Wastelands. Dystopias. Playgrounds for megalomaniacal villains. Each time Starlight forced her into a new world, it was just another variation of Tartarus that she was glad to leave behind and forget about. Unfortunately, thanks to over thirty timeline jumps, Starswirl's spell has gotten worn and frayed, forcing her to stop in this latest world to repair it. Fortunately, things seem relatively peaceful. Unfortunately, Twilight soon finds out the reason for that peace is...complicated.
Chapters (4)
Very interesting. I'm looking forward to more!
I'll be interested to see where this goes.
Huh. Interesting. I look forward to more!
yes mooooore
Huh, well, this is pretty interesting actually. Original too, as far as I know. There might be another story or something about this, but I have not heard of it. Or perhaps it's just so badly written I had to put it down after the first five paragraphs. Well, at least I did not put this one down.
Can't wait to read more-- or specifically, if/when Spike meets himself. Comments of ravaging good looks? Fight to the death? Witty one-liners and puns? Who knows, maybe all of the above.
Good luck with this story, I'm looking forward to reading more
This is an neat idea, much more interesting than the average "alternate timeline" story. I'm already curious where this will go. I'll be following that.
Hmm. interesting. I'm definitely interested in seeing where this goes.
By the way, I'm guessing Tirek didn't blow up the library in this timeline? The reason I ask is, if they just did everything to recreate her library, then there's little chance they would have known about her diary, the secret compartment it's located in, or the contents of said diary.
7310676 I wouldn't say it's completely original. I've taken some inspiration from a couple of other stories, but I'm planning on moving in a vastly different direction than those. Namely, I'm planning to actually tell a story rather than just showcase an alternate reality.
7315353 Yes, Twilight managed to save her library this time around. Her diary and the presence of the secret spare key are evidence of that.
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Do check in next Thursday then. That is my tentative release date for the next part.
Good story so far. I have but one question. Wouldn't Twilight not become Celestia's student because Rainbow failed to do a Sonic Rainboom? That's the only real discrepancy I can see. Of course this could be addressed in the next chapter for all I know.
7315994 Oh don't worry, Twilight noticed that discrepancy as well. Good thing she knows herself so well.
My attention has been gripped by the vice that is this great writing.
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i read a different story where Discord tells everypony that all those alternate timeline are still around, and that most of them eventually had happy endings...except the "wasteland" one that Twilight dragged Starlight into. they even visit the one where Flim and Flam appeared in the episode.
This is amazing, truly amazing, I wish there was more
7320244 I do recall that story, though I don't recall the name of it. I liked the premise more than I liked the actual story so I decided to do my own take on the former.
7324934 There will be more. Come back in two days time.
So far, it has been fascinating. I am extremely impressed by the seriousness you are approaching this topic with. After all, we´re talking about universal genocide. If Twilight´s suspicions are correct, that means she´s responsible for the destruction of 24 different universes. FUCKING 24. That´s more than some of the greatest super villains have ever accomplished.
I also considered this as I was watching the episode; what if Twilight had landed on a benevolent timeline? I am ecstatic at the idea of someone writing about that idea. Well done; I can´t wait to read more.
“Perhaps not, but is it any more odd than seeing one of your old friends and acquaintances jump into your world from another dimension?”
Heh. Shining Armor's an alicorn in this universe...Just another reason to not leave it behind...
I'm enjoying this.
7331630 It is important to note that bringing up Doctor Who ever in a time travel discussion is basically equivalent to bringing up a Green Lantern ring while discussing the mechanics behind the fabrication and summoning of items. It does whatever it damn well pleases in its own regard, has limits when the writers want such limits, and never ever when they don't. As such, it only complicates the matter, considering that Doctor Who could be used to support the opposite argument just as easily. Point is, time travel is dumb, and does what the writer needs it to do at the time.
Fluttershy won't even talk to Discord?
My heart...
I love this. I mean it; I love how many pros and cons there are to leaving this timeline behind. In stories of this nature authors usually go for a pretty dumb approach that is "this new timeline is better in every way, but it´s not the main character´s timeline and thus they cannot fit in, so we´ll have to return to our own crappy old world". Here there are both improvements and drawbacks. For once, the main character is dead. But at the same time, said main character was different from our own known version. I really love how Twilight brings up the always controversial argument of "If she was so smart, then how is she dead?" That´s a good argument, and it opens different ways to make your case. Pragmatism, incompetence, luck... It also brings some heavy logical realizations such as "Twilight is alive only for pure luck and had she been a better pony she would have actually sacrificed herself". These are some compelling interesting ideas I love seeing explored. I also like Discord´s inclusion into the setting. I do however feel that he is hiding information from Twilight about how timelines work. After all, this is the guy who can open portals to different dimensions on a whim; I´m pretty sure he´s familiar with the concept of the multiverse.
Also, Shinning Armor is an alicorn. He does seem kinda nefarious; maybe that´s why nobody has ever mentioned that small, tiny detail. Whatever. Great work! I am so hooked to this!
Wonderful writting, I almost cried
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Shinning Amour is terroriffing. This awesome, I can't wait.
Ohhhhh what a twist
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Also, in the Closed Loop Theory, each instance of Twilight and Starlight "going through the motions" wouldn't have overridden the last like they did. If every instance of time travel has always already happened, then there should have been a befuddling mass of Twilights and Starlights (one of each for each time they fought) all happening simultaneously at that point in time, even in Twilight's "home" timeline, which on its own would have caused more paradoxes than you can shake a sonic screwdriver at.
Oooh Shining is not going to let her go.
And shit just got complicated.
Oooooh, so that was supposed to be Discord's scar in the cover art. I was really confused, thinking it was a slice of bacon.
Also, not all is lost even if she goes back. Now she knows that she can save Sombra and negotiate with Chrysalis.
7332416 Even Kindness has its limits.
7332614 I'm glad you're enjoying it. Part three should be here quite soon if all goes well. Discord's inclusion in these events was a rather obvious one, as Twilight's death can pretty much be traced back to him and now he sees her as a chance to put things right. And yes, Discord may be hiding things from Twilight, but there are definite limits to his powers. The fact that in the show we see him 'ruling' over his own dimension gives me the impression that while he has a great deal of power, he doesn't quite have the 'Starswirl' levels of time-manipulation...or maybe he just never cared to learn. Also, Twilight's friends didn't mention Shining Armor was an alicorn for the same reason they didn't mention Applejack was an Earth Pony. They've lived with it long enough to where it's no longer strange to them.
7333771 You should only have to wait a few more days.
7333909 And this is why Alternate-Twilight sealed up all of Starswirl's research. Debates like this are also the reason why no one in this story claims to know exactly how the multiverse works. Whichever way it works though, Twilight realizes that it's a lose-lose situation and simply has to make the choice she thinks is best.
7334799 7335785 What? Don't be silly. The entire next chapter is just going to be a nuanced and level-headed discussion where everything comes to a peaceful resolution and everypony walks away satisfied.
7340474 Well I wanted it to be bacon, but the artist insisted they make it look more like a scar.
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That´s a good answer to my question. However, this raises another. If they never brought that up during the discussions of differences in their world, I´m guessing that Shinning became an alicorn before Twilight died, or else they would have commented the fact that Shinning "replaced" Twilight´s role. Then again, I´m just speculating.
7342994 LIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEES!
I don't know, I'm disappointed in the way this turned out. I expected there to be more of a real, interesting conflict of interest instead of two groups of idiots beating each other up for sentiments that amount to all of "Nuh uh! - Uh huh!" Twilight isn't even actually conflicted in the slightest and she never was. The moment she appeared, she decided "gotta leave again" and nothing anyone has said or anything she has seen has swayed her in the slightest. It just makes her seem apathetic and callous.
This. This is why I love Discord.
Even in a tense, dramatic chapter filled with pretty cool magic/laser battles, he still steals the damn show at the last second. I really want to read what he does with Starlight's little cult.
7351600 Unfortunately, I have to agree here. True, in my previous comment I was praising Discord, but in terms of Twilight's conflict...yeah. She didn't really have much of an internal conflict beyond-"boy howdy this world sure is nice but it's not mah world so gotta go fast! (Yes, I did just butcher the hell out of a country accent and Sonic). You were going in a pretty good direction with Shining, but rather than go into an interesting emotional conflict alongside the fight, it just kind of goes down a rather predictable path, where brute force is the primary conflict and the conflicting, emotional interest of the two goes by the way side.
Really, the outcome of this chapter was clear from the very beginning. Celestia rides in, calms everyone down, etc.
Would have been a bit more interesting, if in an alternate scenario, after Twilight fought off Shining and Chrysalis, one of the main 6 confronted Twilight and desperately tried to get her to stay, appealing to Twilight's emotions and so on.
Still. Works as it is, I suppose, but it's just that: works.
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Hmm. I totally understand wanting more. This was a tense chapter filled with an abrupt resolution -- but it was inevitable. Really, there's only so long you can drag out heavy emotional tug-of-war writing before it starts to drag and lose its impact. I didn't see a single character act OUT of character in this regard (with generous slack allowed for Chrysalis and Sombra who we've only seen narrow slices of in the show) during this chapter. Maybe Shining and Twilight could have had more of a heart-to-heart, but Twilight said what she needed to say and Shining couldn't accept it so they had to tough it out. Sometimes that happens and I'd rather not wade through five to ten thousand more words of rehashed dialog going over the same points Sombra and Chrysalis made.
I'd rather have had Twilight's friends show up to help her than Celestia, but Spike getting her to help is totally acceptable to me too.
I for one find this chapter imminently acceptable with a satisfying bit of Discord at the end.
Question to ClanCrusher: I notice the story isn't marked 'complete.' Is there more? :)
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Honestly, I suppose I just don't think the story is living up to its potential there. For something with a name as dramatic as "a world worth dying for," there is really not a lot of honest introspection and consideration on Twilight's part of the merits of abandoning her quest for what is arguably the much better outcome - which is, to be frank, where I originally saw most of the appeal. This is a story that ought to have been introspective and contemplative, with its premise being what it is, instead of wasting its screentime on generic action scenes. More agonizing and wrestling with the incompatibility between Twilight's duty as a princess to make the world a better place and her own desire to see her real friends again.
Without that inner conflict, what is there to it, really? I came, I saw, and then nothing of consequence happened. I'm hoping the next chapter, whatever it is, will be more satisfying in that sense.
I love how this immediately explains everything to everypony. He's like the Equestrian Aperture Science.
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Fair enough. I can understand missed expectations.
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I dunno, I'm willing to bet that we're not even close to the endgame here. I'd put money on this only being the resolution of the first act, if not earlier. Things are going too well, and I've got trust that ClanCrusher has his act together.
Solid Sombra?
Oh. Wrong cardboard box.
Twilight hesitated. “You mean the one where you and Fluttershy showed up to a party only to find out they were really holding an o-”
orgy
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Good points and all but there is the rule of existence or something like that i can't remember what it was actually called but the basics of the rule was that essentially that should a person go back in time and do something say shoot their older version in the head. While the older version would still be dead the shooter would simply be standing there. No paradox no recycling nothing. Just one person doing something, two you's would stand next to each other and there would be no effect. One thing we need to keep in mind is time travel is theoretical and nothing is solid in that field as no one has been recorded for going back in time. So it is quite possible that you could travel back in time and not create a time loop or another universe and you simply just go back in time.
This is seriously a good story
Cant wait to see how it all ends! Lol
Discord, to quote a bear I once knew, is about to have the time of his fucking life.
So that end or what??
A fun and interesting ending and a good story all around. Great work.
I'll be honest, extremely disappointed by such a sudden ending like this. Story should've gone on for another chapter or two. At least you could've shown Twilight meeting her parents and having another struggle with leaving, possibly even meeting the Starlight of that universe and learning from her why she acts like that.
Honestly, Twilight wanting to snap at Glimmer bothers me, as 'Research' more then likely wouldn't have told her anything outside of what she already observed.
The entire country litterally depending on six people getting along is not something to be proud or even respected for, it's a sign of just how incompetent the rest of the government and military are and how close the world is to crumbling at a moments notice.
I thought the ending was fine. A bit miffed that it kinda turned into a fix-fic, but overall the story was interesting and managed to keep me interested.
7372545 our world is no different.
Think world war and nazis.
If they had gotten the bomb before we did the entire world would be different.
All it would have taken was one successful spy, or one of our scientists going a different route with the experiments.
There are many linchpin moments in history that could change everything, and this just happens to be theirs.
7372684 Or Heisenberg not leading the German project down a blind alley for years
really?
i mean i liked the ending but it feels like it skipped a lot.
like twilight saying goodbye and who knows what discord is doing.
but that said id LOVE to see this continue in another story the universe where twilight is dead i mean XD