• Published 2nd Jan 2019
  • 820 Views, 30 Comments

CYCLED - The REAL Mister Pkmn



All the events of the seasons of FiM have happened before. Maestro Spectrum knows all of the events from the start, and crafted an artificial 7th Element of Harmony to try and stop it. However, he is tired of failing ... Something needs to change.

  • ...
2
 30
 820

PreviousChapters Next
Rthö Vai: Inspiration Takes Hold

The next morning, Twilight awoke in her “new” home of the Golden Oak Library a little before the sun rose. She went down stairs, almost in a daze. It felt like ages since the last time she had woken up in this place. She gently ran her right forehoof across the spines of the many books, remembering all the ponies that ever had- and once again would- borrow these books over the years she spent in the Library. It was almost surreal seeing it like this, just as the whole scenario seemed a little hard to handle. She still had many questions that had yet to be answered. Why was this happening? How had Maestro become aware of it all himself, and how long exactly had he been doing this? Why had he chosen her to be the other one aware, when he could’ve chosen anyone else? She shook herself out of it as she prepared a bit of breakfast- questions like that could wait until she talked to him in person again. The sun rose up, and Spike soon came clamouring down the stairs. He was a bit surprised to see Twilight up already. But he reasoned that she hadn’t exactly gone into a study frenzy last night, so it wasn’t that odd. He stretched a bit, and yawned. “Morning, Twilight. Didn’t expect you to make breakfast… though, I’m more surprised that this place has any food.”

Twilight shook her head, chuckling a little at Spike’s antics. He was a bit like that back then, wasn’t he? She’d nearly forgotten. It was almost nice getting to see him like this again, yet also a bit… sad. She pulled her thoughts out of that sadness though, and put herself in the moment. “The last resident probably left a bit behind, Spike. Though, we will have to go grocery shopping by the end of the week by my calculations.” She remembered having to do that last time around, so it wasn’t exactly lying… more like bending the truth a little.

The matter-of-fact tone that she used got a bit of a chuckle out of Spike as he sat down at the table. “Ah, there’s the Twilight I know! I’ll add it to the weekly list after breakfast, so I can remember.”

As Twilight brought breakfast to the table, she noticed that Spike was contemplating something for a bit. She knew that he only did that when something big was on his mind- and he hadn’t done that this early last time. Instead of stewing in anxiety about it, she decided to break the ice. “Spike, you’ve hardly touched your breakfast. What’s wrong?”

Looking at Twilight, Spike knew that he couldn’t hide it from her. He’d tried once, and that hadn’t worked very well. He sighed. “It’s… you’ve acted a bit differently than usual recently. Not two days ago, you were your typical muzzle-in-a-book self. But the day that you were sent here, you were different. Not just after you arrived- in retrospect, you’d been that way the whole day. Some part of me knows that you’re still you, but still…”

Twilight was in a bit of shock that Spike had noticed. Though, she did suppose it would make sense. But what was she to say? Hey, I know this sounds crazy, but all of this has happened before? If she told him, would he believe her? It was hard to say. She decided to err on the side of caution for now, though. “I’m alright, Spike. I woke up that morning, feeling different from what I had previously. I had a strong feeling that I should do something different that day, make different decisions from what I normally would.” It was quite the stretch of her thoughts from that morning, but it was technically still true, in its own way.

Spike accepted that explanation, and was about to start eating when he burped out a scroll from Princess Celestia. Twilight grabbed it in her magic, and opened it so the both of them could read it. As she read, she recognized it as the letter that was sent with the two Gala Tickets. Though, she had recalled them not arriving this early last time. Had something happened to change that? But as she read on, it was practically identical to the one she remembered. So why send it this early? She’d have to ask Maestro about that, she supposed. Spike looked to her, and asked her the same question he had last time: “Who will you give the second ticket to?”

She was about to just send the letter back with the ticket, and write what she had last time when she considered something. If she did that, would it be perceived as odd? Would it run too many risks? So instead, she decided to go out as she had last time around, and talk to her friends. Maestro was off in another town, so she’d have to talk to him later. Her old friends from Canterlot had returned there late last night, except for possibly Lyra- she might still be visiting her boyfriend, Noteworthy. With this in mind, she smiled. “I’ll talk to my friends about it. I know I could always just go with you, but I want to consider what they think.” She then went around to visit them, and they explained why they wanted to go. Rarity wanted to meet Blueblood, Applejack wanted to sell some of her products, Fluttershy wanted to see the garden with all of its animals, Pinkie was expecting it to be the most fun party, and Rainbow wanted to talk to the Wonderbolts. She invited them to her home to discuss things, though it wasn’t quite the same as last time. After they all argued a bit, Twilight held up a hoof, and was about to calm them down. But just then, Maestro came in unannounced. “Sorry I’m late.” He brushed off some dirt from his favorite royal blue vest, then adjusted his blue-framed glasses. “I was held up in Hoofington for a bit.” He looked around the room, regarding the girls. “So. This little scuffle. What’s it about?”

Everyone was still a little surprised that he had arrived, but Twilight recovered the quickest. “Maestro, is there any reason that you might want to go to the Grand Galloping Gala?”

At that, all of them had their eyes on him. He blinked a little. He hadn’t told anyone his reasons before… He’d only ever said that it “might be fun”, never anything specific. He knew the reasons of Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow, and could reasonably guess what Twilight’s new reason was, so it was quite unfair that he’d never disclosed the reasons he had before. He decided that it couldn’t hurt to see what changed if he did explain his reasoning. “Well, honestly… I don’t want to go if you guys aren’t all there. I just want us all to spend some time together. If all of us could go, then…” He then winked at Twilight.

Taking his cue, Twilight smiled as she asked Spike to pen the letter. It was phrased differently this time, however:

“Dear Princess Celestia,

I appreciate your gift of tickets to attend the Grand Galloping Gala. But I’m afraid that it just won’t be the same if all my friends aren’t there with me, both new and old. I humbly request that this wish of mine be made true.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle”

She had Spike send the letter, without the tickets inside. It took a bit longer than she recalled form last time, but the letter from Princess Celestia did arrive- and this time, it was quite different from what she remembered:

“Dear Twilight,

I had not expected such a bold request from you regarding this matter, and I did not realize that you felt this strongly. When I first read it, I had to double back to make certain I was reading it right. I am sorry that I did not have the foresight to nip this issue in the bud, as it were. Inside, you will find tickets for each of your friends- and a plus one for each. Also, I have gone ahead and invited your family to this event as well as the families of your friends. I think you will greatly appreciate this gesture. Sadly, I could find no information on Maestro’s family, so whomever they are, they will not be able to attend.”

At this point, Twilight noticed that Maestro had a dark look on his face, and could’ve sworn that he growled quietly. Shaking this off, she continued to read aloud:

“I look forward to seeing all of you at the Gala, Twilight. Luna is as well, I suspect. I wish you the best.

Your Mentor,

Princess Celestia”

Twilight handed out the tickets, and a few were left over for her old friends. She shook her head as Spike muttered about going even though she knew he wanted to. As the girls left and Spike went upstairs, Twilight stopped Maestro from leaving. “Wait, please. I need to talk to you.”

He set up the silence field, and spoke. “You’re wondering why the tickets came early, aren’t you?” At her nod, he paced a bit. “There are many things I’ve observed over the cycles, Twilight. Most events that happen are set in stone, but not always at a set time or order- save a few. They don’t always go the same way, either. If the right action is taken, one might adjust the outcome. Sometimes those who are not aware will act a different way as well, causing something different to occur. I call these happenings ‘Alt-Cycles’. They are events that are not set in stone, events that only sometimes happen. I’ve witnessed quite a few in my time.”

It was a difficult thing to digest, but after doing so, she had another question. “How long have you been ‘aware’?”

Maestro paused to think. It had been a long time since he had become aware, hadn’t it? He cast his mind back, trying to recall how long it had been. It took a while, but eventually he did find an answer. “The exact number of cycles escapes me, but the amount of years I’ve spent… It’s a large number, Twilight. Easily a few hundred, if not an entire millenium.” At her shock, he paused briefly to let it sink in. After she understood the weight of it, he answered the question that was most likely to come next. “It’s not been easy, you know. There have been times where I’ve almost given in to madness, to let go of what makes me inspirational. There have been times where I’ve almost consigned myself to my fate, to endlessly live out the same events over and over. There have been things that I’ve allowed to happen that I regret immensely, things that I cannot bear to name or think on. All I have is hope that this time, I get it right. That I finally make this the final iteration.”

It was something that she had not realized, but there were consequences to how long Maestro had been doing this. Before he became aware, he was likely a very different person entirely. She could scarcely imagine what he might have been like back then. But there was still one last question she had to know the answer to before he left. “Why exactly is this happening, Maestro? Why is that creature doing this?”

A look of uncertainty entered his eyes, and he spoke with vulnerability for the first time. “I don’t have all the answers, Twilight. This sick game… I only have guesses as to why it’s playing it. Perhaps it looks down upon us like playthings, to mess with as it pleases. And when it gets bored, it resets the ‘game’. Or maybe it views us as its creations, and just throws out the previous versions of our world when it feels that its standards weren’t met. That’s what scares me, Twilight. This creature might have infinite power. I first became aware of the cycles by pure chance, Twilight. Before then, I probably had lived thousands of lives that I do not recall, all of them where I played some designated role. But I am no longer that person. Over the course of the cycles, I have molded my own destiny. I’ve tried many things to break us out of this endless repetition, none of which have worked. But now, I am not working alone- and that give us the best chance that we’ve ever had.” He smiled, his eyes now full of strength and confidence. “I know it wasn’t the answer that you were expecting. I know that you expected a clear-cut answer, an explanation of the creature’s nature. But I did not have that, so I gave you what I could- my honest suspicions. We can do this, Twilight. Call it what you will, but I’ve got a feeling that no matter what is thrown at us this time, we will prevail.” the silence field fell, and they bid their farewells. They had a long road ahead, to be sure. But Twilight knew that they’d come out on top. If Maestro believed in their chances, then so would she. She then turned in for the night.


Throne Room, Castle of The Two Sisters

Something stirred from behind the thrones. An amorphous blob of starry matter crawled out into the open cautiously, and seemed to look around. Those dreadful “heroes” hadn’t come back as of yet, but it still had to be careful. It knew not how, but it would get back at them, somehow. Just then, a figure came from the shadows. The blob quivered in fear at the presence of the creature, for the aura it gave off was vastly powerful. The creature chuckled, and addressed the blob. “How the mighty have fallen… the Nightmare virus, reduced to such a pitiful state…” It shook what passed for its head, and tsked a little. “No matter. I will ensure that there are consequences to altering the script.” A protrusion formed on its head, something that might pass for a horn. It lit in black light, and encased the blob as it started to squirm. “Stop struggling. I’m giving you a gift.” the black light forced its way into the blob, and it seemed to scream in pain. It pulsed with energy until the creature cut the magic. “That should suffice. Now rise, Nightmare Echo!”

The blob shifted shape and grew, and soon enough it was the basic form of an androgynous pony with no features of any kind. The former blob spoke in a voice that was somehow masculine entwined with feminine features, the two aspects of its voice melding into something new. “What have you done to me?”

It looked at its new form in awe as the creature explained. “I have given you a gift, Nightmare Echo. I have given you a form of your own, and the energy to do as you do best. With this gift, you can turn the heroes that struck you down against one another, as relish as they destroy each other. Vengeance will be yours.”

Nightmare then looked to the creature, and posed a question. “Why? What have you to gain from helping me?”

The abomination spread its tendrils in an intimidating display, one that could feasibly send the most courageous running. “I have everything to gain, and nothing to lose. Your services are paramount to my plan.” the creature then seemed to smile. “That is all you need know.” The creature let its tendrils down, and made to leave. “I trust you do not need me to tell you that you are to wait for my signal, correct? For If I can give you this power… I can also take it away.”

Nodding, Nightmare set to get ready for when the time was right...

Author's Note:

The first official chapter, and now it won't be pure rehash! I almost considered splicing in another event, like perhaps the confrontation with Gilda or something, but I wasn't sure if I could make it work realistically. As for my plans with Nightmare Echo.... Well, I think you might have some idea of where I'm going with this. Thanks for editing go to Book_Wyrm.

PreviousChapters Next