History YMMV / ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell

* HarsherInHindsight: In this AU, Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns all live in near-perfect harmony a thousand years after Twilight's time. Gen 5 on the other hand takes place at least that far into the future and the previews have shown us that Earth Ponies paper their towns with posters implying Pegasi are demonic monsters out to slaughter them and with the exception of Sunny, react to Unicorn Izzy by running around in such a panic you'd assume the world was about to end; not to mention that the synopsis tells us Harmony ''as a concept'' has pretty much vanished.
** Related: this AU has magic slowly dying off despite the harmonic existence of ponies with each other. Gen 5 have magic ''outright gone'', to the point that Pegasus wings and Unicorn horns serve no practical purpose since their intended use doesn't work without magic.

** The series portrays ahuizotls as good guys in general, and one of them as the leader of the new Bearers, at a time when the only known member of the species in canon was a villain. Then Season 9 reveals that he's actually an official treasure guardian and was therefore good all along.

* GeniusBonus: A fair deal of background information and details rely on obscure knowledge that most readers do not realize during the first read. Examples include:
** The name of Cantagel Canal is a combination of "Canterlot" and "Tintagel" ("-tagel" being Cornish for "narrow"). In legend, Tintagel was where King Arthur, who would later make Camelot his main court, was conceived.
** The Blas Bridge, which houses the turbines that supply energy for the city, is named for an alchemical term meaning "a force that causes motion and change".
** Xvital’s home is inspired by (and named for) Tenochtitlan, a city-state that became the capital of the Aztec Empire, brought on by her species being out of Myth/AztecMythology. Her possible brother Maxtla is named after a historical figure who was defeated by the Triple Alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, which became the basis of the Aztec Empire.
** Vix-Lei comes from the island of Ledra in the Minos Islands. The former is named for a former real-world city-state in the Mediterranean, while the latter are named for King Minos II, whose wife Pasiphae was mother of the minotaur in Myth/ClassicalMythology.
*** Vix-Lei's skirt shares a color scheme with the flag of modern-day Nicosia (the capital city of the Republic of Cyprus), which stands where the historical Ledra once did.
** Vix-Lei mentions a temple to the god Comus at one point. Comus is the son of Dionysus and god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances in Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** Three street names in chapter 26 are loosely based on the names of real streets in Chicago:
*** "Lower Temple Drive" is a one-word-swap of the name "Lower (level of) Wacker Drive".
*** "White Shine Avenue" is a rough translation of "Wabash Avenue" ("Wabash" is derived from a name roughly meaning "it shines white"), which intersects the ''upper'' level of Wacker Drive.
*** "Bearer Street" is named for "[=LaSalle=] Street" (which, in real life, also intersects the upper level of Wacker Drive), for fictional character [[Series/NCISNewOrleans Christopher LaSalle]] (part of his first name translates as "bearing"), and for the original six Bearers of Harmony.
** [[spoiler: Chapter 28 has Page, when she reveals herself as a changeling/unicorn hybrid, give her real name as "Lamella", after the blade-like scales that cover the wings of a moth or butterfly. This definition is also given in-universe in chapter 10 of the sequel.]]
** [[spoiler: With the reveal of Page's true nature as a changeling/unicorn hybrid, a lot of her previous interactions with other changelings suddenly make a lot more sense. ''Especially'' after it comes out that she's their ''queen''.]]
** Chapter 35 mentions a couple of areas that had been part of the Roamane Empire, including Aneighzighen (pony version of Carthage and named for the Amazighen, an alternate name for the Berbers, the indiginous inhabitants of the area where Carthage was built) and Cattaballon (pony version of Spain, a combination of the words “Catalan” - one of the provinces of Spain, which was home to the now extinct Catalan horse - and “caballo”, the Spanish word for horse).
** Chapter 43 introduces Xvital's former (and again) fiancé Tizoc and reveals she left him because of his mother Chantico convincing her to do so. "Chantico" is named for the Aztec goddess of precious things and is very defensive of her possessions... a rather fitting name for someone who is very particular about who her son marries. Tizoc, on the other hand, is a just plain PunnyName: the historical Emperor Tizoc was the seventh tlatoani (or ruler) of Tenochtitlan, who had a brother and successor, ''Ahuitzotl''... named for the same species (with just a slightly different spelling) that this story's Tizoc is a member of.
** Chapter 44 introduces King Well Banded, whose name was very cleverly designed as a sneaky ShoutOut to a certain pair of authors. [[spoiler: Specifically, Stephen and Owen King, two men who happen to write horror fiction... and who better to serve as the sources for the name of the stallion who was possessed by the Nightmare?]]
*** First off, "well" comes from the fact that if you trace the name "Owen" back, you will find it is the modern form of "Owain", itself the Welsh form of "Eugene", which means "well born".
*** Second, the name "Stephen" means "crown"... and "crowned" can also translate into "banded" ("band" is a translation of "diadem", a type of crown).
*** The names Stephen and Owen belong to a father-and-son pair with the surname "[[Creator/StephenKing King]]".
** In ''Picking Up the Pieces'', one of the guards - a close friend of Tizoc's, who was present when the Nightmare's host was revealed, and tried to protect Xvital from him - is revealed to be named Axayacatl. In Aztec history, Axayacatl was the older brother of the Emperors Tizoc and Ahuitzotl.

** [[spoiler: The first story ended in August 2017, a little over two months before season 7 ended, and both have similar Big Bads - "Shadow Play" features the Pony of Shadows, a dark entity that has taken corporeal form by possessing the body of Stygian, and their separation leads to the host being saved and the villain locked away. Similarly, the Nightmare is a Power that eventually possessed a living host until being separated from it and sent away, while King Well Banded is freed. (The biggest difference is that Stygian meant well and was tricked by the Shadow, while King Well Banded was just plain taken over and is still kind of a jerk even after being freed.)]]
** The series portrays ahuizotls as good guys in general, and one of them as the leader of the new Bearers, at a time when the only known member of the species in canon was a villain. Then Season 9 reveals that he's actually an official treasure guardian and was therefore good all along.
** The series starts with Canterlot Castle getting blown up, and eventually being rebuilt. Season 9's finale ''also'' has Canterlot Castle getting blown up, and eventually being rebuilt. The only difference is that there weren't any fatalities in the latter case.

** [[spoiler: Chapter 28 has Page, when she reveals herself as a changeling/unicorn hybrid, give her real name as "Lamella", after the blade-like scales that cover the wings of a moth or butterfly.]]

** The series portrays ahuizotls as good guys in general, and one of them as the leader of the new Bearers, at a time when the only known member of the species in canon was a villain. Then Season 9 reveals that he's actually an official treasure guardian and was therefore good all along.

** Successors to the Elements that include a griffin and Changeling? Not so implausible given how Season 8 started.
** [[spoiler: The first story ended in August 2017, a little over two months before season 7 ended, and both have similar Big Bads - "Shadow Play" features the Pony of Shadows, a dark entity that has taken corporeal form by possessing the body of Stygian, and their separation leads to the host being saved and the villain locked away. Similarly, the Nightmare is a Power that eventually possessed a living host until being separated from it and sent away, while King Well Banded is freed. (The biggest difference is that Stygian meant well and was tricked by the Shadow, while King Well Banded was just plain taken over and is still kind of a jerk even after being freed.)]]

** Xvital’s home is inspired by (and named for) Tenochtitlan, a city-state that became the capital of the Aztec Empire, brought on by her species being out of Aztec myth. Her possible brother Maxtla is named after a historical figure who was defeated by the Triple Alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, which became the basis of the Aztec Empire.
** Vix-Lei comes from the island of Ledra in the Minos Islands. The former is named for a former real-world city-state in the Mediterranean, while the latter are named for King Minos II, whose wife Pasiphae was mother of the minotaur in Greek mythology.
*** Vix-Lei's skirt shares a colour scheme with the flag of modern-day Nicosia (the capital city of the Republic of Cyprus), which stands where the historical Ledra once did.
** Vix-Lei mentions a temple to the god Comus at one point. Comus is the son of Dionysus and god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances in Greek mythology.

*** In ''Picking Up the Pieces'', one of the guards - a close friend of Tizoc's, who was present when the Nightmare's host was revealed, and tried to protect Xvital from him - is revealed to be named Axayacatl. In Aztec history, Axayacatl was the older brother of the Emperors Tizoc and Ahuitzotl.

** Chapter 44 introduces King Well Banded, whose name was very cleverly designed as a sneaky ShoutOut to a certain pair of authors. [[spoiler: Specifically, two men who happen to write horror fiction... and who better to serve as the sources for the name of the stallion who was possessed by the Nightmare?]]

*** The names Stephen and Owen happen to belong to a father-and-son pair with the surname "[[Creator/StephenKing King]]".

** Chapter 44 introduces King Well Banded, whose name was very cleverly designed as a sneaky ShoutOut to a certain pair of authors. [[spoiler: Specifically, two men who happen to write horror fiction... and who better to serve as the sources for the name of the stallion who was possessed by the Nightmare?]][[note]]''Who?'' Who are these authors? One is Stephen King, but the only obvious connection to another is H.G. Wells, who wrote science fiction, not horror.[[/note]]

** Chapter 44 introduces King Well Banded, whose name was very cleverly designed as a sneaky ShoutOut to a certain pair of authors. [[spoiler: Specifically, two men who happen to write horror fiction... and who better to serve as the sources for the name of the stallion who was possessed by the Nightmare?]]

* HilariousInHindsight: Successors to the Elements that include a griffin and Changeling? Not so implausible given how Season 8 started.

* HilariousInHindsight: Successors to the Elements that include a griffin and Changeling? Not so implausible given some of the leaks for Season 8 that have come out.

*** The names Stephen and Own happen to belong to a father-and-son pair with the surname "[[Creator/StephenKing King]]".

*** In ''Picking Up the Pieces'', one of the guards - a close friend of Tizoc's, who was present when the Nightmare's host was revealed, and tried to protect Xvital from him - is revealed to be named Axayacatl. In Aztec history, Axayacatl was the older brother of the Emperors Tizoc and Ahuitzotl.

*** The names Stephen and Own happen to belong to a father-and-son pair with the surname "[[Creator/StephenKing King]]".

** Chapter 43 introduces Xvital's former (and again) fiancé Tizoc and reveals she left him because of his mother Chantico convincing her to do so. "Chantico" is named for the Aztec goddess of precious things and is very defensive of her possessions... a rather fitting name for someone who is very particular about who her son marries. Tizoc, on the other hand, is a just plain PunnyName: the historical Emperor Tizoc was the seventh tlatoani (or ruler) of Tenochtitlan, who had a brother and successor, ''Ahuitzotl''... named for the same species (with just a slightly different spelling) that this story's Tizoc is a member of.

** [[spoiler: With the reveal of Page's true nature as a changeling/unicorn hybrid, a lot of her previous interactions with other changelings suddenly make a lot more sense.]]
** Chapter 35 mentions a couple of areas that had been part of the Roamane Empire, including Aneighzighen (pony version of Carthage and named for the Amazighen, an alternate name for the Berbers, the indiginous inhabitants of the area where Carthage was built) and Cattaballon (pony version of Spain, a combination of the words “Catalan” - one of the provinces of Spain, which was home to the now extinct Catalan horse - and “caballo”, the Spanish word for horse).

** [[spoiler: With the reveal of Page's true nature as a changeling/unicorn hybrid, a lot of her previous interactions with other changelings suddenly make a lot more sense.]]

** [[spoiler: Chapter 28 has Page, when she reveals herself as a changeling/unicorn hybrid, give her real name as "Lamella", after the blade-like scale that cover the wings of a moth or butterfly.]]
** [[spoiler: With the reveal of Page's true nature of being a changeling, a lot of her previous interactions with other changelings suddenly make a lot more sense.]]

*** "Bearer Street" is named for "[=LaSalle=] Street" (which, in real life, also intersects the upper level of Wacker Drive), for fictional character [[Series/NCISNewOrleans Christopher LaSalle]] (part of his first name translates as "bearing"), and for the original six Bearers of Harmony.

** Vix-Lei mentions a temple to the god Comus at one point. Comus is the son of Dionysus and god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances in Greek mythology.