Looking back, Twilight should have known better. She really should have. Starlight wasn't all there to begin with, and it took only a few words, spoken in anger at the wrong time, to transform her into a real monster.
Now trapped in an endless time-travel hell powered by the mad unicorn's fury, Twilight must hold on to her sanity as she chases the one thing that can free her from her torment and set the world back on its path.
For the sake of her friends, she mustn't break.
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.
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Editors, pre-readers, etc:
GuyWhoWritesThings
Applejinx
Manaphy
Queue
Majin Syeekoh
Shardikku
Reluctant Brohoof wrote most of the long summary.
The cover art is A New Villain Appears by Lukeine.
Chapters (2)
Heheheh... Well, this ought to be an interesting ride.
A seems like the most productive of the choices—let's learn a bit more about what that spell can do.
Back in action? Hell yes.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Starlight seems too crazy to question, and Twilight isn't ready to overpower her, so A, B, and C are out.
Best way to help Rainbow Dash would be to reset everything so this never happened.
I'm going to go with E. Run away, and see about getting help from this timeline's Celestia.
attack her. But do it smarter. I've seen no proof that shields can keep out teleporters. Pop inside it and get the drop on her. Hell, teleport inside Starlight and explode her like the beachball in Lesson Zero
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Telefragging appears to not be an option.
This is an interesting concept. I look forward to how it plays out. As for my vote, I'm going to go with...
A.
Definitely A.
Seeing how Twilight already tried (and failed) to execute both options B) and C), and how counter productive options D) and E) are I think that the most logical one would be A).
I'd go with D.
Starlight is trying to psych you out Twi, check on Dash and don't lose yourself.
B and C seem impossible, D seems like it could easily drop sanity more than help. A could be good to do but E could be a good idea right after, see if Starlight might get mad and make a mistake.
Twilight should just complete that pathetic unicorn's "tests" and then vaporize her.
Starlight is a shit character.
I wonder if Twilight will be forced to use dark magic like King Sombra's, then after its all over, kill Starlight and become Queen.
Good start, but I already want to
rip Starlight limb from limbno too good...
burn her alive before nearly drowning her to death in boiling water and then doing it all over againstill not enough
feed her into a meat grinder, tail--firstnope
slowly gas her to deathstill not enough
burn her alive before nearly drowning her to death, but when she's catching her breath there's also a little bit of chlorine /mustard gas mixed in, and do this over and over again, before feeding her tail-first into a giant meat grinder, but it's also red-hot.
I'll say D
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It might happen. I suppose we'll have to wait and see what Starlight manages to bring out in Twilight, eh?
If anything. Maybe Starlight won't break Twilight. I'm trying to be unpredictable here.
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I'm glad I managed to show that she's not going to be portrayed as a sympathetic character here. Starlight is one of my favorite characters, but this story needs an extremely deranged incarnation of her to serve effectively as a villain.
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Some of this stuff may turn up in the next chapter!
I've removed the options thing, since it was gimmicky, but that doesn't mean people can't affect Twilight's decisions by suggesting ideas for her. Additionally, I might put more than one pick in the chapter if they can co-exist. So, please, give your input! Thank you! <3
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For an instant you brought me back to the land of Doom 2 WADs. I will give your comment a thumbs-up for this.
Hi para! Here is a comment and an up vote. But mainly a comment. A very useful comment, maybe.
But unlikely
Well, that's one heck of a way to make an entrance. Starlight's really gone off the deep end, here. Like, at the bottom of a black hole kind of deep.
Spike's just a foreshadowing of what you intend to do to your readers, huh?
Adding a tag doesn't necessarily make a fanfic generic. I think the mention of blood, muscles, red circle, and the part with Starlight murdering Spike are quite dark.
Also, putting choices for readers to vote can be great if handled well, and can create interesting debates. Here is a good fanfic as an example, if you want to have a look.
I am interested by this premise, and I'm curious to see where this is going.
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omg thanks nermal <3
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I killed Spike because I wanted to isolate Twilight completely from outside influences, making Starlight the only constant companion she has. This increases the pressure on her.
But yes. This story will generate massive spears of light through your body as you read it. You will die, but at least you will be enjoying a
shittysomewhat okaycompletely amazing fic while you do.8103462
Kami bb pls.
Those who have not seen the Starlight will be equalized in due time.
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You convinced me to change the tags! Good job! <3
I'm still wobbling on the reader participation. You made some good points. Mayhaps you could care to, ploze convince me further, as I am on the fence.
8103983 I'll have a lawyer over to pass you the upvotes and funeral expenses.
8103993 It might help to let readers know how much control you're giving them through those 'choices'. As in, are you just letting them choose the 'flavour' of Twilight's defeat/victory, or are there actual smart and stupid choices with vastly different, irreversible results? Though, considering how Starlight has access to Doctor Strange levels of time manipulation here, the only permanence will be on Twilight's psyche.
You somehow made Starlight even more godlike, and Twilight even more useless at magic, than the cartoon!
8104246 now that is funny
8103993 more please
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Originally, the story's potential endings were practically limitless. Twilight could be dead, insane, friends with Starlight, or anything in between, by the end. Even without the readers making direct choices, I'm still going to take some influence from what's talked about in the comments and apply it to Twilight's actions at times, so the possibilities are still quite vast.
In fact...
oi66.tinypic.com/102wnqp.jpg
Liking this very much so far, hope to see more. :D
Twilight Sparkle should have a delayed war flashback because the Sunlight Spear through Spike's chest reminded her of an incredibly cheesy, incredibly delicious quesadilla - her greatest, most deep-seated fear - and immediately begin questioning Starlight Glimmer on how she knew the way through Spike's heart was his cholesterol. She should then attempt to push aside enough of her panic to try and fish out Spike's cholesterol medication from her saddles and force-feed it to him, as even when alive, she basically has had to force her hoof elbow-deep into Spike's throat to make him take the awful pills.
Once Starlight Glimmer gets close and wonders if Twilight Sparkle might be more damaged than she is, Twilight should make use of this grand opportunity to make out with Starlight Glimmer, and then reach her hooves up to caress her mane, then use that opportunity in turn to smash her horn to bits and take the scroll to resurrect Spike while she practices her apology for desecrating his corpse.
Tl;dr (B) Creative!
this story is terrible
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Why do you say that? Thanks for the comment, also!
She should try to use a shield spell
Twilight should, in this moment where Starlight Glimmer has displayed magical creativity and knowledge that Twilight is aware she herself should have made use of in their past encounter - become weak-kneed in adoration for this unicorn, that clearly accels beyond her in all ways and is truly her superior in both magic and studiousness, if not friendship. Then, upon realizing this fatal flaw, she should move in, seeking to avert the slaughter by offering to light the spark of friendship in Starlight Glimmer's heart once more - except, this time, because her previous approaches have failed, Twilight tries to channel something different, namely one of Rarity's trashy lesbian romance novels.
Thus, Twilight Sparkle makes her move, Spike the Dragon's need to be revived temporarily forgotten as Twilight indulges her own needs for the heliotropic perfection before her - a petite, lithe unicorn of a mare. Once the deed is done, and Starlight Glimmer has found one of the many perks of Friendship (with Benefits), Twilight should initiate the next phase of her plan and retrieve the scroll, lost among rolling clouds in the entangling of muzzles and hooves that previously took place in the remains of Cloudsdale, amidst the carnage. Upon having the scroll, she rewinds time, first to remove the sullying of her body brought onto her by using it as the temptress she is upon Starlight Glimmer, then to revive Spike the Dragon, then to age-regress Starlight Glimmer herself into a cute, wee diapered-foal with which to leave with Princess Celestia to become the diarch's next pupil, an alicorn to surpass Twilight Sparkle herself should she learn her lessons correctly.
Starlight seems to be casting spells faster than she ought to be on multiple occasions. Either she's just that good, or she's speeding up her own personal time as she casts (because she's just that good).
Unfortunately, neither of these is very good for Twilight.
This Starlight truly is a demon. Yet Twilight might still be able to vanquish her sooner or later, physically and mentally hurt but sane, holding her ground through her love for her family and friends.
I wonder if we will have a final, all-out, hoof and magic fight between the two mares near the end.
Hm.
Total surrender and acceptance, and then flinging herself into the path of the magic to the best of her ability at any given moment without thought of the consequences? Sort of "the magic buzz-saw will always go through me first and then 'do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law'"?
Some of this is about Twilight needing to win. Some is about Twilight needing to win HER WAY. Glimglam is there to punish any shred of ego Twi retains, clearly. If she's the God of the story it's definitely up to her. So what happens if Twi finally gets the reality of that and surrenders, but in an active way where she's always trying to do the next right thing, and remains herself? (depends on what kind of day Parasprite is having
)
Looks like Glimmer is out to obliterate Twi's personality, but how much of it and to what purpose? Mere physical or magical combat won't cut it, this rivalry isn't about that. I'd want to know what in Twi's arrogance and privilege (and that's kinda canon, depending on what episode it is, but also in a meta sense it's the Twi Show and even Glimmer is Twi 2.0) is the target here. This is about permanently breaking down Twi's ego, I think. The story is (or could be) about making Twilight Sparkle NOT the center of the MLP universe.
In that light, she will never destroy Glimmer directly. Something else must happen.
Lose her insanity.
...and want to torture this fucking cunt even more.
Not sure what Twilight should do. I like that "gets herself killed before everyone else" option.
This would happen much later, but if Twilight gets more fucked up in the head than a vietnam vet, than I'd really like it if in the end she figured out Starfuck's magic, and then used it to kill her again. and again. and again. Until she realizes why you don't fuck people up in the head.
The problem with a using time travel spells are ethics becomes more and more forgotten. The brain says 'I can just go back and undo, so I can do anything now.' The end is justified. While the heart is more concerned with the action as having more weight.
Bookhorse's heart wants to resist this madmare in every way. Her mind (judging by her acceptance of the plan to rewind Spike to life) is starting to wrap around that as the solution, so she might start seeing everything Glimmer does that way. Transitory.
Starlight Glimmer isn't giving Twilight time to really stop and plan anything, which I kinda think is the alicorns strength. Glim is horrible action and whim removed from all thought of responsibility. As much as I hate say it, I'd stop fighting her.
She is too tough a target right now and has too many fall back plans (like that healing trick) to reliably be taken down if Twi does manage a hit. Land at the starting line and harden your heart Sparkle, she's trying to break that, not these foals. She wants a rise from you, nothing logical.
That said, as resistance isn't working and Shimmer is committing her own violent whims, I might just scoop them both up and give them a hug. Commit some caring whims, it may not change the outcome, but it's what I can do in the face of an immoral unicorn using chronomancy to buff her casting and magical recovery times beyond anything I can counter.
As for any eventual reprisal to... her. No matter how long it takes, a week or a century your time. She has surrendered any decency in her actions. If you defeat her remember, you're a hero and she is a villain. Not misunderstood. You don't gloat or rant or avenge any harm. Once she is powerless, kill her; instantly and without word. You're not doing it to punish her, but to save others, don't waste your breath or time. Move onto the important work of fixing the timeline.
Parasprite, it's good to see you back and sounding a bit healthier based on your posts. This story reads nice and tight, absolutely gripping.
A nice bit of humor between all the death...
Whoah.. Awesome. Starlight is friggin' brutal in this! It's like a really well written train wreck, I can't look away. O.O ... Think I need eyedrops.
reminder to readers:
the story title applies as much time us as it does to Twi.
Fuck this mare and her attempts to break us. Keep trying to save the foals. If Starlight Glimmer is trying to play God here, lets spit in the face of God.
We can't let Twilight become cold to Starlight's evil, I say try to save foals, on top of that, I don't think Starlight would let Twi be killed or seriously injured.
Well the premise seems to be that Starlight is basically omnipotent and Twilight is pitiful at magic, so Twilight should probably focus on talking Starlight down.
Honestly, this just feels like a "trying too hard to be edgy" grimdark fanfic.