216.1 (Anon e Mouse Jr.) [MLP/Brother Bear]
Moose Therapy
Thorax blinked Awake as he looked at his surroundings, and then at himself, groaning.
"Birch this Loop, I'm out," he muttered to himself.
"Hey, I know it's been a long day, but you don't have to use that kind of language, eh?" the moose next to him said.
Thorax looked at the other moose - his brother, the memories told him. Distinctly not Pharynx though. "Sorry, I'm just a little frustrated."
"I know the feeling," another voice said. "New Looper?"
Rutt turned and screamed, before dashing behind a tree as best as he could. "Bear! Bear! Geeze Tuke, run for it!"
Thorax looked up to see a rather indignant-looking grizzly bear standing in front of him. "More timid than usual, this time," the other animal muttered. He held out a paw. "I'm Kenai. You?"
"Thorax," Thorax answered, holding out a hoof. "Um... you're the local Anchor?"
"Yeah." Kenai shrugged. "What Loop are you from?"
"Equestria."
Kenai's ears perked up, and he grinned. "Neat! I've never been there, but I've heard good things about it."
"It's a pretty great place," Thorax agreed. "So, what's up with this one?"
Just then, he felt hooves on him, and Rutt started trying to drag him away. "What part of bear did you not get?" the younger moose asked frantically.
"It's okay, Rutt," Thorax told him. "I don't think he's like other bears."
"He's right, I'm not," Kenai said. "I'm not going to eat you, or anything else I can understand."
"Oh. Phew, eh?" Rutt sat back. "So, um."
"Rutt." Thorax gave him a nudge. "Why don't you step over there and let us talk, okay?"
"Sure, eh." Rutt trotted back a ways, before Thorax looked at Kenai expectantly.
Kenai shrugged. "First off, my baseline's kind of rough, but I've figured out how to bypass most of the problems. See, I started out as a human, but then something bad happened - my fault entirely - and the great spirits turned me into a bear to punish me for it. Nowadays, as soon as I can, I just let my brothers know I need to go away for a while, then once I'm away from our village, I turn myself into a bear."
"Ouch." Thorax winced. "You weren't kidding about it being rough."
"No kidding." Kenai sat back. "Anyway, once I'm a bear, I go wandering, try to meet up with this one little bear cub named Koda, and then he and I, and his mom if she's alive, go up to the salmon run. And then I spend the rest of the time with him and the other bears."
"So what's the catch?"
"Well… if I don't Awaken early enough, it's usually after I got turned into a bear for killing Koda's mom." Kenai looked down. "I blamed her for killing my oldest brother, and I... I made some bad decisions."
Thorax hissed in surprise. "That's not good."
"I know, which is one of the reasons I try to go bear on my own before anything happens to Sitka - sometimes I ask the local shaman if she can help me, sometimes I use an ability or two I've picked up from other Loops." Kenai sighed. "It took me a while to get used to all this, but I've managed." He gave a faint smile. "I'm just hoping Koda starts Looping soon. Having to explain to him that I made a big mistake, when I met his mom... it's always rough. He forgives me eventually, but until then, I'm in a really bad place."
Thorax put a hoof on his shoulder. "I see."
"So." Kenai straightened out. "Koda's mom's okay this Loop, it's one of the ones I Woke Up in time, so I haven't found Koda yet - I'm going to keep looking for him as soon as I can, and then go up to the salmon run with him. Wasn't expecting visitors though."
Thorax smiled. "And I didn't think I'd find someone to calm me down. I don't know why people keep comparing me to a moose! I mean, the antlers in my baseline form aren't that much like one, are they?"
"Wouldn't know. What's your baseline form?"
Thorax reached into his Pocket and drew out a couple of photos. "I'm a changeling, kind of a cross between a pony and an insect. Here's me before my metamorphosis, here's me after, and that second form is why they say I look like a moose."
Kenai looked at them. "Wow, you do look different."
"Yeah."
Kenai smiled. "Well, I've learned the hard way that there are times where, if you have a problem with something, the Loops try to put you where you can cope with it. Just look at me, in my baseline I hated bears before I got to know the local ones. Even after that, I wound up in places with other bears a lot. I wound up Replacing Baloo van Bruinwald and hanging out with Kit Cloudkicker a few times, he's actually the one who told me about the Loops. And there's this archeologist, a Dr. Jones, who went through almost the same thing to get over his fear of snakes. I think it was him, anyway. Might have been someone else."
"You think Yggdrasil's doing that with me and moose?" Thorax tilted his head. "I mean, I don't hate them, I'm just irritated by the comparisons."
"Possibly." Kenai shrugged. "Aside from my problems, things are usually pretty peaceful around here. Feel free to just wander, relax, enjoy yourself. Avoid other humans, they will try to hunt you, but these days they don't usually come this far out unless it's one of those Loops where my middle brother's trying to kill me."
Thorax looked taken aback. "Wait, what? Why-"
"In baseline, when Sitka dies and then I go after the bear who killed him, I get transformed... but Denahi doesn't know that," Kenai explained patiently. "He sees me as a bear and thinks I killed his youngest brother. So he starts hunting me to avenge... well, me." Kenai looked somewhat embarrassed. "He finally figures it out when I make it up to the mountain where the spirits make me human again, and he sees me get turned back, but until then he's bent on revenge. I'm hoping he'll start Looping too, so he'll be more understanding early on and won't chase me regardless."
"I see." Thorax nodded. "Well, good luck finding your little friend."
"Same to you, Thorax. Nice to meet you, and maybe we'll see you around." Kenai rose, then turned. But before he lumbered off, he looked back. "Oh, and Koda's more than just a friend. He's my little brother, in every way that counts."
Then he was off.
Thorax had been looking in the direction he'd gone when he heard a noise, and looked to see Rutt approaching.
"So, what was that all about, eh?" the other moose asked as he walked up. "Never seen you talk to a bear like that..."
"Oh, he's not really a bear," Thorax said with a smile. "He's been transformed into one, so he can find his place in the world."
"Huh." Rutt held up a hoof and scratched his nose. "Well, then let's go find our place, eh?"
"Sure thing, little brother." Thorax smiled. "Sure thing."
In a place like this, maybe being a moose won't be so bad, he thought to himself as he and Rutt set out.
216.2 (Saphroneth)
A Familiar Premise
Twilight blinked, and she was looking at a familiar book.
A moment’s concentration, and she confirmed that – once again – she was alone, at least as far as loopers went.
It was a distressingly common situation for an Anchor to be in, but because Twilight was an Anchor she was used to being the only looper present.
At the same time, though, she wasn’t quite the same Twilight as last time this had happened. She never was; she grew, and changed, and every experience touched her.
And recent experiences had been more touching than most.
It was an odd feeling for someone whose baseline hadn’t been complete, to know that it was quite likely that from now on baseline held no more surprises – at least in terms of the raw course of events.
Twilight’s tail twitched slightly as she shuffled through all the ideas she hadn’t done recently, then she smiled.
There was the chance to do something that, in several important ways, was entirely new.
Princess Celestia looked out of the window at the sky – the sky that had been hers alone for a thousand years – and wondered.
Wondered if her plans would work. Whether her brave student would be able to make friends, to awaken the Elements that had lain dormant for as long as the moon.
Then there was a quiet knock at the door.
“Enter,” Celestia called, wondering who it might be. An unexpected guest in the evening might mean any of a number of things – a report of trouble, or good news, or perhaps just a member of the staff wanting advice in the way so few were brave enough to seek.
“Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked.
Celestia turned from her balcony in surprise. “Twilight?”
Then she smiled. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
“I wanted some advice, Princess,” Twilight explained, letting the door shut behind her. “But – it’s kind of a long story, so can you just hear me out?”
“Of course, Twilight,” Celestia answered warmly.
Dear Twilight. Her personal student… and in a thousand years, so many had worn even that title, but Twilight Sparkle was in more than one way truly special.
She was the one who had shown the most potential – one of the strongest mages Celestia had ever seen, with one of the quickest minds, and with a humility that all by itself was something Celestia treasured.
“Well...” Twilight began, sounding nervous. “I had something that was – it might have been a dream, and a lot of it seems like a dream now I’m going to say what happened, but it felt so real.”
Rather than say anything, Celestia merely indicated with her wing that Twilight should continue.
“I – I’m going to say I felt like all this happened,” Twilight decided. “I felt like I’d done so many things, saved Equestria with some wonderful friends, and then got into trouble and out of it again with those same friends.”
She frowned slightly. “It wasn’t like those friendships in the stories, where you’re just there for the other pony no matter what. We were all different, and we argued a lot, and sometimes it felt like we’d never make it up – but we always did.”
“That’s what true friendship is sometimes like, Twilight,” Celestia assured her student.
Thinking about how much this might be important for what was to happen to Luna was a bad idea, and Celestia was not going to do it. Twilight wanted her advice, and she was going to give it.
“And – some of the things in this, whatever it was, are why I think it’s a dream,” Twilight went on. “There was a school, which I started and ran with my friends… and my brother and Cadence got married, and I even grew up to be an alicorn princess and took over your job. And… that’s why it sounds so much like a dream about what I’d want to happen. But it felt so real.”
“Well… as it happens, I do think your brother and Princess Cadence may be getting married at some point,” Celestia said, smiling. “But you didn’t hear that from me. I’m sure he wants it to be a surprise.”
“It was a surprise in the dream, he didn’t tell me until I got the wedding invitation,” Twilight grumbled, and Celestia laughed.
It was the kind of laugh that happened when something caught you by surprise, filling her up and leaving her smiling broadly even after it had gone, and Twilight shot a quick smile up at her. Then sobered.
“Princess?” she asked, and something about her voice caught Celestia’s full attention. “Can – can I ask something?”
“Of course, Twilight,” Celestia promised her. “Though I think you already have.”
“Am I going to have to unite ponies to use the Elements of Harmony and save your sister, Princess Luna?”
Celestia’s jaw slowly dropped.
“Twilight,” she began, as delicately as she could. “I do not think any pony alive, or any book you could have read, would have given you all the information to ask that question. How did you...”
She trailed off, seeing tears in Twilight’s eyes.
“It was all real,” she whispered. “Princess, it – it wasn’t a dream. It was all real.”
Lost for words, Celestia bent down to embrace her personal student. Her eyes squeezed shut as she folded her wings and hooves around Twilight, and Twilight stiffened in surprise before relaxing and hugging back.
Then Celestia saw a soft blush of light from behind closed eyes, and felt another pair of wings brush against her own, and when she finally let go and stepped back it was from an alicorn fully her equal in height and stature.
“What did I do, Twilight?” she asked. “To deserve a student like you?”
“You were Princess Celestia,” Twilight answered, folding her wings back along her flanks. “That’s all you’ve ever needed to be.”
Then she frowned, and Celestia had the unusual experience of seeing a frown on a muzzle at her own height. “But now I’m going to need to work out if there’s anything I could do better. Or maybe whether I should have not become an alicorn, because that’s going to make it kind of hard to properly make friends with Rarity.”
Celestia chuckled. “I am sure you will find a way, Twilight. If what you say is true, I trusted you with everything – and I am sure I made the right choice.”
She paused. “That may get confusing.”
216.3 (Vinylshadow)
Navel-Gazing
"Bwurgh."
Celestia and Luna pricked their ears and looked at Starlight, who had stumbled and fallen flat on her face on her way to the breakfast table.
"I see someone's Awake." Celestia said in amusement.
"Ow, okay…what...where?" Starlight said, untangling her limbs as she scrambled to a sitting position. "Oh. This is...when I switched your Cutie Marks, right? Uh...not that I was going to...or planning to...or did...?"
"Relax, Starlight." Luna said soothingly. "We're as Awake as you are. Only recently, since otherwise you wouldn't have been called to the capitol by the map since we get along far better than our Baseline selves. For far longer, too." She added bitterly. Celestia gave her a nuzzle and the two embraced briefly before turning back to Starlight, who was rubbing the back of her head.
"So according to my memories, I was on my way down to ask why my Cutie Mark had already given me the recall signal." Starlight said. "But I guess why is pretty obvious now."
"You are of course welcome to stay here for as long as you wish." Celestia said. "It's a good way to catch up, especially when nobody has to make plans to get together in the first place."
"What my sister's trying to say is that you're here, we're here, let's talk." Luna said with a roll of her eyes.
"I mean, sure?" Starlight said. "I did have a few odd Loops recently that I think talking about will help make them a little easier to understand. I don't suppose any of you have been toilets recently?"
Celestia and Luna exchanged glances. "I know the Variant you're talking about." Celestia said with a nod. "Toilet Sparkle, Flush Sentry, Sunset Shi-"
Luna loudly cleared her throat. "We get the gist, sister."
Starlight grimaced. "It was...a little unsettling. And not everypony was affected, which made it worse."
"Visual pun Loops tend to be that way." Celestia said with a sigh. "Sometimes it's as simple as me raising and lowering Sunset Shimmer to cycle day and night, other times everyone's wandering around getting oddly fixated on door handles and other human implements."
"I think that was only a brief carry-over from Lyra's meddling all those eons ago." Luna said. "Which had a brief resurgence when the Equestria Girls expansion came around."
"Equestria Girls... Oh, right, where Sunset came from." Starlight said. "And where I've been spending a fair few Loops recently."
"You'll get used to it eventually." Luna said with a smile. "We all have an adjustment period, and it's only gotten easier as time has gone on thanks to the nature of this Sanctuary Branch."
"Nopony ever really fully adjusts, do they?" Starlight asked. "Frankly, I'm a little nervous about saying or doing something wrong and then waking up from all of this."
"Then enjoy what's currently in front of you rather than worrying about what's yet to come." Celestia said, draping a wing over Starlight. "Just know that you won't be facing it alone."
"Now come, sit, and eat." Luna said. "We've had enough navel-gazing for a century. It's time for breakfast."
216.4 (Anon e Mouse Jr.)
Never Too Late to Amend Fences
Twilight had Awoken late.
And by late, she meant post-Our Town late.
More importantly, it was late enough that she hadn't been able to visit Moondancer anywhere near as early as she'd wanted. Now, she and the other unicorn were visiting Twilight's old tower in Canterlot, and she heard the words she remembered from baseline once again.
"Look, I even wrote something! 'To my friend, Twilight Sparkle. Thanks for introducing me to the classics.' I can see by the fact that you left it here that it meant a lot to you." The other mare scowled.
Twilight bowed her head. "It's just as well that I did," she said.
Moondancer whirled around. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
"Moondancer... where were you when Tirek was on the loose?" Twilight asked softly.
Moondancer looked surprised. "I'd been at the bookstore, and I was on my way home when... when he drained me," she admitted. "One of the worst moments of my life." Then she frowned. "What does that have to do with this?"
Twilight gave her a sad smile. "Tirek did more than just take my magic," she said. "When he came looking for me... I was in Ponyville, in the library I lived in. He saw me and... and fired a blast of magic at me." She looked down. "He destroyed my home, and almost everything in it. I got out, and my pet owl with me, but... I lost so much that day. So many of my books, of the things I'd been given by the ponies I'd become friends with. Your book being here, means it was safe. That it didn't get destroyed with all the rest."
Moondancer stared at her, mouth agape. "I had no idea..."
Twilight nodded. "I have a new home now, and all my memories... but some of those things can't ever be replaced." She placed a hoof on the book. "I may not have recognized its value until recently, but at least I still have this. A symbol of what could have been lost, but hopefully isn't." She looked at Moondancer. "Will you be my friend, Moondancer? Give us - me, and all our old friends from school - a second chance?"
Moondancer looked down. "I... I don't know." She turned back to Twilight. "I tried friendship before, and all I got was hurt."
Twilight gave her a smile. "Nothing's perfect, Moondancer. Friendship can have its ups and downs, and even the best of friends have problems at times. But that's all a part of life. If you don't give life a chance, what reason do you have to be?" She held out a hoof.
Moondancer hesitated again, but smiled, and took it. "Okay."
Twilight smiled, leaned in, and embraced her.
Then, once the two had separated, Twilight looked around and saw something. "Spike was meaning to give this to you back then, by the way," she said as she levitated a small package up. "It's a little banged up, but it's still for you."
Moondancer opened the package, saw the picture inside, and almost teared up. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much."
Twilight smiled and hugged her again.
You may not be a Looper yet, Moondancer, she thought. But no matter what, you will always have a special place in my heart.
216.5 (Vinylshadow)
Stupid, Stupid Bird Horses
Applejack jumped in surprise as Rainbow Dash fell out of the tree she had just bucked.
"I don't know why you keep doing that." Applejack said, helping the pegasus to her feet. Rainbow Dash shook her head and blinked, looking around, before focusing on Applejack.
"I was a bit out of it." Rainbow said, flexing her wings. "Just got through the whole villain team-up affair and just came out of it confused."
Applejack tilted her head. "How so?"
"The fact ponies are eager to distrust each other even after getting their flanks saved a dozen times over the past several years, and that Cozy Glow was able to freely walk amongst the pegasi to turn them against the other races."
Applejack blinked. "I mean...is it really that surprising? The Flim-Flam brothers are still walking around free, and even own a hive of scum and villainy, and Starlight was able to trot into Twilight's castle and into Canterlot itself without getting caught."
"To be fair to Starlight, the Royal Guard and Baseline Twilight aren't the most perceptive ponies out there." Rainbow pointed out.
Applejack thought about it for a moment and grimaced. "No one is." she sighed, looking over her orchard. "But at least we're here to keep them safe."
"Should we rebrand ourselves as the Babysitters of Equestria?" Rainbow asked, flicking her tail. "Because that's what we've become over the years once one of Celestia's many bottled horrors wakes up every other Thursday."
"Oh please." Applejack said, rolling her eyes. "You relish the chance to tackle giant monsters."
"Because that turned out so well against Discord, the Changelings, Sombra, Tirek, and rogue weather." Rainbow said dryly.
"Don't be so hard on yourself." Applejack said, patting Rainbow's withers. "Nobody's perfect."
"I'm still 20% more perfect than everyone else though." Rainbow said, puffing up her chest.
"Who loses in ten seconds flat." Applejack said as she turned back to her work.
"Touche." Rainbow said, before taking flight to get back to her weather duties.
216.6 (DrTempo)
Looper Combat 101
Flash and Starlight walked into a dojo near Canterlot High, and as both of them looked around, Starlight's fingers grabbed a sword. Looking at it, she was surprised.
"To think Sunset Shimmer owns a sword." Said Looper walked over to Starlight, and smirked.
"That's just one of many, Starlight. So, what brings you two here?"
Flash spoke up, saying, "We figured you could give us some training. From what we've heard, the Loops can be a dangerous place." Sunset chuckled.
"That is an understatement. By the way, where's Thorax?" Starlight shrugged.
"He isn't Awake this Loop, or at least not yet." Sunset nodded in agreement.
"Guess I can help him train another day. So, let's get started. Nearly every ability you'll see in the Loops has to be acquired first; for example, I can't show you how to use ki yet because you haven't been in a Loop where that exists. Same goes for types of magic besides Equestrian style magic. That reminds me, Starlight. Can you use Equestrian style magic in this world yet?"
Starlight smirked, and used her magic to grab the sword she had been looking at earlier. Sunset chuckled.
"Why am I not surprised? Anyway, don't get arrogant. Trust me on that. When I met an, at the time, recently Awakened Mace Windu, I figured my ages of training in the style he created would allow me to beat him at his own game with his own style. I still lost. So, just because you have a lot of experience in a certain style, don't think you'll always beat anyone else who knows that style, even if they haven't been Looping as long as you. Always be prepared for anything."
Sunset then entered a fighting stance. "So, let's see what we have to work with. Flash Sentry, you first."
Flash gulped, and as he entered a stance(admittedly not a good one), Sunset attacked. To her surprise, Flash fought more like a slugger type of boxer, moving slow, but having relatively powerful attacks. Of course, when you fight someone with eons of training, and you have none, there's only one way said fight would end.
"OOF!" And Flash Sentry just learned that lesson the hard way. After Sunset used some healing magic, she looked at Flash Sentry.
"I figured you'd be more of a fast moving sort of fighter, Flash."
Flash just replied, "I was using the times I was part of the football team for what little you can call a fighting style. So, admittedly, not much in the speed department at the moment."
Sunset nodded in agreement. "Makes sense. Ready, Starlight?"
Starlight gulped, and focused her magic. Sunset did the same, and in a minute, it was over. Starlight threw every spell she knew at Sunset, trying to catch her by surprise, but Sunset was countering all her moves even before she could even start doing them.
After Starlight was healed as well, Sunset shook her head. "Seriously? Did I just not tell you about fighting someone more experienced in a certain style than you are?" Starlight frowned, but Sunset then chuckled.
"Admittedly, you haven't actually learned anything else. But, you are better at using magic in battle than I had figured you would be. But, I've been fighting like that for millennia. I suggest you learn fighting rules to help you move faster so you can focus on casting spells without potentially getting attacked."
Starlight nodded, and Sunset cracked her knuckles.
"Again. Show me what you have got!" Flash and Starlight again entered battle, knowing though they were going to lose...a lot...they would learn a lot more.
216.7 (Anon e Mouse Jr.)
Fun With Mail and Magic
It was a normal day in Canterlot. The weather was cool and clear, the birds were singing outside...
And Princess Celestia was stuck at her desk going through stacks of paperwork.
And they wonder why I abdicate so often, she mused to herself. Even before it turned out to be one of my ultimate goals in baseline.
Still, for now at least some of the work was all hers.
Reaching the bottom of her first inbox, she looked in surprise at the envelope she saw down there. This doesn't look like paperwork, she thought to herself. Must have been misfiled.
Shrugging, she opened the envelope to see a greeting card of some kind, and smiled at first, then turned it over to see the cover. Her expression turned to one of confusion.
"'Resistance is Futile'?" she read. "What kind of card is this?" Flipping it open, she got her answer when she saw a line illustration of a pony, standing in a bipedal position and with their hooves open wide. Seeing the caption under it, she laughed. "'Hugs inevitable'. How cute."
Then the illustration leaped off the page and, as it assumed the form of a flesh-and-blood pony, glomped her.
When Celestia had had a moment to catch her breath, she looked up at the pony still latched onto her. "Twilight?"
Twilight smiled at her. "Surprise."
Celestia laughed in delight. "You certainly succeeded," she said as she hugged her beloved student and friend back. "I see you've been experimenting with the Haycartes spell again."
"And what better end result than to make a good friend happy?" Twilight grinned as she climbed off. "I've been wanting to spend some time with you, just the two of us, so... want a hoof with some of this?" She gestured to the paperwork still on the desk.
Celestia smiled back. "Twilight, I would be delighted to have some help."
Pulling up an extra chair and desk, she moved some of the stack over so Twilight could work, and then sat back in her own seat. Thank you, Twilight, she thought as she went back to work. You never cease to surprise me. And I will never stop being grateful for you and all the joy you bring into my life, just by being there for me.
216.8 (Anon e Mouse Jr.) [MLP/Kamen Rider Drive]
All We Need Is Drive
Thorax was confused.
He wasn't quite sure what to make of his surroundings, or what he was doing as he went through them. All he could tell was that he had a purpose for whatever he was doing, and that when he arrived at his destination, he'd know what he was meant to do.
Soon enough, he reached the endpoint, and burst out of what seemed to be a screen of some kind. Reaching out as his body transformed from… were those floating numbers? Shaking his head as he assumed a humanoid form, he reached out and grasped the face of the person in front of him, and began feeding.
And that's when a sense of self hit, as he dropped the person and staggered back. "Dear tree, what am I doing?"
"I'm not sure, but that was unpleasant," the person he'd grabbed muttered. "Hey - Thorax?!" He stared in shock. "What are you?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself," Thorax replied as he stumbled back, falling into a sitting position on a nearby piece of furniture. "And - Spike? Is that you?"
"Yep, in the flesh." Spike looked at himself. "Human flesh, it looks like. And you're… metal, I think."
"Strange…" Thorax examined his body, still trying to figure it out. "And I've got a number of some kind on my chest… zero nine three?"
"For some reason, this feels familiar." Spike considered, then pulled something out of his Pocket. "Hold on, let me check my media database."
After a few minutes of typing and reviewing, he nodded. "Got it. You're a Roidmude, an android made to evolve by interacting with human emotions. Their maker wanted to use them to take over the world, they turned on him and started trying to take over on their own, and now they're working to evolve themselves and finish what they started once they've got enough of them in their final forms."
"That's disturbing." Thorax looked at himself. "I'm certainly not going to try and take over anything, I had enough of that working for Chrysalis."
Spike nodded. "Have you met the Looping her yet?"
"Not yet," Thorax replied. "I've only been Looping for… what, five or six iterations now?" He shook his head. "Hard to keep track."
"Know the feeling." Spike continued studying his device. "Says that eventually, the lead Roidmudes realized that their creator - he's still around, he got his own mind digitized somehow - was just using them for his own reasons, and they started working with the local Kamen Riders to try and stop him and his plan. The guy's a total monster."
"So, what are we going to do?" Thorax asked.
Spike looked at him. "I think," he said, "We're going to avoid the main battles for now - which shouldn't be a problem, they're in Japan and we're not - but we're also going to try and figure out how to hurl a real monkey wrench into Banno's plan."
"How's that?"
"We stop a couple of the Roidmudes he planned to use for the big finale." Spike looked over the data again. "Zero Zero Six and Zero Zero Eight were overseas for most of the Loop, so we need to keep an eye out for them. One Zero Eight is sealed away somewhere, I'm not sure where, and was used for a backup plan. But first… first, we need to get you into your Advanced Form, at minimum."
"How do we do that?"
"The standard method uses these things called Viral Cores. I'm not sure how to get a hold of any… the other is to synchronize with a human and their emotions, and help them fulfill their desires, but it takes a lot longer." Spike looked at him. "I'd be willing to do that," he said. "To help my friend."
Thorax smiled as best he could. "How do we do that?"
"Take my hand." Spike held it out.
Thorax did the same, and nodded. "So, what kind of desires would I have to help you fulfill?"
"I don't know," Spike said. "I already have most everything I want. I have friends, family, the love of my life… but we'll figure something out."
"Then let's do it."
Months later…
Settled in the Drive Pit, Shinnosuke Tomari and Krim Steinbelt looked contemplative. They'd noticed something off from the beginning of the Loop, but recently, there had been some major differences.
Namely, that some of the Roidmudes from overseas had yet to show up.
"What could be taking Tornado so long?" The Rider and police detective mused to himself. "Or Zero Zero Six?"
"I am more concerned about Zero Zero Four," Krim replied. "The longer he is absent, the more he can plot against us."
"Yes." Shinnosuke nodded. "If only we knew what had happened to Banno…"
At this point in the Loop, their archenemy's consciousness had typically fallen into the hands of his son. Gou, however, was not Awake, and thus had not destroyed Banno's tablet form as soon as he'd claimed it; nor had he allowed Shinnosuke or anyone else to do so. The tablet had disappeared from his possession some time back, but not in the manner it usually did. Small wonder, given that Tornado had yet to appear, and the loss usually happened during that battle.
Just then, the alarm signaling the detection of a Slowdown sounded, and the two immediately headed for the Tridoron. They had work to do.
In the city of Tokyo, a lone Roidmude stood in human form, seemingly uncaring of his surroundings. As Shinnosuke approached though, the Roidmude turned to face him. "Hello."
"Hello," Shinnosuke responded cautiously. "May I ask what you're doing here?"
"Waiting for you, Kamen Rider." The Roidmude stood, a gleam in its eye. "I have need of your help."
"My help?" Shinnosuke frowned. "What for?"
"For this." The Roidmude shifted, transitioning into a new, somewhat recognizable form - a black bodysuit with oddly familiar blue armor on the shins, upper legs, arms, torso and shoulders, plus a strange chestplate with what looked like three diamonds on it... and lighter red eyes, plus horns that bore something of a resemblance to a stag beetle. It stuck out a hand and beckoned. "Come at me, Kamen Rider. Show me what you're capable of."
Shinnosuke frowned. Something was off here. "You don't seem to have caused any trouble so far... Why should I fight you?"
"Because I need this." The Roidmude clenched its fists. "To prove myself. To break the chains, advance myself beyond my limits!" He placed a foot forward. "Come at me, Rider!"
He's seeking Super Evolution, Shinnosuke realized. "All right." His eyes darkened. "If you insist..." His hand raised up, and a Shift Car promptly drove into it. "Henshin!"
"Drive: Type Speed!"
Now in his armor, Shinnosuke faced the Roidmude. "Might I know your name?"
"Call me the Emperor Roidmude." The being in front of him crouched, then charged. Shinnosuke did as well, and the two lashed out, the Rider with a fist and the Roidmude with a leg. There was a flash of heat and sparks as they met, and the fight was on.
Nearly half an hour later, Shinnosuke couldn't help but wonder what was going through his opponent's mind. No matter what methods he'd pulled out, the Emperor Roidmude simply would. Not. Give up. From Tire Changes, to the Handle-Ken or Door-Ju, to Type Changes (he'd been through both Wild and Technic already), he'd withstood everything and fought back, even powering through several Full Throttles before striking back with those armored legs that still seemed so familiar, if a little off.
"Come on! Give me your best!" the Roidmude called. "I can take more than this!"
What is this Roidmude? Shinnosuke asked himself. This strength, this perseverance... if I didn't know better, I'd swear he'd already evolved again. Reaching out and grabbing another Shift Car, he signaled the change.
"Drive: Type Formula!"
Now in his second strongest form, Shinnosuke continued the attack.
This is working! Thorax felt himself grow excited several minutes later. I can feel it... the rush of power, burning inside me!
Having achieved his evolution some time back with Spike's help, he'd spent a great deal of time training as the Emperor Roidmude, figuring out his powers in combat with his friend and, when they found them, challenging some of the other Low-Class Roidmudes who'd been in other countries around the world, slowly but surely eliminating their physical bodies and then shattering their exposed Cores with his feet or bare hands. Before finally heading to Japan, he'd had his toughest fight ever, facing and destroying the Tornado Roidmude before the Executive could head for Japan to seek his own final evolution.
This fight was so much more though. The flames within burned deeply, his body growing stronger as his trigger emotion also grew, giving off heat and, occasionally, physical flames that he generated at need to counter the more experienced Looper's attacks. Burning not with anger, as he'd initially thought after evolving, but with something stronger. Something that was the key to surviving, pushing himself to the brink and beyond.
Finally, as Shinnosuke changed into his sixth form, his final Type accessible without getting into some of his special forms since the battle began, Thorax grinned. "Rider! Let's finish this! One final blow, from each of us!"
"Very well," a serious voice identical to the one from Shinnosuke's Driver - and Thorax knew it was the same being, from the information Spike had provided - stated before Shinnosuke himself could say anything.
Turning the Advanced Ignition on the Drive Driver, pressing the Igniter on the Shift Brace and lifting the Shift Car in it, Shinnosuke leapt into the air.
"Hissatsu! Full Throttle: Tridoron!"
"Emperor..." Thorax crouched, as the fiery scythe-like blades formed on his legs. "Burst End!"
And then he too leapt, flames bursting out of the bottoms of his feet before he reoriented himself.
Shinnosuke's glowing TriDrop Rider Kick met the Roidmude's attack, the flaming thrusters and fiery blades lashing out at their foe.
I won't give in... I won't give in... I WON'T GIVE IN!
And in a final burst of determination, Thorax was able to force his foe back, as power surged through his body.
There was a brilliant flash of light...
And then the two combatants landed.
Thorax's armor had changed, transforming from blue to gold. He felt the power rushing through him, and he couldn't help but laugh. "This is it! This is what I've been searching for!" He grinned at Shinnosuke. "Thank you, Drive. You've helped me so much!"
Shinnosuke tilted his head. "How?"
"You never let up," Thorax said. "You kept going, forcing me to push on. I stayed the course, no matter what you hit me with... because I knew I couldn't give in. And what's more, you could take what I dished out." There was an almost wild look in his eyes. "I powered through your attacks, endured everything... and my drive to keep going, no matter what, pushed me over the edge. Thanks to you, I've evolved... and now, with a little more practice?" He stepped forward and placed a hand on Shinnosuke's shoulder, to the Rider's surprise. "I feel I can take on almost anything this Branch has in store for me!"
Shinnosuke's eyes widened under his armor. "This Branch... you're a Looper?!"
"Yup!" Thorax grinned even wider. "I Replaced this Roidmude, Zero Nine Three, and now I've taken his body beyond anything it achieved in your baseline."
Shinnosuke felt a surge of relief and understanding. "So that's why Iron only had one ally with him when we fought, after he evolved!"
Thorax nodded. "I've been dealing with some of the others as I met them... but I only fought one Advanced Roidmude before this. I managed to destroy him before I came here, smashed his Core with my bare hands."
"Was that... Tornado?" Shinnosuke asked.
Thorax nodded again. "I didn't come alone, my friend had all the information we needed to intercept Tornado and destroy him."
Shinnosuke nodded in return. "Thank you for the help, Emperor."
"Please." Thorax reverted to his human form, as Shinnosuke did the same. "Call me Thorax."
Time passed.
Banno, having escaped from his son with the aid of Zero Zero Four as it turned out, resurfaced and managed to once again seize Zero Zero Six's body and assume his Gold Drive form, to everyone's dismay. Fortunately, Gou had Awoken shortly thereafter, and on learning they had new allies, had nodded in approval.
Medic achieved her Super Evolution.
And then, as she started to attack them under Banno's command, a previously unseen figure made themselves known by thrusting a lightsaber through the evil Rider's armor from behind, and all the Roidmudes present froze in shock.
Banno's armor sparking as he fell forward to his knees, he gasped. "What... how..."
"Word to the wise," Spike said as he stepped around to show himself. "Never assume you have the upper hand."
Then, with a single swipe of his saber, he removed the Rider's head, leaving its body to crumple to the ground.
Turning to Gou, he raised a hand. "It's time! Finish him!"
"Yes!" Walking forward, Gou withdrew his Signal Mach. Loading it into his Zenrin Shooter, he spun the weapon's wheel, and took aim at the Banno Driver. "Goodbye, Father."
Banno didn't even have time to react before Gou fired, obliterating him.
Shinnosuke turned to face the Roidmude Executives. "Heart, Brain!" he called. "Let this be the end! Your tormentor has been dealt with. Can there be a peace between us now?"
Heart, whose eyes had been mainly focused on Medic since her collapse, turned to him. "For now," he said. "This war is not done yet, Drive."
Then, picking up Medic's body, he and Brain walked away.
Finally, the day came. The Loop was near its end, and while there were still Roidmudes out there, the resident Loopers knew it was effectively over.
"It's been an interesting experience," Shinnosuke said to the pair. "Getting to know you."
"The same goes for me," Krim Steinbelt spoke from his spot on Shinnosuke's waist. "Good luck to you both."
Gou grinned. "Thanks for the help, Spike!"
Chase spoke, quietly. "It has been... an honor," he said.
Spike and Thorax smiled at the group. "It was nice meeting you all," Thorax said.
"Take care of yourself," Spike said to Gou. "A Jedi may not know anger... but I can understand what you've been feeling."
Stepping back, the two Equestrians gave friendly waves.
And then the Loop ended.
Awakening to find himself in the Hive once again, Thorax looked around. Well, time to sneak out, he thought to himself. I just wish I could make them not notice me on the way…
Walking towards the exit, trying to make himself seem unremarkable, he suddenly noticed that everything was quiet.
There was no other movement around. It was as if the other changelings had suddenly frozen.
Blinking in surprise, Thorax looked at one of his fellows. It seemed to be almost still aware, even as its body couldn't move.
Then, he realized what was happening.
Heavy Acceleration... I've still got it!
Letting out a burst of love energy at the other changeling to trigger the change into his full form, he moved fast, exiting the hive and flying off, heading north towards Ponyville. Hopefully Spike would be Awake and could help him experiment.
A few minutes later, some while behind him, an unAwake Chrysalis shook her head in confusion as the Slowdown wore off. By the mother tree, what was that? she wondered.
It was a question she would have answered months later when Thorax once again confronted her at Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding, utilizing his Roidmude powers to good effect and single-hoofedly capturing her to ensure she wouldn't cause any more trouble that Loop.
216.9 (Wixelt)
Matrimony and Misplacement
Big Mac stared across the bar.
Lyra Heartstrings grinned back.
After a long moment, Mac sighed, an amused smile playing on his face.
“So, uh… celebratory drink for the newlywed, huh?”
“You heard, then.” Lyra hummed happily as the drink was poured out. Smiling, she leant back in her seat, practically shaking from giddiness.
“Even if I hadn’t, I’d’ve been able to tell from that face of yours.” The looping bartender chuckled, pushing the glass across the bar to the deserving customer. “Guess ya’ll’re takin’ it better than I am, at least...”
“Yeah, but…” despite her smile, the multi-faceted mare, for once singular in her focus, took a deep, almost hysterical breath. “It still threw me for a loop.” She giggled. “The proposal was amazing enough, but…” the musician blushed. “The wedding so soon after…”
There was a lull, and Mac coughed.
“I- uh…” Lyra blinked, then laughed sheepishly as she remembered to whom she was talking. “I didn’t really get it at first, how something so wonderful could be so overwhelming, but…” she nodded. “I get it. Still over the moon, but I get it. Still, though…” she sipped her drink, eyes lighting up again. “Married…”
“Eeyup.” The red farm stallion whistled idly for a second. “Guess I’ll get there. Folks keep tellin’ me not to avoid it, and when I’ve looped into that period I haven’t, and birch knows I’ve had enough loops as a parent to deal with it, but…” he shook his head. “As I said, pretty sure you’re handlin’ the married life far better. But I’ll get there.” Mac paused, hoof to his chin for a second, as if considering something. “Speaking of… Lyra?”
“Uh…” Lyra lowered her beverage, raising a pleasantly curious eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“What’ve you found is more common? Do ya’ll and Bon Bon take each other’s names, or do you not at all, or…” Upon seeing Lyra’s thoughtful expression, he appended. “Asking ‘cause in Baseline my mother changed her name after she married my father, though that was more to distance herself from her family, so…”
“Really?” Lyra shrugged loosely. “I guess not at all, usually. Just plain old Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings.” Another blush began to form. “A- although, if it does happen, that usually makes me Lyra Drops, or something like that.”
“She never takes your name?”
“Nope.” Lyra smiled warmly. “Won’t let her. Both her names are beautiful just the way they are. Besides,” she scooped her drink up again. “I get Lyra Heartstrings for all of eternity. She just has it for the loop.”
“Fair enough.” Mac conceded. “Seems like the future end of Baseline’s been all good for you, then.”
“At least you two have an ending in the future. Some of us aren’t so lucky.”
Though there was no malice or jealousy in the voice, both Lyra and Mac blinked in surprise, turning to glance at the row of loopers sat further down the bar, seemingly having arrived at some point during the conversation. Frowning lightly, the speaker spoke once more.
“I mean, sure, some of us got a bit at the end of the present stuff, but…” Vinyl Scratch sighed loudly, removing her shades to look plainly at the pair. “When Twilight mentioned the future, I was hoping for some big music deal or something. Maybe ‘Tavi and I would tie the knot like you and Bon have, Lyra.” She growled without fire. “But no! I get nothing!” she gestured to the other loopers with her, a couple of whom Mac noted were among their newcomers. “None of us do, really.”
“It’s true, to say, though I hate to admit,” Zecora deadpanned over her tea. “That I am disappointed not to know just where in the future I fit.”
“The same.” Cheerilee added from next to the zebra. “Whilst having more generations of students is wonderful, and my future’s more or less assured in that regard, not being able to prepare lesson plans tailored for colts and fillies I know I’m going to be teaching is a little…” she clicked her tongue, searching for the right word. “…disconcerting, to say the least.”
“Honestly, the human world not having a future is a bit of a let-down, since Baseline me basically lives there permanently.” Sunset Shimmer grimaced, tapping her drink irately. “I mean, it’s an entire half of the branch. I know I spend a lot of time here now, but the ending on this side doesn’t have much of a trace of me on any account, so I’ve got nothing.”
“…I may be new, but that’s a big deal for me, too.” Flash Sentry nodded to himself, his pegasus form’s wings visibly twitching. “To me, the human world is, well, my entire world. Even with time running differently there, maybe, that’s years of my life, and just of the world as a whole that I’m probably not gonna see anytime soon…”
“Uh… Different world, same boat.” Thorax echoed, not-antlers twitching in unhappiness. “Still glad I got to rally my people to help everyone fight off the trio, and it was great seeing changelings around in society with no issues in the future, but not knowing how the hive as a whole ends up is…” he shivered. “Well, I guess the word Cheerilee used fits for me too.”
“Though I expect I’d no longer be the Mayor of Ponyville after such a long time, even with my good track record,” Ivory Scroll opined calmly. “Not being able to see if I had apprenticed a potential successor as a candidate, or even what I might go on to do outside of office, was more a little vexing.”
“Didn’t turn up at all in most of the recent expansions, and even then I just got one line, so don’t really care too much, but still,” Berry Punch called from where she was sorting bottles at the other end of the bar top. “More than a cameo would’ve been nice.”
“…huh. That’s pretty fair, actually.” Lyra pondered, turning her now empty glass over and over in her hooves. She narrowed her eyes briefly, then glanced back at the gathering, smiling cheekily. “If that’s all, though, with how stuff played out, wouldn’t there be more of you sat here moping?”
“…no-one coming to mind.” Vinyl shrugged. “Who’d you be expecting?”
“Well,” Mac began, picking up from Lyra, “Part of me was thinking I’d be seeing Cadance and Shining Armor here--"
“They got to see Flurry Heart succeed them, even if the details were a little fuzzy.” Sunset cut in. “Maybe they didn’t find out for sure what they themselves would be doing, but Cadance told me seeing their little girl all grown up was more than enough.”
“—as well as Celestia and Luna.” The bar owner finished, grumbling at the interruption.
“Celestia, uh, didn’t seem all that fussed, really.” Thorax offered. “When Twilight got all the princesses and other looping rulers together, she and Luna just sort of brushed not knowing their future off like it was nothing.” He couldn’t help but chuckle dryly. “Guess with how long they’ve lived in Baseline, they didn’t feel like they really needed to know. They were probably still at Silver Shoals anyway.” The changeling king glanced away awkwardly. “You know, I really wish I could let it go that easily.”
“Eh, you’re new. Give it time.” Berry joked.
“Was… Was that meant to be motivating? Because it really wasn’t.”
“Okay, okay.” Lyra rolled her eyes in quintuplicate. “We can get the royals maybe not being as fussed, but what about…” she thought for a second. “Gilda! She probably has some gripes, right?”
“I would’ve thought so too, but…” Ivory gestured in the negative. “She came to me this loop asking about building permits for something she’s planning, like nothing had even happened.” The mayor smirked faintly. “I don’t know if it’s a griffon thing or just a her thing, but she honestly wasn’t all that put out about not knowing her future. I got the distinct impression being a part of the final battle and getting to help, in her words, ‘kick bad guy flank’, was enough for her. At least, that’s how it would seem.”
“…guess that means this is all of you, then.” Mac appraised, then grinned. “Well, even if Baseline’s been a let down for all of ya’ll, at least ya’ll can make your own path now, right?”
A chorus of mumbled, if slightly more cheerful, agreements went along the bar.
“Good. Anyhow, how about another round? On the house.”
“Mac, we don’t charge.” Berry shot over flatly.
“I’m aware.”
216.10 (Wixelt)
Stand In
“And just what are the Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow Dash, still shaken from Nightmare Moon’s declaration of eternal night, bared down on the pony in front of her. “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?”
“What? No! Of course not.” The pony who was almost definitely Twilight Sparkle grinned awkwardly, though perhaps with a little too much emphasis. “I’m just your regular, average book horse, here for the festival, and definitely not the town’s mayor in disguise.”
Rainbow Dash snorted aggressively, before an orange leg shot between the two ponies, Applejack raising a judgmental eyebrow at the rainbow pegasus.
“Cool ya jets, Rainbow.” The farm mare rolled her eyes, gesturing away from the confrontation. “Go let some steam off, will ya? I’ll talk to her.”
Rainbow stared at AJ for a long moment, before huffing indignantly and stalking off, disappearing quickly out of the library door and into the cool ‘night’ air, muttering things probably best left unwritten.
“Alright, Ivory.” The decidedly Awake Applejack looked back at the still awkwardly smiling earth pony, clearly Ivory Scroll in a purple wig - that, despite the wrong mane color, wrong cutie mark, and the complete lack of a horn, was somehow enough to sell everyone on her being Twilight – and sighed heavily. “I’ll bite. What’s it this time?”
“Twilight had a bad loop, so decided to take this round off.” The mayor of Ponyville frowned. “Something about books being banned, I think.” She then smirked. “She told Spike and I, since I was first Awake with them, to ‘fill in for her’ whilst she was away.”
“And she never specified how you ought to fill in for her.” Equestria’s Second nodded. “Smart.” She chuckled. “Tell ya what. I’ll go along with this, okay? As far as I’m concerned, you’re Twilight.”
“That is appreciated. Thank you.”
“That said…'' AJ hummed thoughtfully, eyebrow raised. “I saw you as you at the Celebration, and you as Twilight too. Not sayin’ it’s impossible, but how’re you swinging that this time?”
“I didn’t learn Shadow Clone jutsu just to get paperwork done faster, you know.” There was an audible pause – crickets chirping – before Ivory Scroll rubbed the back of her head. “Well, I did, actually, but it works for this too, see?”
216.11 (Wixelt)
Song Defusal
“Hey, hey, everybody! We’ve got something to say,
We may seem as different, as the night is from day.
But if you look a little deeper--”
“Ahem. Excuse me?”
Abruptly, the heartsong that had begun to overtake the high school cafeteria cut out with an audible record scratch. The group of six responsible looked amongst each other with awkward confusion before turning to the source of the voice.
Principal Celestia raised a disapproving eyebrow.
“I’ll have you know that my sister and I get along perfectly well, thank you very much.”
“But that wasn’t what we--” Applejack began, before the teacher raised a hand to silence her, stating without words that she wasn’t finished.
“And whilst I’m sure this was entirely innocent, and I’d otherwise be all for an impromptu dance number, especially for a bid for the crown, I would prefer that you notified staff in advance and ran these sorts of things past them.”
The group of six, particularly the purple skinned girl, looked amongst one another with disappointment. Celestia sighed, appearing to feel a little bad.
“That said, I do wish you the best of luck in your campaign.” She smiled. “You seem like a lovely girl, and this event seems to have become stagnant these last few years, so maybe change will be good.”
The girl seemed to perk up at that, before nodding happily, and leaving. Despite the intended message of their song now falling flat, the students in the room began to talk amongst one another, even beyond their social clichés, about the spectacle that the principal had shut down.
It was all good talk, though. After all, if the principal had subtly shown her approval to this Twilight Sparkle girl, she was probably alright.
“You know,” Luna stepped up next to her sister, eyebrow raised. “Twilight won’t be all that happy if she finds out you’ve been song blocking her unAwake self.”
“Perhaps.” Celestia tittered, rolling her eyes. “But I feel she’d appreciate the comedic value of performing a complete shutdown whilst still getting more or less the same results.”
“If you say so…”
216.12 (Anon e Mouse Jr.)
Behind the Name
"Thorax?"
"Hmm?" The royal changeling turned to see a familiar face stepping into Mac's bar. "Oh, hey, Cadance."
"Hey yourself." Cadance slid into the bar stool next to him. "How are you doing?"
"Pretty good, I think," Thorax said. "Chrysalis is Awake and in charge of the hive this Loop, with Trixie at her side, so I got to take a break and come down here." He smiled. "I can't help but be surprised, with the history I know, but... those two really do love one another, don't they?"
"They certainly do." Cadance smiled back. "But, I actually wanted to talk about you. Something I saw in this one Loop, some time back."
"What's that?"
"Well... that other form you were using, when you fought Chrysalis at my wedding."
Thorax perked up. "My Roidmude form? Yeah, I was just so glad to find I could still use it, I was kind of pushing myself there."
Cadance nodded. "So I noticed. But there's something else." She took a deep breath. "Why did you call it your Emperor form?"
Thorax blinked in surprise, then laughed. "Is that all?"
"Yes." Cadance looked at him, a concerned expression on her face. "I know you got leadership thrust on you, and you're relatively young as a Looper, but... well, there are some people who get kind of egotistical and, shall we say, crazy when they first start, or when they get a taste of power, and-"
She was cut off when Thorax started chuckling, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Cadance, I get where you're coming from, but believe me, the name has nothing to do with any hypothetical ego problems." He got off his stool, stood in the middle of the bar, and shifted, assuming his original Emperor Roidmude form. "See, this is the form I took when I evolved into an Advanced Roidmude." He concentrated, and then changed colors. "And this is my Super Advanced form."
"Yes..." Cadance studied him. "But..."
"Now, look at this form." Thorax shifted again, his chestplate altering and a strange belt-like thing appearing on his waist. His helmet also changed, and a new shape formed on his arm. "See how similar they are?"
"I - yes, I see." Cadance studied him. "What is that?"
"This is Kamen Rider Kiva's Emperor Form," Thorax said. "Or at least a copy of it, I can't access the powers. It's so close to my own Roidmude body, almost as if mine were based on it - I didn't do it on purpose, it just happened. But that's where the name comes from." He turned back into his Royal Changeling form. "That's all. No delusions of grandeur for me, just a tribute to a hero."
Cadance sighed. "That's good to know."
"Hey. I get why you might be worried." Thorax smiled. "I've heard about some of the worse Loopers out there, but I promise, I don't want to do anything like that. I just want to take care of my responsibilities, help keep people safe, spend time with my friends. Make some new ones while I'm at it. See what's out there and pick up some new experiences. Just... be myself."
For a moment, Cadance was silent. Then, she smiled at him. "I guess I shouldn't have worried," she said. "I know you. But, there was that niggling concern..."
"Hey, not everyone takes to things as easily as I did," Thorax replied. "I'd be more concerned if at least someone wasn't worried about me at first." He shrugged. "Honestly, the hardest part of this was getting used to seeing Chrysalis as being different from the villain I knew, but I've been part of a hive mind with her, I've felt her emotions. She really is changed, and in a good way."
"Yes... yes, she is." Cadance smiled again. "Thank you for telling me this, Thorax."
"No problem, Cadance. No problem. And, if you ever feel the need to talk, you know where to find me."
"I appreciate that."
216.13 (Saphroneth)
Subtlety Underflow
“I have to admit, I’m not a hundred percent familiar with the common variants on this side of the mirror,” Sunset said, looking out the window.
“I am,” Spike announced.
“That’s useful,” Sunset sighed. “Anything I should know about this one where Princess Luna’s been in charge for a thousand years but still locked Daybreaker in the moon instead of the sun? Because the way the moon is glowing red hot is kind of unsettling.”
“Oh, no, that’s new to me as well,” Spike shrugged. “I am a hundred percent familiar, though.”
“...that’s terrible and you should feel bad about it,” Sunset muttered. “Any idea who else is Awake? May as well put that Loyalty to good use.”
“Twilight is,” Spike answered straight away. “She’s just, you know. This world’s version of you. I think?”
He held out a claw and waved it. “Sort of? It feels like it does when she’s on the other side of the mirror portal, anyway. Apart from that, there’s Lyra, and… that feels like it, at least for locals.”
“Well, this should be interesting,” Sunset decided.
Spike burped up a letter. “And… according to this, Princess Luna wants us to know that a book from the academy library got misfiled at a library in Ponyville, and she wants us to go and get it… and make some friends while we’re there.”
He held it out. “You might want to see this.”
Sunset took the letter, skimming over it until she reached the title of the mislaid book.
The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.
“I can’t tell if this is really subtle or really unsubtle,” she admitted. “I’m almost inclined to let it play out. What do you think?”
“We should ask Lyra what they think,” Spike opined. “And I kind of have a suggestion myself… Lyra deals with Daybreaker. As Sweet Roll.”
Sunset considered that from several angles.
“The idea of Daybreaker being returned to being Celestia by what’s effectively a cake is kind of appealing, I have to admit...”