//------------------------------// // MLP Loops 207 // Story: MLP Time Loops // by Saphroneth //------------------------------// 207.1 (Wixelt) "Quick, Twilight! There's no time to waste!" Pinkie Pie rather abruptly barreled into the library, the splintered remains of the front door flying in all directions. Staring in surprise at her long-time friend for a moment, Equestria's Anchor face-hoofed. "Really, Pinkie?" Twilight grumbled, "You couldn't have, oh, I don't know... knocked?" "Silly me, I guess." the looping party planner shrugged, glancing back at the cracked and empty door-frame, "You want me to fix it?" "Too late now. And besides," the librarian levitated the pieces of wood into a pile to the side of the room, for sorting later, "Didn't you have something urgent to do?" "Uh..." Pinkie blinked several times, before nodding rapidly, becoming notably jumpy again, "Oh, yep! We need to hurry. Like, now!" "Very nice." Twilight snarked, sighing lightly as she withdrew what appeared to be a magically reinforced riot shield from her pocket, "Let's just get this over wi-" "What's that for?" "...Xenomorphs attempting to move into the library. It's a fused loop right?" the Anchor shifted the shield in front of her. Slowly, she gave Pinkie a flat look, "I mean, the last time you used those exact words it was a code phrase because they'd replaced the changelings." "Yeah, I guess..." Equestria's Third/Fourth rolled her eyes, grinning, "But that isn't it at all, silly." she made a grand gesture to the outside, "C'mon. You'll miss it!" With that, the looping pink anomaly bounced out of the door, a still incredibly apprehensive and slightly unamused Twilight following behind her, protection still held between them. "Zero bucks were given that day. Really, they weren't..." "...Ah." Twilight blanched, having remained silent for some time, "I... I see why you called now." "Berry Punch wanted to make a drink version of one of my pink sandwiches." Pinkie giggled nervously, "It, um... kinda worked far too well." "Could've fooled me." the purple unicorn shuddered, barely able to look at the frothing, writhing sea of utter pink flooding most of downtown Ponyville, "Probably should've gotten Leman to hel-" "Do not speak of the usurper." "...eh?" Twilight frowned, "Ooookay? Still not over that, then?" "Nope." "And just like that, the little thing we were having is gone..." the Anchor shook her head, "So much for the alphabet." "My rage ignores this." Pinkie rippled. "Should I fix this, then?" "I'd..." Pinkie coughed slightly, her form subsiding as she offered a small smile, "I'd really like it if you did, Twi." 207.2 (Wixelt) [MLP/RWBY/Freelancer] Boot to the Head “Hey Khon! Catch!” Without so much as missing a beat, Khonsu, Egyptian God of the Moon and Admin to the Freelancer branch, leant slightly sideways, allowing the boot thrown at him to sail harmlessly through the air near his shoulder, rather than hitting him in the face. “Really?” he chuckled dryly, “What, pray tell, was the point of tha-” *THUD* *beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep…* The lunar deity flinched at the somehow distinct sound of the incriminating footwear bouncing off his computer terminal. Slowly, he turned, face falling as he found the screen had the indent of a thick sole in it. Grumbling, he turned back to the doorway, only to find the guilty party, whoever they had been, was now gone. “Great. Just… just great…” Khonsu sighed, stalking over to his terminal to assess the damage, “Priorities. Check for damage now, get revenge later. Now let’s see…” he pulled up one file after another, checking over his own loop as well as the other files he’d been looking at mere minutes before, “Thank the tree. Not much damage here.” Gradually, he worked through his data, becoming more and more relieved, letting his guard down. Glad that, for once, Yggdrasil had decided not to make this a thing. Then he opened the last file on his list. “…oh, dear me.” “This one’s on me, friend.” The Manhattan bartender nodded, reaching under the bar, “It’s the good stuff.” “Oh?” Trent asked, having decided to go baseline this loop, it being a lonely one by all appearances, “And why’s that?” Yep, the Freelancer branch’s Anchor smiled to himself. These loops kind of sucked, reminding him too much of the old days before Tobias began looping, but they did give some good breathing room for self-reflection or the like. Not something he’d have considered before the Loops, but now- “Well, it's not every day a man has a chance to- BOOT TO THE HEAD!” Wait, wha- *WHUMP* “Arghh!” *THUD* Half the bar looked over in alarm as the bartender abrupt hocked an old boot over the bar top, the object slamming into Trent’s head and sending the looper careening halfway across the floor, landing hard on his back. “…branches son of a-” Trent scowled, picking himself off the ground, “What the hell was that fo-” “BOOT TO THE HEAD!” This time, he was ready, dodging out of the way as the usually friendly man launched his other shoe at him from across the room. This was going to be one of those loops, wasn’t it? Dandy. Just dandy. And here Trent thought the tree would give him a break after the oak damned pies. “…I should send you home with a pat on the back… And a slap on the wrist.” An unAwake Glynda Goodwitch slapped her riding crop forcefully down onto the ‘interrogation’ table between her and the apparently younger girl present, then sighed, “But, there is someone here who would like to boot you.” “Eh?” Ruby Rose, Anchor of Remnant, raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to one side in confusion, “Don’t you mean ‘meet’.” “No. No I do not.” The blonde shook her head as the door opened, revealing the familiar form of Ozpin, though he carried a lidded platter rather than the usual plate of cookies. Immediately, Ruby’s eons sharpened senses told her something was off, but she couldn’t place what it was, and that deeply concerned her. “Ruby Rose,” Ozpin leaned forwards, “You have…” In one abrupt and fluid movement, the headmaster swept the lid away, revealing a large, steel toed shoe. “…A BOOT TO THE HEAD!” “Nope.” Instantaneously, the boot, being raised in Ozpin’s hand, found itself embedded into his face at high velocities, sending the huntsman flying back out of the door he had entered through. There was a moment of silence, followed by a hasty ping. “Ow.” “Ah!” Ruby raised her hands over her mouth, “Sorry! Didn’t know you were Awake!” “…I wasn’t until a moment ago.” came Ozpin’s weak and muffled reply. “Really?” the looping Rose blinked, ignoring the look of befuddlement Glynda was giving her, “Then why…” “If I knew, Ruby, I would tell you.” “BOOT TO THE HEAD! BOOT TO THE HEAD! BOOT TO THE HEAD! BOOTS FOR ALL! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Twilight Sparkle winced as another magic infused boot slammed into her shield bubble, Tirek’s incessant summoning of the things taxing her supplies, even as a looper. She was beginning to regret going baseline up until now, then agreeing to stay behind whilst the rest of the girls, all unAwake save for Applejack, took the magic chest to the Tree of Harmony to try and unlock it. That said, if she just held off what smelled heavily of a glitch in action for a little while longer, this would be over, and she could relax for the rest of the loop. “BOOT TO THE HEAD! BOOT TO THE HEAD! BOOT TO THE HEAD! BOOT TO THE TREE!” …birch damn it, what?! Before she could react, the Golden Oaks, sat just outside her forcefield, was reduced to splinters under a rain of boots before her very eyes. “HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, PUNY PONY?” Tirek laughed triumphantly, “I DESTROYED YOUR HOME WITH BOOTS. THINK WHAT I CAN DO WITH MORE POWERFUL TOOLS- Why are you glowing?” the tyrant frowned, trying to hide his sudden nerves at the purple pony suddenly being wreathed in flames the same color as her mane. “Buck it. Moon.” “Wait, come aga-” was all the centaur was able to get out before he vanished in a very painful looking forced teleportation. Taking a deep breath that completely failed to calm her, Twilight glared upward. “Sleipnir, you’d better have a very good explanation for this.” 207.3 (Vinylshadow; edited by Saphroneth & Wixelt) [MLP/Doctor Who/Prototype] Cheerilee stood at the head of her class, idly running an eye over her students. She'd been surprised to Wake up to a classroom filled with not only young ponies, but young griffons, changelings, sea ponies, yaks, and what looked disturbingly like the thing under Vinyl Scratch's bed. "Good morning students," Cheerilee said cheerfully. "Today, you'll be happy to hear we're going on a field trip." "Where?" a red and black changeling nymph asked, flicking his wings. "It's a surprise," Cheerilee said with a wink. Suddenly, a fierce wind sprang up, sending papers and various miscellaneous school supplies flying. A familiar vwoorp, vwoorp sound filled the room and a tall rectangular blue box appeared in the corner of the room. "Excellent," Cheerilee said. "Our ride's here." The door on the box opened, and a tan-coated, blonde-maned earth pony mare stepped out, followed by a grey-coated, blonde-maned pegasus mare. "Welcome, Doctor...Doctoress?" Cheerilee said warily. "Huh, new Regeneration?" "Quite so," the mare replied with a more northern accent. "Still a little dodgy, but I think Yggdrasil is testing some stability patches with it. It's all over my head and I'm not entirely sure if the Admins really understand it either-" She glanced at the students, who were staring blankly at her and she shrugged. "Whatever, not important." She clapped her hooves together. "Now then, who wants to see ancient Equestria, in the times before they invented anything remotely resembling comfort?" She was met with a chorus of crickets, which was abruptly cut off when Sweetie Belle elbowed the changeling. "I'm kidding, of course," the Doctor said with a grin. "Who's up for traveling to Canterlot Castle and pulling pranks on the princesses?" The students then all trampled over her in their glee to enter the TARDIS, and the Doctor grinned as several exclamations of "It's bigger on the inside!" rang out. "Never gets old," she murmured, getting to her hooves. Derpy helped brush her off with her wings, and then stepped back. "You sure it'll be alright?" Derpy asked. "You've never had an entire class of students inside your TARDIS before." "You'd be surprised," the Doctor muttered under her breath, before clearing her throat. "It's fine. The CMC and Alex will be helping me during this venture." "You willingly let Apple Bloom into the TARDIS?" Derpy asked, raising her brows. "She's said she was sorry, and Idris has already forgiven her for ripping her to pieces that...one...twelve...forty-five...several times," the Doctor said. "Besides, she's learned everything she can about building her own TARDIS by now anyway, so she no longer needs to cannibalize mine for parts to study." "Fair enough," Derpy said. Cheerilee stepped forward, a smirk on her muzzle. "I wish you the best of luck. Don't be too hard on them." "Sheesh, inadvertently materialize in the middle of a Dalek Civil War, and you never hear the end of it," the Doctor said with a sigh. "There's a difference between hands-on and first-hand experience," Cheerilee pointed out. "They do not need first-hand." "Of course," the Doctor said, politely dipping her head. "I shall have your students back to you...eventually. Ciao!" She, and Derpy, ducked into the TARDIS, which dematerialized. It then promptly rematerialized, and the Doctor once again departed, followed by the students, who were all jabbering excitedly about the various stunts they pulled. Then Celestia and Luna stepped out of the TARDIS and Cheerilee felt her mouth go dry. "Was it your idea to dump a horde of children on us?" Celestia asked, as Derpy, the Doctor, and Alex all sat together in the back of the classroom to watch. Cheerilee nodded, meeting their gazes. "I thought it'd be a fun experience for them, so I asked Derpy if she could find the Doctor for me, since that'd make it easier to fit them into the school day." "Clever," Luna said, glancing at the students, who were looking at the clock in confusion, followed by dawning horror. "I care about their education," Cheerilee said with a grin. "Excellent," Celestia said. "Feel free to do so again if you wish. I loved the faces on the nobles when they were accosted by ponies under the age of fifty." "Of course," Cheerilee replied, before turning back to her class. "Alright, now get out your trigonometry books and open up to where we left off last week..." 207.4 (Vinylshadow) Luna and Celestia wandered the city of Canterlot, mingling with the various ponies that called it home. They were both in disguise, with Celestia turning her coat a vibrant shade of pink while giving her mane a similar color to how it was when she was younger - Luna had pointed out she looked like an inverted Pinkie Pie - and Luna had opted for her complete younger color scheme of softer blues. Cutie Marks were a simple sun and moon, and they were both unicorns in case they needed to teleport or engage in combat; something Luna was apprehensive about, and Celestia seemed eager for. Unfortunately, everything seemed ordinary, and Celestia frowned. "A pity that all the fun stuff happens out in the countryside," she remarked, eyeing a stall selling apples. Not from Ponyville, she noted, but still a member of the Apple Family, and she bought one for herself. Luna shifted from one hoof to another, clearly missing her wings. "We're also in the capital of the country," she pointed out. "I'd be quite upset if unrest was right on our doorstep." Celestia smiled thinly. "Given Baseline, I'm amazed we're not in a six-way war thanks to certain individuals." "You can usually thank Twilight and her friends for making sure every Loop isn't a disaster zone. They put a lot of work in maintaining this Sanctuary Branch," Luna said. "Although there's oftentimes some Loopers who stir up trouble, whether by accident or design - especially if they Wake in foreign lands." "Quite so," Celestia said, turning down an alley. "I think this is a shortcut..." They were almost immediately accosted by three ponies. "Muahaha! Who dares trespass through the domain of the RSP Gang?" declared the one in the middle. Sacks of rocks hung off his back, and he brandished one at the sisters. The ponies beside him had sacks of paper and scissors respectively, and Celestia looked intrigued. "I've heard of you, but never had the pleasure of meeting you." "Thank you kindly," the scissor pony said, politely tipping his headgear - a trilby, Luna noted with some disappointment. "So if we are to pass through, we have to defeat you in a game of RSP?" Celestia asked. "Correct," the paper pony said. "Except you have to beat us all at the same time." "And since each of you use a different element, that means we always lose," Celestia said, perking up. "I like this game. Shall we play?" Luna rolled her eyes, stepping back. The four ponies squared off, each readying their throw. "Rock!" "Paper!" "Scissors!" Celestia whipped out a giant book almost as large as she was, and slammed it on the ground in front of the three ponies. "...The heck is this?" Rock asked. "This," Celestia said, coming around it, "is what is known as a manual. Too thick to be cut by scissors, too large to be covered by paper, and infinitely heavier than any rock. I do believe I win." None of the three could find any fault in her logic and let the two mares pass. "Well, that went about as well as I could've hoped," Celestia said, tucking the manual away. "I do so love mingling with the peasantry." "Why do you get to call them that, but every time I do, I get scolded for it?" Luna grumbled. "Older sister privileges," Celestia said loftily. "There's been some Loops where I was born first," Luna pointed out. "Hm... Nope. Don't remember it, therefore it never happened," Celestia said cheerfully. Luna snorted, and the two continued onwards. 207.5 (Half Baked Cat; edited by Wixelt & Saphroneth) [MLP/The Seventh Tower] "The Night... Will Last... FOREVER!" Nightmare Moon announced with a laugh. "About time someone did something about the bright sun." the unicorn known as Sunstone said over the gasps of fear, ignoring the looks he was getting. "Uh, aren't you Sunstone?" An unAwake Applejack asked. "Indeed." "Don'tcha use light magic?" "That is correct." "And you don't like the sun because it is bright?" "The light scares me." "Your powers are light." Rainbow Dash said, getting up in the Anchor normally known as Tal's face. "Your point makes no sense. I like it being dark. Ergo, I support our new ruler." Sunstone said, before he created a light staircase, trotting up to greet an amused Nightmare Moon. A thousand years later, in a highly industrious society locked in a cold war against both the Changeling Horde and the Griffon Empire, Twilight Sparkle Awoke reading a history book. "Huh. So that's what happens when you forego friendship and allow the night to last for a thousand years." She mused, looking out at the neon skyline of this loop’s Ponyville. “Weird timeline, too. Guess I should check if the others are around this ‘late’...” 207.6 (DrTempo) Sunset Shimmer smirked as she finished cleaning up a floor in what looked to be a dojo. "Well, the cleaning is done. Can't believe I now own my own dojo, and I made it with my own hands. Maybe I can teach some people from Canterlot High some martial arts. It would help me out with the boredom I have at times." As she smiled, she put up a sign. The sign said, "Sunset's Dojo. If you're feeling a little Loopy, your first lesson is free." Sunset chuckled. "So, I wonder who will show up first. Good thing I have one of the capsules that Capsule Corporation makes to store this dojo between Loops." With that, Sunset began meditating, waiting for someone to enter her dojo… 207.7 (Vinylshadow) Discord slithered into Big Mac's Bar and took a seat in the corner, curling up in the shape of a grumpy noodle. Berry Punch trotted over with a few mugs of cider and snuggled into his coils. "Rough Loop, hon?" she asked. Discord grunted, sipping from the mug before putting it down. "I do not know what is going on in Baseline, because the last time I checked, I was Chaotic, not Evil." "Oh dear," Berry said with a frown. "It's happened to you as well?" "Seems that way," Discord said with a sigh. "I'm aware that most Loopers aren't fond of their Baseline selves, but as far as I know, that only ever tends to be due to the stupid antics they do, not flat-out putting others in danger or what have you." "Ah yes," Berry said, lips thinning as she pressed them together. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack had a similar experience, I do believe." "Jealousy over Fluttershy," Discord said dryly. "Who knew it could drive beings to murder through negligence." Berry winced. "I'm just glad that's rare now," Berry murmured. "Usually there's only one or two pure Baseline takes before everyone finds some way to streamline everything to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Railroad Loops aside," she added sourly. Discord's body tightened around hers for a moment before he idly brushed her mane. "When do you get off work?" he asked. "It's been a while since we've sat down and just talked." "Aren't you a reality warper?" Berry asked teasingly. "I imagine you could have me back before I even left if you so chose." "Ah, but I'm trying to be more responsible," Discord said, gagging on the word before spitting it out. "How on earth anyone manages to swallow that whole baffles me." "It takes a few tries," Berry said with a grin. "Hey now, this is technically a G-rated story," Discord chided her. "Only what they see," Berry murmured, fluttering her eyelashes. "I'm a terrible influence on you," Discord said with a long-suffering sigh. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." 207.8 (DrTempo) [MLP/Tales of Symphonia] As her group traveled to Tethe'alla, Raine Sage had a lot on her mind. First, she had started experiencing time resetting to the beginning of Colette's journey of world regeneration. Eventually, Lloyd had joined her in experiencing the repeats. Shortly thereafter, Raine's brother, Genis, and Colette also began experiencing the repeats. Soon after that, an odd thing occurred. In one repeat, Raine and Genis had never left Tethe'alla, and the two ended up helping Zelos on his journey of world regeneration. Raine befriended Sheena during that journey, and soon after, Sheena also was experiencing the repeats as well. Presea and Regal soon began experiencing the repeats as well, thanks to odd repeats where they were the Chosen of Regeneration, and Kratos would also do so when Lloyd tried to have him rejoin the group. However, that had Zelos betray the group for real. And ironically, he would also start recalling the repeats right after that, believing what had happened to be a dream. During all these repeats, Raine and her friends decided to learn each other's fighting styles. Raine had easily mastered all kinds of magic, while Lloyd could use Indignation as easily as he could use his swords. But through all this, Raine wondered why the repeats happened. No matter what happened, time reset. And when Raine died, time instantly reset. So, what had happened? As Raine was thinking all of this, she realized that they had arrived. However, things would prove to be different this time. Unbeknownst to Raine, the person who had the answer as to what was causing time to reset was very close by. As Raine and her friends headed down the mountain they had crash landed on, Lloyd looked at Colette. "How are you feeling, Colette? The Key Crest working alright?" "You ask that every single time, Lloyd." Raine smiled at this, and thought to herself. Ever since Lloyd began experiencing the repeats, he always brings a Key Crest to help Colette. Saves us a lot of trouble. Suddenly, a strange voice was heard. "EAT THIS, MONSTERS! RAAAAHHHH!" Everyone drew their weapons, and saw a red haired woman clad in an outfit similar to Zelos fighting a horde of monsters. The woman wielded a large two handed sword. As the woman slashed the last of the monsters to pieces, the woman looked up, and smiled. "Well, well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see anyone here. Where did you come from?" Colette said, "That's a long story." The woman blinked for a second, a quick look of surprise on her face. "Oh. I see. I was heading to the capital. I just finished a training trip, and I was going to see my twin brother." Sheena looked at the woman, and bluntly asked, "Have we met? I swear I've seen you somewhere before." The woman shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Maybe you saw me during my training trip. Oh, yeah..." She smiled. "My name's Rebecca. Mind if we travel together for a while?" Raine nodded. "Of course. We were heading to the capital, as well." After everyone introduced themselves, Rebecca cracked her knuckles. "Let's go, then!" As the group left the mountain, Rebecca, AKA Sunset Shimmer, began thinking to herself. Well, this is a surprise. Colette should be pretty much emotionless at this point, if memory serves. And yet...she must be Looping. But, I doubt she's the Anchor. But, then who is? Either way, looks like this Loop in my long journey back to Equestria just got interesting. As the group headed towards the capital, Lloyd asked Rebecca, "Why do you wield such a huge sword?" Rebecca replied with, "Why do you use two swords?" "Good point. But, that thing has to be tough to use." "It's training, actually. I use this sword to help increase my strength." A horde of monsters showed up, and Rebecca grabbed one of Lloyd's swords. "Watch this!" The group could only be surprised as they saw Rebecca move at a speed they had never seen before, using the sword she'd borrowed to cut down the monsters with one swing. As she took out the last monster, Rebecca tossed Lloyd's sword back to him. "Learning how to wield my sword made me pretty strong, as you just saw. After all, if I can wield such a giant blade easily..." Lloyd nodded. "I see. So, using your sword is another training method." "Yep. So, mind teaching me some spells, Raine? I think you know a few spells I don't." Raine blushed. "Well...Why not?" When the group arrived, Sheena had to leave to return to Mizuho, as she usually did. As the group headed towards the castle, they saw Zelos being his usual self. Raine facepalmed. He never learns, does he? Rebecca was grinning at this sight, though. "Typical....Well, I did need to try out my new spell. PHOTON!" The blast of light hit Zelos, who yelled, "OK. Who the heck just did that?" He turned around, and saw Rebecca. Zelos gulped. "Uh-oh." Rebecca drew her sword, and yelled out, "ZELOS WILDER!" Zelos whimpered. "Hey, sis." The other members of Raine's group yelled out, "WHAT?" Zelos chuckled, and said, "I see you met my twin sister, Rebecca." Said sister growled. "You should be training, brother. Not trying to get a date." Zelos ran for it, and as Rebecca gave chase, a voice sighed. "Typical." The group turned to see Presea, who was chuckling at the scene. Colette, confused as everyone else was, said, "Um.." Presea shrugged. "I don't really get it either, Colette. Why Zelos has a twin sister this time, I have no idea." In that moment, Zelos crashed to the ground, crying out, "MY LEG!" Genis groaned. "Well, hopefully this will teach Zelos a lesson....but I doubt it." After Zelos recovered from getting his butt kicked, the group went to see the king, explaining the situation involving the two worlds (Zelos had, as he always had since he'd started experiencing the repeats, prevented the king from being poisoned as had occurred the first time). As the group left, Regal, clad in a business suit, appeared. "It is good to see you, Lloyd." Lloyd smiled, and said, "Guess Zelos helped you out again?" "As he always does." "So, know anything about Rebecca Wilder?" Regal thought for a second, and replied, "I see you met her. From what I hear, she was once arrogant, wanting to become so strong, she would become the Chosen. But, eventually, she decided to instead help protect Zelos when the time came for his journey of world regeneration." Raine, who had been listening to the conversation, said, "Interesting. That sounds like the times where Genis was a lot like Lloyd was, and didn't remember the repeats, only to suddenly remember during that repeat." Colette smiled. "Maybe she's like us?" Genis shook his head. "I doubt it, Colette. After all, this is the first repeat she even existed in." Raine nodded. "Agreed. I may have been experiencing these repeats for longer than anyone else, but there are always things that surprise even me." Rebecca then arrived, and asked, "So, where to next?" Raine said, "Sybak, I suppose. Regal here did mention that city might have a book that could explain more about what happened during Mithos' journey." Rebecca nodded, but was thinking to herself, Liar. Glad I managed to eavesdrop on their conversation. Looks like Raine is the Anchor here, and everyone that helped Lloyd on his adventure is also Looping. Does that include Kratos? Until I know for sure, I can't give the Speech. I don't want to have to repeat myself, after all… As the group headed towards Sybak, with Presea and Regal joining the group, Sheena caught up with them, and facepalmed as she saw Zelos. "Let me guess, Rebecca...you're Zelos' twin sister I keep hearing about?" "Yep. Surprised you didn't figure it out sooner." "I feel like an idiot now." Raine overheard the conversation, and said, "I was surprised as well, Sheena. What has you here, though?" "Kratos. He's waiting in Sybak." Rebecca said, "Why is he there?" Sheena said, "He wants Colette to remove the Key Crest attached to the Cruxis Crystal. As he usually-" Raine bonked Sheena on the head, saying, "Shut up, Sheena!" Rebecca grinned. That makes things easier. Soon enough, the group arrived, and Kratos was waiting. However, before he could speak, Rebecca decided the time had come. "So, you guys have been experiencing time repeats, I take it?" Everyone else gasped. Raine said, "How..." Rebecca pointed at Colette. "Colette should be soulless right about now, but you already have the Key Crest attached to the Cruxis Crystal. How would you know to do that unless you've done this before? That, and Zelos told me already." Before Raine could punch Zelos, he said, "She told me when she Awoke." Raine noticed how Zelos said that last word, and said, "Why did you say 'Awoke' like that?" Rebecca shrugged. "Very well. Time for me to let you guys in on what's going on..." Rebecca then began her tale, as she explained the Loops to the group. After the speech was finished, Lloyd asked, "So, let me get this straight. You're not even from this 'Loop', and have been traveling the Loops since you first 'Awoke', right?" "Correct. And by the way, my name...my REAL name..is Sunset Shimmer. It was the one I was born with." "So, why did you tell Zelos before any of us?" "He was Awake when I Awoke as well, and wondered why I was acting so different from my Unawake self. I figured I should let him know. Sorry." Raine then grinned. "Wow. I wonder what ruins are in these other Loops...." Genis facepalmed. "Here we go again..." Everyone simply chuckled. At least they knew what was going on, at long last… 207.9 (Vinylshadow) "So how are you dealing with Cozy Glow?" Applejack asked Twilight as they helped Big Mac open up his bar. "Eh, find out the root of the problem, solve it, then give her plenty of Friendship tutoring under Starlight," Twilight replied. "It's really not that difficult, but it's kinda stupid that parents don't raise their kids properly." Applejack raised an eyebrow. "You know what I mean," Twilight said dryly. "Sunset, Starlight, and Tempest all could've done with moral support from their families, but at some point, it seems like a lot of ponies distance themselves from family. I didn't talk much with mine after getting into Celestia's school, Rainbow Dash is embarrassed by hers, Rarity's are...quite plain, and given Rarity's Raritiness, I can see why she doesn't talk much about them..." "Meanwhile, Fluttershy's are meeker than she was, while... Huh," Applejack said, stroking her chin. "Don't you find it odd that it's the Earth ponies of our group that have parents who are...mostly normal?" "Probably because your families have responsibilities that require a lot of hard work and togetherness while the rest of us don't," Twilight said. "Doesn't help that Pinkie and I may be related," Applejack pointed out. "The apple doesn't fall far from the pie, apparently." "That was bad and you should feel bad," Applejack said, shaking her head. "You spend a loop in Pinkie's head, you kinda pick up a few things," Twilight said cheerfully. "I'll tell you about it over drinks." 207.10 {continuation of 198.6 & 201.19} (katfairy) [MLP/D&DC] Hank ran down all the healing techniques he’d picked up over the Loops, wincing as he realized how few they were, at least in comparison to a lot of his friends. Twilight probably knew three-quarters of the healing spells in the Loops, and Luna probably wasn’t far behind. Abby, Jack Harkness, and Terry had gone out of their way to pick up healing magics, and Ranma… yeah. What he did know was almost entirely for physical injuries, which wasn’t useful right now. Granted, healing magics weren’t his strong suit, but at times like this, he always felt guilty about that. He tried to reach Eric again with telepathy, not expecting it to work any better than the first time, but searching to find some way of helping Eric break through. Nothing. This wasn’t an issue that telepathy could solve; it was strictly magic-based, and he was going to have to leave it to Dungeon Master and the Equestrians. Squashing the thought that it sounded like a good name for a band, he looked over at them and a more useful thought occurred to him. “Twilight? Can the Elements help with this?” “…Maybe. I mean, you can’t use the full set obviously, but there could be something in the connection that might help. Between that and his connection to Dungeon Master, I think you two are going to be necessary for whatever we come up with. Luna, we’ll also need your mindwalking abilities.” Hank blinked at that, before realizing that of course a goddess (of sorts, anyway) of dreams was by definition going to be good at mind magics. “Yes, of course, and if you will forgive me—“ they shifted onto an almost featureless plain without warning. “—there is no time for the niceties. Dungeon Master?” The elder mage looked up at the wall that was the only thing to be seen. “Yes, this is magic much like my own.” He reached forward and put his hand flat against the wall, closing his eyes. “In fact, this is a remnant of power that I bestowed on him in a previous Loop. Is that supposed to be possible?” “Not usually, but that was a baseline event, so it could just be part of his code now,” Hank said, relieved to have a question with a simple answer for a change. “Actually, I’m pretty sure it is, since he’s showed hints of a… well, not even really a sensitivity to magic, just a bit more reactive to when it’s going on and sometimes he knows more than he should. And that was in baseline, too. It’s never been anything I’d want to swear too, not at any given time, but it’s added up over the Loops.” “This power may be at the root of the problem; he has never tried to access this power or learn more of it, leaving it to find its own method of integrating itself into his being.” “Tiamat? What are you—you weren’t under the shield!” She wasn’t dead; he knew he’d have felt that. It shouldn’t be possible for her to be here, and he couldn’t help worrying that they’d put her in unnecessary danger by drawing her in, but she was giving him the exasperated look usually reserved for when Eric had made one of his usual bad jokes. “I am an ancient five-headed dragon goddess; I can multi-task.” “…Okay, I’ll give you that one. Any bright ideas?” “Of course.” She flew over the wall, and seconds later returned with Eric dangling by his cape from the jaws of her blue head. Hank facepalmed; it hadn’t occurred to him that it could be that easy. Still, it only solved part of the problem, since the wall was still there. “Okay, part one is dealt with,” Twilight said with a grin. “Eric, do you know what happened to you?” “No idea. One minute I’m kissing my butt goodbye, the next I’m behind these big walls. Where’s everyone else? Nameless didn’t—“ “No, we’re inside your mind,” Hank said quickly, seeing the panic rising and not wanting to know what that would do to the mindscape. “Something happened after the last big attack and you went catatonic; we think it has something to do with your seeing Nameless’ face that time and maybe being Dungeon Master for a while. I’m not sure we’ve got time to deal with all of this, but we’ve at least got to make a good start on it. Do you know what this wall is?” “No, I—“ Eric broke off, frowning, and turned to look at the wall. “Wait a minute, this is Dungeon Master’s power? Okay, short stuff, what’s going on here?” “This is not my doing, Cavalier. At least, not directly. It is, as you say, my power, but the wall is your own construction.” The elderly mage’s clear blue eyes regarded Eric calmly. Eric, annoyed, shook his head. “How could I build something with your power? I’m not—Oh. Ah, man, are you seriously telling me that little stint really was permanent? I’m part DM now?” “You can’t wield great power without being changed by it,” Twilight said. “Dungeon Master should have warned you about that.” “He might have,” Eric admitted. “But that doesn’t mean he did it in normal English!” “This all sounds very familiar,” Venger muttered; Hank stifled a snicker. Tiamat didn’t bother to conceal hers. “We need to do something about this, but I’m not sure how much needs to be done right now and how much can wait,” Twilight said. “This could be something that has to be worked on over the course of several Loops. In fact, it probably is, considering the type of power involved and how deeply it seems to have affected you. Still, considering what’s going on outside, even with the expanded timeframe we have in a dreamscape, we just can’t take the time this really deserves. But we also can’t take the chance that leaving it completely alone won’t backfire on us during this fight. Any bright ideas, guys?” “He must confront the memory of seeing That One’s face. If he can find some level of acceptance for what he saw, its hold on him will be weakened. At the moment, I believe that is crucial.” Eric paled, gulped, and nodded. “I’ve…” He shuddered, closing his eyes. “I’ve tried really hard to forget that, you know? Even though I’m not really sure what I saw. I didn’t even mean to look; it just happened. Do I really have to remember?” “Tiamat’s usually right about this sort of thing,” Hank said, putting a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “She’s not that great with human psychology, but she knows from ancient powers and how to deal with them. Aside from eating them, I mean.” That got a flicker of a smile from Eric, who opened his eyes again to meet Hank. “Hey, if I can’t trust the Element of Honesty… Seriously, though, if you guys think doing this might help me not go nuts, then I guess I better give it a shot.” “Just remember that you are not alone in this, Cavalier,” Dungeon Master said, with Venger nodding behind him. “Father and I have both looked upon that face, and it would not surprise me to learn that Tiamat has as well.” “It has little effect on such as I, as I have never been mortal, but throughout both my own life and the Loops I have witnessed the effect it has had on others. And…” Hank sensed embarrassment echoing down the link from Tiamat and was simultaneously worried and intrigued. All five of her heads took a deep breath before she continued. “If it will help make him more accessible to mortal minds, I should make this confession: in this and infrequent previous Loops, he and I were...” Tiamat’s scales developed a subtle glow, almost as though a light had come on under them. It took Hank a few seconds to realize he was witnessing a very rare occasion. “You’re blushing! I didn’t know you could!” Hank knew he was being tactless, but he reminded himself of how often she brought up the labradoodle thing. Then the implications of that hit him and he stopped laughing. Twilight, unsurprisingly, was ahead of him. “Please tell me you weren’t Awake then.” “I was not. If I had been, he would not dare to show his face in this plane—not after what I would have left of it when I caught him with that glaistig.” Stunned silence. Hank found himself wishing he knew a hell of a lot less about Celtic/Gaelic folklore, and from the expressions on most of the faces he could see, the others agreed. The exception was Eric, who still grimaced. “I am so glad I don’t know what that is, but that’s still more of a mental image than I ever needed.” The grimace shifted into a surprised grin. “But I gotta say, thinking about him as a cheating ex does kinda dent the whole eldritch-horror-destroyer-of-worlds mystique. Ol’ Nameless is a hound, huh? Didn’t see that coming.” “I am so glad that my humiliation eases your mind.” “Ooookay, then.” Twilight said, shaking her head with an audible rattle. “That’s gonna take a few shots of Mac’s best Brain Bleach to clear out. Anyway, Eric, if you really think you’re ready, we’ll be ready to support you. Luna’s an expert at dealing with nightmares, which is more or less what this is now. We’ve all got experience in dealing with eldritch abominations, which is what Nameless is. Between us, we should be able to keep you safe. Are you ready?” “I think I gotta be. I mean, he’s out there, right? You guys can’t spend forever trying to fix all my problems; the Realm’ll be destroyed and the Loop will crash!” Eric closed his eyes again, took a deep breath like Tiamat had, and opened his eyes again. “Okay. I don’t wanna do this. Let’s go. Um, how?” “It is quite simple,” Luna said, approaching him and draping a comforting wing around his shoulders. “Just think about it. We are already in your mind; thinking about it will take us to that moment. Just remember that it is only a memory; it can’t actually hurt you. If for no other reason than we won’t let it.” Eric closed his eyes one more time and they found themselves in the middle of a thunderous attack. They could barely hear Dungeon Master giving an uncharacteristically succinct order to avoid looking directly at Nameless over the constant roar of magic and the land dying. Hank, who had managed to avert this event more often than not, got an unwanted reminder of just how terrifying it had been. Seeing both Dungeon Master and Venger not just running scared, but pushed to and even beyond the limits of their endurance had been a nasty wakeup call for Hank, and he reaffirmed his commitment to never dropping the ball like that again. (And ignored the echo of exasperation from Tiamat as he made that reaffirmation.) Like the rest of them, Eric had been huddling away from the wind caused by the attacks, so what they were seeing was a confused mass of clothes and small debris until a faint difference in the roar caught his attention and he instinctively looked up for a second. What they saw at first was a poorly drawn malevolent genie from an old cartoon: Eric’s mind has translated what he’d seen into a form he could manage. However, Luna’s horn began to glow and the scene slowed almost to a halt, causing the cheesy face to eventually dissolve into… well, if sheer malevolent rage could have a face, it would look like that. Hank clamped down on his own fear, knowing it wouldn’t help Eric, and he could feel Twilight’s faint shudder as she came up alongside him. “Eric, look at him. I know it’s terrifying, but the longer you hide from this, the more influence it will have on you,” she said. “That’s not good for you, and it’s not good for your Loop. Leaving this unresolved will destabilize you eventually, and aside from the damage an unstable Looper does to their Loop, that instability can lead you to do things you’ll really regret once you get stabilized again. All of us older Loopers learned that the hard way. Don’t make our mistakes.” Eric shot a questioning look at Hank, who shook his head. “Compared to pretty much any of Twilight’s group, I’m a newbie. But after the Mythos messed with me, I did some pretty stupid stuff. Mostly minor league, like what I said to Sheila at the Cloud Bear Village or picking a fight with a bigot built like a dump truck to defend Luna’s sister’s honor—which she didn’t need me to do and will never let me forget. But… there was one Loop where I just blew my stack and led a revolution against… well, okay, that part wasn’t really bad and I don’t regret bringing him down. But a lot of people died who didn’t need to, and a lot of that was my fault because I let my temper get the better of me. You’re gonna have regrets soon enough, Eric—put ‘em off as long as you can.” “Hank, buddy, I’ve already got ‘em.” Eric sighed, slumping a bit. “You think I don’t know how much of a jerk I was in baseline? You’re not the one who dropped the ball on Nameless, remember—whether or not you were in charge, opening that thing was still my idea, and I’d have just done it behind your back anyway. And I knew I wasn’t supposed to look, and I did. Okay, I didn’t really mean to, but I did it. And I guess I’ve finally gotta deal with it so we can deal with him.” Eric lifted his head, squared his shoulders, and looked right at his memory of Nameless. As Eric looked, visibly terrified but not backing down, Twilight saw the memory start to fade. After a few long moments, the visible component was only the size of the average television screen, leaving them once more on the plain. This time, however, it was not featureless; instead, it looked more like a well-manicured lawn with a stone path meandering through it, crossing a small stream midway. The wall was still there, visibly smaller if no less impenetrable. “Well done, Cavalier.” Venger said. Eric blinked. “Uh, still kinda terrified here.” “Only a fool would not be. That you have the wisdom to admit your fear while not giving into it is why I say you have done well. You will always retain some fear of him; that is only natural. What you have done is taken the first steps towards being able to manage that fear.” “He’s right,” Luna nodded. “Taking control in your own mind is more difficult than it sounds, but you’ve made a good start. If we had the time, I’d like to build on that, but I’m afraid we don’t. We must return to the outside world soon. Before we go, does anyone have any bright ideas, since we don’t seem to be wearing Nameless down? If this was Equestria, we’d probably summon up a rousing heartsong before blasting him with the Elements, but I… do not trust those smiles. What are you three thinking?” Hank, Tiamat, and Eric exchanged looks, but it was Eric who replied. “Quick question: how many Equestrians does it take to be able to start a Heartsong?” “Just one,” Twilight said, suspecting she knew where this was going. She wasn’t sure it would work, but it might help a little. “Great! Do you guys have any idea how many breakup songs there are out there and how many of them involve getting payback?” Okay, she’d been close. Luna’s grin matched theirs, and Twilight suspected hers wasn’t far off judging by the wary looks they were getting from Venger and Dungeon Master. Hank held Tiamat’s gaze for a few seconds, then he turned to Luna. “Okay, hit it.” They found themselves back in the desert with Diana, Presto, Sheila, and Bobby hovering over them. The three sat back with sighs of relief as all of them, including Eric, got to their feet. “A little more warning next time, guys?” Diana said. “You scared the daylights out of us before we remembered what Luna said just before you all collapsed. I guess it worked, though—hey, Eric, you big dummy, stop scaring us like that!” “It wasn’t my idea!” Eric protested as usual, but didn’t stop her from hugging him or object to the sock in the arm from Presto. “It was Nameless and Dungeon Master’s fault!” “You’re gonna explain that later, but first we need to—what is that crazy dragon doing?” Everyone looked up to see Tiamat posing majestically in the sky. Not attacking, not doing anything even remotely threatening, just posing. Nameless responded by holding a massive blast in the edge of the cloud, but didn’t fire it yet. Her red head took a breath and— “I was cheated by you and I think you know when, So I made up my mind it must come to an end.” “Uh, Hank, why is she—where is that music coming from?” Sheila looked around, as confused as all the non-Loopers. Hank’s grin was borderline demented as he watched Tiamat start to fly in time with the music; if Twilight didn’t know better, she’d say Tiamat was dancing. “Do you think this will work?” Luna muttered. “Even if it doesn’t, I’ve got great blackmail material—she won’t want Smaug to see this, after all, not that she’ll ever admit to having a crush on him.” “…I’m not sure I needed to know that. And I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’ll at least buy us some time.” “That’s the plan,” Hank said. “”We’re going to need you to drop the shields again when I give the signal. We don’t have the full power of the Elements yet, but that combo blast we’ve been doing should be able to do more damage now that his clouds have been thinned out. Do you always have to do some sort of speech before using Element Blast?” “Pretty much, yeah, so start thinking of one, although it sounds like it doesn’t have to be you who starts it; after all Presto kickstarted them to begin with.” Hank nodded, then looked up with an even wider grin as Tiamat’s green head interrupted the song and changed the music. “Oh, shameless one tremble; Nay, do not endeavor Thy fault to dissemble; We part, and forever! I worshipped him blindly; He worships another—“ Now the white head burst in with her own commentary. “So what? I’m still a rock star—“ And the black head nipped her ear. “You have no sense of occasion; this is the song we need! Were I thy bride, Then all the world beside were not too wide To hold my wealth of love…” Twilight grinned, knowing how this song ended and now fully understood Hank and Tiamat’s plan. If nothing else, it should confuse Nameless as much as it was doing Venger and Dungeon Master, who were muttering to each other in concern. “—and yet it is working.” Venger said, then noticed Twilight looking at them. “Is this something that you have brought from your world?” “Yep. Very old, very powerful magic from Equestria, and very hard to defend against.” She saw how Venger relaxed a little at that and decided not to tell him that all a heartsong really did was get everyone caught up in the music while it lasted; it seemed a shame to disappoint him. Luna raised an eyebrow at her, but also refrained from disillusioning him. A subtle shift in the music drew her attention; the song was winding down and it was almost time to drop the shield. She caught Luna’s eye and the two prepared as the kids readied another attack, bouncing the magic from one to another in time with the flowing rhythm of the song. “—A feather’s press Were leaden heaviness to my caress, But then, of course, you see— I’m not. Thy. Bride!” The attack reached her at just the right moment and she punctuated the last word with a massive eruption of rainbow magic. Twilight studied it this time, noting that it wasn’t exactly the same as the Elemental magic she was used to. She hadn’t expected it to be, considering, but she still made mental notes and hoped to be able to further study the differences later. If they managed to survive and not crash the Loop. The surrounding clouds were shredded tatters now, but Nameless’ magic hadn’t weakened any. At least, Twilight assumed it hadn’t, since the dune it hit when Tiamat dodged turned to molten slag as easily as the others had. Tiamat’s blue head grumbled something that had Hank choking and her other four heads glaring at her. Both sides geared up for the next round, but they were interrupted before they started. “All right, that’s enough!” It was Sheila. She marched forward with a very familiar look on her face; Twilight wondered if The Stare was an intrinsic part of being an Element of Kindness. “Should we…” Luna trailed off, shaking her head. “No, let’s see what she has to say.” Twilight nodded, an unspoken agreement between them that they’d haul her back if Nameless even hinted at an attack. “Look at all the damage you’ve done! Is this any way to deal with a bad breakup? Tiamat didn’t go rampaging after you cheated on her! When Hank had his heart broken by that hussy on Bajor, he sure didn’t create an interdimensional incident! And what you did to Venger? That was just petty! When Zandora dumped Dungeon Master for a Githyanki, I didn’t see him dragging innocent kids into their arguments!” Twilight would forever be glad she’d glanced toward Hank at that moment or she might have missed seeing him silence Eric by elbowing him in the ribs, only to be forcibly reminded what a bad idea that is when those ribs are protected by armor. She also got to see Venger spocking an eyebrow at a blushing Dungeon Master, which had her working to keep a straight face. As for Nameless, he made a sound like a thousand bewildered volcanoes. “Look, I know you’re an eldritch abomination from beyond the reaches of this universe, but that’s no excuse for wholesale destruction when a minion finds an escape clause in a dishonest contract—and you did cheat him, didn’t you?” “Minion?” Venger growled, sounding like his old self for a moment. Hank shook his head. “Let it go; she’s on a roll.” “You should be ashamed of yourself, acting like a spoiled brat! My little brother acts more mature than that, and he’s only eight! And acting like you’re the injured party? You’ve got a lot of nerve! It’s probably too much to ask for you to apologize and fix your mess, but I think it’s past time for you to go.” Sheila began to levitate as she wound down, and one by one the others followed suit. As had happened the first time, Twilight thought how odd it was not to be a spectator instead of at the center. Nameless gathered energy for an attack, but the Elements beat him to it. Before he had a chance to do more than rumble again, Hank lifted his bow, firing the Rainbow of Doom. 207.11 (Wixelt) I Give You A Hamburger “Hiya Twilight!” Pinkie looked up from one of Sugarcube Corner’s many ovens as the local Anchor entered, grin stretched across her features, “Ya got my message?” “Yes, I did.” The purple pony nodded with a smile that widened by the second, “I’m not about to ignore anything that says you somehow made ‘pink’ sandwiches better than they already were.” “Guess not.” Pinkie giggled, “Yep, it’s true. Finally decided to mostly stop being mad at Lemonpants for getting there first, and we kinda sorta… decided to pool our knowledge instead.” She reached under the counter and lifted a familiar looking impossible sandwich onto the worktop, pink… stuff meta-visible inside, “I know ya love them. Thought you should try the first one.” “Thank you, Pinkie.” Twilight answered, a deep appreciation in her tone as she lifted the bread delicacy with her magic, noting that it was far heavier than it looked, something she put down to whatever the party pony had altered in the already impossible meal. Immediately, she took a bite into it, her eyes lighting up, “Oh my, that’s… that’s…” the unicorn staggered in the spot, briefly coming close to losing her footing, “Wow…” “Yeppers. Thought you’d like it.” The local Chaos Goddess chorused happily, “Was nice to not have to worry about a huge boom every time.” “What did you put in it?” the looping Sparkle tilted the sandwich to one side, peering at it with an expression that told all she was still reeling from the taste, “It tastes more metaphysical than usual.” “Weeeeell.” Pinkie rolled her tongue, “I’m not entirely sure aside from it being something silly like a concept. Lemony said he got it from the Warp, I think? Said it was called Cu- uh…” she blinked, almost tying herself in knots verbally, “Cuo? Cua? Cus?” the mare shook her head, “Doesn’t matter. It looked fun and not explodey at all maybe.” “…maybe?” Twilight frowned despite her continued good feeling, “Lemon knew what this stuff did, right?” “He, uh… heh.” Pinkie looked evasive, “He just kinda said he got the idea from one of the Chaos Gods.” “And you let me eat it.” “And Tzeentch didn’t know what it did either. It’s a concept when it’s in the Warp, too.” “And you let me eat it.” “…yes?” Pinkie, for once, shrank back beneath her worktop, fidgeting uncomfortably under the mixed look of annoyance and disappointment Twilight was bearing down on her with. The stare continued for several moments, only broken when the eldritch partygoer gave a pleading whimper, and Twilight realized she might have been overdoing it. Just a tad. Slowly, she drew in a deep breath to calm herself, letting it out. It wasn’t that much of a big deal, anyway, since nothing had seemingly happened. “So,” she began, “Now that that’s-” The entirety of local reality abruptly exploded, imploded, turned itself inside out, tap danced furiously, gave Pinkie a hamburger and collapsed into a single microscopic point, all in the same moment, before abruptly proceeding to fold itself into an origami swan and backflip through a window made of pink sandwiches. Then, it took a deep breath, all the nearby clocks winding backward with shrieks of protest that sounded distinctly like Twilight’s library exploding, before normal chronology finally disintegrated into a steaming pile of Twinkies, and everything went to buck. Sleipnir jumped in alarm as his monitor suddenly began smoking, almost spilling his coffee as legs flailed everywhere. Looking away for a moment to set his drink down, he turned back to find his computer, itself luckily only an interface and not an actual part of the tree, had already melted into a puddle of molten slag. “That… isn’t good.” The equine Admin muttered quietly, already moving to stand. Exiting his office, he walked ten feet down the corridor with purpose, before turning into someone else’s room, “Kaname!” “Branches!” Madoka, embodiment of the Law of Cycles, shrieked in surprise - almost falling off her chair. “P- Please, don’t do that!” “I need to borrow your computer.” Sleipnir said. It wasn’t a question. “Why don’t you-” “Mine is presently pooling on the floor of my room.” “…okay, then.” The pink haired Admin’s face fell, turning back to her screen, “Do you need to check a branch?” “Equestria.” The horse spoke, typing in his access credentials as his fellow Admin moved aside to allow him, the readout for the sanctuary flashing up on the screen. Eyes narrowed, Sleipnir scrolled down the logs, quickly finding the point at which his access point had lost its solidity. He frowned deeply. ALERT: Disruption of Standard Euclidean Causality in Progress. Incident Tracked to Looper Designate ‘Twilight Sparkle’ [Anchor]. Rating: 1 Cuil and rising… Branch Stability Risk: Negligible Long-Term Looper Stability Risk: Low. Short Term Countermeasures Still Advised. Advise Immediate Reality Stabilisation Countermeasures. WARNING: Primary Designated Access Point ‘Sleipnir-1’ Disconnected Unexpectedly. ALERT: Incident upgraded to 2 Cuils. Authorised Secondary Access Point ‘Kaname-1’ Connected. “…Cuil?” Madoka blinked several times, her confusion visible, “Should I know that one?” “It doesn’t come up a lot, and it’s more often a footnote when it does.” Sleipnir tapped several keys, then grimaced as it didn’t appear to have the desired effect, “It’s marks the level of abstraction away from the reality of a situation. When something in causality breaks in a certain specific way, it can manifest as a Cuil Cascade.” Seeing Madoka’s confused face, he sighed, “It’s a time loop within the current iteration, over a very short period, usually a few minutes at most, in which each repeat becomes more and more distorted from how it was originally recorded.” “And that’s bad?” “Not so much now, since there’s so many stop gaps, such as the Nesting Doll Protocol, and the tree is far more stable than it once was, but in the old days, in the aftermath of…” the elder Admin shuddered, “…that, a Cuil Cascade could undo multiple cycles of work trying to fix things as it twisted the code itself.” He shrugged, “Granted, this was before even the Original Seven were looping, and I haven’t seen this properly kick off in eons. Really, with so many safeguards in place, the only way to set one off now is if someone in the loop was to, say, somehow acquire the metaphysical concept of a Cuil, put it in a sandwich and eat it.” he gestured to a set of recent information he’d pulled up on the screen with a sigh, “I’m going to have to talk to Fenrir about the Warp again. I just know it.” “So…” Madoka hummed, “The worst-case scenario…?” “…is also the best case, fortunately.” Sleipnir logged off, stretching all his limbs as he stood, “Twilight might need some time to recover after this, but once I get a new computer, I can have this fixed before the end of their current loop.” His face drooped a little, “Until then, though, she’s on her own." 1 Cuil Twilight lifted the bread delicacy with her magic, noting that it was far heavier than it looked, before realizing Pinkie had actually given her a live timberwolf pup. She didn’t stop to consider how she hadn’t noticed this before. 2 Cuils Twilight lifted the bread delicacy with her magic, noting that it was far heavier than it looked. Before taking a bite, she looked up, intending to thank Pinkie again for this opportunity. There was no Pinkie though. She didn’t exist. Instead, where the party pony hadn’t been standing mere moments before there was a painting of her holding up a sign that read ‘Ruuuuuuse…’, resting motionlessly on an easel. 3 Cuils Twilight lifted the bread delicacy with her magic, only to find she was lifting herself, Awoken as a sandwich. Baffled, she called out for help, meta-ingredients flying from her lips. The world was pink. 4 Cuils Why did everything taste like bratwursts? Fluttershy giggled softly as she cradled a young Luna. Starswirl stared at Twilight as Luna fell apart into Nyxs. Twilight looked down, only to see Pinkie with cakes for eyes. She was singing the song that gave laughter to the multiverse. 5 Cuils Pinkie gave Twilight a pink sandwich, and she got a pink sandwich. Twilight lifted it to her lips with her magic, taking a bite. Her eye twitched involuntarily. Across the street, Derpy Hooves, mother of two, fell down the stairs. Twilight swallowed, looking down at the sandwich before her. Pinkie gave her a sandwich. Twilight swallowed, looking down at the sandwich before her. But she couldn’t swallow. There were foals standing at the top of the stairs. The pink shifted, churning impossibly beneath the bread. Pinkie gave her a sandwich. Twilight looked up at her face, to find Pinkie was laughing at her. The foals were screaming now. Twilight lifted the sandwich to her lips, tears of joy streaming down her face as she took a bite. Pinkie gave her a sandwich. Twilight was on her knees, pleading with Pinkie to go across the street and help Derpy, but only foals screaming could be heard. Pinkie gave her a sandwich. Twilight yodelled merrily as she fell down the stairs, and Pinkie was her child. She couldn’t see anything, yet she took a bite of the sandwich. The concrete rushed up to meet her, and she awoke with a start in her own bed, eye twitching involuntarily. Pinkie gave her a sandwich. As Twilight sobbed in front of her, she didn’t make a sound. Pinkie gave her a sandwich. 6 Cuils Pinkie gave Twilight a pink sandwich. Twilight’s attempt to receive it, however, was cut brutally short as her body experienced a sudden lack of electrons, and across a variety of hidden spaces found her in disarray. King Sombra gave her a crystal, but it slipped between her hooves. Pinkie was reborn as a zebra. Twilight disapproved. A deafening crack echoed through the universe in defiance of local physics as system-wide background noise pitched from true randomness to a perfect H flat. Foals everywhere ceased their activities to hum along in perfect tune with the permeating sound. Pegasi fell from the sky as the sun eclipsed the moon. Twilight hesitated briefly, but then allowed herself to become the locus of all forbidden knowledge. Entropy reversed as she perused the information contained within the branch. The Canterlot Royal Archives ceased to exist. Twilight stumbled under the weight of everythingness. She opened her mouth to cry out in delight, but it collapsed around her body, blinking her out of the universe. She existed only within the internal fourth dimension. The chocolate fountain of all knowledge rolled around the cobbles and collided with Mayor Mare. Pinkie’s head tasted sideways, space-time reestablishing itself, and Twilight blinked back into the corporeal world, disoriented, only for Pinkie to give her a pink sandwich as both of their bodies collapsed under the strain of rearrangement. The branch had reasserted itself. Mayor Mare is fed gummi bears for the rest of her natural life. Twilight and Pinkie died in a freak accident moments later, their souls working at the returns desk for the Canterlot Royal Archives. Twilight disapproved. Her disapproval sent ripples through in intra-dimensional nothing-space between here and there. A small filly begins to sing as she walks toward the stairway where her father stands. ALERT: Causality Re-established. Events String Repaired. Running… The universe abruptly turned itself the right way out again. Twilight stood there for a moment, eye now genuinely twitching. Then, she turned an unhealthy shade of green, and abruptly threw up in a nearby trash can. Pinkie, not looking all that good either, slumped at the worktop, eyes distant. “…that… what was…?” Twilight breathed, struggling to stand correctly as her normal thought patterns renewed themselves, “…what…” “…If I knew, I- I would tell you…” the party pony shuddered, then offered a weak smile, “Loop off?” “Loop off.” The Anchor nodded, “And get rid of that sandwich…” “Don’t have to tell me twice…”