The next morning, I woke up at the usual time and practiced cooking Prench toast and making a fruit bowl. The Prench toast was pretty much charcoal, but I could actually eat my fruit bowl, and the juice wasn’t even a little burnt. Pretty soon, I might actually be able to cook Rarity’s perfect breakfast.
“Hey girls,” I said as I walked into the clubhouse. “How are you all?”
“Bored!” Scootaloo said, sitting under the Rainbow Dash poster. “Socket is busy doing tests with Twilight to figure out why the mana engine is being funny, Life Bloom offered to help Apple Bloom with her chores this morning, and Melody is pretty quiet when you’re not around.”
“I’m not,” the green earth pony said from her usual corner of the clubhouse. “I just… I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me.” I made a note to get the piano we used to practice for the talent show in here after we got out of the time loop. Having something to practice on might make our clubhouse feel more like home so she wouldn’t seem like she was hiding whenever she was out here. I wanted this clubhouse to feel like home for all my friends, especially Melody; she needed a place she could relax.
“That’s totally not true,” Scootaloo said, flicking her wings. “I just don’t know what to talk to you about. You’re so shy, none of us really know what you like besides music and Sweetie Belle.”
I scratched my head. “That’s a confusing sentence, I think you meant ‘none of us besides Sweetie Belle really know what you like besides music,’” I said, trying to figure out how to phrase the sentence so it didn’t sound like Melody liked me. Obviously, she did because we were friends, but Scootaloo made it sound like her liking of me was somehow special.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes while Melody just blushed. “Exactly. Good thing we have our dictionary around to tell me what I meant.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, giving her one of my smiles and thinking about Pinkie’s words yesterday. I definitely was the smiley-est of the group. I wanted to tell Scootaloo to try and get along with Melody more, but it wouldn’t matter today. I just worried about Melody, she needed more friends who could help her get out more. She was like an earth-pony version of Miss Fluttershy. Maybe I could have them meet once I got out of the loop… Ugh, there were so many things I wanted to do once I got out of here, but Twilight said it would at least be a few months before she even understood how the stupid mana engine had us trapped here. Why did she help a bunch of fillies build something so dangerous?
“Hey Twilight,” I said, poking my head out of the window, “why did you help us build something so dangerous?”
There was a flash of light and a scream below as Twilight lost her focus on whatever spell she was working on and flew backwards. “Because… Sweetie Belle,” she said, getting back up on her hooves. “Once you girls set your mind on something, there’s usually no stopping you, and I thought this was the best way to make sure things worked out. Obviously, that didn’t work out, but can you honestly tell me you girls wouldn’t have attempted to–”
“Hey!” Socket shouted from wherever the spell had knocked him back to.
“Girls and Socket,” Twilight corrected. “But you really think you wouldn’t have tried to build the dangerous mana engine if I hadn’t helped?”
“N-no?” I said, trying to sort the double negative out in my head. “I mean, yes, we probably would’ve tried to build the mana engine anyways.”
“Exactly,” Twilight said. “I thought helping you had the lowest chance of catastrophe. At the very least, now I can try to figure out how to fix this…” She grumbled to herself. “Although, it would be easier if I could work without getting distracted. These spells are very time sensitive and now the entire day is ruined.”
“I don’t think the mana engine charging itself is a ‘catastrophe,’” Socket said., buzzing around the engine and checking several dials. “Definitely odd, but it’s not like the engine blew up or anything.”
“Not yet,” I muttered before turning back to Scootaloo and Melody. “Anyways, I know it doesn’t matter that much, but I’d like it if you two could try to get along, or at least tell me why you don’t get along… Actually, the last one would be way better, because that can help me Sunday.”
“I… I don’t have any problem with Scootaloo,” Melody said, glancing at me before looking back at the floor. “She is a very nice pony.”
“Yeah, I don’t really dislike Melody either, I just think it’s weird that you’ve known each other for a week, and since Monday she’s practically been fawning over you,” Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes.
“She is not fawning over me, we’re just friends, right Melody?” I said, defending my friend.
Melody nodded at me. “Of course, we’re friends… just friends. I’m just… I haven’t had any friends before, so I’m not sure how to show my friendship. But… you’re all my friends.”
“Then why do you seem so obsessed with Sweetie Belle? You focus on her like she’s the most important pony in the world. If you’ve got a crush on Sweetie, just say it.”
I laughed at that. “That’s crazy, Scootaloo; Melody just said we were only friends, why would you think she had a crush on me?” Besides, she was nice and cute and already had her cutie mark, why would she have a crush on me? If anything, I should have a crush on her, and… I don’t think I did. Either way, it didn’t matter because she definitely didn’t have a crush on me.
“That’s… right,” Melody said, frowning. “I just… maybe I focus on Sweetie Belle because she was the first pony who was ever my friend just because she wanted to. She… she just walked up to me and said we were friends. I didn’t have to do anything to earn it.”
Scootaloo gave me a grin while I thought about Pinkie’s words again. “That’s definitely Sweetie. I remember when we first met; when my family moved down here from Cloudsdale, I was terrified the other ponies here would make fun of me for… it doesn’t matter for what, but then I met Sweetie, and before I could say a word, she’d decided we were going to be best friends. I guess a month later, we met Apple Bloom, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were born.”
“You two make it sound like I did something special,” I said, feeling myself frown as I thought of how I met Scootaloo. “You both just looked kind of sad and scared, and I thought maybe I could cheer you up. Besides, I like making friends.” It was… I liked making ponies happy, that was one of the reasons I had wanted to be an actress, because I could make a lot of ponies happy at once, and I could probably do the same thing with singing, even though I still don’t think my singing is that special.
“Right,” Scootaloo said, nodding her head at me, “that’s what we both like about you; you’re so into making other ponies happy, it’s kind of crazy.” She looked at Melody. “I get it though. Sweetie was my first friend too; if I was a little mean to you, then sorry. I guess I’m just a bit protective of Sweetie, and thought it was weird how you were suddenly so obsessed with her.”
My chest got all warm fuzzy, and I rushed over to throw my forelegs around Scootaloo. “You mean you were worried about me? You’re the best, Scootaloo.”
She groaned. “Ugh, gross, can you stop being all sappy?” she asked, trying to squirm out of my grasp. “I just meant… you know, I don’t want to see you get hurt by a pony pretending to care about you.”
“I wasn’t pretending,” Melody said from her corner.
I tightened my grip and perked my head up to look at her. “You really won’t leave me just because you got your cutie mark, will you?”
“Uhh… of course not,” Scootaloo said, wrinkling her forehead as she looked at me. “What would make you think that? I mean, I don’t think I talked with you about anything like that.”
Oh right, she didn’t remember that night I ate all the ice cream because it didn’t happen to her. This dumb time loop was really getting on my nerves. “Nothing,” I said, “I was… just worried you might since you’ll probably get your cutie mark before me.”
Scootaloo laughed and shook her head, as I finally let her go. “You know that’s crazy, right? I mean, I… you’re my best friend and everything, but that is the dumbest thing I think I ever heard.”
“Yeah… you’re right,” I said, giving her a smile. “Anyways, what do you girls want to do for the rest of the day?”
“Ooh! A race!”
“I’d like to spend time just talking in the clubhouse.”
I sighed. At least I could get them to agree they were both my friends, that was a start. I tried to think of what I’d have to work on next, I could practice cooking on my own, so that meant I’d have to find somepony who could help me practice singing for Melody. Who did I know like that?
***
“While I do have extensive knowledge and mastery of the cello and musical history, I’m afraid my knowledge of singing is… lacking,” Octavia said, sitting across from me. “It is my fiancée who has the proper musical education.”
“So… she can teach me then?” I asked, frowning.
“Of course,” Octavia said, “she is currently in Canterlot for a show, but when she returns tomorrow, I will direct her towards you.”
“Tomorrow doesn’t work,” I said, groaning and thunking my head against the table, causing my horn to get stuck again, “I need somepony to teach me today.”
“And what is the cause for this urgency?” Octavia asked, fiddling with her bowtie. “If I recall correctly, your ambition was to be an actress, not a songstress.”
Ugh, she and Life Bloom could start a thesaurus club. “Yeah, it was,” I said, nodding my head as I felt myself frown, “but a friend wants me to sing with her tomorrow, and I wanted to learn as much as I could before then. Couldn’t you teach me a little bit? I really don’t want to let her down.”
“Very well,” Octavia said, taking a sip of her tea. “Although I would honestly suggest you speak with your sister for more guidance.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, causing Octavia to rub her forehoof against her head.
“Because she’s a member of the Ponytones, a singing quartet that is apparently quite popular in this town. I’m sure she could teach you much more about singing than I can.”
“Huh, why didn’t I think of that?” I asked, tapping my chin and tilting my head. I knew she was in the group, but it’s like I didn’t think about it until it became an issue. Most of the time, she was just my sister, the fashion designer.
“I don’t know,” Octavia said, her eyes drifting to the pile of papers back on her desk. “If you still want me to assist you in this singing project, I will be happy to, but if not, I really should get back to my papers. Between running the academy and teaching students, I find myself with very little free time these days.”
I got up on my hooves and headed towards the door. “Well, thanks anyways,” I said, looking back at her. “Sorry for bothering you.”
“It’s no worry,” Octavia said, smiling at me, “and I look forward to seeing you in my office Monday morning.”
“What?” I asked, stopping in my tracks.
“Your sister came to me yesterday about a problem you were having with your acting instructor and so I agreed to see you all Monday morning to sort the problem out. I would’ve assumed she told you.”
Oh right, Mr. Marelon, I’d almost forgotten about him in the time loop. You know, maybe spending a few more weeks or months or years here wasn’t that bad. “It’s true, he’s been bullying you, hasn’t he?”
“What gave it away?” I asked, feeling my eyes suddenly get kind of watery. I hadn’t even seen him in a month, and now just thinking about him made me kind of want to cry.
“The fact that you’re eyes watered up the second I mentioned his name was a rather strong indicator of the validity of your sister’s story. Beyond that, I personally debated the merit of hiring Equestria’s harshest critic to teach children before deciding that his criticism might inspire you to be better. If I was wrong, I will quickly correct that mistake,” she said, her calm expression quickly flickering to something else before going back to calm.
“Well… thanks again then, and I guess I’ll see you Monday,” I said as I started walking back to the door and trying to focus on the good news Octavia had given me: I’d get to spend time with my sister for the for the next few loops.
***
“That’s very good, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said as the record finished playing. “When you have somepony to sing along with, your pitch is perfect, but let’s try having you sing a song without anypony helping you, Octavia, are you ready to provide instrumental accompaniment?”
Octavia nodded and I wanted to make a joke about how she still wound up helping me, but since we had our talk a couple of loops ago, nopony would get the joke, and then I’d have to explain myself, and Rarity would get into another fight with Twilight. Last loop, I’d learned Rarity got really upset by the news I was stuck in a time loop, and that kind of put a stop to our music practice. Then that night… I shook my head and tried not to think of my big sister crying. It was really weird seeing her actually crying and not just dramatically crying. (Anypony who says there isn’t a difference has obviously never lived with my sister.)
Anyways, Octavia drew her bow across her cello, and I instantly recognized the piece Rarity was having her play. “Oh come on, why do I have to sing that song? We already embarrassed ourselves in front of the entire town singing it.”
“Because,” Rarity said, looking at me calmly. “Despite all of its many failings, I think there is a decent song in there. Just… please try to sing the song as you originally imagined it and not the way Scootaloo wrote it. I took the liberty of removing the first stanza as I felt it to be the worst part of the song.”
I nodded and practiced my breathing just like Rarity had taught me. I could do this… At least, it couldn’t be any worse than last time. My cue came up and I started to sing.
When you’re a younger pony
And your flank is very bare…
***
We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders,
on a quest to find out who we are,
and we will never stop the journey,
not until we have our cutie mark.
I hit the last note, and Octavia stopped her playing. Then she did something I never imagined her doing: she applauded. I mean, it wasn’t crazy hoof stomping, but it was actual applause, which was way more than we’d gotten the first time we played that song.
“You… actually liked it?” I asked. “Last time we sang it, everypony laughed at us.”
“Yes, well your key for it was all wrong and the production values were absolutely abysmal,” Rarity said. “But in the right key and with the right vocalist, even the worst song can be made praiseworthy. Besides, making this song listenable was easy, all I had to do was find your little touches and bring them out to shine. You did the rest, Sweetie Belle.”
“Really?” I asked, smiling at her and Octavia. “So I’m a good singer?”
The bestest big sister in the world returned my smile. “Sweetie, with the right practice, you can be an absolutely outstanding singer. Now, shall we start our vocal exercises? I want you to start by standing firm and taking a deep breath…”
***
Learning to sing was like… the exact opposite of learning how to cook. Not only did I enjoy it, but I was also apparently pretty good at it. I still don’t get what the big deal is about knowing how to sing, but it was nice to be told I was really good at something. Maybe my song with Melody wouldn’t be that bad. If I could act in front of a bunch of other ponies, singing in front of them couldn’t be that much worse. The weeks I spent singing with Rarity practically flew by.
“Well, Sweetie Belle,” she said one afternoon after I’d finished showing off everything I knew about singing with her. “I don’t think there’s anything else I can teach you. You know and have mastered all of the vocal exercises I do, and… I think your singing ability might be better than mine.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling like I was about to float up to the ceiling of the boutique, “I’m a better singer than you?”
She smiled at me. “I think so, but then, I’m afraid I might be a bit biased. I always knew you had more raw talent than me, but I never imagined you had so much training. Who taught you and if you were being trained to sing, then why were you still pursuing acting?”
“I had the bestest teacher in the world, and as for the second thing, I can’t really say.” I gave my sister a hug. “So you don’t have anything else to teach me about singing?”
Rarity tilted her head, “Do you know to drink hot tea before a show?”
“No,” I said, frowning at her. “Why do I need to do that?”
“You don’t need to do it,” she said, walking into the kitchen while I followed her. “I just find it helpful before a show as it relaxes the vocal cords and allows for greater range. Blue Rhapsody told me that when I first joined the Ponytones, and since I do love my tea, I made it a habit.”
“Can you teach me?” I asked, looked at her.
“To brew tea? It’s really rather simple, I don’t think it would be that…” I stared at her. “Yes, of course, I can do that.” She pulled a kettle out from her cabinet and filled it with water.
“So,” I said while she filled the kettle. “What do you do about stage fright? I’m kind of worried about my show tomorrow.”
She laughed as she put the kettle on the stove. “The greatest fear of stage fright is imagining the ponies in the audience judging you, so I simply imagine them in such a state that any potential judgments they render are utterly meaningless. At least, I did when I first started singing.”
“Ooh! What did you imagine?” I asked. “Did you think of everypony in the audience naked?”
Rarity turned around and looked at me. “Sweetie Belle, your audience tomorrow will almost certainly be naked. We’re naked right now.” She shook her head. “Honestly, dear, I don’t know where you get some of these notions of yours. But you were on the right track, I like imagining the ponies in the audience wearing last year’s fashions. The thought of such dreadfully out of touch ponies judging me, made my fears evaporate.”
“But I don’t even know what last year’s fashions are,” I said, giving a groan and bonking my head against the oven. The oven that was being used to make water boil.
“AAAAaaaaaahhhhhhHHHhhhh!” I screamed, running to hold my head under the sink faucet and turning on the water to be as cold as possible. Rarity ran to the freezer and pulled out one of the ice bags she kept for when I accidentally hurt myself. A second later, the ice pack was pressed against my burnt forehead.
“It’s alright, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, stroking my mane, “I know it hurts now, but the pain will subside in a few minutes. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I shook my head while the ice pack numbed the pain. “It’s fine, I… thank you for getting the ice pack for me.”
“Of course, Sweetie,” Rarity said. “You know I always have several ice packs in the freezer for just such emergencies, although you simply must be more aware of your surroundings. How many times do you have to burn yourself on the oven to remember it’s hot?”
“Sorry,” I said, grabbing the ice pack with my magic and pulling my head out from under the faucet. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Rarity said, shaking her head and walking back to the tea kettle. “I just worry about you sometimes. Most of the time, actually, you seem intent on putting yourself in harm’s way far too much for my taste.”
“Says the pony who is one of Equestria’s six defenders,” I said, walking behind her and keeping several feet between me and the stove.
“And just what are you implying, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity said as the kettle started to whistle.
“It’s just… I worry about you too,” I said. “Mom and Dad are always travelling or busy or something, and if something happened to you while you were having an adventure…” I felt myself sniffle while my eyes watered up. “You’ve always been there for me, and when you go off on adventures, I worry you won’t come back… and… and…” I sat down and started to sob.
Rarity just hugged me as tight as she could until I stopped crying. “Sweetie Belle,” she said, her blue eyes looking directly into mine, “I want to tell you that such fears are completely ridiculous, but I can’t promise I will always return safely. I’m not invincible, and I suppose you realize that.”
“Then don’t go!” I squeaked, tightening my grip on her. “I need you with me.”
She smiled and shook her head. “As does Equestria, and if I fail in my role as a Bearer of Harmony, whatever evil has arisen will almost certainly find you. Whenever things are bleakest on my… adventures, I always think of you, I think of what will happen to you when I fail, and I find the strength I need.” Rarity kissed my cheek. “Sweetie Belle, I will do everything in my power to protect you, but these last few years, seeing you mature and knowing that one day you won’t need me to be there to defend you… nothing in Equestria makes me happier.”
“Not even marrying a prince?” I asked, feeling my usual cheer return. Rarity always knew what to say to make me feel better. That was one of the reasons I had to get everything right for her perfect day: to show her how much she meant to me.
Rarity just laughed. “There are two princes in Equestria, Sweetie Belle. One is happily married and the brother of one of my best friends, and the other is an absolutely colossal… jerk. Marrying into royalty just doesn’t seem to be in my future unless one of the Princesses suddenly decides to declare a deep and abiding love for me.”
“A princess?” I asked, feeling my ears perk up as an idea hatched in my head. I could definitely make Rarity’s perfect day even perfect-er.
***
“Hey, Twilight,” I said, the next loop. “What do you think of my sister?”
She grunted as the light from her horn flickered. “Can this please wait a bit, Sweetie Belle? I’m doing some very intensive spellwork and the slightest distraction could–” She was interrupted as the magic in her horn discharged in a beautiful bloom of magical energy, reaching out towards the sun.
“Well, great,” Twilight grumbled as my friends (except Life Bloom and Apple Bloom) looked on in awe, “this entire loop is ruined. On the upside, I am very close to figuring out just how to get us out of here. I’ve already determined that this loop is self-terminating, so all I need to do is disable the mana engine and prevent the magical discharge from occurring at the end of each loop. If I can just do that once, then we should be able to get out of here.”
“That’s great!” I said, smiling as my friend’s looks of awe turned into confusion. “But anyways, what do you think of my big sister?”
Twilight tilted her head. “I’m not sure what you’re asking, she’s one of my best friends, but you already knew that so…” Her eyes went wide. “Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re thinking that–”
“You two would make such a great couple,” I said, bouncing up into the air. “You know I’m right.”
“Why would you think we were… What prompted this pairing in your mind?” Twilight asked, gesturing for me to follow her out into the orchard where my friends couldn’t overhear.
“Well, you’re both such great friends, you’re both… you were both unicorns, you both like Canterlot, and I think you two just have a lot in common.”
Twilight rolled her eyes as we walked into the orchard. “There’s something you’re not telling me,” she said.
“Well, you know how she always wanted to marry into royalty, right?” I asked, giving her a tiny grin.
“Of course,” Twilight said, “she was absolutely devastated when Prince Blueblood turned out to be… well, Prince Blueblood, but I don’t see what that has to do with…” Her eyes went wide. “Oh… oh no. I am not going to date Rarity just because it would–”
“Fulfill one of her lifelong dreams and make her super happy?” I said.
“Exactly,” Twilight said before shaking her head. “I mean… no. I’m not going to date Rarity just because she wants to marry royalty.”
“Of course,” I said, nodding my head. “You’d go out with her because you both really like each other, and… one date wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world would it?”
Twilight sighed and sat down. “No… it wouldn’t, I just… I don’t know if I feel that way about her. I don’t know if she feels that way about me. I haven’t done anywhere near enough information to make an informed decision about this and–”
“One date!” I said. “That’s all I’m asking for, take her out next loop, and if you both have fun, then take her out on the perfect loop, alright? Pleaaaaasssse.”
“Fine,” Twilight said, sighing. “If it will make you happy, I can at least ask her out, it’s not like I can lose anything.”
***
“Well?” I asked as Twilight walked out of the boutique.
“She’s not interested,” Twilight said. “If I had to guess why, it’s probably because she’s not interested in dating one of her friends or it could be because she’s not interested in other mares. I don’t know why so many ponies just assume that these days. Yes, magical insemination has made mare on mare pairing more feasible, but there are still some ponies who prefer to do things the traditional way.”
“Huh?” I said, looking up at her. Twilight just shook her head.
“Forget I said anything, my point is that your sister isn’t romantically interested in me and I’m not particularly interested in her, so… Why did I agree to do this for you in the first place?”
“Because you feel bad about getting two innocent fillies stuck in a time loop for… how long has it been now?”
“Almost seven months,” Twilight said, glaring at me, “and I don’t know if I’d consider you innocent. Innocent fillies don’t scheme to get everypony they know in a relationship.”
“I just wanted you all to be happy,” I said, frowning. “And I wanted Rarity to get her chance to be royalty, but then she…” I gave an angry squeak before running off to confront my sister.
“Rarity!” I said as I opened the door to the boutique. “I went through all the trouble to get Twilight to ask you out and then you just turned her down? I thought you wanted to be a princess.”
My sister turned around to face me and I could see a bunch of emotions fighting on her face. “You made Twilight ask me out? Wha- Because you thought it would make me happy? Yes, I wanted to be a princess, but I have since outgrown such desires and learned to take pleasure in… simpler comforts. Did you ever stop to think I was in a happy relationship?”
“Uhmm… are you?” I asked, trying to think of who in town Rarity might be dating. I couldn’t think of anypony in town she would go well with. Even she and Twilight didn’t have that much chemistry, I just thought dating royalty would make her happy.
“No, I’m not dating anypony at the moment,” Rarity said, turning back to her work, “but I’m quite happy with where I’m at.”
“So… not dating anypony, but is there a pony you have a crush on?” I asked, trying to think of how I could make Rarity’s perfect day better.
“That’s none of your business,” she said as she went back to her stitching. “Now, I’d appreciate it if you let me work.”
“Fine,” I said, grumbling as I headed to the exit. Maybe my friends could help me figure out who she liked so I could set them up and they’d have the absolute best day ever. I had to get our last loop absolutely perfect.
***
“I don’t know,” Scootaloo said, leaning back into the beanbag chair in the clubhouse, “wasn’t she into that Tenderhoof guy a few months ago?”
“Trenderhoof,” I said, “but she didn’t really talk about him much after her fight with Applejack. Actually, she hasn’t talked about any stallions after she and Applejack patched things up.”
Scootaloo laughed and snorted, her wings twitching. “Maybe Applejack and Rarity got together. Can you imagine it? The stuffy snooty mare, no offense, and hardworking Applejack? It’s like… you couldn’t get a more opposite couple if you tried.”
“Actually,” I said, sitting down and tapping my chin, “that’s not completely crazy. I remember a few… yesterday, Apple Bloom mentioned something about Rarity spending a lot of time at the farm. Maybe they are dating! Ooh! Do you know what this means?”
“That Equestria has gone absolutely crazy?” Scootaloo asked, rolling her eyes.
“No! It means if they get married, Apple Bloom and I will be sisters and then I won’t have to worry about her leaving me once she gets her cutie mark because we’ll be family. Oh, this is the best news ever,” I said, bouncing around Scootaloo. “We need to set them up on a date for our final loop.”
“Final loop?” Scootaloo asked as I trotted off to the Apple’s farmhouse.
***
“Hey Applejack,” I said as I finally found the farmpony in her barn. It took way too long for me to find her and the loop was almost over. If it wasn’t for the fact it was apple bucking season, she’d probably already be in bed by now. I yawned. If it wasn’t for the fact that time was about to reset, I’d probably be in bed now.
“Oh… uhh, hey sugarcube, what are ya doin’ out here? I thought ya’d be at the clubhouse with the rest of your friends, it’s awful late to be wandering the orchards.”
“Do you like my sister?” I asked, being a bit more direct than I’d normally like. It would’ve been nice to engage in some small talk, but the loop was about to end and I didn’t want to have this conversation again. I still hadn’t figured out how I was going to pay for Rarity’s spa day, since robbing her on the last loop was probably a really bad idea. Besides, I already felt a little bad for stealing from her in previous loops, and those didn’t even count.
“Uhmm… well o’ course I do, she’s one o’ my best friends,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head.
“I meant do you like her romantically,” I said. The stupid mana engine could blow up at any second, and Applejack was avoiding the question. On the other hoof, if I could get her to give me a straight answer, I could probably trust anything the Bearer of Honesty said.
“Ah… Rarity’ll kill me if she finds out Ah told ya. She already doesn’t like it that Apple Bloom knows, and Ah get her reasonin’ if our friends find out we’ been meetin’ for the past few months, things probably won’t go that smooth, but Ah also hate the idea of hidin’ this from my friends,” she said, giving a sigh. “And if Granny Smith finds out about this, Ah don’ know what she’ll do.”
“Ooh! You are dating,” I said, beaming and bouncing around Applejack. “I’m so happy for you, I bet you’ll make the best couple and just have the cutest babies. Oh, I’m so excited.”
“Now’n sugarcube, I need you not to tell anypony we’re seein’ each other. Ah want to make the announcement myself.”
“That’s fine,” I said as I felt the familiar crackle of magical energy in the air that signaled the breaking of the engine. It wasn’t even midnight now, it was definitely exploding earlier and earlier. So, Applejack and my sister were… kind of dating. That took care of one thing, now I just had to figure out how I was going to pay for this perfect day.
***
“So, you’re sure the coin will land the same way it did yesterday?” I asked as we approached Berry’s Bar. For some reason, the soda joint attracted all of Ponyville’s gamblers. Probably because of what they had in the basement..
Life Bloom nodded. “Most events of chance end the same way as long as they were initiated in roughly similar circumstances. As long as you flip the same coin at the same place at the same time, with a margin of two seconds, each day, it should have the same result. If you can find someone to bet on the races with you, that would be even better as the results are always exactly the same.”
“Got it,” I said as we continued our walking. “How are things with Apple Bloom?”
She sighed as we walked into the bar. “Unfortunately, learning more about her does nothing to dissuade my infatuation. She’s a hard-working alchemical prodigy who has been nothing but kind to me. I also discovered that she once harbored a crush on… well, the who is not important, what is relevant is that she is amenable to dating another mare.”
“Cool!” I said as I took my seat at the bar. “And how has being casual and friendly going?”
“Alright,” Life Bloom said before ordering a seltzer water. How could she drink that stuff? “It’s… difficult, but I am working to speak more colloquially. Perhaps… I can tell she still thinks I’m too serious.”
“Just give it time,” I said, ordering a root-beer float. “I mean, outside-of-loop time, not inside-loop time.”
“I knew what you meant,” Life Bloom said. “Now, should we start the betting?”
I nodded and turned to look at the other ponies in the bar, pulling a bit out of my saddlebags. “I’ve got two bits saying that this coin is going to land heads up when I flip it,” I said, looking at the clock: 1:17:49, I had to remember the time of each flip if Life Bloom was right, and since she researched all this time stuff, I kind of guessed she was. Maybe if I won enough, I could get somepony to bet on the races for me.
***
Several dozen loops later, I’d figured out that most ponies would stop taking my bets after I won twenty coin tosses in a row. It didn’t even matter if I let them flip it, they still didn’t want to take my bet. I stared at my pile of several hundred bits. It was definitely good, but I needed more if I wanted to buy Rarity the spa’s super special deluxe package. I turned to the bartender. “Is there any chance I can make a bet on the race?”
“I don’t know,” the bartender, a gruff light-gray stallion with three four-leaf clovers for a cutie mark said, “we don’t really make it a habit of lettin’ fillies bet.”
“Just one bet,” I said, giving him my best begging look. “I promise that’s all I want.”
“Fine,” he said, “one bet, but as far as I’m concerned you’re an eighteen-year old mare, got it?”
I nodded and pulled a sheet of paper out of my saddlebags and floated it to him. “Great, I’d like to bet that all these ponies will win the next few races. I’ll need my winnings by three.” I had all the big things taken care of at least a bit, now I just needed to practice it until I had my timing down to the second.
***
A bolt of magical energy stung me in the back of the neck and my eyes snapped open. I’d worked out a deal with Twilight where she’d zap me with a mild magical shock the second the loop started, giving me enough time to do everything I needed to do. I smiled as I combed my hair, last night, Twilight had assured us she’d figured out how to get us out of this loop. Today was the end of the loop and I’d planned out everything so it’d be perfect, Life Bloom had even agreed to help me out with Socket and Scootaloo since today was going to be super busy. I checked the clock in my room, 8:18. I’d found out on the last few practice runs that Rarity didn’t get up until 9:33, leaving me plenty of time to fix breakfast.
Over the last six months, I’d gotten… okay at cooking. I mean, they weren’t as good as Pinkie’s cupcakes, but they were edible and my cooking didn’t wake up any ancient evils that destroyed the town, so that was a huge improvement. I started heating up the frying pan before going to chop up the fruits for Rarity’s fruit salad. We had pineapple, apples, melons, grapes, and blueberries. I didn’t chop up those two last things.
I nodded at the finished fruit salad and put it on the tray before turning back to the stuff I needed to make the Prench toast batter. This and the stove-using part would be the hardest, but I could do it. I’d spent the last month doing practice runs for today, I knew what to bet when, and I knew how to make Prench toast. Today was the day where I put it all together and sang with Melody. Life Bloom was going to work with Socket to design a course for Scootalooo, and I was planning on spending the time Rarity was in the spa with Applejack with my friends playing Apple Bloom’s favorite card game. I hadn’t practiced that bit because I didn’t want to give myself an accidental advantage.
The toast finished frying, and I slid it onto the plate before pouring a glass of orange juice. I glanced at the clock, it was 9:23. Perfect. I grabbed the tray with my magic and headed to my sister’s room. “Wake up!” I said as I opened the door.
My sister gave a snort and her eyes flicked open. “Sweetie Belle, what are you…” Her eyes moved towards the tray I was carrying. “Is that for me? Did you make that for me?”
I nodded. “Yep! This is your perfect breakfast in bed, right? I’ve been working for months to get all this right.”
“It… it is,” Rarity said, her eyes moving between the tray and me. “But… how? Yesterday, your cooking was positively hazardous to everypony except Spike, and now this… this looks positively edible. Not just that, it looks appealing.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling at her. “I guess I’m just having a good day.” I watched as she took a bite of the french toast and her eyes went wide.
“Sweetie Belle, this is… well, not excellent, but certainly very good. You… thank you for the wonderful surprise.”
“It’s not done yet,” I said, heading to the door. “After you’re done eating, this morning’s edition of The Equestria Daily is on the table and a full kettle of water is on the stove so you can sip tea while reading news. Just be sure to be at the spa by 12:30.”
“Wait, what?” she asked as I headed out of her room, grabbed my saddlebags and few bits, and trotted out the boutique. I needed to be at the Berry Bar in time to bet on the 10:00 AM and the 11:00 AM race. Practice had taught me how to convince the bartender to accept my bets (it involved promising him a 20% cut of my winnings).
***
Two hours later, I walked out of Berry’s Bar with my saddlebags almost bursting with bits. Eight-thousand bits would go to the spa’s super deluxe package, a few thousand would go to buying materials for Scootaloo’s awesome stunt course, and a few hundred bits were for future ice cream runs. What? I wanted to keep a little something for the future, and I’d probably use the money to buy ice cream for my friends. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair if I had ice cream and they didn’t.
“Heya!” I said, walking into the spa. The pink pony behind the counter waved at me.
“Ah, good morning, vhat can we do for you today?” she asked, her Germane accent easily recognizable.
I poured a pile of ten-bits on the counter. “This should cover two ponies for the ultra-deluxe spa package right?”
She nodded and I smiled at her. “Great! I’d like to make a reservation for two at 12:30 under the name of Rarity?”
“Rarity is coming?” the pony who was either Aloe or Lotus said. “Zat is good, we have not seen her in some time.”
I glanced at the clock. It was 11:30, I needed to get to the Apple Farmhouse in thirty minutes while Applejack was coming in for lunch. I gave the spa pony a nod and sprinted out into Ponyville.
***
I was panting for breath when I finally reached Applejack’s house, and Applejack was just about to head inside. “Well hey, sugarcube, what brings you all the way out here in such a hurry? Somethin’ ain’t wrong with the clubhouse is it?”
I shook my head, still gasping for air. “Rarity… you… spa… 12:30,” I managed to say between breaths. Based on her expression, Applejack figured out what I was getting at.
“Well, while Ah’d love to spend some time with yer sister, Ah got lots o’ work to do on the farm today,” she said. Right on cue, Big Macintosh came over the hill.
“Hey Big Macintosh,” I said, managing to get more than one word out between breaths. “Your sister… wants to spend time with… her special somepony this afternoon. Can you cover for her?”
He spent a few seconds looking between me and Applejack, chewing slowly on his wheat stalk. “Eeyup.”
“Really?” Applejack said, frowning. “You don’t have to cover for me, it ain’t no trouble. If… they wanted to spend time with me, they could’ve done and made these plans earlier and not when I’m busy workin’.”
“She didn’t make it, I did because I wanted to do something nice for her. I really wanted to give her a perfect day, and I thought you’d want to help with that,” I said. If she didn’t agree to this, the whole plan was ruined, but most days she could be convinced, especially if Big Mac was here to help..
Applejack stood motionless for a few seconds, and I could see her thinking everything over. “Alright, Sweetie Belle, Ah’ll be there, but only if it ain’t no trouble with Big Mac.”
“Eenope,” he said. “Go on and ‘ave fun, lil’ sis.”
“Thanks,” she said, nodding her head at her brother. “Ah guess Ah better get goin’. If ya need anythin’, I’ll be at the spa.”
Big Macintosh laughed after she walked out of sight. “She must really like this pony if she’s willing to go to the spa for her.”
“Hopefully,” I said, walking back to the clubhouse. It was almost 12:30, and I wanted to spend at least three hours with Apple Bloom. Her wish was so simple, I absolutely had to do it.
***
“Hey girls,” I said, walking into the clubhouse and seeing who was there. Scootaloo, Socket, and Life Bloom were still out, but they were usually back before 1:00. “Melody, I was wondering if you’d like to do a song with me after Scootaloo does her stunts tonight.”
“Could you get a piano there?” she asked, frowning and looking down at the floor. “I don’t really have that good a singing voice.”
“Of course,” I said. “We’ve already got all the planning stuff taken care of, I just wanted to know if you’d be interested.”
“Yes, absolutely,” she said. “I told you the other day that I’d love to perform with you, and I’ve never really been bothered performing in front of crowds. When I’m playing my piano it’s like they aren’t really there.”
“Great,” I said, pulling a few papers out of my saddlebags. “Here’s the song I want to do tonight, does that work for you?”
She spent a few minutes looking through it, her blush growing as she did. “You really want to sing this with me?”
I nodded at her. “Of course I do, I’d love to sing it with any of my friends.”
“Really?” she asked, frowning. “Well, I’m just happy you chose me to sing it with you.”
I pulled a bag of bits out of my saddlebags and tossed them to her. “Here you go,” I said as Scootaloo grabbed the bits with her teeth. “That should cover all the costs you need.”
She gave me a look of confusion and I scrambled to explain why I had so many bits laying around. “Uhmm… I’ve been saving part of my allowance for a really long time, and I thought it would be nice to do something for you girls. I guess helping you with your show tonight kind of counts.”
“Cool!” Socket said, grabbing the bag. “If you don’t mind, I can definitely turn all this into something awesome.” I nodded my head at him.
“I just have one teeny-tiny request,” I said as I pulled a card deck out of my now almost empty saddlebags. “Can we all play Go-Fish with each other for a few hours?”
Scootaloo and Socket nodded while Life Bloom just took her seat next to Apple Bloom. “Great!” I said as I started dealing. “I promise, this is going to be super fun.”
***
I looked nervously at the absolutely crazy obstacle course Life Bloom, Scootaloo, and Socket had spent the day building. It had loops, a burning ring of fire, a spike pit, and a swinging blade trap. How could they make all this in one day? Why did they even need a spike pit? There were way too many questions that I didn’t really want to know the answer to, so I turned my attention back to the piano we’d transported all the way from the school to the park. It was easy enough when Scootaloo was helping pull it, but now that it was just Life Bloom and me carrying it, I felt like my horn was about to explode.
“Do we really need to drag this thing almost a mile just for your crazy perfect day idea?” she asked, grunting. I nodded at her.
“Of course we do, it wouldn’t be Melody’s perfect day if she didn’t get to sing with me, and I want all my friends to have a perfect day.”
“What about me?” Life Bloom asked as we hoisted the piano up on the stage, both of our horn’s flickering from magic strain.
I frowned, when I was trying to figure out what everypony’s perfect day was, I could’ve sworn she said that seeing tomorrow would be enough. Had she wanted more and just hadn’t said it. “I’m sorry, Life Bloom, I thought you just wanted to see tomorrow. If you’d have told me, I would’ve been happy to plan something.”
“It’s fine,” she said as we got the piano up on the stage. “You encouraged me to spend time with Apple Bloom and gave me advice when I needed it.” She gave a laugh. “Besides, without you, this day would’ve been much duller.”
“Was that a joke?” I asked as I looked over the stage. It looked like we had everything in order.
“I’ve been working on it,” she said, giving me a smile. “I doubt I’ll be headlining at a comedy club in the near future, but I’ve read several books on the anatomy of jokes and what makes something funny or not. I dare say I’ve gotten well-versed on the nature of comedy today.”
“That’s great,” I said, giving her a smile of my own. “I didn’t know they made books about being funny, but if they’re helping you, then that’s great.”
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes going to the park where ponies were going to watch our show. “Do you think anypony will show up?”
“Well, Apple Bloom is telling everypony in town about the show now, and there isn’t really anything else going on tonight, so I bet we’ll at least have a few ponies show up. Hopefully, Rarity and Applejack will show up, but I know Applejack was worried about farm stuff,” I said, taking a seat next to the piano so I could get a bit of rest before the show started. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and Scootaloo was going to start at 7:00. Right now, she was practicing some of her stunts behind the stage. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be one of those shows that started a few minutes late. “Thanks for helping me with Scootaloo today.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Life Bloom said, sitting next to me. “Between her and Socket, they needed somepony to make sure they didn’t do something too dangerous.”
“Uhmm… there are swinging blades and a ring of fire,” I said, looking over the obstacle course.
“I’m aware of that,” she said, sighing. “I had to give them something though. At least I convinced them to dull the edges of the blade so if something goes wrong with that, Scootaloo will just have a broken rib. That’s… something, I suppose.”
“It was fun though, right,” I said, thinking of the months we spent in the loop.
“What was?” Life Bloom asked, tilting her head as she looked at me.
“All the stuff we did in the loop, I’m actually a little nervous that tomorrow will be… well, tomorrow.”
“You liked the certainty living the same day over and over provided. All variables were accounted for and you didn’t have to worry about consequences. Today’s different though, what happens now is something we have to deal with tomorrow. I know I’m going to struggle with getting used to that.”
“Yeah,” I said as ponies started taking their seats in the park. Some had brought blankets and picnic baskets, while others just took a seat on the grass. Rarity and Applejack took a seat near the front and a few minutes later, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash joined them. Right, I guess the downside of having a secret relationship was that your friends had no problems ruining your “dates.”
I shook my head. “I think it’s almost time, should we go let Scootaloo know?”
Life Bloom nodded as we got to our hooves. “That would probably be for the best. Then you and Melody should get ready. I don’t know how long Scootaloo’s show is going to last, but I can’t imagine it would take more than an hour.”
“It doesn’t look like this course would take more than a few minutes. Is there anything else she’s going to do?” I asked as we walked backstage.
“Indeed, the obstacle course is just the grand finale. She plans on doing several other stunts and maneuvers beforehoof. Of course, she’s been very secretive about what those stunts might be, as she believes I will tell somepony,” she said as we went behind the curtain and I looked for my friends. Scootaloo was driving her scooter off a ramp to see how high she could go, Melody was studying the sheet music I’d given her, and Socket was… He was working the fireworks. Well, at least he couldn’t do worse with them than I did. That gazebo took forever to fix.
“Hey Scootaloo,” I said as she landed from her jump, “It’s 6:47, do you want to get ready?”
“Yep, thanks for reminding me,” she said while I walked over to Melody. Butterflies tickled my stomach, but I tried not to think of them. This was my first time singing in front of ponies, and the thought of messing things up for Melody… Like I said, I really didn’t want to think about it.
“Can you do the song?” I asked Melody as I sat next to her behind the stage. “If you’re not sure, we totally don’t have to do anything tonight.”
“No, I can do this,” she said, smiling at me and scooting just a teeny bit closer. I guess she was kind of cold, so she was trying to get close to another warm body. “Like I said, when I’m playing my piano, I don’t really notice the crowds.”
“Just wanted to make sure,” I said, nodding my head at her. “Do you mind if I practice a bit before we go on stage?”
She shook her head. “Not at all, I love hearing your singing.” I gave her a smile and started practicing.
***
Scootaloo finished her show by jumping through the burning hoop and over the entirety of the crowd before landing safely on stage, and the entire audience went crazy. Ponies were cheering and applauding, and Rainbow Dash flew up on stage to talk about just how cool several of Scootaloo’s tricks were. Scootaloo looked like she was about to explode from excitement as she and Rainbow Dash walked off stage.
Melody and I went out onto the stage. “Uhmm… hi,” I said while Melody took her seat at the piano. “So, I’m Sweetie Belle, but most of you probably already knew that, and this is my friend Melody… I mean, Melodious Sonata. I’d… We’d like to sing a song before you all leave, and it goes to all the good friends out there.
Melody gave me a weird look at that part before she started her playing. I tapped my hoof, feeling the beats while waiting for my cue. Whatever part of me that was worried about singing in front of ponies vanished while I focused on singing the words.
Ooh, you make me live,
whatever this world can give to me,
it’s you, you’re all I see...
I looked out at the audience, and almost everypony was smiling. It was… did they actually like my singing? I know ponies said my singing was good, and I’d been on stage a few times, but I never saw an audience look this happy.
You’re the best friend
that I ever had.
I’ve been with you such a long time,
you’re my sunshine,
and I want you to know
that my feelings are true,
I really love you.
You’re my best friend.
That last line was always a little weird to me, but I guess they were talking about friendly love, like good friends have for each other. I mean, the song was called “You’re My Best Friend”, not “You’re the Love of My Life” or something like that. I glanced at Melody who was staring dead ahead at her piano and acting like the outside world didn’t exist. I guess she wasn’t joking when she said she ignored the outside world when she played, but for some reason she was still blushing a little. She blushed a lot.
You’re the first one,
when things turn out bad.
You know I’ll never be lonely.
You’re my only one...
Why did this song about best friends have to act like you could only have one? I had five best friends, and each one of them were my favorites. Was it that crazy for a pony to have multiple best friends? It was like dating, there were a bunch of rules saying you could only date one pony, but what if somepony liked a bunch of other ponies? I mean, it would make the weird love triangle in our group a lot easier, but apparently that wasn’t an option. Maybe I could ask Rarity about that tomorrow. The thought of tomorrow almost made me miss my next line.
The song ended, and ponies actually applauded. Not just polite hoof stomping, but… they were really smiling. My singing made them happy. It was… that was all I wanted to do with acting, but one little song did something none of my acting ever did. It made other ponies feel good. I felt a warm tingly wave wash over me as I bowed in front of the audience. I could do this. I wanted to sing for them again and again and make everypony happy. I could do that. I thought of all the happiness I could create if I dedicated my life to singing.
I was so happy, it took me a minute to realize Melody was poking me on the shoulder. The rest of the audience had stopped stomping their hooves and were just staring at me. “Uhmm… I’m sorry to bother you, but maybe you should look at your flank. If you want, that is.” I turned my head back to look at myself, and found a pink heart with two purple eighth notes on it, one higher than the other.
“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
The ponies who were smiling a second ago pressed their hooves against their ears, but I didn’t care as I ran off to hug all of my friends. “I can’t believe I finally got my cutie mark!” I squealed as my friends all ran in for a group hug.
“That’s great, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said as we wrapped our forelegs around each other. The only pony who wasn’t in the group hug now was Socket who was busy launching the fireworks, causing the sky above us to turn into a sea of different colors. Even Scootaloo joined the group hug, and she hated this kind of stuff. “I always knew you were a great singer. Sorry for not telling you sooner, I just… I figured there was a good reason you didn’t want a singing cutie mark.”
“It’s fine,” I said as I tightened my grip on my friends, “I’m just happy you were with me when I got it. I don’t care if that song says you can only have one best friend, you girls are all my best friends in the whole world.”
“Uhh… you know that song is totally about a relationship, right?” Scootaloo said from next to me. She and Melody were both pressed up right against me in the hug.
“Wha–” I started to say before another pony joined the hug.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you Sweetie Belle,” my big sister said as she wrapped her forehooves around me as well. “I always knew you were a marvelous singer, but now I know that you are also a remarkably considerate pony, and I have absolutely no idea how you managed to plan such a wonderful day for me. So, was there any pony in particular you were singing to tonight?”
“I was singing it to show how much I cared for my friends,” I said, frowning as the hug started to break up.
Rarity laughed. “Oh? Your friends must be very dear to you, because that’s one of Equestria’s more popular love songs. I never really preferred rock songs, but your interpretation of it was simply divine. You are a marvelous singer, Sweetie Belle, and I’m glad you realized that.”
“Yeah,” I said frowning, “I just wish I realized that was a love song earlier. I really just wanted to let all my friends know how much they meant to me, and instead I sang them a romance song.”
“So what?” Scootaloo asked. “Life Bloom told me it was your idea to have this big show tonight so I could show off my stunts… Actually, I’m kind of surprised I didn’t get my cutie mark tonight, but I guess it’s cool because I wouldn’t want to steal your moment. My point is that apparently you tried to do something nice for all of your friends and Rarity today, and some of the lengths you went to were absolutely crazy. You don’t need to sing us a song for us to know how much you like us.”
“Thanks,” I said as the last volley of fireworks went off. Maybe I shouldn’t have given Socket so much money for fireworks. “I guess we should go back to the clubhouse and see how Twilight’s doing with the mana engine,” I said, trotting off back towards the clubhouse. Taking down the stage could wait until tomorrow. Ooh! This was an absolutely perfect last loop.
***
“Hey girls,” Twilight said as we walked back to the clubhouse. Rarity had left us behind to talk with Applejack a little bit more. She said she wanted to speak with her friends, but I’m pretty sure there was just one friend she was thinking about. “I have everything ready. I’m going to induce a magical cascade through use of mana harmonics that should end the loop.” Luckily, Socket was staying behind to make sure all the fireworks were properly disposed of, otherwise he’d probably be upset about us messing with his mana engine.
Life Bloom and I nodded while the rest of my friends just looked confused. Twilight’s horn hummed with magical energy and the engine matched her. Magic bounced between Twilight and the engine until finally, the thing cracked and a blinding wave of white light washed over us all. Something told me her plan didn’t work.
***
“Sweetie Belle, are you alright? It’s almost noon, I don’t think I’ve ever known you to sleep this late,” Rarity said, waking me up and causing my heart to feel like the stupid mana engine had been dropped on it. It wasn’t fair, yesterday had been perfect. I’d gotten everything right, made everyone happy, and I’d finally figured out what my special talent was, and it was all just… gone. The sadness in my stomach suddenly turned solid and I leapt out of my bed towards my junk closet to search for my baseball bat. I might’ve been absolutely terrible at hitting a baseball, but I could definitely beat up the giant mana engine that ruined my perfect day! I’d spent months trying to get everything right, and now it was all gone. I grabbed the baseball bat with my teeth and sprinted out of my room.
“Sweetie Belle, what are you– When did you get your…” I couldn’t hear the rest of her question as I flew down the stairs and rocketed out of the boutique. The mana engine was going to pay for ruining everything. It might not actually do anything, but it might make me feel a bit better, so that was something. Besides, it’s not like anything I did today would ever matter, so why not beat up the dumb hunk of metal?
“Whoa, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said as I ran past the clubhouse, “how did you get your–”
“‘A’er!” I yelled, my teeth digging into the wood of the bat. As soon as I got close to the engine, I swung my neck and whacked one of the engine’s big dumb tubey things. Then I whacked it again and again while Twilight just looked on in horror. Giving whatever the fancy shiny thing on top of the engine was one final whack, I nodded at my hoofwork and spat out the bat.
“Sweetie, what did you do?” Twilight asked, staring at the engine as it started to cackle and Socket just screamed in horror.
“The dumb thing ruined my perfect day. I’d finally gotten everything exactly right, and then it just went and looped us back. I thought you said you’d figured out how to stop the loop,” I said, glaring at her.
“I thought I did too, I suppose I just miscalculated,” she said as the crackling and cackling of the engine grew louder. “You do realize that you can just recreate the perfect day later though, r–” She stopped and stared at my flank. I was about to ask her what was so interesting when a beam of white energy came out of the antennae-ey thing on the top of the machine and raced off into space.
“Huh…” Twilight said, tilting her head and lighting up her horn. “You must have damaged the magical inhibitor in the engine, which is causing…” Her ears perked up. “Of course, in the event of inhibitor damage, the mana engine’s failsafe triggers and it vents all of its magical energy.”
“Does that mean that the loop is…” I trailed off, staring at the beam of white light that seemed to go on forever. She was right, I could have recreated the perfect day, but instead I’d just broken us out of the time loop. My friends would never know how much I cared about them.
“Without any magic to fuel it, the engine will become inert and the loop will close. It’s over.” She laughed. “And to think all we had to do to get out of the loop was damage the magical inhibitor ring. I had dismissed the idea earlier because I thought the solution was too simple…” She turned and noticed that I was shaking while behind us, the engine went silent. “Are you alright?”
“I could’ve redone my perfect day… I had another chance to get everything right, but instead I just… I got upset and broke the engine and now I can’t. It’s all gone.” I felt my eyes get wet and was completely sobbing a second later.
“Uhmm… not everything is gone,” Twilight said while Apple Bloom tapped on my shoulder.
“What… what do you mean?” I asked, still sniffling. I turned to look at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo who were staring at me with a mix of awe and confusion on their faces.
“Hey… Sweetie,” Apple Bloom said slowly, her eyes staring at my flank as I turned to see what she was staring at. “How did you get your cutie mark?”