although this does not count toward the elimination count). If a Caster manages to eliminate a player indirectly through their spell, it’s known as a Trap. They can score goals.

Crifflers are pegasus-aspected players that are allowed to score goals and eliminate Crifflers or Bombers, but not any ground-based players. Crifflers must land in a goal while holding a ball to score; flying over the goal is known as Buzzing, and while it is technically legal it’s considered poor sportsmanship. If a Criffler eliminates another pegasus-aspect player, it’s known as Criffleshot.

Bombers are pegasus-aspected players that can eliminate anyone, but are not allowed to score goals. Bombers are capable of Buzzing, like Crifflers, but it is considered poor sportsmanship. Certain versions of Criffleball state Bombers cannot eliminate pegasus-aspected players; whether this version is better or not is known as the Rainbomb issue.

Skrampers are earth-aspected players allowed to eliminate any other player, but cannot score goals. Skrampers and Chargers can tackle other players; tackling a pegasus-aspected player is known as Pinning, and stopping a spell-mid cast is called Shunting. Tackles do not technically score points or eliminate players, but they can lead to such actions easily; being eliminated after a tackle is known as a Potshot.

Chargers are used to determine progression during a round and can score goals. Each team must have at least two chargers at the beginning of the round. Chargers cannot eliminate other players; attempting to do so is a form of Splarching. Position for each round is determined by the position of the last ball held in the hands of a Charger when the Charger was eliminated. A Charger can tackle other players, like a Skramper, but since they cannot eliminate players with these tackles they cannot perform Potshots.

-Buzzing: Flying over a goal with a ball in hand. Not technically a foul, but considered very poor sportsmanship.
-Criffleshot: A Criffler eliminates a pegasus-aspect player.
-Groping: Hitting a teammate with a ball. Technically a foul.
-Nest Eggs: Unclaimed balls in goal space.
-Outbox: A select area where eliminated players and the balls that eliminated them are kept till the next round.
-Pinning: Tackling a pegasus-aspected player.
-Potshot: Eliminating a tackled player.
-Rainbomb issue: Should Bombers be allowed to eliminate pegasus-aspected players? Which version of the game is better?
-Shunting: Interrupting a spell with a tackle.
-Splarching: Playing the role opposite the one you currently play. Technically a foul.
-Squipo: A Florper casts a spell on an opposing ball mid throw, making it hit somebody on the other team.
-Squiporo: A Squipo where the person hit is the one that threw the ball in the first place.
-Trap: Eliminating a player indirectly through a Caster’s spell.
-Wandlust: A Caster using more than one spell in the round; this is a foul that results in the player’s expulsion for the next three rounds.
-Wrapping: Casting a spell on a ball that already has a spell on it.

5382559 Not just specially enchanted balls, specially enchanted enchanted balls

I get the distinct impression Pinkie had a hand in coming up with some of the terminology

Joking aside, this is rather more comprehensive than I was expecting. How much of this was already in your head?

5383400

Actually, not that much. I knew player elimination would be a thing.

Also, FomE came up with Fording, which is violating conventional space. It's a foul that puts the violator in the Outbox for a round.

5383627
I like to imagine that fording covers all instances of travel outside the Eweclidean 3-space bound by the surface and edges of the playing field. Non-Eweclidean/higher-dimensional travel, tunnelling underground, and simply running out of bounds all violate the same rule and result in the same penalty.

(One meaning of "convention" is "common expectation or standard"; the game's conventional space is the 3-dimensional volume it expects players to stay within.)

Is EGQ Lauren dead? She was mentioned by Mr. Discord in Oversaturation: Clashing:

"My sister converted..." Mr. Discord blinked. "Goodness, has it really been more than forty years ago now?

5515829
No, she's still alive. She even lives fairly nearby. There just hasn't been a reason to involve her in a story. Not yet, anyway.

Oh, and if you're wondering, she's a novelist and a unicorn-aspect.

5382559

I had to read the Criffleball story twice over with this index in a different tab- now that I actually understand the positions and terms, god damn that was a devious plan by Rainbow! Using Fluttershy's stealthy aspects to get all those nest eggs, that's a work of genius!

Question- I had a small idea for the flash-fiction thread but I have honestly no idea how specific non-pony aspects are treated and I haven't seen anything mentioned about it here yet- so, how exactly do Griffons here work?

5521909 well flight aspect for certain. I would say sensory enhancement as well. The only thing I'm wondering about is if they would have a tail.