Sometimes, things work out better than expected. Sometimes… they don’t. And sometimes you need a little help to make it all work out in the end.
The Mage. The Farmer. The Daredevil. The Party Pony. The Animal Caretaker. The Fashionista. They're always there. What spirit takes on each role can change. Some combinations work out even better than the world where Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn. Some combinations work out much, much worse. Princess Luna guards the places between - and so do all the other Princess Lunas. When one calls out for help, another responds.
Xenophile sociology applies, and a version of Lero did get found in the Everfree in both of these realities, but don't plan on seeing HiE.
Chapters (8)
Yet nothing
this is madness
I forsee great things
I certainly hope that we will have a way to properly distinguish the various duplicates at some pont down the road so we don't get hopelessly lost.
Also, i am horrifyingly behind on the winningverse stories.
This is going to be so confusing so fast. I doubt anyone who hasn't read Divided Rainbow will get this story. It kinda feels like an inside joke for DR readers. Maybe providing a summary of DR as an author's note might help. Or at least citing it right up from so people know the story may not make sense unless they read DR first.
Cool but very confusing.
Great, we've got transcontinuity leakage. I'll get the wrench...
In any case, this looks like it's going to be a great story. Even if it does play merry havoc with my model of the greater Equestrian possibility space...
Oh well. Looking forward to more.
Interesting premise, I'm interested to see where this goes. And good luck keeping your characters straight! I imagine I'd write a chapter, then on read-through go "Wait, Rarity is the party pony now, not Pinkie. Ah well, replace all...shoot, that did it for miseryverse Rarity too... and now they're all... and I have to... AAARGGGHHHH!"
Unless... ooo, writing it with "mRarity" and "aRarity" for misery and awesome, then once you're done editing just replace them with plain Rarity. That way you have a non-contextual way of telling which character is which while you're checking things... you probably don't do this, but it's my headcanon for your writing method now. And I'ma stop rambling now.
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Nope! Just keep it clear from context which one is which. If I lose track without any more than that, then I couldn't expect my readers to be able to follow along either.
Ha ha ha! This is so cool! I'm very curious to see where this goes.
The fourth derivative of awesome is . . . still awesome! awesome = e
I know this is party pony speak, but I still think there is something missing between "they" and "but". I would guess "merged"?
Starswirl's spell caused awesomeverse and normalverse to fuse; the elements separated them. From the perspective of the awesomeverse, the spell confused every pony else, while the mane 6 remained the same; the elements reversed the general confusion. The awesomeverse remains realized and accessible through the dreamlands. Got it, Rarity. Pass me one of those triple-coffee brownies -- they smell awes- naturally delicious!
Whew. Timey wimey explanation in party pony speak. It took me a bunch of read throughs but I think I've got it.
Nice double entendre.
Hope to see more of this story. I like where it's going, and more of the Divided Rainbow 'verses are always welcome.
o/~ Behold, behold, the Awesome Bearers cometh! o/~
(Trying to be more creative than "first post" or "it's alive!")
I still have no idea what's going to happen.(Awesome should curb-stomp misery, right?, but that doesn't make much of a story.) I can't wait to find out.
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and degrees of misery 
. But at least Luna thinks they can do some good...
There are degrees of awesome
Good to see this update. The Awesome Bearers are already injecting some much needed hope in this rather nasty permutation, but from the sound of it, there are some consequences that will take more than a few smiles and promises to solve...
I look forward to more.
Ouch. I imagine that must be HARSH for Awesome Twilight and Awesome Dash, watching this version of Lyra, (their beloved herd-sister) treat Misery Dash so dismissively.
Intriguing. Things started going south in the Miseryverse BEFORE that spell book came, it seems.
Suri's taken Canterlot by storm, here. Whoa.
I feel so bad for this version of Rarity. Before, I'd always figured that if Rarity were swapped into the Element of Magic role, at LEAST they'd have a magic who could CAST magic, so everything should be okay. But this… and to think that her version of Lero isn't as loving to her, either…
And I feel just as bad for Celestia, too...
I wonder what the relationship between Laughter Rarity and her sister Sweetie Belle's like. Does Awesome Sweetie try to emulate her elder sister, still, (and thus, would that Sweetie be more jokey and party-throwing?)
Stupendous stuff, Spinel. So glad to see this story back in action. Gotta say, what I'm really looking forward to is when they go to see Misery Fluttershy; I'd LOVE to see things get patched up between her and Misery Lero.
From Luna's scene, it seems that the reinforcement Bearers came just in time.
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Well, Awesome!Lero is off on a trip with Lyra, and Misery!Lero is extremely busy at work. It's quite possible that neither of them will get much screen time. Or any.
Also, Misery!Lero is not the one who appeared in the dream. The Lero in the dream was from a 'standard' Mane Six, who had succumbed to despair over how poorly everything was going in his efforts to keep them together. The Miseryverse's own Lero has never tried to 'fix' Fluttershy or Rarity because as far as he's concerned, they're perfectly normal - even if they're going through a rough time, and he's working like crazy to support them. So he doesn't have that distance that the 'Swap-fighting' Lero's despair had induced. The Miseryverse and the Awesomeverse are the universes where those 'swaps' really *are* how destiny said it should be. Fashionista Dash isn't swapped - she's loved sharing beauty ever since her first rainboom. And so on.
And, yeah, the Miseryverse was not going so brilliantly even before the Swap brought some temporary chaos to town. Sweet Apple Acres never got wagered on the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy because they were in sufficiently dire financial straits as to have to take the rip-off 70/30 offer in the first place. Rarity's never been able to reproduce the magical surge that got Celestia's attention in the first place, and neither encounter with Trixie went well. Fluttershy's appearance at Best Young Fliers was a complete flop, overshadowed by Dash's rainboom winning Fashionista Dash the prize. And so on. Not everything has been a failure... but they have to cling hard to partial victories there.
4850429
Well, it's your story. Still, whether or not either version of Lero makes a personal appearance, (though I hope he does) it'd still be cool seeing what sort of things Fluttershy The Weatherpony has to say about Lero.
Gotcha.
It's enough to make me wonder… remember the 'dream' that Lero described to Rarity in Chapter 10 of Divided Rainbow?
Suppose, somewhere in the multiverse, there exists a world where this IS the case, and everything's a complete inversion of what's seen in Divided Rainbow? Well… I'd imagine that the Swapped Verse-Lero would probably have fallen in love with Rainbow Dash the Weatherpony just like DR-Lero fell for Rarity the Weatherpony, and then he'd have bent over backwards trying to help Rarity the Fashionista while winning her heart. It's a comforting notion; the idea that the Original Five and the Swapped Five have merely exchanged places, and that even though this isn't their 'real' families, they're all still being cared for and loved.
That's an intriguing divergence; that the natives of the Miseryville just haven't known as much success in general, even before the unfinished spell came along into their lives. Certainly it'll make for interesting world building, through and through! Can't wait to see more chapters!
God damn rarity cheating
Also, man those guys are shafted
Damn, someone get a medic
"Angel and Demon" I like it
Well, I suppose the alternative would be a dozen relatively well-adjusted Bearers of Harmony versus whatever's eating Luna. Not the worst case, but still not good.
Looking forward to more.
Heh heh… still got a nasty Angel…
Can't help but like this pun…
Words that ought to be spoken to abusive spouses everywhere.
God, I feel so bad for Fluttershy the Unemployed Weathermare...
Now I wonder how things have been like between her and Lero. Was he able to calm her down or was she just as short and temperamental with him?
I didn't care that rainbow could teach dash her special magic. I like the idea that the tribes are equal but different.
But more importantly all those scenes were absolutely heartwarming! I especially liked cloudsilk. And the twilight sparklers were pretty neat too. And that SONG was probably the most precious thing of all.
Uh
I agree with 4857120 on this chapter. It's really well done.
My only gripe is this:
Why you do this? Why you rhyme Rest with Rest? There's numerous words they rhyme with! Best Jest Test Crest Lest Zest Vest Pest Nest Chest West, to name all the ones I could think of.
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It's repetition there rather than rhyming - notice the other verses repeated 'me' and 'you' the same way?
Awesome curb-stomp proceeds apace.
Just as good, the real challenge is brewing on the horizon. I bet it's going to take all of them to handle.
Oh man, you made me feel for discord. Almost like the feeling you get trying to help someone in a nursing home, that just eats you man.
I'm guessing that this is all already written out and you are unleashing it all at once, right?
Also, Rainbow Dash speaking with the mannerisms of Rarity is just HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG.
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Nope - on vacation, writing it out as I go. I'll probably do another chapter tomorrow, maybe two.
Oh crap. They were too wrapped up in their failures to address the plundervines. And apparently, there's something even worse...
On the other hand, it looks like that adversary will have to face a dozen awesome ponies... hopefully. The local Applejack may prove tricky, and Pinkamena managed to depress Discord. Getting her out of her slump may require the psychological equivalent of heavy machinery. Or rocket boosters.
Still, between Dash's Celestia-approved inspiration and Twilight Farmle pulling a Granny Weatherwax and communing with Sweet Apple Acres, things are definitely looking up. I look forward to more.
4855667 Medic? Why not the Griffon medic, Archimedes?
Interesting... It looks like the Miseryverse had problems far worse than "failure heros". It'll be interesting to see how two sets of them handle it. No wonder Luna said they needed help.
On another note, while it's clearly not their story, seeing how Lero and Mac respond to the situation would be interesting and nice- while the heroics are clearly outside of the scope of their characters, this is their wives coming out of self-destructive spirals, so seeing their actions and reactions would be nice. (and rather heartfelt, as Lyra's was.)
I'm so relieved that they reconnected.
To think, even Flim and Flam get a happy ending in the Awesomeverse...
God, I love Twilight Sparkle The Wonderbolt Captain.
So beautiful... and it's just a glorious thing for everyone to remember. So many people think that their best years are behind them just because they reach a certain age, just because they've squandered time and been depressed, but that's only true if you let it be true.
Five stars, Spinel Stride.
I saw what you did there.
And now on top of everything else, Rainbow Dash the Fashionista will no doubt be founding her own school for Pegasus Mages. Awesome.
For the win.
I'm experiencing big George Takei moments from these two bits.
So the guards are wearing earplugs because... she's screaming? You didn't make that clear.
No more Tree of Harmony !?
And the bad guy is… Nightmare Scoots?
Okay...
Oddball thought: Rainbow the Mage resolved her version of the swap, or equivalent, yes? So, why isn't she an Alicorn?
4865715
They didn't complete the spell. They realized that they swapped in pairs - Dash/Twi, AJ/Fluttershy, Pinkie/Rarity. So they lined up so each pair was wearing both Elements at once (on their forelegs) and just used those.
4863336
Well, more specifically, a Scootaloo who never met her best friends, never had anyone to look up to, was he primary target of Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's torment with no one to back her, as well as all the implied tragedy of her missing parents and impaired wings... Given a taste of Discords power.
So yeah.
Whoa! Only one chapter to go and the quest just begun?
Possible bad ending in sight!
I'm surprised the last line of this comic wasn't references: http://www.prequeladventure.com/2014/05/3391/
"Schootalhu"
And you were doing so well too...
Oh well, gonna stick around for the end anyways
Discord's little bit was a unique blend of dispair and comedy and I never knew what to think, we;ll done with that.
Still rather surprising for the "awesome" cast to be so unceremoniously killed off.
Also pretty certain he counts as one quarter pony (even less) rather than one half
The thing about grimdark is that one can and does build up a tolerance. The first failure is always the worst. The first fall carries the most pain. After that, you develop callouses. You learn how to roll with the fall, how to cope, how to adapt and move on. When your whole life has been natural 20s, that first 1 will hurt like nothing else. When the dice already hate you, it's just another day at the office.
In other news, I have apparently become a metaphor Cuisinart.
Eagerly looking forward to the thrilling conclusion.
Fantastic work. I like how the best and worst of all possible Equestrias had their own solutions to the problem, and how neither of them managed to perfectly solve it. Makes me wonder how many Swaps were undone out of the 6! possibilities...
And really, Rarity, you didn't see the man with the beard becoming a wizard? Especially one married to the Bearer of Magic? Eh, I suppose it's only obvious in hindsight.
Thank you for a wonderful story. It hit all the right notes, including a few in the key of Cosmic Horror. Unexpected, but it definitely worked.
Wow, that was a ride! I'm glad to see this done, and it was a fun ride, but I'll toss in some c&c quickly while on my lunch break.
First, this comes off a bit rushed, ultimately, situations a brought up and resolved rapid-fire, when more impact might have resulted if more time had been taken, and certain elements come off as confusing because they're glossed over or dropped suddenly.
Of-the-head examples: the emotional impact of the visions of seeing Big Mac and Silver Spoon being attacked by the vines is limited, since very little time is set up establishing those relationships.
Discord essentially vanishes after his scene in the vines.
How Scootaloo transitioned from an angry filly with a touch of Discords power to the manifestation of nightmares is never explained.
Much of the final chapter comes off as "tell, not show." As a few lines inform us of what happens, rather than a scene showing it.
Ultimately, it's an enjoyable romp, but comes off as a outline for a more detailed story.
Okay, so an agile victory rather than a drawn-out conclusion.
Interesting.
Thanks for the story.
4871446
On the show, when they've got the Elements out and ready to go, they don't tend to waste much time rainbow-blasting the villain and heading for their celebration. It's all about overcoming the obstacles to get to that point. Even when it's not the Elements, usually the story is more a matter of 'figure out what to do' rather than 'do it.'
Except when Twilight had her Boss Fight with Tirek, but that was because All The Alicorn Power Put Together was a red herring and the REAL episode-winning power was up ahead.
I was honestly expecting them to stay dead, bringing them back feels cheap.
I liked that. It was good.
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I thought it was pretty clear they weren't dead, when the Misery Six broke out of the despair and were not actually maimed and mangled as they'd experienced (and didn't have corpses of Big Mac, Silver Spoon, and Apple Bloom around). Pinkamena didn't get her spirit drained in front of Discord, even though he saw that. They were having their souls sucked out of them, but the vines didn't finish before the new Tree of Harmony sprouted.