Ruler of Everything

by Sixes_And_Sevens

Full Circle

Rumble pushed his head up off the ground. “Celestia’s tits, Scootaloo, how did you manage to knock me over like that? You weigh as much as a wet dishrag.”

Scootaloo, standing on his chest, merely beamed at him. “Mass times velocity, man! Mass times velocity.”

Dinky quirked an eyebrow. “No way were you going that fast. Not without your scooter.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Well, it helped that he wasn’t paying attention.” She stepped neatly off Rumble’s chest and he rolled back onto his hooves.

Apple Bloom shook her head in wonder. “Ah can’t believe it. All of us, back in town on the same day. What’re the odds?”

Dinky frowned thoughtfully. “I mean, not that bad. You live here full-time, and most of us would come home for at least a little while after graduation…” she trailed off, noticing the others looking at her sidelong. “Oh. That was rhetorical. Sorry.”

Scootaloo smirked. “Looks like some things never change, huh?”

Dinky pinked. “Listen,” she said, “I’ve been on the honors track at arguably the nerdiest school in Equestria for the last four years, I picked up some weird habits.”

The others all chuckled, and Dinky cracked a grin.

“What was it like?” Sweetie asked. “Canterlot Magical Academy, I mean.”

Dinky shrugged. “Like I said, nerd central. Everyone there is one tragic backstory and an Igor away from going full mad scientist.”

“Seriously?” Apple Bloom said, raising a brow.

Dinky paused. “Well, that might just be the ponies I hung out with,” she allowed. “But, yeah. It was nice, I guess. I didn’t really get out much.”

“That’s too bad,” Scootaloo said. “I mean, I get it, college is a lot of work, but you gotta unwind every so often.”

Dinky made a noncommittal noise. “What about you guys? How’ve you been?”

Apple Bloom ran a hoof through her mane. “Well, y’know. Ponyville’s Ponyville. Bin pretty quiet, by our standards.”

Button frowned. “Mom wrote me a letter that said the town was under attack by a giant gorilla the Tuesday before last.”

“Yep,” Bloom said. “Like Ah said, pretty quiet.”

A prolonged silence fell. “Button’s going to a tech show!” Sweetie said brightly.

Button blushed. “Sweetie Belle,” he protested.

“What? It’s so cool! You weren’t telling them, and I couldn’t not let them know how awesome you are!”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Sounds real neat. Whatcha takin’?”

“Well…” Button said slowly. “I’ll show you. Later. When we’re inside somewhere and have an hour spare. And after I check over the machinery to make sure nothing’s jogged loose since I left Copper Hills. And after I make any repairs I need to make.” He paused and chuckled at himself, shaking his head. “Y’know, why don’t I just tell you now?” he asked.

Rumble grinned. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Basically,” said Button, setting down his bag and pulling out what looked like a hollowed-out robot leg, “you put these on all four of your hooves, and you can control the avatar in your game just by moving.”

“Oh!” Sweetie said, duly impressed.

“That sounds like it would be really cool for a fighting game,” Scootaloo said. “Can I try it on?”

Button stalled. “Um… I really want to get them to Baltimare in one piece.”

“Dude, I want to wear it, not smash it into a tree.”

“Yeah, I get that, but I’ve been working on these almost nonstop for two years now,” Button said. He let out a breath. “No, you’re right, I know you aren’t going to break it. Here, gimme your hoof.”

Hesitantly, Scootaloo held out her right forehoof.

Studying his device carefully, Button slipped it on her. She was about to mention that it was too big when he started turning wheels along the rim. Slowly, vise-like, the boot contracted to a mostly-tight, not-entirely comfortable fit.

Some of her discomfort must have read on her face, because Button said self-consciously, “It’s only a prototype, after all, I was a lot more worried about making it work than I was about ergonomics and stuff.”

“Right… Yeah. Yeah, this is really neat, Button,” Scootaloo said, flexing experimentally.

His smile was broad and deeply relieved. “Glad you like it,” he said.

Sweetie coughed, her smile having fallen some time ago. “Well, this is great and everything, but do you think maybe we could catch up over lunch?”

“Yeah, I could definitely go for a bite,” Button agreed.

Dinky frowned. “Well… Rumble and I kinda just had breakfast.”

“Really?” Scootaloo asked, raising a brow. “Breakfast was hours ago.”

“Well, we ate kinda late--” Rumble started, but Bloom was shaking her head incredulously.

“Ah jes’ finished breakfast two hours ago, and y’all are hungry already?”

“Hey, maybe I ate earlier than you did,” Scootaloo said defensively.

“Earlier than the Apple Family?” Dinky asked, clearly skeptical.

“Well, I’m hungry,” Sweetie said. “Everyone who’s hungry can eat lunch, and the rest of you can… split some appetizers, I guess?”

“It’s too early for lunch,” Bloom grumbled. “Look, it’s only…” she paused, glancing up toward the sun. “Noon?”

Dinky and Rumble joined her in frowning up at the sun. “Huh,” Dinky said. “Time flies, I guess.”

“Guess so,” Bloom agreed, scratching the back of her head. “Yeah, sure. Ah could go fer some chips an’ dip.”

“C’mon then!” Scootaloo said. “Let’s get to the bar before all the booths are taken!”

“Hold it,” Button said.

She glanced back, scowling at the interruption.

Button frowned at her. “I’m gonna need that boot back,” he said.

Scootaloo looked down. “Oh. Right. Um, how do you loosen this thing?”

---

Twilight groaned. Every part of her body ached, her horn particularly. What happened? She cracked one eye open. Cables lay strewn around her. Her right cheek was pancaked against the floor. It all came flooding back -- the danger, the pain, the near-death experience she’d barely escaped.

She scrambled to her hooves, but the sudden exertion left her dizzy and exhausted, and she soon collapsed back to the ground. Unwilling to give in, she crawled along the floor, half-pushing herself along with her wings until she reached the wall. Struggling to rise again, she managed to bite down on the pull-rope she’d installed for this very purpose before losing her footing again, yanking the rope from the ceiling. A resounding gong echoed throughout the castle, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

A minute later, she heard two sets of hooves rushing down the stairs. Sunset practically smashed the door off its hinges as she came hurtling through, Trixie dogging her into the lab. “Twilight?” Sunset roared, glancing around the room. Her eyes fell on Twilight’s prone form, slumped against the wall. She lit her horn.

“No!” Twilight hissed.

Sunset froze.

“Cables… magic drain,” Twilight said, struggling to get the words out.

Sunset quickly dismissed her aura. “Right. Trixie, you get her forehooves, I’ll take her rear.”

“That’s not what you said last night,” Trixie shot back.

Sunset blinked. “Eh?”

Twilight arched a brow.

“Look, Trixie makes sex jokes to cope, alright?”

Twilight rolled her eyes as understanding dawned on Sunset’s face. “I can’t believe I’m in love with you,” she muttered.

“But you are,” Trixie shot back, grabbing Twilight’s hooves.

“Girls…” Twilight said, weary.

“Right, sorry,” Sunset said, grabbing Twilight’s back half.

Clumsily, Sunset and Trixie carried their friend up the curving stairwell. They managed to avoid bashing her into the walls most of the time, and Twilight was too tired to care anymore. She let her eyes flicker shut. She trusted her friends to get her to safety.

---

Ponyville was, in many ways, constantly changing. It was a side-effect of being half-demolished every other week. There were large changes, like the Castle of Friendship. There were small changes, like how the sprinkles on the roof of Sugarcube Corner changed with every rebuilding. There were changes somewhere in the middle, like the record store that had sprung up since the last time Rumble had been to this part of town.

But in the center of it all, there was one spot that never changed, at least not visibly. That one building, standing proud against every natural disaster the world could throw at it and then some, was Ponyville’s premier bar, The Stick and Carrot. Certainly, it had been damaged before. Destroyed, even. But each time, Berry Punch built it back up again, just the way it had been before. Her opinion, which she voiced often, was that a bar was a central element of the social life in any settled zone. It was old, it was established, it was familiar. Ponies liked the bar, and Berry considered that if it wasn’t broke, fixing it would do far more harm than good.

Coincidentally, Berry Punch was one of only seven ponies in town who had never been directly responsible for the disaster of the week.

So it was that when the Crusaders walked in, they all found themselves transported back in time for the space of a moment, back to all the times they’d walked in before. As children, out celebrating somepony else’s birthday. The first time they’d been old enough to walk in here and have a good hard cider. The time when they’d all hidden in the liquor cellar from the tripod invaders that had escaped from an enchanted comic book.

As the six ponies stood in the doorway, distracted by their nostalgia, Berry looked over from the bar, sighed, and mentally prepared herself to start filling out insurance forms. Again.

“Well, well, well!” a familiar voice said brightly. Romana stepped out from behind the bar. “If it isn’t my six favorite troublemakers. Been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Dinky cracked a grin. “Hey, Romana. How’ve you been?”

The Time Lady shrugged. “Can’t complain, really. Still working on rebuilding K-9, but it’s difficult when my materials are relatively limited.”

“Says th’ mare who made our barn bigger on th’ inside.”

“Oh, dimensional engineering’s easy,” Romana said. “Rebuilding an old friend is an entirely different kind of challenge. It would be one thing if I wanted to make him perfect. I want to make him right.”

Berry cleared her throat meaningfully, and Romana’s ears pricked up. “Ah, yes. Let me show you to a booth.”

“So, you work here now?” Button asked as Romana led them to an unoccupied booth.

“Well, after Pinchy went off to college, I couldn’t exactly tutor her any longer. So yes, I’ve taken up waitressing for Berry in exchange for room and board until I can grow a new TARDIS. Perhaps not the most thrilling job I’ve ever had, but I can’t fault the company.” She paused. “Well, not most of the time.”

“You realize I can hear you,” Berry said flatly.

“Really?” Romana asked. “Odd. You couldn’t hear me earlier when I suggested we put on any record other than that cheesy old love song LP you play every day.”

“I like Songs of the Heart.”

“You’re the only one,” Romana said, unrepentant. She turned back to the six ponies she was seating, softly smirking. “So! What can I get you?”

“Uh,” said Scootaloo. “Okay, who was just gonna graze on appetizers?”

Dinky glanced at Rumble and Bloom. “Fried mozzarella sticks sound good?”

“Yeah, an’ maybe some o’ that spinach dip an’ pita chips,” Bloom said.

Rumble shrugged. “Yeah, sounds good. And a cider.”

“Oh, yeah. Cider for me, too,” Dinky said.

“Ciders all ‘round?” Romana suggested, already writing it down.

“Ah’d prefer th’ house beer.”

You could hear a pin drop. Romana, to her credit, recovered first. “Alright, five ciders, one beer. And, er, entrees for the rest of you?”

She trotted off after recording Scootaloo’s hayburger, Sweetie’s lasagna, and Button’s club sandwich, leaving Apple Bloom stonefaced and the rest of the Crusaders desperately trying to hide their confusion, with varying levels of success.

“So… a beer, huh?” Scootaloo said, proving that complete and utter failure is in its own way a level of success. Possibly a sub-basement.

“Yep,” Bloom said. “Ah get cider all th’ time on the farm. It’s good to make a change.”

“Fair enough,” Rumble said.

The others seemed to side with Rumble. Scootaloo wasn’t quite satisfied, and scrutinized Bloom for a few minutes more, but voiced no further questions.

“So,” Apple Bloom said, turning to Sweetie. “Ya spilled the beans ‘bout Button back there, but how’re y’all farin’ up in Manehattan? Babs used ta mention you in her letters, but that’s sorta fallen off.”

Sweetie winced. “Oh, right. It’s been awhile since the last time we met up. I’ve just been so busy… I’ll have to fix that when I go back.”

“Busy with what?” Button asked.

At the same moment, Dinky asked, “You’re going back?”

Sweetie hesitated, unsure of which question to answer first. Eventually, she said, “Yeah. I’ve still got so much left to learn. I’m thinking of finding an apartment up there, get off the campus a little.”

“So you’re thinking of living there permanently?” Scootaloo asked.

“Not permanently,” Sweetie said. “Just… for the foreseeable future. And getting back to Button’s question…”

She glanced around, as though to confirm that the bar was empty of other patrons. Which, oddly enough, it was. She cleared her throat, tilted her head back and began to sing a soft aria in Neightalian, her voice rising and falling like the ocean waves. The others listened in stunned silence, and even Berry looked over from the bar, taking the needle off the phonograph.

At length, Sweetie sang the last note and fell silent, blushing slightly. The blush deepened when the others broke into applause. “What was that?” Apple Bloom asked, leaning forward.

“Un Bel di Vedremo, from Poniccini’s Madame Flutterpony,” Sweetie said quietly.

Rumble cocked his head. “So, you’re thinking of going into opera?”

“Dunno, maybe,” Sweetie said, not meeting anypony’s eye. “I’ve been trying to write some music of my own, but I just can’t seem to get it sounding right.”

“Can we hear what you’ve --”

“Nope!”

“We aren’t going to judge --”

“Nope!”

“Can you tell us what it’s about--”

“Nope! Hey, Scootaloo, tell us about what you’ve been up to now!”

Scootaloo side-eyed Sweetie for a long moment, but eventually acquiesced. “Well, I just graduated. Got my bachelors in mathematics.”

“Thinking of continuing your education?” Rumble asked.

“Tartarus, no! College is so boring. I don’t think I could take another semester without completely losing the plot.”

“I take it you aren’t interested in teaching, either,” Dinky said drily.

“Not a chance. I’m gonna try and work for the Wonderbolts!”

Dead silence. Button cocked his head. “And this qualifies you to fly in shows how?”

“Not as a performer, genius. I’m going to be a stunt coordinator! I’ll get to help plan their shows and design their flight routines so they’ll look as cool as possible and also not die.”

Rumble rubbed his muzzle, trying to think of a diplomatic way to respond. “I do kinda think that might not be a job you get straight out of college, Scoots.”

“Well, no. Of course not. Rainbow Dash promised to put in a good word for me, but even that only goes so far. No, I’ll probably start out coordinating stunts for smaller flight teams -- I’ve got a good-looking gig out in Sandy Neighgo.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Mare alive, that’s a trip an’ a half.”

“Well… yeah,” Scootaloo agreed.

“How long do you think it’ll take for you to get up to the ‘bolts?” Button asked.

Scootaloo looked up, thoughtful. “Well, for most ponies, I’d guess… ten years? Twelve?”

“But most ponies aren’t in close with one of the top fliers on the team.”

“Yeah. So with that going for me, I’d say it’d be closer to six or seven years until I’ve got a good shot at the job, assuming there’s a position open.”

“Six… or seven?” Dinky repeated, her voice hollow.

“Probably.” Scootaloo shrugged. “It’s no big, really. Not for a job like that.”

Rumble frowned. “Hey, Dinky. Are you alright? You’re looking a little… I dunno, off.”

“Drinks are ready,” Romana said cheerfully, pushing over a cart of mugs.

Everyone took their beverages, and the conversation turned to lighter topics. Dinky, however, was quieter than usual as she nursed her cider and considered what she had learned.

---

Twilight groaned. Every part of her body ached, her horn particularly. What happened? She cracked one eye open. Cables lay strewn around her. Her right cheek was pancaked against the floor. It all came flooding back. She frowned. Hadn’t she been here already?

She pushed herself up from the floor, slowly this time, and was able to stumble forward a few steps before exhaustion brought her back to the ground. Again, she crawled over to the rope hanging from the ceiling. Nice job putting it back together, she thought distantly.

Supporting herself against the wall, Twilight clambered to a standing position, turned her head, and pulled on the rope again. This time it didn’t come loose, and the gong that echoed through the castle was slightly softer. Nevertheless, within moments, Twilight heard the sound of hoofsteps hurrying down the stairs. Trixie shoved the door open and hurried into the room, Sombra trailing behind her.

“Hey,” Twilight said, sternly as she could manage.

Both ponies whipped around to face her. “Twilight? What happened?” Trixie demanded, rushing to her side.

“You know… Trixie… when you’re trying… to help somepony… hurt. You don’t… leave them… lying on the ground… where they woke up.”

Trixie blinked. “Er, so Trixie is inclined to believe.”

“Then why,” Twilight continued, “did you do… that exact thing?”

Trixie stared at her blankly. “Eh?”

Sombra rubbed his head. “Do you suppose she’s delusional? Princess, what happened?”

“Cables drained my magic. Almost died. Sunset and Trixie took me upstairs. I fell asleep. Woke up back down here.”

Sombra looked at Trixie, surprised and not a little reproachful. Trixie merely looked puzzled. “Maybe you were right about her being delusional,” she mused. “Or concussed? Do concussed ponies get false memories? Trixie’s heard of them getting amnesia…”

“This is ridiculous,” Twilight said, the height of her irritation spurring her to sit upright. “You even fixed the gong-rope!”

Sombra shook his heavy head. “It was never broken,” he said. “I think perhaps we had better get you to hospice.”

“I -- you --” Twilight looked at Sombra’s grave, concerned expression, then at the hurt, confused indignation writ large across Trixie’s face. “...Yes,” she said. “Yes, that might be a good idea.”

She paused. Nopony did anything. “I still can’t walk,” she hinted.

“I’ll carry you,” Sombra said. “Trixie, help lift her onto my back.”

“Right,” said Trixie, grabbing Twilight under her forelimbs and hauling her up. Sombra barely flinched as Twilight’s body was draped over his back. “Keep an eye out that she doesn’t fall off,” he said.

Twilight groaned softly as Sombra made his way up the steps. Her eyes were so heavy now. The power drain had well and truly caught up with her. But there was something about the crystal here that had caught her eye -- a strange golden tint that seemed to grow stronger with every passing second.

“Stop,” Twilight hissed, and Sombra paused. “Can you see?” she asked. “The light… the golden light.”

“What is it?” Sombra asked, his voice hushed. Trixie took a step closer to them both. The world flashed bright gold. Then, it all went dark.

---

Luna paced the lavish waiting room, agitated. Her shoes clicked against the crystal of the floor. Had she been right in coming to the Empire in the flesh? Perhaps not. But there were words in her mind that she could not put in writing, and thoughts that she dared not express anywhere where her sister might be able to overhear. After Ditzy had departed, Luna had volunteered to track down some of the Doctor’s older companions, while Celestia ran the Day Court as usual. Her sister had agreed, leaving Luna to her own devices.

There were limitations, naturally. Blueblood couldn’t attend any gathering with Rarity at it, obviously. Daring Do was off on one of her quests, and her family was in hiding. Apple Core would result in quite a few awkward explanations to the Apple family, which wouldn’t suit the mood of the intervention in the slightest. That left only the original team of GUIDE, most of whom were either dead, involved in diplomatic missions that couldn't be interrupted for anything short of the collapse of civilization, or simply not close enough to the Doctor to be of any use. In other words, only one of the old guard was available.

The door to the antechamber swung open, and Princess Cadance stepped in, giving her aunt a weary smile. “Luna,” she said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Luna smiled and embraced Cadance. “May I not come and visit you every now and again?”

“You may,” Cadance acknowledged. “But you so seldom do.”

Luna grimaced. “There, you have me. Yes, alright. Perhaps you should sit down as I explain.”

The two alicorns took a seat on the nearest couch, and Cadance listened carefully as Luna relayed Ditzy’s story. Her beautiful features grew graver with each sentence. “I’ll come, of course,” she said. “All that he’s done for me, for Equestria, for the world and countless others besides -- if nothing else, it would be a flagrant dereliction of my duties if I allowed a love that strong to wither.”

“Good. Good.”

Cadance’s frown deepened. “Auntie Luna?”

Luna sighed. “Forgive me, Cadance. Ever since Ditzy departed, I’ve had certain... suspicions. We are not going to be disturbed, I presume?”

“There are guards positioned at either end of the corridor adjoining this room, and there are no other entry points.”

“Good.” Luna lowered her voice. “The Doctor has been in a self-destructive spiral for some time now, as I understand it. They’ve always had a knack for self-sacrifice, but now they seem to be actively throwing themselves into danger, with no intention of returning.”

Cadance furrowed her brow. “So... they’ve been acting like the Doctor.”

Luna scowled. “This is serious. You heard me speak of the Doctor’s dreams, his actions, his emotional distance. I find them horrifyingly familiar.”

“How so?”

Luna looked away.

Cadance thought for a moment longer, and her eyes went wide. “Oh. You mean the Nightmare.” A beat, and her eyes went wider. “The Nightmare… inside of the Doctor?”

“It seems familiar,” Luna repeated. “Though not too familiar, I hasten to add.”

“But not too not familiar, either, I take it,” Cadance said, nodding. “Well. I certainly hope that you’re mistaken.”

Luna rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. “As do I.”

The two royals sat in silence for a long minute, reflecting. Then Cadance rose. “Well, I should probably return to my duties.”

“Wait.” Luna said. Cadance paused in the middle of the floor. “There is one other thing, though it may be merely a curiosity.”

“Yes?” Cadance said, turning.

Luna looked at her. “What time is it?”

“A little before ten, I believe.”

Luna frowned. “Odd. I must have lost track of the time. I would have sworn that it was closer to noon.”

There was a scuffling from outside and Luna’s frown deepened. “You said the corridor was guarded.”

“It is,” Cadance said, stepping back from the door as it swung open.

“Aunty Lu!” Flurry Heart cannonballed into the room and buried her face in Luna’s chest fluff.

After a moment spent recovering from the surprise, Luna smiled at the filly and pushed her mane back. “Hello, dear one. How are you today?”

Flurry flopped onto the couch. “Mmmm… OK,” she said. “Daddy made pancakes this morning, and that was YEEEE!, but then I had to work on my homework, which was bleah. Why are you and mom locked up in here?”

Luna glanced away. “We were discussing… important affairs of state.”

“Oh,” Flurry nodded. “Did you bring me anything?”

Cadance blanched. “Flurry!”

“Er… no, I’m afraid not,” Luna said. “This was quite spur-of-the-moment.”

Flurry pouted. “But,” said Luna, “since your mother must go back to her usual duties, and I am free for the moment, perhaps I could assist you with your homework?”

“‘K,” Flurry said, rolling off the couch.

“I shall catch you up momentarily,” Luna called as Flurry trotted out the doors.

She turned to Cadance. “Remember. Be in Ponyville by six -- better to be too early than too late.”

Cadance nodded. “Should I bring Shiny and Flurry, too?”

“I think not,” Luna said. “The child would have no place at the intervention other than to make things awkward, and your husband…” she trailed off. “Well. If my concerns about the Nightmare prove to be more than mere paranoia, it would be prudent to leave him to manage the affairs of state should you be… inconvenienced.”

Cadance shifted uncomfortably. “Exactly how confident are you that the Doctor might actually be under its influence?”

Luna looked down, pensive. “...Confident enough that we should prepare for the possibility.”

“Aunty Lu! Come on!” Flurry called. Then in a quieter voice, “Why are old ponies so slow?”

Cadance winced, but Luna’s eyes sparkled. “We may be slow, child, but there is nothing wrong with our hearing!” she called, halfway to the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Flurry squeaked in surprise and scurried down the hall.

“You’d better get going,” Cadance said. “She’s not a very patient one.”

Luna nodded. “Very well. Good fortune, Cadance. I’ll see you this evening.”

She trotted out of the room, leaving Cadance alone. The princess of love looked around the room, her face blank, then fell back on the sofa as she reflected on all she had just been told.

---

Twilight groaned. Every part of her body ached, her horn particularly. She was beginning to get rather tired of all this. She cracked one eye open. Cables lay strewn around her. Her right cheek was pancaked against the floor. She growled and kicked at the cables, sending them shifting and writing like snakes. Twilight shuddered. She’d been bitten once already. She didn’t intend to let it happen again.

This time, she didn’t even try to rise. She tucked all her limbs to her sides and rolled over to the wall. This time, she found the strength to rise for a moment before plopping down into a sitting position next to the pull-rope. She tugged it hard, and the gong rang out through the castle. She heard hooves come rushing down the stairs. For good measure, she pulled the rope again.

Sunset hurried in first, followed by Sombra. Trixie came in at the back, panting and gasping for breath.

Sombra blinked. “Have we not done this before?” he asked, hesitant.

“Yep,” Twilight said curtly. “Long story short, I’ve been drained of nearly all my magic, so for the love of Celestia, don’t cast so much as a light spell. I don’t know how close you need to be for it to grab on. Compounding that issue, there seems to be a time loop in effect that takes hold whenever I’m carried out of this room.”

Trixie and Sombra looked lost. Sunset nodded slowly. “Okay…”

“To that end,” Twilight continued, her voice not changing in the slightest, “we need to find and destroy the magic-draining device and whatever is causing the time-loop. Again, do not light your horns -- get too close to the magic drain and it’ll start sucking it out of you. I was exposed for less than twenty seconds, and I nearly died.”

Trixie raised a hoof. “Yes?” Twilight asked.

“If we can’t use magic…” Trixie said slowly, “Then how do we figure out what’s draining magic?”

Twilight frowned. “Unsure. I still can’t really, y’know, move at the moment, so…”

Sombra glanced around. “This tankard…” he said, gesturing to a large metal canister on the wall. “It purports to be full of dragon flame?”

“From Spike, yes,” Twilight said.

Sunset caught on quickly and pulled the canister off the wall. “Okay,” she said, grappling with the valve. “Everypony stand back.”

A thin stream of green flame shot out the top. Slowly, Sunset hauled it around the room in a spiral path, drawing ever-closer to the center of the room. As she did, the flame began to divert from its path, flickering toward the cables. The great electrical coils began to hum softly.

Sunset drew closer, and the fire was pulled directly into the cables. The knob at the top began to loosen even more, creating a stronger stream. Quickly, Sunset tightened the knob once more, her face considerably more strained than when she had loosened it.

“Okay,” she said, turning to the others. “Well, I guess we know what to avoid.”

Everypony was staring at her. Sunset preened. “Well, yes, I am rather clever, aren’t I?”

They kept staring. “Okay, yeah, it was Sombra’s idea really, but…”

They were staring behind her. Sunset turned. One by one, the cables, spitting colorful sparks, were rising into the air like cobras. “Oh,” said Sunset.

She leapt away as one of them lashed at her. Trixie grabbed another canister off the wall. “No!” Sunset yelled. “Don’t feed them!”

Trixie looked at her flatly, then unloaded the fire extinguisher onto the cables. They hissed and drew back, flailing as they fell back to the floor. For a moment, all was still. Then, every machine in the room lit up, and a spray of magic flew out of the top of the Van der Giraffe generator, shattering the spherical crystal at the top. All four unicorns watched, fascinated, as it escaped out the window.

Silence reigned. Then Sombra cleared his throat. “And, er, how should we look for what’s causing the time loop?”

“I don’t think we need to,” Twilight said quietly. “That magic was golden.”

“Yeah,” Sunset said. “So?”

She didn’t get an answer. Twilight had slumped against the wall, unconscious.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Button frowned. “Mom wrote me a letter that said the town was under attack by a giant gorilla the Tuesday before last.”
“Yep,” Bloom said. “Like Ah said, pretty quiet.”

Everything's relative.

I'm sure the temporal confusion is just a case of friends losing track of time and not indicative of any kind of ongoing shenaniganery.

Struggling to rise again, she managed to bite down on the pull-rope she’d installed for this very purpose before losing her footing again, yanking the rope from the ceiling.

After the third time something sucks the thaums out of you, you start to notice a pattern.

The time when they’d all hidden in the liquor cellar from the tripod invaders that had escaped from an enchanted comic book.

Why are they still allowed to sell those?

Twilight groaned. Every part of her body ached, her horn particularly. What happened? She cracked one eye open. Cables lay strewn around her. Her right cheek was pancaked against the floor. It all came flooding back. She frowned. Hadn’t she been here already?

Ohhh dear.

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping. And soon it'll slip completely out of control. Looking forward to more.

[Sixes_And_Sevens]

10290832

Why are they still allowed to sell those?

Nopony is really sure -- the Crown has tried many times to regulate their sale, but they just keep turning up in comic book shops, unordered and undetected. If only they could find the mysterious publishing company who makes them, Dr Disco Press...

[Shilic]

Full Circle. First of the E-Space trilogy (which I think really needs a return in the show) and introduction of Adric, local boy who'll never know if he was right (and potential Scorpion King). Also, I think it's an allegory for society, or something. Most serials were in one way or another.

Time is contracting, expanding, and looping all over the place, that is certainly not good. Something wibbly wobbly is afoot.

I also can't help but feel like attempting to stage an intervention for the Doctor is a bit of a fools errand. Not that they've never needed one, but moreso I can't imagine getting them to listen.

[Coyote de La Mancha]

Time loops, interventions being planned, old friends gathering together again to share how they will be parting again, and golden energy beings draining power from one of the world’s most powerful magicians. Also, Flurry is adorable.

I find myself agreeing with Shilic on most counts, though if any Doctor was inclined to listen, this one would, I think. Especially when his wife is involved.

Looking forward to the next.