//------------------------------//
// Loop 41 Part 2 
// Story: The Time Thief 
// by Reading4HalfMyLife 
//------------------------------//

"Princess Twilight! Princess Twilight! You have to help us, please! Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker are . . working together!"

"Meh."

The crowd did an obvious double take at their Princesses blase reaction. Her friends weren't anymore concerned than she was. In fact .  . it looked like Applejack was snoozing. 

One of the ponies in the mob, a pony called Broadside pushed his way through to jab a hoof at the Elements of Harmony. "T-they must be rogue Changelings" he hissed, and the crowd flinched back, terrified.

Twilight rolled her eyes, and held up a quill in her familiar aura. "Changeling Magic is green, remember?" She reminded them all, and let them all have a moment of relief, before she told them "I'm just not going to intervene."

And if that didn't set them off.

"What do you mean-"

"-are you sending in your place-"

"Why?"

Twilight had sudden, vicious flashbacks to the Friendship Book. She wondered if she should sing a song about how she and her friends didn't care about any of this.

Celestia had promised to buy out an entire bookstore if she helped her out with this prank, so there was no way she was saying no.

So she held up a hoof for silence. "Thank you. What I meant to say is that me and my friends will not be standing up against Nightmare Moon or Daybreaker, and we will not be sending anyone in as a replacement. You're on your own." She turned to head back inside, but stopped, turning to flash them a Rainbow Dash like smirk. "I recommend you get some suns cream. It's gonna' get hot."

With that, the six, smiling, giggling friends left the hyperventilating mob to their panicking.





"Phase two was a resounding success, boss" Rainbow Dash said, saluting at the strange cloaked figure. 

Astral had decided that it was probably best her parents never realized she was the mastermind in all this. It would be hard to explain why she wasn't such a 'goody two shoes' anymore.

"Good, move onto phase three" she commanded, before teleporting away. Alone, Rainbow Dash rubbed her front hooves together and giggled.

"Best. Week. Ever" she sang quietly.





Whenever Nightmare Moon or Daybreaker sat down on their thrones, a horde would always spawn spontaneously around them. Most of the time, it was angry exclamations to bring back their Princesses, though there were a few sycophants who decided sucking up to the new Princesses was the smart thing to do.

Like today, where two mares had given Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker a basket of fruit and were rolling around on their stomachs in 'a grand gesture of humility and respect.' Or at least, they were, until a loud boom shook the sky once more.

Hitting the platform just in front of the two Alicorns were six ponies.

Six very familiar ponies.

"Sisters!" Daybreaker said, pushing herself up with a smile. "How goes it?"

The mare that had once been Twilight Sparkle bowed her head. "We had successfully converted the Griffon Kingdom. They are now part of Equestria."

"Praise!" Cheered Nightmare Moon, before turning to her sister, solemn. "It is time to initiate the final phase of our plan, sister."

"Indeed" Daybreaker said, striding forwards until she was outlined by the blazing, white sun. Horn glowing, she maneuvered it so that it was resting directly overhead. Nightmare Moon did the exact same thing with the moon, until the two celestials met, creating an eclipse that covered the lands in a hazy darkness.





Ponies were too busy screaming that it took them a second to hear the laughter.

It was loud, and merry, and came from more than one pony.

To their bewilderment, the sun and moon began to separate, with the sun back to it's normal yellow color. With the lights back on, the crowd could clearly see eight laughing, non corrupted ponies.

It took Twilight Sparkle herself crying out "gotcha'!" For the penny to drop, and the crowd began to giggle along with them.

"Wow, you really got us!"

"How long did it take you to plan this out?"

"You scared the pee outta me!"

And, in the back, Astral Plane pulled out a picture of the Canterlockian's shocked faces.