//------------------------------//
// Bonus Chapter: Alternate Ending to "Step Right in and Start Again" 
// Story: Discord's Apprentice 
// by Architect Ironturtle 
//------------------------------//

"I know there's no excuse for what I did.  But I want you all to know that I'm ready for whatever punishment you think is fair."

A string of swear words met her ears, and she blinked in surprise. Darkness was around and beneath her, but not all encompassing. Countless strands of light threaded above and below her, and in front a dark blue thestral with his back to her was staring at a ball of light on the tip of one of the those strings as he appeared to be shouting at it.

"...and this is why I hate time travel!" he concluded as he shook with rage, presumably talking to himself, "Now I have to prune this entire branch!" He started pulling on the ball with his teeth, and Starlight realized with a shock that the ball wasn't actually a ball at all, but in fact a series of loops, all leading back to its center, and within those loops she caught glimpses of... herself?

"There," he snorted in grim satisfaction as the ball came free, and he shoved it away with his hooves and into the waiting mouth of a nearby creature, one who's appearance fled Starlight's mind the moment she wasn't looking at it anymore because she could not comprehend what she was seeing. Looking back at the thread, she now saw that it was growing and splitting, the new tips quickly moving out of sight. "Stupid inverse Groundhog Day," the thestral muttered as he turned around, then blinked in surprise as he saw Starlight, "Wait, you're still here? You should have stopped existing when I trimmed your branch."

Starlight opened her mouth to reply, but he continued, "Wait. You're the one responsible for this! Do you have any idea what kind of a mess you've made? No wait, you don't, that's part of the problem." He grinned evilly, "But you will soon."

With that, he shoved something at her, and her mind exploded. Memories, days beyond counting filled her mind, each one starting the exact same way. It broke her, for a time, but she eventually pulled herself back together enough to understand what had happened. The spell had had some, unintended side effects, forcing her to repeat while everything else continued. What's worse than that, however, was that because the timeline kept having to loop itself back to her it couldn't grow the way it was supposed to, leaving it withering on the vine and forcing the Guardians to intervene.

"Good," The thestral said with satisfaction, "That should cover the punishment for your recklessness." he floated closer and stuck out a hoof, "Welcome to the Timeline Guardians, Ms. Glimmer. Anything that breaks reality so hard he, she, or it transcends it ends up as one of us and in charge of fixing all such future messes. You've got a long service ahead of you, and if you know what's good for you you won't try to escape. I'm Architect, and I'll be your probation officer."

Her mind still trying to collect itself, a stray thought slipped between Starlight's lips as bumped her hoof against his, "If that's how Guardians are made," she asked, "how did you become one?"

"Trust me," Architect muttered, "You don't want to know. Now come on," he pulled and she followed, "Headquarters is this way. I'll get you registered."

Starlight tried to protest, but then the emotions behind a hundred million years of memories hit her and she lost consciousness.