A virus that transforms the infected into ponies swept over the world. Despite her best efforts to catch this disease and go pony, Ari was not among those transformed. With transformation magic banned forever and demonized by most of society, it appears she's stuck as a human permanently.
Only one group is in favor of turning more humans into ponies: the 'Shimmerists'.
...But they are very pro-ponifiation.
This story more or less takes place in the Pandemic universe. However, it's been updated to take place in the real 2023 and I haven't read the sequels. It's essentially a non-canon spinoff from the original.
Chapters (28)
Is it pure coincidence that Ari looks like Pikamee?
11550977
Yes. Though I do see it.
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So it's basically TCB and Wild Cards sorta setting? Odd.
11551051
Not familiar with Wild Cards... but maybe I should look it up. Not too like TCB though since Equestria isn't trying to get you to ponify. If anything it's the opposite.
If you're unfamiliar with Pandemic the basics are as follows:
-Sunset Shimmer (this is the bad guy) releases a disease that ponifies those who get it
-Twilight stops her and mass vaccinates everyone against it. It's gone now.
-Use of that virus is now outlawed for obvious reasons
And that's really all you need.
11551060
Biological warfare in general is illegal. Not that such a legal standard really serves to stop anything from actually being done.
But that could make for a very interesting storyline in itself, where terrorists are setting off virus-laden dirty bombs in large urban areas and infecting countless individuals with the ponifying virus.
There's nothing so far as to make it non-canon since the events like high inflation and the previous pandemic could simply have been not immediately on the minds of the characters in canon stories.
Well, mostly no. I believe there were more ponies in New York City and connecting suburbs than you describe; not a huge number, but it was in the four-digit range. Considering how many million people live in that region, a pony population of a few thousand represents less than 1% of the population. Any place with a major airport usually had at least some ponies, even if the population was smaller. Still, it could be within canon if it is more that the main character is just getting pony numbers underreported. Unreporting of pony numbers was common in the early days after ETS since so many people were isolating. Apartments country-wide were known to have had the residents forcibly segregate the infected to certain apartments. Many stayed locked up in the apartments until police and firefighters came and forced people to let them go.
11551108
I honestly don't know how much this will contradict canon. The only Pandemic stories I read are the original, Big Apple and Who you Were Meant to Be, so I'm largely ignoring everything from anywhere else and want to be able to just make up whatever.
As far as NY goes: Big Apple takes place in Manhattan (and Staten Island). Brooklyn and Queens actually aren't on the mainland but on Long Island along with Nassua County where Ari lives. If they closed down the bridges early enough they could have reduced the spread... is what I'm going for anyway. It's just important for the setup that Ari be in an approximately 100% human area so that's my excuse. Any ponies on Long Island would have ran away to Manhattan or Jersey.
Also a few thousand ponies in New York City would still only be about 0.1% of the population. So that doesn't change too much.
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It also raises the question of whether the government has any business making it illegal for people to get themselves transformed voluntarily.
11551472
Doubly so if the transformation is done via a virus. Because there are so many pathogens out there capable of altering the host's DNA to at least some extent, thus constituting a transformation at the genetic level.
On second thought, that's a bad line of thought to go down. The pandemic route showed the government would totally take that route.
Huh. You briefly made it into the featured box. Nicely done.
11551489
Well, there might be some grounds for the government getting involved if we're dealing with anything contagious (such that there's a clear risk of more people being unwillingly transformed). If the law prohibits all transformation magic even where no such danger exists, that's another kettle of fish.
I was reminded of the story "Thunder Struck", where a human (Anon) gets struck by lightning and ends up paralyzed form the neck down. There was some speculation in the comments as to whether transforming him into a different species might give him a brand new working nervous system, or if turning him into a unicorn might let him use magic to do stuff. If there are any medicinal uses for transformation magic, then outright banning it would definitely be bad.
I love how in most after stories show everything as a humanity getting back on their feet easy. But as the COVID showed us that in reality it does work that way because people mostly just start capitalism all over each other. Because we have had a hundred years trying to beat out working together out of use. I would take a long while for use to remember and get better.
someone that actually points out the fact that message pointed out was just as bad as what sunset did.
11552841
This story is not realistic either. US will either quickly try to scramble everything they have to initiate a new woldwar or total collapse like soviet.
Is this some kind of propoganda from a tankie?
Sure, unlimited growth is bad, race to the bottom is bad. We know all that, good.
But at the same time, this novel also advocate for "pony" style of goverment. From example i have seen, it's some kind of blend between basically communist and anarchy.
Both of these systems has a glaring problem in most of their interpretations, including the mixed-breed one in this novel.
There are no system to kept leaders and managements face consequence. That's the think that destroy the soviet. Gosplan kept churn out their bullshit, Middle managements scrambled to save their hides, workers got fucked over.
Other thing is transparency. But i cannot draw a conclusion from what little information i have.
Nice
Ill monitor this
Probably will need those two on Contact
dear sunrise storm
so guess what i found over by new york! I found a human purely human (besides this one hair bit) that seems a shimmerist! Im currently monitoring the situation right now so yeah ill check with you later
signed sean
ps: Yeah i know that this is not the same canon but HEY SCREW IT IM BRINGING IT
11553148
Well the fsct is
These are shimmerists
They want a leader
But they want it to be a pony
At least thats what i got here on file
11551649
Indeed
Perhaps let this go
I've seen the power of transformation firsthand(in stories) so I know it has potential
11550980
Id smack twilight if she said that
Maybe even throw in a transformation of my own!
TWILIGHT SPARKLE
we DO NOT DO THAT
YOU FOR ONE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT ESPECIALLY!
but is it really the truth?
???: you may not know me
But lets just say i am similar to the one who SHE killed
I am a alternate version of sunset shimmer
Ponies aren't perfect
No creature is
However Its the magic of friendship that can help ari
11557243
Yeah, easily disproven in other stories set in same universe.
The most notable Shimmerist from the time period in Pandemic Universe was Sunset Blessing, who is known for being a liar, gathering every resource she can whether she needs it or not (hoarding). She also tends to frequently backstab other Shimmerists by reporting on them to the government, so she definitely isn't loyal to people outside those she cares about. She does help others and can be kind, but that is primarily to advance her agendas, at least at the point this story takes place.
11557954
I'm sure she'd never take advantage of someone like Ari though.
11558342
Naw, Sunset Blessing typically just backtabbed radicals, individuals who actually presented potential terrorist threats, something not uncommon in some isolated Shimmerist sects. Her most famous backstab was of a group that got their hooves on a heavily redacted version of the ETS spell. It was too redacted for them to actually piece the spell together, but was useful for other things. She convinced them to share with her since she had built up a large pool of researchers and had financial resources they could only dream of having. She then immediately tipped the government off to them so the government could make arrests and seize the information (while she got exclusive rights to study it, as the goverment's ally).
11557954
Indeed
Perhaps ari will learn
Maybe she can learn from the harmonists?
11558342
Oh trust me
When someone betrays their loyalty
you cant trust them at all
Heh
Nice
Yep she getting canceled then uncanceled
HEY HARMONISTS ARE AWESOME!
they are like shimmerists except they want To interact with humans BUT ALSO EXIST!
...yes i am basically a harmonist
Even when i do practice transformation magic
Shimmerist agenda is literally "i dont quite care for your human politics"
11559883
I reject your politics and substitute my own.
11560177
TAHTS NOT...well maybe it is
But i asked strong hooves the other day and Seriously i think the shimmerists aren't the bad guys
Its the humans!
...wait that aint right
THIS IS WHY IM A HARMONIST
11565663
The Shimmerists have more fun and you know it.
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Man can we please have this political party in real life
11565960
You get the ponies; I'll start the party.
11565801
Yeah but heres the thing
I want this BUT REVERSIBLE
The spell isnt reversible right now
But imagine if someone could Flip from pony and human at will?
That's my wish
I always used transformation for good
But seeing what it is layed out to me
...its hard
I've had accidents with my own ways of transformation
Think of ets but multiversal
Thats why i want to be harmonist
But also allow people to transform
Call me a "Transformist" if you will
11566063
...sorry but i will not let the irl dimension be contaminated while i research it
...fine ari
Ill give you what you want
passes vat of transformative gas
But you must promise me this
You will not mess with it
I got partially transfurred by it
Losing pieces of my original self
Im part animal now
But if you accept it
You will promise me its only gonna be for you
Deal?
11567087
But I'd got to pony jail.
11569059
Dont worry
my people have ways
Thats the reason many dimensions just disappear
I do it to protect others
11569059
Anyways ill read the chapter later
Feels good when you can just stick it to your boss
11569248
True
Shim-curious huh?
Nice
Speaking of
Well Lets just say i kinda Have someone here
she's presumed dead but She was kept alive by me
Say to sunset
...if she was here
She Is off right now
Her eyes are opening
Hey ari!
Been traveling a lot
Seen ponies who live as humans
Humans who live as ponies and all sorts of issues
From five scores to Partials
To DJ and more!
So yeah what im trying to say is that
perhaps one sunset shimmer here is good but another not so much
One sunset HATED humans
Another Loved them
That is the secret of the omniverse
And i wish to protect you from it
11578697
It takes time for your eyes to adjust to the light of Shimmerism.