Bits of Ash

by No one is home

A Discordant Lecture on Alternate Reality

Alright class, Twilight has asked me to teach a class on Alternate History… and obviously I rolled my eyes like dice and I laughed. And then Fluttershy gave the tiniest little “ahem”... it was adorable...and it turns out they were serious. So, let's begin with the very basics of six dimensional timelines. We’ll start with space. I love space. It’s the final frontier, or haven’t you heard. All of Equestria, the entire planet, and even the whole universe exists in space. And it’s a nice universe, I’ll admit. It’s where I keep most of my things.

And all of that: all of equestria, the whole planet, and all of my things exist on one tiny infinitesimal dot on the durational axis called “the present”, which stretches for infinity and quite possibly beyond into the past and future until it finally loops back into itself in the great mobius hamster wheel of repeating history.

And if this were a class on plain old boring linear history, that’s really all you’d need. You have a past, a present, and a days of future tense. What more is there? No, no, no… put your various appendages down. I’m the one who’s here tell you what else there is. And I’ll tell you!

There’s the infinite axis of probability, perpendicular to the axis of duration, measuring the distances between all the things in the universe which haven’t happened, but that might have, or might yet happen. Surf Pony, what if you asked Bug Pony on a date? What if she said yes? What if she said no? What if she was already in an adorable shipment with Fluff Yak? There’s a chance all of those things could be true. That is present probability.

And probability is the axis that most, so called “Alternate History” takes place on. What if Thorax and Spike were exiled from the Crystal Empire? What if Nightmare Moon had won? What if Discord had shipped with Fluttershy and they had conquered the world with the power of true love. Don’t look at me like that, I vacation in at least three timelines where that exact thing actually happened!

But the rabbit hole goes deeper than that, my eager little students. Because there’s a third axis of time… possibility! And here’s where it gets really fun. Because possibility is perpendicular to both duration and probability, and that’s where you find all the things that not only never happened, but never could happen. That’s where you step outside of the bounds of the universe altogether.

“What if a war with the zebra radically derailed the future of Equestria?” That’s probability.

“What if ponies evolved on a totally different planet that orbited the sun and built a great empire that fell into decay, leading to a cataclysmic war with a race of hairless bipeds called ‘humans’.” That’s possibility.

The difference you see is that one timeline shares a universal link, and much of the same history of our own before it diverged. There are many little differences, Twilight Sparkle’s mother had a different name, and she was never a princess. Racial tensions between ponies and zebra were just a mane’s hair more hostile. Nonetheless, it is still Equestria. But the world we are going to look at is much further removed. It is not just a different planet, but a different universe, that works by very different rules. The ponies who live in that future live and die by those rules. You see, it’s one thing to see your own world in ruins, you can always overthink yourself back into some semblance of comfort. After all, just don’t do that one little thing and it never happens. Poof. Not real. And we’re all back in our nifty little universe where there was never a terrible war in the future, and all my things are still safe and sound in the real and present Equestria. But the place I’m going to show you today my little students, has no way back to the safe and comfortable present day Equestria. Because it is not, has never been, and will never be Equestria. The real question is, can you learn from those little ponies? And I can't answer that question. I’m only here to teach, learning is entirely your problem.

Surf Pony, take less notes! Beaky #1, Take more notes! Beaky # 2, take less “weird” notes! Bug Pony! Don’t take notes… I’ve got my eye on you. Tsundere Dragon and Fluff Yak have the right idea. Either pretend to ignore me completely, or stare on in enrapt bewilderment. Just pick one. Two options.

You have a fifty/fifty chance of being right. And a fifty/fifty chance of being wrong. And the whole wide world is at stake. And somepony 200 years ago already made those choices for you. Today Class, we will be learning the difference between fate and destiny. And to aid my teaching of your potential learning we’re going to take a little field trip on Professor Discord’s Magic School Bus. Put your claw down Beaky #2, the reference wasn’t meant for you, and I’m not going to explain it. Just get in the smiling yellow wagon, class. We’re going to Everglow!

Comments

[David Silver]

That was an interesting way of handling the action of this chapter. Onwards!

[Dr Freaky]

You blew my mind O-o

[No one is home]

9121899 Of all the things you could claim I blew, that's the least awkward. Thank you for that. Enjoy the ride. And make sure to check out David's story, "Duet in the Dust" for more super fun No Name and Bullette adventures.

[Dashie04]

“What if a war with the zebra radically derailed the future of Equestria?” That’s probability.

cough Fallout: Equestria cough

Love the story so far. Discord’s rant on timelines is pretty cool.