//------------------------------// // Stable Timeloops with a side of Cake // Story: I, Sweetie // by Crystal Moose //------------------------------// "HOW‽" Twilight Sparkle seethed as Celestia, Luna and I ate the cake. Banana-cream, one of Celestia's favorites. "How lovely is this cake?" Celestia asked, turning to her sister. Magenta eyes. Her eyes. Those old memories stir. "Quite lovely!" Luna agreed. "Where did you put my robot?" I flinched as Twilight screamed; both in shock at her volume, and a little hurt at being reduced to somepony's 'robot'. Celestia raised an eyebrow, and pointed directly at me. "Why, she's right there… I thought that was rather obvious, actually." "Ummm, yes. Yes… We found it perfectly… understandable," Luna agreed, unconvincingly; I would have to challenge her to a game of poker later. "Well, she is here now, but I gave her to Pearl and Magnum about… one hundred-and-thirty-two years ago?" Celestia explained. "WHAT‽" "You don't think you were the only pony who ever meddled with time-travel, do you Twilight?" Twilight, Luna and myself spun around, looking in shock, as Celestia stepped through the door way, in complete disregard of the Celestia still sitting at the table. Celestia, the new Celestia (as my neural network labeled her) sat next to old Celestia (I made a mental note to never mention to either Celestia one of them were designated 'old') and levitated a plate of cake. "You see, my faithful student… oh, how long has it been since I have been able to say that?" old Celestia asked. Luna and Twilight both sat, rather dumbfounded, their cakes forgotten. "Far too long," new Celestia replied. "You see… you always were Sweetie Belle's creator. You just were a little late, so I—" "We!" new Celestia interrupted. "Sorry, we, had to tweak time a little to fix that." "IDEAS! IMPROVEMENTS! NOTES!" Twilight jumped up from her seat, and screamed. "SPIKE! wait, no… SWEETIE BELLE, WHERE'S MY CHECKLIST‽" "Ahh yes, that would be the temporal paradox you are no longer under the threat of," new Celestia chuckled, as old Celestia finished off her slice of cake. "If you'll excuse me, I have somewhen to be! I'll see you all soon." Old Celestia lit up her horn and disappeared. "And I believe it is time for me to depart too," the only Celestia said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I have things to do, places not-to-be." With another flash of her horn, Celestia was gone. Twilight was furiously writing notes down on a scrap of parchment; the quill nearly on fire. "Sh-she ate my cake…" Luna sniffled, as she looked down at her empty plate. "Wait!" Twilight exclaimed, dropping her quill and spilling ink across the page. "SO THAT'S HOW SHE'S ALWAYS BEATEN ME IN CHESS!"