67.1 (Midnight Crescent)
Twilight the underdog, part 2
Twilight leant her head against the train’s window, the slow rattle of the carriage lulling her to sleep. However, not long after she finally drifted off, the train jolted to a stop, bringing her nap to an unexpected end.
A voice drifted in over the tannoy “This train has now arrived in Domino City. Please ensure you have all belongings with you if departing here.”
“C’mon, this is us.” Tristan said, throwing his jacket over his shoulder “Thanks for letting me tag along, by the way.”
“No problem. I needed a guide anyway.” Twilight replied, with a small smile. She stood from her seat, and followed Tristan on to the platform
Serenity Nyx Wheeler lay in her bed, trying to get her blurry vision to focus. After failing for what felt like the hundredth time since she Awoke, she turned over and buried her head in a pillow.
Alright, I can’t use my magic and I’m practically blind. Chlorophyll, this world sucks. She thought to herself, when there was a knock at the door. Before she could even give an answer, a nurse had walked into the room.
“Hello Serenity, how are you feeling today?” She asked cheerfully.
“Fine, thank you.” Nyx flipped over once again, and flashed the nurse her best fake smile.
“That’s good. Now, are you ready for your tests?” The nurse asked, still smiling. Nyx sighed. Her loop memories had shown her what she could expect, and she was not looking forward to it. She nodded, and the nurse wheeled over the equipment. “Let’s get started then.”
Almost an hour later, Nyx flopped back on her bed, exhausted and bored out of her skull. The testing equipment loomed in the corner once more, as the nurse made her exit.
“Thank you, Serenity. I’ll check in on you later.” The nurse said, the gentle words seeming more like a threat.
Alone again, Nyx just lay there, wishing for her magic, her eyes to get better, or just for something, anything to happen.
But most of all, she wished her momma was there.
Twilight’s fingers tapped on the armrest beside her as she waited for the cab to make any more headway through the city streets.
“I forgot how bad traffic can be... How much longer do you think we’ll be?” Twilight asked Tristan, after another ten minutes without any progress.
“Well, it is rush hour in the city centre, it’s always bad.” Tristan shrugged his shoulders “Actually, come to think of it, this isn’t that bad, all things considered.”
Twilight’s eyes widened at the prospect that it could actually get worse than it already was.
“How far from the Hospital are we?” She asked, fumbling around in her pockets.
“Not much more than a mile now.” He said, watching her actions curiously. “Why?”
“Alright.” She turned to address the driver. “That’s close enough.” She handed over a bundle of notes. “Keep the change.”
Twilight climbed out the door, and weaved through the traffic to the sidewalk.
Tristan followed a few seconds later, “Hey, slow down. I get you’re desperate to get there, but rushing off without me isn’t actually going to help...”
“I know, I just don’t want to leave her alone like this any longer. Now, which way.”
“This way.” Tristan said, turning down the intersection, before waiting for Twilight to follow him.
Twilight waited at the Hospital reception, her arms crossed. Tristan looked around the room anxiously, before dragging her over to an empty group of chairs.
“Alright, something’s bothering you. What’s wrong?”
“He never visited her, Tristan. The nurse wants to see me, to talk about ‘Serenity’s condition.’ She wouldn’t have needed to do that if Joey had ever been here before.”
Tristan took a deep breath. “OK, you’re right. Joey doesn’t visit Serenity that often. You know why?”
Twilight shook her head.
“Their parents have split custody. Serenity lives with their mother, and Joey with their father. ”
“Well, I saw the loop memories. I know that...”
“And how much else did you get from them?”
“I... I guess I kinda skipped over that part.” Twilight looked sheepish.
“Their father is an alcoholic and a gambler, and their mother is a nurse at this hospital. Now, you’ve taken Joey’s place this time. So, who ended up with who?”
Twilight stayed silent.
“Starting to see why Joey didn’t visit her?”
“Yeah, a little.”
A small cough came from behind Twilight. The pair turned to look at the source, one of the Hospital nurses.
“Miss Wheeler, I’m your sister’s nurse. I’ve been told to update you on your sister’s condition. Now, we have managed to diagnose your sister’s illness. I’m afraid it’s not good news...”
Tristan turned away at that point. Twilight nodded.
“We’ve diagnosed her with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which means that th...
“The photoreceptor cells in her eyes have deteriorated. And now her Retinal Pigment Epithelium is becoming mottled.”
The nurse and Tristan both stood with their jaws agape. Twilight looked around at the pair, before hurriedly trying to back out of her comment.
“Uhh... I started reading up on what it could be when she got admitted?”
The nurse took a few seconds before she could reply. “Just... Just go see your sister. I... I need to take a break...” The nurse walked off down one of the hallways, muttering to herself.
Once they were alone again, Twilight turned to Tristan. “I guess I need to be a little more careful about that stuff, huh?”
“What, talking about rare medical diseases to a level as high as the experts? No, I don’t see how that could cause any problems.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Jeez.” Twilight said as they knocked on Serenity’s door. Seeing the puzzled look Tristan was giving her, Twilight paused in the doorway. “What?”
“... No, it’s nothing. Ignore me.” Tristan said after a few seconds.
“O...K...” Twilight said, walking into the room.
Nyx woke from her nap as someone knocked on her door. There were voices outside her door, and then two people walked in.
Before she could even ask who was there, she felt two arms embrace her. “It’s me, Nyx. I’m here.”
Nyx felt tears begin to fall down her face as she returned Twilight’s hug. When she did speak, it was barely a whisper. “I missed you Momma.”
“I missed you too, Nyxie.” Twilight broke away from Nyx, and sat down next to the bed. “So, how long have you been Awake?”
“Just a few days. And so far, this loop is awful. I can’t use any magic. The only person who’ve been to see me are nurses. And they only want to run tests. Are you here to get me out?”
“I’m really sorry about that, Nyx, but you need to stay here for a while yet. I promise, I’m doing what I can, but I need you to wait here until then.”
“But it’s boring here.”
“Nyx...”
“Do you mind if I talk to her?” Tristan said from the back of the room.
“Umm, Ok.” Twilight said, slightly puzzled.
“Nyx, I’m Tristan. I’m a friend of the people you and Twilight are replacing. I know you’re eyes are bad, and the tests are annoying...”
Nyx nodded her agreement.
“...But they know what’s wrong with you now. And, if you stay here a little longer, they’ll know how to fix it. But there’s a catch.”
“What?” Nyx asked.
“It’s going to cost a lot of money. Money I’m guessing you don’t have...”
Nyx shook her head. “I don’t loop often enough to get an allowance...” She folded her arms, and huffed.
Tristan raised an eyebrow, and looked and Twilight, who just mouthed “Don’t ask.”
“Well, don’t worry about that, because Twilight is going to win you the money in a Duel Monsters tournament.”
“She is?”
It was Twilight’s turn to stare at Tristan. He motioned with his arms towards the beaming Nyx.
“Of course I am.” Twilight said, although her voice didn't suggest she had the greatest of confidence.
“And, as an added bonus, I can even stay with you, and let you know how well she’s doing. Would you like that?”
“Sure!” Nyx said, looking overjoyed at the idea of having anyone other than the nurses around.
“So, what’s the plan Yugi?” Tea asked as the pair sat down for lunch.
“Well, we need to lure Kaiba to the Game Store. I think if I just duel you instead of Joey, then that can be done as usual. You still have your old deck, right?”
“Yeah, bu...”
“OK, so that’s part one. This time, I want to try and just duel him for the Blue Eyes, see if we can stop it getting torn up.”
“That’s fine Yugi, b...”
“After that, Pegasus will probably either duel me or invite me to the tournament. I can just accept the invitation, or add a stipulation of my own. Either way, I should be able to get Twilight and myself accepted.”
“Yugi, as good as that sounds, I was actually asking if you think we should wait until they get back to kick things off...”
“Oh...” Yugi blushed, before thinking for a few seconds. “Actually, I think we should do this without her if we can. Letting her see an early baseline Kaiba isn’t really fair on him.”
Tea nodded in agreement. “Alright. Hey look! Here he comes!”
“Alright, let’s get set up quick.” Yugi pulled out his deck, and placed it on the table. “And draw!”
Twilight, Nyx and Tristan talked for a while, before a nurse poked her head in the door. “Visiting times are ending in five minutes.”
Twilight hugged Nyx one more time. “You be nice to the nurses, Serenity.” Twilight stressed the name, making sure Nyx understood.
“Good luck, Josie.”
“I’ll see you for the first day of Duellist Kingdom, Serenity.” Tristan said, catching himself before he started waving to the blind girl.
“OK!”
Tristan and Twilight walked out of the room. When they were a decent distance from the room, Twilight turned to Tristan, a look of frustration on her face.
“What was that in there?”
“Huh? I don’t know what you’re talking about...”
“There is no cure for her condition. Why would you lie about that?”
Tristan shook his head. “I wasn’t lying. Trust me, you’ll get a phone call or something in a day or two about it. It’s practically one of the constants in the loop. Her condition varies, but they always find a cure. Just as the price of the cost varies, the DK prize money moves to match it too.”
Twilight sighed. “Alright, I'll believe you. But why offer to stay behind?”
“Ahh... I’ve been planning to do that for a few loops now. This just happens to be the perfect loop to do it. Remember, I’ve seen this movie, and in Duellist Kingdom, I get to give Joey a card that would never fit in your deck, and throw something into a forest that will just warp back to the person who had it during the next tournament anyway. You won’t lose anything by me staying behind, and I can keep Nyx company at the same time too.”
Twilight thought over that for a few seconds. “You know, you really remind me of someone...”
“Is that a good or bad thing.”
“Not tellin’ ya.” Twilight said, before looking at the strange glance Tristan was giving her. “OK, that’s twice you’ve been giving me those funny looks. What is it?”
“It’s just, that’s twice you’ve started talking like Joey.” Twilight stared at Tristan, who sighed. “Look, it’s been twice in a week. I’m willing to call it a coincidence for now, and it’s probably nothing important anyway. If it starts to happen more often, we can just ask Yugi and Yami about it. They might know something more about this sort of thing.”
“Alright, now let’s get back.”
“Sure. And if we’re fast enough, we might even get to watch Yami and Kaiba’s duel.”
“Right!”
The pair climbed into a cab, and set off towards Domino Station.
Yugi made a big pretence of showing Tea around the card section of his grandpa’s store.
“What are we doing, Yugi?” Tea whispered when Solomon became distracted by an actual customer.
“We’re stalling for time. Kaiba won’t be here for another minute or two, and Grandpa won’t keep the Blue Eyes out very long.”
The store emptied almost as soon as Yugi finished talking. Yugi looked around, and nodded to Tea. She took out two cards from her actual deck, and walked over to Solomon.
“Mr. Muto. Could you let me look at your really rare card one more time?”
“Now Tea, why would you ever need to see it again?”
“I found some new cards, and I want to see how good they really are. If they’re anywhere close to yours, then they’ll be great.”
“I don’t know...”
Tea sighed inwardly, before flashing Solomon the biggest puppy dog eyes she could.
“...But how could I say no to you?”
Just as Solomon unlocked the cabinet, and withdrew his Blue Eyes, the store’s bell rung. Turning around, Yugi saw it was indeed Seto Kaiba.
Just in time... Yugi thought, turning back to his Grandpa, who was now halfway through his all too familiar spiel.
“...Has one, I obviously have this one, and the world’s number one duellist has done amazingly well to have collected the other three.”
Yugi frowned. Something seemed off, and it took him a moment to figure it out.
Wait, that makes five. Yami, there's only ever been four before, right?
Yes, that is a new change. Atem responded. I wonder who has the fifth...
A quick glance confirmed that Tea had noticed the change too, but before they could question Solomon about that revelation, Kaiba had burst between the pair. His attempts to buy Solomon’s card went about as well as usual.
Alright, it’s now or never. Yugi told Yami in their shared mind. You’re up.
“I have a proposition.” Yami said, his signature smirk on his face. “Perhaps we could duel for the card?”
Kaiba laughed before answering. “You? Duel me!? I don’t know who’s more senile – you or the old man. I’m the world’s number one duellist. What makes you think you’d last more than three turns?”
“Nothing. But, if you’re so confident you’d win, then shouldn’t this be an easy decision for you to make?”
Solomon grabbed Yami by one of his shoulders and wheeled him round to face him. “Yugi, you can’t go betting with cards that don’t belong to you! Especially not when they’re my cards!”
“Grandpa, don't you trust me?”
Solomon sighed, and shook his head.
“It’s not about trust, Yugi...”
“As touching as this sounds...” Kaiba interrupted “If I was actually interested in seeing this, I’d have stayed home and watched cable. If you’re serious about duelling for the card, then come to the Kaiba Corp Building by 6:30 tonight. If not, well, I will get what I want.”
Kaiba left the store, and an uneasy silence descended.
After a minute or two, Solomon spoke up. “Yugi...”
“Yes, Grandpa?” Yami responded.
“You’ve bet my prized possession on a duel you have very little chance of winning, and you did it without my permission. I hope you can understand why I’m disappointed in you.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
So much for that plan... Yugi told Yami.
It was a sound plan, Yugi. We just need to execute it differently.
Yugi switched back just as his Grandpa asked a question.
“Sorry, could you repeat that, Grandpa?”
“I asked if you thought that boy believed in the heart of the cards.”
“I wouldn’t think so...”
“Hmmm...” Solomon stood in contemplation for a few seconds, before handing Yugi his Blue Eyes. “Here. Make that boy respect the Heart of the cards.”
Yugi was stunned for a few seconds, before he finally responded. “You got it, Grandpa!”
I think the only reason he did that is because Kaiba called him senile... Yami quipped.
You’re probably right... Yugi responded, still staring at the card. But that’s not important right now. We have a duel to ‘prepare’ for.
Tristan looked down at his watch as he and Twilight raced into the Kaiba Corp Building. It told him that it was 7:00.
“Did we make it in time?” Twilight asked, breathing deeply after the run from the train station.
“Well, they usually start around seven.” Tristan replied, before noticing the tall man walking towards them. “I think we’re about to find out.”
“Mr. Taylor, Miss Wheeler?” The man asked as he approached.
“Yeah, that’s us.”
“My name is Roland. Mr. Muto mentioned that you may be delayed. I’ve been instructed by Mr. Kaiba to escort you to the duelling arena upon your arrival. Their duel should have
just begun. Please, follow me.”
“Well, at least we won’t miss the end, I guess.” Tristan said, as the three of them entered an elevator. Roland pressed a couple of buttons, and the doors slid shut.
Yami watched as his swords of revealing light wore off, leaving Kaiba’s three Blue Eyes free to attack once more. Looking at the Life Point readout, Kaiba smiled.
While he was still on 1100 Life Points, Yami’s had slipped to a measly 50. Granted, he’d taken more damage than he’d expected, but he was still one attack from defeating Yami, and claiming his fourth Blue Eyes.
“This duel is over, Yugi. None of your pathetic monsters could hope to stand up to the onslaught of one Blue Eyes White Dragon, let alone three.” Kaiba said.
The door to the arena opened, and Kaiba’s smile widened as Twilight, Tristan and Roland walked in.
“Perfect! Now your friends will get to witness your defeat as well.” Kaiba turned to face Yami, and finally noticed something wasn’t right. Despite the situation, Yugi was laughing. “Did I say something funny, or did you just finally snap?”
“Kaiba, you asked about my ‘Pathetic Monsters’, and I just couldn’t help myself. My deck has no pathetic monsters. But it does contain a dragon slayer.”
Kaiba’s smile turned into a look of confusion. “A dragon slayer?”
Yami’s smirk returned, as he summoned his final monster. “Go, Buster Blader!”
Kaiba’s face went pale as the hologram appeared on the field. “Buster Blader!? That's not possible! How did you get that card?"
Yami stared across at Kaiba. "I live at my Grandpa's game store, Kaiba. He's a former Regional Champion. A man who had one of the Blue Eyes White Dragons. Did you honestly think I wouldn't have planned for your ace? Now, you seem to know a lot about my card. Tell me, with your three Blue Eyes on the field, how much stronger will he become?"
He did the math in his head, and he dropped his cards at the result. "4100 attack points... No, it can't be...“
“Yes Kaiba, it can. Strong enough to slay your dragon, and wipe out your life points. You were right Kaiba, this duel is over. Buster Blader, attack.”
Kaiba collapsed to his knees as his lifepoints plummeted to 0. “How? How could I lose to an amateur?”
Should we give him the same speech as always, Yugi?
Nah. Let’s just leave him be, and see what happens.
Alright, Yugi. I just hope you know what you’re doing.
Atem and Yugi switched places, and Yugi climbed down from the arena.
“Well done, Yugi.” Tea said, as Tristan and Twilight walked over from the other side of the arena.
“Knew you could do it.” Tristan said, before lowering his voice so only the group could hear. “Seriously, do you ever actually lose that duel?”
“Only when I’m trying.” Yugi replied just as quietly.
“So...” Twilight said, watching as a few Kaiba Corp employees carried Kaiba away from the other end of the arena. “What do you guys usually do now?”
“Well, wait around for Pegasus to get in touch, mostly.”
“I meant more about how you pass the time until then...”
Yugi just stared at her for a few seconds, before he held up his deck in response.
Twilight’s mouth hung open briefly. “I shouldn’t have even asked, should I?”
67.2 (Ranma-sensei)
"Okay, tell me..." Twilight began, massaging her forehead, "How this is even possible."
"I don't know." Diamond Tiara gave an awkward shrug. "I did everything I could, but somehow..." She gestured with her chin toward the bookshelves, which were covered in apple juice.
"We're sorry, Twalight." Applebloom shrank back.
"We- We just wanted ta be... recognized." Scootaloo scuffed her front left hoof on the floor.
Tiara almost popped a vein. "And so you decided to parade your friendship to Princess Twilight AROUND FOR ALL TO SEE!!?"
"We said we're sorry." Sweetie Belle's ears dropped low in shame.
Twilight decided to step in before Diamond could explode: "Listen, girls; I know you didn't mean any harm, but wasn't it good enough to just be friends with DT? No, don't answer that. Tell you what." She waved her hoof across the library, "Fix up this mess and we'll never talk of it again."
"Yay, thank you, Twilight!"
Watching the Cutie Mark Crusaders scamper off, Diamond Tiara gave a long-suffering sigh. "And they say unawake me is a hoofful."
Twilight just nodded in agreement.
67.3 (LordCirce)
"Well, that didn't work."
Twilight Awoke with a pounding headache. As her vision cleared, blearily, she took in the remnants of a chalk line that was drawn around her, and saw Spike staring at her, looking a little worried. She blinked as the memories of what she had been trying to accomplish swept over her, and immediately cast a suite of inverted detection spells. There was some temporal scarring around her, but it appeared to have dissipated, likely due to the psychosomatic temporal shift that occurred upon Awakening. The Loops didn't play nicely with most other time manipulation spells.
Bringing her focus back to Spike, she caught the tail end of what he was saying. "...for the second time?" She quickly parsed back through what he had said to her that she had been half-listening to.
"No, it doesn't seem to have had much of aaaoh my gosh, I know where I am." Twilight finally matched up the variant formula with her knowledge of fiction from the Hub. This was from that time loop story about Equestria that she had studied, back when she was trying to determine if there was a method for breaking free of the Loops. (She decided not to think about it – it would only give her a headache.) Which meant...
Twilight appeared in the middle of Celestia's bedroom, having slid between the anti-teleportation barriers, and landed on a small table that was set up with a tea service. She stumbled, knocking over the teapot, before catching herself, extending her wings slightly. She had Ascended to get the power necessary for slipping through the spellwork. Celestia and Chrysalis, both very obviously Awake, looked up from the tea cups that they had been chatting over. Twilight took in the scene, before chuckling nervously.
"I guess I'm not needed to tip the scales?"
Celestia smiled. "No, it is quite alright. Chryssie has called off the swarm and we were just discussing how we could try and integrate them in this Loop when you decided to join us. Would you like a cup?" Celestia levitated a cup of tea in front of Twilight, having righted the teapot and fixed the china Twilght had smashed in her impromptu entrance.
"Ah, yes, thank you." Twilight carefully took the cup and stepped lightly down off the table. She turned to glance at Chrysalis, who had her mouth open and was experimentally running her tongue over sharpened teeth.
"I have venom sacs this Loop."
Twilight chuckled, before pausing. "I have to check on the Elements!" And with a flash, she vanished. Celestia caught the cup before it could hit the floor.
"Always in a hurry. Now, Chryssie, my memories tell me that the area where Las Pegasus usually sits is vacant, so we can probably establish your primary settlement there. What jobs do you think..."
67.4 (LordCirce)
Twilight stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before her. She should have known something was up when the Changeling Federation had replaced the Griffon Empire in what was otherwise a baseline Loop, but she hadn't put two and two together.
It was Shining and Cadence's wedding, and it had appeared to be going smoothly. Chrysalis had shown up, Unawake, but as a guest, and she had brought several of the changelings. She had profusely thanked Cadence and Celestia for the invitation, saying that weddings were true feasts for Changelings. The wedding had progressed up until the point when they were to take their vows, then everything had gone sideways.
A massive Griffon has burst into the hall, shouting his objections to the marriage. Twilight had been ready to jump in when Cadence ran forward, shouting "Rikard!" After that, the whole story came out. Apparently, when Cadence was young in this Loop, she had befriended Rikard. She had only viewed him as friends, but he had felt something more. Eventually, they parted, but, when word reached him at the Wandering Flock (this Loops home of the Griffons) that Cadence was getting married, he had rushed here.
Now, he and Shining were fighting an honor duel over Cadence's hand. Rikard roared as he leapt at Shining, only for Shining to spin and prove that Earth Ponies didn't have a monopoly on bucking. A sphere of magic came as a follow-up, but Rikard slid underneath, swiping at Shining's legs. Shining leapt back and threw up a barrier, which Rikard immediately began pounding away on.
Slowly, Twilight made her way around the room to where Cadence was crouching, trembling. Twilight reached out to comfort Cadence, when suddenly Cadence turned her head, revealing a wide grin.
"Isn't it so romantic?" She squealed lightly, with a gleam in her eye that Twilight wasn't used to seeing there, not when she wasn't Awake and on a Love Spree, anyway. Slowly, Twilight just nodded and backed away, as Cadence turned back just in time to see Shining sidestep a charge and send Rikard charging into the wedding cake.
67.5 (Masterweaver)
"So, are the venom sacs a common thing?" Trixie asked. "Or is it just loop random?"
Chrysalis shrugged. "It comes and goes. Usually it's a sedative, sometimes it's nuerotoxic, and what the hay are you drinking?"
The unicorn blushed. "Ah... you know how some aspects of, um, biology vary from loop to loop?"
"We were just discussing that, yes."
"Weeeeeeell, Twilight made this brew for loops like this one where... aheh... let's just say if I didn't drink this, next week would be very energetic for the both of us."
"...meh, it's your decision." The changeling shrugged. "I don't care either way. Why's it black, though?"
Trixie's face scrunched up. "I don't know. And it tastes horrible too... well, bottoms up."
67.6 (elmagnifico)
When Applebloom had first found out he was looping, she'd talked about abilities, and how loopers tended to wind up in the craziest situations. He'd told her about how he didn't need fancy unicorn princess powers.
Macintosh watched the scene, like he had umpteen times before. Twilight was either playing her role or not Awake. It was his turn.
Most loopers hadn't seen his abilities. Largely because the grand majority of them were invisible. Ways of watching, listening and perceiving, which he'd picked up from detectives, leaders and psychologists. All to the point of helping others.
“The night will last forever!”
He'd acquired some combat training in the guard, and when he was clandestinely gathering skills, before he knew Eternal Twilight was not something he'd have to take down some day. Nothing earth-shattering. Until that one loop.
“Eenope.”
Not that one loop with Twilight. A different one. He looped into a scientist, whose baseline started as a mild-mannered individual, and wound up an emotion-bound behemoth.
“Insolence!”
The bomb, however, was just what made the change so dramatic. The emotion, drawn into physical strength, was where the power came from.
He could hear the retaliatory strike charging.
Such a channel was exactly what he brought back from that loop.
Those watching him, and knew what to look for, would notice his eyes had gone a different shade of green.
Eternal night would mean no crops.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Crops were important, but it was the ponies that they fed that made them important.
The bolt of solid darkness crashed into his face.
Without food they'd die.
He could feel it pulling, trying to rend him limb from limb for his impudence.
If he didn't stop her, they'd die.
So he pulled right back, holding himself together, quite literally.
He wasn't angry per say, just determined.
The astonishment of those around him was practically palpable.
Eternal night must not happen.
He took a step, approaching the nightmare.
Eternal night would not happen.
A second bolt struck, and he grunted. Another step.
The others he had time for.
Another step, another hit. Closer.
He could do things his way.
He could feel his individual components crying out for release, to fly apart. He told them to hold firm. Closer.
With Nightmare Moon though, he had but twenty-four hours from loop start to work with.
Close enough.
So a more direct method was required.
As he neared her, he reached back with his right front hoof, and brought it around like a steam hammer.
Mac smash.
67.7 (Kris Overstreet)
"Girls... I didn't expect you to bring company." Oh, yes she did. This was Twilight's fourth baseline time through these events, and she had them pretty well down pat now.
"Ohhh! You live in a house full of books?" Diamond Tiara gushed.
"Yes, it's a lib-"
"What a bold design choice!"
"You should SO do that, Di!" Silver Spoon nodded.
"I know, right?" Diamond Tiara grinned back at her yes-pony.
"Well... come in," Twilight said, leading the fillies into the common room.
"Wow, so a princess lives here!" Diamond Tiara gasped.
Twilight ground her teeth. UnAwake Diamond Tiara was a pill, and she was quite tired of swallowing this particular prescription.
"Well, since we have guests," she said brightly, "I think it's only fair that I begin with them. You girls can practice a bit while I focus on the newcomers, right?" In the baseline she'd kept her focus on the girls she actually wanted to teach and pretty much ignored the interlopers. That had not worked well at all. Maybe eventually it led to the lesson that you shouldn't use your friendships with important people to seem important, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been around Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony for years now without ever even thinking about trading on their relationships.
And they almost certainly would have gone on not thinking about that if Diamond Tiara hadn't interfered.
That smiling, gleeful, social-climbing filly was under her gaze now. Pity she and her yes-pony didn't realize that gaze had metaphorical crosshairs.
"So," Twilight smiled, "what would you like help learning about?"
"Oh, I just wanted to spend time with you, Princess!" Diamond Tiara smiled. "It's so wonderful to have a genuine princess in Ponyville!"
"Well, I'm afraid you don't get to spend time with me unless you're learning something," Twilight said. "I hear you're an excellent acrobat. Why don't you show me what you can do?"
Diamond Tiara's grin vanished. "Er... well, actually, I've been feeling a little ill lately, so my butler-"
"Ah! Then I know exactly the thing!" Twilight levitated a book off a shelf and set it down in front of the spoiled earth pony. "Get Better By Getting Fit! Written by the leader of the Wonderbolts herself, Spitfire!"
Diamond Tiara looked at the book, which was as thick as her foreleg. She opened it and read: "'Chapter One: You have already taken the first step to better health by lifting this twenty pound book. Now do it twenty more times.'"
"Er, what will we be doing, then, Princess?" Silver Spoon asked.
"Oh, I'm sure you two can share!" Twilight beamed. "I'm told you two do everything together, and I certainly wouldn't want to break the two of you up!"
Diamond Tiara's eyes now looked frantically at the door. "Princess, could you possibly help me with this? I can't possibly lift this book by myself..."
"Oh, I wouldn't be a good teacher if I did everything for my students," Twilight grinned. "Besides, I know a couple of ponies who are much more qualified than I am to teach athletic fitness. They're top athletes in Ponyville's Equestria Games team!" She stomped a forehoof three times on the wooden floor.
Two pegasi burst out of Twilight's bedroom where they'd been waiting, both wearing caps and whistles on strings. "So, these the two acrobats you were talking about, Twi?" Rainbow Dash grinned. "I gotta say, they look a little soft to me!"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll do just fine," Fluttershy murmured.
"Eh, we'll see!" Rainbow Dash picked up the book and dropped it on Diamond Tiara's back. The filly struggled to remain standing. "That's what I thought! Soft and weak! But don't worry, we can fix that!" She put her whistle to her lips. "Five laps around Ponyville should put some spring in your step!" She blew, the shrill whistle sending a shock through Diamond Tiara that lifted her off the floor. Her legs moved involuntarily under her, and she hit the ground galloping, out the door and down the street with Rainbow Dash following.
"Er, I'll just wait here for her," Silver Spoon said. As she turned to find a corner to lurk in, she came face to face with a very disappointed Stare.
"You're not going to leave your friend to do it alone, are you?" the horrible, horrible eyes asked in a voice like a silk-covered dagger.
In a few moments Silver Spoon was on the run herself, Fluttershy right behind her.
"Well, that's taken care of that," Twilight said with deep satisfaction. "Now, girls, let's get to your lessons. Scootaloo first." She looked around, only counting two Crusaders. "What happened to Scootaloo?"
"She ran out the door after Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle said, pointing out into the street.
Oops. She'd forgotten about Scootaloo's hero worship. In the baseline Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been out of town for weeks. Given the choice between spending time in a library doing much-hated research and running five laps around town with her idol... yeah, Twilight thought, I could have thought this through better.
"Er... well, we'll get back to her later. Let's see how your magic is coming along, Sweetie..."
67.8 (Zetrein)
995, Moonless Age. 996 years since Luna's disappearance.
Twilight Woke up with her head in the fridge. Checking her memories, it seemed she was still a teenager at the moment, and still living with her parents. The "chunk" sound of the toaster reminded her why she was in the fridge, and she quickly found the jam.
As she finished making her breakfast, Twilight went through what some loopers jokingly called start-up checks. She started casting specific scrying spells, using the horn glow of making toast to hide her actions if any of her family walked in. No Elements Awake yet, no signs from Celestia or Cadance either. Her loop memories tagged Nyx as her little sister this time, so she'd check with her later in person. Scrying the moon for Luna...
Twilight paused in putting the jam away. "That can't be right..." She muttered to herself. Surely she had just miscast the spell? Checking again, Twilight got the same result.
Closing the fridge, Twilight asked aloud, "Where's the moon?"
A more thorough check of her memories, and a few weeks of studying, and Twilight felt she was on the right trail. While she hadn't made much headway on where the moon was, she was confident she knew what had happened to it. After all, she had helped Luna and Apple Bloom test fire it.
As it turned out, a great many had been trying to find the moon for centuries. Magi-astrologists had pioneered entirely new fields of magic to look at the sky, built what could best be described as a magic powered Hubble Space Telescope, and just this year were testing some type of trans-atmospheric skyship.
Of course, her new line of study didn't go unnoticed. While Twilight hadn't actually asked Princess Celestia any questions, she had still suggested a few books for her research. The awkward part however, came when her parents noticed.
"Twilight, dear, can we talk?" Her mother asked, coming into her room one evening.
"Yes, of course." She replied, marking the page in her book before closing it. From the approach, Twilight expected her mother had decided it was time for The Talk.
"Twilight, we're worried. This whole Moon thing, you haven't... you haven't gotten involved in one of those cults, have you?" Okay, not The Talk she expected. "I know you don't have many friends, and it might be the 'cool' thing, but believe me, joining a Moon Cult is not the way."
Right, Moon Cults, the other ponies with an interest in the moon. "No! No, nothing like that. I'm interested in the science side! I want to know where it went."
Twilight's assurances seemed to appease her mother. "Oh thank goodness, we really were worried for a bit. Last thing we need is for you to end up like me. Mind, I met your Father because of the cult, but it was still a stupid part of my life."
"You were in a cult?" Awkward mother-daughter bonding, go!
"Oh yes, but I wasn't the most devout. I was mostly there for the parties." She started to smile a bit. "Your Uncle led the guardponies that raided the building, I ended up meeting your Father sometime after."
The next afternoon, Twilight had sat down for a cup of tea with Princess Celestia, during a break in her lessons.
"Princess, can I ask a question?" Twilight broke the silence.
"Certainly, my dear student. What's on your mind?" Celestia asked, nibbling on some biscotti.
"Well... When Princess Luna returns to take the Chosen to the Promised Land, will I be able to continue our lessons via correspondence?"
Twilight almost managed to keep the innocent look on her face until Celestia had stopped sputtering.
67.9 (Detective Ethan Redfield, Gulping)
Chess was a game. The ultimate goal of the game was to place the King in a position where it cannot escape and it will be captured in the next move. There were many strategies, most were centered around controlling the central four squares. Twilight wouldn't say she was a master at this game, but in her many eons spent looping, she had read almost every book written on the subject, probably on every subject at one time or another. She knew every strategy that could be employed, from the Sicilian's Defense all the way to the Stonewall Attack. In her boredom, she read every chessgame and even participated in chess tournaments, along with Checkers, Go and countless other board game tournaments.
But even with her experience, she was losing this game. The two ponies were laying across from each other at a Canterlot Resort Hotel in the city's finest district. Twilight rarely came to this district since it was populated by the richest snobs in Equestria. It was only at an Awake Shining's request that she came, since the pony across from her had replaced Blueblood this loop. Said male pony had a dark tan coat with a chocolate mane and beard, sporting a unicorn horn. His flank held a black chess piece resembling the king, not too dissimilar from Lelouch's when he looped here but lacking the symbol for Geass. Another dozen moves were made by both players, when it finally came to an end with a knight and a rook sealing her king in place. The female anchor sighed, only for her to look up as the Stallion started clapping, "Excellent game, Miss Sparkle, or should I say Princess Sparkle?"
Twilight replied, "Twilight, if you would. If you must though, I'm not a princess this time around, so Miss Sparkle will do, Mr. Xanatos...or do you prefer David or Chess Master?"
"Most call me Xanatos, you may as well. You're well versed in this game. The English Opening was inspired, not a common choice since reversing the Sicilian's defense to be used by white is quite complex a strategy. If I could rank you among the loopers I've played, you'd be at the same level of the girl I faced in the Fire Emblem Awakening loop, when I replaced Virion. Both of you favored protecting your individual pieces than protecting the King. An admirable trait, though unwise since in these loops, the anchors are the kings. If we lose the anchors, their loops will be lost forever."
Twilight crossed her hooves, "Do you have a point in there, Xanatos?"
Xanatos lifted the chess pieces and re-arranged them on the board, idly looking at the two kings, "I always have a point, Twilight. If you overextend yourself in chess, you will create openings for your enemies to slip through, capturing the king. For example-"
The looper stood up, walked over to his dresser, pulled out two sphere like objects, "This is an anti-magic generator, and the other a gravity generator that increases the weight of everything within it's radius. If I were to activate it, how would you counter me?"
Twilight gave a smirk, "Shining knows I'm here, and he knows to check in on me within the hour."
Xanatos returned the smile, "Good, but what if you were the only known looper, I induced an attack by Chrysalis long before her appointed time and had her replace one of the Elements of Harmony? Of course, if you didn't have back up such as your brother then you'd have planned differently, but my point is – I wouldn't have just one plan, but several running in conjunction at the same time. What if it's in a universe where your powers are gone and subspace pocket inaccessible?"
Twilight's head ran both scenarios at the same time, however Xanatos held up a hoof, "Another time for that. My point is, always plan to win. Plan everything out days in advance. Practice every conceivable scenario and how it could go. Have multiple plans running at once. If plan A fails, Plans B through F may still succeed. Finally If you fail, have an out. Better to spend a loop in Eiken than your entire universe erased."
"It's worth noting that I have... Learned a modicrum of humility over these days." The bearded stallion flinches noticeably at this admission, something that Twilight had no trouble picking up on.
"You've gotten on one of the First's bad sides, haven't you?" Twilight's tone is surprisingly bereft of sympathy, sounding like she was speaking to someone who had built an extremely expensive house on a flood plain.
"Among others, yes. The problem with playing the Game is simple. Not everyone wants to play with you. Sometimes they're direct about it." A hoof comes up to rub his jaw, nudging it slightly to confirm that it is, indeed, whole. "And that's if you're fortunate."
Twilight lets out a low, soft whistle. "Finding out you were stuck in a time loop didn't really do much for your judgment, did it?"
"Not at first, no. And it did not help that my reputation tends to precede me. My name is, literally, synonymous with scheming. Complex scheming that operates entirely by eliminating the competition's winning conditions." He sighs, and shakes his head.
"You've learned to appreciate the small victories, I take it?" Twilight's tone is more than a little sly, and there's really nothing Xanatos can do to object to her teasing, because really, that's his own fault.
"The value of being able to eat solid food over the course of an entire loop is well ingrained in my mind, yes. Also, checkmate."
Twilight's attempt to muffle her laughter cuts off sharply as she looks down at the board. "...Was admitting to the drawbacks of being you something you did on purpose to distract me, or just you unconsciously seizing the opportunity after you'd already gotten going with your thoughts?"
Xanatos just stared at the chessboard. "...Truth be told, I don't know."
67.10 (thewatcher)
"Cadance?"
"Yes Twilight?"
"Why are you watching a navy battle from a cloud?"
"Since a few certain loopers were visiting, I tried to compute possible matches for Ramna, but too many came up." Cadance rubbed at a circular bruise mark on her hock. “It exploded again.”
"And....?"
"Well, as it turned out, a few of the girls were... Unhappy with that result."
"That still doesn't explain the ships. Where did you get them from any way?"
"Applebloom. Well, you do remember the 'shipping wars' of the Hub right?"
"Yes..."
"We decided to make it a bit more... Literal."
Below...
The great ship Silver Doubloon sailed towards the White Devil - a smaller, but more powerful, frigate.
"For Ranma!" cried Nabiki. And the sea dissolved into chaos.
67.11 (Kris Overstreet)
Twilight glared at Pinkie Pie. "I want three Hay Burgers and two orders of fries."
Pinkie grinned back at her. "Aw, c'mon, Twilight, you'll like this."
"What is it, exactly?"
"Well, you remember that loop where we replaced that fat detective and his assistant?"
Twilight remembered it very well. Twenty years of both being amazed and exasperated by the reminder that Pinkie Pie could actually sit down and focus her mind on things ran through her mind. "Yes, I remember, but what does that have to do with-"
"Well, I was thinking about all those recipies I learned in that Loop, and I wondered if I could adapt them to Equestrian cooking, so today I asked the boss if I could use his kitchen to experiment and he said yes but then I thought, 'Well, I'll eat practically anything, so I'm not a good test of what's good and what isn't, so I need someone to try these recipes out, and who do I know who's a close friend and a really big eater,' and then you walk in the door and I'm like-"
Now Twilight remembered. In that Loop the brownstone house on West 35th Street, Manhattan, New York, had among other things been a center of private culinary extravagance. Pinkie had delighted in experimenting with their Swiss cook and sharing the results with close friends, acquaintances, and occasionally murder suspects. It was that kind of a Loop, and Pinkie was that kind of pony, even when she wasn't a pony.
But some of those menus had been... er. Very er. With an extra side order of carnivore guilt.
"Pinkie," Twilight stopped the pink party pony waitress in mid-ramble. "The name of this restaurant is Hay Burger. I ordered three Hay Burgers with extra trademark. All I want is a nice, simple lunch."
"Oh, Twilight," Pinkie said, giving Twilight the biggest filly-eyes the Anchor had seen since Monkey D. Lufy had visited Equestria, "won't you at least give them a try? My treat?"
Twilight surrendered. "Fine," she said. "What is it?"
Pinkie pulled the trolley over and lifted the dish covers. "Rice fritters aux gratin with raspberry jam filling."
Heavy, but tolerable. "All right..."
"Beet and watercress salad with black pepper."
Sweet and bitter at the same time; not one of Twilight's favorite flavor combinations. "Er..."
"Apple Bordelaise with garlic and parsley."
A flavor train wreck rolling down the tracks. "Pinkie-"
"And finally, for dessert," Pinkie lifted the last dish cover, "almond parfait made with fresh eggs." The dessert dish was large enough to serve four ponies, or at least two Twilights.
As she said this a chicken popped her head over the edge of the table and gave Twilight the dirtiest look a bird can give a pony, which is to say pretty darn dirty.
"And Elizabeak says you gotta eat every last bit!" Pinkie said. "She doesn't want her eggs to go to waste."
Could things possibly get any more awkward? Twilight wondered.
Then, as she took her first reluctant bite of a rice fritter, the flashbulbs began going off.
"I'm sorry, Twilight," Pinkie said a week later.
"Three Hay Burgers and hay fries," Twilight said.
"I didn't know all those kids would go home and tell their parents what a princess likes to eat."
"Three. Hay. Burgers. And hay fries," Twilight repeated.
"And that their parents would come to me begging for the recipies."
"Hay burger. Hay fries. Three of each."
"And that the parents and kids would all get monstrous tummyaches when they tried to eat it all."
"My order, which is the food which I wish to consume, and no other, is for three hay burgers with fries, and nothing else."
"And that the parents and kids would all blame you for the tummyaches. I'm really, really sorry about that."
"Just bring me my order so I can go back to not speaking to you."
67.12 (Kris Overstreet)
Fluttershy Awoke, and screamed.
"eep!"
Her voice didn't sound right. It was flat, buzzy, electronic... grating.
Her body didn't feel right. For one thing, there was so very little of it.
Her environment felt absolutely wrong. She was trapped in what felt like a cramped, dark can, with only a single visual input- a round viewscreen held something like half an inch away from her single eye.
In that screen she saw a large dark metallic figure, vaguely cylindrical in shape, tapered towards a dome at the top with a large stalk protruding forward from the dome. It wiggled the stalk back and forth frantically, a suction grip arm and what looked like either a blender or a ray gun wiggling with equal anxiety below.
"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY GET ME OUTTA THIS CONTRAPTION!" Another flat voice shouted in panic from outside Fluttershy's prison.
"TWILIGHT? TWILIGHT, PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE OUT THERE!" came another voice.
"I AM HERE- sorry, I'm here, girls." Twilight's voice, though still flattened and a bit nasal, quickly adjusted itself to something recognizable. "Who else is here besides Applejack and Rainbow Dash?"
"I'M HERE," Fluttershy murmured loudly.
"HERE I AM, DARLINGS," Rarity said. "WHAT HORRIBLE CREATURES ARE WE THIS TIME?"
"First, girls, if you concentrate you can speak normally," Twilight said. "We appear to be in the Doctor Who Loop. As Daleks."
"WHAT THE H- sorry," Applejack's voice shifted. "What the hay are Daleks?"
"Paranoid, insane, hateful, genocidal, completely irredeemable aliens. The single most powerful force of evil this universe has to offer. One of a lot of reasons why this Loop is read-only," Twilight said. "And Rarity, if you ask why we are Daleks, I can't be held responsible for the consequences."
"Trust me, Twilight, that question is a far distant second to, 'Why aren't we Ascending at once and abandoning this entire Loop?'" Rarity had found the release to open her armor and was looking at herself in a reflective surface on one wall. "I simply cannot contemplate an entire Loop looking like calamari in lime gelatin presented in a mold designed by a sadomasochist."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added. "My Loop memories are all war and death and killing... and up until we Awoke, we were the last survivors of our race- and we were plotting to start it all over again! No way am I playing along with this Loop!"
"I gotta admit," Applejack said, "compared to this Eiken is lookin' pretty good. I'd even take a turn in th' Bureau over this!"
"Bite your tongue!" Rarity replied.
"I ain't got one ta bite," Applejack said. "I just got this kinda sucker tube thing hooked up to a catheter full of nutrients. I'm so glad I can't taste it."
"Whatever!" Rainbow Dash said. "Let's blow this popsicle stand, already!"
Just then a sixth Dalek trundled into the room. Unlike the others, this one had one enormous gun on its chassis and no sucker-grip arm. Also, the chassis was pink from top to bottom, except for the gun. That was blue with gold stars. "WHEEE!" the new Dalek shrieked, firing its gun and sending confetti, party hats and cupcakes everywhere. "I NEVER THOUGHT I'D GET TO BE IN A LOOP WHERE I WAS THE PARTY CANNON!"
"Focus, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Your voice, watch your voice."
"Yeah, that about does it," Applejack moaned. "I'm with Rainbow. I don't think I can take five more minutes of a Loop with a fully weaponized Pinkie in it."
"No." Fluttershy moved her armor forward into the middle of the Cult of Skaro. "We're staying."
"What??" Rainbow Dalek turned to face Fluttershy. "WHY?"
"Twilight," Fluttershy said, "you said Daleks are the most powerful force of evil in this universe, right?"
"Yes."
"And Rainbow Dash, you said we were the last survivors of our race, right?"
"She did say that, yes," Twilight said. "But this is the Doctor Who universe. That won't last long. Daleks have gone extinct a lot of times, but they always come back."
"Then that makes it all the more important that we stay," Fluttershy continued. "Especially if there are other evil aliens and things."
"There are. Lots," Twilight said. "Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Sontarans, and all sorts of evil monsters and masterminds. And only the Doctor to stand against them."
"The Doctor... and now us," Fluttershy finished. "Daleks want to conquer the universe... so let's conquer the universe... for good!" She paced her armor back and forth along the floor. "Instead of enslaving or exterminating races, we'll protect them from bad people. And we'll do it as non-lethally as possible. We kill nobody. If nice people resist, we don't fire back. If people don't want our help, we don't force it on them... but we provide it if we can. And we'll need someplace where prisoners can live in peace by themselves where they can't hurt anybody.
"But I think we can do it. And it's a lot better than just exterminating Twilight and ending the Loop early." The Stare didn't work through an eyestalk, but Fluttershy gave it a try anyway. "We're better ponies than that anyway. That's the easy way out."
"All right, I'm game," Rainbow Dash said. "But just before we Awoke we were talking about changing our genetic structure. Can we still do that? I don't want to spend my whole Loop in a dish if I can help it."
"Only if we can do it without anyone getting hurt," Fluttershy insisted.
Sleipnir sat at the cafe across from Twilight, while the next booth over filly Rarity fussed over Rainbow Dash's stylish dress, much to the elder pony's mortification. "I'm very sorry about what happened to you girls," the admin said. "I was about to terminate that Loop myself when it crashed. Can you tell me what happened?"
"Well," Twilight said, "as far as I can tell, the universe was destroyed by an uncontrolled surge of time vortex energy released by an uncontrolled Time Lord regeneration cascade."
"What?"
"Well, when the Doctor finally had to accept that there was such a thing as a good, noble, heroic Dalek, he couldn't cope with it."
"I never knew that you could literally blow somepony's mind!" Pinkie Pie chipped in as she floated past the table under a cluster of party balloons.
"Blow... his mind?" Sleipnir asked.
"His head quite literally exploded," Twilight nodded. "And regenerated. And exploded again. And every time he regenerated, he'd look at us, shake his head, say, 'Nope,' and boom, explode again."
"I... see," Sleipnir shook his head. "I thought better of the Doctor than that."
"Well, an earlier incarnation probably wouldn't have had that problem," Twilight shrugged. "But this was only two regenerations removed from the Time War, and he was pretty fragile mentally."
"It probably didn't help that you greeted him by offering to help save the world for love and justice," Pinkie Pie said as she floated back over.
"Probably not," Twilight admitted, blushing.
67.13 (Vulpine Fury)
"Mister Xanatos, I am reminded of one of my good friends in another Loop..." Celestia said as she gracefully navigated the room and decanted some exceptional Prench wine. "He said something that I think applies here."
Xanatos boggled as the peytral and tiara floated over his head and shoulders.
"As I was saying, Joshua said... 'A strange game. It seems the only way to win..." A surfboard crossed Xanatos' field of vision. "... is not to play.'"