MLP Time Loops

by Saphroneth


MLP Loops 110

110.1


The library door opened.

“Afternoon, Twilight,” Cheerilee said, walking in with a kind of elemental determination. This fixation was only hampered by her spotting Nyx, who she waved to before continuing on her advance.

“Um...” Twilight watched as the teacher trotted up to her, and stopped directly in front of her at a distance of about two feet. “Can I help you?”

Cheerilee nodded, and shook her mane. A very, very large ledger dropped out of her mane with a SLAM, raising dust as it hit the floor.

“That book,” Cheerilee began, “is a checklist. It is incomplete. It is a list of every single field of study that I could think of, and I have been compiling it for the past four loops.”

“...okay,” Twilight said, picking up the book and opening it. Aardvark biology, Abacus use, Abbey construction and maintenance-

“Is this alphabetical? All the way through?”

“No, I kept thinking of new ones. Anyway.” Cheerilee looked Twilight in the eye. “I believe I have worked out how to avoid my continual case of Cutie Mark Failure Syndrome. I wish to be able to give a basic course in every single one of these subjects.”

Thunder rolled.

“Thank you, Nyx,” she added, glancing over to where the young alicorn was putting a thundercloud away. “I think you're going to do well in drama club this year.”

“Thanks!”

Twilight had taken the opportunity to think Cheerilee's plan over. “Well... it's certainly quite grandiose, I have to admit. Are you sure?”

Cheerilee nodded firmly. “Yes. I want to be able to teach whatever someone wants to learn, and to make sure there's always something to teach anyone.”

“I see.” Twilight mentally ran through a few ideas. “Well, I think there are some places which have flash learning equipment, but I've never been interested in trying it. You might want to give that a go. Until then, however, we should do it the old fashioned way.” She called upstairs. “Spike!”

“Yeah?” Spike called back down.

“Can you tell Fluttershy to come over, please? It's not urgent, but sooner would be better.”

“Aardvarks?” Cheerilee checked.

“Aardvarks,” Twilight confirmed. “May as well start at the beginning.”


110.2


“And here she is,” the Mayor announced. “Princess Celestia!”

What stepped out onto the stage was not, however, Princess Celestia.

Perhaps more surprisingly, nor was it Princess Luna. It wasn't even her dark self, or the looping version of said dark self.

The ponies of Ponyville panicked, running for the exits, as a huge red-black dragon crawled up onto the stage and roared. Its spines shook, and it flashed into flame.

“What's-” Twilight began, surprised, then sighed and facehoofed. “Of course. Nightmare.”

Fluttershy was already trotting determinedly up the steps. “Hello, big guy.”

The dragon snarled once more, then looked down at her.

“It's okay,” Fluttershy said, her face and manner serene. “No-pony here's going to hurt you.”

After a moment, the Monstrous Nightmare relaxed. Its eyes widened out from fight-or-flight slits into calmer circles, and it allowed her to gently touch it.

Where am I? it asked. The last I remember, Snotlout was putting me to bed. But I can't feel him. Is this a new Loop?

Twilight trotted over. “Are you... I think it was... Hookfang?”

Yes. Hello.

Twilight shook her head helplessly. This was going to be interesting...

I saw another pony like you, but one with wings, he added. She sent me down here to attack.

“Did she look like this?” Twilight asked, producing an image of Nightmare Moon.

Almost, but her hair was a bit lighter and her eyes weren't slit shaped.

“Huh.” Twilight absorbed that, wondering what it meant. “Okay, I think the best thing is for you to go with Fluttershy. She's good at taking care of animals, and you sort of count.”

Thank you. Hookfang followed Fluttershy off the stage, stepping carefully around the chairs strewn across the floor.

Poor guy, Twilight thought, with a sigh. Dragons who had the Pernese bond ability, from what she knew, found it very disorienting not to have their Riders present unless they were used to it.


“Are you sure this is a dragon?” Snotlout asked, looking at what was – apparently – his mount for the loop.

“Look,” the winged unicorn horse retorted, in a high pitched voice. “I don't get it either, okay? Just be glad I'm letting you ride me in the first place, I'm not comfortable with people on my back...”

“Ergh, this is gonna look ridiculous.” Snotlout bowed to the inevitable, and started checking his not-a-dragon's harness. “At least tell me your name.”

“Nyx.” The horse frowned down at his handiwork. “Are you sure that's the right kind of buckle?”

“Yeah, yeah, I've been doing this for yonks,” Snotlout replied. “Loki's teeth, I should have known something was up when I had a Lunar Nightmare instead of a Monstrous one...”


110.3


“Oh, hey! Hi, Fluttershy!”

The indicated pegasus looked over her shoulder. “Oh – good morning, Vinyl. Did you Wake up late?”

“Nah, exactly on time,” Vinyl replied. “Same time as you. Anyway, I had a quick favour to ask.”

“Go on,” Fluttershy invited.

“Okay, it's back home. Follow me...”


“Anyway,” Vinyl got back to the point. “I Woke up this loop and found I had a pet. And, well, I didn't know any vets before I Awoke, so I never had him checked up. I just thought, you know, Fluttershy's not busy now the modelling career's stopped, so I could get her to do it. If that's cool, that is.”

“Oh, it's no trouble.” Fluttershy examined the small bat, currently dangling from his perch. “Well, he certainly looks like a fine specimen... what's his name?”

“Didn't have one when I Woke, so I'm just calling him MiniMoog.” Fluttershy shot her a glance, and Vinyl shrugged. “It's a joke that only like three ponies in this whole loop will get – me, Lyra, Sweetie, and possibly Twilight or Applebloom. Anyways... he's kinda cool. Watch. Hey, MiniMoog!”

The bat chirruped sleepily, then dropped off his perch, spread wings, and swooped up into a hover before hitting the ground.

“He can do loads of cool stuff,” Vinyl said, putting a glass on the table. “Hey, MiniMoog – swan!”

MiniMoog the bat chirped at the glass a couple of times, then emitted a high, pure note.

The glass cracked, then exploded in a cloud of fine sand. In the resultant pile of sand was a sculpture of a swan in repose, neck arched and wings swept back.

“Wow,” Fluttershy said quietly, and the bat did a loop-de-loop.

“He sings along to my music,” Vinyl confided. “Or he sometimes just sings something and, like, vanishes. Not just in sound, either, it's like the air around him shimmers.”

“That sounds very interesting,” Fluttershy complimented. “MiniMoog, can you show me that please?”

MiniMoog began to sing, and – blurred.

“I think I see,” Fluttershy said eventually. Then she cleared her throat, and began to speak in a language of ultrasonic clicks and warbles that drew a startled look from Vinyl.

“Hello,” she began. “Am I speaking to a Looper?”

MiniMoog cancelled his cloak of sound, and looked at her. Then he nodded. “Yes. I'm called Shade Silverwing.”

Fluttershy clapped her hooves together in an uncharacteristic display of delight. “Lovely! I wondered if it was you.”

“Uh, dude and dudette,” Vinyl raised a hoof. “I don't speak bat. What's goin' on?”

“Well-” Fluttershy coughed. “Sorry. Well, this is Shade Silverwing. He's a looper – in fact, I believe he's an Anchor.”

“MiniMoog is fine, though,” Shade added. “She's right, it is a good joke.”


110.4


“Okay,” Berry said, taking a deep breath. “You ready for this?”

“Ready as you are,” Discord replied, sitting on the wall.

Berry downed her Agaric Ale. “Okay, just remember those ground rules.”

The draconequus rolled his eyes, getting a seven. “Yes, I know, I know. Nothing more permanent than twelve hours, plus another twelve if you haven't woken up yet.”

She nodded. “Good.” A pause. “And Ruby?”

“She's staying over at Derpy's now.” Discord winked. “As is her room.”

“I wondered about the hole,” Berry admitted, her eyes unfocusing. “Cool, now there's a flying reindeer coming through it.”

Discord snapped his claws, and a flying reindeer duly appeared coming through the hole.

As a magical construct, it wasn't actually alive and was controlled purely by Discord's subconscious. As a weird bloke, Discord's subconscious promptly made the reindeer scream something about 'for Rudolph', crash into the table, and fall unconscious.

“Hey, Dissy?” Berry asked. “What's got four eyes and six limbs?”

“Princess Luna wearing glasses?” Discord replied, pulling her out of a drawer.

“Oh, I was hoping you knew,” Berry said sadly. “Because one wants to be my friend, and it's getting drool on the carpet.”

“Not Luna, then...” Discord pushed her back into the drawer, over her protests, and created a six-limbed four-eyed creature on the carpet. “Just throw a frisbee for it.”

“All I've got is this frying pan,” Berry protested.


“Okay, seriously, what the hay were you two doing?” Twilight demanded.

“Trying to work out if Dissy is legitimately more bizarre than tripping,” Berry replied, seriously. “Inconclusive results, though.”

Discord snored on the floor.

“Plus, I think I actually tired him out trying to keep up with me,” Berry gauged. “Just use a failsafe spell, that should sort it all out.”

Twilight pulled a flying squid off her forehead. “Was this one of yours or one of his?”

“Mine, I think,” Berry answered, frowning. “That or he misinterpreted 'inkjet printer'.”

The squid spat a stream of ink at the table, producing a perfectly typeset document about the Rights Of Pony.

“Ah, must be the second one.” Berry nodded sagely.


110.5


Claws grated on bronze, punched halfway through, then slid off.

“Got to try harder than that!” Scootaloo called, letting her bucklers reform themselves from cloudstuff.

“Heh, I'm just getting warmed up!” Gilda reached into nothing, which turned into a large shield made of over a dozen smaller metal bits. The shield disassembled into its component parts, hovered for a moment, then began orbiting her. “Try this on for size!”

Scootaloo nodded. “I intend to.” One hoof formed a hoplon shield, the other a dory. The spear wavered around in small movements, probing for an opening, then jabbed forward.

“Whoa!” Gilda hopped up and the spear barely missed her. The components of the Infinity Judge then wrapped around the dory, which promptly vanished.

The griffin took the opportunity to summon a second weapon – a set of beads, rusty red in colour – and then faced Scootaloo directly, her tail moving in precise shapes.

“Hey, we said no casting!” Scootaloo protested, as a half-dozen bolts of coherent magic ink spattered on her shield. One skittered off her helmet.

“It's the weapon ability,” Gilda replied with a grin. “Read the manual.”

“In that case...” Scootaloo whirled around on one hoof, and threw half a dozen javelins. Halfway to their target, they all caught fire.

“Gah!” The beads snapped out, breaking two javelins. Infinity Judge blocked three more, and the last trimmed Gilda's lock of feathers just over her beak.

“You're gonna regret that, Scoots...” Gilda made two sharp gestures, and her beads and shield vanished.

In place of Infinity Judge on her back, a simple tarnished mirror with a corona of trailing fire.

In place of the Life Beads, a dozen teardrops with the frost of a midwinter's night on their surfaces.

And, in both clawed forelimbs, a sword snapping lightning bolts in every direction.

Scootaloo's jaw dropped. “Seriously? Three?

Gilda nodded, one wing wiping a sheen of sweat off her forehead. “I'm not saying it's easy to run all three at once, but – good luck, squirt!”

The beads fired out like a shotgun blast, just ahead of the enraged griffin and her big pointy sword.

Scootaloo rummaged through what she could legally do in this duel, looking for a reprieve-

Oh.

Yeah, that'd work.

Four slingstones blurred out from her spinning tail, knocking two beads each off course. The remaining four bounced off her hoplon, thrown like a discus at the same moment.

A falx, swung in both forelegs now they were free, deflected the sparking Thunder Edge, and a kopis sword crossed with the falx to arrest it entirely.

“So, what's your plan for when the beads recharge?” Gilda asked, pushing with all her might to force Scootaloo back.

The young pegasus grinned. “This.”

At that point, a tessarakonteres landed on top of Gilda with a splintering crash.


“Yeah, it was basically cheating,” Scootaloo admitted. “I did have to get Pansy to construct it, especially that far off. But – hey, treat it as me conceding you'd won.”

“Not talking to you,” Gilda replied sulkily, staring into her retsina.

“Told you the drink was good,” Scootaloo continued. “Hay, I paid for it, right?”

Gilda gave Scootaloo a look. Then downed her glass. “Tastes like resin.”

“Kinda is,” Scootaloo confirmed. “There's pine resin in there, I think... in other words, tree sap.”

That just earned her another look.


110.6

Nightmare Moon trotted onto the stage, and spread her wings. “Tremble in fear, mortals! The Night Will Last Forever!”

The mayor cleared her throat. “Er, excuse me. Are you – Nightmare Moon?”

Said alicorn turned. “Indeed I am. What of it, functionary?”

“Well, I represent a fiscal firm – Great Investations. We were the ones who handled your finances while you were away.”

“I have finances?” Nightmare Moon blinked. “I would have thought 'twas all confiscated.”

“Most of it was, most of it was.” Ivory permitted herself a thin smile. “But our team has represented the best for over a thousand years, and we managed to save seed money of one million bits. Since then, we have invested it in a diverse portfolio which has shown a 1% return on investment annualized over the last thousand years, showing a Sharp-Investor ratio of 2.4 – which is very competitive.”

“I... see,” Nightmare Moon said, to cover that she didn't. “And what does that actually mean?”

Ivory passed over a slip of paper. “The current value of the portfolio.”

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened. “That is – a very big number. Approximately twenty-one milliards?”

“Correct.” Ivory nodded. “A little goes a long way, over a long time.”

“Excellent,” Nightmare Moon announced. “Truly an impressive achievement! Now-”

“One moment, milady,” Ivory interrupted. “There is the matter of investment tax.”

“Tax?” Nightmare Moon's eyes took on a slightly hunted look. “Tax applies to estates?”

“Since three-sixty-three, yes. That would be... about three hundred and fifty four years after we took over the account upon your banishment, if I have the calculations right.” Ivory indicated a very thick ledger. “Fortunately, through some loopholes, we were able to minimize the impact on your estate. The investment itself was untouched, and the tax was only on the interest – at nothing for the first twenty thousand bits, then one percent for the next thirty thousand, and two percent after that. Negligible impact on the actual value of the portfolio, of course.”

“Of course,” Nightmare Moon echoed, looking completely lost. “So?”

“Well, our normal practice is simply to forward the tax assessment task to the exchequer, and leave it at that. However, since there was no tax actually being paid, it became arrears. And the interest on arrears comes to five percent per annum. So you owe this much.”

A second, rather longer slip of paper. This one had a very, very large number on it.

Nightmare Moon's jaw dropped, and her lips moved silently.

“I checked it myself,” Ivory added earnestly. “Twice. Special service.”

Eleven trillion, seven hundred and eighty one billiard, four hundred and seventeen billion, eight hundred and sixty eight milliard one hundred and thirteen million, seven hundred thousand bits!?

“Plus eight bits fifty for doing the assessment,” Ivory pointed out helpfully.

It didn't actually help, though. Nightmare Moon had fainted dead away.


110.7

“Good morning, Angel!” Fluttershy called. “The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's a new Loop, and – I know you're Awake, you silly bunny!”

Angel made a singularly unconcerned noise, and flipped a rude gesture at Fluttershy as he turned over back to bed.

“Now, now,” Fluttershy chided him. “That's thoroughly impolite of you, Angel. And-” she paused, blinked, then frowned. “Hold on. Are you okay?”

Angel did not respond audibly, but Fluttershy got the gist anyway.

“Oh, you poor thing...” Fluttershy bent down. “I'm sorry, I know what that's like.”

The rabbit made a complicated paw signal.

Fluttershy nodded, and trotted over to the windows. Curtains dropped down across each one, and then a big CLOSED sign went on the door.

“There you go,” she informed him. “Now, come here.”

Angel dragged himself out of bed, walked slowly across to Fluttershy, and allowed her to gently pick him up.

“There, there,” Fluttershy soothed. “I know, it hurts when that sort of thing happens.”

Angel nodded silently.

For perhaps a minute, neither broke the embrace.

“Um... if you don't mind my asking,” Fluttershy began, frowning. “Who was it?”

Angel pulled a foreleg free. A few seconds rummaging in his Pocket, and he handed over a book.

“Oh, I remember this world.” Fluttershy skimmed through that volume in particular, then raised an eyebrow. “The Honorary Rosemary?”

Angel nodded.

“Were you replacing Tark?”

Another nod. Angel retrieved a length of yellow cloth embroidered with pink flowers, and wrapped it around his head bandana-style.

On the cloth were small words, picked out in black thread:

Property Rosemary Woodsorrel of Salamandastron.

Angel adjusted it slightly, then gave Fluttershy a look of laserlike intensity that promised one thing and one thing only.

“Oh, don't be such a silly bunny!” Fluttershy admonished. “Of course it's none of their business. My lips are sealed.”

The glare continued for a further few seconds, and then Angel nodded his thanks.

With the moment over, Fluttershy removed the sign and pulled all the curtains back.

It was a nice day, after all.


110.8

“And with that, I'm in a position for All Your Base, which will Belong To Me shortly. That's my turn,” Gilda said, taking off everyone else's zigs.

The first of her opponents made a squeaking noise.

“Tibbers says he's going to challenge you to a fist fight, and he's playing his special – What Does God Need With A Starship,” Fluttershy translated. “That means that you have to use your basic character without any mods applied, or he gets to shoot you with klingons.”

“Not a problem!” Gilda replied, turning a card over. “Because it's Freaky Friday, so now I'm actually his character-” she gestured to her right, “-until the end of the turn. Have fun being kicked around by a possum, matey!”

Q said something literally unpronounceable, and vanished in a flash of light.

“Does that count as a forfeit?” the final player asked.

“Eh.” Discord shrugged. “I think so, because he refused my pizza last night, and because rules adjudications are made solely on petty vendettas when Luna's paperwork backlog is over four inches high.”

“Good.” That final player drew a card, placed it carefully into his hand, and then played another one. “Prime Directive. I'm the only one who can act until I do something directly inimical to lesser races, and such an act has to be confirmed by the Federation high command – which means a fifty turn lag time.”

Gilda gaped. “How the heck did you manage that?

Jean-Luc Picard smiled. The smile was not broad, but profoundly zen. “Happiness makes the world go round, but ten turns doing nothing but stockpiling bureaucratic red tape counters can make it stop completely until a permit is issued. In triplicate.”

“Damnit. Well, I guess that's game. Nice work on the sci fi expansion, Discord.” Gilda glanced out the window. “Now, how do we get back to the Enterprise?”

“You tell me, lieutenant.” Picard shrugged. “You are my security officer, after all.”

“Yeah, but my sense of direction's not as good as Worf's is. Not navigating around some kind of crazy time-outside-space, anyway.”

Discord spread his arms expansively. “Ask and you shall receive.”

“We didn't ask,” Gilda reminded him.

“Well, yes, but the ship's counsellor did.” Discord sketched a bow to Fluttershy. “She's much more polite than you lot.”

“Eh, fair enough, we'll take what we can get.” Gilda then grinned. “Hey, I just got an idea. Want to come along with us, Tibbers?”

The animal – Kirk, of course – gave her a quizzical look.

“It's simple. We program your real identity into the computer, make sure it's locked out, and 'shy keeps you around as her pet.”

“I see.” Picard nodded. “So, in times of crisis when I am incapacitated, command will automatically devolve on what amounts to the ship's cat.”

Gilda sharpened her claws casually. “I'm kinda proud of it.”


110.9


((Compiled by Masterweaver. Writers include: banjo2e, Detective Ethan Redfield, DrTempo, FanOfMostEverything, feral wolfskin, Hubris Plus, masterofgames, Masterweaver, misterq, namar13766, Valentine Meikin, Vulpine Fury))

Sunset shimmer called for attention in the bar. "Okay, new stories. Favorite thing you've done using the Mirror Gate."

Twilight looked thoughtful, then looked at everyone. "And we EXCLUDE playing golf through the Mirror Gate!" she declared, for several of the ponies to curse.

Celestia smiled. "Vacation as a high school principal. Though I really liked that one loop where we swapped places and nobody was willing to admit the difference."

Pinkie giggled. "Sometimes I randomly swap with other me."

The loopers digested it before Discord asked the obvious question. "So which Pinkie Pie are you?"

"Pinkie Pie, silly!"

Lyra contemplated. "Well, setting myself as a Looper is my most impressive trick... but one time, I figured out how to get people through without them transforming, talked to the high school theatre group, and convinced all of Canterlot that Celestia had all but exterminated humans in the distant past and covered it up."

Celestia flinched. "That... is admittedly true, some loops, but I'm never proud of it."

"Yeah, that was a bureau loop actually. Most of your power was dogma, not literal brainwashing, so...."

Twilight tilted her head. "Oh, I remember that one. The battle of Baltimare was over in ten minutes, I think."

Derpy tossed a peanut in the air and caught it in her mouth. "I figured out how to get the sports channel on it!" She grinned, munching. "You can tune in on any sporting event you want, though it burns out after about twenty minutes if you try and watch a championship."

Pinkie pulled a wooden staff with three faces carved into it out of her pocket. "Open portal, insert Wabbajack, fire wildly, question mark, profit!" she giggled. She seemed not to notice as everyone, Discord included, started scooting away slowly until she put it back in storage.

Lyra just glared. "That was you!? You turned me into a sweet roll!"

"I regret nothing!" Pinkie sang teasingly.

"When the other Pinkie was next to me!"

'...' said a voice in Lyra's head. Sweet rolls don't talk after all. But that didn't stop this one from wanting to agree.

"Turned it into a functional Stargate, stole Ra's spaceship, and proceeded ta establish a pangalactic trade network," Apple Bloom rattled off blithely.

Big Mac yawned as he cleaned another glass behind the bar. "Chess by mail. Ah never really messed around with the mirror, but ah do get bored now an' again." he shrugged. "Did ya' know the knights are shaped like horses over there? Darndest thing."

Trixie harumphed ostentatiously. "I dropped it into the Mirror Pool to see what would happen."

There was silence as everyone waited for the showmare to speak. Finally, Applejack couldn't take the dramatic tension any more.

"So what did happen?"

Trixie sighed. "Standard Trixie outcome number four. Loop crash, then Eiken."

Sweetie Belle gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, you know how the right note can shatter glass?"

Sunset boggled at her for a moment before nodding. "I thought I heard someone singing before the statue exploded. Don't worry, I put up a shield before anyone could get hurt."

Sweetie sagged with relief. "I'm just glad I didn't blow up that whole universe. Again."

"Again?"

"Nothing!"

Vinyl Scratch looked thoughtful. "I wish to admit that I actually know the sonic resonance of the Mirror Gate..."

"Oh?" Everyone else asked.

"It's hard to do epic wubs across two universes if you crack the gate..." she explained.

Chrysalis smirked. "Magical girls."

"What?"

"I used a few objects from others loops and fake changelings attacks to make your human versions believe they were magical girls protecting the world." She giggled. "They never noticed that I was the villain and the animal companion."

"...like Kyubey?"

"NO!! Nobody was harmed, they had fun, my changelings feed off the adoration that the people had for their new heroes, and human Rainbow Dash got better grades that in baseline." She looked at her mug. "The hard part was keep the army and the government away... other loops have it so easy."

She thought for a second. "Although... There was also the time I stole the Mirror Gate, used the Mirror Pool to create an infinite army of Changeling clones, outfitted them in stormtrooper armor, and conquered the human world."

Everyone stared at her for several awkward seconds before Trixie asked, "Why?"

She shrugged, "I was kinda bored. We had a stealth anchor and no one else was awake."

"Well," Twilight began. "I once Pocketed the mirror from one Loop and calibrated it to the same portal in the next. There were a number of... Interesting results."

"Such as?" Rarity inquired.

"Intersecting one mirror with the other made some neat fractals. Bringing the spare to the human world basically made it a point to point wormhole. Keeping both mirrors in Equestria is where things got weird. Anything coming back from the human world got duplicated, just like the mirror pool, but going the other way turned out to be... Unwise."

"Oh?"

"Well, it worked fine if you went through on your own, but if a fly happened to pass through the other portal while you did..." The revelation was met by a round of cringes by the other Loopers.

"Well, I think we all know my favorite shenanigans with that thing came from the time Sunset and I convinced Celestia I'd turned all the humans into ponies and made them forget about it." Discord picked up his wine glass, frowned, snapped his fingers, then drank a sip of water before continuing. "But a close second would have to be the time I went through, revealed my phenomenal cosmic power to the world, announced that I was so impressed by humans' chaotic nature that I had decided to enter retirement, then spent the rest of the loop in Hollywood as a recurring villain in Star Wars: The Next Republic."

Cadance giggled. "I once got every pony legally married to their human counterpart!"

A number of the other loopers sidled slowly away from her.

Sunset chuckled. "My best trick with the mirror was me deciding to pretend it was a gateway to Tartarus, after I left a guitar pick and spread a rumor it was a demon's tooth which'd make the user a rock and roll master. That world's Trixie and Rainbow Dash found it, and broke it. I picked it up, and the fun began!"

Spike groaned, seeing where this was going. "You were wanting to do a version of 'Beelzeboss', weren't you?"

Sunset nodded. "Guilty as charged. What? It's a good song. Helped that they basically walked right into the setup...and before you guys ask, Transformation Jutsu to look like that form I had when I put on the crown."

Luna giggled. "I Woke Up really early, just before the battle of Nightmare Moon, and 'had the brilliant idea' to take my forces through the mirror. We founded a cult in the early days of that version of earth--"

"Wait, wait wait." Twilight held up a hoof. "Was this the loop with the Komodo Dragon mounted wizards?"

"Look, it was a thousand year prank, some of the details were just crazy coincidences I incorporated on the fly!"

Berry grinned. "Ya' know the 307 Ale? I once shoved the still halfway through the mirror." she smirked, pulling a bottle out of her pocket and holding it up proudly. "An additional dimension was just what I needed to get past my little inventor's block. Introducing 460.5 Ale! Who's feeling brave?"

"No wait, I just thought of a better one! Tis' a grand tale! Trixie had just discovered how to make thermite-"

"I'm feeling brave! In fact, a round for everybody!" Gilda announced loudly and quickly.

"No fair! Why does nobody ever let Trixie tell that story!?"


110.10 (Masterweaver)

"Oh hello, Twilight." Fluttershy nodded to her friend for a moment, before turning back to her bird chorus. The avians seemed to be quite a bit larger, less colorful, and more... predatory than usual. "I thought I'd go with a different choir this loop."

Twilight giggled. "That'll certainly be interesting, to say the least. Any reason why?"

"Well, I was an eagle last loop. Well, anthropomorphic." Fluttershy flexed her wings. "Feathers on the back. I could fly on my own, but I also had a plane..."

"Okay, I'll bite." Twilight pulled a PADD out of her pocket. "Where was this?"

Fluttershy flipped her mane back. "Chima, I think it's only started looping? I had to give the Multiverse speech to Laval... Either he or Cragger are the anchor, not sure which one."

Her unicorn friend finished tapping on the screen and, after a moment, flinched back. "Wait, you were a minifig?"

"A what?"

"A..." Twilight turned the image around. "This. Was this you?"

"No! What?" The pegasus peered at the image, shaking her head. "No, no no, we looked a lot more--" Fluttershy pulled out her own PADD, quickly flicking through some photos. "Alright, here we go. That's me--apparently I was replacing someone called Eris--and that's Laval."

Twilight looked from her picture to the one Fluttershy was showing. "...huh. I... guess it must be a case of medium translation, or something... those do look far more realistic. Well, less plastic. Fingers and proportions and all that." She shrugged, putting the PADD back. "That's... actually kind of fascinating..."

"Research later, Twilight." Fluttershy lightly bopped her with her own PADD. "Right now we have to reintegrate Luna."

"Right, sorry, it's just... okay, so the plan is I pretend to be her pet dog..."


110.11 (Masterweaver)

89.4 (cont)

Fluttershy tilted her head. "Actually, now that we're all here together, I've been... meaning to discuss some things with you two."

"Oh?" Chrysalis glanced back at her 'sister'. "Does it have anything to do with ancient and powerful jewelry?"

"Um, yes." The wolf gave them an embarrassed little smile. "I mean, I do have seniority in that particular aspect..."

Silver Spoon nodded, tapping her chin. "Well, I suppose it's as good a time as any. Oh, before we begin though!" She snapped her claws, summoning three buckets of bacon.

"Oh! Thank you." Fluttershy grabbed a couple strips of meat and began to delicately chew one down.

"Hrm..." Chrysalis bit one of her own strips in half. "I would have thought you wouldn't like meat, Spoon."

"Eh. I've been bounced around the animal kingdom so much I don't have many filters anymore." Silver Spoon sat down with a shrug. "Remind me to tell you about the time I was a fly... still won't eat horses, though, if that counts."

"That's understandable. Now then, Fluttershy, you were saying...?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I... don't know if you've noticed this, but those of us with the Element of Kindness... Well, even in loops where my special talent was something, um, unrelated to animals, like weather service or painting, I could still talk to my animal friends."

Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but... that could just be you retaining loop abilities."

"It could, but... one loop, I discovered I could understand Elkish. That was a very Middle Earthish loop, mind you, the deer were basically elves, but I could understand this ancient language without, um, ever having seen a scrap of writing or hearing a single word spoken before." Fluttershy shifted on her paws. "After that, I started paying attention, and, well... there is literally no language I cannot speak. Klingon, Quenya, Lapine, R'yehain--"

"R'yehain?" Silver tilted her head. "Isn't that... Cthulhu's tongue?"

Fluttershy nodded. "h'R'yehain goka k'yarnak phlegethoth sll'ha."

Chrysalis blinked. "I... I understood that. I mean, I understood what you meant and... and what you were actually saying."

"Yes. That's... I think that's the power that Kindness, the element, grants us. Understanding." Fluttershy nodded to Chrysalis. "You, um, you probably never noticed because you thought it was just your telempathy, and you, Silver--"

"I passed it off as having 'been' whatever they were before," Silver mused. "I didn't realize..."

"Yes, but it's more than that." Fluttershy nibbled at another strip of bacon, trying to gather her thoughts. "...It's not just speaking, or writing. It's feeling. When you're using Kindness, you can read any body language, no matter how strange the body. Me, I'm such a good druid because of it, and I suspect that Chrysalis tends to use it in her day to day rule. Silver, well..." She smiled. "Silver Spoon uses her understanding proactively, becoming whoever the situation needs her to be." She giggled. "I think that's also why we're all so good at shapeshifting, or, well, being in other forms. I've talked to some other shapeshifters and... a lot of them view the other shapes as clothes, not as themselves. If that makes sense."

Chrysalis nodded. "I think I see where you're coming from, actually. I was like that, originally, but... well, I do tend toward pegasus these days."

"And I think of myself as an earth pony draconequus plus," Silver added. "Which... is more cohesive than I think I should be thinking of myself as."

"Yes. But there's a reason for all this." Fluttershy took a breath. "Magic. Honesty. Loyalty. Even Laughter... they can be used in cruel ways. Generosity and Kindness, though, they're almost always 'good' in a sense. I did talk with Rarity about it long ago, though, and... the basic difference between the two is that Generosity is, well, a bit... oblivious. Generosity only understands the What of the needs, not the Why. Kindness is... we're the ones that have to keep everyone from being overpowering, keep the others all in balance, I think. We're the ones that see all sides of the argument, good and evil, or even just good and good that happen to be opposed. We understand others, sometimes better than they understand themselves, and we have to use that understanding to make sure that everyone is loved."

Chrysalis and Silver Spoon stared openly at her.

"...That's..." Fluttershy blushed. "That's my opinion anyway. Um. I'm willing to hear yours though."


110.12 (Masterweaver)


Like any looper that had some modicum of sense, Twilight Sparkle had created a number of contingency plans for surviving a zombie apocalypse. She had dozens of spells memorized, whole arsenals carefully organized in her subspace pocket, and backup plans if she didn't have access to either. Whether the living dead were artificial, magical, or biological in origin, whether they communicated their contagion through biting, spitting, or gas, whether she was in a well-developed urban area or lost in the jungle, Twilight Sparkle would be ready for a zombie apocalypse.

The single flaw in all her plans, however, was the assumption that the zombie apocalypse was... well... an apocalypse.

"Fresh brains! Get your fresh brains here, recently carved, none older than twenty years!" Carrot Top waved at the half-a-unicorn. "Twilight! There you are, here for lunch?"

"Yeah, um..." Twilight fidgeted, still somewhat embarrassed by her trailing entrails. "These are, you know, ethically sourced right?"

"What kind of merchant do you take me for?! I'm no butcher." Carrot scoffed. "My cloning vats are completely regulation."

"Nonono, I'm sorry. I'm just..." Twilight gave an awkward grin. "Still a little squeamish. Only died this month, you know."

Carrot made a noise of commiseration. "Ah, gotcha. Don't worry, I'm told it gets easier as you go. Rarity's certainly not let it stop her!"

Twilight nodded, selecting a few pinkish mounds. "Yeah, I know..."

"I even heard she got herself some coltfriend or other. A dragon, isn't that exotic?"

"Yeah. I know." Twilight repressed a shudder.

The yellow mare grinned obliviously. "It's good to know there are still people out there willing to look beyond the flesh and find true love in dead hearts. Makes me think maybe there's hope for me!"

The unicorn put her bits on the stall top. "Heh, maybe. You're not planning to die just to grab a colt, though, are you?"

"Ha, no of course not! I'd rather have a warm body!" Carrot flinched. "Er, no offense."

"None taken. Not like it's in the cards for me." Twilight grinned wryly. "Unless somebody loves me for my braaaaaaains..."


110.13 (Drachefly)


It occurs to me, my head hasn't been shaken like a maraca for a few minutes. Octavia took out her earplugs and relaxed to the soothing sounds of a piano quintet. Wait, what? She rolled out of bed and bounded downstairs.

Vinyl Scratch had had some new friends - Pinkie Pie and Lyra Heartstrings - over for her jam session, but instead of bass and lead guitar, they were now on violins. They had been joined by two white unicorns she didn't recognize, clearly sisters; the older was on viola, and the younger had brought her own cello. Also, someone had somehow gotten a grand piano into the apartment, which Vinyl was playing. Softly.

"Wh... what?"

Vinyl lifted her goggles and flashed a smile. "Shh!"

Octavia boggled as she listened. They were all utterly outstanding; the music was superb and utterly unfamiliar. She sidled down the stairs and sat on the bottom step.

The door opened and a lavender unicorn slipped in, followed by a yellow pegasus with a pink mane, and an orange pegasus filly with a purple mane, carrying a clarinet, a bassoon, and a flute, respectively.

When the music came to a close, Vinyl got up and turned to the new guests. "Heya! Glad you could make it! Octavia, these are Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo. And now that they're here, how about we really get this show going?"

She produced a part out of nowhere and handed it to Octavia. "Want to join?"

Octavia blinked, then snatched it in her mouth. "Yes!" she declared around her grip. When did she pick up an interest in music that wasn't simply rhythmic and loud? Have I not been paying attention?

The title made her blink:


Bach, Johann Sebastian

Chamber suite R17-L-34, in a minor

On themes by Hotblack Desiato and Taliesin

SB-BWV 2,126,329,801


But that didn't matter compared to what was below it. They started up and Octavia sight-read like mad. The piece was intricate, but she was just able to keep up. What didn't help was that there were little distractions and unexpected things - Did somepony else just come in? This was confirmed when a third violin joined the ensemble. During a single whole rest, she spotted the newcomer. I've seen him before - he's the head of the royal guard!

Then it came to the double fugue, and she didn't have time to focus on anything else any more. She knew that more ponies were coming in and joining, and she knew that this had to have been a setup - a surprise for her - but she was having too much fun to let it bother her.

It came to a satisfying conclusion, and Octavia let the energy flow out of her.

Vinyl added, "What do you think? Our dad threw it together a while back."

Her mind still absorbed in the music, Octavia 's response was not perhaps what she would have said under other circumstances, "'Our'? Aren't you an only foal?"

"Nope, it's a family gathering."

That seems... implausible. Octavia took a look around. She was drained enough that her discovery that Princess Celestia was seated behind her, with the second viola, was merely surprising, not shocking.

Vinyl went on, "Almost all of us Bach kids are here. We're only missing Regina Suzanna - who's busy straightening out the hive - and Pretty Danged Quick, who, ah..." she lowered her voice. "... doesn't quite get it."


(DrTempo)
From the Journal of Sunset Shimmer:

Well, this is an interesting situation. This Loop, I'm a boxer in the World Video Boxing Association, with my coach being Little Mac.

Mac had Awoken recently, and had soon ended up in a Fused Loop with Mario as the referee. Mac soon found himself in the Smash Brothers Loops, which are a safe-mode Loop due to the limits it puts on Loopers for fair competition.

Back to the events of this Loop...I had to learn not to always rely on the combat instincts I've developed, or get disqualified. It was a chance to hone a particular fighting style....Boxing, in this case.

Mac is a good teacher, having learned from the best. He was a little out of shape this Loop; makes sense, seeing he's in his teacher's role. I soon managed to get used to boxing, and my career began. After a good warm-up in Glass Joe(with a name like that, no wonder he's gotten his flank kicked 99 times..before I fought him, of course), I had a minor challenge in Von Kaiser, and won via a Star Punch. Mac smiled when I used his signature move.

After that, I began to shine, remembering what Mac taught me; how to see an opponent's patterns, wait for the opening, and capitalize. Ranma taught me that a long time ago, but it's good to have a refresher course, especially when my options are limited.

As I went through the ranks, Mac was glad to see I'd gotten used to the relative oddness of the boxers here. He said he'd had a hard time adjusting to their weirdness at first. Compared to other Loops, the weirdness of these guys is nothing. After all, after what I've seen, guys like Bear Hugger and King Hippo barely register on the weird scale. Looks were deceiving, though. Some of those guys were tough.

As for what I took from this Loop, I was reminded that I can't always rely on my full bag of tricks. Boxing is a good style for me to use in those cases. As for Little Mac, I hope to meet him in a Smash Brothers Loop, just so I can see how good he is...


110.14(Detective Ethan Redfield)


As Celestia gave her Summer Sun Celebration speech, her eyes scanned the crowd. Twilight Sparkle was nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, the Mare on the Moon had disappeared yesterday for some strange reason, well before the stars were set to align and help her break free. As her speech came to an end, several birds landed on the stage set up for the celebration. The gathered ponies stopped stomping their hooves in applause and watched.

One bird started with a nine note ominous whistle. A second bird followed up with an equally ominous tone.

Then, the entire bird choir sang in unison the Imperial March. Six ponies marched in unison towards the stage, all sporting a uniform of sorts made of purple, black and yellow. All six wore masks and a purple fedora to hide their manes. There were two of each pony race. As they took positions around the stage behind Celestia, the gathered ponies started appearing nervous as navy blue mist seeped through the crowd and between Celestia and the six ponies. As the music reached the height, the mist started swirling around and formed into a new alicorn. Celestia gasped, "Nightmare Moon, what is-"

The alicorn waved Celestia silent, "My ponies, I am Princess Luna, Night regent of the moon. My time on the moon has ended and I return to you now. I have but one thing to say..."

The crowd held their breaths as one as Luna pointed her hoof at the audience, a serious expression on her face, "Princess Luna Wants YOU, for the shadowbolts!"

Celestia blinked, "What?"

Luna gave a grin, "I desire to reform my guard, and I desire the bravest and the best to join our cause. Join your fellow ponies up here, join us as we push for a more grand Equestrian future! We will fly through the shadows, pushing back the darkness that always encroaches on the universe, yes I say the universe! We will reach out to the stars and bring harmony to the furthest corner of the galaxy. Who will stand with me?!"

Several ponies took hesitant steps forward, a turquoise mare with a harp for a cutie mark, muttering about how she might see humans out there. A barely sober mare with a berry colored mare obsessed with alcohol stumbled forward, three unmarked fillies and a pink earth pony stepped forward, the zebra from Everfree found herself on the stage, and then the local mailmare.

Celestia was finally brought out of her trance as she stepped towards Luna, and the two teleported away to discuss what was the meaning of this.


Hours later, the six shadowbolts shed their disguise in the privacy of the library, revealing Twilight and her five friends. Fluttershy left to congratulate her birds for their fine performance. Rarity, meanwhile looked to the skies, "You don't think we jinxed ourselves, do you? I mean-"

Twilight waved her off, "Nah, I checked our star charts. None of them were a match for the Star Wars or Star Trek star charts."

And then, what sounded like the tormented of Tartarus started echoing in their heads as a black and red ship descended over Ponyville. The voices disappeared a second later as they all instinctively blocked out the passive indoctrination attack. Dash asked with a half-lidded expression, "Did you perhaps check the star charts against those of Mass Effect?"

Any reply that Twilight had was cut off by a mechanical voice, "I AM SOVEREIGN. TWILIGHT SPARKLE, YOU WILL TRAVEL BY SHIP TO MEET ME ON THE MOON IN ONE GALACTIC HOUR'S TIME. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN FORCIBLE TELEPORTATION INTO THIS SHIP."

Pinkie seemed ecstatic, "Sovvy! I haven't seen him in eons, from before the crash. Silly robot, I still haven't given him all his birthday parties, I'm coming with you, Twilight!"

Twilight shrugged, "Sure. But hold off on the party until we see why he's here."


110.15 (Crisis)


Sasakura Ryu was idly cleaning a glass in Eden Hall when he was interrupted.

"Drink. Now," the unfamiliar voice demanded.

Ryu turned with graceful practice towards the voice to get a look and determine what kind of drink would serve the customer best and blinked. There was no one there. Getting a sinking feeling, Ryu leaned over the bar and looked down at a young boy in possession of a fierce scowl. Sighing heavily, he shook his head and pointed to a new sign he'd gotten recently for just this kind of problem.

Around a large '21', the sign read 'You must be this tall (or equivalent biological age) to order booze.'

"Bar policy," he explained when the scowl deepened. "No matter how long you've lived, you gotta have a body that can process it safely. It also helps if you introduce yourself."

"Very well," the boy grumbled and cast some sort of spell that caused him to grow, and grow, into a tall muscled man with wild hair and a fierce expression. "Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves. Now give me a damn drink."

"Of course," Ryu replied, completely unruffled as he began to expertly mix a creation of his own devising. "Might I inquire as to why you are in need of one?"

"Let's just say that there are certain things one should never catch his mother doing," the Primarch muttered as Ryu handed him his drink, which he downed in a single gulp and motioned for another.

"I hear that," a new voice interjected, grabbing both men's attention. They turned and saw an ebony skinned woman with bold indigo hair in the final moments of filling out into adulthood. She tapped her chin for a moment before also sprouting wings and a single spiral horn as black as deepest night. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Leman Russ smiled as Ryu poured two drinks and went back to cleaning glasses. "Might I have your name m'lady?"

"Nyx," the woman smiled. "Daughter of Twilight Sparkle. And you must be the amazing Lemon Rush I keep hearing about. I'm kind of surprised we haven't met before actually."

"As am I," Leman admitted as he sipped his new drink more sedately than his first. "I have heard much about you, but I would be honored to get it 'from the pony's mouth' so to speak."

"Cute," Nyx glared back playfully as Leman grinned with no apology whatsoever. "Anyway, it all started when this cult..."


110.16 (Kris Overstreet)


"Thirty seconds to drop zone, Rainbow Dash."

On the one hand, Rainbow Dash counted the current Loop as one of the weirder ones she'd experienced- not in the top hundred, but definitely in the top thousand. For one thing, she herself was a shadow of the pony she was... or, more accurately, a glowing outline. Oh, she was solid enough, but anybody looking at her saw only the outline of her blue body and rainbow mane and tail, all lit up like a deco electric sign. That could be put down to strange physics or something, but Twilight Sparkle looked more or less normal.

But the face in the mirror was a minor issue. The rest of the world was Land-of-Ooo levels of strange.

"I'm charging up the marshmallow laser now!"

Case in point. In what other world would a marshmallow laser be a suitable weapon for covering fire?

And to make it perfect, this was one of those annoying Loops where both subspace pockets and outside-Loop abilities were totally shut down. Rainbow Dash had spent two humiliating months Awake before Twilight had found her, practically a slave in the Silver Lake Lounge, constantly humiliated by the Gummi King's marzipan enforcers, and freed her. Twilight had freed her, and the two had fled, pursued by bounty hunters like the Rockabilly Space Worm and a space salamander who had been genetically altered to have a face that resembled, for whatever reason, George Clooney.

If Pinkie Pie had told this story to her, Rainbow Dash would have laughed it off as too silly for words. Unfortunately she'd lived it, twenty or so years' worth of Loop memories pre-Awakening followed by months of pursuit by bounty hunters like the Rockabilly Space Worm and a space salamander who had been genetically altered to have a face that resembled, for whatever reason, George Clooney. in which two fugitives from justice had become the heroes of the resistance against (even after a year in this world Rainbow Dash hated to think the words) the Gluten Armada of the tyrannical Gummi King.

No, it wasn't funny at all. It was dead serious.

The bomb bay doors opened with a whine of hydraulics. Over the whoosh of rushing air Dash could just barely hear Twilight giving the five second warning. That was her job: deliver Rainbow around the world, wherever they could strike at the Armada. Once Rainbow was in battle, Twilight would keep her covered with the marshmallow laser mounted to their transport. Twilight had become a crack shot with the thing.

The Space Unicorn and the Neon Pegasus; the most-wanted enemies of the Gummi King.

The jump light turned green. Rainbow Dash pushed her flight goggles down over her eyes and dropped out of the transport ship, banking away so she could have a clear field of battle.

Beneath them sat Cupcake Mountain, lit mostly by the bright moon and brilliant stars. In front of them, hovering above the mountain, stood the main battle fleet of the Gluten Armada. At the center of it flew the imperial flagship, where the Gummi King himself would command the battle to come.

Rainbow Dash put aside all thoughts of how insane and ridiculous the situation was. Somewhere over there was an evil ruler who had kept her pre-Awake self in chains, who had forced her to kneel and scrape and abase herself to survive. He had taken everything from her, and from millions of other beings throughout his magical kingdom.

Never again, Dash vowed. Never again, never again.

One pony against a fleet of battleships, she dove to the attack in a streak of rainbow light.


(DrTempo)

From the Journal of Sunset Shimmer:
I Looped into a place called Earthrealm this time...right around the Mortal Kombat tournament. If the "visiting" team, Outworld, wins 10 of these in a row, they are allowed to invade Earthrealm, and bye bye world. Raiden(no relation to the Metal Gear Looper with the same name) is the Anchor here.

Apparently, things had gone really bad in the baseline, as in Armageddon bad, and he tried sending a message to his past self to avert that tragedy. However, he got only a partial message, and things got worse than that first time for a while; though he prevented the worst-case scenario, it was at great cost.

Raiden believed what he'd done to send that message was causing him to reexperience the same events, but Kratos had Looped in and explained things to him, and as a treat, took down the big villain around here, Shao Khan.

The joke's too easy, so I won't use it...

These days, Raiden is trying to minimize the damage and loss of life....which, in a place where fights to the death are commonplace(though it seems this Loop got the same 'get out of death free' card the DC and Marvel Loops have), is very difficult. A few others on Raiden's side have started Looping as well, such as Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, and Sonya. These days, Cage and Sonya are in a relationship, which is kinda heartwarming.

As for the Anchor himself, he's still bound to the rules his superiors set on him..though his fellow Loopers AREN'T. Cue them taking down the baddies easily, and ruining any evil plans. While I was here, I took the time to learn from the good guys. This place is, as I said before, violent. It's like a battlefield here, lives on the line in every fight....With no less than Earthrealm's freedom on the line. Makes me hope things'll turn out all right here once the Loops are over.

As a gift to Raiden, I decided to eventually pull no punches, and take down Shao Khan. Was NOT an easy fight...guy can take damage and deal it like nobody's business. But I got the better of him in the end. Of course, there were other villains to fight, but he was the main danger for this Loop.

Just goes to show I can never give up. I will get home someday..And when I do, I'll be glad to have some peace.


110.17(Kris Overstreet)


Twilightnosaurus reine looked down at the five other dinosaurs around her. "Um, girls," she said uncertainly, "I really, really hope this Loop has found a way to bypass certain dietary imperatives. Otherwise things are going to get very awkward, very fast."

Apatojack looked steadily back at the purple people-and-anything-else eater and replied, "Ah don't care how big mah flank is this Loop, you cain't have any. Ah'm very much attached to it."

"I wouldn't mind being eaten," Flutterseratops said quietly, her broad frill blushing. "If it were for a good friend, that is."

The immense iridescent pteranodon in the tree, Quetzalcoatlus dashii, rubbed the tip of one wing against her chin in thought. "Fluttershy," she said into the very awkward silence, "I've seen a whole lotta Loops, including some really twisted and terrifying stuff. And that just might be the most disturbing thing I've ever, ever heard."

The giant armored Pinkylosaurus diana pieticus stopped its game of roly-poly and sat up. "It's not all that disturbing, Dashi! I wouldn't mind having a taste of myself if I could! I'm like a giant reptile jawbreaker! OOH! I wonder if I'm all sourball inside, or maybe bubble gum, or chocolate! I must be the most delicious dinosaur ever!"

"Well, there's a record that didn't last long at all," Rarisaurolophus muttered.

"Not helping, girls," Twilight sighed. "You know what? Buck this Loop. Last one into the volcano is a fossilized egg."

After all, whatever its other drawbacks, the school cafeteria in the Eiken world served pretty good food... none of which knew her on a first name basis or vice-versa.


110.18 (Masterweaver and Dalxein)

Twilight burst through the door, eyes wild. "FLUTTERSHY! Our kids are dating!"

"I know, isn't it sweet?"

"Sweet?! Well, I guess it could be a little--" The unicorn shook her head. "That's not the point! How do we handle this situation?!"

Fluttershy made a show of tapping her chin. "Oh, maybe we stand back and let them explore their relationship themselves while providing a calm and comforting sounding board if they ever get nervous about how they're doing?"

There were a few moments of complete silence in the cottage.

"...Fluttershy," Twilight managed, "Please stop being reasonable about this. It makes me feel inadequate. Wait... what if they got married?" Twilight wondered out loud. "We'd be in-laws. IN-LAWS!" she shouted, suddenly seeming to remember she was talking to Fluttershy and grabbing the poor mare. "And there's already Rarity, I mean am I her mother-in-law or sister-in-law or WHY AM I EVEN ASKING!?" Shaking the timid pegasus wasn't helping her calm down, so she stopped. Twilight started pacing around while Fluttershy swayed dizzily. "AJ and Pinkie are already cousins- it'd only take one more marriage and everyone would be related! I have no idea how to feel about this!"

"But..." Poor Fluttershy had managed to regain her bearings, and asked the obvious. "No one's related to Rainbow Da-"

"WE DO NOT SPEAK OF WHAT HAPPENS IN LAS PEGASUS."