MLP Loops 162
162.1 (Masterweaver)
Nightmare Moon cautiously prodded the pink pony that had just added a crater to her residence. She jumped back when the mare gave out a little groan.
"Ohhhh. Oh." After a moment, the mare managed to push herself up. "Oh. Oooookay, well..." She glanced around. "Okay. Note to self: Do not tease Twilight about her laboratory with outdated scientific concepts. Oh hi Luna!" she added, waving at Nightmare Moon. "Good to see you!"
"...Who art thou and how hast thou the knowledge of my former name?"
"I'm a crazy baker and I know because we've met loooooads of times before. Ooo! While I'm here, want to help me plan a counter-prank on your sister's protege?"
162.2 (Masterweaver)
"...not saying you're not strong, I'm just stronger. Plus, as a human I'd have a bipedal stance--"
"Look, Lemon, it says right here in the rules that shapeshifting isn't allowed!"
"During the match, Nyx. See here? 'So long as the two participants retain a reasonable form decided prior to the match--'"
"Well, yeah, but that was just so that Spike could keep tossing Rarity."
"And this is basically the same thing!"
"Equestria doesn't have humans most loops! There's no way the judges would rule a freaking Space Marine as reasonable!"
"So you do admit I'm stronger!"
"I admit you're bigger and most of that mass is muscle, but if we want to be allowed in the spouse toss competition--"
"I thought it was--?"
"Gender equality, Lemon, try to keep up."
162.3 (Masterweaver)
Twilight looked about Canterlot Carousel with an odd feeling of nostalgia.
Rarity, awake, could easily achieve this with her foreknowledge and pocketed wonders. That, however, hadn't been the case in her first few loops. To find that she could – that she would have done it baseline...
The princess of friendship looked to the unawake unicorn. If she had to put her feelings into words... she might have compared it to a grandmother seeing her daughter earn their cutie mark. Well, great aunt, more likely.
She subtly unpocketed a few small cameras and plugged them around the building, setting them to record. Rarity would love to see what she accomplished. Only the experience of loops kept her from tearing up.
"If wearing a dress will help the shop," she finally managed, "then I say... stick a pin in it!"
162.4 (Masterweaver)
Rainbow let out a melodramatic yawn, knocking on the door of the room. "Miss Spitfire, ma'am? What are you doing in there?"
"There's no time to explain--"
With a quiet roll of her eyes, Rainbow opened the door. "Listen, I know I'm only a reserve, but I do have personal experience saving Equestria from monsters. Whatever it is, I can either help or get somebody who can here in ten seconds. Twenty, tops."
The yellow mare paused, her jumpsuit half zipped. "...alright, alright. I just got a letter. My mother has Pegasitis, and the only known cure is the ice Iris, but they only grow on the crystal mountains."
"Ice Iris, where have I heard that-- oh yeah!" Rainbow grinned. "My friend AJ's growing a couple of them."
Spitfire froze halfway out the window. "...wait, what?"
"Don't get me wrong, she comes from a long family of apple farmers and she is mostly about apples," Rainbow Dash explained. "Buuuuut a pony can only spend so much time around apples before they go a little bit crazy. She started branching out a while back, experimenting, ordering fancy seeds – I dunno if she's got any full-grown Ice Irises, but she ordered them a year ago, and she's just down in Ponyville."
"Oh thank Celestia." Spitfire let out a small sigh, turning to the other pegasus. "Can you take me to her?"
"Absolutely, ma'am." Rainbow saluted. "We can be there and back in twenty minutes."
Could she have exposed Wind Rider? Sure, he was right behind that curtain. But... well... she'd already beaten all his records ages ago. It wouldn't hurt to let the old fogey have some scrap of pride left.
162.5 (Masterweaver)
Rarity pursed her lips as the film stopped rolling.
"...hmm."
Twilight turned to her. "Hmmm?"
"Hmm."
"Ah."
There was a quiet moment.
"I mean," Rarity began, "I should be proud of that achievement, no matter which version of me pulled it off. It's just... a boutique in Canterlot?" She waved a hoof over towards a locked door. "Compared to my material creations lab, I... well, it's just so..."
She shrugged, helplessly. "'Quaint' is the best word I can come up with..."
Twilight nodded. "No, I understand. It's like... looking at an old experiment. Do you know, way back when I started looping, I actually set up a number of them trying to figure the whole thing out? Only the most expensive, restricted set of equipment – Celestia back then was worried too, because neither of us had heard of anything like this..." She let out a little chuckle. "Fat lot of good that did. But... I still remember that time, and I still feel kind of nostalgic thinking about it."
"Hmm." Rarity nodded vaguely. "That's somewhat different though, it's something that... that happened, if that makes sense. Here, though, this is something that... will happen? Should happen?" She gave her companion a wry smile. "Did you invent a tense for this situation?"
"Future Possible tense, yes. Different from future unpossible tense because this is something that would happen baseline without alteration. It's the si prefix."
"Yes, well, you get my point. I have a choice to make here – actually, a number of choices, what with Sassy Saddles apparently preferring trendy sales over fashionable ones – but the thing is..." Rarity rolled her hoof. "When the situation with Moondancer came up, you obviously didn't want it to happen again, so you decided against, well, going baseline – outside unique circumstances. Here, this is something that I... might want? I honestly don't know. It's a net positive, but I... usually, when expansions come, there's something we want to reject. You know, turning Fluttershy into a vampire, letting Tirek rampage about – I'm just a little unbalanced at how good this whole thing went. Will go. Was recorded as it will go." She frowned. "One of these days I really must memorize that tense project of yours..."
"You're... actually surprised that a good thing happened to you?"
"Hmm, yes, that... would summarize it, I believe. It's rather more complicated than just that, of course, but that's one of the core... reactions I'm having." Rarity tapped her chin. "There's also the fact that I could easily run mass distribution and personalized wardrobes at this point, so it's sort of a silly expense – and, oh yes, what to do with Sassy Saddles. It's all rather... overwhelmingly underwhelming? I don't know how to put it into words, Twilight!"
"Why don't you just... think on it," Twilight suggested. "Run this loop baseline, see how you like it, and go from there?"
"...That is a good idea. I... suppose I'll do that, then."
162.6 (continuation of 159.18) (Masterweaver)
Two days later, Sassy Saddles blundered into Berry's bar, wide eyed and stammering. "Ra... dre... ma... fire..."
Berry Punch sighed, gesturing for the unicorn to have a stool. "She was showing off, wasn't she?"
"Fire. Dress fire. Fwoosh, stitch stitch stitch." Sassy managed to get herself onto the stool. "Rarity, fire, stitch stitch. How? How?"
"She cheats, basically." Berry carefully selected one of her more balanced brews. "She once made a dress of her own feathers."
Sassy stared at her. "What... Rarity? Unicorn!"
"Currently."
For a moment, Sassy just stared at the bartender. Then she grabbed the drink with both hooves and gulped it down.
162.7 (Masterweaver)
"...I apologize, but in truth I fear that I have misheard your words, my dear. Did you honestly just suggest that I take as a quest the opening of a laboratory in a mountainside city built upon a quarry?"
"Oh yes!" Sassy Saddles nodded vigorously. "Canterlot is severely lacking in the alchemical arts, and I felt a second location could expand your business quite a bit."
Zecora stared at her for a long time.
"...I'm sorry, but I believe my answer is no. I cannot see any reason to go."
"...and I felt that the success you had in teaching your own students could be replicated tenfold in Canterlot--"
"Miss Saddles, I'm afraid I must correct you. My methods only work because I know my students so well. Attempting to divide my attention would only cause my work to suffer."
The unicorn's ears drooped. "Oh. Well, maybe I could learn your methods and put them in a book for other teachers--"
"My methods are tailored to my class, I'm afraid...."
Diamond Tiara waited patiently.
"...Ah..." The unicorn recovered quickly. "I'm... terribly sorry, I wasn't expecting a master gemcrafter to be so young."
"I get that a lot."
Sassy glanced at the scroll in her magic, looked at Diamond again, then visibly adjusted something going through her head. "W-Well, I was thinking, maybe, you'd like to open a second store in Canterlot...?"
"Hmm." Diamond leaned back. "Well, as much as I would like to hobnob with the nobility, the fact is I'm an underage filly and I can't really do that without my father's permission. He is a businesspony, though, so it's possible... but a lot of his ventures are tied up in Ponyville." She shrugged.
"Ah." Sassy cleared her throat. "I... I see..."
162.8 (Masterweaver)
Twilight warily approached the ring of caution tape and the thick metal dome set within. "Trixie... what's going on?"
"Oh, Discord and Pinkie decided to try to read each other's minds." Trixie gestured at the doom. "I provided the safety features is all."
Twilight blinked. "So... hold on, are you waiting for an explosion?"
"Kinda sorta. It's a stress test of my new shield fabrication method. Tectonium is great, but it's ludicrously hard to create and that's WITH Rarity's help." The blue unicorn shrugged. "See, this is technically pure steel, but created in such a way that--"
A stream of cookie dough suddenly burst from the dome, forming a small puddle between the two ponies. Twilight jumped back, but Trixie just shrugged and adjusted the caution tape to go around the new puddle. After a moment, a long green tentacle reached out, split in two to reveal a mechanical rotary sponge, and started to suck up all the wayward sweet.
"...well, that was five minutes to the first breach," Trixie quipped.
Twilight groaned. "I... I'm just going to leave you guys to it and hope this doesn't crash thheLrg:rlKSGTJKLR:Ghrbppp--0-----
162.9 (Masterweaver, Scorntex)
"...why do you wear a saddle all the time?"
Sassy levitated her clipboard down. "What?"
Rainbow pointed at the mare. "That saddle. You're always wearing it. I can get the dress, sure, but why the saddle? Is it just because it's in your name, or what?"
The unicorn sniffed primly. "I have my reasons."
"What are they?"
"This is a dress shop, miss Dash. If you're not here to purchase a dress, or talk to your friend, I'll have to ask you to leave."
"I'll buy a dress if you tell me why you wear a saddle."
Sassy rolled her eyes. "No deal."
Rainbow waved a hoof at Pinkie. "If you do not tell, my friend and I will return here, every. Day. Of the week."
"Frequent customers? That will encourage ponies looking for the popular dresses."
162.10 (Masterweaver)
"Aren't they just so KIIIUTE together?!" Pinkie squealed, hugging Rarity tightly. "Just look at them, sharing a sapphire-amethyst smoothie!"
The unicorn nodded vaguely. "I... suppose they are..."
"OOOOO! Does this make us sisters in law?!"
"I'd have to say no," Rarity replied slowly. "Looping and nonlooping versions of the same person don't really qualify as the same person and/or related."
Pinkie pouted for a brief second... before shrugging. "Eh, I'll get us all in a family some loop. But back to what matters right now--" She gestured through the window. "SO CUTE! SO SO CUTE!"
"Yes, yes, your sister and Spike are cute. Maybe I'll design them something... before the loop ends..."
162.11 (Anon e Mouse Jr., Gamerex27, Masterweaver, ORBSyndicate, Scorntex)
"...and that is how Starlight Glimmer managed to not only halt the conversion bureau, but become a hero of two worlds in the process," Twilight finished.
"Huh." Rainbow tapped her chin. "Makes sense, all things considered. Still, pretty epic. Taking on Xenolestia like that, she had to have some pretty big brass balls."
"Literally and metaphorically!" Pinkie quipped.
"She goes against a basic tenant of Equestrian society in baseline, Dash. I may not like her, but I've never doubted her sheer determination." Twilight sipped at her mug, glanced around the bar, and a sly grin formed on her face. "Actually... New game. What is the weirdest way you've seen a baseline villain become heroic?"
Chrysalis held up a hoof quickly. "Corollary, villain must not be Awake! Otherwise everypony would be pointing at me and/or Discord."
"Lord Sombra versus the Fiendish Minions of Orthodontistry!" Sweetie Belle declared.
"Lord?" Luna asked.
Celestia stared quizzically at her sister. "You're more concerned about that than evil dentists?"
"... Maybe."
"Tirek ate Sombra." Berry Punch said. "I may or may not have drugged him with something."
"Sombra ate Tirek." Cadence countered.
Discord jumped up between the two of them. "Discord ate every villain simultaneously!"
"Discord!" Chrysalis yelled. "Not Awake!"
"Oh it wasn't me. I was replacing Starlight. A most interesting experience..."
"Being Starlight or being eaten by yourself?"
"Running that little equality town inside my own stomach, actually. But thank you for playing. You win a kumquat."
"There was th' time Starlight Glimmer put her plans into action early," Mac put in. "She snuck into Canterlot and stole Celestia and Cadance's Cutie Marks, an' Twilight's too because she heard 'em talkin' about what it meant, then put all three of 'em into some kind of magically-induced coma while they were too stunned to fight back. After that, she somehow persuaded all th' nobles that th' Princesses and Twilight's own Cutie Marks turned against 'em for bein' so powerful, and that all Cutie Marks would do the same thing some day, unless they got rid of 'em. Seein' what'd happened to their princesses, everypony was too busy fallin' in line to realize they'd been suckered." He shook his head. "Fortunately, a few of us were smart enough to figure out somethin' weren't right, so we painted over ours to make it look like she'd zapped us. We kept our individuality, an' laid low as we tried to figure out how to stop her.
"A few years later, when Nightmare Moon came back, she found Starlight in charge of a nation full of dull, "equalized" ponies, and was so disgusted with what she saw, she almost went back to the moon then and there. But before she could go, Apple Bloom found her, saw she still had her Cutie Mark, and begged her to help. She took her back to th' farm, where we told her about Starlight and how she'd taken over. I Woke Up about then, right as Apple Bloom was beggin' her to stop that maniac an' bring back the Cutie Marks, 'cause what she was doin' jes' tweren't natural." He chuckled.
"Sure as shootin', Nightmare Moon couldn't help herself when she saw the look on that little filly's face. She agreed to help, then went an' spied on Starlight to find out exactly how she'd stolen all the Cutie Marks. Once she found what she was lookin' for, she freed the Marks, banished Starlight to Tartarus for her crimes, an' even woke up her sister, Cadance an' Twilight. When Princess Celestia found out what Nightmare Moon had done, she gave her back her throne right then an' there, without even tryin' to have her de-Nightmared. 'An she made a new national holiday in her honor too, to celebrate how she'd given Equestria back its freedom."
There was a long silence.
"That... is quite possibly the most terrifying thing I have ever heard," Celestia managed. "Twilight, are you sure we shouldn't make stopping her a priority at the start of every Loop?"
"Positive," Twilight told her. "I'm just glad Luna - er, Nightmare - was willing to wake us up after stopping Starlight that time. I would not have enjoyed spending the rest of that Loop Awake, but still in a coma."
There was a pause as a few ponies tried to digest this.
"So, anypony else got one?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Tirek Sunstar?" Pinkie suggested. "Although, I don't know if that qualifies. He was basically a theme-flipped Nightmare Moon, and his brother Tirac was basically a theme-flipped Celestia..."
"And that was a fused loop," Rarity pointed out.
"Tirek, bane of the Derp." Derpy offered.
Everyone begged her for more information.
"My cutie mark that time was entropy, and everywhere I touched literally exploded. It made sleeping quite a problem." She slurped her drink. "I tried sleeping while flying, but that never worked. Anyway, I became a menace. Completely by accident of course. But I kept just.. exploding into places. I completely leveled Applejack's orchard multiple times, somehow managed to blow Cloudsdale into orbit, and causing half of Canterlot to just... vanish.
Anyway, years of this I did sorta manage to not run into things as much, though I kept blowing things up. And nobody could keep me still because the chains would just explode. Then Tirek came, on his rampage, ready to eat all the magic in Equestria. He ate mine removing my ability to explode things, and everyone simply loved him, wanting to become his personal army for conquering. Pinkie actually threw him a party, which destroyed the one building I had somehow managed not to touch that entire loop."
Twilight rammed her horn into the counter. "The library."
"Yeah. Sorry. I tried. Anyway Tirek wasn't actually redeemed... he kinda just decided that he could rule as a hero. The elements eventually did drive him out, though i don't remember exactly how... I was sleeping. I slept till the end of the loop. I didn't wake up until Rainbow unleashed the sonic rainboom next loop."
"There was this one time the Flim Flam brothers mosied over to Sombra's place an' set up shop there," Applejack recalled. "Ah didn't really expect them to actually hire any of them crystal ponies. Or bring along Iron Will to give seminars to increase productivity. Their work ethic an' confidence got so strong, they just up and bucked Sombra out of the kingdom when he tried to come on back."
"...wait, were they trying to help, or were they just doing their usual dirty business?" Ivory Scroll asked.
"Hay if Ah know. Ah think they just ended up helpin everypony by accident: probably just wanted to get some cheap labor, make cheap cider, and set up a corporate town. That'd explain why Cadence kicked them out of the kingdom once she took the throne."
The mayor shivered. "Urgh. There was this one time I Looped in as a mayor of a company town in the Gilded Age. That was horrifying, what went on there. And it took years to organize a union and find enough loopholes in the contract to kick the corporation out of there."
"Okay, so." Sunset put down her mug. "I was going with a whole 'redeem the sirens' path, not too unusual, and I managed to get them good and back to Equestria shortly before Discord's release. Now, what I expected was them to use their singing ability, you know, some sort of tune about 'the power of harmony,' or 'chaos and entropy,' or something."
"So?"
"So... in that loop, siren and seapony were synonymous. As in, Sirens were specifically seapony warrior legends." She winced. "They quite literally drowned Discord in his own chocolate milk. And then later, washed away the changelings, and then they trapped Sombra in liquid crystal--no idea how that worked--basically, the whole loop was spent with them laying a watery smackdown on every antagonist."
162.12 (Masterweaver)
"Alright, I've put this off long enough."
Twilight revved up her chainsaw, glaring at the crystal map in front of her. "I can get you hiding your secrets when you were a lockbox. I can understand that as a fount of missions for us, you're supposed to have a mysterious connection to the powers of fate. But I am a scholar, I am a scientist, I am a tree damn wizard, and I will NOT be mocked by hidden knowledge inside my very own home! So," she finished, lowering the chainsaw slowly, "it's time to see just how you tick. OWL, activate recording. Twilight Sparkle log, experiment HCM 1, beginning initial incision in three, two, onegtklab;dfjgh;parwu90tgeajlb/dfkgO:NUDSO;kflehsnd/lgk--
Twilight Awoke in Unicornia, glancing around and giving a little groan. "Really? G3 again?! REALLY?!"
She kicked at the ground. "Ugh. Fine. Fine, whatever."
162.13 (Masterweaver)
"Twilight?"
"Rarity, just ask. Just ask."
"Why is it that everyone is an alicorn this loop? I mean, even the sheep!"
"I'm going to blame Loki, because Loki."
162.14 (Masterweaver)
"Hey Twi?"
"Yeah Dash?"
"SPOILER ALERT!"
"...wait wh--?"
At this point, Scootaloo clipped the alicorn with one of her plane's wings. "Oh geeze! Sorry bout that!"
162.15 (Masterweaver)
"...Rarity?"
"Yes Applejack?"
"Coco said them Method Mares were... professional actors?"
Rarity sighed. "I've checked. They're... not celebrity tier, but they are top bracket."
Applejack trotted down the lamplit street, musing to herself. "...that's what passes for acting in Manehattan?"
"That's what passes for acting in Equestria, darling." Rarity's ears drooped. "The fact of the matter is... well, ponies in general aren't very good at becoming roles that aren't them. Lying, sometimes, but wearing masks?" She shook her head. "Of all our arts, theatre is the one that suffers the most. I honestly can't tell if our hokey movies are a result of our relative tech level not allowing much theatrical comparison, or if we're really that naive compared to other loops."
The farm mare gave her a look. "Speaking from experience?"
"I used gemstones in the costumes for a children's play. Yes, I was just a foal, but... our entire culture has a lack of subtlety, preferring explosions of color and shapes to fades in and out. It's... I don't know how to describe it, I mean I do love it but just limiting myself to one style?!" The unicorn swung a hoof at the lamplight. "It's... it's like artistic light pollution! These streetlamps are everywhere and ponies like them, but the stars are drowned out!"
"Huh. You feel pretty passionate about this, don'cha?"
"Sometimes. Sometimes I just feel... drained." Rarity chuckled wryly. "It's an artsy thing, I suppose. But, yes, there are some actors in Equestria that are... definitely better than the Method Mares, but they're considered avant garde."
162.16 (Masterweaver)
Twilight grinned to herself as her comm beeped. She had a good idea who was on the other side, and what they wanted to talk about.
"Ye-low, this is Twilight Sparkle, if you don't know what you're handling please bring it to my palace--"
"Ya'll could have told me Mac was going to try to join me in the social!"
"Oh come on, Bloom, it's an expansion!" Twilight adjusted the comm, carefully pouring some chemicals into a few beakers. "Surprises for all! And he did look good in a dress--"
"He's going to wear a dress?!" There was a low groan on the other end. "Ah thought he was just gonna be himself! Ah only realized what was going through his head a minute ago!"
"Trust me, you do not want to miss your dear sweet cousin Orchard Blossom. Quite a sight, if I do say so myself."
"Nnnnnnnrgh--Ah guess at least Applejack's not Awake for this..." There was a sigh. "Shame Rainbow Dash is though."
"It's not really that bad," Twilight pointed out. "I mean, we're technically a semi-nudist society with clothing generally being considered an affection of personality rather than a cultural requirement. Really, the only reason we as loopers are unnerved by the concept is because of our frequent interaction with humans and other such clothing-oriented groups."
There was silence on the other end.
"Plus," Twilight added, "he really pulls off the look."
"Alright, that's it, Ah'm hanging up now." With a click, the comm fell silent.
Twilight shrugged, turning back to her beakers. "She'll get over it."
162.17 (Masterweaver)
"...wait, seriously?"
Berry Punch nodded. "Seriously! They let me race with my own daughter!" She paused and frowned for a moment. "They wouldn't let me join with Cheerilee, though. It makes sense, since the event's more for the foals, but she's the pony who's actually my sister--"
"Well, I know they let Celestia and Luna join sometimes," Twilight mused, "but that could be just because they're princesses and whatnot..."
"You know, though, I was thinking." Berry leaned over the table. "What if, next loop, we got all our foals together for sister-hoof shenaniganery? Like, you could enter with Nyx, and Zecora could enter with Silver Spoon – I don't know who Diamond would enter with, exactly, but you get the idea."
After a moment, Twilight nodded. "That's actually a pretty good idea! Maybe we can talk to the CMC to see if they'll mix up their partners too...."
"Oh, that could be fun."
162.18 (Masterweaver)
Silver Spoon hummed to herself as she set out her Ping, smiling at the number she received back. A lot of loopers were Awake, which was always good. Twilight would certainly be happy--
Her ear perked as she felt a shift in magic right outside her door. She turned to it with some confusion, but smiled broadly when she opened it. "Diamond! Good to see... you?"
Diamond Tiara sighed. "...so. Expansion. My mother... has, uh, stabilized."
"Oh my gosh, Diamond, I'm so... happy for you?" The silver kelpie (currently) frowned as she took in her friend's drooping ears. "...is... isn't that a good thing?"
"...her name's Spoiled Rich."
Silver winced. "Oh."
"She's a socialite. High class."
"Ah."
"...she doesn't like it... when I fail..."
Silver Spoon stepped to the side quietly, gesturing for Diamond to step in. The pink filly trudged through the door.
"It's just... Twilight did warn me, but I didn't... I didn't want to believe it. I mean, before, she could be dead, or divorced, or-- or whatever, and I didn't like it, but I treasured... I treasured the times we had together, the loops where she still existed. I liked my mother, no matter who she was, because... because luck of the draw meant she was usually, you know, a mother. And now..." Diamond sat down. "And now I have Spoiled Rich, and she's... she's what made my baseline self so... you know. And the thing is, I look at her and... I don't know. I don't feel like she's my mother. Not like the ones I had before, you know? She's... I don't..."
Without a word, Silver Spoon shut the door, shifted her body, and lay down next to her friend.
Diamond blinked as a big fluffy tail wrapped around her. "...fox? Really?"
"Trust me, squirrels at this size look creepy." Silver nudged her gently. "Now shut up and enjoy the warm fuzzies."
The filly managed a small smile, for the briefest of moments. Then she sighed.
It would be a long while before either of them moved.
"Aha!"
Nyx strode into the bedroom, pointing at the other four fillies and large grey fox. "Momma said you'd probably be here, and she was right! You're all here!"
"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head. "Getting cutie marks in baseline is... cool and all, but when we figured what Diamond would have to go through--"
"Yeah, I know she soloed it and you three went through it unawake. And you know what? Comforting her, that's a good thing, props to you lot. But I have a problem with this situation."
There was an awkward pause.
Diamond Tiara eventually emerged from the fluffy tail. "Um... there are a number of problems, actually--"
"I am the literal manifestation of a goddess's self-loathing," Nyx continued, "mixed in with some rage and a minor guilt complex. That means that I get to be the brooding darkmare. If anypony else is angsting more than me, something is seriously wrong! So you know what, we are going to address your problems head on, and get through this together as quickly as possible, because otherwise I won't be able to build my moon death ray in good conscience!"
There was another awkward moment.
Diamond's face twitched. She snorted. She tried, very desperately, to keep a serious face.
Then she just gave up and fell over laughing.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Nyx, you're Honesty, I'm Laughter, get it right." There was a big grin on her face regardless.
162.19 (Masterweaver)
"Three ponies got almost the same cutie mark simultaneously?!"
Twilight nodded. "Yes, Moondancer. It was really quite--"
"Do you know what this MEANS?!"
"...well, depending on who you ask, it could mean that they're good friends, the world's largest cutcenara, that fate has a sense of--"
"THIS CALLS FOR SCIENCE!"
Fortunately for everypony, the loop ended three minutes later.
162.20 (Alexrior, geohikari152, Hvulpes, Masterweaver, Purrs)
Twilight gave out a groan of frustration as she wore yet another rut into her library. Her mentor, who was visiting at the moment, was watching curiously from her spot.
"Twilight, what is the matter?" Celestia asked, lifting a cup of tea to her lips in her usual serene manner.
The lavender unicorn huffed. "I just realized that, in all this time in the loops, I never did find out how Sunset knew to enter the portal, and how she managed to figure out I had a crown! It's been nagging me for ages!" She huffed again.
"Actually, it's rather simple," Celestia said after a small sip of her tea.
Twilight turned, raising her eyebrow at her mentor. "Oh?" she asked with interest.
"I used the journal to contact Sunset. I wrote her all the time, she just never answered. How else did you think she knew to steal the Element of Magic in baseline?"
Twilight blinked. "...That... actually explains a lot."
Later...
"...so when Celestia told me that, it's as if everything made sense again." Twilight paused. "Wait. Suppose you got all your information from there, how the hay did you know what my crown looked like?"
Sunset shrugged. "I didn't."
"Wait, what?"
"I simply theorized that the new Fall Formal crown was a counterpart item, and got lucky when my hypothesis that it actually corresponded to the Element of Magic turned out to be true."
Twilight blinked again. "Huh." She thought for a moment. "Wouldn't that mean there would be some necklaces to be counterparts to the other Elements of Harmony?"
"Yep. But those are for the Fall Formal Queen's court. For some reason, they get picked the day after the main dance. Letting somebody be Queen for a Day or something like that," explained Sunset. "By the way... Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie did get them, and each of them got the correct necklace," she added.
"Actually, that sort of makes sense. Hey, with me being a Princess in Equestria and a Fall Formal Queen here, with counterparts of my friends being my Court, wouldn't that make my friends in Equestria my Ladies in Waiting or something?"
As Twilight finished speaking, a squeal of delight (which kind of sounded like a certain fashionista) echoed from the statue at Canterlot High. Both humans raised their eyebrows.
"Well, Rarity sounds happy about that," Twilight commented. "How she heard it from another universe... no, not again. That way leads to Pinkie Sense Madness," she finished.
162.21 (Masterweaver)
Twilight Sparkle was halfway to her tower when space rippled in front of her, a ragged portal spitting out a familiar pink pony. "Hey, Pinkie, what's--?"
"Twilight!" Pinkie grabbed her friend's shoulders tightly. "Have you gone through the recent expansion?!"
The unicorn smiled, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Pinkie. I have. You don't need to worry about keeping it secret from me."
"OH THANK EVERFREE." Pinkie collapsed on the ground with a huge smile. "You know it was really hard with that stealth anchor, I just don't think I could have kept myself from blurting out--"
"Oh, but Cadance hasn't yet," Twilight added as an afterthought. "I wanted to surprise her, you know?"
Pinkie's grin froze.
Very calmly, she stood up, turning her gaze to the purple unicorn and staring at her for ten whole seconds.
"...Excuse me for a second, would you please?" She stepped back through the portal.
Nightmare Moon, busily preparing for her soon-to-be escape, jumped suddenly as an unholy scream reverberated throughout the ground she was standing on. "What in Mother's name was that?!"
162.22 (Evilhumor, Masterweaver)
"Wait a minute, why's everypony so worried?" Vinyl asked. "I mean, new baby, yeah, but the kid's not coming for a few expansions or so, plenty of time to prepare--"
She was promptly assaulted by a bevy of whatever objects the loopers had on hoof.
"Whoa, Shiny!" Cadence shrieked as she tossed across the room, landing square on the poor unicorn of Blunt Honesty. "Careful!"
"Sorry Caddy!" Her husband blushed, rubbing his neck. "Gut reflex and all..." He let out a trail of embarrassed chuckles, eyes darting to the side.
"Very cute and all, but would someone get her off of me!" Vinyl squeaked from under the expecting mare.
162.23 (Masterweaver)
"So... you couldn't meet me in person?" Trixie asked the changeling drone, leaning back in her chair. "I'm hurt, Chrysy, really I am."
The drone had the decency to look embarrassed, fiddling with a menu. "Yeah, I... well, I kind of feel the need to stay around Cadance right now."
Trixie rose an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like taking her place anymore--"
"No no, it's not that. It's just – there's this new expansion, and she, well, she found out she was pregnant--"
"OHMYGOSH!" Trixie grinned widely. "REALLY?! THAT'S INCREDIBLE!"
"Yes, it's amazing, I get it, but she doesn't give birth before the loop ends!"
Trixie blinked. "...I... thought that was impossible, though--"
"It's a bit of a loophole," the drone hedged. "She is, eventually, going to give birth – Sleipnir came down to personally assure her of that – but at the moment, she ends the loop still... you know, hormonal. And it kind of carries over..." The drone waggled a hoof. "I personally think it's psychosomatic, but the point is that for the forseeable future, Cadance is going to end almost every loop with cravings and possibly mid moodswing. Kind of a jarring adjustment, if you catch my meaning."
The unicorn sighed. "Yeah, I have loop memories from variants where Silver's my daughter. Or Twilight, sometimes. I can see how that would be a problem." She gave the drone a glare. "Still doesn't explain why you need to be there personally, Chrysalis."
"It's a personal touch, I'll admit," the drone allowed. "But you know, better that I handle this directly rather than let, say, a mindless drone do it. And yes, the drones are mindless this loop, I checked...."
162.24 (Masterweaver)
Chrysalis tittered good naturedly, sipping her tea. "I can imagine! The poor dear must have been so confused..." She tilted her head curiously. "...How many Ichigos are there across the multiverse?"
"Oh, quite a few I'd imagine. From what I've heard, the shinto pantheon was quite imaginative back in the day--" Fluttershy frowned as the teapot she held failed to produce any tea. "Oh, conifer. All out already? This is so embarrassing, that was my last batch."
Leman Russ, currently a cute pegasus colt, rolled his eyes. "I told you we were running low yesterday."
The queen of changelings chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Fluttershy, I don't mind."
"Oh, but it... it just doesn't feel right to have a tea party without, you know, tea." Fluttershy stood up awkwardly. "I'm terribly sorry about this... would you two mind if I went to the market and bought a couple more brews?"
"If you insist," Chrysalis replied with a reassuring smile. "Me and Leman can just talk about things while you're gone, how the Warp is doing these days, that sort of thing."
The pegasus colt shrugged. "Same old blood and chaos. Don't worry, little mother, we'll be alright."
Fluttershy smiled gently. "I'll only be a few minutes. Try not to kill each other," she joked as she left the cottage.
Leman chuckled as the door shut. "Kill each other... That'd be pretty difficult. I mean, no offense, Chryssi, but you're a stealthy kind of mare, and I was made to battle demons. If we did fight, only one of our deaths would be ensured."
Chrysalis smiled and put her teacup down. "I know. That's why I laced my drink with sedative venom and swapped our cups while you weren't looking."
"Hahaha... wait. Wh--?"
The next thing that Leman knew, a holey limb had pinned his entire upper body against the wall and the changeling's face had morphed into a rictus-inducing snarl.
"Listen to me very closely little man," Chrysalis growled, "because I am NOT going to be repeating myself. It doesn't matter whether a person's existence is carefully constructed and plotted out or if they were just some freak accident, nobody is meant to exist. They make meaning out of their own existence through their own actions. So maybe your damned emperor built you up to be a glorious warrior for his little blue planet, so what? Most people are just born like normal; heck, me and Nyx break baseline just by being ourselves. And you know what? We're better for it. The world is better for it. The damned multiverse is better for it!"
She leaned into the struggling colt's face. "So if I ever hear you said anything about people who 'weren't meant to exist' again, I will personally go up to the chaos gods and have them Pinkie Pie swear to torment you for ten loops straight. At minimum. The only reason I haven't done so yet is because you were at least smart enough to realize you were in the wrong and somehow, somehow, got Nyx to forgive you. Do I make myself completely and totally clear?"
"Y-Yes," croaked Leman. It was definitely a croak from lack of air, and not a squeak of terror. "C-Can you put me down now please?"
Chrysalis glowered at him for a moment.
Then she let him drop to the floor, wheezing for breath.
"Well, I feel much better now, getting some of that off my chest." Her face once again a friendly mask, Chrysalis helped the colt up to his feet. "I'll admit I'm still sorely tempted to tear you apart and pummel you into oblivion, but that would be quite rude and honestly I think I got my message across. I think I'll head back to the badlands now and make some red dragons black and blue, they're really a terrible breed this loop. And no," she added over her shoulder, "you can't come."
"G.... got it."
Fluttershy opened the door. "You wouldn't believe the luck I had! I managed to snag the last box!" She held up the brew with glee.
Chrysalis gasped. "Oh, it's my favorite blend too! But... I'm terribly sorry, Fluttershy, some queenly business just came up and I'm afraid I'll have to dash." She leaned down and nuzzled her. "Save it for next week, alright?"
"Oh, certainly." Fluttershy stepped aside, letting the changeling fly out. "Goodbye, Chrysalis, have a nice day!"
She turned to Leman... and frowned. "Um... Leman? Are... are you feeling okay?"
The colt gave her a long, flat look. "...I'm going to go take a nap."
162.25 (Masterweaver)
Well chlorophyll Twilight grumbled
Whats the matter asked Spike Then he blinked Whoa this is weird
Theres no punctuation this loop Twilight replied Which is really confusing because I dont see how it could logically affect us like this
Twilight Spike interrupted Remember what happened when you questioned the lack of tactile telekinesis
Twilight sighed Alright Ill drop it for now but I cant be blamed if the loop crashes anyway
162.26 (Anon e Mouse Jr.)
"Hey, Diamond?"
Diamond Tiara looked up from her homework. "Hey, Twilight. What's up?"
"New Loop expansion. And..." Twilight took a deep breath as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "I need to apologize to you."
"What for?"
"Back in my first few centuries of Looping, I thought the only thing you were good for was a bad example." Twilight bowed her head. "But when you actually became friends with Apple Bloom and started Looping, I changed my mind. I still thought your Unawake self was only good for being a bad example though, and that she'd probably never change. Now..."
Diamond turned and walked up to her. "Twilight?"
"She's changed. We found out why she was such a brat, and then she genuinely turned over a new leaf and became a better pony. And it's not just a variant - it's a baseline expansion. It's something I never thought could happen, even after knowing the Looping you for so long, and... well, I'm sorry I doubted you."
Diamond took a deep breath. "Twilight?"
"Yes, Diamond?"
"Apology not accepted. Because quite frankly, you have nothing to apologize for." She blushed. "I'll admit, I'm surprised to hear it too. But knowing what I was like in baseline, I can't blame you for thinking I'd never change without Discord or some other super-powered being intervening."
Twilight smiled. "Thank you, Diamond. Thank you." She pulled the little filly close and hugged her. Then, she whispered.
"So, want to see pictures of the girls' faces when they got their baseline Cutie Marks for helping other ponies, including you, realize their own talents and what their existing Cutie Marks mean?"
When Diamond Tiara's eyes widened and a loud "WHAT!" echoed through the room, Twilight was glad she'd worn specially enchanted earplugs for this, and that she'd soundproofed the room when she'd stepped in. And that she knew the "memories to photos" spell, because the look on Diamond Tiara's face this moment? It was definitely going in her latest album.
162.28 (Alex Prior, Anon e Mouse Jr., banjo2E, Evilhumour, Gamerex27, Masterweaver, wildrook; edited by Masterweaver and Anon e Mouse Jr.)
Cadence perked up.
"Oh, I got one. What's the strangest/weirdest/most mind-boggling thing Twilight Velvet has done/you've seen her do throughout the loops? Variant or otherwise? And please, keep it foal-friendly."
Twilight groaned. "First my library, then my mother. My family must love picking on me."
Nyx, who was sitting next to her, patted her hoof. "I already apologized for that, Mom."
"I know, Nyx. But still…" She looked at Cadance coolly.
Cadance shrugged. "It's nothing personal, Twilight. But I just came from a Loop where Velvet was my magic teacher when I first moved to Canterlot, and it got me thinking about what other variations of her might be like."
Twilight pondered. "Okay, I can understand that, but I reserve the right to get ridiculously drunk if they get too weird. Carry on."
Hearing that, Vinyl grinned. "There was that one time she decided to adopt the entire Dragon Migration."
Twilight's eyes narrowed before she slammed her drink back. "Worst part, she succeeded! You can guess what happened to my poor, poor library when the family came to visit..."
"That explains why Garble sent me his entire hoard as an apology," Spike said to the others. "Crazy enough, there were two Rarities... one of them was a Dragoness."
"Mikasa glitch, darling," Rarity replied.
Rainbow Dash then gave it a thought. "Does working with A.K. Yearling count?" she asked Twilight.
"No, because that's mostly every other Loop," Twilight replied. "Or BEING A.K. Yearling."
"Oh. Nuts."
"Underground Wrestling Champion," Cheerilee put in. "At least... that's how I met her through Cloverleaf."
Nyx raised a hoof. "I remember a human variant Loop with Tibbles as our anchor. Luna was my only parent - bio-dad took off before I was born - and Grandma was her best friend. I knew her as "Auntie Velvet" once I found out about her when I was a teenager."
Twilight blinked. "I don't see anything strange about that."
"She was also an ambulatory human skeleton who came back to life to save Mom-Luna from a pedophile when she was six, and had been living in our attic ever since."
"Okay, that IS strange."
Nyx nodded. "G-mom and G-dad figured she was either a really skinny zombie, or a ghost haunting her own skeleton. Mom-Luna preferred the "haunted skeleton" theory."
Luna nodded. "It does make sense. Speaking of Velvet though, there was this one Loop she switched places with my unAwake sister."
Celestia had the grace to blush. "Actually, I was Stealthy that Loop."
Rainbow Dash set her mug down. "Okay, I got a different one. You know how Soap Opera Loops usually go? Well, in the last one I was Awake for, Twilight Velvet was behind everything. The multiple time travelers, the changeling circus, the release and sealing of Tirek, all of my pregnancies before and after my sex change operation, and the bucking founding of Equestria... she masterminded it all. She wasn't even an alicorn or anything, she just had the special talent of actually understanding what the hay was going on!"
Twilight faceplanted into the table and groaned. "I remember that one. There was exactly one thing she wasn't behind--she apologized over Hearth's Warming dinner for not realizing the bomb in the orphanage was a fake. The real one had been planted in my library the whole time."
"That explains why there was a secret agent dove in the lasagna," Pinkie Pie replied.
"One moment, please," Isabeau said, grabbing a scroll from her Pocket, and fumbling it open with her clumsy, finger-less hooves. "Since my fellow Anchors are typically scattered across the Multiverse after the Edit, we have given each other a list of responses to drinking games that we are to read in their steads when they are absent."
"...you don't hafta be so formal, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Yer in a bar, hun."
"Old habits die hard, as they say," the Samurai said, shrugging. "Hm... Question Six hundred ninety six thousand, nine hundred and sixty nine (Twlight facehooved in the background, muttering about tired jokes): questions in regard to incidents with Equestrians, subset 107: Twilight Velvet slash Twilight's Mom."
She read on. "Flynn: 'She was my steed during one Loop. Mikado was much larger that time, so each Samurai was assigned a pony to carry them to and from missions.'"
"Wasn't that the one where Pinkie baked a pie bomb and delivered it right to the monastery?" Shining Armor asked, looking at Pinkie Pie hesitantly.
She shrugged. "Hey, no one died from it. And I filled it with that anti-magic cream, so those meany-pants Archangels' cover was blown."
"And Mikado fell into anarchy as a result, leading to mass deaths," Isabeau recalled, sighing. "Inevitabilities regarding Amala asides, let us continue. Maya: 'Along with all of the other primary Elements of Harmony's mothers, Nyarlathoetep stole her form to use in his 'Great Mother' body when we fought him in our first Equestrian Loop.'"
"WHAT?!" Fluttershy screamed, then winced at her unusually loud tone. "Oh... I forgot that this is a different Nyarlathoetep. Bucking. Amala."
"'She was fortunate enough to be the head, at least," Isabeau continued. "'Four of them were stuck being the legs, and poor Miss Pie's mother was the tail. At least she was facing outwards so she wouldn't have to stare at the incarnation of all evil's…' er, flank.'" She looked up. "She uses a different word, but you did say to keep it foal-friendly."
Shining Armor cleared his throat. "May as well share my own example. Princess Twilight Velvet."
"Yikes," Rainbow Dash winced. "What changed there?"
"Twilight and I only attained our Baseline positions due to nepotism," Shining answered, "all of the Royal Guard's army were coated in glitter, and Nyx was still Nightmare Moon."
"She banished me to the Moon because she caught me kissing Leman!" Nyx whined. "And stealing from the cookie jar, but that's beside the point!"
"Trixie recalls a Loop where she and Velvet had switched places, meaning Trixie was Twilight's mother." The blue showmare paused, and looked at Twilight. "It was rather disconcerting, since Trixie was just coming off a Loop where she was an orphan until her Uncle Night and Aunt Velvet adopted her as your sister. And since Trixie has a surprising number of Loops where Night Light is her mother's brother for some reason. Not that she's complaining," she added. "Trixie quite likes Loops where she has more family. It's just odd that this particular variant pops up so much."
Twilight nodded. "I've had some of those too. Having you as my sister again was fun, Awake or otherwise."
Chrysalis smiled. "There was a Loop I really liked, where Changelings didn't live in hives. We were ponies, just like any other, but with our baseline shapeshifting abilities. Velvet and her family were actually the first Changelings to reveal themselves to Celestia in the hopes that we could peacefully integrate into the rest of society rather than live in hiding like we had for so long, and when Shining Armor and Cadance met for the first time..." She smiled again. "It was love at first sight. So their marriage was technically a political one, but neither of them objected in the slightest. I was one of the bridesmaids."
"I remember that one," Cadance chimed in. "You did a wonderful job as bridesmaid."
Chrysalis blushed. "Thank you."
Luna considered. "Here's another one I remember. It was an Animorphs fused Loop where Velvet was actually an Andalite. When her ship crashed here, she met your father, fell in love and permanently morphed into a pony to stay with him. Then the two worked out a sort of "notice-me-not" shield that hid our star system from any hostile alien races, including the Yeerks, preventing them from ever invading. Years later, when Discord was freed, she tried to stop him from attacking Twilight, and he detected that she wasn't a normal pony. Whatever he did then, it accidentally jumpstarted her morphing ability so she could turn back into her original form. Then she terrified him into behaving."
Discord shuddered at that. "Sounds like her. I'm just glad I wasn't Awake that time."
Raising an eyebrow at this, Luna continued. "After that, she finally admitted to my sister and I where she'd really come from, and about the shield she and Night Light had created."
A voice spoke up. "There was that one time where I was a ninja. I noticed Twilight and Shining were both acting very strange, so being the concerned mother that I was, I decided to follow them to wherever they were headed."
The entire bar fell silent. One by one, the patrons let their gazes climb upward.
"Hi hon." Hanging from the ceiling and dressed in a skintight suit, Twilight Velvet waved at her daughter. "Time loop, huh?"
"...yep."
"I guess we both have our secrets." She paused a moment, then pointed at Nyx. "Did that black filly call you mom earlier?"
"I'm not drunk enough to answer that yet."
The yellow pegasus next to Nyx was eternally grateful that she didn't question his appearance. Every time he ran into Twilight Velvet, she terrified him with the long, painful talks about his relationship with Nyx.
Sensing tension, Lyra spoke up. "There was this one time she turned out to be the Princesses. All of them."
Rainbow looked skeptical. "Even Twilight?"
Lyra nodded gravely. "Especially Twilight."
Velvet blinked. "I must have been quite a busy mare then."
"You were," Gilda added. "I remember that one too. I was one of the royal advisers." Seeing a few odd looks at her, she shrugged. "It was a living. Besides, how often do you get hired to tell your employer when she's being a pain?"
"I've hired your non-Awake self for exactly that reason a few times," Celestia told her.
Gilda looked rather smug at that.
Discord raised a claw. "I woke up when I was being released the second time, and my Loop memories told me about how I'd met Velvet before." He looked nervously at the Ninja-Velvet still hanging above her daughter. "After I corrupted all six of you, I went around doing it to other ponies, and Velvet was one of them. But once she was... ah-heh-heh... changed, she took one look at me and roundhouse-kicked me in the face. Repeatedly. No matter where I was or what I was doing. I finally turned everypony back to normal and myself back to stone just to get away from her. And now you know why I'm glad I wasn't Awake for her Andalite loop."
Celestia leaned over and patted Discord on the back. "Sometimes, when trying to take Twilight as my student, I'm met with serious opposition… actually, it happened this Loop too, but we worked things out in the end. I had no idea she was like that though," she added, gesturing to the ceiling.
"That was the idea!" Velvet called down.
Nyx looked to the stallion next to her, still close to bolting. "Lemon here sees and deals with so much violence on a daily basis but mention Twilight Velvet-" Her magic grabbed the colt, dragging him back. "He gets so scared of seeing his fiancee's grandma."
Twilight Velvet perked up on the "fiancee", and looked at Lemon, who whimpered loudly.
"Now son," Fluttershy said with a smile, "you knew she was going to have to know eventually."
"Oh, I..." Velvet dropped down from the ceiling. "I take it you're my daughter-in-law to be?"
"Fluttershy, yes." The yellow pegasus bumped hooves with the catsuit wearing unicorn. "I'm Lemon's adopted mother. He was so adorable as a baby, do you know?"
"Little mother, please--"
"Oh they always are!" Twilight Velvet grinned broadly, a sly twinkle in her eye. "Do you have pictures?"
"Holo-recordings, even!" Fluttershy produced what seemed like a brass pocketwatch. "Although he wasn't a pony back then, it's a quirk of this universe--"
"Little mother!"
"Are we still talking about the weirdest thing Twilight Velvet's done?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Because I think this right here might cap it."
"Now here he is making snow-wolves with his pack. I tried to get him to wear warm clothes, well any clothes, but he wouldn't listen!"
Leman Russ, noble primarch and part-time pegasus, buried his face behind his feathers.
As the others were preoccupied with their own conversations, almost nobody saw Twilight leave the room. With one exception, who quickly followed her into the hall.
"Um, Twilight?"
Twilight looked behind her. "Yes, Scootaloo?"
The orange filly looked down. "I had one more version of your mom - not something too weird, but I still thought you should know about it."
Twilight smiled. "Go ahead."
"Well, it was one of those Canterlot High variants. My mom - my biological mom, that is - was a real jerk that Loop. She neglected me for the first few years of my life, then dumped me entirely and ran off on her own. If our neighbors hadn't heard me crying, I don't know what would have happened to me."
Twilight hugged her. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Scootaloo hugged her back. "It's not your fault, Twilight. But thank you." Clearing her throat, she continued. "Anyway, our neighbors heard me, took me home and helped me when I needed it most. They called the cops to report my mom, who was caught and arrested. My new family - County Services let them take me in as a foster kid, and after the courts stripped bio-mom of her parental rights, they petitioned to adopt me, and got the go-ahead the year after." She looked up at Twilight. "My new family already had an older daughter. It was Rainbow Dash. So we got to be sisters again that Loop."
Twilight smiled. "So you got a happy ending then. But… what does this have to do with my mom?"
"She was the assistant director of the county's Department of Social Services. She's the one who gave the approval for them to adopt me."
Twilight blinked. "That's…" Then, she smiled and pulled the younger Looper into another hug. "Thank you, Scootaloo. I needed that."
"You're welcome," the little filly told her.
162.29 (Crossoverpairinglover)
MLP/Phineas & Ferb
Yawning early in the morning, a long night celebrating with Pinkie Pie for her ###^4th loop party, Fluttershy noted her mailbox was rather full.
Idly noting the contents, she began the time honored tradition of sorting mail in a long stream of regular words.
"Ad, Ad, Ad, Bill, Bill, Ad, Ad, Bill, Bill, Court Summons for Angel, Restraining Order for Angel, Business Card for Angel...." she stopped her idle sorting daze when she noted the business card that had found its way into her mailbox.
"Are you an evil genius with limited physical ability? Are you constantly being made a fool of? Want to achieve great things? Join the Legion of Doom. Call 1-800-Evil-Doom, ask for Hienz," Fluttershy read off the card, before turning the card over and noting the large skull shaped Headquarters of said group, with discreet letters on the bottom of the card saying 'Note, design of evil lair design not final'.
Covertly looking around for anyone who might have been watching, Fluttershy swallowed the card before Angel Bunny could get it.
162.30 (Crossoverpairinglover)
MLP/Star Wars
"Elation. I feared that my exile to this maker-forsaken place filled with happiness and joy would cause me to loose my sense for artistic and precise murder. It is with great joy I have come across an organic with such, vision."
Twilight normally had nothing against trans-loop bonds of friendship, family and love. However, in this case....
"Query. Angel Bunny, have you ever considered the most efficient way to destabilize quadruped governments via efficient and discreet assassination?"
She could not, in good conscience, allow a friendship of mutual murderous intent to form between Angel Bunny and HK-47.
162.31 (fractalman)
Applejack snorted in satisfaction as she watched the Flim-Flam brothers high-tail it out of Ponyville before they could scam the residents. But then..."Granny, where did you get that?"
"Eh? Oh, a nice pony named Silver Shill sold this here tonic to me." said Granny, before taking a drink.
"Granny, that's nothing but apples and beet leaves. It doesn't really-"
Granny Smith took off in a blur.
Applejack blinked. "Work. What the..."
"Twilight, I need your help. Granny's runnin' around at high speed, and ahm worried she'll break somethin."
"Sure thing, Applejack."
"HEY! LEMME GO!"
"Now just a minute, Granny! Ya gotta calm down before ya hurt yerself. "
"Say, Applejack, when did she get so fast, anyways?"
"She drank some of that no-good tonic and then took off like the Roadrunner."
"Hmm...do you still have some of it around? It obviously works this loop, or Granny wouldn't be running that quickly."
"Well ah...huh, that's a good point..."
"WILL YOU TWO VARMITS LET ME DOWN?"
"So apparently, the tonic doesn't actually work, except in the case of Granny Smith".
"Any idea why that might be, Twilight?"
"Not sure. Maybe if I get a good scan of her magic I can figure it out. "
"LEMME OUT OF THIS DARNED CONTRAPTION RIGHT NOW!"
"Sorry, Granny, but this is as much for yer own safety as it is for Twilight's curiosity."
"AHAH! Chaos magic! When Discord messed around with the ponies in Ponyville, he made Granny's legs move extremely quickly! The elements of harmony must've left some of that behind, and it became active when Granny drank the tonic!"
"That...explains a lot, actually. Ah did wonder why Granny never seemed to suffer from overexerting herself in baseline..."
"This calls for SCIENCE!" yelled Twilight with a big grin on her face.
162.32 (fractalman)
"Twilight?"
"Rarity, if you're asking why we're ants in Shining's ant farm, it's probably because I've been obsessed with becoming an aunt lately. "
"..."
"HI UNAWAKE ME!" yelled Fluttershy.
"At least Fluttershy's taking it well. I'm surprised she's going with that sort of reveal, though."
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To any reviewers, not Crossoverpairinglover is myself, just under a different name.
6616657
You mean like this?
Keep up the good work as always, Saphroneth!
6618006 Thanks for the comments!
And yes, I did start the Yandre Tree shtick by accident that you have seen in other compilations
6618068
There's quite a bit of debate over whether or not that episode is considered transphobic, actually. I for one assumed that it was actually supportive of the transgender community, as none of the characters expressed any negativity about the situation. I wasn't even aware that it could be considered transphobic until one of my transgender friends pointed it out, and I heard that Macintosh's voice actor (at least) did not mean to belittle any issue but come across as supportive.
In the end, I think whether Brotherhooves Social can be labeled as transphobic or pro-trans is highly dependent on the culture and personality of the viewer. As it wasn't the point of the episode, I shall leave my argument at that.
Agreed.
Wise move.
You're not?
Oh boy.
Ate.
Of course.
What else?
YOu had it coming.
Good reason.
Yeah.
Warm fuzzies are good.
Indeed.
Yikes.
I wish I had that spell.
This is great.
Poor Leman.
Daaw!
Excellent idea.
Ah.
A most entertaining batch, this one. Lots of humor, some nice warm fuzzies, a fantastic action sequence... Great work, everyone. Thank you all for it.
You know the problem with Diamond Tiara's Mom can be solved by making Spoiled Rich her evil stepmother. With her biological mother to have died from illness like in that previous snip a while back.
6618645
That's going to be a loop variable thing unless it's established in canon.
6618536 Eeeeyup
6618550 No clue how she reacted to her husband/boyfriend/significant other/mister eight left hooves/other acting like this...idea!
I think Nyx is planning to do the tossing, and it would be hilarious to see her toss Lemon in his Space Marine form.
I liked all the Twilight Velvet variants, awesome.
6618685 it should be his Primarch form, as Space Marine would be smaller and weaker form for Leman, but I didn't catch it during editing but meeeeeeeh. Funny for the funny gods
6618685
6618695
Actually, since humans don't exist in Equestria, Leman is forced to use his Lemon Rush form. At least Nyx can go Nightmare.
6618706
Which is on par with Celestia's and Luna height. If I remember correctly, Big Mach is equal to a Space Marine and thus the princesses are equal to a primarch.
Meaning Frosticorn(or however you spell her name) is equal to the Emperor.
In other words, Lemon is still a towering hulk of stallion that can make most mares swoon.
6618729
Oh really? I thought he was a cute little colt. One that can dropkick a griffon, but still.
Like Douglas Adans once said, the gretest problem in time travel is the grammar...
6618733 He is a colt from time to time, especially whenever his brothers visit Equestria for the first time with him, but he can be a youngish stallion that is a freaking giant. Who calls the meek little thing known as Fluttershy mother and whimpers whenever she is annoyed with him.
The loops don't always place you as the same age when you loop, remember?
I want this to be a fanfic so very much.
6618098 I might mention that I went into that episode expecting to be bombarded with a preachy pro-transgender message, and even in my extreme homo/trans/whatever-"phobia"(Seriously, why don't we use "miso-", which actually means "hatred"?), I didn't think it had anything to do with that issue. Crossdressing is most definitely not the same thing as transgenderism(Is "-ism" right? I know how particular you folks are about noun forms), and shows up as a trope throughout literary history(I can't recall if it goes quite as far back as The Epic of Giglamesh...).
6618813 There are so many loops that I really want to become fanfics.
Something tells me Velvet's gonna become a Looper soon. That'll be either awesome... or downright terrifying (for Lemon) to see.
Saph apparently edited out the references to three fanfics I made near the beginning of the Velvet is Weird compilation.
Granted, the fanfics were "The Study of a Winning Pony," "Parenting is Easy, I Swear," and "In Her Majesty's Secret Service," all of which involve Twilight Velvet having sex as a plot point to varying degrees.
6620315 Actually, I edited those out when I revised the snip to "keep it foal-friendly" - that part was a little too risque for the rating, and was why it was initially rejected, as I recall.
Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.
6619950 'fraid not. if any sombra loops, it'll be the comic's mirror-verse sombra.
Oh, and looper saturated.
163.1
oh shit
So... Twilight's mom is awake now? Or was she just a ninja again this loop?
Ooh, here's hoping for more Rosario+Vampire loops
6618729 makes it even better if Nyx gets to toss him.
6622725 There are 31 full Loopers and three pseudo-Loopers (beings soul-bonded to existing Loopers) who are native to Equestria; Velvet isn't one of them.
Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.
6623629 Wait, there's a list? I don't suppose you could share it?
6624911
Twilight
Rarity
Fluttershy
Dash
Pinkie
Applejack
Spike
Celestia
Luna
Cadence
Shining Armor
Applebloom
Sweetie Belle
Scootaloo
Diamond Tiara
Big Macintosh
Gilda
Trixie
Angel Bunny
Discord
Nyx
Chrysalis
The Founders
Berry Punch
Mayor Mare
Silver Spoon
Cheerilee
Zecora
Ditzy
Lyra
Vinyl
Sunset
6625640 Nooo, I said that they would not be boyfriend and girlfriend ever again! Not that they would never get back together.
But yeah, I am a troll whenever I get the chance
6625640
He said they would not be boyfriend and girlfriend (or words to that effect).
They're not. They're engaged.
6617802
No no, I mean the loop where the Doctors were all replaced by Equestrian loopers.
6618112 How, exactly is the episode mocking transgenderism?
And as a side note you shouldn't exclude people's arguments based on who they are, that's kind of something we'd really like to avoid, is it not?
caveat, perhaps, or proviso, or qualification...corollary means something else.
lose
tenet
6629158 Sound reasoning. My only qualm was that you seemed to be completely dismissing the opinions and view of others on this subject simply due to the fact that they weren't transgender, not just givin them less weight which I can understand. An argument from someone who is ignorant is always flawed, however an outside viewpoint can often provide clarity.
We need a "Biding of Isaac" crossover.
6630330 Never going to happen due to the religious connections as well as there is zero desire to have the idea of Isaac even being open to looping
6630433 Eh, water under the bridge, we all get like that. Today I had someone ask me if anyone actually lives in Scotland (my country of origin) and I reacted by smashing my head into my desk; totally different situation but I think it should hilight how personal, emotional attachment can affect our judgement
.
Nice speaking/writing to you, but now it half one in the morning and I'm off tae bed. G'night lass.
6631406 .14
Only the worthy will wield the mighty spraybottle!
6632947 Evilhumor has a production acumen like a chinese tchotchke factory, and that's most of what he does.
6633173 thank you?
6630518 In that case, possibly a Southpark crossover?
6633516 Also a Loop that is never going to be activated due to being rated M and thus out of bounds in the SpaceBattles rules.
6633587 I guess it's too much to ask for them to have grown bored of violence, stupidity and and everything else they've come up with, making them peaceful instead?
6633664 Trust me, it's not going to work. Sorry.
a sua continuidade de cena e transição de uma para outra é horrível! Me fez desistir da fic, mas tirando isso seria uma ótima fic.
I've been doing a bit of data research on the fics hosted on fimfiction.net, and only recently have I gotten to actually analyze the data. Based on my early analysis, this fic has the third-most words of any fic on all of fimfiction.net (according to fimfiction's own word counter).
The first-place fic, "The Chase", has approximately 342,000 more words than this one (at time of writing). The second-place fic, "Diaries of a Madman" has apprximately 142,000 more words (at time of writing).
In case you're curious, the top three most heavily worded fics are very concentrated; the fourth-most worded fic, "The Lost Element", has approximately 440,000 fewer words, and the marginal word difference decreases significantly from there.
That being said, the top 3 fics only account for 0.47% of the word count on this site (likely to be lower, given my data's a bit old), so there shouldn't be too much bias there with the distribution; I'll have to check that later in my analysis.
I'm sure this award comes as no surprise, given 162 chapters and 2 years of continuous development. I'd be curious to know how you managed to keep such persistence; I could use such a lesson in handling my own fic.
I wanted to leave this comment here to say congratulations, and to let you know of such an achievement.
6618098
As a trans person who has seen the episode a few times, I'm a bit indifferent. I found the episode to be too tropey for my own tastes but I don't think they were trying to be transphobic at all. Just not one of the better episodes this season is all I could say, I felt like the episode dragged on and was one catastrophe after another. Although it was a nice touch at the end, the judges commenting on how they knew all along but had allowed it anyways. I just think that big Mac was acting more like a drag queen who goes extremely over the top, whereas if he had been far less melodramatic, things would likely have gone over far better, and gone more smoothly in general.
6641670
A combination of factors. One: There's more than one author. Two: The setting itself allows for quite a bit of variety. There's probably more, but...