//------------------------------// // MLP Loops 223 // Story: MLP Time Loops // by Saphroneth //------------------------------// 223.1 (Fenghuang0296) [MLP/Fortnite/Jenny Everywhere] Jonesy in Equestria Twilight's first hint that something was different about this Loop was the screaming. Tracking the source of the unending "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she found a lean black unicorn with a bright yellow mane staring at his own reflection in the water, flank adorned with a cutie mark which seemed like a still image of a sphere of crackling energy. Tentatively, she poked the newcomer. "Um. Are you alright?" The black stallion stopped. Looked at her. Then started screaming again. "Slide over, I'll handle this," Twilight found herself being pushed aside by a Pegasus with a black and gold pelt, white on his face and pink stripes adorning the unusually colourful ensemble, emanating from a cutie mark that resembled a demonic fox mask. Who suddenly lit up with purple lightning and electrocuted the screamer. Twilight was almost too stunned to react, and all the more so when the assault was absorbed by a blue shield that emerged around the other, before cracking with a noise like breaking glass when the lightning fizzled. This also had the convenient effect of snapping the unicorn out of his fugue. "Okay. This place is way too colourful to be California, and unless Midas' Device actually worked this time it's also too colourful to be Apollo Island. So, where are we?" "You two are new Loopers, aren't you?" Twilight checked. "You mean time loops, right? Time loops are my whole career," The first unicorn said in a tone that might have been suave if he hadn't just been screaming his head off. "The name's…" He paused. "Definitely not 'Suit Splitter'. Agent John Jones. I'd shake your hand, but mine have gone missing. I'm trying very hard not to freak out about that." "It's fine, most people do their first time here. You have very impressive pipes." Twilight smiled at him. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I think I can–" "You're who now?" the pegasus demanded, before pausing and shaking his head. "Wait, why am I surprised? I shot the Terminator in the head last week." "Please don't remind me, every time the hunters get shot I have to dole out hazard pay." Jonesy grimaced. "Not that that matters in a time loop though." "This world wants to call me Rift Tagger. But I think I'll stick with Drift," the new Looper introduced himself. "And if you can explain what's going on here, I'll owe you a round." "Oh, well we do have a bar if you like drinks. And you'll probably need a few, honestly," Twilight mused, turning to guide them back to Ponyville. "Actually I meant ammunition," Drift admitted, and the mare shot him a scandalised look. "What? Guns are a big deal back on our islands. I was surprised too at first, but now I can crank out dubs so hard it's almost gotten boring. Though, almost everyone else being muted probably does help." Twilight paused for a second as she tried to parse that. "...Right." "Wait, so… it's not my fault?" Jonesy asked after Twilight had finished explaining the Loops to them. "Um. No. Not unless you're the one who damaged Yggdrasil. Why would the time loops be your fault?" "Because of my rift gun. I don't appear to have it with me, but it lets me draw on the Zero Point to open portals to other realities. Towards the end of my 'baseline' as you put it, baseline me starts massively abusing it – and then the overarching time loop happens. I was starting to think that I broke time and muted everyone except myself." "Okay, wow. I'm pretty sure that's nothing to worry about though," Twilight assured him. "Also, your baseline sounds like a massive Mikasa glitch. Spike and I are absolutely going to have to teach you memory compression techniques. Say, what's this 'muted' business? You mentioned it before when you were explaining how things work on your islands." "It's basically how we describe anyone who's unaware of the time loops. Like, the smaller time loops anyway. In this larger time loop context, everyone except me and the Jonesy-es are muted." Drift explained. "But there are quite a few others who are unmuted in the smaller loops," Jonesy weighed in. "Singularity, Midas–" "The Seven," Drift interrupted with a smile. Jonesy groaned. "Yeah. Them." "Muted." Twilight rolled the word around in her mouth. "I'm not sure I like the term. It sounds derogatory, like they're not real people. Do me a favour; don't use that outside your home reality? People might take offence." "Right. Got it. Now – tell me again why I'm a freaking unicorn!" Twilight pursed her lips and cast him an irritated look, turning to the other visitor. "How about you, are you doing okay?" "Eh. Tempted to suicide out and skip the loop. Being a horse is weird." Drift paused, registering Twilight's look of horror. "Oh – don't get the wrong idea. It's just, if I stay, I'm going to really miss my girlfriend." Drift admitted. "On the other hand, she's not... a Looper, you said, yet, anyway, so it's not like she knows. And it's not every day I get to have wings." He twitched his bright pink wings almost instinctively. "If you like flying, I'll introduce you to Rainbow Dash. Just don't expect to be better at it than her," Twilight assured him. "That sounds fun. I really wish my girlfriend were here, though, she'd love this place." He sighed. Twilight rested a comforting hoof on his flank. "Hey, if she's that important to you she'll probably start looping soon. Equestria ended up with almost forty Loopers. But, seriously, the Admins don't like people committing suicide. Don't make a habit of it." Drift nodded, and Jonesy took a note in turn. "Say, have you met Jenny Everywhere? People usually get a Fused Loop with her early on so she can explain things." Twilight mused. Drift seemed to pause for a moment, thinking. "What is wrong with this Loop?! Everyone on this damn island is trying to kill me!" Jenny screamed. A boat came roaring past, and a second later a grenade landed at her feet. As the explosion sent Jenny disintegrating into blue light, Drift cast a curious look at his teammates. "I didn't recognise that woman, and she wasn't muted. Think she was important?" "Shush! I see an XP coin!" Brite Bomber interrupted, plunging their boat into the Gorgeous Gorge. Drift shrugged and whooped as they caught air. "Doesn't ring a bell." he admitted with a shrug. 223.2 (DragonQueen) [MLP/Danganronpa/Danny Phantom/Total Drama/Kirby/Mario/Brave/Miraculous Ladybug] Class 77 International Twilight Sparkle, former Ultimate Librarian, looked over the students in her homeroom class at Hope's Peak Academy. It seemed like, in this loop at least, Hope's Peak had scouted so many students from so many different places that they decided to create a special class for just these students, even placing a couple from Japan there as well. Why Sonia Nevermind was not in the class, Twilight didn't exactly know nor did she care at the moment. Sonia was not a looper yet and having a non-looper could ruin this plan. Twilight had no idea which of the students on the roster were looping at the moment, as all she knew was that they were loopers. Canada -> Gwen Fahlenbock: Ultimate Artist -> Heather Wilson: Ultimate Social Expert -> Duncan Knightburg: Ultimate Graffiti Artist -> Vivian Knightburg: Ultimate Scythe Master United States -> Daniel Fenton: Ultimate Ghost Hunter -> Samantha Manson: Ultimate Poet -> Tucker Foley: Ultimate Hacker -> Susanna Haltmann: Ultimate Roboticist France -> Marinette Dupain-Chang: Ultimate Fashion Designer -> Adrien Agreste: Ultimate Model -> Alya Césaire: Ultimate Reporter Scotland -> Merida Dunborch: Ultimate Archer Japan -> Kaede Akamatsu: Ultimate Pianist -> Shuichi Saihara: Ultimate Detective Stepping into her classroom, Twilight was surprised all of her students were actually present. She had overheard Chisa mentioning how hard it was get everyone to show up for class, mostly because they didn't have to. Not to mention, her loop memories told her that several of her students were notorious ditchers. It was then Twilight realized why everyone was present. "How many of you are feeling loopy?" She asked, with a tone that said she already knew the answer. Duncan chuckled. "Ya got us teach." His hand was up, as were the rest of the students. All of them even set Pings out just to confirm. "Aye, so what's the plan?" Merida asked. "I was hoping you'd all offer input," Twilight said as she walked towards the chalkboard. "Now, as I'm sure you all know, many things lead to everything going bad here." "Understatement of the loops," Shuichi dryly snarked. Twilight just rolled her eyes. She sometimes forgot how snarky loopers could get. "Now, what do you all think we need to make sure we stop?" Within an instant, everyone was shouting out ideas. "Keep Mikan far away from Junko!" "Ditto for that anime nerd!" "Stop Fuyuhiko's sister and Mahiru's friend from dying!" "Prevent Hajime from undergoing the Kamukura project!" "Building on that, get rid of that stupid project and the Steering Committee!" "Stop Nagito from bombing the exams!" "Keep those students from getting expelled!" Once the list was finished, Twilight looked over it. She nodded. This should prevent everything. And even if things did go sideways, they were loopers. It's not like they couldn't stop The Tragedy with brute force if they needed to. "So… what now?" Alya asked. "Actually, question. After everything, can we expose Hope's Peak? I'll write the article and everything!" "Hmm… that could be how we get rid of the Steering Committee!" Twilight realized. "Alya, you write the article. Tucker, do you think you could get the info we need from the Hope's Peak computer?" "Leave it to me!" Tucker said with a smug grin. "I'll handle that loser Hajime and the two girls!" Heather announced. Everyone looked at her like she grew a second head. "What?" "Uh… are you sure you can do that Heather?" Gwen asked. "No offense, but people don't normally like listening to you." Heather scoffed. "Oh trust me. I can handle it. You and Duncan both admit that I'm the best at this, so let me work my magic." "Gwen, she's gotta point," Duncan pointed out. Gwen sighed and nodded. "Uh… I could try to befriend Mikan," Vivian offered. "I mean, we're kinda similar and I feel like I could relate to her." "Alright then! Vivian, you handle Mikan," Twilight declared, writing that down on the board. "Nagito is gonna be tough," Adrien reminded everyone. "I know that he's misguided, but he's also crazy and pretty stubborn about his ideas on hope." "We could always just knock him out," Susie pointed out. "We'll… save that for a worse case scenario," Twilight said, cringing all the while. She was hoping to not have to restore to violence. "Now, does anyone have an idea to repair Ruruka, Seiko, and Sonosuke's friendship?" "You're the friendship expert here," Sam pointed out. "We all thought you'd have the answer to that. The rest of the class nodded. Twilight placed a finger on her chin, before snapping her fingers. "I should be able to work something out between them," She assured her class. "Now… Junko." Twilight's hopeful smile died once she saw that every student had pulled out a weapon or something else that could be used to kill her. "Really guys? Even you, Kaede?!" The pianist gave a guilty smile, as did Shuichi. "It is Junko. She's not going to turn good." "I mean… we could wipe her memory," Danny pointed out as he pulled out a memory wiper. "Or set her up to get arrested," Marinette chimed in. "Either option works," Twilight said. "We'll save Junko for last." The bell then rang, signaling the end of class. Everyone left the room either grinning or smirking. They all had a role to play and they were going to succeed! click With a creak, the door to the underground of Hope's Peak opened up and Duncan, Susie and Tucker all stepped inside, peaking over their shoulders to make sure no one was following them. "Thanks for handling the lock, Duncan," Tucker whispered. He had no idea how to do something like that, and if he had to guess, Susie didn't either, so having a criminal around made sneaking around the school easier. Duncan shrugged. "Hey, if it means Junko can't rise to power, I'm willing to do anything. Besides, picking locks are just a small part of my juvie skill set." Behind them, Susie rolled her eyes. Much to their relief the computer wasn't hard to find. And much to their surprise, the password was on a sticky note on the monitor. "Who makes their password 'Curry Rice'!? And then puts it on a sticky note!?" "I think it's been well established that most staff at Hope's Peak are so blinded by hope that they tend to not think things through," Susie reminded him. "Almost every staff member here would have failed background checks at other schools well before they could even come close to students." "Okay!" Tucker declared. "I've found the files on the Kamukura project! Beginning download!" All three loopers shared grins. Phase one was almost complete. Mikan felt her hands clench. She hated this! Why couldn't Hiyoko be nice for once? When she wasn't paying attention, the dancer had tripped her, giving Teruteru an up skirt shot to add salt to the wound. But, at least people were paying attention to her. "Hey, are you okay?" Mikan looked up. She found herself staring back at an outstretched hand. It belonged to one of the international students, the scythe master. She kinda reminded Mikan of Peko, only somehow less scary. "I'm f-f-f-fine," She managed out as she took the hand, allowing herself to be pulled up. "That was really mean, what that other girl did to you," She said. "Sorry I couldn't stop her." Mikan was left speechless. Someone was apologizing to her?! Did Hiyoko knock her out or something? Before she could speak, she heard shouting. "Why are you defending that dirty nurse?" Hiyoko asked. "It's not like she didn't deserve it!" "Oh really?" Another girl from the international class, the pianist, fired back. "What did she do?" "Well...." Hiyoko froze. She didn't actually have a rebuttal to that. "Whatever!" With that, she stomped off. The pianist walked over to Mikan and the other girl. "Y-y-you didn't h-h-have to do t-t-that," Mikan practically whispered. She was literally holding back tears right now at these two strangers' kindness. "She's r-r-right. I'm w-w-w-worthless t-t-trash." "Well...you're at Hope's Peak, so you did something to belong here," The pianist said with a warm smile. "I'm Kaede by the way. The Ultimate Pianist!" "I'm Vivian, the Ultimate Scythe Master," Vivian said, smiling as well now. Mikan wouldn't dare say anything, but it was actually pretty cute. "You wanna come hang out with us?" Mikan didn't bother trying to fight the tears, nor did she try to fight the smile growing on her face. "Sure! Uh...I'm M-M-Mikan, the Ultimate Nurse." "So what exactly is this plan?" Gwen asked as she crossed her arms. Adrien had volunteered to deal with Hajime, leaving Heather free to deal with Natsumi and Sato. "Just follow my lead," Heather said with a smirk. Fuyuhiko and Peko were walking towards them. "Hey, did you hear about those two reserve course girls? I think one of them is related to that Yakuza in the other class." Gwen quickly picked up on what she needed to do. "Oh yeah! Man, those two really hate each other. Honestly, I'm surprised that things haven't physical between them yet." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the duo freeze. Heather scoffed. "Please! It's only a matter of time. I honestly don't get why all of them are so obsessed with the main course. I mean, yeah, we get all the better treatment, but they treat us like science projects. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be a walking wallet than I would be a science fair show." Gwen nodded. "I do art because I like art. I never wanted to be treated as this special master at it." By this point, Fuyuhiko had already sped off in the other direction, Peko hot on his heels. "I hate to admit it, but you're good." "Why do you think you and Duncan are so easy to beat, even when we are all looping?" Heather asked. "Because we quit almost every chance we get?" "...I hate you." "You know, there's places a lot comfier than the bench." Hajime looked up. Staring back at him was a blond haired boy maybe the same age as him. "Then again, I'm rich, so what do I know?" "Do I know you?" Hajime asked. "Oh right! Never said my name. I'm Adrien Agreste, the Ultimate Model!" Adrien declared. "Although… I hate that title, to be fully honest." Hajime's eyes widened. Yeah, Chiaki said that she didn't want to be tied down by her Talent her whole life, but this guy legitimately seemed to hate his Talent. "You're kidding, right? Talents are amazing! Besides, all the girls in your class must love you." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "You'd think that, but most of them have their own interests. Besides, I never wanted to be a model in the first place. My dad is a big name in the fashion industry and he kinda forced me into modeling. I guess it was good enough to land me here, but to be honest, I'd rather be the Ultimate Pun Master… or in the Reserve Course." If Hajime had been drinking something, he would have done a spit take. A freaking Ultimate wanted to be in the Reserve Course!? "Yeah, we get the better stuff and whatever, but I'm basically doomed to be a model all my life now that I'm the Ultimate one. At the very least, you guys actually get a choice. Besides, it's not like you need a talent to win over a girl." "What do you mean?" Hajime asked. "He's worse than I was," Adrien mentally deadpanned. "My class barely knows yours, and we have a betting pool right now on when you and Chiaki get together. And make it soon, because my date's almost passed!" With that, he headed off, leaving Hajime with his thoughts. "Maybe that guy and Chiaki are right. Maybe I should call off my part in the project… but then I'll lose my scholarship..." "Aye still haven't found a sign of the lass, but I'll let ya know if I do," Merida said into her phone. In order to keep an eye out for Junko to prevent themselves from being blindsided, the class had agreed to doing patrols around the campus. "Thanks for keeping me updated Merida," Twilight replied. "I'm about to start a session with Ruruka and Seiko, so I won't be around for a while. If you need to get in contact, try someone else." "Aye. Keep ya posted," Merida said before handing up and Pocketing the phone. Readying her bow again, she continued her watch over the school. "How in Yggdrasil did this happen!?" Twilight demanded as she walked into the warehouse that had become the class' meeting place. Due to them not wanting Hope Peak's staff or students to learn about their time traveling natures, Susie, Adrien and Sam had pooled some money together in order to buy it. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Duncan, Marinette and Vivian were all sitting in the middle of the room with the Warriors of Hope, happily playing with them. "You lied!" Masaru cried as he pointed at Duncan. "You said that you weren't bringing any demons into your secret hideout!" "No, I didn't," Duncan replied as he put his hands up. "I said no demons. I can promise you that Twilight is about as far from a demon as you can get. In fact, remember when I turned into that dragon?" The kids all nodded. "Well, she is actually a magical pony princess!" "REALLY!?" Kotoko exclaimed, stars in her eyes. Twilight sighed and ponied up. The pink haired girl actually squeed and even Masaru looked excited. "We'll.... explain once they fall asleep," Vivian promised. "But they saw us use powers, so we had to give them the story." Twilight just sighed. "Alright, I can wait." About three hours later "Huh, was expecting them to have more energy," Adrien noted as he finished helping Kaede tuck the kids in. "So… what exactly happened?" Twilight asked. "Well, we were patrolling around the city and we decided to stop for a break in a park," Vivian began. "A park we thought was empty," Duncan chimed in as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. He was clearly attempting to keep up his aloof act, even though everyone could see the fond look in his eyes as he glanced over the kids. "They saw us and well… They wanted to know more. So we gave them the truth in a way," Vivian continued. "We said we were time travelers who came here to stop the bad guys. And they all really wanted to help us. Even Monaca. And we couldn't just leave them with their parents." Her fists clenched a little, as did Adrien's jaw. "We did forget about them when we were planning things out." Gwen pointed out. Everyone felt awful. In spite of all of those they would go on to kill, they were just five kids who could still be helped. "So are we all pitching in to watch over them?" Sam asked. "We kinda have too," Susie pointed out. "After all, a lot of us still have our parts to play and, oh yeah, the Practical Exams are this week!" Everyone panicked a little. They had completely forgotten that, if they could stop Nagito, then they would have to perform their exams. While most did have a basic idea of what they were doing, it was still a big test. "Well, I managed to get Seiko and Ruruka to reconcile, so I'll talk to Nagito about looking into medical treatments," Twilight revealed. "Still, how are the rest of you doing?" "Well, Tucker, Susie and I managed to get all the info we needed from Hope's Peak," Duncan explained. "And as a backup plan, we transferred the money they were going to use for the project if Hajime still wants to go through with it." Alya nodded. "Yeah, I'm still working on that article. Would love to use that as my exam project, but it's not close to ready yet." "Natsumi and Sato are still alive," Heather revealed with a smug look of satisfaction. "Just needed her beloved big brother to overhear us talking about what's been going on with them. The photo girl caught wind and both of them got grilled out. For the most part, they've just been staying away from each other." "I think I'm close to talking Hajime out of the project," Adrien said. "The main thing he's worried about now is that he will lose the scholarship he has to attend class here. I've been thinking about trying to send him the money. I just really don't want my dad finding out. My memories told me I had to beg him to let me come by myself." "Uh...." Everyone turned to look at Vivian, who had pulled the brim of her hat over her face. It failed to hide her noticeably blushing cheeks. "Things with Mikan are good. Trying to get her to stand up for herself more, but she's coming along and–" "Vivian," Twilight began. "Do you have a crush on Mikan?" "...Is it a bad thing?" She finally replied. "I swear, I had no idea this was going to happen! But we just started talking and then things got personal and next thing I knew, my thoughts about her stopped being friendly! I'm sorry! I'll try to get over–" "Vivian," Twilight interrupted her firmly. Vivian stopped talking, her face getting redder as she pulled her hat further over her face. "If you really do like her, you should try to confess. While I know it will make things harder for us, if it makes you happy, who am I to stop you?" "I'm actually gonna back you up on this," Duncan said as he walked over to his younger sister, wrapping his arm around her. "Besides, from what I've seen, there is quite literally no way she doesn't like you back." Vivian just blushed harder, but there was now a smile under it. "Curse the fact I have stage fright!" Vivian mentally whined. She was decked out in her armor and peeking out from behind the curtain. Yeah, she was great with her scythe and it wasn't like she'd never showed her skills off in front of people before, but they weren't fully focused on her! But she could do this. Besides, she had someone she wanted to impress. "Now, for someone with one of the most unique talents we have ever had, Vivian Knightberg!" Someone said from the audience. With another deep breath, Vivian stepped out. A couple people gasped at the sight of her armor, but Vivian blocked them out. "Alright, so before you ask, the armor is so I don't cut myself in half," Vivian joked. She managed to get a couple laughs. "And, yes, I know we already saw a weapon master. But I'm a little different." With a smooth motion, her arm shot out from under her cape, scythe in hand. The crowd gasped. She held everyone's attention as she swung the weapon around with ease. It looked like she had been doing it since birth. But it was the final trick that had everyone go from just impressed to completely convinced that she was an Ultimate: she tossed the scythe forward. Everyone gasped and ducked, but were left in awe as the weapon returned to its wielder's hand. Everyone clapped as Vivian walked back stage, where she promptly collapsed. "That's my sister!" Duncan cheered as he pulled her into a chokehold/hug. "Anyways, when are you asking Mikan out?" "Can I recover from this first?" Vivian asked, still trying to catch her breath. "Sure, but you're doing it before the end of the day or I'm doing it for you," Duncan threatened. "I'll do it! I promise!" "So...how did you l-learn to do that trick with your scythe?" Mikan asked as she and Vivian walked towards the dorms. "Lots of practice," Vivian replied with a smile. "Or the Force." "Your class did really well on the exams," Mikan said. "I wish that Nagito could have seen it." Vivian vaguely remembered Twilight mentioning that she convinced Nagito to check himself into a hospital to attempt to get treatment. "Bet he would have loved it," Vivian replied. "But...I actually wanted to ask you something..." "Huh?" "Would you...uh...will you go out with me?" Vivian blurted out. "Like… on a d-d-date?" Mikan stuttered. Why would someone as amazing as Vivian want to go out with her? "If… if you want it to be?" Vivian offered as she struggled to keep her blush down. She already had a feeling that most of her class was spying on her. Mikan was also blushing heavily. "I'd love to," She finally managed out. The two girls smiled at each other, still blushing as they continued back to the dorms. "Mmmmm...." Vivian slowly opened her eyes, pushing her hat away from them. She and Mikan had been taking a nap under one of the trees on campus. Vivian never could have dreamed that things would work so well. Hajime had decided against the project, declaring to the Steering Committee that he would earn a talent on his own (the look on their faces was priceless. Tucker was the best for hacking the cameras). The Warriors of Hope had been recovering from their trauma and had taken to the class as their new brothers and sisters, with some embracing the role more than others. And of course, her new relationship. Vivian sadly closed her eyes. It hurt knowing that she was going to be the only one of them who would remember this relationship. But she could hope for the nurse to start looping someday. She glanced down at her phone. A message had just arrived. Moving slowly to make sure that she didn't wake her girl, Vivian read it and nearly felt her eyes bug out of their skull. Duncan: Mukuro just texted me. Junko's just arrived. Twilight: Where are they!? Duncan: Still in the city. Said she'll keep me updated Biting down the lump in her throat, Vivian added her own message to the chat. So what should we do? Merida: Keepin' watch over the kiddies right now with Kaede. Twilight: Do not let Junko find them! Vivian, stay with Mikan as much as you can. Alya, please tell me that article is almost ready? Alya: Just going over it a few more times! Mari and Adrien are helping me revise it! Marinette: Should have it ready to go by the end of the week. Susie: And the rest of us? Twilight: Duncan, ask Mukuro if she has any dirt on Junko. If not, everyone be ready. I get the feeling that we may have to fight. We'll head down to that base under the statue as soon as we can! Vivian put her phone away with a sigh. That was not what she wanted to wake up too. At all. Maybe she fall back asleep. "Uh, Vivian, right?" Vivian looked up to be greeted by the Imposter taking Ryota's appearance. She actively had to force herself not to call him Imposter...or Dooplis. "That would be me. You're Ryota, right?" "That's correct!" He said, a little too quickly. "Listen, could you wake Mikan up? I need her help with something." "Who's here?" Mikan asked as she woke up. "Listen, Mikan, I need your help," Imposter/Ryota said with a tone that said she didn't have a choice in the matter. "Where are we going?' Mikan asked. "I can't tell you. You'll just have to follow me," was the reply. Vivian kept her hand on her scythe, which she had rested on a nearby root. "If you don't tell us, we're a package deal," She explained, keeping one hand on her scythe while using the other to stand up. "She goes, I go too." Vivian knew that this was suspicious, but at the same time, she felt like she didn't have a choice otherwise. Mikan looked a little surprised by this, but kept her hand in her girlfriend's. "...Alright, follow me," Imposter/Ryota relented. He wasn't keen on bringing two more people into his fold, but it was better than nothing. "Now remember, you guys don't leave without an adult. There is a very bad person in town right now," Kaede said as Merida readied her bow. She knew that things might have to get violent. "Okay, big sis! Monaca will protect everyone!" Monaca replied. "You guys will come back, right?" A now maskless Jataro asked nervously. "Of course they will!" Masaru said confidently. "I mean, big bro Duncan is a freaking dragon! And big bro Danny is a ghost! There's no way some bad guy can take them down!" Kaede just smiled warmly. "I promise, we'll all come back. Merida, ready to head out?" "Aye. Let's show that lassie why ya don't mess with people like us!" The redhead replied. Giving one finale wave to the kids, the girls headed out. "So what's the plan?" Mukuro asked as she walked over to the class, who had decided to gather in the classroom. "We're going to attempt to take Junko down without violence," Twilight explained. "But we already know that's gonna be hard." "Oh and how do you know this? Do tell~." Everyone felt their blood run cold as they all nervously turned towards the door. Junko stood with a smug grin. However, any thoughts about charging and silencing her right then and there were quickly stopped by the fact she had Mikan in a tight headlock, with a knife pressed to her throat. Duncan grabbed Vivian's hand and looked at her, silently begging her to not do anything stupid. "Junko please!" Twilight begged. "There has to be a better way to stop your boredom!" The despair loving fashionista cackled as she moved the blade ever closer to Mikan's throat. "Yeah right! Listen, you all wouldn't get it because you don't have my real talent, but I can predict anything! Do you have any clue how boring that is!?" In spite of everyone having an answer to that question, they knew they couldn't reveal themselves. Junko even learning about the Loops was a scary thought. "Only one thing can keep me from getting bored-despair. It's so wonderful! So unpredictable! So fulfilling! In fact, I want everyone to feel despair like I do! I was originally going to break the nurse's class but you all would be quite powerful by my side! So why don't we start with the scythe master?" Mikan whimpered as she closed her eyes. This was it for her. Suddenly, Junko screamed. Everyone looked to see that her hair had somehow caught on fire. In the confusion, Vivian managed to pull Mikan away from her. Realizing that she lost her bargaining chip, she took off down the hall, Duncan, Shuichi, Merida, and Danny all hot on her tail. Susie and Tucker headed off to go report to Kirigiri. Twilight glanced back at the still nervous Vivian and Mikan. Both girls were still taking heavy breaths. "Vivian?" Mikan practically whispered. She was shaking and in tears. "Hmm?" Was all she could really reply with at the moment. She never should have let Mikan out of her sight. "She's… she's not gonna hurt us again, is she?" Mikan asked as she looked up at her girlfriend. Vivian managed a smile. "...No. No she won't. My friends are gonna stop her," Vivian promised. She knew that her promise would only last the rest of the loop, but she needed to stay strong. A few days later "Hope's Peak Academy Rocked By Scandals!" "Every headline in the city says the same thing," Sam announced as she held up the latest newspaper. Once the class managed to catch Junko, Hope's Peak attempted to cover everything up, only for the Steering Committee to quickly fall into hot water following the release of an article from someone claiming to be a student at Hope's Peak. Only having the title of Rena Rouge, they exposed everything about the school's crooked ways including the cover ups, the Kamukura Project, the true purpose of the Reserve Course, and many other dirty secrets. Rumors began to fly that the school would be shut down. "Well, I still count this as a victory," Adrien said. "Yeah, but there was something I've been wondering about," Susie admitted. "What?" Twilight asked. "So what are we doing with all that extra money?" Everyone looked at each other. The answer was unanimous. "WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY!" Twilight just rolled her eyes with a smile. It was strange seeing people who had been alive longer than some planets acting like giddy little kids as they ran around the parks. Class 77-B, 78, Hajime, Natsumi and Sato had all been invited as well and were enjoying the park just as much. But then again, they deserved it. It wasn't everyday that you quite literally had to save the world from despair itself. 223.3 (BG_Character_592) [MLP/Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy] Is Everybody Going Crazy The bar was a wreck, as was unfortunately common in the loops, and especially in loops like these. Presiding over the burning husk of a bar was the ever faithful Big Macintosh, in the midst of pouring a drink for a young looking boy, sat on top of two booster seats. "I just don't get it, Mac." He confided with the bartender. "It just feels like everyone has gone crazy today." On the next barstool over was Twilight Sparkle, who was in the middle of having a meltdown at how illogically logical they were acting. The rest of the bar had already collapsed around the trio, all the denizens having ripped it to shreds and fleeing to the Andromeda galaxy upon seeing him step in. "Eh, you get used to it." As Mac slid him the drink. "Things get loopy sometimes. May as well take it in your stride; that advice is on the house by the way." "...Yeah, you're right. Thanks." "Not a problem." As he poured himself a drink. "Now, ah kinda wanna know a few things while yer a bit more lucid, Billy." A short cringe towards the despondent Twilight. "And... as the only other Equestrian who ain't had their mind shot." "Well, it's a long story, to say the least." He offered a slight chuckle, taking a sip of the methylated spirit. "So it all started when I was born. It was a Thursday and I distinctly remember a football game between the Endsville Egrets and the Townsville Towers playing in the background..." 223.4 (CoupleODragons, Facepalmist) Goodbyes and Hellos to Worlds Spike looked over an apocalyptic sight. The world was falling apart at the seams. He hoped that it wouldn't cause a loop crash, as he reflected on how he got himself into this situation. He'd awoken a while earlier in a Hub-like with Rarity as the neighbor girl. They decided to play along with their In-Loop roles, except for getting a copy of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky and the means to play it for something he wanted to show the native loopers that he was amazed they hadn't seen already. They were the neighboorhood couple, and had been for at least 3 years before this happened. Now… It was pushing his luck to have him survive the... whatever this was. Even as a Looper, without preparing for... this, she would not likely have survived. He really hoped that this wasn't like Naoki's branch. "But that was the past, and this is the now." His conscious thoughts faded to the back of his mind as he ran across the road where they'd had lots of good memories with their non-looping neighbors. All those fun times... They were over, now. Sure, he'd expected the loop to end, but he didn't think it would end like this! But then that, too, was over and he was at the home they'd shared for 3 years. "Rarity!" He shouted. "Are you safe? Are you alright?" "Yes! I'm just glad I was prepared." "Pre–? No, we have all the time in the world,” which admittedly wasn't very much, “and a lot more. I can ask about this later. What matters now is what we do next! You have any ideas?" "I have something, but it'll take too long to explain. Lend me your power, accumulated over millennia!" "That was dramatic." Spike said as he began the power transfer. "The world's ending, I think I have a right to be dramatic." "F-fair enough." Spike, weak from the transfer, slumped on what was technically a floor, and had been for the Loop before needing to have the verb technically added to it. Her suspicion was correct. Just a few more steps... "Thank you"​ Spike, having given most of his power, was on the floor. "I'll say goodbye soon"​​ He probably could have fixed this if he saw it coming. Or maybe that was just delirium... "Though it's the end of the world" As his power grew weaker and weaker, he knew that even if he died... "Don't blame yourself now"​​ Rarity had a plan. She could do something. And that was what he fully knew. "And if it's true"​​ Heh... Retreating to the truths. As he prepared to Wake Up in Twilight's tower, he knew that. "I will surround you"​​ And that they loved each other. One of the things the Loops could never change. It would only waver. "And give life to a world"​​ And that was what he knew. In that almost dead state that all loopers grew to know about, he wondered... "That's our own"​​ Heh. Honoring him after his sacrifice. He wondered what that would be like, but then he remembered he could hear it from Rarity. He took a deep breath, intending for it to be his last... And then she broke time. Taking the last breath of the world, and molding and shaping it into something... Building blocks of gods. Material. He could hear around him and feel inside himself the last few moments replaying. He was still on the floor. And then, his power was restored. Along with something... New. "So this is what omnipotence feels like. Judging by the fact that he and Rarity weren't being torn out of this universe, he was fairly sure it wasn't ascending. He immediately fixed his headache. But... There was nothing around him. Just Rarity and the floor he still hadn't gotten up from. He looked at her. "Now what?" "Now, we became gods of our own little universe. Where do you think we should start?" Neither of them could say just where they started, or what they did next... But they must have started somewhere, as before long (though who among Loopers, or even gods, could define long?), the universe was... Done. Ready to finish creation. it just needed that spark. The last breath of the old world. They had kept it safe. Ready after all this time, it was time to unleash it. And give life to a world... That was... Their own. But then, as creation seems to do to gods, they were tired. They slept, to regenerate. The two of them. Together. After it... One last flashback. "Thank you"​​​ Spike, having given most of his power, was on the floor. "I'll say goodbye soon"​​​ He probably could have fixed this if he saw it coming. Or maybe that was just delirium... "Though it's the end of the world"​​​ As his power grew weaker and weaker, he knew that even if he died... "Don't blame yourself now"​​​ Rarity had a plan. She could do something. And that was what he fully knew. "And if it's true"​​​ Heh... Retreating to the truths. As he prepared to Wake Up in Twilight's tower, he knew that. "I will surround you"​​​ And that they loved each other. One of the things the loops could never change. It would only waver. "And give life to a world"​​​ And that was what he knew. In that almost dead state that all loopers grew to know about, he wondered... "That's our own"​​​ Heh. Honoring him after his sacrifice. He wondered what that would be like, but then he remembered he could hear it from Rarity. "That was fun.", He said, as his consciousness faded out. Into sleep. Rarity soon followed. Surrounding, like she promised. She wondered if gods shared dreams. That would be nice. Without their conscious power, the universe made do. Species developed. Civilizations formed, fell, and fought. In unconscious thought, the world bent. The usuals. All sorts of worlds formed, which any decent Twilight would have loved to study. Lettuce grew. Some species never became sentient, and were better off in the long term for it. An Awake Pinkie became the stuff of legends. Religions formed. Most were hilariously wrong, but a few picked up on the truth. As cultists often do. Paper was made, and some were unconsciously chosen as god-struck. A long while later, Twilight Awoke. Standard medieval fantasy Loop. She appraised. Haven't seen this before, nothing familiar... Oh, and this is a world of penguins of varying markings. Not much else of note. I guess I'll play along, if only for the excitement of something new. The Anchor frowned. But I think my loop memories are glitchy, It's only the last bit of Goodbye to a World with memories and feelings redacted similar to the audio! I can't make anything out of this... Ah well, adventure ahoy. Much later The penguin Twilight was getting older, and it was showing. But that didn't matter. What did matter is that Sramen, after so long, was about to wake and corrupt the 2 Gods for his own benefit! They had to defeat him before that happened... Their best chance was to wake the gods and keep him from using the corrupter... Firefly and Helmet were distracting him, but that wouldn't last at all, so they needed to be woken… The voice she heard was not one she expected to hear. "This is probably really important, fate-of-the-world and all that, but can I wake my husband first? You seem to know about the situation." She said, gesturing to where a fight was being lost. "If you fix the whole Sramen issue," Twilght said, also gesturing, "Then there's no problem." One less lich later, Spike was being awakened while Twilght and Rarity discussed multiversal happenings. "So then Meowth says ‘An dat nice Celebi too’, and Spike realizes he doesn't know about Special Episode 5, at least in that point of time. Time is weird in the Loops before you factor interactions and knowledge in it! So he tells him the truth, with both of them saying to show them when they next see them. Anything interesting with you?" "Well, Trixie decided to do a repeat of her ninja summoning thing with thermite, which– Oh, hey, Spike's awake!" "Did we both meet in dreams?" "Yes, yes we did." Meanwhile, Twilight's team was busy trying to get the lich's loot. "That's really sweet. Do you have any idea how you became omnipotent?" "No, we don't know how it works either. Probably something about the unique dimensional rhythm of this place. I'm just glad this works." "By the way, can one of you tell me how I got this weird memory...?" Followed by a brief explanation. "Oh, that's easy! ANYONE OVER THERE WANT TO SEE A GODLY MEMORY?" Waiting a bit for Hermit and Helmet to settle down, they set up the projector. As the memory faded into sleep, they realized that they had a while yet before the loop ended. 223.5 (Venku) [MLP/Adminspace/40K/Drakengard] Reason to Fight The yellow sign. King in Yellow. Lord of Interstellar Spaces. Many are such the name and title associated with Hastur. Being benevolent in some ways, malicious in others, it all boiled down to one thing: amusement. Could he get more recognition from his brethren, including that smarmy fool Cthulhu? Would the Gate recognize his talent? Those were key questions that drove his intent and purpose. Being the Admin of a branch, while amusing at first, was not one of them. The Drakengard branch was one which he had found was looping entirely by accident, reviewing code to play a prank on another. Though Cthulhu and others had advised him to activate the loop and let it be, he had informed Skuld of the activation. Not surprisingly, Skuld had saddled him with the branch. She had also told him to at least 'try' to be competent with it. That was why he was talking with Fenrir via IM about a fused loop request: Longlivetheking: I swear to you Longlivetheking: This is legitimate Badmoonrising: I don't believe you Longlivetheking: What do you want? You can speak with Skuld on this if you think I'm BSing you Badmoonrising: Don't need to. Spoke with Skuld, and she buys your crap. Longlivetheking: Great! So you're going to help me? Badmoonrising: My price for approval of the fused loop is to help to prank Jormungandr. Longlivetheking: Fine Hastur sighed. Wondering what precisely the prank was, he figured he'd get Cythlla on it. Help his niece learn just how to be a proper prankster. Leman Awoke. As it stood, that statement alone meant nothing. Ever since Fluttershy, or Little Mother as he affectionately called her, informed him of time stuck on repeat, he always did a few things when he woke up. After checking his loop memories, he sent out a Ping. Then, he turned to the side which saw a welcome person next to him. Interesting. Nyx was awake, and with that look, she made him blush. "Always lovely when we share a loop" he murmured. "Glad to see you're awake now!" Nyx purred. Leman could only smirk with her response. "Vulkan and Ciaphas already checked in with me while you were asleep. While Ciaphas stated that he was checking on the Chaos Gods, Vulkan took Freki with him for a patrol." Nyx remarked gently. "Freki went willingly?" Leman asked. Nyx shrugged. Before she could open her mouth, Vulkan came in. "Brother!" the Primach exclaimed. "Come quick! And get over the barging in! Anchors sometimes have no privacy! Sorry Nyx!" he added as Nyx threw a pillow at him. Leman sighed, more so as Freki and Geri came in and chuffed in amusement. He and Nyx got dressed, curious as to what had Vulkan concerned. "You go on ahead," Nyx spoke. "I'll be back here if needed. I know you want to protect me, Leman," she added. "Do remember, though, who my mother is and what I can do?" Leman could only do one thing and nod as he left. Caim was a lot of things. Son of King Gaap of Caerleon, he idolized his father. Training to be like him when he grew up, his best friend was Inuart. Caim thought that they were close friends with no issues. He was mistaken. Inuart was jealous of Caim, wishing he had Caim's skill with sword and charisma. Nothing happened of Inuart's jealousy until the Empire showed up at Caerleon's borders. The Empire, of whom the Cult of the Watchers was the state religion, had chosen Caim's sister Furiae as the new goddess. These goddesses of the seal had but one duty; a seal to keep the world from descending into chaos. A woman was chosen as the new goddess when a tattoo formed on the woman's body. They were taken and raised in isolation before placed in stasis, where they would remain until they died. Caim and Inuart objected to the fact that Furiae was to be the new goddess. The Empire objected to their objections. Carleon, home of Caim Furiae and Inuart, was razed by the Empire. As a part of that assault, Furiae was forcibly removed by the Empire, while Inuart vanished. Caim, in his anger, ran across a red dragon named Angelus in the Castle of the Goddess. Though a black dragon slew his parents, all Caim saw was a dragon he needed to kill. Both were exhausted and near death due to the Empire's abuse. Angelus prompted Caim to kill her, stating her soul would not become tainted by a wretched human. Caim had a different idea and demanded a Pact. This Pact between them would bind both Caim and Angelus together. While Caim would obtain supernatural abilities and both parties would survive a near-fatal injury, Caim had to sacrifice something to the gods who sealed the Pact. In his case, Caim lost the ability to speak. When a man who lost everything obtained supernatural abilities, he would focus on his only goal. To Caim, this was revenge. In his quest for revenge, he gained questionable allies.; a man who was a pacifist with questionable tastes, an elven woman who lost her entire family, consumed by hunger, and a small child who would never age. Each had their Pact with a creature. Caim found his revenge. A side benefit was that the world was again safe at the expense of his life, and of Angelus’. One would think this is where the story would end. They would be mistaken. Caim awoke on a strange planet. He viewed it as odd because he did not recognize his surroundings. Slowly patting his body down, he frowned. The armor he wore seemed unique though it was armor regardless. "Caim?" a voice called out. Though that voice seemed familiar, he had to turn to face it. Instead of a dragon, he saw a woman of average height with tanned skin and a curvaceous form. "Caim?" she called again. "Who are you? Where is Angelus?" He paused as he heard his voice. "And what the fuck, I can talk?" "I don't know. All I know is that we were in the land of the gods," the woman replied. She then turned an irritated look to Caim. "And it is I, human. Remember I said once I'd not let my soul become sullied by death at a human's hand." Caim paused. She spoke. this woman, as Angelus did, yet her words indicated annoyance. "Don't look at me," he snapped, the anger and the rage still in his voice. "We chased after the Grotesquerie Queen into the land of the gods and were slain by them. Perhaps this is their punishment." "Not quite," a regal voice chimed. "But if you would look our way instead of arguing with each other, hm?" Caim turned his gaze to the speaker. There was a tall, muscular man with flowing blonde hair. Behind him was another man in green armor and a balding head. Near them were two oversized wolves. Caim immediately dropped into a fighting stance. "Don't make this worse, boy," the blonde man spoke. "I am Leman Russ, and if you don't do anything stupid, I'll be willing to tell you what's happening." "Let me get this straight," Angelus replied. Though she was not in her dragon form, there were a few things that remained. Her temper, and her possessiveness, were two things that were at the forefront. At the moment, she was both irritated at the other woman and concerned about Caim. "Go on..." Nyx replied. She had spent the past few hours explaining about Yggdrasil and Looper protocol. "Time is on an infinite hiatus, and mythological beings from the lands of the gods, or whatever..." Angelus amended, seeing Nyx about to interrupt. "Are tasked to repair it. They can't do it alone, thus Loopers." Angelus paced. Her fiery red hair flowed behind her as well as the gown Nyx had lent her. Personally, Nyx thought that she looked like an embodiment of a living flame. That, and Pinkie didn't need to meet with her. "There's always an Anchor who can process everything. We sometimes visit other branches when Awake, and we're not guaranteed to be Awake." Angelus added. At Nyx's nod of understanding, Angelus grunted. "How do you handle the fact that our… baseline, is it?" she asked. With Nyx's nod of agreement, Angelus continued. "Our baseline had us in a Pact. If one died, the other died." "That sounds more like a Soul Bond, honestly," Nyx explained. "The last bit is that if someone's a hard headed fool, they're going to have a hard time. Right?" "What of it?" Nyx asked. Angelus sighed. "Poor Caim." Poor Caim indeed. Just because someone was the expert swordsman of their homeland did not make them the best at everything. Caim did not learn this lesson with ease. Leman Russ just rolled his eyes as the other man charged him. "Are you this dense, boy?" he asked in irritation. The Primarch had not removed his armor. A standard response if someone charged you with a sword was to dodge. Leman's armor was able to block the weapon. He also viewed Caim's assault as a pup testing themselves. Caim's assault was ongoing. Eventually, Leman grew tired. "What is this?" he asked in irritation as he stepped forward. With a gauntleted hand, he slapped away Caim's weapon. The other hand moved to grip Caim by his armor and slammed him into the wall. "You fight. Nobody denies that, boy. But why? What is your reason?" Leman all but shouted. "My sister. My family," Caim rasped. He had sacrificed his ability to speak to seal his pact with Angelus. Speaking was a new experience. Leman nodded. He did not let the man down. Instead, he closed the distance and became almost nose-to-nose. "Why are you an ass?" he whispered to Caim in a tone that mixed seduction and danger. "My life is hell," Caim muttered. He thought that it would be enough. Instead, Leman roared. "You think your life is shit?" Leman began, in anger. "Feh, you know nothing of true pain. You have never had to slay your own brothers that you loved with all your hearts, you never saw the dream you fought and bleed for two hundred years become ash in your mouth, the bonds of brotherhood turned to smoke in a horrific moment, fighting a bitter war with your former kin. “You never witnessed the people you swore to protect forget the lessons of the past, raise a man to that of divinity who demanded that he never be made of such. You never saw an empire you created become a fetid corpse of itself, with knowledge and reason becoming bywords for the enemy and fear and suspicion becoming the norm...You have never had to deal with unimaginable horrors seeking to turn all you know into a writhing mass of pure chaos. “And that, you little child, is but a standard Loop for me. Not multiple of Loops. One. You think you know pain and suffering? Most would long for such a simple life that you possess. Now we are going to talk about how to improve your own behaviour or do I need to instruct you in a more direct manner?" Leman finished his little diatribe. Still gripping onto Caim's armor, he waited for Caim's response. Seeing Caim's body posture tense, Leman warned. "I'd not do that if I were you. You're Looping. However, if I feel you are too much of a threat, I will kill you. I will also spread the word that everyone else will or should kill you on sight. Got me?" Caim paused. He fought. There was a volatile rage with him. He knew, though, that he was outclassed in this manner. Though he sought to destroy and prove himself, he was able to realize he was in over his head. Thus he looked at Leman and, begrudgingly, remarked. "I get it." Angelus and Caim later met up that evening. Though both started their relationship in an antagonistic manner, it had evolved to mutual respect and admiration. "Do you believe this?" Caim asked as they were obtaining food. Used to being in a military barracks and mess tent, this was nothing new to him. "You humans usually do something. I'm not surprised, however, to learn this time thing." Angelus responded. She leaned over to gently squeeze his hand. "Hmm. I don't know how to take this," he added. "The same as you would any other Pact, I suppose" she replied. "Huh. Suppose now I need to determine why." Caim mused. Angelus lifted an eyebrow. As she waited for him to continue, her foot gently rubbed against his leg under the table. This caused a brief smile to form on Caim's face. "That may be good, human" she began. "But sometimes it's ok to just fight for yourself. Survive for yourself and those you care for." As they were talking, Leman and Nyx were nearby and surreptitiously eavesdropping. "Do you think they'll succeed?" Nyx asked. "Eh..." Leman paused. "I give them the same chance we were given when we married." Nyx smirked, looking at Leman with affection.