//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: In The Night She Comes // Story: Very loopy // by Sollace //------------------------------// ... but then silly oldé me realised that I hadn’t even connected the mana catalytic conversion matrix into the backwards flux reflow valve! It was going into the half-life refractory foundation composite! I tried to warn Clover about it ... but it was already too late, and when he turned the lever it... The faded words of Starswirl’s journal swayed and doubled, passing out of focus as Sweetie Belle’s eyes began to cross. She groaned— “Uuuuugggghhhh...” She moaned. Swaying in her chair, she slapped the book across the room, and flopped forwards, slapping her face against the desk.“BooooooooORRRED!” came her muffled drawn-out drawl through the woodwork. “Who-Who-hoo-hoo!” Owlowiscious fluttered his feathers and came to perch beside Sweetie belle. He gently pecked at her mane before she could shoo him away. “Yes, yes—” Sweetie waved a dismissive hoof, rolling her eyes as her voice cracked ans squeaked. “I know it’s only been five minutes!” As she glanced from the owl to the clock, she silently read the time out beneath her breath. “11:50 PM” Just ten more minutes until the end of the loop! And maybe then she could finally put all this weirdness behind her. No more princesses, no more hitchhikers. Hopefully no more loops, either, so long as Celestia keeps up her end of the bargain. Like they could read her mind, Philomena and Owlowiscious started acting up simultaneously, the former rattling her cage and the latter puffing out her feathers like they were laughing at the tops of their lungs. The former squawked behind her, and then dropped to the ground clutching at her tail feathers, whilst Owlowiscious promptly hooted and dropped onto the sleeping princesses. Sweetie Belle simply pouted. Her ears flattened, as she looked between the two animals—laughing t her. “Well...” She huffed, and crossed her hooves. Then she crossed her wings over top of them for ultimate harrumph. “I’m allowed to dream, can’t I?” ~ ~ ~ 12:55 PM Sweetie Belle was splayed out on her back, stretched across the Celestias bed, blowing raspberries into the air as she stared aimlessly up into the ceiling. It was strange, she thought to herself. All this time and nopony ever seemed to pay attention to the roof. She traced a hoof along the corners of the room, the straight lines where the walls and the ceiling meet. Everypony loved to look at the floors, and the walls. They described the furniture, windows, mantles, and even the light fixtures, but did anypony ever stop to look at the ceilings? No. Never. At least, not that she’d ever noticed. And it was a pity, too. They were beautiful. Not particularly in Rarity’s place. Those were a gaudy mess off an obsessive-compulsive’s worst nightmare; but these? Canterlot castle was a thing of beauty. Every inch was covered in the most intricate markings; delicate hoofmareship that could have easily taken hours if not months. The golden inlays—which she followed with her eye—curled precisely around the perimeter of the room, perfectly complimenting the tiny ornate carvings along the perimeter of the wall, And the oil paintings—Oh Celestia—the oil paintings! They were like finely crafted jewels. Photographs of a time long since— “Meow.” Her ears perked. Sweetie’s head popped off the pillow to look around, her eyes wide and alert. “Hello?” “... meow...” Again, the tiny mewl could barely be heard through the floorboards. Frowning, Sweetie Belle spread her wings and lowered herself to look under the bed. “Anypony the-” The breath caught in her throat as she hung herself upside down, squinting to see into the darkness. “Th-there?” Nothing. Only dust and boxes, and several of Celestia’s trunks, were there to meet her. Oh, and a brown stuffed teddy bear. She gently pulled the toy out from its hiding spot, brushing it off with a fetlock, and slotting it in under her wing. The tiny hat and tattered tuxedo made her want to call it Todd. “Hm...” Sweetie frowned again. “Well, Toddy...” she said, talking to nopony in particular. Sweetie Belle slid off the edge of the bed, careful not to drop the bear from under her wing. She pulled it closer to her side, tucking her wings against her body, whilst also picking up her hooves to keep from dragging them against the ground. “I could’ve sworn I heard something...” The sound of something scampering caused her ears to prick and Sweetie stiffened as the hairs on her back stood on end. She held that position for a moment, checking her surroundings. The dark, quiet, surroundings of the guest bedroom... in a large, dark, mostly inhabited castle... “S-sss-snort,” the Celestias snored. “Gah!” Sweetie Belle almost jumped out of her skin. In actuality, her whole body jolted forward. One hoof caught on her wing, and as she spread them to regain her balance, she only managed to pull herself further over. She quickly collapsed to the ground on a soft “...oof.” ~ ~ ~ 11:59 Scratch-Scratch-Scratch-Scratch “Meow.” Sweetie’s eyes fluttered open for a moment. The room around her blurred and folded over itself. The soft blur of dim lights slowly spun and coalesced, forming into the shapes of a desk, a chair, a bed... and pretty much all the rest of a guest room around her. Her head throbbed. “Ouch...” Sweetie Belle winced. She pressed a hoof to her forehead, gritting her teeth as she recast her shield spells to dismiss the pounding. “What in Equestria...” As she looked round her, taking in the surroundings, she slowly started to piece together what had happened. The first things she noticed were the odd crick in her back, and the fact that everything was upside down. Also, a pair of feathery blankets covering her head. She moved, and they twitched. “.... Oh, right.” She puffed out her lips, cheeks burning red as she spat the feathers out, and rolled onto her back. A quick glance to the clock revealed what she’d suspected: she fell asleep, and in the worst possible way, too. Lying there on her back, Sweetie silently contemplated her life choices, the Princesses, and the meaning of it all, until hoot and a ruffling of feathers pricked her ears to the sounds about the room. Owlowiscious had taken to perching on the immobilised and was shuffling around incessantly, flapping her wings and crying. “Hoo! Who—hoo-hooooot!” All the while, Philomena scuttled in her cage, both crying for her attention. “What is up with you t—” “Meow.” Scratch, scratch. Sweetie froze; her ears up and back erect. Sat bolt upright, eyes trained towards the source of the sound. “Meeeeow...” There it was again, this time more insistent, and the voice came with the distinct scratching of claws against rood—or metal. “Oh, um...” Sweetie glanced to the birds, and then rolled her eyes, wiping her brow as she stood and cantered towards the bedroom door. “Relax, you two,” she said, “It’s just a cat. It’s not going to hurt you—” She paused at the door then quickly added. “... Unless you’re a bird, but even them, I’m here. I’ll protect you.” “Who! WHOOO! WHOWW! HO!!” This did nothing to placate Owlowiscious. Quite the opposite, she went nuts, practically frothing at the mouth as she flew to safety in the highest part of the room. Ignoring that, Sweetie cracked the door open and stuck her head into the hallways. “Squeak, squeak—” she purred, doing her best imitation of a mouse. “Hello? Is there somepony out here?” She looked each way—waving at the security guards. The former waved back, immediately dropped his spear, and then impaled his colleague as he keeled over from overwhelming cuteness. “Meeeoooow!” Opalescence strutted in front of the door, doing a stretch; tail flicking angrily as she paced in front of Sweetie Belle. “Mrrrrrrmmm...” Her face drooped in agitation as she took a seat, and took to licking the fur behind her paws. “Opal!?” Sweetie screeched. She glanced back in the room, looking to the clock, then back at the cat. “What are you doing here!?” Pushing the door open, she trotted out into the hallway, one ear turned back to listen for the clock’s ticking. Sweetie kneeled before the cat and gently reached out to touch her, dragging her frog down Opal’s back in a gentle petting motion, which was responded in kind with an audible purring and mewl. “I mean...” Sweetie said. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she continued her ministrations. “...It’s not like its unwelcome, but you’re really supposed to be at home, with Rarity.” Opal responded in silence. She stared up at Sweetie, her face just as drooped as ever and even seemed disappointed when Sweetie Belle withdrew her hoof. “Come on.” Sweetie stood. “We’d better get you somewhere safe before midnight. The clock ticking still sounded in the background. Sweetie Belle trotted down the hall, gesturing for Opal to follow her. After a few steps, she looked back to see where the cat stood. “Meow.” Opal hadn’t budged. She was still sat at the door to the bedroom. Her tail flicked, and Sweetie could’ve sworn she saw the cat smirk, as if to say “What now, filly? What now?” Sweetie Belle’s face dropped. She forced back the urge to groan, and silently pressed her hoof between her eyes and she cursed whatever creator had chosen to put her in this situation. “Pleeeeease, Opal, will you please follow Aunty Sweetie...” She forced the sweetness, and cracked a smile to offer the cat some encouragement. She leaned lower, smiling as she made pucker faces at the cat. “Come on—” She squeaked—“Come on, Opal!” Sweetie clapped her hooves. “Come to Aunty Sweetie, I’ve got a nice little treat for you—Uh, mouse, treat.” Opal was deadpanned. Her face said everything. Really? Do I look like a dog to you!? A third guard passed the two from the adjoining corridor. He made a move to attempt to greet Sweetie Belle, but upon seeing the scene, he immediately froze on the spot. His eyes turned wide as dinner plates and he carefully backtracked away, only to collapse minutes later, unconscious on the other side of the wall. Sweetie frowned. “...Fine.” She huffed, then stomped her way back to Opal, leaning over the cat with her deepest—objectively cutest scowl. “Pehweeeeeeese come with me?” She begged. Somewhere, three blocks away to be precise, several more guards suddenly keeled over from an equally as sudden, and quite unexpected, bout of instant diabetes. Opal rolled onto her back, purring, as she indicated to her tummy for belly rubs, all the while with this biggest, smuggest, grin. With a long sigh, Sweetie Belle finally relented. “Fine,” she huffed, and started rubbing Opal’s stomach. “You win this one, but only for one second ” Amidst the cat’s purring, she could still hear the clock’s ticking her behind her. The world seemed to grow silent around the two as Sweetie belle continued to pet the cat. She mulled over her choice in her mind, brows furrowed deep in thought. She had to get Opal a safe distance from the room. She didn’t know what would happen to anypony that was practically inside the door when midnight struck, and she didn’t want to risk taking Opal in with her. Rarity would kill her if she did anything to her ‘precious darling’—however much she wanted to. Although... With these loops, Rarity didn’t technically have to— DONG The castle’s halls echoed with a low, waddling, DONG as the clock-tower outside announced the turn of the hour. DONG The floor and walls rippled, turning fluid-like as reality began to warp. Everything around Sweetie started to glow, giving off a faint blue tinge, throbbing with energy. DONG Sweetie belle panicked. “No time to think!” She grabbed Opal. “Mrrrow!” The cat responded by flailing and clawing at the ground, latching onto the spot to resist the sudden movement. “Meeeeoooow!” Opal screamed in protest. “Come on, Opal!” Sweetie Belle huffed and tugged, dragging the cat behind her as she made a beeline for the bedroom. The corridor was already starting to spark and twinkle with unknown magic as the looping spell took its hold. She was already over the threshold when Sweetie, with one last mighty haul, ripped Opal from the ground and threw them both into the room proper. She slammed the door shut behind them, cutting off the outside world just as a white light enveloped everything through the castle and the windows outside. Philomena gave her death throws, bursting into flames, alarming Owlowiscious. The owl hooted, howled, hacked as she fluttered around the room in a blind panic, whilst Opal scratched and clawed around Sweetie Belle’s face to be let go. Leaving Opal to scurry into the bathroom and do who-knows-what, Sweetie Belle galloped over to the window, shouting—what she hoped—to be reassuring words to Owlowiscious. “SHUT UP YOU STUPID BIRD!” She slammed the window open, and a wave of fresh air blasted into the room, turning the chaos into a cacophony of chaos. Philomena’s flamed redoubled, burning the walls and ceiling. All the while, Owlowiscious continued to provide evidence for why she was no longer Twilight Sparkle’s assistant. Opal screeched like a—well—mad cat, and the Princesses lay motionless, happily asleep through all of this. Sweetie Belle almost didn’t notice when the bell tower rang its last tone, and Philomena’s burning subsided to a more docile burn. Silence pervaded, and the room settled into a mess of strewn items and memorabilia. Only a knock remained. SLAM SLAM SLAM “ROYAL GUARD, OPEN UP”