5. The Student That Surpassed
AROUND
THEBEND
By Chatoyance
Chapter Five: The Student That Surpassed
The No-Prize, begun in 1964 by Stan Lee, was a faux award given out by Marvel Comics to those readers who spotted continuity errors in the comics and who then managed to invent particularly clever explanations as to why the errors were not truly errors at all. The term has come to mean any explanation which acceptably rationalizes blatant errors in continuity and logic in general.
"...If that's true, if what you are telling me is fact, then how did Equestria come into being? Discord! Chaos! I've seen it - well just the faintest hint of it, but even that shadow of Discord's true intentions rendered everything I could observe into a twisted demesne of nonsensical desultory derangement!" Princess Celestia was patiently listening to her favored student, knowing through long experience that soon the purple unicorn would run out of words. "It doesn't make sense! Absolute chaos reigned - who or what put that all into the shape of Equestria we know today, if not for you and your sister? Discord could change reality itself! He is, for all intents and purposes an Elder God, right out of Horse Pinto Lovecraft, and it would require a supreme being to establish a rational order upon the entirety of the cosmos he destroyed! It couldn't have just fixed itself!"
Twilight was panting now, a speck of drool tracing a shining line down from the edge of her muzzle, her eyes filled with baby tears just waiting a chance to grow up and trickle out into the world. She and Celestia had been talking for hours now. Twilight had told her princess of her adventures in exacting detail, and in turn, Celestia had described her own.
"My dearest student, my dear Twilight, I may not be the almighty Celestia you have known, but I care for you no less, and it grieves me to see you this way. I do not have every explanation to offer you. Those times after the fall of Discord are hazy for both me and my sister. That was a very long time ago, Twilight. I cannot tell you how Equestria derived from a universe of absolute disorder, any more than I can tell you how the Elements Of Harmony were used in that day to defeat Discord the first time, or why it is that we need you and your friends now. So much has been lost to the centuries, and my memory is not what it was." Celestia smiled softly at her student, now close to her by the fire in her royal chambers. The two lay on the soft woven mat before the grand fireplace, facing each other, almost nose to nose.
"You... your memory... isn't... what it was." Small tears ran down the little unicorn's muzzle. She felt so small now, like a foal who had lost her mother. "H-how... did you... break your horn?"
Celestia sighed. "When the Changelings attacked, I foolishly thought to challenge their queen myself, but I was not prepared for how much power she had accumulated. After my defeat..."
"You were defeated?" Twilight squeaked in disbelief at the very idea that Celestia could be overcome. Then she sagged, remembering that this Celestia was not the Celestia she knew. This was a shadow of her teacher, a shade as if from Tartarus itself, and this Celestia was not omnipotent. The Pony Book might not even exist in this world.
Celestia looked down at Twilight, pausing to allow her student to regain her composure, before she continued. "During the battle my horn was burned terribly by the queen's energies. It seemed as though I had escaped unscathed, but as time passed, it was noticed that cracks had appeared in my horn, and last night I found the tip had broken off." Celestia stretched out a golden-shod hoof and laid it gently on Twilight's smaller, purple hoof. "It is not such a tragedy, dear one, I assure you. It is my intent to have my horn tended to, to regain the point, and in time it will grow out again. For now, it is a reminder that I need my subjects as much, or more, than they need me."
Emotions raged within Twilight - grief, anger, frustration. She had spent a lifetime with her Celestia, a lifetime of solitary study, learning well the nature of her world, her princesses, of how magic worked, of how history had flowed, of the very creation of the universe. All of that was wrong here. The Pony Book. The story of the restoration of Equestria. But all of that was as nothing to the loss of one precious thing. Here, the Celestia she knew was gone. The Celestia of this realm was just as kind, just as loving, but she was incapable of defending her realm even against... "What were they again, these 'Changelings?' you called them?"
"Yes, Changelings." Celestia winced slightly as she used her broken horn to levitate the teapot beside them, where they lay by the fire. She poured fresh tea first into Twilight's cup, and then her own.
"Were they very powerful?" Twilight hovered her cup in front of her muzzle and gently blew on it to cool the contents. She did not want to cast Snowfall's Blizzard, because while efficient, it might end in a block of ice and some embarrassed apologies.
"Not individually, no. They are an insectoid species, weak by themselves, but strong in great numbers when they swarm." Celestia sipped her tea. "They take the forms of others, and then feed off of the misdirected love that flows their way."
"Wait... earlier you said there were thousands of them, and that they broke Shining... my brother's... shield after they had been revealed, right? What did they hope to accomplish? If they replaced everypony, who would be left to love them? And if they had been discovered, why fight at all? They could not hope to fool anypony else, tactically they should have withdrawn immediately and sought some new feeding ground anywhere else!" Twilight set her cup down, to let the tea cool more.
"Perhaps they lacked your military brilliance, my clever student!" Celestia's soft laughter tinkled like bells inside Twilight's ears. For a moment, she could let herself believe that this was her Celestia, and that she was safe, and home in her own world once more.
"Again, none of this makes sense. You, YOU, were beaten by... bugs. It's hopeless, isn't it?." Twilight tried her tea once more. It was still fairly hot, but she could sip it, and it was green, and sweet, and tasted so familiar. This was still the tea she knew and loved, the tea she had taken with her mentor all the years of her foalhood.
"Perhaps you should tell me what you make of all of this, Twilight. I may not be the grand being you have described to me, but I have lived a very long time, and I have seen and learned many things. I may yet be able to help you." Celestia sipped her tea and smiled softly around the cup.
"Princess! I didn't mean... I never intended..." Twilight lowered her head and sighed. "I've come across things strange and wonderful both in this world, your world, I suppose. There were things that cannot hope to make sense, such as the mountain with its road of death, and the mean spirits of the ponies in the marketplace that I told you about. I'm glad I never saw the hydro... hydro-elec-tan..."
"Hydroelectric. Electricity is akin to the lightning that pegasai make when they stomp on a dark cloud. It is generated by the movement of water turning turbines inside the dam." Celestia smiled.
"If you want lightning, why not just have the pegasai make it?"
"The quantity required for modern industrial processing is far beyond anything that mere pegasai could produce." Celestia took another sip of her tea. Twilight just shook her head, remembering Starswirl's words 'Innovation demands excavation.' If the dam was as large as Celestia had described earlier, there must be vast swaths of this Equestria reduced to nightmarish craters in order to provide the raw resources needed for such massive projects, and the infrastructure required to permit their creation. Twilight decided to ignore this additional discrepancy and return to her summary.
"Anyway, there are things that simply cannot make sense, princess. But there are others that are... well, they are things I have hoped for, or wanted to see."
"How so, Twilight?" The princess had leaned forward slightly, her eyes intent.
"Well... I always wanted a brother. Secretly, I mean. You were wonderful to me, really, but sometimes I was... lonely. I know that it had to be that way, you must have been planning for the return of Nightmare Moon from before my mother was born, but... it was lonely..."
"That was your Celestia, Twilight. In my memory, in this world, you had your brother. You had friends and were constantly off and about with Cadence, or romping about with Shining Armor. You were quite the giggly little filly, in fact." The princess poured more tea for them both, her broken horn glowing softly.
Twilight thought about that. Whatever version of herself that lived on this world must be so much better adjusted than she. She envied herself. Her other self. "In this world, Rainbow Dash reads - can you imagine it? I always wanted one of my friends to share my love of books. And the Pinkie Pie of this world is not like mine - if anything, the Rarity of this world is more like the Pinkie I know... only in a kind of unpleasant way. She was annoyingly self-centered and selfish about attention. Pinkie was never like that in my world, even at her most rambunctious. Pinkie Pie here is silly, but in a quiet, soft way. I always wanted to see Pinkie settle down, so I could talk, really talk with her."
"Tell me, Twilight, do you have any resentment, at all, towards Rarity?" Celestia's question was pointed.
"Um... what?" Twilight was taken aback. "Resentment? No! Of course not! I mean, she gets on my nerves sometimes, what with carrying that boulder for her, and how she was all like 'we'll be the best of friends' when I first met her, only because she found out I came from Canterlot, and all that craziness with her and Applejack at my first ever sleepover - it was my very first, because I never had any friends or anything and - never mind. But no. I greatly appreciate Rarity and I am glad she is my friend!"
"Twilight?" She had seen that look on her mentor's face before.
"Yeah, Ok. I guess... maybe just a little. But I'm still grateful that she's my friend!"
Celestia set her cup down. "I'm sure that is true. It is not my intent to cause you distress, but I think it is relevant to the situation you have found yourself in. Please try to answer me honestly now - do you have any such issues with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?"
Twilight thought for a moment. Where was the princess going with this? "Um... well, Rainbow Dash always calls me an egghead. She's just being affectionate! Really! She doesn't mean it as an insult, not... as a real insult. Not the kind of insult that's supposed to hurt, exactly..."
"And Fluttershy?"
"She's such a problem sometimes!" Twilight's face contorted with frustration. "I really needed her when we faced that dragon - it was a DRAGON! - and it was everything just to get her up the hill, and she just hid and refused to help, and we all got pretty beat up. In the end, though, she came through like a champ, Celestia! We couldn't have done it without her! Rainbow always underestimates Fluttershy. I keep reminding everypony that she has depths that... that.." Twilight was almost pleading, as if she were defending her friend from some imagined complaint by Celestia, and not herself. "I just wish that sometimes she would show a little more backbone, is all."
"Isn't that what she did, in the marketplace?" Celestia looked over her cup, which she held tightly to herself.
"Yes, I mean NO! She was mean and obnoxious and... I guess. I guess you could describe it that way. It was just too much. It was beyond reason." Twilight struggled for just the right words. "It was out of control!"
"Ah. I see. Out of control." Celestia smiled and looked deeply into Twilight's eyes.
"What? Have you figured out something?" Twilight knew that look on her mentor, she had seen it before many times.
"You have told me of many things this night, my student. You have told me of how my world differs from the world you knew, and also how it is similar. But most of all, you have told me how the changes you see relate to you. To your hopes, your wishes, and your frustrations... even your angers." Celestia took another sip, and set her cup down with finality.
"Both worlds, your Equestria and mine, are born from Primal Chaos, from the reign of Discord. Both are mutable, changeable. Magic is change, and Equestria is, if anything, a magical realm. It is only a matter of ability, and power." Twilight stared at her beloved friend. She did not like where this was going.
"Twilight, when you were first tested to join my school as a tiny foal, you lost control. It is no exaggeration to say, as I am certain that both I, and your Celestia, must have discussed with you, that your natural abilities are extraordinary. In my world, I was terrified of you, for - to be frank - your power surpassed my own in every way. It was everything I could do to restore you and save the world. I trust your almighty Celestia had an easier time of it. But for me, your foalhood loss of control was every bit the threat that Discord represented."
Hearing this hurt Twilight, somehow. To think that her princess was afraid... of her.
Celestia patted Twilight with her hoof. "The Twilight here, with her friends, fought the Changlings long after I was imprisoned and lost. I can only imagine what you could have done. I felt your power for the entire day, likely from the moment of your arrival here. It is how I found you, earlier, in the castle. It is palpable, Twilight, a level of magic I have not felt since Discord himself. Tell me again what happened during your exam in your world."
Twilight looked down. Her quick mind had already guessed the answer to all of this, and it was not pretty. "I tried very hard to hatch Spike's egg... the egg that would be Spike one day, I mean... and nothing worked. But then there was this loud explosion - I later learned it was Rainbow Dash, doing her very first Sonic Rainboom - and it startled me. I was already terrified, and... something in me just... broke." Twilight shifted her hooves nervously. "I don't remember what happened next, but you've told me... the other you told me... and others who saw, too... Spike apparently grew to enormous size and age, blasting the top off the entire building. My parents were transformed into potted plants, beams of energy were ripping around the testing room, converting and changing and twisting up everything and it was just growing and getting larger and I couldn't stop, I couldn't stop and... and..."
"And I came and between us, we made it stop, didn't we?" Celestia had her fetlock draped over Twilight's now, her head close, almost cheek to cheek. "And it got all better, didn't it?"
"I could have destroyed the world, Celestia."
"Yes. But you didn't. You didn't want to destroy the world. All you've ever wanted was to do good. That is why I spar... took you under my wing. You needed help. You just needed to learn to control your own power." Celestia nuzzled her student. Twilight gratefully accepted the gentle reassurance.
"Twilight?"
"Yes, princess?"
"Tell me, if a being were powerful enough to transform living ponies into plants and objects, twist and bend space and time enough to grow a dragon egg into a mature adult, and had such power that the world itself could have been recreated if she had not been stopped, what would happen if she had a moment, just a moment, where her mind drifted, where she fell out of her usual routine, and some of that power was... released?" Celestia was pressing her cheek to Twilight's now, a firm, loving comfort.
"Princess..." The tears were beginning to flow now, down Twilight's cheeks. It was as she had feared. Not that. Please not that.
"It could happen to anypony, Twilight. Nopony can be vigilant with their thoughts every second of every day. At least... no mortal pony. Maybe your Celestia, the one you knew, the one you described. But to demand that of yourself would be unreasonable... and impossible." Twilight was bawling now, and the Celestia of this new world held her tight, so tight, until her crying exhausted itself, until she once again fell quiet.
"Did I break the world forever, or just travel to some parallel world? Can... can I get... back?" Twilight sniffled, a last sob escaped her muzzle.
"I don't know, Twilight. I do not have such answers. I'm sorry." Hearing Celestia, even a variation on Celestia, apologize to her, like an ordinary pony... it was so difficult.
Twilight looked at the fire, burning warmly in the large, carved stone fireplace. "The vanishing hill, the inconsistencies... all the confused, broken parts of this reality... I did that, didn't I? Because I don't have the experience or the concentration to shape an entire world without grave mistakes. You shouldn't say you're sorry. I failed you. I wrecked everything, didn't I?" Twilight pulled back and stared into the eyes of the Celestia of this world.
"Twilight... maybe there are flaws to this world... my world... but I cannot see them. This is the only world I know. I am aware of Pale Mare Road, I have stood on it. I have even saved ponies from the cliff's edge there. It makes sense to me, and likely to everypony else here. When you describe how... dangerous and... ridiculous it is, I can almost see your point, just for a moment... and then what you have shown me fades. I am the product of my world, I believe I am limited to seeing it as normal, because for me, it is." Twilight seemed ready to cry again at this. "What I am trying to say is that... for me, the world is not broken at all. The world is fine. The world is perfect to me, and just as it should be. What I really see is a dear friend who is in great pain."
"What should I do, Celestia? I don't know what to do." Twilight hung her head. "You should have turned me to stone, right after that exam. Put me in your garden. Maybe... Maybe you should do that right now." Twilight stared hard into Celestia's eyes, trying to be brave.
"I didn't do that back then, and I won't do it now, and the reason has never changed." Celestia gave her student a nuzzle "You are a good pony who just happens to have extraordinary gifts. I believe now, as I did then, that you merely need to learn how to use them properly."
"Then how do I fix this? I want... I want to go home. I want what I knew, what I loved... back." The words seemed to hurt Celestia slightly, and Twilight regretted putting things that way.
"I understand." Celestia gave Twilight a reassuring touch with her hoof. "But it may not be possible. You may have to learn to live with the world as it is now. But... if your world still exists, if you did not change the world but instead only split off an alternate splay, then perhaps you may find your way back by controlling the way you think about things."
"Tell me! How? What do I have to do?" Twilight was desperate for any scrap of hope.
"If the world I inhabit is a fractional world, a shard split off from the reality you came from, and if it is true that you fell into this world through a careless thought, then perhaps through careful selection, you can differentiate one world from the other." Celestia sat up on her haunches, towering above where Twilight lay, and stretched her back. "If you have naturally begun to shift between such worlds, as another expression of your rare and special talents, then you may find yourself doing so again. Such shifts may happen without your conscious control, brought on by your own moods. You may need to learn to recognize which Equestria is which, and find the strength to walk in both worlds with confidence, as best you can. At least until you have mastered your world-shifting ability enough to finally choose which realm you would stake claim to."
Twilight pondered this. "So... you're saying that... it may have been a natural and reasonable expectation that something like this would happen... and that I basically..." Twilight sat up herself "...have to learn to live with it, and eventually to control it."
"Yes, exactly, my very best student." When Celestia was proud, it was literally like the sun coming out. Or at least is was for Twilight's original Celestia. But this Celestia had her charms too - for one thing, she was more approachable. Even calling herself a 'princess', there was no doubt that Twilight's Celestia was a goddess, and that the gulf between them was as vast as Luna's starlit night. This Celestia, vulnerable and infinitely closer in so many ways, felt more like a close friend in ways that warmed Twilight's heart. "When I have said that a talent for magic such as you possess comes along only once every five hundred years, I have not exaggerated. I suspect that even to your more... deific... Celestia, you must truly be a marvel, and, truth be told, a caution as well.
In any case, you have two Equestrias now, Twilight, whatever you ultimately discover about this. The Equestria you remember, and this one, if nothing else. And perhaps this Equestria is not as rich, or splendid, or logical as the one you knew, but it exists, and you exist, and things move on." Celestia leaned closer "Perhaps you will find your way home, perhaps this will become your home. Maybe you will even dance between the two Equestrian realms enjoying each for what they offer. I know that you can sort through this, that you can organize this. Because that is what you do."
Twilight began to smile, for the first time since she arrived in this strange, broken cosmos. Organization. If there was one thing in all possible worlds she was good at, it was organization. "I shall resolve to catalog the differences and keep them straight in my mind, Celestia. I cannot accept that my world, my original world, is gone forever. So I choose to assume that there are two parallel Equestrias, one a little looser... around the logic... than the other, but - also with some compensations as well."
With that, Twilight Sparkle did something she would never have done, could not have even considered doing, with her immortal, omnipotent, goddess Celestia. She threw herself at the Celestia in front of her and wrapped her forelegs tight around her. She placed her head close to Celestia's shimmering withers and nuzzled her like the mother she had always been to her.
This Celestia was not startled, and returned the warm and tender embrace. Twilight felt as if she were floating forever, in a sea of purest joy. This world was not logical. It could never make sense the way her true world, her original world had. But in this world, she could hold her beloved Celestia close, as she would a normal, ordinary, flesh and blood pony. Twilight could not help her tears. She had wanted to be able to do this, this one thing, more than any other wish. More than a calm Pinkie Pie. More than a friend who shared the love of reading. More than seeing Fluttershy be strong. More than anything ever.
The impossible gulf between her and this fragile, injured Celestia was absent.
The day had been maddening, troubling, disturbing. She had wanted to make sense of it all, and with Celestia's council, after a fashion, she had. But more importantly, most importantly of all, she had gotten her dearest wish.
"So, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia straightened up, after their embrace had ended "will you be staying here, or off to find your mysterious street, and your way home?"
"I don't know if I can find that street ever again..." Twilight wiped her eyes with a fetlock "... but I will keep an eye out for it, as the days progress. And if I do find it, I will make sure that I map the location, so that I may forever know each of my beautiful Celestias, and be able to spend time with them both." At that, Celestia, this world's Celestia smiled warmly, and gave her favorite student a tiny kiss on the nose.
It was not going to be easy, dealing with two realities - or, if it ultimately proved so, one somewhat damaged reality - but Twilight had resolved to make the best of it. Twilight blushed, the echo of Celestia's tender kiss still felt upon her nose, reminding her that however her sense of logic and reason had been insulted, there were at least... compensations.
THE END
Appendix: The Chatoyance Guide To The Ponyverses
EQUESTRIA PRIME
Equestria Prime is defined as being a pseudo-Medieval/Renaissance fantasy world with some elements of Victorian steampunk technology. Electricity does not exist, but magic does. There is no large-scale mining or industrial blight. The world is self-consistent, the characters have personalities that grow and develop over time. Celestia and Luna have a divine, or at least demigodly status, and are capable of stellar and planetary manipulation at will. They are apparently immortal, and may not even be entirely physical - certainly they can become energy, transform into objects, become multiple independent entities with independent wills and possess many other god-level abilities. The focus of Equestria prime stories is on character growth and development as the various characters learn from the consequences of their actions within the context of their society. The world appears to have geographic consistency, and places and events can be mapped within the viewer's mind.
Episodes that take place within Equestria Prime:
01
Friendship is Magic, part 1
Lauren Faust
2010-10-10
02
Friendship is Magic, part 2
Lauren Faust
2010-10-22
03
The Ticket Master
Amy Keating Rogers & Lauren Faust
2010-10-29
04
Applebuck Season
Amy Keating Rogers
2010-11-05
05
Griffon the Brush Off
Cindy Morrow
2010-11-12
06
Boast Busters
Chris Savino
2010-11-19
07
Dragonshy
Meghan McCarthy
2010-11-26
08
Look Before You Sleep
Charlotte Fullerton
2010-12-03
09
Bridle Gossip
Amy Keating Rogers
2010-12-10
10
Swarm of the Century
M. A. Larson
2010-12-17
11
Winter Wrap Up
Cindy Morrow
2010-12-24
12
Call of the Cutie
Meghan McCarthy
2011-01-07
13
Fall Weather Friends
Amy Keating Rogers
2011-01-28
14
Suited For Success
Charlotte Fullerton
2011-02-04
16
Sonic Rainboom
M. A. Larson
2011-02-18
17
Stare Master
Chris Savino
2011-02-25
18
The Show Stoppers
Cindy Morrow
2011-03-04
19
A Dog and Pony Show
Amy Keating Rogers
2011-03-11
22
A Bird in the Hoof
Charlotte Fullerton
2011-04-08
23
The Cutie Mark Chronicles
M. A. Larson
2011-04-15
24
Owl's Well That Ends Well
Cindy Morrow
2011-04-22
25
Party of One
Meghan McCarthy
2011-04-29
26
The Best Night Ever
Amy Keating Rogers
2011-05-06
27
The Return of Harmony Part 1
M. A. Larson
2011-09-17
28
The Return of Harmony Part 2
M. A. Larson
2011-09-24
29
Lesson Zero
Meghan McCarthy
2011-10-15
30
Luna Eclipsed
M. A. Larson
2011-10-22
31
Sisterhooves Social
Cindy Morrow
2011-11-05
33
May the Best Pet Win!
Charlotte Fullerton
2011-11-19
35
Sweet and Elite
Meghan McCarthy
2011-12-03
36
Secret of My Excess
M. A. Larson
2011-12-10
38
Family Appreciation Day
Cindy Morrow
2012-01-07
40
The Last Roundup
Amy Keating Rogers
2012-01-21
41
The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
M. A. Larson
2012-01-28
44
A Friend in Deed
Amy Keating Rogers
2012-02-18
46
It's About Time
M. A. Larson
2012-03-10
48
Hurricane Fluttershy
Cindy Morrow
2012-03-24
49
Ponyville Confidential
M. A. Larson
2012-03-31
INTERSTICE EPISODES
Interstice Episodes are defined as being capable of existing within either Equestria Prime or Equestria Beta. Elements of these episodes could be construed to indicate either story cosmos, or inconsistencies within an episode - that otherwise could be considered Prime - appear out of place or milieu.
Episodes that take place within the Interstice between the two universes:
15
Feeling Pinkie Keen
Dave Polsky
2011-02-11
20
Green Isn't Your Color
Meghan McCarthy
2011-03-18
21
Over a Barrel
Dave Polsky
2011-03-25
32
The Cutie Pox
Amy Keating Rogers
2011-11-12
37
Hearth's Warming Eve
Merriwether Williams
2011-12-17
39
Baby Cakes
Charlotte Fullerton
2012-01-14
47
Dragon Quest
Merriwether Williams
2012-03-17
EQUESTRIA BETA
Equestria Beta is defined as being an alternate universe version of Equestria Prime. In the Beta universe, human-like, relatively modern technology exists with all that such technology implies. Steel girder construction and hydroelectric dams implying strip-mining and open-pit industrial blight. Electrical devices that could not be powered by magic are clearly seen. There is evidence of advanced technology not driven by steampunk means, and tropes within the story reflect the modern, human world. The focus of the stories is about comedy and action, with little to no character development and often direct refutation of events and character growth established in the Equestria Prime cosmos. Celestia and Luna are mortal ponies who may, or may not actually manipulate the sun and moon. They are virtually unable to defend themselves or their realm, and must depend on others for that task. They may be charlatans with little real power. The world itself is inconsistent and cannot be properly mapped in the viewer's mind - places and locations can exist merely to serve as a stage for a gag or joke.
Episodes that take place within Equestria Beta:
34
The Mysterious Mare Do Well
Merriwether Williams
2011-11-26
42
Read It and Weep
Cindy Morrow
2012-02-04
43
Hearts and Hooves Day
Meghan McCarthy
2012-02-11
45
Putting Your Hoof Down
Merriwether Williams; story by Charlotte Fullerton
2012-03-03
50
MMMystery on the Friendship Express
Amy Keating Rogers
2012-04-07
51
A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1
Meghan McCarthy
2012-04-21
52
A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2
Meghan McCarthy
2012-04-21
The Lost In The Herd Series:
One: The Big Respawn,
Two: Euphrosyne Unchained,
Three: Letters From Home,
Four: Teacup, Down On The Farm
The Conversion Bureau Novels:
27 Ounces: A story of eight and one half ponies
The Taste Of Grass
The Conversion Bureau: Code Majeste
The Conversion Bureau: The 800 Year Promise
The Conversion Bureau: Going Pony
The Reasonably Adamant Down With Celestia Newfoal Society!
Recombinant 63: A Conversion Bureau Story
HUMAN in Equestria: A Conversion Bureau Story
The PER: Michelson and Morely
Little Blue Cat
Cross The Amazon
Adrift Off Fiddler's Green: The Final Conversion Bureau Story
The Short Stories:
Her Last Possession
The Conversion Bureau: PER Equitum
The Conversion Bureau: Brand New Universe
Tales Of Los Pegasus
The Poly Little Pony
The very first and original
Conversion Bureau Group
archives only the best Three Rules Compatible stories!
Optimalverse Works:
Friendship Is Optimal: Caelum Est Conterrens
Leftovers: A Friendship Is Optimal Story
IMPLACABLE
My Life In Fimbria
Injectorverse Works:
I.D. - That Indestructible Something
The More Conventional Fanfics:
The Ice Cream Pony Summer
Around The Bend
PRIDE related works:
Transspecieality
My FREE music streaming service!
Rare, personally chosen anime, SF and fantasy television, movies, and comedy music. A truly unusual collection to listen to, featuring Spot Announcer Dr. Sandi!
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Congratulations, Twilight, you broke the world. What are you going to do now?
You were right, that was a pretty neat explanation.
Now this all makes sense. This was a reference to your blog! Well written as always.
This... this was... magnificent.
Congratulations chatoyance once again you have managed to take a show, and turn it into a WORLD. Few authors have your skill and expertise.
Please become a real world author.
i.imgur.com/mhLyF.jpg
Dawww'd when Twilight hug the beta Celestia
So there's only one Twilight, and she controls which Equestria is showed? Dayum girl you so scary
These stories, they finish so fast! Another great read, thanks. Now i'll do my obligatory question. Any hint about what you're going to put together next?
Well, she's no longer alone and afraid but, for now, she's trapped in a world she made.....and (as Sergio Aragones once said) it's about time that happened to somepony!!
594976 "Please become a real world author."
It's not for lack of trying... or even self-publishing.
Becoming a 'real world author', by which I imagine you mean 'paperbacks in supermarkets and hardbacks on shelves' is roughly as easy, and random as winning the lottery of becoming a 'real world musician' with gold records on the wall, and tour dates and videos on MTV. Actually, it is harder even than that.
There are two main reasons for this.
One is that the number of books sold continuously drops because the number of people who consider reading books to be an important part of their lives and recreation time continuously drops. In the US, for example, roughly two percent of the population regularly buys books to read. That's the entire market, right there.
In order to get into that market, you need an agent, and in order to get an agent, you need to be a published author, which you cannot be unless you have an agent. Um...
Worse, even IF you have an agent, AND you have a credible history of being published already - somehow - AND that agent has enough pull to get your work actually looked at, you STILL have to be writing JUST the correct genre, style and subject that is the current fashion among publishers at the moment. The ability to actually write is not all that important, oddly.
Now IF you manage to get through all of that, you still won't make enough money to afford to live. Unless, by another lottery win, you become a bestseller, and your book is purchased as a television or movie property. There are only a very small elite in the US that make their entire living from writing, and that elite has not changed significantly in two decades at least.
We hear about amazing successes, magical successes, like J.K. Rowling strolling into a publisher and getting Harry Potter on the shelves precisely because they are utterly rare events. That is literally winning the cosmic lottery. The odds - beyond comprehension.
I am a real-world author, at least as much as any person today can hope to be. I have three self-published graphic novels out there and two non-pony novels under my belt, countless short stories, several websites, and of course my pony work here. I have made roughly three hundred dollars from it all.
I write pony stories - especially Conversion Bureau stories - because they make me happy. I know I cannot ever 'succeed' (the American word for making money and fame, but mostly money) from my ability to tell stories. The odds are utterly against me, and talent and ability and creativity do not mean squat. Seriously, they do not. Have you really looked at what actually gets sold out there? Dreadful stuff. Piss-poor fantasies and crap science fiction rehashes of older, better ideas. Bad detective/vampire/spy/sex novels. There is much better, more creative, brilliant writing right here, on this website than in most 'successful' (making money for somebody, usually not the author) books.
I know the situation is hopeless and that making money and fame is an empty illusion. It is not going to happen, for me... or for 99.999% of all other people. I finally have learned this.
Knowing the facts, I now only do what makes me happy.
There was a time I would have sneered in self-righteous indignation at fanfiction, at this website, at everyone here, at myself or anyone like who I am now, because I was out to succeed, to make my mark, to be completely original and gain fame and wealth. And all that originality and effort got me the same it gets, well, everyone. Don't believe me? Still have hope? Go on, go try to get published. I'll wait. Well, for roughly twenty to thirty years... that's my expected remaining lifespan. Can't guarantee anything beyond that time limit.
Am I bitter? Ah, maybe a little, but not just for me. I'm bitter for everyone, everyone who can write. I'm bitter for you, and Midnight and Krass and all the rest. For everyone.
If the situation is hopeless, write ponies. I write ponies.
This is my BIG TIME! (I've probably had more success - in the form of joy - doing my stories here than in my careers as a game designer, a cartoonist, or a writer of non-pony literature!)
Welcome to my huge success. I'm making a note here.
And... I am having a lot of fun making stories for everypony here. Because writing for other ponies is better than writing for humans.
To borrow from Midnight Shadows BRILLIANT 'The Ambassador's Son' - I am a human-shaped pony. And... that's good.
Hay great story though,,, would it be to much to ask for a epilogue? I really want to know what happens next.
~Fin
And that's how you fix continuity errors.
And now I'm thinking of the show Fringe. Anyways, that's a creative way of explainig things.
I applaud this story, and I'm happy with how it wrapped up. It's especially nice to see how Twilight comes to terms with mere mortal Celestia. (And I thought the way Twilight was sometimes referred to as Celestia's "protégé" hinted at this view. It doesn't make sense for a goddess to have a protégé, as such.)
Incidentally.... I think I recall Lauren Faust writing once that Celestia's (as well as Luna's) status and power were meant to be deliberately vague and mysterious. I know of one other author who was upset by the Chrysalis-versus-Celestia fight not because it showed Celestia to be relatively weak, but simply because it removed the mystery. He would have been equally miffed if Celestia had been confirmed as being a deity. I sort of sympathized with that argument. It wouldn't be the first case of TMI in a fantasy story. At the same time, if the show continued long enough, and if we continue to see Celestia playing a role, then it would be hard to avoid pinning her down eventually -- one way or the other.
The other thing that needs to be said about the end of Season Two..... Regardless of the other problems I have with the finale, Changelings are a huge gift to fandom, and to fanfiction in particular. They're by far the most versatile villains we've ever had -- they can even be protagonists -- and they open up wide possibilities for plot twists. As I was pondering this, however, I thought of another, much darker, potential explanation for Twilight Sparkle's confusion and all the irregularities of Season 2.....
VICTORY (The Real Wedding Ending)
> "The vanishing hill, the inconsistencies... all the confused, broken parts of this reality... I did that, didn't I? Because I don't have the experience or the concentration to shape an entire world without grave mistakes.
Or maybe.... Maybe it's just that Queen Chrysalis doesn't have the experience or the concentration to shape her Dream Matrix without mistakes, and a particularly perceptive pony (such as Twilight Sparkle) can spot them. And maybe all those ponies she encountered acting grumpy or agitated were just that way because they're gradually having their love and compassion siphoned away.
i would swap cutiemark chronicles to intremitent equestria.. because while it is mostly rooted in EP it shows the mass production side of EB in manehattan.
595451
zob. i still think that celestia has mystery to her.
but the reason why she was defeated (IMO) is because she used her magic with the basis of love and attack the queen.
the queen then absorbed the love and basically it was like a steroid shot on the incredible hulk.
Huh. Twilight really is frighteningly powerful. It's easy to forget just how much reality-warping potential is in that horn of hers.
I suppose one good question would be if she could alter properties of the world post-creation. Tighten the logic, twist the physics... alter the ponies? Moving from one timeline to another is a strange mixed blessing. Reality bending implies something else altogether...
In any case, you get all the No-Prizes. All of them. And let us be thankful that Equestria Pi wasn't made.
This wasn't a bad fic although I don't quite understand why you were so quick to say that many things about Season 2 were only possible if there were two Equestria.
I have to say though that I really enjoyed the pictures, I want to know how you did them.
While I dont entirely agree with the idea of two equestrias simply because of character transformations and technological differences, I have to say kudos for the interesting continuity explanation
597305
Imagine a modern day television program... let's say 'House', the hospital show that features the irascible and difficult doctor who can diagnose any ailment, however bizarre. It takes place now, in the modern world right outside of our doorstep.
Now, imagine that every once in a while, say, every third episode, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, Dr. House turns the corner from the MRI room, goes down the corridor, and walks into Dr. Bashir's medical bay on Deep Space Nine. There is no reason given at all. House grabs a tricorder and a hypospray containing reprogrammed regenerative Borg nanite therapy. He walks back out of the bay and suddenly he is back in the hospital we already know. He uses these far-future tools to regenerate the missing spleen of a cancer-stricken patient, saving the day. No doctor or nurse remarks on the futuristic equipment. It isn't even referenced. No one even cares. It solved the problem of the episode, case closed.
Would you not end up scratching your head and going 'What the flying fuuuuck?' Would not such shows just seem damn weird and odd? In a way, they would be fun, certainly, even thrilling. Some might even watch the show just to see the 'completely insane' episodes. It might even send the show through the roof.
But... any hope of taking 'House' seriously, as a serious medical drama would be lost. It would become 'that show that does the weird stuff!' and not a retelling of Sherlock Holmes and Watson set in a hospital in the modern world, which is what it was intended to be. Anything approaching immersion, taking the world of the show seriously, would be lost. It would just be that wild, weird show that makes no sense, but at least is fun to watch.
Now apply this to... The Lord Of The Rings movies. Right out of nowhere, Frodo and Sam are helped by Jar Jar Binks. He has a blaster, so they easily defeat the orcs and goblins. It would be hilarious. But the Lord Of The Rings itself would be ruined. All the wonder, all the magic, all the special uniqueness would be lost. It would no longer be a world you almost wish you could live in. It would just be 'that silly fantasy movie with the blaster scene!' It would be remembered as a silly, stupid 'B' grade movie with great special effects, not a classic of literary and cinematic brilliance.
THAT is my point.
A question for you: Where was Celestia in the pilot episodes, and why did she simply not will Nightmare Moon away?
600890
In my mind I have a headcanon that goes like this:
Celestia and Luna are both deities, and are equally powerful (potentially, I expect Celestia may have more experience). When two omnipotent being fight, it never ends until they give up, and time is pretty much irrelevant, worse, the entire universe would be reduced to chaos from the energies expended.'Everything' would literally be a side causality. Celestia therefore, would not fight, in order to preserve all life.
The Elements Of Harmony are a god-slayer magical device. Fighting Discord would have been more chaos, forever. Discord is a deity too - a god of chaos. Fighting is fun for him. It would never end. The answer was something that could kill - or imprison, at least - a god. But, thanks to the fact that logically a deity cannot be omnipotent, omnibenevolent, AND omniscient, they CAN be fooled. Thus, even with discord, some lesser creature must have been the literal stock and barrel of the god-slaying Elements Of Harmony. It would be their design.
So the only thing rational that Celestia could do was to set a trap for Nightmare Moon, one she would not be able to cope with, one she would be overconfident about, one she would fall into. One she would not have the experience to see in time. So, Celestia makes herself scarce - say, hiding transformed into a rock, or a summer breeze, or the shadow under a tree - or more cleverly, a stone on the moon (the last place Nightmare would look), and let her trap do the rest.
The Elements get used, by ordinary ponies which literally are the physical form of the mutable weapon, and Celestia can pop back safely and the universe is not destroyed by a pointless battle between gods.
In short, strategy, brilliant, careful, generations in the breeding and planning, as befits a two-thousand years plus alicorn. Where a mortal would rush to battle, where Discord would play, Celestia plans for a short 1000 years and sets a trap sure to catch an angry, out-of-touch, overconfident, willing to destroy everything to get what she wants opponent. And she does it without a single causality.
In my headcanon, Celstia is super intelligent. She plays chess with existence, and she always wins.
In my headcanon, Twilight is so powerful because of Celestia's eugenics, and so it is also that Dash is so fast and loyal, Applejack so strong and honest... she bred the next generation of the Elements weapon. She could have done it simply by using her position to play matchmaker - she would not need to force anypony in an obvious way.
Now, she's stuck with the aftermath of her scheme - a dangerous weapon, and an overpowerful unicorn. Thus the absolute necessity of making sure they all learn friendship and kindness.
In my headcanon, the premise of the show follows from the history presented to us in the first season, logically and rationally. It all makes sense, every component depending on the other. I believe this basic concept was intended, but lost as production of the show got... a little loose. I do think Lauren Faust could be this clever. I just think Hasbro is not.
Either that, or I am more clever than both, and... come on. No. Bullshit. So this must have been Lauren's original concept, or something close to it, because it all fits like puzzle pieces to create a self-consistent world.
Dear Chatoyance,
Let me quote someone for whom I have developed a huge degree of respect and appreciation over the last few months: "There is much better, more creative, brilliant writing right here, on this website than in most 'successful' (making money for somebody, usually not the author) books."
I agree completely. And the best evidence I can find of the truth of that statement are the offspring of a certain Chatoyance.
AND BTW - I would like to see see anything like the degree of involvement with their readers by any "successfu author" out there when compared to the dialogues I've seen in this medium (including this one!)
What we do on this site is an act of sharing of Equestrian proportions (and I wish I could do it a tenth as well as you do!) Thank you Chatoyance, and I hope you will continue to write wonderful stories for all the best (and most selfish) reasons.
Dafaddah
I really enjoyed the world-building here- my old head canon was that technology was carefully regulated by Celestia and Luna, because introducing too much of it without careful planning would destabilize their civilization. Ponies with cutie marks for jobs that could be automated would have to find a new occupation, and it's implied that a pony would be miserable if they were unable to exercise their special talent.
I like your explanation though, because it also deals with the inconsistent characterization, the road to nowhere, and the sudden new characters very neatly.
...but I still haven't thought up or come across anything that makes sense of trains pulled by ponies. I have to go meta at that point and assume one of the creators just wanted to make a terrible visual pun about horsepower.
Also, I read your comment about the difficulty of publishing novels and had a thought- have you ever considered storyboarding for games? Detailed, consistent world building is essential for a good game, and you seem to have a knack for it. I have no idea what the qualifications or the pay rates for such positions are, but if jobs are portfolio based, maybe you can show your current body of work to potential employers.
605037
"have you ever considered storyboarding for games?"
Chatoyance used to be a game creator, actually. http://jenniverse.com/boppin%20main.html She can tell you a lot about how the business works.
And here I am, knowing what she's been through, trying to break into the industry myself. Some of us are just hardheaded like that, I guess.
634851
Episode Zero came to mind, especially. Pinkie wasn't Pinkie there, despite a clever balloon gag, she was positively rendered useless as a character, Rarity taking her place in a dark and overdramatic way.
Ah, ouch. This was a fulfilling if telling and painful end. It also makes sense. Twilight has either within her the power to remake reality (and has thus broken the world), or she has fallen through the cracks into an alternate world partially of her own making.
I'm okay with this as a story, painful as it is. To think, she remade the Realm on a whim she didn't understand, and she'll have to live with it...
In terms of story structure, the denouement was lacking and the climax lacked punch for me, but a worthy creation in meta-meta-fiction. Poor Twilight
This is some deep shit, yo.
674166
I love the show, so... I needed to find a way to reconcile things, you know?
Wow. You know, this was amazing. I didn't get into the show until half of Season Two had aired, so I blazed through all of the episodes and never even considered a difference between the seasons. The technology of Season Two didn't bother me at all. I always thought, "This is a show for kids, and if they even have a smidgen of care in their worldbuilding and continuity, I've lucked out." And there was enough to make me happy. But, wow, you've got some higher standards than I do, it seems.
That doesn't mean I took no notice of continuity problems in the show, particularly in the Season Two Finale. Cadance shouldn't have been a winged unicorn. There was no point to that besides making a cooler toy. I didn't have a problem with Celestia being defeated, since Chrysalis' power was derived from love and the idea that love can bring down even a god was just a Crowning Moment of Awesome for me. (My biggest gripe with the Season Two Finale was that the moral of the power of Friendship was traded for a fairy tale about romantic love, and all of Twilight's friends were basically jerks who didn't even matter to the story of the episode. Okay, they got a cool action scene, but even that was for naught since it was Love and not Harmony that won the day.)
What I love about your story is that it made me think about the show in a completely different way. And I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with it, but it sure made a great story. I love your Ultra-Powerful Twilight. I tend to see the character as an almost messianic hero, so I was very at home with your interpretation of her. Possibly more powerful than Celestia? Heck yeah! A Sonic Rainboom connects six friends that haven't even met yet, and the power of Friendship just barely brushes up against her for the first time and she almost unmakes the world. What could she do after actually making friends? Redeem a goddess of the night? Celestia hadn't done that, had she? No, she only trapped her in the moon. Hmm...
Anyway, thanks for the story. It was one of the more interesting things I've read from a fan, and crafted with such obvious care for the show and what it both is and could be.
704413
Thank you very, very much. That just makes my night. Thank you.
I think that Hearts and Hooves Day should be moved to the Beta because even most of the oldest video games needed microprocessors and we do see three arcade games during the song.
708930
DONE. I missed the arcade games. Damn. Good catch. It's a lot of episodes. Thank you!
I'd just like to note one thing.
You fixed the universe by breaking the world. Good job.
(Wow, this got super long, but I've got a lotta energy for some reason and after writing it out it seemed like a waste not to post it. Someone's probably said all this stuff before, though...)
Huh, this was really interesting - To tell the truth I hadn't even paid much attention to the continuity errors since I mainly think of it as a comedy, where things like continuity and logic just aren't as important. There's a lot of pastiche in general (Think of the Benny Hill chase in the 3rd episode), so to be honest, the runaway baby carriages on the ski-jump and the hydroelectric dam didn't even raise a flag for me until someone pointed them out, because they were playing superhero, and stopping baby carriages and saving towns under crumbling dams are de rigueur for those kind of antics. It would have been cool if they used more of the visual elements of the nifty, intelligently-controlled world they created (one of the things that originally impressed me about the show), like having pegasi do the lifting, or a big wood and gold filigree dam, but of course everything has to be immediately recognizable to the audience and that might have just been distracting. But it still woulda been neat. On the other hand, Rainbow did name her pet after a literal treads-and-cannon tank, and I always just figured we can't see their full world in the same way we can't see their full anatomy (what hooves? That's a marshmallow), or that Ponyville is like Springfield - it just has whatever you can hang a scene on when you need it.
Fluttershy's behavior in that motivational speaker episode actually worked for me, because her confidence is so low that she seized on an opportunity to create a new, "better" identity to hide behind, thinking that this is what people (er, ponies) are really "supposed" to do, and not having enough trust in herself to question it. Not to mention that when people in general try to change something about themselves, they often miss the "core" or ultimate point of that trait they're trying to develop and just go through the exaggerated, surface motions of it, which in this case is assertiveness hollowed out into just being an asshole - If she "got" assertiveness in the first place, it wouldn't have been an issue (how's that for Pinkie logic?).
Fluttershy is actually one of the more interesting characters because of this kind of behavior, I think - She's so self-conscious and worried about what people think, essentially assuming everyone else is to a large degree unkind and will be offended or think worse of her if she steps out of line. I think she's genuinely sweet but is constantly confronting a small inner mean streak that's always judging her and putting her down, and she just wants to take the attention away from herself and put it on others, and that streak comes out a little bit when they don't accept that attention ("you're going to love me!" etc.).
One of the things that's interesting about the show is I think all of the characters are paradoxical in this way, which is what makes the Elements of Harmony meaningful in the first place - To a large degree, each character representing her element involves overcoming some natural tendency. Rarity is vain and acquisitive, but knows this about herself and overcomes it when it counts, and likewise Rainbow is egotistical and ambitious and shamelessly self-promoting, but is dependable when something important is on the line. I don't have much experience with magic, so I dunno about Twilight, but you could argue that her hyper-rational, overthinking nature has to give way to just letting things flow out of her, like an athlete not getting in the way of her own limbs and just letting the game play itself (translated into human, friendship-y terms I think you could recast "magic" as "just being natural"). And like a lot of "the funny friend"s, Pinkie is always subtly worried her friends just think of her as a mascot or a toy and not a "real" friend. Even Apple Jack has to fight against herself if being honest involves admitting weakness of some kind. Discord did't so much flip them around as suppress the part of them that made them want to be their best selves, and the Elements aren't just about adding your contribution to a group but also how friendship inspires people to be better in spite of their own flaws, and to look past the flaws in others. That's how I see it anyway - A large part of the reason they have to learn about friendship is they're all in some fundamental way bad at it. In this context it doesn't strike me as odd that there would be total asshole ponies staffing booths and walking around - They're just not getting this instruction (I guess it's reserved for components of a superweapon), and because unfriendly and selfish behavior often brings it out in others, the converse of how friendly and altruistic behavior often inspires people to be better.
But dang, Chatoyance, is your headcanon kicks ass. It elegantly gives the setting of the story a kind of steely solidity and realism in my head it never had before.
But up until now, Celestia and Luna always struck me as more like the Olympian gods of Greek myth than the more modern conception of a transcendent, omnipotent cosmic being, in that they're immortal and vastly, supernaturally powerful, but still finite - More like Apollo than Yaweh (There are all sorts of Grecian things in there like Cerberus and Tartarus and Griffons and Minotaurs, too, kind of keeping up that mythological theme). Even from the beginning I got the impression that controlling both the sun and the moon was a heavy burden on Celestia, and after 1000 years of it she was rather weakened and drained, which is why she couldn't take on Nightmare Moon directly (ain't much to do in prison but get Hard), and why she lost to the charged-up Chrysalis (who herself had both a horn and wings and so was presumably quite powerful already) - She was just so very tired, carrying her sister's responsibilities on top of her own all this time, and now that the pressure's off again she just wants some cake, dammit. I'd come to the same conclusion, though, that either Celestia had arranged for the Mane 6 to appear when they did, or that they were brought into existence for the same heroic destiny by more indistinct, impersonal forces like whatever's responsible for Pinkie's Pinkie Sense, and presumably also for generating things like those cold demons in response to ponies' emotional tone and behavior, back in those Dark Ages.
Cadence in this case would be a half-mortal or some kind demigod, possibly also Chrysalis, and any number of smaller Alicorns or similar beings we might meet in the future, and half-divine characters like that are also certainly no stranger to the Greek canon. Discord even seems to essentially be Chaos, from the Greek creation myth, though here presented as essentially "Q" from Star Trek because heck, it's fun.
As for why the Changelings just invaded after their cover was blown, I figured A) they were feeding on the intense emotion their attack itself caused, as ponies sought out their loved ones to make sure they were safe and B) They were literally just gonna steal all the nice shit in Canterlot and take it back home (Really I know they invaded because invading is what badguys do, but that's how I'd justify it). I also got the impression Chrysalis was going to "baby bird" a lot of her minions from what she got from the couple.
I thought this was a really cool story, though - I liked the attention to detail a lot, as usual, and thought the treatment of Twilight's inner life was fantastic. Also, it's easy to forget about it but that flashback scene at the magic test where she went all "Akira" was actually pretty disturbing, wasn't it?
987920
I so agree.
"Steel girder construction and hydroelectric dams implying strip-mining and open-pit industrial blight."
So, for us non-ponies do you have any alternative ideas? You'll have to pardon my asking but I always get sensitive when I suspect anti-technological sentiment.
Oh man, I was so ready to thumb this story down. I was going to say that you're way too caught up in your own headcanon. That you're exaggerating minor inconsistencies. That people - and ponies - act oddly, and "not themselves" sometimes. That truth is often stranger than fiction. That in my headcanon, the princesses were never immortal or deific. That I have no problem with electricity in Equestria. That almost everything you subtly complained about could be explained logically. (Well, except for that death hill in the middle of Ponyville.
)
I was going to say those things.
But then I read the final chapter. Dammit, you almost brought me to tears. It was like an offered olive branch. I see the story as a metaphor; for the disagreements in the fandom. And the final chapter we learn that despite our differences and our arguments over the good and bad parts of the show - we are all bronies, and MLP brings us together because it brings out something good in all of us.
I hope I'm not reading too much into it.
Anyway, thumbs up.
595049 *Helix, the mad scientist pony grins wickedly* All is not lost, my dear! What else do you think EMP bombs were made for? All the servers, wiped clean! The electric grids damaged so extensively it will take years to repair them!
Ipads, laptops, all those modern contraptions... reduced to lumps of plastic and shorted out circuitry!
Oh, CDs and DVDs will survive, but the electronics to play them will be ruined!
And books, my dear author, BOOKS will be all that remains! The PLAN is in motion...
>>>"Then how do I fix this? I want... I want to go home. I want what I knew, what I loved... back." The words seemed to hurt Celestia slightly, and Twilight regretted putting things that way.
"I understand." Celestia gave Twilight a reassuring touch with her hoof.>>
Celestia: You must use the ruby horseshoes, Twilight my dear. Just click your hooves together and repeat, "There's nopony like Faust. There's nopony like Faust."
PS: Some episodic series like "The Simpsons" manage to do quite well without internal consistency. Comedies are rather more lenient, as the point is to laugh. Homer: "It's a cartoon! It's not supposed to make sense!" Another Homer walks by the window humming.
1000605
That Equestria Prime is an impossible dream in our reality is kind of the point. A pristine, tightly controlled, literal Garden of Eden. It's not about being a Luddite, its about believing in something greater than "just a kids show."
There was something undeniably magic about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Why else would this website, this fandom exist? We all were sucked into this world of talking ponies for a reason, and I stand beside Chat's assertion that much of the show is unquestionably a modern classic. It is an incredibly well-realized and intricate world built by a very talented woman, who may or may not truly understand what she created. (Probably the latter, considering she has expressed on multiple occasions her bewilderment at how her message spread.)
Seeing that utopia of craftsmanship being stained by nonsequitur and a disregard for continuity is an insult to her creation.
That said, I think Celestial getting bitch-slapped was more of her being unwilling to CALL DOWN THE BLAZING FIRE OF THE SUN on Canterlot, incinerating her subjects along with the changelings, combined with Chrysalis siphoning her power away due to her matronly instincts guiding her actions. After she was thrown down, she could do two things: wait for Luna to arrive and crush the changelings with her sister, or let Cadence fuel Shining Armour's barrier spell. After all, if you accept Shining as the sibling to Twilight Sparkle, the Element of muther fuckin' Magic, you can be sure he's got a lot of power within him as well.
That fails to explain the exact goals of Chrysalis in taking Canterlot in an undisguised invasion, and not going all Invasion of the Body-snatchers on it until there was a 1:1 ratio of pony to changeling, the optimum love harvesting scenario.
1001152
So totally YES.
1000605
How about:
A social and political revolution in thought that permits:
A carefully capped population low enough the earth can support it
An end to all war and conflict
Careful and controlled mining and harvesting of resources
Use of new chemical/solar (95% efficient like Chlorophyll, uses same quantum principle) energy
Use of solar satellite and microwave beam energy, as well as all other alternative forms of energy
Thorium reactors to burn all remaining nuclear waste, eliminating all plutonium and byproducts
Guaranteed universal healthcare, food, shelter and education for all Mankind
Cap on maximum wealth any individual or group can amass
Elimination of all religious doctrine in exchange for education and scientific understanding
All vegetarian diet reducing impact on biosphere
Expansion to colonies on the moon and mars
Oh... that's not ever likely to happen, is it, because... men in power liking being in power. Oh.
Well, ponies have magic for technology, so lucky them. They don't need electricity.
Excuse me whist I try to piece my brain back together after having it completely blown by this amazing story.
EDIT: I'm starting to think something is wrong with the rating system, it's only letting me fave this once.XD
1001228
"Elimination of all religious doctrine in exchange for education and scientific understanding"
I'm an avowed athiest, but I can't get behind this one. MLP has given me a whole lot of insight into the psyche of a devout believer.
"Comon, this stuff's awesome! The message is fantastic, and a whole bunch of the community around it is awesome, even if there are some extreme weirdos who take things to far."
Bronies or Christians?
But seriously, the issues that crop out of fundamentalist religiousness movements are not caused be faith itself. It is the inevitable corruption of power that will poison anything once organized to exist beyond the lifespans its founding members. Some things (buddism) take a whole lot longer than others (Christianity, Islam), or were never really genuine in the first place (Scientology).
But don't go painting with broad strokes like that.
1001422
Um, how about... elimination of all religious and other corporate power in the world?
That more palatable?
1001470
Yes? Go forth with my... blessing?
1001142
I don't think the changelings had to feed on misdirected love directed AT them. I think they could feed on ambient love that was just in the air at the time.
And at least Chrysalis could use mind control. Maybe artificially created love would suffice.
In addition, with technology and mining and all the fact it exists doesn't have to be near as devastating as you sound since we don't know the size of Equestria or the population either
594976
Would that be a real *break* world author or a real world *break* author?
595049
"Welcome to my huge success. I'm making a note here."
I see your portal reference, and raise you a favorite star for an peculiar take indeed in this story.
Also, in any case, you don't become an author of any renown in the real world without a considerable amount of effort. I don't see it as impossible, but then there's so much entertainment available now and more books than be counted and so even on the rare chance that you wrote a great story and got it published, you'd be fortunate to make much of any profit, I would expect. In any case there are certainly self-publishing options if you really want to see a printed version of your writing.
1001422
Oh, come on, the only real truth in that is that the human race has problems, we don't need power to make a mess of things. I can open a web browser, make an ill-thought out comment on facebook and ruin someone's day or get into a war of insults. I don't know about other religions, but with Christianity the only problem I can see is that very few people come close to a microscopic imitation of what it calls for.
Probably a discussion for a different forum, but put simply, what I am saying is that the problem is us. For example, Communism is a pretty great ideal, until you put people in charge of making it happen... and democracy/republics don't work when everyone stands by and lets a very few make huge choices without anyone else making themselves heard.
1001470
Why do you think that will make anything better, and what exactly do you mean by religious and other corporate power? As I see it, most religions have very little power over anything and they have next to none when they don't practice what they preach.
Man, reading all the other extensive and insightful comments on this story I do feel a little bit of pressure to do the same. But I'm short on time atm, so I'll just say: excellent analysis of the show and its continuity. I really do hope season three doesn't ruin everything, hehe.
1001826
If we assume that ponies are functionally congruent, psychologically, to humans, with a bid of herd dynamics ramped up, there is nothing stopping them from falling into the same trap of "gotta get mine before the other guy takes it" that we find ourselves in today. Except, of course, for the immortal god-princess. A everlasting, benevolent dictator with the biggest bargaining chip you could ever ask for in our own history would likely produce a similar result. The longer an institution, organization, or individual exists, the more incumbent and influential it becomes.
The problem isn't us. It's death. Knowing that we'll all shuffle off the mortal coil drives us to create a legacy, as everyone no doubt wishes to be remembered beyond the time of their life. That creates the need to organize some sort of succession, to reach for some shallow imitation of true immortality. This, logically, leads to some problems, as the years go by, and words and ideas of that initial visionary are twisted into perhaps supporting something that the founder would have found abhorrent. Princess Celestia faces no such problems or temptations, and has likely lived long enough and made enough mistakes, that, while clearly not omniscient, probably has a VERY good idea of the effect her actions will cause beyond the comprehension of our comparably feeble brains. Plus, she's had an equal yet different being (Luna) with her for much of her existence, ready to offer different solutions to problems that arise.
While this discussion is all conjecture, considering we have exactly zero other high-functioning sapient creatures nor any historical examples of ageless leaders to compare ourselves to, I do enjoy it. And if you wish to discuss it here, than here is the proper place to discuss it. One should not be ashamed of asking genuine questions or making their respectful opinions heard.
*as the camera pans back on this heartwarming scene, it is narrated by pony Rod Serling once more*
A wise pony once said that to reach Heaven we must first journey through Hell. Twilight thrust herself down that dark path unwittingly, creating a nightmare of her own device that challenged the familiar with her own desires and perceptions. Now she faces an even greater uncertainty, but welcomes it like an old friend; for nopony can say that they have lived life to its fullest without venturing out into a brave new world of endless possibilities. And to live is just as simple as taking a casual stroll down a road not taken to...the Twilight Zone.
1001826 "Why do you think that will make anything better, and what exactly do you mean by religious and other corporate power? As I see it, most religions have very little power over anything and they have next to none when they don't practice what they preach."
Major organized religion is an economic powerhouse, and that power is often used to oppress my people - Queer people. It was Catholic and Mormon money - hundreds of millions of dollars - that forced basic marriage rights from California, for example, and in my own state, Washington, they are at it again. I am not even including the millions provided from the megachurches. The sheer amount of power organized religion wields is nothing less than governmental, and that money, untaxed, is run in full corporate fashion to make more money, which is not used as much - currently - on the poor as on gathering even MORE money, and, of course, fighting the current enemy of the times. It used to be the rights of black people, now it is Queer folk.
Religion does this because it is useful - a common enemy, any enemy, unites people, and draws money from them. It works vastly better than appealing to kindness. Fear motivates.
I don't mind people believing any crazy thing, whatever it might be.
But I object to any organized money machine using belief to rally people to do cruel and horrible things.
Nothing to my stance more than that.