//------------------------------// // MLP Loops 219 // Story: MLP Time Loops // by Saphroneth //------------------------------// 219.1 {continuation of 213.3} (Evilhumour, DrTempo, VS21, Zum1UDontNo, V01D, Archeo Lumiere) Undefined Narrative Point One fairy said, "How about a boot?" Cue one giant boot falling on Twilight's library, and all the other fairies groaning. Twilight frowned. "It's been done." The fairy who had made the suggestion grumbled. "No love for the classics." "Wayward party artillery?" A voice questioned out from the crowd, before a giant pie crashed down onto the tree from the apparent direction of Manehattan, making Twilight facehoof. "A bit more original, but I've still seen it before, and recently too I might add." The fairy who made the suggestion faded into the crowd in embarrassment as other fairies began to call out their own suggestions. "Recursion!" "Gerald!" The fairies groaned, as the Golden Oaks Library was crushed from inside by four other Golden Oaks Libraries growing inside of it. They, in turn, were destroyed by four more Golden Oaks Libraries bursting out from inside. In a terrifyingly short span of time, the library began to look like a wooden, leafy tumour, rapidly growing. "Gerald, we've told you recursion is off limits!" Sue hissed, waving her arm at the library. The extra libraries faded away, leaving a single Golden Oaks Library standing... until four more grew out from within it, prompting a deeply frustrated sigh. "You know how hard recursion is to clean up!" "Sorry, Sue," Gerald chuckled, not looking apologetic in the slightest. "Hey, purple time loop horse. Got any requests? I'm probably the only one who could do the really cool stuff, the others are too boring to." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me how I want my library to be destroyed?" "Hey, just keeping my options open. Let us know if you come up with anything, okay? Okay." Gerald tapped his chin. "Now, after this, maybe I could try-" "No black holes!" Sue screeched. "No black holes and no retconning it out of existence! We've talked about this, Gerald!" "Hmph... No fun. No fun at all." "Surprise kaiju attack," one shouted with several fairies squawking in anger while others began to chatter excitedly. "Surprise ka-" Twilight began to repeat only for her to be sent backwards, a gust of wind blowing her down as a giant moth swooped in besides Godzilla, while a giant three headed dragon roared at them. Shaking her head as she stood up, Twilight was able to see her unAwake fellow Anchor use her tree as a bat. With her eye twitching, everything was undone when another fairy spoke up. "Sudden flooding!" "Wait what?!" Twilight snapped a shield around herself, although it was rather pointless as the massive wave of water slamming into Ponyville only hit her tree, breaking it into splinters and soggy papers. "Come on Tom, let's go for something original, like a rainstorm of bears!" another fairy shouted with Twilight's eye twitching faster as ursines began to fall from the sky. "Sue, you do know that I can easily stop this, right?" Twilight turned to her narrative fairy while a whale began to dance with her tree and other fairies calling Dale weird. "Oh, of course," the fairy rolled her eyes before tapping her clipboard. "I have you fixing the damage after whatever destroys it in three point four five seconds; it takes you that long because you sneeze. We just need to set things up and we're just trying to figure out how to get from here to there." "Oh, that's not so bad," Twilight blinked before a smile came across her face, "Maybe something something… squirrels?" she offered, before a horde of squirrels charged her tree, Twilight snerking under her breath. "Uh, guys?" Twilight heard Gerald say tentatively, during a pause. For the moment, Twilight was only able to stare at her tree. Her home, for lack of a better term, seemed to be glitching. "Everyone stop!" Gerald shouted, "We've got an urgent Overflow Error to deal with!" The next moment was utterly indescribable. During the lull in tree destruction after the glitching resolved, Twilight had an idea for the fate of her tree, something she could accept as a final point for her precious library. "Why don't you just turn Golden Oak into a pony and be done with it?" she suggested with a curious tone. As all the narrative fairies looked at her strangely, Gerald looked at her inquisitively. "A pony, huh? I like your style," he replied, and with a snap and an eye watering warp, the Golden Oak Library was no more. In its place was a unicorn stallion of strong stature, but with a nervous look in his amethyst eyes. He had a dark brown coat with a slightly curly, light and dark green mane and tail, and his Cutie Mark was a familiar red sign featuring an open book. He was also wearing a pair of red saddlebags featuring a golden lantern clasp, and a candle. "Huh? What happened? Where am I? …Twilight?" the stallion's rich, warm voice asked in rapid fire succession, eventually calming down enough to slowly traverse the crater that was his old root system and approach Twilight. As Gerald fluttered by her ear, he whispered one last thing. "Check his saddlebags when you get a chance, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." Glancing back at him briefly, she looked to the stallion in front of her. "Golden Oak? Is that you?" "In the trunk... flesh? This is strange," Golden Oak replied, glancing at his legs and flank. "I guess I'm a pony now? Oh, but I still have our books!" Reaching into one of his saddlebags with his magic, he pulled out the copy of Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide and Starswirl's journal, and a quick glance showed Twilight that there were dozens of other books in the expanded bags. "Hey, let me show you around the rest of Ponyville," Twilight said, smiling gently. This was a workable result. 219.2 (Anon e Mouse Jr) Why Trixie and Chemistry Class are a Dangerous Mix "Good morning, Twilight!" a unicorn mare called as she entered the library one morning. Twilight looked up from her book. "Good morning, Trixie. What's up?" Trixie grinned. "The Grrrreat! and powerful Trixie, has come up with a fun idea for this Loop." "What's that?" Twilight asked. "Well, when you open your school, Trixie would like to try her hoof at teaching a normal class, rather than the baseline version." Trixie pulled a paper out of her hat. "Trixie has a syllabus all ready, here. And she freely admits to having swiped parts of it from something she found in a Hub loop." Twilight raised an eyebrow, but accepted and began reading. As she read, her eyebrow arched higher and higher, until it looked like it was about to secede from her forehead. "Trixie..." "It looks exciting, doesn't it?" Trixie asked. "Trixie, this..." Twilight shook her head. "I don't know how you thought some of these lectures and experiments were a good idea. I mean, ‘The Control of Chemical Reactions, or When Mr. Acid Meets Mr. Base.’ Followed by ‘What do we do when the lab is on fire’? Then for the volume and density lecture, you've got an experiment - ‘How much chocolate pudding can a swimming pool hold?’. Then there's a lesson on nuclear chemistry, something we don't even have in Equestria in baseline, and an experiment - ‘Build your own nuclear reactor’?" She glanced at that one again. "I will admit, having Apple Bloom as a guest lecturer for that part makes sense, but don't you think it's a bit too advanced for non-Loopers here?" Trixie nodded. "Maybe. But she saw that part of the original version when I was reading it in Mac's bar, and immediately volunteered to help if I did my own version of it." Twilight sighed. "Of course." She looked back to the paper. "And then there's two weeks of discussion on alcohols, in a school where most of the students are underage! And this final experiment and exam: ‘Fun with Thermite’ and ‘What do you do when the lab explodes’. Seriously?" Trixie sniffed. "In a school full of hormonal students who aren't always paying attention to the work and are working with potentially hazardous substances, that last part is a legitimate safety concern." Twilight sighed again. "Trixie... I appreciate the offer. But I'm sorry, this is a little too wild for our baseline students." "Worth a shot." Trixie accepted the paper back. "Still not as crazy as some of the other made-up syllabuses Trixie found." "Oh?" Trixie nodded. "One of them dedicates an entire week of home economics to a single experiment - finding out if the light actually goes off when the refrigerator door is closed. And they offered extra credit for anyone who fit themselves into the fridge to test it." Twilight rolled her eyes. "And who came up with that genius idea?" "Wolverine." Twilight did a double-take. "Oh-kay... why did anyone think having him teach Home Ec was a good idea?" "Because he was available. Their first choice was Jean Grey, but she'd already been assigned to teach Health." "...Of course." Trixie reached into her hat again. "Speaking of chemistry and Home Ec, do you think we could work parts of this into a different syllabus that combines the two classes?" Twilight accepted the book and read the title. "Science Experiments You Can Eat…" Her eyebrows raised again as she flipped through the book, before finally looking back at her friend. "Well, it has its interesting points. But seriously Trixie, where do you find this stuff?" "Trixie told you, the Hub!" Trixie looked indignant. "Trixie found this one at a used book sale and thought it looked entertaining." "Right." 219.3 (Evilhumour, Anon e Mouse Jr, Skaz Wolfman) [MLP/DC] The Clown Queen of Chaos Celestia and Luna were in an odd predicament; they knew that they had to deal with the draconequus as she had been causing chaos, but the person replacing Discord was clearly a Looper and by how she was looking at herself, a fairly new one. She had the head and neck of a hyena, the right wing of a red macaw, the left wing of a blue macaw, two rabbit ears perched on her head, a fox’s tail, a jackal’s left leg, a chicken’s right leg, a sloth’s arm and a dolphin’s flipper. “Okay, this is new,” she said, examining her claws before her ears perked upwards to turn to face the sisters. “Wait, aren’t you those pony sisters Dicky told me about?” She snapped her fingers, causing a cloud of margarita to rain down. “Whoa cool, I can do magic!” she said, sticking out her blue tongue to catch the alcohol with a grin on her face. “Not exactly,” Luna said as she walked carefully towards the new Looper with her sister following her. “You are replacing Discord, a being of complete chaos.” “Figures, as I am an agent of chaos,” she said with a larger manic grin as her wings flapped behind her. “So as you’re the famous ponies, I should introduce myself.” she said with a swish of her vixen tail. “I’m the one and only, Harley Quinn!” “Ah,” Celestia said with a click of her tongue, a sly smile appearing on her face. “A new Looper from an old Branch; that is something you don’t see everyday.” “Ah, I was told it’s rare and stuff but I’m doing okay adjusting,” she said as she created a burning Joker doll behind her that had flying objects abusing it. She stared at it before looking at the sisters before at the doll before banishing it. Shrugging her shoulders, she created a card suit style throne for herself which floated forwards towards the alicorns. “Eh, I still got issues; so does everyone else. Not too hard to spot the issues’s people have.” She also created comfy chairs for the sisters which looked suspiciously like therapy couches. “Want to chat, Luls; Celly?” “Not yet,” Celestia said, shaking her head with Luna shaking her head. “We have managed to deal with our issues earlier on and we do have to work on forming our nation now, as we tend to do so after we defeat the one you’re replacing.” “However,” Luna said with a growing shark-like smile. “With you being Awake, perhaps we can arrange certain things this time?” “What do you have planned in your devious mind there, Luna?” Harley asked, leaning in closer as the three began to plot. Twilight stared at the abject chaos out her window as she Woke up and let out a sigh. “Okay, what did you do this time, Discord?” she asked herself only for another voice to answer her. “It wasn’t that lightweight, Twilight,” a female draconequus said, twirling in appearance, coiling around a hammer. “It was just me.” The Looper tilted her head to the side, her red and blue wings twitching. “Well, some of it’s been Lulu and Celly giving me pointers on how to keep this land going while they’re on break.” “...Harley Quinn?!” Twilight asked incredulously. “Since when are you Looping?!” “Eh, it’s not been that long, not surprised you hadn’t heard yet,” Harley said with a wave of her flipper. “But that’s not here or there. What is here,” she said, snapping her fingers with a lounge couch appearing. “Is a chance for you to talk.” Twilight stared at her for a while before saying, “You’re kidding, right?” “I’m serious,” she said, looking insulted. “I might be somewhat insane, brimming with chaos powers but I am still a licensed psychiatrist. Well. Sort of. It probably got revoked when I started hangin’ around with Mistah J, that freaking garbage sleazebag!” she snarled in anger before calming herself. “But I used to be one, and that’s what counts!” Twilight nodded, and settled down. “I don’t know how effective this’ll be,” she warned the other Looper. “Technically, I’m a licensed psychiatrist too. And psychologist. I’ve studied both, though psychology is the one I’m better at helping people through.” “But do you go through all the years of learning to analyse a person each time you Wake up?” Harley asked. Twilight shook her head. “Not usually. I remember what I learned before, and I know how to read people from eons of experience. I talked down Nightmare Moon once just based on what I knew about her from past Loops, and it worked.” She looked at the sharktoothed grin on the other Looper’s face and sighed. “Point made, Dr. Quinn.” she said as she sat down on the couch. “It’s no problem, Twilight,” she preened, no doubt because Twilight referred to her by her professional title. Appearing in a doctor coat draped over herself while resting on her bat, Harley pulled out a notepad. “So let us start at the beginning, if that’s okay with you.” 219.4 (Anon e Mouse Jr) Great Sleepers Think Alike Rainbow Dash yawned. It had been one of those busy days, when she'd spent the morning moving clouds around, gone home to check on Tank and have lunch, and then come back out to do her usual training. Now she was ready for a good, relaxing afternoon snooze in one of Applejack's trees. As she flew lazily over the farm, she saw something and frowned. What's Gabby doing here this early in the Loop? she wondered. And what's with the telescope? Indeed, the young griffon was perched atop the Apple family barn with a telescope to her eye, and she was looking around, peering at each of the trees in turn. Suddenly, as Rainbow Dash flew lazily overhead, Gabby's view turned to one tree, and she let out a happy gasp. "NAP AHOY!" she shrieked in delight as she darted through the air, landed on the tree's branches, curled up, and was fast asleep in no time. Rainbow Dash just raised an eyebrow, before she noticed Applejack rushing out of the house. "Consarn it, what's goin' on now?" the farmer pony grumbled, before seeing the griffon in the tree and raising an eyebrow. "Hey, Applejack." Rainbow Dash landed next to her, and Applejack sighed. "Was this yer doin'?" she asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nope, she was already here when I decided to drop by. Looks like we've got one of those strange variants again." Applejack sighed. "Well, at least it's not one of the trees Ah need to harvest today." Rainbow Dash nodded. "She's got the right idea, at least. Got any others that are free?" "Look, Dash..." "Aw, come on, you know I'm not going to hurt them." Applejack sighed. "All right. Ah still don't get what it is about you and nappin' in mah trees." "It's a flier thing, I guess. They're comfy." "Ah, go on." Applejack watched her friend fly over to a tree and curl up for a snooze. Sometimes Ah really wonder about that girl, she thought to herself, before heading off towards the part of the orchard she needed to actually take care of that afternoon. Suddenly, there was a loud rustling of wings, and then she looked back to see almost a hundred pegasi, griffons and hippogriffs now asleep in her trees, and even a few other winged beings. Her eye twitched. Ah am not gonna ask, she grumbled mentally. Ah am not gonna ask. Ah am not gonna ask. Another few sets of wings were heard overhead, and when she looked back and saw the beings they were attached to, she groaned before heading off to do her work. A few hours later, Big McIntosh found her. "Ah don't think that's how yer supposed to do the Applebuckin'," he said as Applejack hit her head against the tree again. "Big Mac, if you looked away for a moment and then turned back and found a whole flock of pegasi and griffons and hippogriffs and... others... nappin' in yer trees, you'd want to beat yer head against somethin' too," she said. "'Sides, Ah've got a head harder than Curly Howard's an' you know it." Mac nodded. "So what was the problem?" he asked. Applejack hung her head. "Ah expect to find Rainbow Dash nappin' in the trees," she said. "The griffons, okay. The hippogriffs, why not. An' maybe even the changelings, Ah wouldn't mind so much. But when Ah look back at mah trees and find a couple of alicorn princesses suddenly nappin' in 'em, that's where Ah draw the line!" Mac just chuckled. "Go get yerself a drink, Applejack. Berry Punch's got the bar open now." Applejack nodded and trotted away, leaving her brother to take up where she left off. Heh, he thought to himself. Wonder if Ah should tell her 'bout the other guest up there. "Big Mac!" Guess she saw 'em herself. Applejack came storming back. "Why in tarnation is there a manticore roosting in one of our trees‽" she asked. Mac shrugged. "Beats me, Applejack." Applejack sighed. "Ah give up. If anypony asks, Ah've gone to go put a dent in yer stash of Romulan Ale until all this makes sense again." "You do that, Applejack. You do that." 219.5 (BG_Character_592) Magic of Music Twilight Sparkle Awoke to the sound of… rather pleasant music. Checking her loop memories, she realised that the "magic of music" existed, in all individuals; each song unique to each pony. As a consequence, Equestria had become the domain for singers and songwriters of all creeds and colours, led under the benevolent hooves of Princess Octavia and Princess Vinyl Scratch. "Well. This will be interesting." Twilight stated to herself, somewhat bemused and half dreading what was to come. A quick Ping revealed three element bearers: a Loyalty and one additional Magic, and one regular. "At least that gives some chance Mac’s awake." Back to reading this loop’s version of Predictions & Prophecies. "The princesses kept the balance between soft and loud, light and heavy, Aphex Twin and… Death Grips." Rolling her eyes. "But Princess Vinyl grew jealous of her sister, and was banished to the…" The princess grumbled. "The Great Gig in the Sky, as a consequence of the Great Celestial Playoff." One quick look out the window to ensure it was actually a moon out there and not some stage (internally noting the regular 'Mare In The Moon' was instead a carbon copy of Vinyl’s cutie mark), she called out to the only other person usually with her at this point in the loop. "Spike? Are you feeling Loopy?" "I was." He replied back, as he approached her. "But I feel wide awake now, Twi." Twi couldn’t help but smile, as she nuzzled him. "Been a while, hasn’t it?" "You can say that again." He said, scratching the back of his head. "So, what’s the deal with this loop, Twi?" "Well, Octavia and Vinyl are the princesses this time around." "Hoh boy." Spike deadpanned. "D'ya know if Vinyl's Awake? And on one other note, how on Earth do you stop this music? It’s starting to get on my nerves." "Didn't sense an Honesty, but we should keep an ear out. Oak knows if she’s going stealth this loop." Her horn shined. "As for the other part:" And flashed. "That should solve it." Spike blinked a few times. "I mean, it did." "You should know by now I don’t mess with your brain, Spike." "Makes you one in a million." He snarked back, going for the quill. "Should we get the show started?" "Indeed we shall!" An announcement, as she started forming several thousand plans for this loop. "Standard letter 86, with loop appropriate edits." "Aye aye, Twilight." He said with a mock salute, before scribbling down a quick letter to Princess Celes- Octavia. "Bit of a shame Rarity isn't awake." Spike sighed, burning the letter at the same time. "Been meaning to gift her something when I see her again." Out of his subspace pocket, he showed Twilight the gift. "…You got her that?" "Of course! It’s a limited edition BUURP-" He cut off as Princess Octavia sent a letter back. Much to Twilight’s amusement, as Spike put the gift away. "Let’s see… 'My faithful student, yada yada yada, Summer Song Celebration, etc. etc., you get the picture." As he scrunched up the letter and threw it in a wastebasket. "Ponyville?" "Yup." "Coordinator?" "Mmhmm." "Vinyl returning from The Great Gig in the Sky?" "What’s wrong with Pink Floyd?" "Nothing." In sudden defence. "They could’ve given a less predictable name, given the loop." "Fair. And eeyup." "Alright, let’s get going." In a flash, they were gone. Later that night… "Applejack, with her ability to create honest and true music, represents the Genre 'Country'!" Yelled Twilight to DJ PON3, in the decaying ruins of the Theatre of the Two Sisters. A fiddle shaped gem appeared around Applejack’s neck. "Rarity, with her elegance and grace, represents the Genre 'Classical'!" A violin shaped gem appeared around Rarity’s neck. In reality, it was just Applejack’s gem but purple. "Real original, Yggdrasil." Twilight muttered, before going back on script. "Pinkie Pie, with her zany and unpredictable behaviour, represents the Genre 'Experimental'!" A tesseract shaped gem appeared around Pinkie Pie’s neck, appearing to move as 4D shapes were wont to do in 3D space. "Check it guy, it’s Pinkie Pie!" The Anchor rolled her eyes. "Fluttershy, with her quiet and kind demeanour, represents the Genre of… 'Muzak'?" An elevator shaped gem appeared around Fluttershy’s neck. "Uhm… okay?" "And Rainbow Dash, with her hard hitting and fast paced sounds, represents the Genre of 'Death Metal'!" An electric guitar shaped gem appeared around Rainbow Dash’s neck. It was just like Applejack and Rarity’s gems, except blue. And shooting flames out the end. To this, Rainbow Dash responded with a loud, guttural, "GURRRRRRRRRRRR- "Hey chuckleheads! You still don’t have the sixth Genre!" DJ PON3 triumphantly bragged. "Your chorus has failed! THE WUBS WILL REIGN SUPREME!" "Oh but you’re wrong, PON3. You see, I helped bind these myriad genres together, I made the chorus. For you see, I represent the Genre of…" Perched upon her head, a purple crown with a gem of a cassette. "MIXTAPE! Birch damn it this is so stupid!" "N-No! This totally cannot be!" "You’ve reached your Coda, PON3. The crescendo in our hearts will overcome your beautiful dark twisted fantasy!" And with an utter cacophony of noise, DJ PON3 was enveloped in a shroud of rainbow light, the resulting explosion of sound blowing out the remaining windows of the theatre. "So." The elder apple started, his bar set up and serving drinks to the few Awake loopers. "Magic of Friendship’s been swapped with Magic of Music fer the loop." "Eeyup." She said, taking his trademark line, and taking a swig of fresh drink. "At least I got a few years to study it. Should keep me occupied." "Ah just hope Apple Bloom’s coping alright." Mac bemoaned. "She didn’t seem to be going too well when I first saw her." On cue, the door to the bar opened up, Apple Bloom trotting in. Wearing a large helmet, with a noticeable magic aura. "Look, ah know there’s probably a nice and simple magic solution, but ah kinda wanted to challenge meself. See what ah can make with a herd of screaming goats in my mind." She said as she sat herself down. "Strongest ya got." 219.6 (Anon e Mouse Jr) Muffin Queen of the Hive With a soft chirp, Derpy Hooves found herself waking up just before sunrise, just as she liked to. Stretching out in her bed, she took stock of her Loop memories, and shook her head. Apparently, she was the sole member of the Changeling hive this Loop, born to secretly watch over Princess Amore's bloodline and reincarnating through an offspring when her old body wore out. And if what she was getting from one of her Illusion Mirages - drone fragments of herself that served as this Loop's equivalent to Changeling drones - was any indication, Cadance was at that point where she really needed some external help. Drawing some magic out of the air and shaping it into a muffin (and silently thanking Yggdrasil that she'd kept that ability from her Derpie swarm loop), she nibbled on it as she thought to herself about how she was going to handle things. That afternoon, Princess Cadance was pacing up and down her room and muttering to herself. "Oh, me, oh, my. Oh, what am I going to do? I know Aunt Celestia thinks I'm ready to take over running a kingdom on my own, but I'm not, I'm not!" She paused. "Maybe I should just tell her, but what if she's disappointed? What if she says that if I don't feel ready to run a country, then I'm not ready to get married either? I can't let her break up me and Shiny, I can't-" She cut herself off and paused, taking a deep breath, raising her hoof and pushing it away from her. "Steady there, Cadance, don't go panicking like Twilight did when she was little," she told herself. "You can do this." Taking the time to calm herself, she sighed. "Maybe I just need to go get some air." Trotting out of her room and heading for the nearest exit, so she could go out and spread her wings a bit, she let her mind wander a bit, until she felt something bump into her leg and looked down in surprise. "Oh!" the tiny grayish-purple unicorn filly in front of her squeaked. "I'm so sorry, miss!" Cadance smiled. "It's all right, little one," she said. "Can I help you?" The filly nodded. "My class is touring the castle, but I stopped to look at something, and all of a sudden they were gone!" She sniffled. "Can you help me find them?" Cadance smiled again. "Of course," she said. "Follow me." "Yay!" The filly cheered. As Cadance led her charge down the hall, she mentally shook her head. I didn't know we were having a tour group today. She had just entered a small corridor when she felt the filly rubbing her head against her side, almost shivering, and looked down. "Is there something wrong?" "No, everything is just perfect," the filly said in a different voice, before grabbing hold of her. In a flash of light, both were gone. They materialised in a cave-like area, and Cadance immediately drew back. "Who are you?" she demanded. "What's going on here?" The filly glowed, before an entire swarm of tiny pegasi flew in and fused with her, the resulting mass being covered in a blueish green flame before clearing and leaving an adult mare with golden eyes, regular gray fur, a blonde mane and tail, a large horn and crystalline wings to stand before her. "I promise, I'll explain everything as soon as my other guest gets here," she said. "Other guest? Who-" She was cut off when a similar-looking filly wandered into the room, a confused Shining Armor in tow. "Cadance?" "Shiny!" Cadance ran over to him, vaguely noticing the filly shifting into a tiny pegasus before flying over to the horned mare and merging with her. "They got you too?" "Yeah, one minute I was helping this little filly find her friends, then I was here." Shining Armor looked over at the other mare. "Where are we? Why did you bring us here?" The mare smiled. "My name is Derpy Hooves," she said. "And I am the watchful protector of the Amore bloodline." "Amore?" Cadance's eyes widened. "As in, Princess Amore? My ancestor?" Derpy nodded. "The changeling race - all one of us, though I can become an entire swarm if I need to - was created by the ancient sorcerer Starswirl for the purpose of watching over her and keeping her safe from threats, reincarnating ourselves with all of our old memories at the end of our lifespan so we can continue to watch over your line throughout eternity." She smiled. "Now, we aren't supposed to interfere in your lives unless it's absolutely needed. But I decided that a case of extreme stress, like you've been going through lately, counted." "So you brought us here," Shining Armor prompted. Derpy nodded. "I wanted to give you both a chance to take a break from it all," she said. "I can have some of my Illusion Mirages - special drones linked to my mind - fill in for you back in Canterlot, while you two have a vacation." "But... what about our wedding?" Cadance asked. "By virtue of being what I am, I'm fully capable of performing the ceremony myself," Derpy said. "I can get your parents and sister here as witnesses, Captain Armor. Oh, you can have a bigger and more formal ceremony when you're ready, but this one'll be fully legal." Cadance and Shining Armor traded glances, then looked back and smiled. "We're in." Months later… "Citizens of Equestria, and of the world," Princess Celestia announced. "We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion. My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things since she's lived in Ponyville. She even helped reunite me with my sister, Princess Luna. But today, Twilight Sparkle did something extraordinary. She created new magic, proving without a doubt that she is ready to be crowned Equestria's newest princess. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" In the audience, a now Awake Shining Armor and Cadance (who'd since informed Celestia of their actual whereabouts when she'd visited the Crystal Empire after Sombra's defeat and realised the couple there were not the real ones) sat with Derpy, watching proudly as Celestia placed the crown on Twilight's head. "Now, you said you'd be there to watch over her and fill in for her too if she needed it, right?" Cadance asked. "Especially since we haven't seen any sign that she's Awake yet, and might not be this Loop - Aunt Luna's pet opossum has been acting suspiciously, after all." Derpy nodded. "Absolutely," she said. Then she raised a hoof and formed a tiny Derpie-shaped Illusion Mirage, and sent it off into the air. A few minutes later, Celestia was watching proudly as Twilight and her friends paraded down the streets of Canterlot when she felt something brush against her mane, and then a slight weight as it settled in. "Sister dear," Luna observed. "There appears to be a miniature pegasus perched on your head." "You don't say," Celestia said. "Queen Derpy, is there a particular reason you decided to visit me in this manner?" The Derpie giggled, raised its hooves, and did what it did best, before offering its creation to her. "Muffin, your highness?" "Why thank you, your highness," Celestia said as she accepted it. "And while I'm here," the Derpie said. "One of my houseguests asked me to deliver a message. Something about how she's not thrilled with you springing this on Twilight, and so came up with an appropriate response." "What's that?" Celestia asked. The Derpie's horn lit up, and then released a gust of magic before turning tail and flying off, leaving a hysterical "WOO HOO! WOO HOO! WOO HOO!" to echo behind her. Meanwhile, at the touch of the magic, Celestia let out a startled "Gah!" as she reared back in surprise. "Sister? Are you all right?" Luna asked, concerned. Celestia turned to her sister. "She froze my ears!" she whined. Luna just shook her head. "Oh dear." 219.7 (Anon e Mouse Jr) Duel of the Sorceresses On a grassy hillside, a unicorn mare looked at the book she had been assigned, a curious expression on her face as she read the ancient legend. "Once upon a time," she read, "in the magical land of Equestria, there were three regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her magic to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night, and the middle, a sister by oath, cared for the land. Thus, they maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But one night, the youngest sister heard rumor of a dangerous threat to their ponies, and she and the middle sister ventured out to confront it. When the youngest's moon did not set that morning, the eldest sister grew worried, and set out to find what had happened. She discovered that a terror from beyond had arisen and struck down the younger sister, forcing her into a deep slumber. In response, the middle sister had no choice but to carry out a spell that would seal away the terror in one of the deepest, darkest parts of Equestria, at the cost of trapping herself there as well until the day a thousand years hence, when a brave group would pass through the seal and allow for the terror to be defeated once and for all. Heartbroken at her loss, the eldest sister bid her sworn sister farewell until the passing of the prophecy, and then took on responsibility for sun, moon and soil... and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since." Twilight blinked. "That's a new one on me." Then she rose. "I'd better tell Spike." "Twilight! Hey, Twilight!" Twilight looked up, and saw three familiar faces. "Hey, Twinkleshine. Lemon Hearts, Minuette," she acknowledged. "What's up?" Twinkleshine gave her a friendly smile. "Moondancer is having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come?" Twilight smiled back. "Sure... just let me drop some stuff off at my tower first and pick up Spike. We'll be there as soon as we can." "Great!" The other unicorn turned and trotted off, Lemon Hearts and Minuette right behind her, and Twilight smiled. "I mean it, too," she said quietly. A few minutes later, she trotted into her tower. "Spike? Are you there?" "Just a minute!" the dragon's voice called, before he waddled into the room and flashed his wedding ring at her, proving he was Awake. "So what's up?" "Well, there doesn't seem to be a Nightmare Moon this Loop," Twilight said. "Something else is there though." "Any idea what?" Spike asked. Twilight shook her head. "Whatever did this defeated Luna, so someone else - a third sister, according to the legend, but I have no idea who they really are - sealed off the place where they fought, but they're trapped in there with the evil being." "Are you going to tell Celestia?" Twilight shook her head. "The prophecy isn't predicting an escape, so I don't think I need to. Oh, and you don't have anything urgent to take care of right now, do you?" "Nope." "Good, because we have somewhere to be." Twilight smiled. "Oh, and do you have Moondancer's present ready?" Her son/little brother gave her a thumbs-up, and Twilight smiled. "Come on, let's go." A short while later, Twilight and Spike were enjoying themselves, when there was a sudden flash of light as the last of the party guests appeared. And then Princess Celestia flared her wings. "The fun has arrived!" "Princess!" Everyone cheered, including Twilight. Celestia grinned. "Thank you very much. And Twilight! It's good to see you here!" Twilight blushed. "Well, I was invited... that isn't a problem, is it?" Celestia waved a hoof. "Not at all. It's a pleasant surprise. And speaking of pleasant..." She was suddenly in Moondancer's face. "I was told there would be cake?" "Got an extra for you right here," Moondancer told her with a grin as she slid it over. "Much appreciated." Celestia promptly began snarfing her treat down, getting a few giggles from the others. Celestia's surprisingly easy-going this Loop, Twilight thought to herself. I like it. Then she went back to chatting with Moondancer. The party went on for some time, but eventually, all good things must come to an end, and as evening came on, Twilight and Spike returned to their tower, with Celestia right behind them. "Oh, that was fun!" the eldest Princess said happily. "I do so love celebrations... speaking of, there's one happening very soon from now." Twilight nodded. "The annual Summer Sun Celebration, right?" "Absolutely." Celestia beamed. "I'll be raising the sun in Ponyville this year, and knowing your love of organising, I'd like you to go down there ahead of me tomorrow morning and make sure they have everything ready for the festivities." "You can count on us, Princess!" Spike said, with Twilight nodding in agreement as well. "Good." Celestia smiled. "And... do be careful, would you? There's a forest nearby that's said to have some dangerous wildlife in it, so make sure you don't cross the boundary lines between it and Ponyville." "Will do," Twilight said, smiling. Then she smiled even more as her mentor leaned down and hugged her. One day later… It was a good hour or so before Celestia was set to appear and raise the sun, but already the townsfolk had gathered around by the stage where the big event was due to happen, and Twilight (with Spike riding on her back) was among them, happily chatting with Trixie and a disguised Chrysalis, or "Lovey Dovey" as she was calling herself, who'd both Awoken a few days early and made their way to Ponyville in time for the big day. She'd also met with Berry Punch and a somewhat cranky Gilda (who'd also Awoken about the same time and made a point of coming early), who'd been sharing a plate of something with her tail - as Grizelda had explained, they had gotten involved in a drinking contest the night before, and Gilda had ascended in order to burn off the effects before going to bed so she wouldn't have to deal with the hangover. "Didn't stop her from passing out in Berry's guest room and sawing enough logs to clear the entire White Tail Woods," she'd remarked. "It was loud enough that I was asking for earplugs." "Since when are those effective for a snake?" Twilight had asked. "They aren't, but she was desperate," Berry had said with a chuckle. "I loaned her a scarf to wrap around her head until it was time to get up." "Right." Trying to turn her focus back to Trixie and "Lovey", Twilight opened her mouth and was about to ask them something when she saw her Second (unAwake though she was) and another of her friends coming up through the crowd, a worried look on both their faces. "Hey, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Have you seen mah sister?" Twilight shook her head. "Not that I know of." "Drat." Applejack looked even more worried. "Rarity's sister is missin' too," she said, gesturing to the unicorn next to her. "And so's another filly in their class - Scootaloo, Ah think her name is." "I'll keep an eye out for them," Twilight promised. "As will we," Trixie said. "Lovey, do you-" She was cut off when Rainbow Dash came running up, Gilda, Pinkie and Fluttershy right behind her. "We know where they are," she said. "Come on, this way." She led the small group away from the crowd, so they wouldn't be overheard, and then began speaking. "Okay, here's the deal. Derpy said she thought she saw them going off together, but she didn't get to go after them because somepony decided to get in her way right then." She looked to be a combination of worried and disgruntled. "Anyway, I followed their tracks. They were heading for the Everfree." Applejack gasped. "No..." "Yeah." Rainbow Dash looked grim. "We gotta go after them." "I'm coming with you, Dash." Gilda looked rather firm. "I'm bigger and badder than anything in that forest." "Trixie and her marefriend will go too," Trixie said. "Trixie happens to be quite skilled in tracking, she's travelled all over this land." "So have I," "Lovey" added. "Me too." Berry Punch walked up. "Mac and I are friends, and I'm not going to just sit back and leave his littlest sister to possibly get hurt." "Ah'm glad to have the help, Berry, but..." Applejack looked concerned. "What about little Ruby?" "Her aunt's watching her," Berry said. "You're not cutting me out of this, Applejack." "Spike and I are coming too," Twilight said. "I've heard about the Everfree, and while it may have its dangers, I'm sure if we work together, we can get past it." "Sure you should be bringin' this little fella with ya?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean, we're goin' after three fillies, Ah don't think bringin' another youngin with us is such a good idea." Spike raised his eyebrow. "I may be young, but I'm still a dragon, Applejack. I'm tougher than I look." "I'm more worried about having Fluttershy along, really," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, I appreciate it and all, but..." Fluttershy drew herself up, and looked at her friend firmly. "Scootaloo is my fourth cousin twice removed by a fifth cousin," she said. "She's family, no matter how distant. I am not going to just leave her." "Right, right," Rainbow Dash said. "And I'm coming too!" Pinkie said. "I just gotta go... for the honour of all pink ponies!" She leaned down. "'Cause there's an evil enchantress in the forest..." Twilight rolled her eyes. "An 'evil enchantress'? You're sure she's really evil and not just different?" Pinkie shook her head. "No, she's evil! I saw her at the edge of the forest last Nightmare Night, and she said it herself - she takes delight in the gruesome and grim!" Twilight blinked in surprise. That doesn't sound like Zecora. Out loud, she said, "What else do you know about her?" "She's this pink and purple unicorn," Applejack said. "She usually hides deep in the forest, but sometimes she comes out near the edge at night - never when it's day out, she hates sunshine. Anyway, she makes ugly faces at anypony who dares to come close, and yells how she hates anything good and how if'n we ever go in there, she'll get us. An' she almost always does." She shook her head, clearly disturbed. "Ah can't just leave mah sister to face her." "Then let's go," Twilight said. The trip to the outside of the forest didn't take too long, and then the eleven slipped in. "The tracks lead this way," Rainbow Dash reported. The group travelled in silence for the next while. Finally, as they neared the centre of the forest, they found themselves in a clearing, where a house sat all by itself. "The evil enchantress's house!" Pinkie whispered. "You aren't wrong," "Lovey" said. "This place is giving me the creeps." "Oh, does it? Good!" a cackling voice said before a pink-and-purple unicorn with a pig-like snout emerged. "And I suppose you've come for these three, have you?" Her horn lit up, and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo all floated out behind her, bound and looking terrified. "You!" Applejack looked furious. "Let mah sister and her friends go!" "Oh, I can't do that," the unicorn said, preening. "You see, there's no fun in it. I'm mad about games, you know. I almost set one up to challenge all of ya on the way here, but I decided it would be more entertaining to have the whole shebang right here! So if you want them back, it'll be one on one. A sporting chance, you see." Twilight grimaced and was about to step forward, when another voice spoke up. "I have had a better thought," the voice proclaimed. "It's time to pay for the fear you have wrought. And so foul witch, so heartless and cruel, I challenge you to a wizard's duel!" With that, Zecora stepped out of the forest on the other side of the clearing, wings flared and horn lit up. "Oh, bother! You're always spoiling my fun!" The unicorn mare sniffed. "Well then, perhaps it's time we brought this to an end. You've been getting in my way for a thousand years, Zecora! So I accept your challenge! No holds barred! And once you're gone, I'll finally be able to break free and bring down that rotten Celestia and her horrible, wholesome sun!" "I think not, foul enchantress," the zebralicorn said. "I shall end you and your evil dances!" Her hooves moving in a blur, she said one last thing. "On three, dark one... then ends your fun!" "Three!" the sorceress proclaimed, before she vanished. Zecora grimaced. "Mokuton: Hotei Technique." Several wooden hands appeared out of the ground, grasping at the sorceress, but she appeared elsewhere. "Oh, so that's how it's gonna be! Well, take this!" She blurred and warped into the form of a massive pink alligator, prompting a snarl from Pinkie. "Get her, Zecora!" she called. "I certainly will, pink pony of Pie," Zecora said. "For she might be mad, but no match for I!" "Enough with the rhyming!" the sorceress shrieked. "For a thousand years, I've put up with it now! I'll get you for that... I'll get you, but how!" Then she clapped her hands over her mouth, looking horrified. "Mokuton: Silent Strangle!" Zecora proclaimed, her leg turning to wood before releasing dozens of branches that wrapped around and entangled the alligator. To that, the sorceress shifted into an elephantine form, breaking free. Zecora, however, was undeterred and continued to mix wood techniques along with jars of potion, while the sorceress continued transforming, shifting forms from a fox to a snake to a tiger, and finally a rhinoceros. But finally, she'd had enough. "That does it! You've gotten on my last nerve, Zecora!" the sorceress shrieked. "Nopony is a match for the magnificent, marvellous, mad mad mad mad Madame Mim!" Twilight gasped. "So that's who she is... I thought she was gone for good!" "You know this lady?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight nodded. "She fought Starswirl the Bearded well over a thousand years ago, he was supposed to have destroyed her." "Guess he didn't do as good a job as he thought," Gilda said, Grizelda nodding in agreement. "Must have gotten better," she said. "Either that or this isn't the original Mim, just someone who took her name." "I heard that, you two-headed brute!" Mim yelled. "I'm one of a kind, I guarantee you!" Zecora, meanwhile, was moving her hooves again. "Doton: Yomi Numa," she said quietly. Feeling the earth turn to mud under her, Mim shrieked and tried to change shape again, but failed. "No!" she screamed. "And now, foul fiend, the end is near! For Harmony's powers are about to be clear!" Zecora withdrew five stone spheres. "I sense its magic lying deep within. Its powers together shall bring me the win!" Tossing them into the air, she fired a bolt of magic that shattered the stones, causing them to scatter and form rings around each of the group. "Applejack and Gilda, are Honesty true! Chrysalis and Fluttershy, Kindness goes to you! Rainbow Dash and Spike, Loyalty is your place, Berry Punch and dear Pinkie, bear Laughter with grace! Rarity and I are Generosity's heirs... and the spark that brings magic, I tell you, is theirs!" Two crowns appeared out of the air, settling on Twilight's and Trixie's heads. "Now, oh dark one, your time has at last come! And the magic you stole shall you be freed from!" Zecora declared. All twelve Elements lit up, and a brilliant rainbow appeared. "Mim, you shall fall before Harmony's might! And thus is freed the magic of the Night!" Zecora proclaimed. Then the sorceress screamed as she was enveloped in light, and when it faded, she was gone, leaving only a blue, flowing sphere of magic. "Come, follow me," the zebralicorn told it. "Let us return to my tree." "I'm still confused about what's going on," Rarity muttered. "And who did she mean by 'Chrysalis' anyway?" Then Sweetie Belle tackled her, and she was too busy being hugged to say anything more. It was some time before the fifteen reached Zecora's home, and when they had done so, Twilight finally took the time to ask, quietly, "Have you been Awake this entire time?" Zecora nodded. "'Tis true, I have," she said. "And busy I've been. Thank goodness, I say, that I am rather zen." The ball of magic followed her as she drew back a curtain, revealing a bed with a sleeping form. "My sister by oath has been sleeping so long, but now, at last, I can right this great wrong." With that, the magic sphere entered the body of the pony on the bed, and she began to stir, smacking her lips as she rose her head. "Good morning at last, oh sister my dear," Zecora said with a smile. "The nightmare is ended, there's no more to fear." Luna groaned as she moved up into a standing position. "And good morning to you, Zecora," she said. "I feel like I've slept for a thousand years." "You did," Twilight said. Luna arched her eyebrows. "And the fiend who stole my power and left me comatose?" she asked. "Had a fatal allergic reaction to the magic of Harmony, apparently," Twilight said. "Considering her aversion to all things good, I can't say I'm surprised." "Quite." Luna gave her a look, then leaned down. "Is my other sister Awake?" "Not that I've seen," Twilight told her. "Then let us go forth," Luna said. "I fear I am a thousand years late for breakfast." Pinkie, who'd heard them, giggled. It took them a few hours before they made it back to Ponyville, with Zecora having to remove the barrier she'd placed around the forest. "To keep Mim inside was tricky to do," she said. "But the results were well worth it, if so say I do." Twilight nodded in agreement. When they finally reached Ponyville again, they found Celestia waiting for them. "You did it!" she cheered. "Oh, Twilight... when I heard you'd slipped away with a group of friends, I just knew you were going to come back with my sisters!" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "This was prophesied about me, wasn't it?" "Stars, no!" Celestia grinned. "I just had faith in you, my dear student. I knew this was the right time, but I didn't know who would be the ones to free my sisters - for all I knew, it could have been those three little adorables who slipped away first." Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo all blushed. "At any rate, I have my sisters back," Celestia said. "And just as important, you're all safe. So do you know what this calls for?" Pinkie sidled up to her. "I bet I know!" she said, giggling. Then she and Celestia chorused. "It's party time! P, A, R, T. Why? 'Cause I gotta!" Laughter broke out all over the group as several party cannons suddenly popped out of the bushes and fired, leaving all of them wearing hats and holding plates of cake. This was an interesting start to the Loop, Twilight thought to herself as she nibbled. Three alicorn sisters, a sudden Disney villain that I absolutely did not expect... Wonder what'll come next. Whatever it was, she knew it would be exciting.