Skyrim

About this mod

This mod was originally a fix for the existing pony horse mod by zdzichorowerzysta and demon pony Shadowmere mod by whalecakes, fixing the crash to desktop issue. Now, it adds unique pony mounts, summonable ponies, perks to enable multiple (pony) summons, playable race (by polymorph spells) and pony companions.

Now available for SSE.

Permissions and credits
MOST RECENT UPDATES:

10/14/17:  Added Crimes Against Nature addon under optional files.  Fancypants (author of Crimes Against Nature) created this addon, it replaces most of the companion models with alternate versions that are less broken and have more animation and facegen data, though currently I am still not able to get speech animation working.  This requires Crimes Against Nature to be installed to work.  Load order should be Crimes Against Nature --> pony mod --> CaN pony addon.  If the new models are headless or have some other problem, make sure the pony_no_crash_mod CaN addon.bsa file is in your data directory, and if it still happens, you can download the already-extracted texture and mesh files as well in the optional files section.

Crimes Against Nature can be found here:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/86902/?

3/14/17:  Fixed Celestia's fire cloak graphic.

3/13/17:

Added Celestia companion, voiced by itsannachloem, and several dozen other voice clips (from the show) to the existing companions.  Rebalanced most companions to be similar in damage output.  Applejack and Maud now have a flat damage boost at level 1 instead of a 50% boost and are no longer weaker at low level or stronger at high level compared to the others.  Others' cast on hit chances were increased.  All companions now have 25% resist magic and a passive armor buff to compensate for followers/summons now being affected by game difficulty settings.  Luna now has an AOE that will do low damage+slow anything not undead.  Celestia has one that will do medium damage to undead.  Both had their cloak range cut in half (50 feet compared to Luna's previously being 100 feet).  Special thanks to Kevin Schnaubelt for support, testing, and production.


***Pony race is NOT available in the character creation menu, it is accessed by polymorph spells located in a chest the Bannered Mare in Whiterun, across from the main entrance and up the ladder.

Skyrim My Little Pony mod allows you to play as a pony, with a unique arsenal of new spells, abilities, and custom followers, and without disabling much of the interface as the werewolf and vampire transformations do.  You can still access your inventory and spells, unlock doors, loot corpses, etc. - No DLC or requirements, though normal spells and shouts will not work while transformed and will cause CTD without SkyTweak.

OLDER UPDATES:

***11/3/16:  Made available for SSE.  Link is below.  Unfortunately, the mod currently doesn't work as well in SSE; polymorphs are likely to cause CTD and Spike/dragon summons have huge hitboxes.  I've removed them from the SSE version, but they are still available through the console.
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2704/?

5/21/16:  Added Moondancer, Sunset shimmer mounts/summons, changed a couple file formats.  Sunset Shimmer's mane made by Gonzalolog.

2/23/15:  made test version with .fuz files the main file since it works for me and no reports of it being bugged (mod audio would be silent).

2/13/15:  Added a test version that replaces most .wav files with .fuz files.  This makes the mod much smaller.  Need feedback on whether it works for most people or not.  If you want to test, delete the mod fully before reinstalling, make sure the .wav files from the original version are gone.

12/22/14: Added Trixie and Maud companions/polymorphs/summons/mounts, Vinyl mount, removed all abilities from mounts (I had them before companions were part of the mod, between having the companions and some complaints that they were OP, it's no longer necessary) returned dragon default speed to normal, Spike will need an optional file from Nexus to move fast again (which will make all dragons move very fast while on the ground). All new mounts are at Whiterun stables. 

HOW TO START
For summons and playable pony race, spells can be found in a chest the Bannered Mare in Whiterun, straight across from the main entrance and up the ladder going to the empty inn room.

Currently playable via polymorph spells:
  • Applejack
  • Celestia
  • Derpy
  • Fluttershy
  • Luna
  • Pinkamena
  • Pinkie Pie
  • Rainbow Dash
  • Rarity
  • Twilight Sparkle
  • Vinyl Scratch
  • Trixie
  • Maud Pie

Each form comes with its own unique spells found under lesser powers.  One of these abilities will be auto-selected in place of your currently equipped shout after shapeshifting.  Most of them have long range attacks built into their left and right melee attacks to compensate for being unable to fire bows.

In order to go back to being human, revert form spells have been included to change back into any vanilla race.  Changing to something other than your original race may cause your face to look stupid.

Summoning spells to summon a pony minion - unlike other summons, most of them will not disappear with time, only if killed or replaced, and will follow you through zones.  Only Raging Twilight Sparkle, Sweetie Bot, and some of Pinkie's clones that are prone to exploding on contact are temporary.

Flying versions can be summoned as well, although their AI is a bit buggy, and they should not be summoned indoors.  If you have the Dragonborn DLC, an optional file is available that includes larger versions of them that can be ridden similar to dragons. 

This mod also comes with rideable ponies scattered throughout Tamriel.  They can be found at various stables and up Mt. Hrothgar.  There are also two difficult high-level encounters (Pinkamena and Nightmare Moon) with their own spell drops. They are initially non-aggressive. You have to enter combat with them by asking to fight.  Pinkamena is at Hanvar's Rest (north of Dustman's Cairn) and Nightmare Moon is in a swamp far south of Windhelm.

COMPANIONS
Pony companions (and Spike) can be found near Riverwood, across the bridge to the northwest.  You may need to save and then load the game once after finding them before they will follow--this is a bug present in most custom companions and is required to activate their scripts.

Currently available are:
  • Applejack
  • Derpy
  • Fluttershy
  • Luna
  • Pinkie Pie
  • Rainbow Dash
  • Rarity
  • Spike
  • Twilight Sparkle
  • Trixie
  • Maud Pie

Most of them have spells built into their attacks similar to the polymorphs.  Applejack does not but hits harder (1.5x) and has more hp.  Maud hits slightly harder (1.15x) but uses her ability less often and also has more hp.
 
INSTALLATION
Just check the mod under data files after starting up Skyrim, or in Nexus Manager if using that. The rest should be automatic. To install manually, download from Nexus and extract into the Skyrim directory. 

UNINSTALL
To remove manually, uncheck it, delete pony_no_crash_mod.esp from the data directory, and if necessary, delete the related files from the mesh, textures, and sound directories. If you're planning to continue playing on the same save and want to uninstall please make sure you change shape to a vanilla race, for example Nord, and then uninstall - or else your save game will be corrupted.

RECOMMENDED MODS
Related compatible mods (not included):

KNOWN BUGS/ISSUES
  • Must be in 3rd person to use melee attacks as a pony.
  • Regular magic does not work while transformed and may cause CTD. Instead, the new pony abilities can be found under lesser powers.  Using the SkyTweak mod will enable regular spells to be used while transformed after setting up hotkeys for them.
  • Wearing multiple armors is possible while transformed.
  • Bows, sneak, power attacks, and normal shouts do not work while transformed.  Bows can be equipped, but will be treated as a melee weapon.  Archery skill will still go up.
  • Skill gains work for weapons but not armor while transformed.
  • Occasional clipping through terrain.  Rarely, the player may start falling upwards.  This can be fixed without having to load by opening the console (~), typing 'tcl' (toggle collisions), hitting enter, then zoning into the nearest indoor area and turning collisions back on (type 'tcl' into the console again).  This will cause the player to fall upwards again for a few seconds then reappear at the zone line, after which it should be fixed.
  • Cannot ride horses while transformed (will fail or crash).
  • Events where the main character does custom animations, such as the execution in the beginning, may cause CTD while transformed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. The spell books are missing or the mod doesn't work at all. What do I do?
A. Be sure you have the most recent version of Skyrim, and that the mod is in the right directory and enabled.


Q. Some or all of the ponies are invisible. I can still see Spike and hear them.
A. There are several things that can cause this.  One is a Skyrim.ini settings issue which can cause the same problem with a lot of mods that use custom textures.  Try this fix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VTZKKTBjpc
First, open Documents/My Games/Skyrim

Then open up the Skyrim.ini file with notepad

Go down to the part where it says:

[Archive]
sResourceArchiveList =Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Textures.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa
sResourceArchiveList2 = Skyrim - Voices.bsa, Skyrim - VoicesExtra.bsa
bInvalidateOlderFiles =0
SInvalidationFile =ArchiveInvalidation.txt 
Change the 0 next to bInvalidateOlderFILES TO 1
Save and close


It may also be a conflict with another texture mod if you have one. Also verify the integrity of the steam game cache, as that often fixes various bugs with mods:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335
If that still doesn't work, Make sure you have the newest drivers for your graphics card.  Check that the mod was unzipped into the Skyrim directory if doing it manually, and that the textures are in the skyrim/data/textures/actors/horse directory, meshes in the skyrim/data/meshes/actors/horse/character assets directory. Try setting the mod to the bottom of the mod list and make sure you have the most recent version.  Two of the horses during the opening cutscene will be invisible no matter what because of a bug in this mod, probably something I screwed up in Creation Kit.

Q. I found the companions but they won't follow. Why?
A. There is a bug with most custom Skyrim companions in which their scripts will not activate until the NPC has been found, and the game has been saved and loaded once afterwards. Save and load the game and then it should work. The same is true for the boss encounters which are now spawned by script after talking to them.



Q. Skyrim crashes when I load this mod, either immediately or shortly after finding/transforming into a pony.
A. This is usually the result of a corrupt install or save game. This happens frequently when installing, uninstalling, or updating mods in general. If it happens only after you find or transform into a pony, it may be a texture issue. Verify integrity of Steam cache, and if that doesn't work, make sure your graphic card's drivers are current and check for conflicts with other mods.

CHANGE LOG

12/22/14: Added Trixie and Maud companions/polymorphs/summons/mounts, Vinyl mount, removed all abilities from mounts (I had them before companions were part of the mod, between having the companions and some complaints that they were OP, it's no longer necessary).  Returned dragon default speed to normal, Spike will need an optional file to move fast again (which will make all dragons move very fast while on the ground). All new mounts are at Whiterun stables. 

10/5/14:  Added an optional file called slow dragons.  If normal dragons are moving much too fast on the ground, this will fix it, though it will make Spike uselessly slow.

8/14/14:  Changed squeeing to occur less.  Now only happens sometimes on greeting, goodbye, and during combat, instead of constantly, and normal horses will no longer squee.  Old squee-silencing add-on moved to old files, though it should still work.  Silenced most normal horse noises (otherwise they would be grunting constantly instead of squeeing).  Removed bouncy footsteps.  Made an add-on to replace them if anyone wants them back.  Normal horses will still make the sound with the add-on as it is tied directly to walking/running animation.  

7/26/14: Added Vinyl Scratch summon and polymorph with bass cannon ability. Inflicts soul drain and does a lot of damage over time (in the form of repeat hits, so it must be aimed like a concentrated spell to be effective, though you can still use other attacks after casting it). Removed the original "summon" spells from the chest and converted some others from cast to lesser ability (shout, works while polymorphed) to reduce clutter. Also added general summon companion spell.

6/20/14: Balanced companions, summons, and mounts again. They now cast less often, do less melee damage at low level, but their damage scales up every 10 levels up to 100. Summons will scale up at half your level and get a damage increase every 20 player levels. Rarity now uses ice spike instead of Ice Storm. Fluttershy now has a 7.5% chance to use force push on hit instead of spitting poison. Applejack still has more hp and hits about 1.5x harder in melee than the others. Pinkamena polymorph now has a right click ability that costs 100 mana, teleports to the enemy (if the projectile hits) and drains a large amount of life. Fixed Raging Twilight's wing color.

5/24/14 - Extra sound pack now available on Steam as well, added list of related compatible mods at the end of the description, feel free to suggest others. There are still limitations while transformed; casting normal spells while transformed does not currently work and may crash the game. Downloading SkyTweak and its hotkey casting optional mod linked below will work, though it will require SkyUI and SKSE, as well as manually rebinding each spell to the key you want. Sneak, bows (at least, you can't fire them), and some other things don't work, but you can do far more than as a werewolf or vampire, and don't need to transform back to loot, talk to people, or interact with things.

3/11/14 - Fixed Polymorph Pinkamena spell.

1/21/14 - Added playable Pinkamena; has lifetaps and dangerous HP-fueled magic attack, but has less natural regen and cannot use healing magic. Balanced (mostly nerfed) companion, polymorph, and rideable mount melee damage. Fixed bug where Rainbow Dash polymorph did far too much melee damage. Applejack (both polymorph and companion) still hits harder than the others. AJ Companion has more life. All companions and mounts now have proper level scaling with the player. Their HP and heavy armor skill will increase with level. Summons' HP will scale with player's level to a much smaller extent. Luna mount's lightning storm call damage nerfed.

1/16/2014 - Learned how to use 3dsmax properly, fixed Rarity's hair, added wings to Twilight, added unique model for Pinkamena. Shrunk dragon pony texture files. Old versions of Rarity and Twilight are available in optional files.

12/13/2013 - Added optional files to silence all squeeing and bouncing sounds from horses. These are not mods but replace the sound files themselves (the horse footsteps with the default skyrim sounds, and the squee with silence). Dragon footstep silencer for Spike is in the form of a mod so that when it is turned off or uninstalled, the rest of the dragons in the game will not still have silent footsteps.

Version 5.3 adds Spike and Luna companions, and also adds a significant bonus to all companions' light and heavy armor skills.

Version 5.2 changes RD's companion and polymorph ability to a projectile instead of a point blank AOE that is much less likely to cause friendly fire, adds a healing spell to the pony spell chest that is usable while transformed (not as strong or efficient as Applejack's, though).

Version 5.1 fixes missing companions, makes bosses triggered instead of automatic.

Version 5.0 adds Derpy companion. She can be found near the others north of Riverwood across the bridge. Produces sweet rolls during combat. Rare chance to go berserk. As the mod is now too large for Steam (Workshop has a 100MB limit), the audio is not included in the Steam version and can only be acquired by downloading the full mod or the extra audio pack from Nexus.
Pony companions can no longer be knocked down. This is to counter a bug that would cause them to disappear or stay down permanently if knocked or shouted down. The bug is caused by their size being much smaller than the base model and occurs unless they are at least as big as the mounts. This change is not applied to the summonable versions so they may still disappear when knocked over. They should be normal after the next fast travel, though.
Nightmare Moon and minions have a longer melee attack range and are less likely to become tripped up by the terrain.

CREDITS: 
This mod was originally an upgraded version of the existing pony horse mod by zdzichorowerzysta and Demon Pony Shadowmere mod by whalecakes, fixing the crash to desktop issue, adding unique pony mounts, conjuration spells to summon them, perks to enable multiple summons at once. 


Special thanks to Kevin Schnaubelt for support, testing, and production

Celestia follower voiced by itsannachloem
https://www.youtube.com/user/itsannachloem
https://twitter.com/annachloemoo

KPshadowsquirrel made the original models and Trixie:

Crimes Against Nature made by Fancypants, who made the CaN addon model replacer with facegen data:

Original pony horse and voice pack mod by zdzichorowerzysta, who converted the Gmod models for Skyrim:

V4+ of this mod uses a modified version of the script in Jared Bangerter's guide to making shapeshifting spells:

New voice packs contain sounds from various MLP:FIM, Witchcraft is Magic, Team Fortress 2, Sega, Hotdiggitydemon's .MOV series and some of the sounds from Zdzichorowerzysta's voice pack.

V5+ Derpy companion contains audio from Alligator Tub Productions' Epic Rage Time: The Incredible Derp:

Demon pony Shadowmere mod by whalecakes (uses the same meshes):

Explosion sound effects:

Pinkamena and Sunset Shimmer model by gonzalolog, converted by me (mane only):
Vinyl Scratch audio from Epic Wub Time: Musicians of Ponyville - Alligator Tub Productions:

Maud Pie by Postal-Code, converted by me (mane only)
http://postal-code.deviantart.com/art/DL-Maud-Pie-440888181
Mod description edits and formatting by teepeezombie

Characters and numerous sounds come from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic television show.
Thanks to Hasbro, DHX media, Autodesk (3dsmax), and the people updating niftools and nifskope.