MLP Time Loops

by Saphroneth


MLP Loops 186


186.1 (LadyStina2)

Everypony stood in the snow in the town square, occasionally glancing up at the overcast sky. Some ponies had started trotting in place to stay warm, and the discontented muttering was getting louder as the time passed.

Applejack finally stepped up to the podium and said, “Well, ya’ll. Ah don’t know what would be keeping the mayor from gettin’ Winter Wrap-Up started, but Ah reckon if we don’t start soon we won’t get finished on time. Go ahead and see yer team leaders for yer task assignments. Ah’m the leader of the Green Team. Rainbow Dash is the leader of the Weather Team. And Amethyst Star is the leader of the Animal Team. If you don’t have a team yet, see Twilight Sparkle, our All-Team Organizer. Alright, everypony, work safe!” She stepped down and everypony separated into their assigned teams.


“It’s not like her to miss Winter Wrap-Up,” Twilight commented to Applejack as they headed to Ivory’s house. They had already heard from several ponies that she wasn’t anywhere to be found in or around town hall.

“Gee, Ah dunno, Twi. It’s not like we haven’t all taken a Loop off every now and then,” Applejack stated.

“True,” Twilight agreed. “But we usually tell somepony if we’re going on vacation or if we’re going to miss something major.”

They stepped up to Ivory’s door and knocked. A moment passed and they exchanged questioning looks before knocking again.

Still no answer.

They looked at each other again before exchanging a shrug and turned to leave. As they started walking away, Applejack froze. She closed her eyes in concentration for a moment, then looked back at her friend.

“Twi, there’s a basement here and there usually ain’t one. Think she went and built herself a lab?” she asked.

Twilight thought for a minute before slowly replying, “I don’t know… I don’t recall her developing an interest in anything lately that would require a lab.”

“She coulda had a fused Loop recently that sparked an interest. It’s happened to all of us a time or two,” Applejack suggested with a shrug.

Twilight was about to respond when she was interrupted with what could only be described as a muffled explosion. They exchanged worried looks and Applejack asked, “Ah don’t suppose Trixie is backslidin’?”

Twilight started shaking her head in the negative as soon as Trixie’s name was mentioned. “No, I think she’s on a stage-lighting kick right now. Even so, she’s not Awake. Let’s find the way down there and make sure she’s alright.” There was another muffled noise from under their hooves. “Quickly,” Twilight added as she turned and ran back to Ivory’s door. Applejack hot on her tail.

Twilight lit up her horn and opened Ivory’s front door and they entered her house. It didn’t take long for the two of them to find a door connected to stairs that led downwards. On the stairs, they could hear the sound of what could only be described as suspenseful music. They found a door at the bottom of the stairs and opened that one. Then blinked in surprise.

Instead of the slightly smoking remains of a lab and a possibly injured Ivory Scroll, like they expected, they found Ivory sitting comfortably on a couch with a huge tub of popcorn within hooves reach. She was leaning forward with her gaze fixed on the movie playing on the wall in front of her and the surround sound was nearly blowing her mane back. Her ear swiveling towards the two visitors was the only movement she made to the interruption. Applejack abruptly sat down and facehoofed.

When the action died down on the screen, Ivory lifted a remote and paused it before turning around and noticing her visitors. Her usual glasses had been replaced with a pair of 3D ones. “Oh hello, Twilight. Applejack,” she greeted cheerfully. “What can I do for you? Would you like to sit down?”

“Ivory… What… Why…” Twilight sputtered, still fighting down her adrenaline.

Applejack rose up and gently moved past the muttering magician. “Ah think what she’s tryin’ to get out is: ‘What’s all this? And is this why ya missed hostin’ Winter Wrap-Up?’”

Ivory gave them a genuinely confused look and asked, “Whatever are you talking about? That’s not for another couple of days.”

Applejack chuckled and replied, “Ah’m guessin’ ya pulled a couple all-nighters and forgot to set yer alarm. It was today. We covered for ya when we realized you were missin’. Then came to see what happened.”

Ivory blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and said sheepishly, “Oh. Cottonwood. I haven’t done that since the last time I Looped in as a college student. I apologize, of course.”

Twilight had gotten over her mental block and asked, “Ivory, what’s with the personal theater?”

Ivory smiled shyly and answered, “Well, I must admit, movies are my hobby. I collect them where I can and last Loop Applebloom and Scootaloo helped me arrange this setup. I guess I got caught up in my little marathon.”

Twilight glanced up at the screen and recognition lit her face as she said, “Oh, this is a good series! I’m assuming you have the next two?” She walked around the couch and sat next to Ivory before pulling her own 3D glasses out of her subspace pocket and reaching for some popcorn.

Applejack just shook her head in amusement and said, “Ah’ll just leave ya’ll to it. There’s a lot Ah gotta get done on the farm. Ah’ll come get ya at least twelve hours before either of ya are needed again. At least that way ya can get some sleep beforehoof.”

Ivory replied, “Thanks, Applejack,” and waved a hoof as she turned back to the screen. The movie started playing again before she even turned back to the door.


186.2 (LadyStina2)

Ms Rainbow Dash or Current Resident:

It has come to this office’s attention that you are the current owner and/or occupant of a Cloudsdale-style dwelling located above the Township of Ponyville. As stated in the Ponyville Town Charter, section 27; subparagraph (b), “Any building or residence which rises taller than Town Hall will need to obtain a High-Rise Permit with the unanimous agreement of the current city council members before construction begins.”

Upon investigation, we have found that no preconstruction permit was filed for the residence listed above. Since this residence currently resides between an altitude of 20m-30m, depending on local weather conditions, this puts the net height of your residence well above the acceptable limits.

We regret to inform you that you have thirty days upon receiving this notice to vacate the premises, as demolition/desolution activities will begin in forty-five days.

Signed,

Inkwell – Mayor’s Aide

Ponyville’s Mayoral Office

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she lowered the letter. Apparently, Ivory Scroll was trying to get back at her for that pink-dye raincloud she and Pinkie created last Loop. Like it was Rainbow’s fault the cloud chose Ivory to rain on.

And only Ivory.

And it happened every time she stepped a hoof outside!

Rainbow laughed just thinking about it. But! Ivory had a wake-up call coming. Rainbow had successfully navigated the murky waters of book publishing. She could handle a little bureaucratic red tape.


“What do you mean you don’t have a record of it?!” Rainbow Dash yelled at the bored-looking file clerk. “I have the notice right here! And I want to file. An. Extension!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t file a Demolition Exemption Extension on a property that doesn’t exist,” the clerk said while turning a page in her magazine and never looking away from it.

“But you have the demolition order?” Rainbow clarified. She had been trying to get information out of this file jockey for like an hour now. She had found the demolition order, but no record of Rainbow’s address. And she wouldn’t even look at the mailed notice that Rainbow kept waving around.

“Yes, the demolition has been scheduled for a month from now,” she said as she turned another page in the magazine.

“But… but how can you demolish something that you claim doesn’t even exist?!” Rainbow yelled at the mare in frustration.

“Ma’am, I’m just the file clerk. When the orders reach the demolition crew, I’m sure they’ll discover any errors with the property,” she explained, still not looking up.

“Gee, I hope nopony ever writes down the wrong address…” Rainbow muttered darkly before commanding, “Let me speak with the mayor.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. She’s in Canterlot for the week. Can I take a message?” her hoof actually started moving away from the magazine and towards a pencil.

“Uugghhh! Of course she is…” Rainbow ran both her front hooves down her face in frustration. Then she tried another tactic, “Look. I’m a government employee as the head of Ponyville’s weather service. And I demand to see somepony who can help me straighten this out!”

“Name please,” the file clerk requested.

Rainbow blinked a couple times in confusion and asked, “… Didn’t we already do this?”

“Spell that for me,” the file jockey requested seriously.

Rainbow sputtered for a moment before saying, “Wha?! No! My name is Rainbow Dash!” The unruffled file clerk jotted her name down then left to enter ‘the file room.’ Just wait til next Loop. She was going to sneak in there and make a mess of those files. Let’s just see what ol’ Ivory would say about that! Pines, the way things were going she might do it this Loop.

A couple minutes of revenge-plotting later and the file clerk emerged from the back room, holding an open file and looking at Rainbow suspiciously. At least she owned an expression other than boredom. The mare tapped the file and said, “It says here that the lead weatherpony is a Mr. Thunderlane.”

“What?!” Rainbow gasped and hotly exclaimed, “Thunderlane thinks a fogbank gives out loans! How is he listed as the lead weatherpony?!”

The clerk ignored her as she flipped through the file. Soon she said, “In fact, I don’t see a ‘Rainbow’ or a ‘Dash’ listed in the Weather Bureau at all. Are you certain your name isn’t ‘Rain Drops’?”

Rainbow gave her a flat expression and replied dryly, “I think I’d know my own name.”

“In that case Ms Dash, if that’s your real name, I suggest you try the Department of City Ordinances. They deal with demolition cases,” the mare suggested, just a bit snidely.

“They’re the ones that sent me here to the file room!” Rainbow complained.

The file clerk checked the clock and said, “Then perhaps you should try again tomorrow. We’re now closed, and I must insist that you leave. Please note our business hours on your way out.”

Rainbow stomped to the exit angrily and said, “This isn’t the last you’ll hear of Rainbow Dash!”

“It’s certainly the first.”

“Aarrrgghh!” Rainbow yelled in frustration again before flying off.


“Twilight. Rarity. I think I need your help. I got this notice a couple weeks ago and I’ve been fighting it every day since. I’ve filled out at least fifteen forms in triplicate, been redirected to different offices, been told I DON’T EXIST! I’m at my wit’s end here!” Rainbow complained to two of her Looping friends as they met for lunch.

“Well no offense, darling, but couldn’t you simply relocate your house? Or rebuild?” Rarity asked after reading the notice.

Rainbow sighed and said, “Relocating won’t work. I already filed form 491-L. It was approved for relocation, but since it’s already scheduled for demolition it’ll just get demoed at the new address.”

Twilight shrugged and magicked the note back to Rainbow. She asked, “Why don’t you just spend the rest of the Loop somewhere else? It’s not like we haven’t all spent Loops away from home.”

“No!” Rainbow protested. “It’s the principle of the thing! I can’t let Ivory win!”

Twilight laughed and asked incredulously, “You’re going up against Ivory Scroll in a paperwork battle?!”

Rainbow smirked and replied, “Nope. We are. With the smartest unicorn in existence, the most observant business-mare in existence and the most awesome pegasus in the multiverse, we’re sure to beat her!”

“At her own game,” Twilight stated flatly.

Rarity was frowning slightly and asked, “Not to put too fine a point on it, darling, but by asking for help didn’t she ‘win’ already?”

“Naw,” Rainbow waved a hoof as if waving away the question. “She’s got all sorts of underlings to do her evil bidding. It’s only fair if I recruit some ponies too.”

Twilight continued giving her a flat look and asked dryly, “Evil bidding? Really?”

“Yes.” Rainbow stated with finality and hoofed over another scroll. “Check out their business hours and tell me that’s not evil.”

Twilight sighed, but started reading the scroll out loud, “Mondays, open from nine to three unless the date ends on a one, then it’s from ten to two. Tuesdays, open from eight to twelve and two to four. Closed every second and third Tuesday-”

Rainbow interrupted, “It just goes on and on like that. And as the week goes on, the conditions of them possibly being open changes in the blink of an eye! Then when I manage to get past the front door, I keep getting shuffled from one department to another. Or they have another dozen forms for me to fill out! Can’t you princess my way out of this or something?”

The lavender unicorn very slowly and obviously looked behind her at her bare back before looking at Rainbow again and replied, “Well, since I’m not a princess right now… No, I can’t.”

Rarity chimed in and said, “Not to mention, if Twilight were to ascend early, she would be too tied up with her coronation and such to be much help. And it always takes about a year or so before she has much political power.”

Rainbow’s frowning face suddenly lit up as an idea apparently stuck her. She said excitedly, “Yeah, maybe so. But! They won’t be able to tear down a new princess's house. See ya later, girls. I’m gonna go ascend!” Rainbow flew off before either Rarity or Twilight could protest. There was a sonic rainboom a moment later as Rainbow rocketed away.

Twilight and Rarity looked at each other after their friend’s abrupt departure. Then they both broke down into giggles.

Rarity asked, “Darling, do you think that Rainbow remembers that Ivory can ascend as well?”

Twilight smiled and answered, “Honestly? I think she’s so focused on not letting Ivory get the best of her that she forgot. And I think I’m going to stay out of it. You?”

“Are you kidding? Who do you think gave Ivory the idea?” Rarity asked with a mischievous smile. “I have the perfect coronation dresses for both of them already created. I think I’ll continue to egg them both on a bit and see which outfits I can get them into. And I do want to see at least one headline that reads ‘Princess Rainbow Dash Always Dresses in Style!’”


186.3 (Evilhumour)

Twilight Awoke to find herself in an unusual spot, in her bedroom in her family's house in Canterlot.

"Hey sis," Shining Armor said, poking his head into the room. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the Summer Sun Celebration with me and Cady tonight?"

"Uh, actually I wouldn't mind coming," said Twilight, sending out a Ping. "Just feel a bit Loopy at the moment, so just give me a second please?"

"Are you feeling alright Twilight?" Shining Armor asked he walked into her bedroom and placed a hoof on her forehead. "I know you are busy with your lessons with the princesses but I thought Princess Luna was making sure you got a good night's sleep."

"She has," Twilight lied or might have not lied, as her loop memories were taking their time to kick in. "Just one of those freak moment things, I'm good now," looking at his frown, Twilight added, "I'm fine, I promise."

"Okay then..." Shining said carefully before tilting his head for her to follow him downstairs. "See you in few seconds?"

"Yup." Twilight answered as her brother left her room, with her loop memories finally kick–Oh.

This... this was one of the more special variants that everyone loved, with Luna and Celestia most of all.

While Luna had been shunned a thousand years ago, like in baseline, in this variant things had gone differently. Either Celestia had been more aware of her sister's problem, Luna had spoken up a bit more or whatever the case was, instead of a fight that resulted in a thousand year separation and loneliness for the two sisters, they managed to make things right and rule together.

Looking out her window at the marvels of an Equestria that came from both sisters being present for the nation's growth, Twilight knew she was in for a magical Loop.


186.4 (Vinylshadow)

Rarity flicked through the script, eyebrow rising higher and higher as she read it.

"So," she said, glancing at Rainbow Dash, "you want to turn one of your stories into a motion picture?"

Rainbow nodded. "That's one of my best-selling stories and I've had a few companies approach me with turning it into a movie."

Rarity flicked through the pages again. "Sweetie Belle is playing my daughter, fathered by Blueblood's character during a one-night stand thirteen years before the movie starts. The father then approaches my character after a decade and a half in an attempt to patch things up. I accept because I'm apparently madly in love with him even after having to raise my daughter without child support."

Dash grinned weakly. "I...couldn't think of a reason," she admitted. "If you have any ideas...?"

Rarity smiled slightly. "I might." She turned a few more pages. "Blah blah blah wedding drama and...then a giant robot crashes the wedding, piloted by my father of all ponies, who loudly declares that "No daughter of mine will marry filthy noble blood."

Rainbow Dash wilted. "Too much?"

Rarity scoffed. "Nonsense. When do we begin filming?"


186.5 (Katfairy)


Twilight walked into Mac's, sat, made her horn disappear, then proceeded to bang her head against the table multiple times.

"How embarrassing was it this time?" Berry asked, trying to look sympathetic while snickering.

"Last Loop ended early. Celestia wasn't Awake, and was more than a little nuts. She executed my library!!!"

"...I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why?"

"Treeson."

Berry's eyes glazed over for a few seconds. After a bit, she mixed two shots of Brain Bleach and handed one to Twilight.

"We both need this."


186.6 (Masterweaver)

Beneath a sunbaked desert, in a network of caves and tunnels, in a chamber lit only by eerie green glow, sat two dangerous ladies.

"So," said Chrysalis.

"So," replied Azula.

They analyzed each other over the desk.

"Technically speaking," Chrysalis pointed out, "Equestria is a sanctuary loop. We're supposed to be a place where you can relax and, if necessary, undergo psychological therapy."

"I've never really felt the need to relax," Azula countered. "And while I acknowledge I might need some mental help, I would rather direct it myself."

"Of course."

They sat in silence.

"I propose a challenge," Chrysalis said suddenly. "One relating to your current form."

Azula glanced down at the holes in her legs. "Continue..."

"As you are aware, changelings in this loop believe in... efficient advancement. A drone can become a general if they kill a current general, and so forth. Of course it's not the only way, but..."

"I do see the merit of the system," Azula acknowledged. "So, I assume you're offering the throne to me then?"

"Starting tomorrow. No looping tricks, of course – we fight as Changelings." Chrysalis leaned back. "Which of course means you can use loop-abilities if no other changeling is able to tell. And given that they're aware of the loops via the hive mind–"

"Yes, yes, I see your point. Can I employ others to assist me?"

"Changelings, yes. Loopers, only in advisory positions."

Azula tapped her forehooves together. "And if I fail?"

"I won't kill you, if that's what you're asking. This is a challenge to you. Not a duel." Chrysalis shrugged. "Run away, try another day."

"Interesting.... might I ask why you're suggesting this?"

"You have a difficult time understanding love, in any form. Changeling magic is fueled by love. In order to win this challenge, you will either have to learn how love works... or do something quite unexpected." Chrysalis shrugged. "And honestly, it's been a while since I've had a worthy tactical opponent. I want to see what happens."

"...I suppose," Azula mused, "that I have nothing better to do at the moment. Very well. I accept--with the caveat that you tell no other looper that I am Awake."

"Hmmm. Agreed."


186.7 (Masterweaver)

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS LEAFY!"

Fluttershy slammed down her drink and turned to a table in the corner. "I get that you're collaborating on a Daring Do fanfic, but you've spent the past fifty-seven minutes arguing over the motivations and characterization of Ahuizotl! Just write him as a bad guy and MOVE ON!"

"But if he's too powerful–" Rainbow began.

"Then just have Daring Do use her wits! Throw in a random boulder, I don't know!" Fluttershy sighed. "Honestly, it's all this tedious over-thinking things that keep you guys from working on the darn thing."

Pinkie nodded, reluctantly. "She does have a point..."

"Fine," Twilight groused. "We'll move on... so about Daring's sister–"

"I don't care how canon she is, we are not using Derring in this fic!"


186.8 (Masterweaver)

"...Moondancer what are you doing."

"This is definitely an alloy."

"Yes, I could tell, but–"

"Hmm. From the buildup of chrondite dust, this object has been in space for some time."

"It's a robot from space, Moondancer. Why are you licking it?"

"Shush, Twilight, I'm doing science."


186.9 (Keywii_Cookies55)

"I'm not quite sure what to do about it, truth be told." Twilight explained to Zecora as the two watched a certain pink unicorn snooping around Ponyville from atop a hill some distance away. "Starlight's been accurately identifying Loopers for some time now. She's even able to pinpoint me when I'm acting entirely baseline, though admittedly less frequently."

Zecora considered this for a short time before turning to face Twilight, "A curious thought, with no doubt, but surely we can together, work this out?."

Twilight nodded before sighing briefly, "Most ponies close enough to me Activate, but she hasn't yet. I'm holding out hope, but it seems unlikely at this point."

"Have you questioned Sleipnir on the matter? " Zecora offered. "Your answer may result from chatter."

"I asked him 15 Loops ago, but he's just as confused as I am. For all intents and purposes, she should start Looping basically anytime now."

There was silence as the two mares contemplated the situation further. Starlight appeared to have moved on from observing Applejack, who was Awake, to questioning Rainbow Dash.

"When did this start? Starlight telling Loopers apart." Zecora finally asked, breaking the silence.

"That's just it, I have no idea." Twilight's expression soured ever so slightly, the topic was bringing out rarely seen frustration from the Equestrian Anchor. "I first noticed It happening very rarely when she was first expanded in, maybe 1 in every 100,000 Loops. Probably even less frequently than that. But right around the time Flurry Heart was finally born it started happening more and more. By now Starlight is able to discover me almost a third of the time!"

Anything that broke the monotony was welcomed, Twilight thought, but things were finally getting out of hoof. She'd tried several dozen different experiments, each producing no results. Her vast wealth of knowledge hadn't come up with any reasonable explanation in that time.

Zecora offered a comforting smile before she voiced her thought, "An insight to offer, if I may, perhaps your student and niece are connected in some way?"

Twilight lifted her head lightly in rumination. "Maybe," She shared after some time, "I don't really know the logistics behind this sort of thing. But a Looper giving birth to a non Looper could maybe have done something. I doubt it, mind you, but it's worth investigating," Twilight finally smiled at her striped friend and spread her wings in preparation for flight.

"Thanks Zecora."


186.10 (Vinylshadow)

Twilight stared up at the terrace where Nightmare Moon usually appeared, jaw agape.

Instead of the dark alicorn, a pale mulberry-colored unicorn stood, smirking down at her.

"I was right!" Starlight Glimmer declared, pointing at Twilight. "You're a time traveler!"

"I...beg your pardon?" Twilight asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Right now, you're an Alicorn, even though you don't get your wings for another three years!"

Twilight blinked, then glanced at her wings. Something in her mind clicked and she turned back to Starlight.

"I'm impressed you figured it out," Twilight replied calmly, eyes flicking to a spot behind Glimmer.

A second Twilight appeared, waved to the crowd with a wink and just as the equalist turned, grabbed her and pulled the startled unicorn into a time vortex.

Twilight breathed out a sigh of relief as the familiar smoke appeared and Nightmare Moon distracted the ponies staring at her.

One quick Elements of Harmony rainbow later, Twilight was confronted by her friends.

"The hay was that about?" Applejack asked.

"Who was that mare?" Rarity wondered.

"Friend of yours?" Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.

Twilight rubbed her head, trying to figure out how to say it. "She's from the future," she started, before motioning the mares to quiet down. "Her name is Starlight Glimmer and in the future we meet her in a town where every pony has the same Cutie Mark. After thwarting her, she stalks me, finds out about the Sonic Rainboom Dash performed a long time ago where we all got our Cutie Marks because of it-"

"How do you know when I got my mark?" Applejack asked, followed by similar queries from the others. Twilight stared at her before Applejack blinked.

"You're...serious. You're actually a time traveler."

Twilight nodded.

"And in a bit, you're going to time travel back to a few minutes ago and take Starlight back to the future, right?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight perked up and grinned. "That's a great idea, Pinkie."

With a thought, her horn glowed and she promptly disappeared, appearing behind Starlight Glimmer. Catching Pinkie's eye, she winked and waved before grabbing Starlight and pulled her into a time vortex.

They appeared in a desolate wasteland with a howling wind.

"Where are we?!" Starlight demanded.

"This is what becomes of Equestria if you mess with me or my friends. I know it sounds like the fate of Equestria rests on the six of us and...well, it does, I'm sorry to say."

"Impossible, Starlight snapped. "No one pony or group is that important!"

Twilight shook her head. "I know about you and Sunburst, Starlight. I know you think he abandoned you after getting his mark." Twilight scowled. "To be honest, I kinda get where you're coming from, having a friend abandon you. I did the same when I left Canterlot for Ponyville and it took my new friends reminding me to go back and talk to them."

She offered a hoof to Starlight. "I know where Sunburst is, if you'd like to meet him."

Starlight stared at her, then her hoof. "It...can't be that easy."

Twilight winced. "Well...no. You'll have to face some jail time for...stalking...endangering all of Equestria...technically your reign in your town had ponies coming to you and willingly giving you their Marks, but you did then forcibly remove me and my friends' marks so..."

Starlight slumped down. "I'm screwed, aren't I?"

Twilight smiled gently. "I know it seems bad but...I think I can help so your punishment isn't as bad as it could be. Sorry."

Starlight shook her head and lowered her head, horn pointing submissively at the ground. "I concede defeat then. I'll come along quietly."

Twilight slid a magic suppressing ring onto Glimmer's horn and then activated the time travel spell, going to the point in time Starlight had left from.

The two mares reappeared in the Cutie Map room in front of a distraught Spike.

"Oh, Twilight! You caught her? I've already contacted Celestia and she's–"

"Already here," came the authoritative voice of the Solar Princess.

Twilight turned to face her, a quiet Glimmer shrinking behind her. "Princess Celestia, please, hear me out..."

As she explained Starlight's surrender as well as what she had in mind, Celestia's face remained unreadable.

When Twilight finished, Celestia was silent for a moment, eyes on Starlight.

"Very well. Once she's served her time, she'll be released to you. I hope you can impart to her all I've taught you and I hope she's as receptive as you were. I shall also send for Sunburst."

"Thank you," Starlight Glimmer said softly as she stepped towards Celestia and bowed low. Celestia nodded before enveloping Starlight in a wing and vanishing in a flash of sunlight.

Twilight reactivated the spell and reappeared a second after she'd left.

"How'd it go?" Rarity asked.

Twilight smiled. "Better than I thought it would. Now then, since our original introductions were a tad rushed, could you tell me more about yourselves? Seems like I'm going to be staying in Ponyville for a while and I'd hate to be a stranger."


186.11 (Masterweaver)

Cheerilee entered the library with a long, weary sigh and slumped her head onto the table.

Twilight glanced up from her copy of 'Revised Thermodynamics, FTL edition'. "Rough loop?"

"You know those times," the schoolmare replied, "where students start to crush on their teachers?"

"Yeah. So who is it this time?"

"Literally every foal in Ponyville." Cheerilee lifted her head. "All the prepubescent ponies have, for whatever reason, decided I am worth their attention and devoid of cooties. And because they're children, it's ridiculously obvious."

Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly. "Wow. Okay. That's... huh, I can see how that can be stressful."

"Yeah. Can I hang out here for a while?"

"Sure."

"Hey Twilight, I got the–whoa!" Spike dropped the hay fries he was carrying, quickly stepping behind the doorway; when he reappeared a moment later his spines were recognizably straighter. "Uh, hello miss Cheerilee!"

"I officially hate everything," the school teacher deadpanned.


186.12 (Vinylshadow)

Trixie approached an UnAwake Chrysalis deep within her Hive and cleared her throat.

Chrysalis opened one eye and sighed. "What is it this time?" she grumbled.

"Well, there's a centaur on the loose and Equestria is in danger. I've been sent to recruit your help."

"And why should I care if Equestria falls?"

"Because once Celestia and Luna are defeated, Tirek will set his sights on Cadance and–"

"The Princess of Food is in danger?! Why didn't you say so, you stupid pony?! CHANGELINGS! TO ARMS!"

Trixie blinked in bemusement as the Hive emptied in a matter of seconds, a wall of black making a beeline for the giant Centaur crawling up Canterlot Mountain.


186.13 (Vinylshadow)

Twilight and Celestia walked into the Apple Family Bar and took a seat. Berry Punch took one look at them and winced.

"Rough Loop?" she asked, taking out a pair of mugs and filling them before hoofing them over.

Celestia drank deeply from hers while Twilight spoke.

"Well, we had another Crystalling Loop and wanted to try something to prevent the weather from swallowing the Empire."

Celestia licked her lips and snorted. "Turns out moving the sun a few percent closer to Equus wouldn't have helped. In fact, it turned the Northern Wilds into a new ocean and flooded about sixty percent of the land on the planet. And I did a much better job of destroying the Empire than Sombra ever dreamed of."

"At least we got everyone out safely," Twilight replied comfortingly. "And the Seaponies were happy to help build new floating landmasses."

"So you basically turned Equestria into Waterworld..." Berry Punch mused.

Twilight and Celestia both drank deeply from their mugs.


186.14 (Vinylshadow)

Twilight was woken up by knocking on her door. Fumbling for the lights, Twilight heard Spike calling her.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Spike? What's going on?"

He entered her room, holding several letters aloft. "Got some mail for you."

Twilight squinted at the clock. "At...twelve thirty at night?"

Sighing, she took them and read one of them.

Dear Alicorn Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle

Kindly turn down the brightness of your castle

We can see it shining clear as day from here

Would you like us to smash it for you?

Sincerely, Prince Ruthorford

She read another.

Dear Twilight

Your castle is keeping Flurry Heart awake

Might I suggest a giant black tarp?

Wide Awake, Cadance

There were a dozen other letters with a similar complaint and Twilight sighed.

"Right. Well...I'll get right on that," she grumbled.


186.15 (Anon e Mouse Jr.)

"THE NIGHT! SHALL LAST! FOREV–"

"Not so fast, Moonbutt!"

Nightmare Moon, caught off guard by the sudden interruption, hissed. "WHO DARES DISRUPT MY RETURN?!"

"I do." A griffon stepped out of the crowd. And not just any griffon. An exceptionally large griffon with bronze-colored fur, white-gold feathers with red accents, and a snake for a tail, which hissed loudly in Nightmare Moon's direction.

In the crowd, Twilight gasped quietly. "Gilda?"

"I got a lot of work to do in this town, and I'm not letting you get in the way." Gilda glared at the corrupted Alicorn. "So stand down, or you'll regret it."

"Never!"

"I warned you." Gilda nodded to her tail, which promptly produced a large brush from its mouth and waved it at Nightmare Moon. "Come get some."

Ten extremely violent minutes later, a dazed Luna was being led away by Mac and Berry Punch, while Twilight trotted up to Gilda. "Er, hey, Gilda."

The oversized griffon waved a claw. "Hey, Sparklebutt. Sorry if I stole your thunder."

"No, you're not," the snake behind her commented.

Gilda glared at the snake, which shut up. "Look, I really don't want to talk about this in public. Got the privacy spells set up in your library?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Let's go." And with that, the grouchy griffon sauntered off, with Twilight following behind.

Once in the library, Gilda pulled a large beanbag cushion (reinforced to be completely puncture-proof, so it could be used by clawed species) out of her Pocket, and flopped down on it. "So, you're wondering about all this."

"Yes, actually. Gilda – what happened to you?"

The griffon sighed. "I ascended."

"What."

"Alicorn-tier ascension, like you guys do." Gilda waved a claw. "The griffon-Alicorn hybrid thing you turned me into a while back was just weird, but this! I didn't even know griffons had a higher form like this! I'm still not sure we really do, it might just be unique to me, but... tree-damnit, I never expected it, and I'm kind of freaking out here!"

Twilight looked at her friend and fellow Looper, and made up her mind. "All right. First things first. How did this transformation actually happen?"

"Well, last Loop..."


"Ungh…"

Gilda shook her head as she Awoke, and promptly checked her Loop Memories. Baseline, from the look of things. And either there was a guest Anchor who didn't know much about the normal course of events, or Sparklebutt had plans that didn't involve her Unawake self staying in Ponyville.

Awful late Awakening, though. Didn't usually happen after Dashie visits Griffonstone.

On the upside, at least she and Greta really had gotten to be friends after Dash and Pinkie left. Since she had nothing better to do, Gilda decided to check up on her friend. En route, she noticed that her fellow griffons seemed oddly nervous about something.

With a loud caw, a vulture-like griffon landed next to her. "Aye, Gilda! Ye'd best be getting yerself inside! There's an ill wind blowin', I tell ye!"

Gilda rolled her eyes. "Right, gramps. Pull the other one, it has bells on."

"Don' talk of bells now, Gilda! Especially with…" and here Gruff shuddered - "Him about."

"Him who?"

The elderly griffon gave a gasp of horror. "Where've ye been all yer life, lass? The monster that sent one of his own kind to steal our idol! I knew when those two ponies came a-lookin' for it that there'd be trouble soon… and it did!"

"Straight answers, gramps."

"Straight answers? From me? For a couple of bits, maybe!"

Gilda rolled her eyes again. It never fails. Pulling a couple of coins from her Pocket, she tossed them to the elder griffon, who tucked them away. "Spill."

"It all started long ago, during the reign of King Guto. When the Arimaspi came to steal our golden idol, 'tweren't no accident, or random chance. His king sent him. A monster of an Arimaspi called Grogar."

Gilda started at that. I know that name… Sparkle mentioned him, but when?

"They say Grogar was a tyrant to rival the unicorn king Sombra. He trucked with the devil, he did. Got his hands an' hooves on all kinds of dark magic. So when King Grover found the Idol of Boreas, it wasn't just to give us pride! It was a powerful defense against Grogar's magic. An' in King Guto's time, he sent one of his beasts to steal our idol and take away our protection. The Arimaspi got away with the idol, but Grogar's own people finally rose up and put him away, somewhere 'e couldn't cause trouble anymore.

But the seal's a-weakened in recent years, I tell ye. An' when you and yer friends lost the idol into the Abysmal Abyss, it broke fer good! Now Grogar's back, and 'e's already sent his warnin'. 'E's comin' for us with that iron bell of his, and 'e's not givin' up so easily this time!"

Gilda looked at her grandfather. "You're serious."

"A-course I'm serious! T'ain't been more serious about anything in me whole life!" Gruff flared his wings angrily. "Now, git yerself inside, young lass! I don' want to lose you to that monster, and sure as the sunset's golden dust made up that idol, you'll do somethin' to make him mad and end ye!" With a loud caw, the elderly griffon took off, disappearing into a nearby house. Gilda watched him go, a concerned look on her face.

I don't know how accurate gramps' story was, but something big's about to happen. Gilda rubbed her eyes, growling. Now, what did Sparkle say about that Grogar guy? Think, Gilda, think!

A couple of hours later, Gilda was still wracking her brains, when she heard a loud cry. "The Aramaspi! The Aramaspi are coming!"

Narrowing her eyes as her fellow griffons screamed and ran, Gilda headed for a nearby building to get a look at what was coming, and her eyes widened. An army of enormous, ram-like creatures, some with one eye, others with two, were marching up the road towards the city. And they had the stench of death about them. At the front of the column was a similar creature, but its eyes blazed with a swirling, sickly green-and-black light, and around its neck it wore a leather strap with eight bells on it. And that was when it finally hit her.

As the army of undead monsters finally marched/lurched their way into the city, passing her perch, Gilda facepalmed as she leapt down to the ground. "Right. Necromancer ram from the Dream Valley version of this Loop. Crafty chessmaster type. Wants power and immortality. Doesn't usually sabotage himself. That Grogar."

The gigantic, ram-like creature at the head of the column quirked its ears, then turned back toward her and glared. "So you've heard of me."

As a number of griffons nearby started muttering, Gilda glared at the monster. "Yeah, yeah. Heard of you. Don't like you. Going to send your flank back to Tartarus, or wherever you escaped from."

"Tartarus? Bah! I was there years ago. I escaped in less than a day! My own people had to trap me somewhere infinitely more dangerous to even have a prayer of holding me, but I escaped that prison too in the end." Grogar approached her and loomed. "And you think you can stop a creature that thrives on darkness."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Gilda flared her wings. "Come get some!"

To her astonishment, the monster laughed. "You think I'd me that foolish?" His necklace of bells shook. "I think not. You know what my own people called me before they banished me?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"You should. For there is a reason I was known as the Living Nightmare, and why I am far more deserving of the name than that pretender Nightmare Moon ever was." Grogar pursed his lips. "Have a taste of that power... and feel despair!" As one of the bells gleamed, a black sphere shot from it, encasing Gilda in an instant.

the memories of death...

the pain as the other campers mocked her...

the ache in her heart as she stormed away from the only real friend she'd ever known...

Within the sphere, Gilda glared. "I'm past all that," she growled. "Yeah, my parents are dead. This Loop, and probably in baseline too. But that happens! And when those other kids at camp mocked me? It hurt then, but I'm past that too. I had Dashie to help me back then, and even if we split up for a while, we're friends again now, and that's never gonna change. You think this is enough to break me, Grogar? Think again!" The black sphere burst apart.

Grogar gave her a vaguely amused look. "Really. Despair may not have a hold on you... but what about doubt?" Again, a bell gleamed, encasing her in the darkness.

Once again, Gilda found herself reliving bad memories. Am I going crazy? one of them asked. Did somepony do this to me because of how I acted? Is this deja vu stuff punishment?

Does Dashie really see me as a friend? another asked. We're so different now. She's been through all kinds of crazy stuff, and I haven't.

The griffon glared. "Really? I told you, I'm past all that. I know why I felt deja vu, and I know Dashie and I are friends. She's the most loyal pony I know, and even in our baseline, she cared enough to try and bring me around even after I insulted her so much. I will never doubt our friendship again!"

Interesting, Grogar's voice told her. Very interesting. If doubt cannot stop you, then we'll try another. Fear!

The sphere flashed. Now, Gilda was facing her worst fears. Fears of losing her friendships. Of failing. Of the times she'd died in the Loops, rare as they were. But once more, she shook them off. "Not going to give in," she growled. "Never!"

Then try this one, Grogar's voice told her. Bitterness!

That one had barely had time to wash over her before Gilda fought it off. "Griffons have been dealing with that one for years," she told the dark being crankily. "It's not something that can control me."

Really? Then face... jealousy, and anger!

Waves of negative emotions swept over her.

Her jealousy over Rainbow Dash's new friendships.

Her anger at the ponies she felt had stolen her friend.

Once again, she shoved them aside. "Yeah, I was jealous," she growled. "I was mad. I know better now. I know she cares for me too. For all of us. I'm not mad at her, not anymore! Just at you, and at myself for wasting my time listening to you!"

Then face the last of the darker emotions, Grogar's voice hissed. Feel malice. Feel hatred! Feel the worst of yourself!

The black waves swept over her. But by now, Gilda was used to them. "I'm not malicious," she snapped. "Cranky, sure. But I never did bad stuff because I wanted to. I did it as a way to lash out at the world! And right now, the only one I hate is you!” Swinging her tail, she Power Slashed the black sphere apart. "Now, are you done with these mind games or what?"

Grogar's eyes widened. "You... nobody has ever been able to break free from the powers of the nightmare. How did you do it?"

"Easy, goat-face. I'm not just any griffon." There was a flash of light. "I've got the magic of harmony in me. Element of brutal honesty, the kind that lets you admit the truth to yourself. My name is Gilda, and I am not at your service!"

"Harmony?" The sorcerer glared. "Of course. That wretched tree! I knew I should have destroyed that thing after I broke free of Tartarus. But no, I had to focus on enslaving my own kind, and then go after my age-old rivals first! But it makes no difference. You'll perish nonetheless."

"Heard it before. Still got the t-shirt. And I'm not going anywhere."

Grogar blinked, before waving his hand. "Oh, but you are. Minions!"

With a flash of light, the ground cracked open as hundreds of skeletal griffons and other creatures emerged to join the undead giants already there. Gilda cursed under her breath, then whipped her tail. This is either gonna be fun, or it's going to suck worse than a black hole. And with that, the griffon took to the skies.

Wave after wave of enemies faced her. Most, being little more than skeletons, fell to a quick Power Slash. Some, she had to use her Cherry Bomb technique. Others fell to fire, to lightning, to ice or even vines. Finally, as the last of the giant undead Arimaspi fell, she landed, gasping for breath.

A loud clapping could be heard. "Oh, little griffon," a familiar and, by now, very annoying voice said. "Look at you. All tired out, and you still have me to deal with. Now, die!"

Somehow, Gilda felt the strength to give him a dirty look. "Don't... count on it, Grogar." Waving her tail, she cast a quick Recover. So glad I Sketched that move in Ash's world, she told herself. "I'm not done yet."

"Insolent." Grogar waved a hand. "Bells!"

The iron bells around his neck began ringing, releasing pulses of black energy. But by this time, Gilda was more than fed up with the sorcerer, and summoned Thunder Edge. "Lightning... Judgement!" With a fierce cry, she swung it, releasing countless shots of golden light, combining her Celestial Brush technique with the move she'd copied from Arceus.

Grogar hissed as the shots struck him, and cried out as one found its mark, cutting the leather strap around his neck, sending it and his bells falling to the ground. Before he could reach for it, an angry griffon fell on the bells, crushing them under her feet, before flipping back out of his range. "Hey, remember when I told you my thing was brutal honesty? Well, here's some more: you're no ruler. You're a depraved despot with delusions of grandeur! Also, you're ugly!"

Grogar looked at where Gilda stood, an intense look on his face. "You've made the last mistake of your life, little griffon. I'm going to pluck every last feather from your body, then I'm going to tear you limb from limb for this."

"Not likely." Gilda waved her tail. "Storm clouds!"

True to her words, black clouds sprang into existence, and promptly began deluging the sorcerer with lightning. His black energy shields held off some of them, but not nearly enough.

Gilda swung her tail and sword again, and again, as shots of light and lightning pummeled the sorcerer, barely giving him time to recover. Finally, a well-aimed shot hit its target, causing him to scream in pain as his spine cracked and split. Collapsing, he waved a hand, sending black energy to knit the frayed bundle of nerves that had been exposed, and the bone that had protected them, back together. But it was too little, too late. Gilda struck, a bolt of flame incinerating the raw nerves where his back lay open, eliciting a scream of pain.

As she marched toward him one last time, Grogar glared. "You think you can end me? You're wrong about one major thing, you know. I don't want immortality. I have immortality. And better than you have tried to kill me and failed! Destroy my body all you want, I'll never die for good!"

"Yeah, well that's the difference between them and me." Gilda arched her tail. "I won't fail."

With that, her sword fell, and the body of the sorcerer of Tambelon fell still.

Then, as a dark shadow rose from the ruined body and prepared to flee, Gilda gave him a final glare. "I knew you were going to pull something like that, Grogar. So eat this!"

And as her body was enveloped in lightning, she grinned. "Copied this the same place I got Judgement. Bolt Strike!"

With a single, piercing tackle, she obliterated the shadowy essence. Moments later, as she crashed to the ground, she felt a strange sensation, and heard voices calling her name.

Hours later…

"Ungh..."

For the second time that day, Gilda shook her head as she woke up, albeit in the usual sense this time.

"Good afternoon, sleepy-head," an unfamiliar voice told her.

Gilda growled, and the voice laughed. "Nice to hear from you too, sis. Or whatever it is I'm supposed to call you, anyway."

Gilda grunted. "Bite me."

"Oh, I would, but it'd hurt me too. I'm part of you, after all."

Gilda's head shot up. "Say what?" She looked around. "Where are you, anywhere?"

"Back here, miss Element of Brutal Honesty."

Gilda looked. Then, her jaw dropped.

Where her tail had been was now a grinning snake, which bobbed its head. "Hey there."

"Waargh!" Gilda backpedaled, which did nothing to put any sort of distance between she and the snake, who looked offended. "Seriously, we've just met, and you're already freaking out? Sheesh, you could give a girl a complex here!"

"Well excuse me for freaking out!" Gilda snapped. "Ram-like necromancers I can handle, but I didn't expect to wake up with a snake attached to my butt!"

"Like I'm happy with this position either!" the snake snapped. "Let me tell you, missy..."

"Missy? Why you..."

Before she could say any more, there was a booming laughter as a familiar griffon entered the room. "Aye lass, I never thought I'd see the day anygriffon was arguin' with their own behind again!"

Gilda rolled her eyes. "Nice, gramps. You got news, or are you just here to make fun of me?"

The vulture-like griffon winked. "Aye, lass. You've made everygriffon's day, ya know! We've got a higher griffon in town again, like in the old days! 'aven't had any of them around since long before even King Grover."

This time, the snake rolled her eyes. "And I suppose you want bits for the story."

"Boreas, no! I could never charge our new empress for anything like this!" The old griffon grinned. "'Tis said that all the races have their own immortals. Ponies have alicorns, and we had the higher griffons.

The last one was the mighty Gilgamesh, and his snake-tail Enkidu. Heh. One day, they just took off together. Said they were tired of seein' their griffons grow old and die, and wanted to find a way to make them immortal like those two. Said they'd be back with that power, but it never happened. We never knew what happened to those two after they took off, and most griffons gave up hope of it entirely. Decided that if they couldn't live forever, they'd devote themselves to making money and earning fame that way.

King Grover found a way to make our kind famous again, but when King Guto lost the Idol of Boreas, we lost our way. Now we have a higher griffon again. Maybe this time, we can find our way and keep on it."

Gilda looked at him in surprise. "Huh."

"Well, I got to get back out there. There's a big celebration comin', and you and yer friend there are going to be the center of attention for ages to come!" Still chuckling, Gruff left the room.

Sighing, Gilda looked at her snake-tail as she stood up, and then glanced in a nearby mirror. The snake-tail wasn't the only change in her, she could see. She'd put on at least half a foot in height, and was pretty sure she'd added a couple of inches of muscle to her frame. Not to mention her fur and feathers had changed: the brown had become a glimmering bronze, and the white had picked up a gold tinge. Not to mention the red accents she usually got when tapping her ink powers.

Behind her, the snake looked smug. "We are a good-looking pair, aren't we?"

Gilda made a face. "Right. Say, what should I call you, anyway? I can't just call you "snake" or something for the rest of my life. Or at least the rest of this Loop."

The snake shrugged (an impressive feat, given she didn't have any shoulders). "Call me Grizelda. It's been our surname often enough in these Loops, might as well make use of it."

"Grizelda. Right." Something occurred to her. "You know about the Loops, so..."

"Yeah, I know I'll probably be gone next reset. But I'm a part of your mind, just split off. That's why I know everything you do, though I can't read your thoughts or anything. Just general knowledge. We'll be merged back together next Loop, and that's it. I'll still be part of you, even if I'm not physically here."

"Huh. Well, it's better than nothing." Gilda looked at herself in the mirror one more time, then sighed. "Guess it's time to face the music."

"Yep." Grizelda was silent for a moment. "Hey, sis?"

"Yeah?"

"You were awesome out there, facing Grogar like that."

"Thanks."

A few months later (sort of)…

Gilda Awoke again, and sighed. Alone again.

What, don't I count? a teasing voice asked her.

Gilda sat bolt upright. "What the…" Her eyes narrowed. "You."

Yep. It's me. Looks like I didn't go away when the Loop reset after all!

Gilda buried her face in her claws. "Oh, fiddlesticks and fish-fur."


"And that's it," Gilda concluded. "Start of this Loop, I heard Grizelda here in my head, which was the first big clue that my changes had stuck. So I summoned my Element, concentrated a bit, and triggered the change. I even figured out to switch back and forth a few times, so at least I'm not stuck looking like this. But she's still in my head even then! So I decided we needed to talk, and flew all the way to Ponyville for it. And since Nightmare Moon was right there..."

"You figured you'd save me the trouble of handling her by doing it yourself, and maybe work off a little stress in the process. I get it, and I appreciate the help, Gilda, I really do. So... what now?"

Gilda spread her claws. "I don't know, Sparkle. I really don't know. I mean, Lyra's had her own little split personality shtick since she first came online, and the Crusaders have had their spirit partners for ages, but I'm used to being alone in my skull. At least, I was. I'm kind of glad that Grizelda stuck around, but at the same time…"

"Think of me as a conjoined twin," the snake interjected. "A very different-looking twin, but still a twin. Or maybe the Yami to your Yugi, except we're less yin and yang and more gray and gray."

Gilda sighed. "See what I have to put up with now?"

Twilight looked at her. "Don't worry, Gilda. You'll adapt. It's what we do. And I'll help."

Gilda cracked a semi-smile. "Thanks, Sparkle."

"No problem."


186.16 (Anon e Mouse Jr.)

Cheerilee knocked on the door. "Hello, Zecora? Are you home? I got your message."

A figure emerged from the shadows. "Indeed I am, and welcome, my friend. I'm pleased to see you, this time bend."

Cheerilee shook her head and smiled. "As am I. So, what exactly did you want to talk about?"

Zecora smiled back. "In a recent stealth-anchored Loop, it is true, that I was a teacher much like you."

"Really! So, how'd it go?"

"A human I was, and taught a class in poetry, my fair lass. Yet one of my students, I fear, insisted he should not be in here." Zecora shook his head. "It was decided, to his dismay, that my class could only help his way. As I explained my decision true, more English lessons can only help you. Yet as sure as I once spent a Loop as Your Highness, every one of his poems earned him a D minus."

Cheerilee gasped. "Every one? The entire year?"

"Indeed they did, though he did the work. To bring you samples, I did not shirk." Zecora withdrew several sheets of paper from her Pocket and handed them over.

Scanning each of them, Cheerilee's eyes widened. "Oh my."

Zecora smiled. "In truth, the only reason his grades weren't worse, is that his name was spelled right on every page of verse."

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "So I see."

"I then found a book that told his tale when I went near the Hub soon after. I have extra copies, but I warn you now, it will bring on much laughter."

"Well, let's see it."

Zecora handed over the book, and Cheerilee began reading. A few pages in, she began to chuckle. By the end of the book, she was outright howling hysterically. "And he really… oh my!"

Zecora was also grinning. "Laughter may not be our Element, but I'm always glad to bring joy. And were he Looping, I have no doubt, the same would hold true of this boy."

"We have got to show this to Pinkie Pie," Cheerilee told her friend as she set the book aside to wipe away her tears of laughter. "I think she'd love it."

"Of what you speak, I'm sure is the case. Come dear friend, let us make haste."

Cheerilee nodded and picked up the book. Tucking it in her saddlebags, she could only imagine how Pinkie (and for that matter, Twilight) would react when they saw the book Zecora had brought.

A book entitled The D-Minus Poems of Jeremy Bloom: A Collection of Poems About School, Homework, and Life (Sort Of).


186.17 (HarmonyChoas)

"WHAT?! The Hydra wasn't the doozy?! How could it not be the doozy?! What could be "doozy-er" than that?!" Twilight said, going Baseline.

"Don-know." Pinkie said, shrugging. "But that just wasn't the doozy!"

"I-But-WHAT?!?!?!" Twilight's mane and tail then burst into flames. When she was burned out, she looked at Pinkie Pie... "I give up..." and Pinkie shook up and down in the doozy pattern again.

"Oh." The Hydra's third head said leaning over the crevasse. "Are you Fluttershy?" When Fluttershy nodded timidly it froze, then began to shake in fear. "M-m-m-my apologies Guardian of the Everfree! Please take this as tribute!" It then used all of it's heads to go back into the water, then pulled out a large bag, the bag was filled with bits and almost was as big as the hydra.

"Well, as long as you're sorry and won't do it again, I accept." Fluttershy then went over to the bag and lifted it with no problem as she began to fly home. Twilight stared at her friend for a bit, then saw that Pinkie was just getting out of her "Doozy Complete" phase.