Honestly, those seem less like alternate timelines...

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

And more like alternate realities than anything.

While its cool and all to try and handwave it away as "BUTTERFLY EFFECT!" the differences in timelines really didn't add up much and were too massively varied.
it seemed less like they were altering the timeline and more like they were Jumping from alternate reality to alternate reality ala Bioshock infinite with far more differences than ones that would be directly linked to the rainboom.

 

I get that they weren't trying to focus on WHAT what have happened so much as just saying "Bad stuff would happen, accept it" if the sonic rainboom didn't occur, and so it should be taken with a grain of salt, but those timelines really seemed like alot more than just the sonic rainboom would have needed to have occured for the various effects.

 

Hell, everything makes more sense if its just assumed to be "bad realities" than different timelines.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Unlikeable Pony

[AmberDust 1,116]

Yeah, these other realities certainly were far fetched, but it was fun seeing how the world would have changed if villain x had won. I think it would have made more sense if Starlight had tried to stop a different event each time, as in...

 

stop the sonic Rainboom=Luna becomes ruler

steal the elements of harmony from Twilight's book=Discord becomes ruler

Trap Twiight and Candence in the cvaes= Chrysalis become ruler

stop the mane six from finding their keys= Tirek wreaks havok

 

Of course, that wouldn't really make sense, seeing as her goal was to split up the mane six rather than screw up the world.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Yeah, these other realities certainly were far fetched, but it was fun seeing how the world would have changed if villain x had won. I think it would have made more sense if Starlight had tried to stop a different event each time, as in...

stop the sonic Rainboom=Luna becomes ruler

steal the elements of harmony from Twilight's book=Discord becomes ruler

Trap Twiight and Candence in the cvaes= Chrysalis become ruler

stop the mane six from finding their keys= Tirek wreaks havok

 

Of course, that wouldn't really make sense, seeing as her goal was to split up the mane six rather than screw up the world.

maybe she should've wasted the Tree of harmony, insead

 

that dictated Twilight's cm, long before the Rainboom. No tree, no Twi getting her cm, and likely no sonic Rainboom to get the 6 together, or become the bearers of harmony

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

Disagree strongly:

Twilight Sparkle: What you're doing goes way beyond cutie marks! Everything we do here in the past – even the smallest change – can snowball into an avalanche of trouble for the future!

Twilight Sparkle: Like I said, everything in the past affects the future, even the tiniest act. And what you're doing leads here. I know I can't stop you, but I thought showing you this might change your mind.

There's a reason why the butterfly effect is used for this story. What happens in the past affects the present, even if it's something tiny. What happens in between the Rainboom and the alternate realities, we don't know, nor should we, 'cause that wasn't the point. How the Rainboom is stopped and each time they're stopped affects the future in some way. And the more times the Rainboom is stopped, the worse the future becomes.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Mr Underhill 219]

ARRGH! temporal-mechanics! *explodes twice*

[sweetolebob18 724]

It is sort of like It's A Wonderful Life, Clarence (the angel) tells George something to the effect "It's amazing what a big hole just one person's absence can leave"

[Singe 2,109]

It would have been something if TS and Spike stayed in the present longer to witness time changing in front of their eyes.