In Which Twilight Starts Her Really Bad Day

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"GOOOOOOD MORNING CANTERLOOOOT! This is not a test, this is ROCK and ROLL! Time to rock it like the music in the treetops or the music in the vale! Hey, is that a song already? Dingdingdingdingding we have a winner! That one's from Ponyville's very own Ponytones--Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da! Is it too early to be this loud--Whoops too late! It's currently oh six hundred, what's the 'oh' for? OH CELESTIA IT'S EARLY-"

A purple hoof slammed down on the radio alarm clock as it blared noise as loud as seemingly possible. The owner of the hoof; the Princess of Friendship and Equestria, the Sun and the Moon, the First and Last Light--you get the picture--the famous Twilight Sparkle, groaned and groggily swung her legs over the bed, and directly placed a hoof into a bowl of something soft and cold. Her eyes blearily opened as she glared at the smashed remnants of the radio and twisted her face in resentment. Why she allowed Starlight to talk her into getting one of these new inventions she had no idea. She slung herself off the bed and, with giving her hoof a quick shake to wipe the remnants of whatever was soft and cold, stumbled her way through to the adjacent bathroom.

She had settled in quite nicely to being a princess, embracing her role in the daily lives of Equestria's citizens, despite being the youngest princess and sole ruler of Equestria these days. The day to day life was somewhat boring some would say, but she enjoyed it. it was a wild change from the adventures she and her friends used to have, and she was content with her new lot in life. Plus, you know, having ponies worship you as their god-princess had it perks. As she entered the bathroom, her hoof flipped the switch on the wall. Nothing happened. The princess glanced upwards and groaned at the lightbulb as it remained dim.

"I keep forgetting to have somepony come fix that," Twilight muttered under her breath.

While she had her perks, she almost constantly forgot to actually use them and sighed. Squinting through the darkness, a magenta aura lit up what she thought was her toothbrush and the toothpaste next to it. She closed her eyes and began the daily motions, remembering the strange dream she was having before being so rudely interrupted.

She shrugged and, still with her eyes shut--not that it mattered much she was still in darkness either way, began to brush her teeth. Her eyes snapped open almost immediately as a foul taste filled her mouth. She wrenched the toothbrush out of her mouth and glared at the offender, and gave it a wary sniff.

Twilight recoiled, as the extremely noxious scent of drake flakes assaulted her nose. She grunted and stuck her tongue out in disgust, desperately searching through the darkness for her own toothpaste. "Spike..." she grumbled as she began to scrub her tongue and teeth with something much nicer smelling. She always kept a tube of toothpaste for him when he came to stay, but explicitly told him to place it in his own cup so she wouldn't do precisely what she had just done.

Once satisfied the smell was sufficiently repressed by her own toothpaste, she trotted back through to her bedroom and gazed around at the mess. Her face twisted as she realised she had gone overboard last night, what with Princess Celestia no longer around to keep her out of the restricted section, all the books in Equestria were pretty much hers by default now, and she was determined to read them all, several at a time if necessary. As such, various books on any and all subject lay scattered around, open at random pages,. She grimaced as she spotted a half eaten, cold and lightly trodden on bowl of hay fries by her bed.

"So that's what I stepped in?" she grumbled as she looked at her hoof. She cringed as the cold moisture seeped into her hoof, and shivered slightly as she returned to the bathroom to wash off. When she returned, she had just started to tidy up when a knock came at her door, startling the alicorn somewhat and causing her to drop some books.

"Twilight, it's Starlight can I come in?" One of the princess's closest friends and former student--amongst a smattering of other duties--Starlight Glimmer's voice called out from behind the large, intricately designed door.

Twilight collected herself and began to pick up her books quickly. "One minute Starlight, just let me-"

The door creaked open, revealing a light purple unicorn, who smiled awkwardly. "Oh, sorry, Twilight, I heard you speak and I just…" She trailed off as she gazed around at the mess. "Another late night, princess?" she chuckled softly and smiled.

The princess glared at her before breaking into a smile. "You could say that, I've just got so much to read now it's hard to fit it into my royal duties. Maybe I went a bit overboard this time though." She grimaced as she looked around sheepishly.

The light purple pony nodded as her own horn lit up with a turquoise light and an aura of the same colour materialised around some of the books. "Well let me help you at least."

"Thanks. Oh, Starlight, have you seen Spike this morning by any chance? I need to berate him about leaving his toothpaste somewhere I can easily mistake it for my own."

Starlight shook her head. "Sorry, Twilight, I haven't seen him since the other night." She looked at the alicorn quizzically. "Say you're up early." Her eyes widened and her jaw fell open in excitement. "Oh did your alarm work? It's great isn't it?" She quickly fell silent as a cold wind blew past them and a chill ran up her spine when the princess merely jabbed a hoof at the smashed remains. "So not a fan then?" she chuckled nervously.

"Not a fan would be an understatement. Who was that anyway?"

Starlight's face lit up in happiness. "Oh that was Disc Jockey, he's great to listen to so early. He always gets me pumped up for whatever I need to do."

Twilight grumbled in response. "He seems to know he's too loud."

Her friend laughed and clapped her on the back. "Oh don't be such a grumpy pants, Twilight."

The princess just grumbled back in response and scowled as they tidied the last of the books away. Another knock came at the door. "Come in," Twilight called and shot a look at Starlight, who bashfully scuffed the floor and took the bowl of half eaten fries in her magic.

The door swung open, revealing a tall, thin pony with a light grey waxed moustache. "Your highness," he bowed. "There is currently a Mr Cord waiting for you in the lobby. He claims it is a matter of utmost urgency."

Twilight inwardly groaned as she thought about who 'Mr Cord' could be. "Thank you, Pennyworth, I'll come down right away."

The butler nodded and retreated, closing the door lightly behind him. Twilight grimaced as she caught her reflection in the finely polished crystal. "Starlight have you seen my brush anywhere- oh thanks." She sheepishly smiled as the unicorn held up a rush and raised her eyebrow.

"I swear Twilight, you'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on tight."

Twilight waved a hoof at her and combed her mane to a presentable state. "How do I look?" she asked as she flourished her wings and turned her head to the side.

Starlight smiled and curtsied. "Like a princess, your highness. We should see what Mr Cord wants," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Twilight nodded and started towards the door. "Well if it's Discord it can't be anything good," she grumbled as her friend led the way. "What does he want this time? Or what's he done?"

Starlight chuckled nervously as they marched through the castle. "It's hard to say this time. I didn't see him on my way in."

As they rounded a corner and spotted the large crystal doors of the palace courtroom, the unicorn stopped and smiled at her friend.

"Well, I'd better just leave you two to... hash it out as it were. I've got to see to the school anyway." She bowed lightly in respect. "Princess Twilight. You will remember to visit and give your speech to the students today won't you?"

Twilight waved a hoof and reached out her hooves for a hug. "Don't be silly, Starlight. Of course I won't, I'll be there." They embraced before the Headmare of the School of Friendship trotted off, leaving the princess alone for a moment.

She took a deep breath and pushed the heavy doors open, gazing down at the familiar draconequus as he tapped a claw in impatience.

"About time, too. It's nice to know the Lord of Equestria always has time for one of her dearest friends." He sarcastically smiled and bowed low.

"Hello Discord." Twilight forced a smile onto her lips as she spoke. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well that's just the thing, princess, what can you do for me today?" Discord snapped his fingers and held his arms out. "I'm in a bit of a pickle as you can see."

Twilight looked around, expecting to be sitting on a throne of chocolate pudding, or be holding a sceptre with a goofy version of her likeness on it's face. Nothing, she realised, was out of the ordinary--which in itself was out of the ordinary for the reformed villain. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you up to, Discord?"

He raised his claw and paw in protest. "I assure you, Twilight, as a reformed God of Chaos and as one of your dearest friends I am not 'up to anything' today." He looked around as he approached the throne and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Between you and me, princess, I..." he touched his fingers together and blushed. "Seem to have lost my magic."

Twilight's eyes went wide. "Lost? What do you mean lost?" she demanded, her voice raising an octave in anger. "How can you lose magic?"

Discord shushed her and waved his arms around ."Please, Twilight don't say it so loudly. I woke up this morning after a--ahem--night of catching up with old friends, and realised I couldn't do any magic. It has a tendency to wander off on it's own at times, being chaos and all." He wistfully rung his hands together and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

The alicorn stared at him, mouth agape. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Okaaay, Discord, let's say I believe you, what do you want?" she slowly asked, making him scoff.

"You're princess now aren't you? You can help me get my magic back, and in exchange I will leave Canterlot for a day." He held a claw out and smiled, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Twilight glared at him in silence.

His face fell. "Three days."

More silence.

"Five days? A week. A month. Six months?"

The draconequus stamped his hoof and snorted. "Come now, Twilight you're being unreasonable." He glared back at her as she raised an eyebrow, still remaining silent. He pouted and threw his arms up in the air. "Alright fine, I will leave Canterlot for precisely one year starting today, I'll go on vacation somewhere, perhaps the Bermuda triangle, they always love me there. Deal?" He held a claw out once more.

Satisfied with his terms, Twilight extended a hoof and shook it. "Alright Discord. Let's start with yesterday, shall we? What do you remember? Who were these friends of yours?" She asked as she brought a quill and parchment over to her, quietly taking notes as she listened to Discord's story. "You said it can... wander off on it's own?" She closed her eyes in frustration. It seemed her day just kept getting worse already, and judging from the moon in the sky it was still-

"Moon?" she murmured quietly

The draconequus paused his tale and looked at her strangely. "Twilight? We were discussing how to-"

She cut him off and dashed to the window. "Sorry, Discord, I need to- ugh!" Her horn strained as she cast the spell to raise the sun and lower the moon. She winced as the sun rapidly rose, and glanced at a nearby clock. "It's only seven?! Uggggh," she muttered and lowered the sun a little bit. "There. Sorry Equestria..."

She turned back to Discord as he lounged on her throne.

"Up."

He grumbled at her command and slithered off one of it's arms, and popped his head up. "You're a true friend, Twilight Sparkle." His eyes sparkled as he gazed at her. "For helping me out when I need it the most."

"Yeah, yeah, so where were we?" she dismissively asked him, ad began furiously scribbling notes down, her mind racing. How could she have been so careless in forgetting the one thing she had to do every morning?

As Discord finished his story he stood and looked around awkwardly. "Um, Twilight, I must ask for one small favour as well."

"What is it Discord?" Twilight asked as she glanced over her notes, not paying him much attention. She nodded politely as a serving pony brought her a cup of tea. She sipped it lightly and smacked her lips together. "Strange aftertaste," she murmured and set the cup down as Discord spoke again.

"Well the thing is, my home, it's in the chaos realm. I can only access it with my magic." He rung his hands together and felt his cheeks redden as she looked up at him. "So could I stay here... until my magic is returned?"

Twilight flared her nostrils. "Alright, Discord." She raised a hoof at him as he rushed forwards for a hug. "But if I catch word of you doing anything you shouldn't be," she warned, and pointed out the window. "It's the dog house for you."

"Say no more, Princess." He held a claw up and crossed over his chest, and slapped into his own eye. "I Pinkie Promise you won't even notice I'm here." He clapped his hands together and beamed. "So where do we start?"

"We?"

"You don't suppose I'm going to send off one of my dearest friends to search for my magic alone do you?" Discord laughed at her pained expression. "Oh come now, princess. Besides, I know where you can start searching..." he said in a sing song voice and wiggled his eyebrows.

Before she could answer, her stomach growled to life, and she suddenly felt her innards churn. She puffed her cheeks out and shoved past the draconequus. "Sorry Discord, I gotta-" She slammed a hoof into her mouth and fought to keep from the sudden urge to vomit all over her throne room. "Mmmf!" Her wings flapped weakly as she hobbled forwards on three legs.

Discord raised his hands in shock and gestured to the door. "Let me get that for you, Twilight," he murmured, thoroughly confused and befuddled as he opened it for her.

"Mmmnk ymm!" she mumble-cried as she charged past him, rushing to the nearest bathroom. She found one, and kicked the door open and thrust her head towards a toilet as she removed her hoof. Her body heaved as she vomited, her chest rapidly tightened and constricted, making it very hard for her to breath. Her thoughts flashed back to that strange cup of tea. She realised she hadn't seen that serving pony before and her eyes widened in horror. Had she just been poisoned?

She coughed and heaved again. She began to see spots and the legs holding her up suddenly gave way, letting her head bang on the toilet. She felt her strength leave her as she heard the door open. Her chest felt like it was on fire. A scream rang out as darkness enveloped her.

Then silence fell as Twilight Sparkle died.

In Which Twilight's Day Gets Worse

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Twilight's hoof came down on the alarm. She silently cursed Starlight for convincing her to get such an infernally loud device to wake her up. What was wrong with using the cockerel like she had relied on in Ponyville? "Not princessy enough," she muttered sarcastically in a mock of Starlight's voice. Her nostrils flared as Disc Jockey's words reverberated within her skull. She furrowed her brow as she groggily remembered his almost exact words.

She groaned and swung her legs over her bed. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Memories of the previous day flashed before her, causing her stomach to churn.

"I must have passed out," she murmured as she sleepily smacked her lips together and flicked her tongue. As she slipped off of the bed she felt her hoof plant into something soft and cold and groaned again. She squinted downwards and saw the bowl of half eaten fries once again. Her brow furrowed as she swore she and Starlight had tidied up her room.

"Maybe somepony brought it up for me."

She tuned and gazed out the window at the moon, now low in the night sky. Her brow furrowed again as she puzzled herself.

"Did I raise the moon in my sleep? I guess it's becoming second nature after all. Maybe yesterday was a fluke." The princess shook her head and stumbled her way through her bedroom and into her bathroom.

She flicked the switch on the wall. The light once again didn't turn on. She groaned and mumbled to herself. "I keep forgetting to have somepony come fix that." She paused, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu for a moment. Her stomach churned again as she had a flashback of the previous day. She shook her head and groped blindly in the dark for her toothpaste, hoping to wash the taste of vomit out from her mouth. Eventually she found it, and began the daily motions of putting toothpaste on her brush.

Twilight closed her eyes as she brought the brush to her teeth. She stopped suddenly, having another sense of déjà vu flash through her. She opened her eyes and squinted at the toothbrush in front of her. Her nose twitched as she gave it a light sniff, and immediately recoiled as the strong scent assaulted her nose.

"Dragon flakes..." she murmured quietly. "That's weird, why would I do that twice in two days?" She slapped a hoof against her head and sighed as she washed her hooves. "Twilight you're not well, go downstairs and get something to eat, you've been out of it for an entire day now." Her stomach growled in agreement.

She sighed and trotted back through to the bedroom, where she grimaced at the mess that once again filled her room. Again, she swore she and Starlight tidied up the place. Her eyes rested on the bowl of fries, and she glred at it suspiciously. "Somepony better not be pranking me," she muttered. Her eyes darted around the room for any sort of hidden camera.

A knock came at the door, disturbing her thoughts.

"Twilight, it's Starlight can I come in?" a familiar voice called.

Twilight looked around at the mess and squirmed. "One second please, Starlight, I'm-"

The door swung open, cutting her off. The purple unicorn sheepishly smiled at her. "Oh, sorry, Twilight, I heard you speak and I just…" She trailed off as she gazed around at the mess. "Another late night, princess?" she chuckled softly and smiled.

Twilight stared at her. Her tongue felt heavy and her throat felt dry all of a sudden. "Why are you doing that?"

Starlight paused, looking at the princess quizzically. "Doing what?"

"You asked me the same thing yesterday."

"What?"

"Yeah yesterday you said the exact same thing about having a late night, why are you asking me again?"

"Twilight you're not making any sense. This is the first time I've seen your room since the weekend."

Twilight nodded her head. She felt she this was just some super strong déjà vu, or she felt slightly crazy. "You came in when I said just one minute please, then we tidied up."

Starlight rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Oh Twilight, just ask if you want help tidying I don't mind. That's what friends are for." She laughed as her magic gathered up the books. "Who'd have thought, huh? Me giving the Princess of Friendship a lesson in friendship? Ha!"

Twilight's eye twitched. She rubbed her nose and sighed. "Sure okay... Thanks..."

They worked in silence before Twilight bit her lip and turned to her friend. "Starlight you haven't seen Spike anywhere have you? I meant to tell him yesterday to not leave his toothpaste where I could easily mistake it for my own."

Starlight shook her head. "Sorry Twilight, I haven't seen him sine the other day."

Twilight nodded. "Thought so," she murmured quietly, playing back Starlight's words in her head.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." The princess glanced towards the alarm clock, no longer smashed. She could have sworn she broke it yesterday, when Disc Jockey seemed to bellow as loudly as possible into her ears. Another puzzle to solve, she guessed.

Starlight followed her gaze and grinned. "Oh did your alarm work? It's great isn't it?"

Twilight glared at her. Either this was some freaky fever dream or she knew what Starlight was going to say next. Disc Jockey is great to listen to...

"That Disc Jockey is great to listen to so early. He always gets me pumped up-"

"-For whatever you need to do... " Twilight murmured.

"Wow yeah that's just what I was gonna ay. Weird huh?" Starlight laughed.

The princess's blood ran cold. A shiver ran up her spine. Another knock at the door made her jump, startling her friend a little bit. "C-come in," she said quietly, staring at Starlight Glimmer with caution.

Twilight's mind reeled. "O-okay, thanks, P-pennyworth."

The old pony looked at her carefully. "Is everything alright, princess?"

She nodded slowly as Starlight watched quietly, her horn twinkling and glowing as she held the bowl of half eaten fries. The old butler nodded and bowed again, closing the door gently behind him. Twilight caught her own reflection in the polished door and gasped. The same messy maned pony stared back at her. She glanced around looking for her hairbrush, which Starlight was already holding up.

"Th... thanks," she mumbled.

"Twilight you don't look so good today," Starlight murmured. "Did you sleep okay?"

Twilight nodded dumbly. It wasn't like she could explain she had already experienced everything that had happened this morning. "Starlight..." she whispered. "What day is it?"

Starlight cocked her head. "It's Monday, Twilight."

The princess began to tremble. That was impossible wasn't it? She remembered Sunday, she had stayed up late to read books, she had sermons to attend to every Sunday. She remembered them clear as day. It couldn't be Monday again could it? Could it?! Sweat dotted her forehead as she remembered what happened yesterday.

Starlight saw her friend in clear distress. "Hey, hey, come here, Twilight." She drew the princess into a hug and held her trembling hooves. "What's wrong?"

"Starlight... I... it's hard to explain but..." Twilight clutched onto her friend and begged with her eyes. "I'm living the same day again. I lived through all of this yesterday, and then..." She whipped her head around as Starlight held her, searching for anypony who might be watching and her voice dropped to a whisper. "And then I died..."

The purple unicorn's face broke into a large smile and she laughed. "Oh Twilight you silly mare, I thought something was really wrong!"

"I'm serious!"

"Oh yes, of course. Is this a game with your friends? Are you pranking me?" Starlight continued to laugh and dragged her towards the door. "Come on Twilight you probably just didn't get enough sleep. Once you get some food you'll feel fine. Oh before I forget, you need to raise the sun before everypony thinks Nightmare Moon has returned or something."

Twilight glanced out the window at the moon. Sweat beaded her forehead as she rose the sun and lowered the moon again, as she had several times now, yesterday, or not-yesterday included. She swallowed and nodded. "You're... probably right, I mean..." her cheeks turned red. "Perhaps it was just a big... coincidence?"

"That's the spirit. Now come on, let's see what Discord wants."

Twilight felt thoroughly rattled as she followed her fried out, and through the castle. Starlight stopped outside the large crystal doors to the main court and turned to her friend. "Well, I'd better just leave you two to... hash it out as it were. I've got to see to the school anyway." She bowed lightly in respect. "Princess Twilight. You will remember to visit and give your speech to the students today won't you?"

The alicorn nodded. She would if she survived that long. "You bet."

"Great! See you soon, Twilight. Remember to get something to eat after you meet with 'Mr Cord'. I wonder what he wants..." The Headmare once again trotted away, leaving Twilight with her thoughts. She took a deep breath and pushed the heavy doors open.

"Discord!" she cried as she spotted him waiting, tapping a claw. Again. She rushed forwards, actually grateful to see the old trickster for once. Surely if somebody knows what's happening to her, he would.

"About time, too. It's nice to know the Lord of Equestria always has time for one of her dearest friends." He sarcastically smiled and bowed low.

Twilight stopped in her tracks. Was he just playing with her? Toying with her life as he had in the past? She straightened up and narrowed her eyes at him, her elation at seeing him rapidly vanishing. "Alright Discord, explain yourself! What have you done?"

Discord blinked at her. "Straight to the point, eh? Alright very well." The draconequus sighed and stretched. "I need your help, Twilight, I've-" He looked around conspiratorially. "I've lost my magic, you see."

"No..." Twilight whispered. Her eyes turned to pinpricks as she trembled slightly, causing the trickster to take a step back. "You're lying, Discord," she growled through gritted teeth.

Discord placed a hand over his mouth. "I'm shocked, Twilight, truly shocked. I come to you with a problem most foul and you cry j'accuse? For lying? For shame." He turned away from her, crocodile tears stinging his eyes.

The princess rushed up to him, grabbed him and spun him around. "Listen Discord, enough is enough. Tell me what's happened to me so I can wake up normally!" she cried, shaking with anger.

Discord looked at her and cocked her head. "Twilight I--I truly don't know what you're talking about."

"Prove it! Do some magic!"

He sighed and snapped his fingers. Nothing happened. Just like yesterday.

"Like I said, I've lost my magic." He huffed. "And I'd appreciate it if you took your friend seriously. This is very embarrassing for me."

Twilight began to hyperventilate. What time was it? She glanced at the clock. Seven. At least the sun was up on time. The serving pony with the tea--the cursed tea, would be along any second now. She turned and ignored Discord's presence for a moment while she stared at the door.

"One moment Discord... please," She murmured as the door creaked open. She watched in horror as a serving pony carried a silver tray, laden with a tea set, towards her. He bowed to her and offered her a cup.

She smacked it out of his hoof and stared at him with wild eyes.

The colt buckled and quivered, looking at Discord nervously, who shrugged, just as nervously.

"Do you know what was in this tea?!" Twilight roared in the poor server's face.

The colt shook his head. "N-no, your highness, just t-t-tea, I was just told to-"

"To poison me?!"

Discord gasped and covered his mouth up. The colt grew fearful and the colour drained from his face. "W-what? P-p-princess, n-no I would n-n-never-"

"Enough!" she raged. "Guards! Take him away. Make him talk about who sent him." She practically growled the order.

At her command, several burly looking guardsponies rushed into the room. Discord watch on as they hauled the young pony away, screaming all the while and protesting his innocence. "That was a touch harsh don't you think, princess?" he murmured quietly. She rounded on him and used her magic to levitate the cup up to his nose.

"Smell."

He obeyed and took a large sniff of the empty cup. He handed it back to her and shrugged. "Smells like normal tea to me, Twilight. Not my favourite, I'm a chamomile creature myself."

Twilight's eye twitched. "Discord, there was poison in that tea, I just know it." She croaked. She felt her head swimming with questions.

Discord scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course. Poison, plots, assassinations... Ponies," he tutted. "So dramatic."

Twilight silenced him with a single stare. "I'm not being dramatic." She took a deep breath. "See... I've lived through today, so far anyway. Yesterday I drank that tea around this same time and I..." She bit her lip, gazing out the window over the horizon and Equestria. "It was poisoned... and I think I died."

The reformed chaos god leaned back thoughtfully. He placed two fingers together and hummed to himself. "Hmmmm. I see." He scratched his chin and played with his beard for a moment. Twilight watched him carefully and returned to her throne. "That is a puzzle indeed."

"You think I'm crazy don't you? Just like Starlight?" she asked as she sunk in her chair.

He nodded. "Perhaps a smidgen, Twilight. The stress of being a princess gets to the best of us sometimes." He batted his eyelashes and giggled. "Perhaps you need a hobby. Now, about my magic, I was-"

"Out with friends the previous night, yes." She stared him in the eye as he gaped at her. "Ask me how I know."

"How did you know that?"

"You told me yesterday." She leant forwards on her throne and placed her head in her hooves. Her head swam. Yesterday the tea was most definitely poisoned. Today it wasn't. What was happening to her? Was she going crazy?

Discord stared at her incredulously. "Well, I must say Twilight, if nothing else, your intuition is on point today." He shook his head. "Anyway, yes, my magic, it has a tendency to wander off, what with being made of chaos and all."

Twilight nodded and looked up at him. She resolved to do one thing at a time, and focused more on him right now than her own problems. She needed to think, and what better way to think than do some problem solving? "And these friends. Who are they? What exactly do you remember?"

The draconequus sighed and rubbed his arms. "To be honest not much, Twilight. I do seem to remember they weren't in the..." He grimaced and twisted his face. "Uh, 'nicest' part of town?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Of course. Where exactly? Hang on let me get a scroll ready." She used her magic to produce one of the old scrolls she and Celestia used to send back and forth when she wasn't a princess. So long ago now, so carefree. Besides being the Element of Magic and having to continuously save Equestria and the world time and time again. She licked the tip of a quill and readied the parchment. "Okay, go on Discord."

"I remember the inn we ended up at as the Prancing Princess, in Canterlot's lower sector."

"Prancing... Princess... lower... sector..." Twilight murmured as she scribbled the words down. "And what did your friends look like?"

He rubbed his chin again and squinted. "You know I don't actually remember?" He winced as she glared at him. "Oh but, one of them was a pegasus. Cream coloured, red mane."

"That doesn't narrow it down. Do you know how many cream coloured ponies with red manes are in Canterlot alone, never mind the whole of Equestria?"

Discord shrugged. "It's a start isn't it?" He gestured to the door and smiled at her. "Shall we? I can spot them out easier than you could."

Twilight grimaced at the idea of it but relented. "I suppose so." She stood from her throne as her stomach grumbled. "Oh, I'm starving. I cant believe I'm saying this, but would you like to get some breakfast, Discord?" She rolled her eyes as he jumped up In joy.

"What a splendid idea, princess! Come, I know a place that does the most perfect bagels. They're simply to die for." He wrapped an arm around her and practically dragged her to the door as she scowled.

Twilight grumbled and shrugged him off, taking one look around her castle once more. Such familiar walls, yet even after this time it still felt odd calling it hers. For the first time that morning, she laughed quietly to herself as she and Discord exited through the large doors. He questioned her of course, and she shrugged him off of course, still rattled from her suspicions about the tea. Now she only had to figure out who wanted her dead, and of course how to escape the loop she seemed to have caught herself in.

As they strode through Canterlot, many a pony stopped and stared. Several pointed and soon they were quickly swarmed. The princess smiled at them and signed books and flags and such as they waved them in front of her face. With a few kind words, she told the crowd she was in an urgent hurry, and they quickly dispersed, commenting on how polite their princess is--and how nice of her to visit the common folk so unexpectedly. In truth, she suspected that any one of them could be behind her assassination--whether it was successful or attempted.

Discord tugged at her wing and pointed to a dark alleyway. "I remember this, Twilight!" he said excitedly as he scampered forwards. She looked at him and sighed.

"It's just an alley."

"Yes, a dark and dank alley, but that spot right there!" He jabbed a claw down at a pile of dirty cardboard with some very questionable stains. "That's where I woke up this morning--unable to use my magic. The Prancing Princess can't be far."

Twilight rubbed her temple and glared at him. "We've been walking for ten minutes, Discord. This is hardly the lower sector of Canterlot," she stated with exasperation. They were in fact in the upper streets of Canterlot, barely away from the palace itself.

He shrugged. "Isn't everything below the castle the lower sector?" he asked with a light chuckle.

"Discord..." she warned with a flair of her nostrils.

He raised his claws and grumbled an apology. "But breakfast was first, yes? It just so happens that this bagel place I mentioned is right around the corner. Funny how things work out like that."

"Yeah. Funny." Twilight glared at him. "Ah... ha."

"Oh come now, Twilight. Sarcasm doesn't befit a princess."

"What's this place called, Discord? Is it much farther?"

As they rounded a corner, Discord spoke up. "Like I said, just around the corner. Right therrre-" He pointed with a claw, then stopped and gaped. "No..." he murmured. Twilight followed his gaze and spotted a café, clearly closed down, seemingly for some time by the looks of it. She rolled her eyes at him as he sunk to his knees.

"NoooooOOOOOOOOOOO!" he wailed, throwing his fists into the air. "You maniacs! You closed it down!" He pounded a fist into the ground. "Darn you! Darn you all to heck!"

"Get up," Twilight muttered as she gave an embarrassed smile to the ponies who stopped and stared. She wrapped a hoof around his arm and hoisted him up. "So this was a bust, now can we please just get some food?" She froze as she realised several ponies had gathered close, whether to look at the princess, talk to her, or discover something scandalous about her and Discord, she expected.

"Do you mind, I'm trying to have a conversation here?" She barked as she rounded on them. They jumped and hurried along, murmuring among themselves. One of them was a cream coloured pegasus with a shock of red hair, who turned and began to hurry away, trying to keep his head down and avoid her gaze.

He made the mistake of glancing back as Twilight furrowed her brow at him. Their eyes met, and he seemed to panic before breaking into a full gallop. The princess quickly strode after him before breaking into a run herself.

"Twilight, wait where are you going?!" Discord cried from behind her to no avail. She didn't hear him, or didn't care to as she charged after this mysterious pony.

"Hey! Stop!" she called out as he rounded a corner. She grunted and flapped her wings, rising high into the air, above the rooftops and scoured the ground for him. What has a princess drooped to, she thought, as she flew around in a circle. "Must have lost him..." she muttered as she began to descend. She had almost touched down on the ground when she saw a flash of red in the distance at the end of a busy street. She squinted and saw him. She grinned. "Gotcha."

With a strong flap of her wings, she shot down the street like a bullet, dodging and swerving through the crowd and caught up to him in no time. She used her magic to encase him in a magenta glow, and grinned triumphantly at him as she lifted him into the air. "I have several questions," she began as he brought him closer to her.

"Oh, p-p-pleashe Twilight Shparkle--princessh! I didn't mean to--I saw you with Dishcord and-" The pegasus begged. Up close she saw he was a rather scrawny thing, barely out of colthood, his wings fluttering lightly. Freckles dotted his face, and a retainer was clearly visible along his teeth, giving him a slight lisp. His eyes were lime green and gazed at her with mixed awe, fear and something else.

Twilight's gaze softened and she looked at him with pity. "It's alright, I just want to ask you some questions. If I let you down are you going to run again?"

The pegasus shook his head and gazed into her eyes. "No missh!"

The glow surrounding him dissipated, and he dropped to the ground where he quickly jumped up and grovelled before her. "Oh my gosh it'sh really you! Wait til I tell the guysh Princessh Twilight Shparkle actually stopped to talk to me!" He squealed with glee.

Twilight cocked her head. "Who are you?" she asked. "And please don't grovel, I'm not Nightmare Moon," she sheepishly smiled at him, causing his cheeks to turn as red as his hair. "Why did you run?"

"I, uh--ahem." He straightened up and looked at her. "My name is Juniper Bug. My... friendsh call me Juny." He kicked the ground awkwardly and averted his eyes. "I ran becaushe you're jusht so pretty I panicked."

Twilight smiled at him and felt her cheeks redden. "Okay, Juny, I need to ask you some questions about Discord, and some tea if that's not too much trouble?"

He flicked his ear. "Shure, princessh. Whatever a pony as beautiful as you needs."

She paused, caught off guard by the sudden compliment. His cheeks turned bright scarlet and he hung his head in shame.

"Shorry, I jusht couldn't help myself..."

"It's alright, Juny," Twilight mumbled, suddenly quite flustered. She'd encountered fans before, as had Celestia, Luna and Cadance, and they had all swapped stories of their 'misadventures' as it were. She shook her head and proceded with her questioning. "So Discord, yeah? How do you know him? He said you were friends?" She produced a quill and parchment and began to take notes on a piece of scroll she conjured.

Juniper Bug's eyes lit up. "Oh Dishcord? Yeah he'sh great! He introduced me to the Twilight Shparkle Apprecshiation club!"

"The what now?" Twilight blinked as her quill stopped mid-sentence.

"The Twilight Shparkle Apprecshiation club! We get together once a week to talk about how awesome and cool you are. And how radiant and beautiful you are."

Twilight's mind reeled. She silently cursed Discord for sending her on a wild goose chase. She quickly realised this pony wouldn't have anything to do with anything and poofed her scroll out of existence. She struggled to retain a smile as he continued.

"We even write storiesh about you too!"

"Oh really? What kind of stories?" Twilight asked, just to be polite more than anything, feeling a sudden urge to leave.

"Storiesh where we all hang out together and some where we go on datesh and shtuff, I've written one recently where you and me got cozy by the fire and one thing led to another and-"

Twilight's cheeks turned red as she cut him off. "Oookay that's enough Juny. I'd love to read it sometime, really. You should send a copy to the palace and Ill get right on that, but I've just remembered I-" She floundered for words. "Have a doctor's appointment at the dentist. You know how it is, Juny." She forced smile at him, feeling her ears burning as he looked on with wonder. "You know, classic business in the DMZ, gotta go ASAP, you know strictly BYOB." She paused for air and bit her lip, hoping he believed her.

Evidently he did, and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah no problem, Princessh, hey can I tell the guysh you tackled me with your hoovesh inshtead of lifting me up with magic? Oh boy they're gonna be so jealoush!"

"What? Oh, sure. I guess. Gotta run now. Bye Juny!" With another powerful flap of her wings she shot up into the air as he waved goodbye. She shivered and shook her head. She'd met fans before, and knew when to leave.

"Doctors appointment at the dentist?" she muttered to herself and shook her head. "Stupid."

She landed quickly on another street, and ponies stopped and gazed as they sang her praises. She offered them smiles and smoothed her mane back and bristled her wings. She trotted forwards for a while, just taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city she grew up in. The Canterlot Clocktower bells began to chime, signifying the hour had passed.

She leant against a building and caught her breath, trying to think about where she would next go. "Back to Discord, I guess," she grumbled. "Twilight Sparkle Appreciation club indeed. Hmmf."

Her ear twitched as she felt a rumble, and the cries and gasps of several ponies rose up as the crowd parted. Twilight turned, and saw, barrelling down the street, was a wayward cart laden with heavy bricks. She saw it heading straight for a young filly and watched in horror as the child stood frozen. She stirred herself just in time, and rushed forwards, giving the child a hard push out of the way. The child stumbled out the way and Twilight saw movement out the corner of her eye.

With a sickening crunch, the cart crashed into her and knocked her down. Blood spewed out of her mouth and her eyes bulged. She hit the ground hard and gasped for air. She managed to twist her neck around to see her back legs twitching, separated from her abdomen. As the cart continued to roll away. She gasped and gulped in a desperate attempt for air as the crowd erupted in panic.

Blood pooled round her as the world faded to black once again. Her eyelids fluttered as she heard muffled voices, again.

And silence fell as Twilight Sparkle died.

Again.

In Which Twilight Begins Her Investigation

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Twilight Sparkle shot up in a cold sweat, once again in her own bed as the radio prattled on once again. She felt around her midsection and wiggled her back hooves. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she realised they were still attached, and the nightmarish end to yesterday just a mere memory--like a hazy fever dream. She shivered and lay back down, pressing the button on the alarm to turn it off. She lay and stared up at the ceiling in silence.

"Why is this happening?" she muttered glumly. This time she didn't get up and rush her teeth and step in the bowl of fries. Her ear twitched as she had an idea. Instead, this time she grabbed a nearby parchment and pen, and began to furiously write down everything that would happen, at least up to eight in the morning.

"Canterlot... cart..." she murmured as she wrote on her scroll. "Dangerous!!!" She underlined it several times to add emphasis. She thought back to yesterday, and how Discord also sniffed the tea and didn't find anything unusual with it.

"But the tea wasn't poison then, so what do I do? Do I-" She paused. A grin played over her face. "It seems I just wake up no matter what, so why don't I try something?" She raised a hoof up and pointed at the ceiling, tracing an outline of a shape as she mumbled to herself. "if the tea is truly poison, I have to go and try it." She flexed her legs. "Time for an experiment."

She swung her legs over the bed and marched straight to the door. She wrenched it open and stared at Starlight with a wild look in her eye.

"Oh! Twilight, I was just-"

Twilight cut her off. "Sorry, Starlight, I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain. I've got something I need to do." She marched off, her mane still uncombed and her breath still honking of morning breath. She passed pennyworth in the corridor, who paused and made to greet her.

"Sorry, Pennyworth, tell Discord Ill be along soon." She spoke before he could, causing his eyebrows to raise in question.

"Of course, your highness, but-"

She had already marched away before he had a chance to respond. She followed her nose to the royal kitchens and burst through the large white doors. She sniffed and breathed in the freshly cooked vegetables and smiled.

The chef of the Royal Canterlot Court, a grizzled pony with one eye and a wooden leg clapped his hooves together and welcomed her. "Princess Twilight, what an honour it is to be graced by your presence so early in the morning. Did me fresh cooking wake you up?" He winked at her. His voice was deep, and tinged with an unusual accent that sailors usually have.

She smiled and nodded. "You bet! But I was hoping I could get some tea first." She looked around at the serving ponies, hoping to spot the oh so familiar one she didn't recognise at first. Her eyes finally found him and she pointed a hoof towards him. "I want him to make it though."

The chef nodded and stomped his hoof. "Sweet Sorbet! Front and centre!"

A young looking, orangey pink pegasus scrambled forwards and bowed before her. She nodded to him in kind.

"Sorbet, me boy! The princess here wants you to make her some tea. Perhaps that new batch that came in this morning?"

He nodded and saluted. "Yes sir, one cup of tea coming right up."

Twilight watched him carefully. "This new batch," she murmured to the chef. "Do you know who dropped it off?"

The chef shrugged. "Sorry, your majesty, The supplier just delivers it, doesn't say where it's from or who sent it out. We get a lot of ingredients delivered." He gestured to some delicious looking boiled carrots nearby. "Can I tempt ye, miss?"

Twilight chuckled and shook her head. "Just the tea for me today please, Chef."

He nodded and bowed. "As ye wish, your majesty. Now, beggin' your pardon but I must get started on the day's meals. Today's menu is out front, if ye care to have a look. Sorbet will be along shortly as well."

The princess nodded and trotted away from him. Her mind was racing, her heart jumped up into her mouth. This was going to hurt if it was indeed poison, but she was determined to put her theory to the test. As she passed through the kitchen she emerged into the lavish dining room, she took a long look around the room. It seemed to stretch for miles, she had no real reason to use it so she barely saw this part of the castle these days. Not that she saw much of them in the old days. She sat at the table nearest the door and waited for her tea.

Sweet Sorbet shuffled out holding silver tray. He smiled a Twilight as she waved him over. "So tell me, Sweet Sorbet," she said as he poured her tea for her. "How did you come to work in the Canterlot castle?"

"Oh my friend Flash Sentry put in a good word for me." He cheerily replied.

"Oh really?" Twilight asked with wide eyes. "I know Flash, he's a good friend of mine. He's up in the Crystal Empire now isn't he?"

Sorbet beamed as he poured the tea out. "Yeah he is. He was my best friend here in Canterlot, when he left he managed to snag me a job at the palace here. Just the kitchens though I'm not brave enough for anything else, heh." He chuckled nervously as the princess watched him intently.

Twilight's mind ticked over as she listened to him. Was this pony really an assassin? He seemed genuinely nice. But a close friend of one of the guards would be a good cover, especially one that's no longer in the country. She narrowed her eyes and lifted the cup to her nose. "Smells good," she murmured.

He nodded. "It smells good when making it."

It smelt just like ordinary tea, if it was indeed poison it had no unusual smell or taste to it. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. This was it, truth or bust.

"Can I ask you something, Sweet Sorbet?"

He nodded again. "Anything, princess."

Twilight looked ta him and smiled wetly. "Would you mind joining me for a drink?"

Sorbet's cheeks turned bright red and he stammered. "Uh, okay, p-princess. I, uh... sure." He fumbled for a chair and sat down opposite her. He made to pour another cup out for himself, before Twilight stopped him and poured it herself. She watched as he nervously fidgeted.

"Something on your mind, Sorbet?" she asked quietly, watching him for any signs of a tell.

"No, miss, it's just I the kitchens were busy this morning, Chef will be wondering where I am." He winced as he caught her gaze. "But I guess he wouldn't mind if it was on princess's orders."

"I'm sure he wouldn't." She smiled coyly at him, thinking about how clever she was. If it was poison he wouldn't dare drink it, surely. "So I've heard this tea is quite nice," she continued, "but the aftertaste? To die for."

Sorbet frowned. "Are you feeling alright, your highness?"

"Hmm? Oh fine, just..." She paused, realising she might have gone a bit overboard so far. "I love tea."

His eyebrow raised in suspicion and he mouthed an okay. He raised the small cup up with one of his hooves and smiled. "Cheers, princess."

She raised her own cup up and smiled at him. "Cheers." With a clink, their cups touched. How clever she was, she thought. If it was truly poisoned he wouldn't dare drink it himself, lest he expose his treasonous nature-

And then he gulped it down heartily and smacked his lips together when he was finished. He released a satisfied sigh and murmured quietly to himself. "Oh that was nice." he smiled at her. "Thank you, princess,

"Wh-whaaat?" Twilight stammered and fumbled her own cup, spilling some slightly.

Sorbet's eyes widened as he stared at her. "Diiid I do something wrong, princess?" He looked down at the cup and noticed some tea remained at the bottom. He swung it back and radnk the dregs of the cup, causing Twilight to start forwards and reach a hoof out.

"Stop don't drink more!"

Her eye twitched. If it was poison then he just drank it. He must have given himself a weaker dose, or none at all. Maybe it was something he put in before he gave it to her the other day? But then he would have had to do it when she was there and obviously he couldn't-

And then he started to clutch at his chest and gasp for air.

Twilight watched in horror as he doubled over and gasped for air. His eyes bulged and he began to twitch. Finally he lay still, and the princess was left with a dead body at her table. She shakily stood to her feet and opened her mouth to scream for help. She stopped herself and thought for a moment.

If he was the assassin why would he poison his own tea? She cocked her head and thought some more. Perhaps there was something wrong with the batch? Maybe... She gave his body a wide berth, feeling terrible as she had essentially sentenced a young pony to death for seemingly no reason, and f there was a plot against her she had no proof. The town would be in uproar, nay, Equestria would lose faith in their princess. What kind of message would that say? Be her friend, or make friends or Twilight Sparkle will get you?

Twilight grimaced and shivered as she strode through the kitchen. "Chef!" She called.

The head chef of Canterlot hobbled out to her from the walk in freezer. he looked worried, and his mane was messy. Stress lines had creased his face tenfold. "Your highness!" he cried as he saw her, and hurried to shut the door behind him. "I trust Sorbet satisfied your needs?"

"Yeah." She glanced back at the door to the dining room, lost in her own thought. "Sort of. Listen, I need to know where that newest batch of tea came from. There might have been... an issue with the supplier and I just want to make sure...

Chef's eyes widened. "Of--of course, your, uh, highness, right... this way. Let me get the boy first-"

She felt flustered as he started towards the dining room doors. "Um, Sorbet said he would come back later... he had a..." She thought back to her excuse for young Juniper Bug and grimaced. "Allergic... reaction to the tea..." She didn't feel like a good princess, or pony for that matter right now. Lying. Murder. Lying again. Her stomach churned, thankfully not from anything she had drank today though.

Chef's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Oh..." he fell silent for a moment, sadness welling up in his eyes. He rung his hooves together and mumbled something. She noticed and cocked her head, and realised he was almost haggard looking now.

"Is everything alright, Chef?" she quietly asked.

He said nothing and gestured to come closer to him. She did, curious as to what he had to say.

"I'm afraid, princess, that the newest batch of tea that came through…" he swallowed hard and looked over her shoulder. her ear twitched as she hard a faint sobbing from deeper in the kitchens. "Well... it was contaminated, and we've... had a death..."

Twilight's eyes widened. It was her turn for her eyebrows to skyrocket. "A..."

"Aye, your highness. One of the chefs, he just..." He shrugged and rubbed his hooves together. "He just ate a leaf, just one leaf, and in a minute or so he keeled over, gasping for air and clutching at his chest." He looked at her with sudden realization. "Thank Celestia you didn't have any, your highness."

Twilight's blood ran cold. She swallowed hard and spoke quietly. "I need to see that tea, Chef."

He nodded solemnly. "I understand, princess. This way."

She followed him through the kitchens, and the sobbing grew louder. She heard hushed voices arguing, and as they rounded a corner she spotted the other chefs and serving ponies in a huddle. They saw her and instantly dispersed. Chef waved his hoof at them and nodded, making silent gestures at them. He glanced at Twilight and mumbled an apology. "They're afraid, princess."

"As am I, Chef," Twilight mumbled back as they kept walking. Silence deafened them, and she swore she could hear her own heartbeat in her head.

"Here." He stopped at a cupboard. "This is where we keep the fresh deliveries, only one bag was opened but who knows what's been contaminated now..." He waved a hoof around sadly.

"Chef, I need to inspect this. Alone. would you mind-"

"Not at all, princess." Chef opened the door and stepped aside for him. "I'll keep watch, make sure nopoy disturbs you. Just... don't try one of the leaves,. Please."

Twilight nodded and entered the cupboard. She saw the bag in question, knocked over. Usual looking green leaves spilled out from it, she noticed as she carefully approached it. Could this be the assassin? Just contaminated tea leaves? She couldn't help but feel relief wash over her, and an incredible sense of guilt followed it.

As she sniffed the bag, she noticed no particular smell, other than that of regular tea leaves. She used her magic to hold one up to the light and inspected it. She saw nothing, and to her and seemingly everypony else, it was just a normal tea leaf. Could such a little thing truly be so poisonous? She bit her lip, knowing what she had to do to make sure for certain, and to possibly save more lives tomorrow.

The princess took a deep breath and popped one of the leaves into her mouth and swished it around. Her tongue poked and prodded it, searching for something. An unusual texture, an unusual taste, anything. She spat it out and waited for a minute. Her spirits rose slightly as she realised there was nothing wro-

Then her insides began to feel like they were on fire.

"Oh yeah there it is..."

Twilight brought a hoof over her mouth as she fought to keep from being sick again. She gasped and groaned as her chest began to tighten. Soon she couldn't breathe at all, and an all too familiar and unwelcome darkness enveloped her vision.

She fell into silence once again as the blurry images of the store cupboard faded from her sight

Then...

"GOOOOOOD MORNING CANTERLOOOOT!"

She opened her eyes and stared a the familiar ceiling once more. Without a word, she swung a hoof at the alarm and turned it off, then grabbed a quill and parchment from nearby and scribbled something down. The scratching sound of the quill filled the heavy silence as she wrote.

Tea = Poisoned leaves. No assassins. Plus one good point.

Runaway carts in Canterlot = still dangerous.

She placed the parchment down at her bedside and looked back at the ceiling for what felt like eternity. She sat up and forced the sun to rise as a knock came at her door.

"Twilight, it's Starlight can I come in?"

"Sure Starlight," Twilight called. The door swung open and her friend smiled at her. The purple unicorn looked around at the mess and sighed.

"Another late night, princess?" she chuckled softly and smiled.

The princess glared at her and stood up. "I need to leave, Starlight," She said. She knew she had to act fast if she was to prevent any of the serving ponies die from the poisoned tea leaves.

Starlight balked and froze mid-step. "Oh. Okay... Sure, Twilight, I guess-"

Twilight rushed past her. Her wings spread as she flew down the corridor at breakneck speeds. She saw Pennyworth out the corner of her eye raise a hoof to catch her attention. "A Mr Cord waits for you ma'am-"

"SorryPennyworthcan'ttalkIgottago!"

The old butler scowled as she whizzed past. He harrumphed and strode down the corridor in the other direction.

The princess burst through the doors to the kitchen and frightened half the staff to death. "Sorry, everypony," she gasped as she felt air return to her lungs. "Where's--Chef?"

The head chef strode forwards, hooves outstretched as he welcomed her. His one good eye looked her over and he grinned from ear to ear. "Morning, princess. Did something nice catch your nose?"

She shook her head and stumbled over ot him. "Chef, we need to talk. Now."

His face fell as he saw the look in her eye. "Very well, your highness. This way." He gestured to one of the backrooms. Twilight spotted one pony hauling a heavy looking crate into one of the storerooms out the corner of her eye as they trotted past. She whipped her head around as she saw a single tea leaf spill out from the top of it. "Chef," she asked quietly. he stopped and tilted his head to her. "is that the newest batch of tea for this morning?"

He nodded. "Tis, your highness, what-"

"Excuse me!" she called, a touch too loudly as panic seeped into her voice. Both Chef and the pony hauling the crate, an earth pony with a large moustache and wearing a uniform of a delivery company, started back and almost dropped it. She spread her wings and levitated the crate off of his back. "I'm sorry but this crate is contaminated. You are to take it outside and dispose of it--safely!"

Chef stood and watched in total bewilderment. "Princess I-" he started. She rounded on him and stared with wild eyes. He gulped and nodded to the delivery pony. "You heard the princess, get rid of it."

The pony grumbled and his moustache bristled in annoyance as he lugged the heavy crate back where he came from.

Twilight slumped to the floor in relief. "Phew," she mumbled.

Chef stared at her and coughed politely. "Far be it from an old sailor like me to question your highness, but... what was that?"

The princess straightened up and dusted herself off. "I'll explain everything, Chef. But you must listen to me carefully." She looked around. Is there somewhere we can speak more... privately?"

He nodded and gestured to the store cupboard where the tea was going. "It's as private place as any."

Once inside, she closed the door and turned to him. She began explaining everything, from yesterday and the day before, how she had died twice and then a third yesterday as part of her investigation. He listened and nodded, remaining surprisingly calm throughout.

"Which leads me to now."

Twilight knew she sounded crazy and silently begged him to believe her. She pleaded with her hooves as her wings bristled, waiting for his accusatory tones. Her mane remained messy and a strand draped over her eyes. She brushed it away and continued to stare at the chef.

He scratched his chin and shook his wooden leg as she finished recanting her story. "Well, princess," he murmured. "I've heard some old mares tales in my day, especially on the high seas in me youth, but never anything like that." The grizzled pony hummed to himself as the princess watched in despair. To her complete surprise, he nodded and smiled at her.

"I believe you, your highness. What do you want to do?"

Her legs buckled as relief washed over her. "Oh thank you so much, Chef, you have no idea-"

A loud bang came on the door. "Chef! We need you out here!"

Their faces drained of colour as Chef quickly unlocked the door and strode out. "What's the matter, lad?" h asked as Sweet Sorbet pointed with a trembling hoof.

"Th-th-th-" he stammered. His face was white as a sheet, like he'd seen a ghost.

"Sweet Sorbet me boy I'll tan your hide of ye don't-"

"Chef that's enough," Twilight mumbled as she raised a hoof in horror. Chef followed her gaze and grimaced.

The delivery pony from just a few minutes earlier, lay as dead upon the ground. His face twisted in pain, his hoof stretched up towards his throat, clearly a sign he had been struggling for air before he died. Chef cast glance at the princess, who backed up slowly. Their gaze met, and he nodded silently, before looking down at the handful of tea leaves in the pony's hoof.

"Alright lad, help me get this pony some dignity. Princess perhaps it's best if ye head off. We'll keep quiet, won't we lad?"

Sorbet nodded as he looked on in horror.

Twilight started backwards, bumping into the wall slightly and apologising to it. She turned as the kitchen staff began to gather. "Ponies!" she addressed to them and spread her wings, obscuring their path and vision as best she could, while she heard Chef and Sorbet behind her. They froze and stared at her as she cleared her throat. "There has been a terrible accident. All I can say is right now do not under any circumstances, eat any of the newest batch of tea leaves that arrived this morning."

She eyed them all as they silently nodded. One craned her neck to see over the princess's wing and gaped as she spotted the chef and his assistant moving a large black, pony shaped bag. She covered her mouth and stifled a scream as her gaze rested on Twilight's face, who stared back at her and inclined her head an inch forwards.

The princess ushered them backwards with her wings and took a deep breath. Without another word, she strode out of the kitchens, back up towards her bedroom. She opened the door, surprised by the tidiness and neatness of it all. She crossed the room, admiring Starlight's--she assumed--handiwork and mustered up enough energy to raise the sun, getting the timing well off this morning.

Then she collapsed on her bed, and began to loudly sob. Her body heaved as tears streamed down her face. "Why..." she mumbled through the tears. "Why is this happening? Why does somepony always have to die?" Her thoughts turned to the filly she had saved yesterday in exchange for her own life. Yesterday? The day before. She covered her face in frustration and curled up into a ball. Her heat leapt into her throat as she realised this filly might die today if nopony pushed her out the way, but then whoever saved her might also die.

She gazed up at the sun, it's golden rays shining down at the world. "Oh Celestia... I wish you were here."

A knock came at her door. She wiped her eyes and straightened up, and gave her nose a gentle rub. She paused to breathe and regain her composure. "Come in," she weakly called.

The door swung open, revealing an irritated looking Discord. She sighed and looked at him as he strode towards her and complained about being kept waiting in the lobby for ages.

He stopped when he saw her eyes and rushed forwards. "Oh my goodness, Twilight, the dramatics aren't necessary, really. It's no problem, I don't mind that I was waiting that long, I was just jesting!"

As tears welled up in her eyes again she thrust her small frame into him and gave him a hug, something with both startled and sent a shiver of fear through the old trickster. He awkwardly patted her back as she sobbed into him. "There, there, Twilight," he mumbled and patted her wings as they fluttered.

Eventually, she leant back and rubbed her eyes again. "Oh Discord I'm having a horrible day," she mumbled.

He nodded. "I can see that, Twilight. Why don't you tell me about it?" He snapped his fingers. As a moment passed in silence, he grunted in frustration and grabbed a chair and began to drag it over. "I've lost-"

"Your magic, I know."

He gaped at her. "How? Did you take it?"

She laughed for what felt like the first time in ages. "I wish. Maybe I could get out of this mess then." The princess sighed and looked at him sadly. "Discord, have you ever... been caught in a loop? Like the same day repeating over and over?"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm, I can't say I have Twilight." His ears cocked forward as he listened to her, for the second time today, explain. Perhaps he could shed more light on the matter than the old chef could, however.

Twilight winced as he leant back in his chair, absorbing her words.

"What are you thinking, Discord?" she gingerly asked.

Discord puffed out his cheeks. "That you, my dear Twilight… are in as much of a pickle as me."

"You don't say?" she deadpanned asked him and rolled her eyes, red and sore from crying so hard so suddenly. "How insightful."

"Oh come now, Twilight I'm trying to help." The draconequus tutted and turned away. "Don't know why I should if you're going to be like that." He stood to leave as she started forwards and reached a hoof out to him.

"Wait, Discord... I'm sorry." She hung her head as he looked down at her. "I'm just... frustrated."

Discord chuckled softly and tousled her mane. "Have no fear, Twilight. You still have your friends. Friendship can solve anything, you taught me that."

She lookd up at him in awe. "Discord that's... you're right! I'm sre my friends can help me with this!"

He nodded. "I'm sure they can. While you're at it, do you suppose you can-"

"Look for your magic? Yes of course Discord, thank you!" She wrapped her hooves around him and gave him a right hug. Again, he awkwardly patted her back and blushed somewhat.

"You're welcome... Twilight," he mumbled. He coughed loudly and straightened up as she released him. "But a princess can't go out looking like that,." He handed her her hairbrush and smiled. "Here."

She took it and thanked him. As she brushed her mane she realised her breath still stank. "Oh sorry, Discord, I should-"

"Brush your teeth? Yes I can smell you from here." Discord grinned as she scowled. This was more his pace, more of the antagonising nature than the comforting nature. "I'll wait here if you wish to freshen up."

She thanked him again and entered her bathroom, closing the door behind her. She squinted at her reflection in the mirror as she grabbed the toothpaste. "I look terrible," she muttered and forced a smile out. She glanced upwards as she began to brush, using the correct toothpaste first try this time. She thought abut how she would get that lightbulb sorted today, or tomorrow perhaps. Or the day after. or one of the many yesterdays that were to come. Her head began to swim as she thought about it. She spat and rinsed her mouth out, gargling some water for good measure.

She felt dread as she gazed down into the sink, watching the last of the water drain away, and imagined what fresh horror would await her now. What she would see, and what would happen to her if she involved herself. She swallowed and opened the door. She glared at the old draconequus as he lounged on his chair, dozing lightly and a small trail of drool poured out of his mouth onto her carpet.

She slammed the door behind her, startling him awake. "Oh sorry did that wake you?" she chuckled.

"That was mean, Twilight." he scowled at her and settled himself. "What did I ever do to deserve such shabby treatment from the Princess of Friendship?"

"You mean besides impersonate Grogar to gather the three of my worst enemies to take over Equestria? Oh gee I don't know."

Discord mumbled something inaudible. "Rassrfrassr. You make one mistake and that's all you're known for." He cupped his head in his paw and glumly looked out of the window.

"More than that Discord, if you'll remember," Twilight continued, "you also turned against us and joined forces with Tirek, and threatened to turn Equestria into a world of chaos and disharmony, and try and turn me and my friends against each other."

The old jokester grumbled and huffed. "Well when you put it like that sure it sounds bad but-"

"Discord."

"Alright, fine." He straightened up and yawned. "You know what, I think I'll stay here for a while. You go on and meet your friends, Twilight." He picked up a book and glanced over it. "I'll stay here and think about my own problems. Not that I'd be of much use without my magic anyway..."

Twilight rolled her eyes and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I do value you as a friend, Discord. I'll get the rest of friends and we'll search for your magic together, I promise."

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Okay, princess." He rose out of his chair to bow dramatically before hoping into her bed. "I shall await your return, my fairest prince."

The princess rolled her eyes and chuckled as he batted his eyelashes at her and tucked the covers to his chin, resembling an old fairy-tale. "See you soon, Discord."

"See you soon, Twilight. Watch out for accidents."

She glared at him before leaving her room once again.

The Princess strode through Canterlot's streets and gulped as she saw the ambulance pegasus brigade flying overhead. She hoped that wasn't the filly and felt sadness wash over her. Every sound, every single thing that caught her eye she watched intently before whipping her head around and looking at the next one as she made her way toward the train station. Thankfully, her short trip was without event, and she boarded the train quietly as it rolled up into the station.

She sat down in one of the oh so familiar carriages and breathed a sigh of relief. The train was practically empty, save for the workers of course. A tall pony with finely trimmed mutton chops and a watch as his cutie mark trotted by her, giving her a nod with a smile.

"Hullo, princess," he said cheerfully as he passed by. "Another lovey morning, eh?"

She nodded and smiled back at him. "You're too kind." She looked around and chuckled. "Ponies aren't getting the train much these days are they?"

He shook his head and laughed. "Afraid not, miss." A voice came from the overhead speaker, completely inaudible and unintelligible to those who don't understand trainspeak. The pony grimaced and gave her another nod. "Excuse me, princess." He turned and hurried out, towards the front of the train.

Twilight turned to look out of the window as he left. She sighed as she gazed out at the countryside and reminisced about the good old days, of her and her friends always rushing about trying to save the world. Darkness swallowed up the train as they passed through the mountain and she turned away.

"Good old days," she snorted with a laugh. "It's only been a year since I ascended the throne." She leant back and stared at the ceiling. Had the trip always taken this long? She supposed it was because she was usually with her friends. Light soon burst around her, and she glanced out of the window once again. She could see Ponyville across the river not too far away now. How she missed her friends, but she knew everypony had their own responsibilities and she needed to-

She surged forwards as a horrific screech filled the air. She landed on the seat in front of her with a crunch, and groaned in pain. "What now?" she muttered as she held her nose. She felt blood trickle down towards her mouth and tilted her head back.

The princess stumbled forwards as the train continued to screech. She glanced out of the window and felt dread rise up inside her. Now she was closer she could clearly see what the issue was. The bridge was out.

"The bridge is out..." she murmured as her ears plastered to the back of her skull.

The door to her carriage burst open, revealing the train worker from earlier. "Princess, you must hurry!" he cried as he fought for balance as the train continued to screech to a halt. "The bridge is out!"

She nodded and glanced out the window again. "I saw," she muttered as she held her nose.

The worker furrowed his brow. "What ever happened, princess?"

"Train stopped so suddenly I banged my nose off the seat."

"...Oh..."

She stood and unsteadily made her way to the back of the train. She fumbled with the door and called to him. "This door is locked, do you have the key?""

The worker nodded and attempted to stride towards her. He took several steps forwards and suddenly began to float almost. Their eyes widened as the train took a nose dive, into the river. The windows around them shattered

Water surged upwards, engulfing the worker as he floundered and gasped for air. Twilight spread her wings and tried to hover in place and reached down for him, before the rest of the train crashed down on her. She opened her mouth to scream, and only bubbles emerged as her head was submerged. Shattered glass floated in the water, cutting her legs as she lashed out. The worker pony floated silently towards her.

With a horrid realisation, she knew this was how this pony was 'supposed' to die today. She stopped thrashing and gently reached out to him as he floated within distance of her. She closed his eyes for him and looked up. The sun shone brightly on the water above, and down she sunk, encased in her metal tomb.

She felt panic swelled up inside her once again. Every instinct in her told her to kick, and get herself out of the water. She twisted herself towards a broken window and pushed herself through it with her wings. She felt a sharp pain and blood trickled out around her, appearing like a thin red mist from her cut wings and legs.

She never thought she would die by drowning today as she kicked her legs out and desperately made for the surface, so tantalizingly close.

Her lungs began to burn. She grew desperate for that sweet taste of oxygen, and wished she had just stayed in bed that morning. Her mind raced as she kept thinking she could breathe, but she knew deep down she simply couldn't. Her front hooves held up to her throat, her back legs still kicking weakly, and the pressure of the water made it feel like she was exploding. Eventually, her lungs gave out, and she took a deep, deep breath, desperate for satisfaction.

She gazed up at the bright sun, reaching out as far as she could. Had she even moved? Was the river that deep? She felt the weight of the water clog up her orifices, weighing her down and preventing her from acquiring that sweet Equestrian air.

As she inhaled more and more water, she began to feel dizzy. The sun began to darken as images flashed through her mind, growing up in Canterlot, Spike, her brother, her cutie mark exam, becoming Celestia's student, rising through he classes, going to Ponyville for the first time, meeting her friends.

Their faces smiled at her. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy.

She felt like she was floating, unaware of the pressure of the water on her body now. Her mouth opened. No bubbles emerged. Death no longer worried her.

Twilight felt like she was drifting off to sleep, and watched as the sun grew darker still. It's warm glow so close yet so far.

Then silence.

In Which Twilight Watches The End of The World

View Online

"GOOOOOOD MORNING CANTERLOOOOT! This is not a test, this is ROCK and ROLL-"

Twilight Sparkle's eyes snapped open. The weight of the water was still fresh in her mind, the feel of it rushing into her lungs still lingering. Her eyes glazed over as she looked around the familiar room. She took deep gulps of air, welcoming the oxygen. She shakily reached out and switched off the alarm, cut off Disc Jockey as he once again spouted some nonsense about how early it was.

With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, she swung her legs over the bed and held her head in her hooves. She glanced upwards towards the moon, shining bright in the sky still. She mustered up what energy she had and lowered it, and brought the sun up slowly and gracefully.

Tears welled up in her eyes as the simple comfort of the warm glow washed over her. She closed her eyes and stretched her wings out. She sat for a few minutes, just basking in the sun, happy to be alive. With a startling realization, she had no idea how the day would end. Would something terrible happen later on? Was the... she swallowed hard and closed her eyes... train incident the last disaster to befall Equestria? She shook her head as her mind began to race. "Focus, Twilight. One thing at a time."

Slowly and carefully, she made her way to the bathroom and began the daily routine once again.

Teeth now brushed, she rinsed and spat, and glared up at the light that remained off. "Going to do something about that today," she muttered. She switched the tap off, and focused her attention on the broken bulb. Magic wrapped around it as she unscrewed it, and she carried it through to her bedroom. "Have to get another one from somewhere."

She turned to the door and paused, waiting for Starlight's knock. "Three... two... one..." she murmured as she cocked an ear out.

There it was. Two short knocks, indicating the tell-tale entrance of the studious unicorn. Twilight smiled as she thought about Starlight. About how far she'd come from once trying to ruin all of time and space. Truly, she was now counted amongst the princess's dearest and closest friends.

"Come in, Starlight!" she called out.

The door opened revealing the purple unicorn, who gave her a puzzled look and an awkward smile. "How did you know it was me, Twilight?"

Twilight tapped her muzzle. "I have my ways." Her face fell as she realised it would be no use trying to tell her the day was repeating again. She straightened up and gestured to the mess around the room.

Starlight followed her gaze and chuckled softly, shaking off the uneasy feeling she had. "Another late night, princess?" she asked with a smile.

"Something like that, you know how it is," Twilight chuckled back. She thought it might be better if she didn't reveal anything yet. She knew there was no point trying to avert what was coming, not until she actually knew what was coming. She needed a plan.

"Well let me help you at least," Starlight said with a smile. Her magic grasped the several scattered book and began to place them upon the shelves. She glanced at the alicorn, currently deep in thought. "You're up early." Her eyes wandered towards the silent radio and a grin danced across her face. "Did your alarm work? They're great aren't they?"

Twilight smiled, Starlight's question rousing her from her thoughts. "Oh, yeah. I have to say Disc Jockey is growing on me."

Starlight's eyes widened. "I know right? At first I didn't like how loud he was, but then he, like you say, grew on me." She beamed with pride as her idea for a radio actually affected the princess herself. What a world!

The alicorn continued to smile. Inside, she actually hated Disc Jockey, and his voice was a constant reminder of the hell she was trapped in, doomed to repeat over and over until she drove herself mad. Perhaps it was him, all along?

A laugh escaped her, and it felt good, despite what she felt.

Starlight tilted her head. "Something funny, Twilight?"

"Sort of. I'll explain later."

She realised it must be time for pennyworth's announcement of Discord and looked expectantly towards the door. There it was, right on cue.

"Come in," she called.

The door swung open, revealing the familiar old thin pony with a finely waxed moustache once again. He bowed to them both. "Your highness. There is currently a Mr Cord waiting for you in the lobby. He claims it is a matter of utmost urgency."

"Tell him I'll be right down, Mr Pennyworth."

Twilight repeated the words like she had several times before. The butler nodded and retreated, closing the door gently behind him. Her reflection stared back at her, messy mane and all. "Starlight can you pass me my hairbrush please?"

The unicorn was already holding it out to her and chuckled.

"Thanks."

"I swear Twilight, you'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on tight."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Twilight waved a hoof at her and combed her mane to a presentable state. "How do I look?" she asked as she flourished her wings and turned her head to the side.

Starlight smiled and curtsied. "Like a princess, your highness. We should see what 'Mr Cord' wants," she said with a roll of her eyes.

The princess laughed and nodded. "Shall we, then?" She gestured to the door, and the unicorn trotted through. "What would yo do, Starlight, if your magic suddenly disappeared?" she asked quietly as they walked.

Starlight frowned. "I'm not sure, Twilight. I'd probably come to you for help," she said with a nervous chuckle.

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. Of course that's what Starlight would say. She imagined every pony would come to see her if they had a problem like this, and Discord was of course no exception. Her ear twitched. No doubt his magic had something to do with the days repeating, but what exactly?

She shook her head as they reached the lobby doors. Starlight reminded her of the visit to the school once more, and bid her adieu to 'hash it out' with Discord, and Twilight was left to face Discord once more alone. She took a deep breath and pushed the doors open, smiling down at the draconequus as he tapped one of his feet.

"About time, too. It's nice to know the Lord of Equestria always has time for one of her dearest friends." He sarcastically smiled and bowed low.

"Hello Discord." Twilight smiled at him, genuinely. Although he was the prime suspect for it all, she appreciated seeing him. Very few ponies in Equestria understood magic like he did, and she was eager to learn today. "What can I help you with?" She knew she had to play dumb so far, as not to raise suspicions.

"Well that's just the thing, princess, what can you do for me today?" Discord snapped his fingers and held his arms out. "I'm in a bit of a pickle as you can see."

She looked at him pitifully. "Your magic's gone?" she asked carefully.

He nodded. "Good observation, princess. Yes my magic has indeed 'gone'."

Twilight took a deep breath and asked him to start at the beginning, knowing already what was to come.

"I woke up this morning after a--ahem--night of catching up with old friends, and realised I couldn't do any magic. It has a tendency to wander off on it's own at times, being chaos and all." He wistfully rung his hands together and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Mmhmm. I see," Twilight responded as she thought. "This is indeed one heck of a problem isn't it?"

Discord glared at her. "This isn't funny, Twilight. My magic can be... unstable at times. if somepony has managed to get a hold of it somehow, I'm afraid not even I would know of the repercussions."

This gave the princess pause. She hadn't thought of somepony else using his magic, even by accident, and that opened the door to so many more suspects. She groaned inwardly and looked towards the door as young Sweet Sorbet pushed it open, with a tray of the poisoned tea.

She grimaced as she felt her stomach knot and gave him a polite nod. At least there wasn't any assassins, and it seemed to be just freak accidents. She froze and looked at Discord as he watched her expectantly .

"Discord, would you say your magic, on it's own, could cause... accidents?" she asked quietly.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Why, yes, I'm afraid I would, Twilight. What does that have to do with anything?"

She shook her head. "I... just have a bad feeling about today is all. The tea remained untouched, and she gave it a spiteful look. "Listen, Discord, I have some things I need to see to today." She gave him a look, her eyes seemed to sparkle with sadness as she knew what was to come. "Why don't you stay here, in the palace until I get back?"

His eyes grew in wonder. "Why Twilight what a generous offer. Are you sure you don't want any help in searching?"

"I'm positive."

"Very well, princess. I shall remain here and hold the fort down. Perhaps pennyworth can bring me a bite to eat." He smiled coyly at her and flashed a smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes at him and flared her nostrils. "Don't go making a mess or causing a nuisance of yourself."

"My word as the Lord of Chaos, Twilight Sparkle, no mischief shall be had on my part."

The princess simply raised an eyebrow at him in silence.

"Ah. Yes... well..." He bowed and slunk away from her. "Do be careful, princess. No telling what my magic may have gotten up to in my absence."

"Noted."

She bid him a curt goodbye and left for the streets of her home.

As she strode through the streets, she made a note of everypony's face as they greeted her. She smiled back at them, memorizing each and every one of their faces as best she could. She came to the street where the cart would come loose and fought to keep calm. She couldn't incite a panic, yet she couldn't interfere either for fear of her own death.

She swallowed hard and turned away, unable to bear watching and doing nothing. She managed to time it just right, and took a deep breath as a painful cry and panicked voices rose up.

"Princess! Princess!" a voice cried. She turned and saw a young mare waving her over. She hurried, and knelt beside the injured pony. A stallion, in his mid years, she thought, and cradled his head. His body was severed in two at the waist, and blood trickled out from his mouth as he lay in shock. The crowd stood silent as the princess held him.

Twilight resolved to not allow this to continue, and would solve the mystery whatever the cost, and however man times she died and the world was reset.

Soon news of the pony's accident spread, and Twilight returned to roaming the streets. Her subjects gave her a wide berth as blood stained her coat, since she refused to be allowed to washed, feeling a sickening guilt as she thought about how she allowed that pony to die.

Disaster after disaster came. She hadn't even realised, but a restaurant had suffered a gas leak, and at least six ponies were dead before they finished their desert, including countless staff. The guilt continued to gnaw away at her as she strode through the town, remembering faces and names of the victims as they fell.

She rested for a moment in an alley, avoiding the sad eyes of the ponies around her as her heart furiously beat inside her chest. "Why is this happening?" she muttered. "Why?"

Her heart pounded to the point where she thought it would burst and her breath came ragged, hanging in the air as it escaped her mouth.

Canterlot was in mourning, and a few ponies remained trapped in the capital as the train lines were out of commission. She struggled with their cries, and demands of why didn't she stop anything. She simply explained that she had no way of knowing what would happen, a small lie, if only to ease her own nerves, yet ate away at her very soul.

A heart attack here, another freak accident, death seemed to stalk her, taunt her almost. Long hours passed, and eventually it grew close to the time when she could lower the moon and raise the sun.

As the moon's last silver light graced the world, Twilight felt a great sorrow raise up inside her. She mourned for her ponies as they died, seemingly senselessly, and if proper safety checks had been performed, none would most likely have occurred. If some fire alarms went off like they should-

A blinding white light suddenly erupted in the sky, and Twilight quickly covered her eyes and shrieked in pain and surprise. The light source seemed to come from towards Ponyville, and she cast a spell to shield herself for a moment.

She squinted past her hooves and saw a colossal, fiery red cloud in the shape of a mushroom rise up into the atmosphere. Windows all around her shattered as a massive shockwave rippled through the streets, and she looked around in absolute horror as ponies began to burn alive around her.

Her magic waned, and eventually broke as fire ripped through Canterlot. She screamed as her hooves caught on fire, and her skin began to peel. She fell to the ground and writhed in agony as the buildings began to disintegrate. Wreckage and rubble flew through the streets, crushing any pony still standing.

Twilight continued to howl in pain as her bones began to show, and she gazed up in terror at the cloud. Ponies turned to ash and evaporated around her, clutching at each other in their final moments, and her screams were silenced as she too burned away. Her final thoughts as she disappeared into the void of nothingness?

Get to Ponyville. Find what did this. Break the cycle.

However long it takes.

End this.

In Which Twilight Receives A Message

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"GOOOOOOD-"

Twilight's eyes snapped open. Another day to try again. Another day to die. She swung her legs over the bed and her magic enveloped all the books scattered around and began to tidy them up as she sprung into action once more. She brushed her teeth as quickly s possible and waited for Starlight, hoping to set off as quickly as possible.

She learned the cause of the explosion was a foal, barely of age and unsure of herself in the school of friendship. A unicorn, Luster Dawn. Incredibly gifted with magic, Twilight suspected she could one day hold the mantle of Element of Magic should the need arise.

The princess made it a point to take her under her wing and try and help her contain her magic a few times, thinking it must have been the cause of the loop. As the days repeated over and over, however, she found no new leads as to why. Or how. Eventually, she concluded the filly was a mere pawn, as she herself was.

The other disasters seemed inconsequential now, and she hated how she felt. Guilt gnawed away at her very soul, as her heart grew cold and dark as despair set in. As light engulfed the world once more, Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"MORNING-"

Another day. Another attempt. She began with tidying her room, then speaking to Starlight Glimmer as she always had. One day, she decided to try something new and refuse to leave her room. Nobles quickly began to demand she speak with them, and heard ponies in the streets below begin to protest and call for her to make an appearance. She cowered, rather ashamedly, in her bedroom and waited for the world to end. The crowds began to scream as light engulfed the world once more, and only the smouldering crackling embers were left.

Another day she tried to run away, to leave Canterlot and even Equestria itself, but barely got out the gates of the city as they collapsed on her. She lay in the hospital with a broken back, unable to move, or even speak. The doctors told her it was a miracle she was alive. She silently begged them to kill her, to end her suffering before the light came. They didn't, and she watched, unable to move, frozen in horror like a morbid statue as she watched the doomed world pass.

One day, she decided to take over the world. She declared herself Midnight Sparkle, Supreme Overlord of Equestria and attempted to create an eternal twilight, holding both the moon and sun in the skies. That was fun while it lasted, it felt somewhat refreshing to be the bad guy for a change. And then there was a coup in less than a day, and she promptly had her head sliced off by an angry mob using an ancient arbitrary execution device not used since before Celestia.

And another she tried doing whatever she wanted, and proceeded to get as drunk as possible on fresh cider, which thankfully was not poisoned, and had the townsponies throw the biggest party they'd ever seen. They needed no excuse for a celebration, and the entire town revelled in the surprise joy and happiness. Save for the princess. Although she danced and sang and partied with the rest of them, she knew deep down it was a fleeting moment in an endless cycle of torment.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And months turned into years as she lost count of how many times she had woken up, and how many times she had watched the world end so suddenly in a blaze of fire and pain.

"CANTERLOOOOT!"

And another day begins. Twilight's eyes creaked open and she stared at the ceiling. She felt terrible. Day after day of inevitable death would tend to have that effect. She lay in bed for a moment longer than usual. What even was usual right now? She slapped a face into her head and groaned. "I don't want to do this," she muttered sadly as she swung her legs over the bed. She sat and stared in silence for a while, watching the door, waiting for Starlight to appear. AT least she saw one of her dearest friends every morning, even if the unicorn had no idea what was happening. She wished she could get a message to her friends in time, to see if there was any way they could help her out. Even Spike, her lovely little dragon, who she hadn't seen since well before any of this started.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she waited. Time seemed to slow, the seconds and minutes creeping agonizingly slow by. Until finally-

"Twilight, it's Starlight can I come in?"

Twilight sighed and rubbed her eyes. She sniffed and calmed herself. "Sure, Starlight." She winced at how croaky her voice sounded and coughed in an attempt to clear her throat. The door swung open, revealing the purple unicorn, as it had so many times before.

Starlight gasped upon seeing the heavy bags under the princess's eyes. "Twilight you look terrible." She looked around at the messy room, at the books scattered about and chuckled nervously. "Another late night?"

The princess nodded silently. She rose from her bed and trotted through to the bathroom. Starlight watched in an awkward silence and began to tidy up the room as best she could. The radio continued to blare, Disc Jockey taking calls from ponies all across Equestria.

Twilight marched through back to her bedroom and grabbed her hairbrush. She brushed her mane in silence, giving minimalist answers while Starlight chatted to her about this that and the other. "Sure. Uh huh. Oh wow." She focused her hearing on the radio, realising she had never actually stayed to just listen to it before, always too irritated or uncaring to listen to Disc Jockey's inane prattling.

"Thank you Daisy from Manehattan, have a good morning!" he cried as the latest mare hung up. Another call came through almost immediately form the sound of it, and the radio host answered with his usual enthusiasm. "Hello caller from Ponyville-"

Twilight's ears pricked up at that. Starlight fell silent as she too listened to the latest caller.

"You're on the air, what's-"

"Great whickering stallions! I thought I'd never get through! Listen, I've simply no time to explain, but I need to get a message out to the princess."

Twilight's ears pricked up at that. "A message for the princess?" she murmured. The stallion's voice sounded familiar, she thought, but couldn't place where from.

Starlight also cocked her head and listened, curious as to what this could be.

Disc Jockey seemed to fumble over his words for a moment, and lost his composure for a moment. "For the princess? Sure go ahead mystery caller."

"Thanks." The caller took a deep breath. "Alright so, Princess Twilight, I must confess that an..." He paused and made a series of noises. "Experiment of mine has gone terribly wrong, and I find myself repeating the same day over and over. I suspect there is some... magical emergency at work and I need your professional opinion on such a matter."

Twilight's heart leapt into her throat. She stared at the radio with an open jaw, while Starlight gave her a smile. "A magical emergency, huh? Weren't you must moaning about how boring things were yesterday?"

The princess didn't answer, instead she strained her ears forwards as far as she could and stared down at the radio.

The stallion continued and cleared his throat. "I strongly advise you to seek me out at my residence in Ponyville. It's opposite where the Golden Oaks Library used to be. I can't explain any more right now but you must-" A crash and the shattering of glass was heard in the background as his voice grew crackly and the sound of static broke him up. "Great whi...ing… ions--Prin...ss ple… find m..."

The line went dead and the haunting dial tone filled the heavy silence that followed Disc Jockey fumbled something in his studio and coughed nervously. "Well, Princess Twilight I hope you got the message, sounds like somepony had a bit too much to drink last night, heh. Repeating the same day over and over? What a crazy story. We're gonna go to a quick commercial break and when we come back we'll return to our regularly scheduled broadcasts."

With a click, music began to play as the brothers Flim and Flam advertised their latest sham--sorry--'miracle cure'.

Twilight's thoughts drowned out the sound as she sat her haunches down and stared at the ground, eyes mere pinpricks. "Is this it..." she whispered, just barely audibly. Her tongue quivered in anticipation. Somepony who knew about the repeat? How come she never listened to the radio before? She slapped a hoof to her head in frustration.

Starlight slowly approached her and tapped her on the wing. "Uh, Twilight?" The princess's neck snapped around to stare at the unicorn, startling her slightly. "What's on your mind?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and I have before. Several times." Twilight's eyebrow twitched and her mouth pulled up into a twisted, slightly unhinged smile as she looked towards the ground. "But now I have a lead. Finally."

A knock came at the door. "Come in," she said without thinking as Starlight opened her mouth to speak, a puzzled beyond comprehension expression on her face.

Mr Pennyworth, the old reliable butler in Canterlot, opened he door and bowed graciously. "Your highness, Miss Glimmer."

Starlight gave him a polite nod back, while Twilight continued to stare at the ground at nothing in particular.

"There is currently a Mr Cord waiting for you in the lobby. He claims it is a matter of utmost urgency."

"Tell him Starlight will see to whatever he needs," Twilight replied without looking. Starlight started back in surprise and whipped her head around.

"I will?"

"Mhm."

The princess's mind raced. She had some things to plan. Like how to get out of Canterlot to visit Ponyville for instance. The train was not an option, could she fly there? She'd done it before, and the weather had remained clear all day for the past... several years. "That's what I'll do," she murmured quietly.

She turned to the unicorn and smiled. Her eyebrow still twitched away to itself. "I've got that emergency to see to, Starlight. I'd really appreciate it if you could see to things in the kingdom for me for a while."

Starlight twisted her face and grimaced. "I don't know, Twilight, the school's kinda busy today. We've got some new students coming in, one of them is-"

She fell silent as the princess silently begged her with large, sparkling eyes. She eventually sighed and nodded. "Sure, okay, Twilight. But you owe me." She yelped quietly as Twilight brought her into a sudden hug.

"Of course, Starlight. Thank you!" Twilight cried and released the startled mare. "Now!" she clapped her hooves together and stretched her wings out. "I need to get to Ponyville as fast as possible. Mr Pennyworth?"

The butler clicked his hooves together and stood to attention, having stood silently watching the princess and her friend from the comfort of the door frame. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Please make sure Starlight has whatever she needs to see to her, and my, duties today."

"Of course, ma'am." With a nod and a short bow

Twilight gave him a nod and ushered Starlight out of the room. "Listen, Starlight, tell Luster Dawn that she's a good filly, and she shouldn't worry so much about her magic," she told the unicorn with a smile. "She'll get the hang of it soon."

Starlight whipped her head around in confusion. "How did-"

"It's too late to explain. Let Discord know his issue is being handled, though okay?"

Before the unicorn could speak, Twilight gave her a light shove out the door and closed it behind her. She heard their hoofsteps trot away and down the corridor as she pressed an ear against the door and smiled to herself. She rounded back into the room and strode towards the balcony.

She thrust the door open and took a deep inhale of the cold air. The foulness of her breath and the cold silver glow of the moon gave her pause, however, and she quickly turned back and sheepishly made her way to her bathroom.

After rinsing and spitting, she strode out onto the balcony and ignited her horn in a swathe of pink magic. The sun's rays crested over the hills and she smiled to herself. For once, she didn't feel bad about forgetting to do the sun again.

She took another breath of air and gazed out over Equestria. Her wings spread behind her, unfurling to their full length as she hopped up onto the balcony's stone railings. She placed one hoof in front of the other as she tiptoed along it, feeling the wind rustle her feathers and sending her mane and tail billowing out behind her.

"Today, this ends," she told herself as she shut her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she crouched low and sprung into the air.

Her wings carried her upwards, beating powerfully as she felt the rush of wind on her face. She opened her eyes and smiled as she soared above the city. "I always forget how beautiful Canterlot is," she murmured as she looked down. A few ponies spotted her rise into the air and began to wave.

She waved back and chuckled to herself before facing the direction of Ponyville. "I'll have to stay clear of those dark clouds as much as possible," she thought as some clouds far in the distance grew closer.

The princess shook her head and kicked her legs in the air with a fiery determination in her belly as she pushed herself towards the sleepy little village. She remembered the caller's last words before he broke up into static and felt worry knot at her stomach.

"I hope I'm not gonna be too late..."

In Which Twilight Sees A Doctor

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Doctor Whooves sighed as he crouched behind an upturned table.

Thankfully he had the foresight to upturn the table before he made the phone call today, but still. Shards of glass lay scattered about his floor, and the rest of his lab was a mess, with machines still smoking and smashed screens everywhere--even the spiderwebs had been blown away by the flurry of carnage. The perpetrator and cause for his cover taking? A writhing mass of living, purple and green, swirling magic. His 'guest' had arrived quite unexpectedly, and turned his relatively simple life on it's head in a matter of hours.

"What are you?" he murmured as he peered at it from behind his table.

He had arrived in Ponyville several centuries ago, well before his latest escapade began, and quickly fell in love with the simplicity of Equestrian life. He even took a name more fitting with the culture and choosing to stay there among them, having finally found time to retire from adventuring.

But alas, like anywhere he goes, he quickly found himself caught in some disaster or another. Whether it was a bugbear attacking the sleepy village, or another end-of-the-world event requiring attention. Thankfully, ponies here, including the princess and her friends (the rare helpful authority), seemed to be capable of looking after themselves, so he tended to stay out of most things, quietly setting up a little shop of old knick-knacks and antiquities, and the odd science project on the side every now and then.

As the creature thrashed around his lab, he muttered to himself on it's origins. It had appeared quite unexpectedly, wreaking havoc on the small village and terrorizing the friendly inhabitants. The doctor had taken it upon himself to see to it, since nopony else would at the time. He lured it into his home, where he managed to prevent it from creating any more lethal 'accidents', where it took the lives of the simple ponies, including that of his dearest friend in this world, Derpy Hooves (no relation). He winced as he thought about the end to come, a blinding white light emanating from Canterlot that scorched everything in it's path. He vowed to prevent such a disaster from happening the first day it happened, and used his travelling time machine, to create a time loop from when the day first started, shortly after it escaped from his prison. Unfortunately, this sabotaged the TARDIS's time circuits, and his poor baby was grounded for the foreseeable future, needing a powerful jolt of energy to kick start her again.

Magic was not his strong suit, he confessed, instead preferring to use reason and logic to explain his findings, and yet... this creature, however, this entity of living magic, was unlike anything he had come across. Daleks were easy, Ice Warriors, Sontarans, anything else the universe threw at him he could deal with, but creatures made up of literal magic? That was harder. He ran a hoof through his mane and grimaced as he saw the thing smash it's 'face'(?) into the machinery that once contained it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden bursting of his door, and the thing scattered, startled by the noise apparently. Whooves's eyes widened as he looked around and his mouth fell agape.

"Princess Twilight?!" he exclaimed, as he peered around from his cover. Could it be? Was it she? Or was this another cruel twist of fate? He felt excitement build up inside of him for the first time in ages. "So you got my message then?"

The Princess of Friendship, the sole ruler of Equestria, the First and Last Star herself stood in his laboratory, panting lightly. Her wings looked ragged almost, as if flown all the way from Canterlot itself, and she gave him what can only be described as a Look, with a capital L that would make even a Dalek pause for a moment.

Twilight looked at him strangely. He wore a simple white shirt collar with a teal blue bow tie, and his dark brown mane was neatly combed back into a mohawk of sorts. She noticed his cutie mark was an hourglass, the sands of time frozen on his flank, as if to illustrate how trapped she was in this loop. She gritted her teeth and fluttered her wings as she looked around at the mess.

"Do you have any idea" she grumbled, "of what I've been through?" Her voice was sharp, harsh. Her words were tinted with bitterness and her eyes were wild with anger, quite uncharacteristic for the princess, the doctor thought. "And who are you?!"

He winced and offered an apologetic smile as he placed his hooves on the upturned table. His eyes darted about as he heard crashing and shattering from somewhere else in his lab. "I can assure you I do, princess, and I will explain in due time, but right now I highly advise you seek cover--there it is!"

He pointed upwards as the living magic crashed back into the room and froze as it spotted Twilight. She gaped at it in horror, noting how it shifted and pulsed, the purples and greens in it's body swirling chaotically. Her wings sprung up in alarm as it coiled around itself and launched at her.

"AHHH!" she cried as it wrapped around her legs and reached out to her. "What is this thing?!"

Whooves sprung into action. This was new territory for him. How exciting! The princess had never gotten his message before. He dashed about in search of a bottle or a container of any sort.

"Hold it there princess!" he cried at her as she struggled with it. It wrapped itself around her neck and her horn, trying to choke the life out of her. Spells were slung blindly through the air as it latched onto her face.

"MMMMMMM!" Her muffled scream came from beneath it. Her hooves flailed wildly about and scraped at it in an attempt to remove it, and she soon resorted to bashing her head against the floor and the wall in an attempt to free herself. "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

With a triumphant cry, Whooves grabbed a flask. Thankfully the creature had proven itself malleable enough, and able to change shape or size--and pass through solid matter apparently--but unable to pas through glass in a small space. Why? He had no idea. Such is the way with magical creatures of unknown origin. He ripped the cork out of it with his teeth and charged towards the princess. "In this, Twilight!"

The creature around Twilight's face recoiled as he thrust the bottle at it, and released the mare from it's grasp. She gasped for air and used her magic to push the creature into the flask, where Whooves then slammed the cork down and sealed it. He panted for air and grinned triumphantly. "Got you now!"

Twilight snorted and sneezed, pressing a hoof into her left nostril and clearing it, then doing the same for the other nostril. She rubbed her nose and flexed her wings in annoyance as the doctor turned to her with a smile.

"I suppose you're wondering what that was about, princess?"

"Oh gee ya think?" She stared at the creature in the flask as it writhed. "What is that... thing? And who are you anyway?"

Whooves gave a small bow and introduced himself. "My name is Doctor Whooves, princess. I don't recall if we've ever actually met before, but we were neighbours once upon a time." He smiled and gave the bottle a light shake, antagonizing the creature a touch and grinned. "And this little devil is-"

He paused and grimaced as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Um... princess?"

Twilight's body heaved as the stress of her situation caught up with her and the adrenaline of finding possible salvation wore off. "I'm sorry, I-" she mumbled and rubbed her eyes. The doctor shifted uncomfortably and set the flask down, giving her a sad look as he extended a leg out to the crying mare.

"I got your message," she sniffed. "It's been so difficult... nopony knows what it's like living the same day over and over..."

"I do." Whooves spoke solemnly, gazing at the wall with a far away look before looking back at her. The memories of seeing friends passed by him, and his heart hardened. He had no idea Twilight would have been caught in the loop as well. The mystery of this creature deepened. Why her? What tied her to this thing?

They stared at one another in silence, sharing in each other's suffering for a moment. The creature, sensing their distraction, quietly writhed inside it's new prison, and tried with all it's magical tiny might to force the cork outwards, but to no avail.

"How long has it been?" Twilight croaked. Her throat felt dry, and her voice was coarse.

Whooves took a deep breath. "You might want to sit, princess. Oh, um, here..." He grabbed a chair and shoved it towards he, somewhat fearful of her reaction. She sat and rubbed her nose, her wings rustled uncomfortably. He took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Are you ready?"

She nodded.

"Two point seven billion years."

No amount of preparation could have prepared her for that revelation. If she wasn't already sitting, the princess would have fallen over. "Two point seven..." she murmured and stared out of the smashed window. The reality of how long she had been trapped living the same cursed day over and over sunk in, and her eyes shrunk to pinpricks as panic threatened to overwhelm her.

"Give or take a few. I had to construct a new time measurement device just to track the days." The doctor chuckled nervously and tugged at his bow tie.

Twilight felt her eye twitch and an intense anger build up inside her. "This isn't funny," she hissed as she slowly rose up. "Ponies are dying. I've died. Canterlot is going to explode if we don't-"

"I... am aware, Princess Twilight." The doctor replied quietly. His face fell as he gazed up at the devices lining his ceiling.

The princess followed his gaze, and looked around at where she was. She realised she had never seen the inside of Doctor Whooves's home before, or even spoken to him really, despite them both being the most scientific ponies in Ponyville.

Strange looking machines lay scattered about randomly, some connected by pipes to the walls and ceilings, and clocks of all shapes and sizes ticked away on the far wall, despite their broken status and smashed glass littering the floor. One machine printed off great sheets of paper filled with numbers and statistics, and books upon books lay stacked on top of one another. On another occasion, she would have happily discussed science with this strange pony, but that was for a different time and place, right now she had to focus on ending the repeat she was in. That they were both trapped in.

As she looked down at the creature in it's glass prison it reminded her of the Tantabus, with the way it shifted and twisted, but that was impossible. Surely this doctor couldn't have brought a living nightmare into reality? Although that would be ironic, since she was in a living nightmare. Discord's words suddenly flashed through her mind as she saw it's purple and green waves shift. "It has a tendency to wander off on it's own..." Was this...

"Discord's magic..." she whispered quietly. Who was this doctor? Why, and how, did he trap Discord's magic and possibly--probably--cause her suffering?

"I'm sorry, princess, what was that?" Whooves asked nervously as she approached him, and the glass he held.

Twilight continued to stare down at it. "Discord's magic has gone missing, doctor. I think... this is it..."

The gears in his head seemed to click into place as it all fell into place, and with a cry he slammed a hoof into his head and began to giggle uncontrollably. "Oh. OH! Discord, of course, why didn't I think of that?! Great whickering stallions--you are brilliant, Twilight!" His eyes dared back and forth wildly as a grin spread over his face. "It makes perfect sense!"

Twilight gaped and rubbed her muzzle in disbelief, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You mean you didn't know you had Discord's magic keeping you in a time loop?" Her face scrunched up as he began to pace.

"I... realise that may sound silly now, but--let me explain!" The eccentric earth pony lunged to his left and grabbed a chalkboard and wheeled it over. He began to show her his equations and mathematical theories in an attempt to explain to her the science of time loops.

The princess watched and listened, as she did when she was in school. She interjected at some points, giving her own opinion on some of what he said, but for the most part remained baffled. Even by her standards this pony was into some complicated stuff.

"So I managed to trap it so it couldn't spread any more havoc besides this one particular day."

"And Discord's magic just happened to find it's way in and create these accidents across Equestria?"

"That's right."

"And you used your... TARDIS? To trap it?"

"Yep."

Twilight leant back in her chair and pressed her hooves together in an attempt to understand. her nose wrinkled as she tried to form comprehensive questions. The first and foremost came to her mind. "What in Equestria is a TARDIS?"

Whooves grinned at her and beckoned her over. "Come with me, I'll show you." He jumped up and rubbed his hooves together. "Come on."

Despite her reservations, Twilight found herself intrigued beyond belief. She grabbed the small glass container containing Discord's magic with her own pink aura and started after him through a large set of doors.

As they strode through together, they entered something that resembled a museum, containing loads of different items, all seemingly from different time periods. Some look really advanced, and some looked ancient, she spotted a spear from the Greco-Roman period of Equestria over a thousand years ago, and another thing which looked like a metal screw, beeping and rolling against it's case repeatedly. She passed through the 'museum' and looked around with wide eyed wonder. A couple items of interest caught her eye, namely what looked like an ordinary stick of celery in a glass case, and another stand with a small yellow packet of something called 'jelly babies', which Whooves swiped as he strode ahead and began to pick them out one by one and pop them into his mouth. Who the heck is this guy? The princess wondered as she looked at him.

He looked back and smiled at her, offering her the packet. "Would you like one?"

She shook her head dumbly, wary of this stranger and his strange house. Suddenly Discord's living magic being the cause of a repeating day for billions of years wasn't at the forefront of her mind. The further she went into his lab she saw he had even stranger things. Just how big was this place anyway? It didn't look that big on the outside.

Whooves paused at a door and pressed a hoof to the pad next to it. It slid open with a quiet click, revealing another large room. This particular room was empty, save for strange, large blue box. The doctor held the strange packet in his mouth and ruffled inside the ring of his collar for a moment before pulling out a small key and inserted into the lock on the box's door. He pushed the door to the box open and Twilight watched him disappear inside, still holding Discord's magic in the bottle. "Is this a joke?" she muttered as she slowly approached the box and read what was on it's front.

"Police Telephone
FREE
For use of public
Advice and assistance
Obtainable immediately
Officer and cars
Respond to all calls
PULL TO OPEN."

She tilted her head and tried to understand what it meant, and jumped back with a quiet yelp as the door suddenly back swung open and Whooves looked at her, giving her an ever so slightly exasperated look. "Well come on then."

Twilight scampered forwards with an embarrassed smile. She gasped as she saw how the box was enormous! She stepped outside and looked around the corner of the box. It couldn't have been more than a few wide, all the way around, and yet inside, it was the size of a house that looked just like his lab! With foal-like curiosity and her scientific side breaching the fog of her mind, she peered inside one again. Whimsical looing pipes and machinery dotted he walls, and a large console with a large glowing pillar lay in the centre, up some steps. It sort of resembled what a house would look like if some mad pony had cobbled together everything in their home into one thing. What looked like taps labelled hot and cold lay on one side, and the doctor grabbed a flimsy looking screen and spun it round, typing away on the keyboard in front of it. Whisks like the ones Pinkie used jutted up, Twilight was sure she spotted an egg beater just inexplicably there. The size of the room continued to baffle her as she stepped forwards and looked around.

"It's bigger on the inside..." she murmured.

Whooves laughed as he dashed about and adjusted his bow tie. "I've missed hearing that. Welcome to the TARDIS. Stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Mind the step."

Twilight clipped her hoof on the aforementioned step and grumbled to herself. "What is this place?" she asked as she looked up at him, seeing his head bob back and forth behind some of the console. "Why is it bigger on the inside? What kind of pony are you?"

He paused for a moment and gave her a coy grin. "One of a kind, and I just said, it's my TARDIS. My time machine."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Time machine? You know there's a spell for that right?"

Whooves visibly sighed and grimaced at her. "Regrettably so, yes. But my TARDIS also moves locations, can your spells do that?"

Twilight said nothing. Instead she simply disappeared and reappeared next to him with a bright, loud, pink flash. He grumbled and turned his attention to the many dials and levers aligning the metal. "Show off."

He clapped his hooves together and made a 'gimme' motion to the creature's container. Twilight levitated it towards him and watched him intently. "What are you doing with it?"

"I'm going to try and use it's magic to power the TARDIS for one trip, to find out when exactly this guy was separated from Discord, unfortunately her circuits are fried so we only get one shot at this. She won't like that we're jumping back to our own timelines either, so we miiight get some resistance. Just got to hook him up to the circuitry... where was... ah! There!"

Whooves gritted his teeth as he grabbed a pair of goggles and a welder from seemingly nowhere. Not that that surprised her, Pinkie Pie was doing similar things all the time, so she soon learned to not question it.

Suddenly, Twilight was filled with thoughts of her friends here in Ponyville. So close, yet so far it seemed, and she turned towards the door with a sad look in her eyes.

"If we stop this, Twilight, we can go back to our free lives and forget this nightmare," Whooves said quietly as he watched her face, almost sensing her feelings, before disappearing with the creature's prison in hoof.

She heard the faint sound of welding coming form beneath her, and nodded and fluttered her wings lightly. She tended to do that when she was stressed, even after all this time and gave her tail a flick.

Whooves reappeared next to her and smiled as he rested on the console. The goggles had left a small black mark around his eyes, making him look like a regular mechanic for a moment. "Might want to hold onto something." He grinned mischievously.

"What do you mean--Ahhhh!"

She gasped and cried out as the doctor yanked a lever down and the glowing pillar of light began to make a horrid screeching sound, and the room began to shake violently, making both ponies wobble and clutch onto something for balance.

VWOOOOORP

The doctor grinned as he clung onto the console and began to laugh. "Oh I've missed you too!"

Twilight glared at him and clung onto the railing to balance herself and keep herself from falling over. The room shook and she felt like she was doing somersaults. "What's happening?" she cried out.

"Time travel, princess. Allons-y!"

Whooves threw his head back and laughed heartily, while poor Twilight still clung onto the railing, willing herself to wake up from the nightmare she was in.

A siren began to beep loudly, and things started to zap and explode. The doctor's face fell as he dashed about and began to furiously type on keyboards and spin gears. "No, no, no! Nooo!"

Twilight jumped forwards and rested her hooves on the console. "What's happening?"

"She really doesn't like this!" A flash of inspiration struck him. He turned to Twilight with a slightly unhinged look and licked his lips. "Twilight can you use a time travel spell on the mainframe? That should give us the boost we need. Not too much though, or you'll break all of time and space."

The princess gaped. "Oh sure, no pressure or anything," she grumbled as he led her down the stairs. The room continued to shake, and the infamous VWOOOOORPing continued. He pointed at some important looking circuits and wrenched a panel off. "Not like this day can get any worse than immanent death or whatever..."

"Right there, Twilight. When I say go, give it a jolt."

She nodded and readied herself.

"I hope this works..." Whooves mumbled with an apologetic smile.

"What do you mean you hope?" Twilight looked at him with a horrified expression

"Hush, now get ready!"

She waited. The thing in the flask writhed and twisted, desperate to escape, and made her feel extremely uneasy. "One chance... okay..." she mumbled as she lowered her horn and prepared the spell. Her lips moved wordlessly, and her brow furrowed in concentration. "Just like Starlight showed me..."

"Now Twilight!" came the doctor's voice.

A beam of magenta energy fired at the panel, and the circuits lit up with the sparkle and glow of the princess's magic. The glow increased exponentially, and Twilight had to shield her eyes. She heard a vague cry from Whooves up above, and she struggled to look up at him.

"Did it work?!" She felt her voice get lost as the sound of the TARDIS intensified, and threatened to make her ears burst. With a violent spin, the room was turned on it's head, and then everything...

Went black.

In Which Twilight's Really Bad Day Comes To An End

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"Twilight? Princess can you hear me?"

Twilight heard a muffled voice call out to her. She blearily opened her eyes and looked around. There was Doctor Whooves, there was Discord's Magic--somehow free of it's container--and they were surrounded by a vast, empty white light. The doctor waved a hoof in front of her face and said her name again.

"I heard you... I'm okay. I think." She groaned and stretched outwards. "What happened?" she murmured, looking around at the absolute nothingness.

Whooves rubbed his head. "Um, well, I think.. your magic was too much for the time circuits." He winced and glanced at Discord's Magic, which seemed to watch him and Twilight quite intently. "And this guy, well... he saved us."

Twilight looked at it as it turned to her. It had no face, no features of any sort, and remained a swirling chaotic mess of colours, yet still she felt like it was watching her. Almost as if it sensed her apprehension, it slowly extended a tendril towards her. She looked at it and thought it must be as scared as she was, being separated from Discord and all, and extended a hoof towards it. "Easy now," she murmured. Her hoof touched it's tendril, a surprisingly cool feeling. Like jelly.

The doctor watched them interact quietly, and noted how the magic being seemed drawn to Twilight. "Twilight, have you ever... I don't know, interacted with Discord's Magic before?"

She looked at him quizzically. "Interacted? You mean has he cast it around me? Yes of course he has, he is Discord, after all."

He chuckled. "That is true, I suppose. Then..." He scratched his head. "Has his magic ever separated like this before?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I've never thought to ask him." She paused for a moment, thinking back to the first day she woke up in the reoccurring nightmare. "Actually, come to think of it, he did mention it 'tends to wander off' sometimes."

Whooves raised his eyebrows. "Interesting." He lay down on his back and stretched upwards, or downwards, as this place had no up or down, and sighed. "Feel free to have a bit of a wander, then Twilight. We might be stuck here for a while until the TARDIS finds us."

"It can do that?" Twilight asked with a tilt of her head. Discord's magic curled up around itself and rested against her hooves. She could swear it was purring. She looked down at it and tentatively placed hr hoof on it's 'head', and gave it a gentle scratch. "What sort of box is it? And what sort of pony are you?"

Whooves chuckled lightly and placed his hooves behind his head. "Ah Twilight, see I never explain everything."

Silence fell upon them in the vast emptiness.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked.

The doctor's cheeks puffed out. "As far as I can tell it's the space between worlds. Some call it the Void. Normally it would be impossible for ponies to get here." He glanced at the living magic. "Not too impossible for the living embodiment of chaos magic, I suppose."

After a short chuckle he sighed and looked up at the whiteness above them.

"Like I said the TARDIS shouldn't take too long to get here."

Twilight snorted in frustration and kept petting Discord's Magic. She sat down next to it, and it continued to coil around itself and nestle into her. She looked upwards and wondered how Equestria was doing, now that the loop and bad luck seemed to be broken.

***

Derpy Hooves rapped her hoof on the door to the doctor's office. "Doc?" she called. "You in?" No answer. She pressed her cross-eyed face against the glass and held her breath, trying not to steam up the window and looked inside.

She saw the shattered glass and upturned table and gasped. She banged her hoof on the door and called out for her friend again. The ponies around her gave her strange looks as they idled by, making her wince and try a gentler approach. She furrowed her brow and pulled on the door with all her might. "Hnnnng!"

She lost her grasp and was promptly sent sprawling back. with a frustrated grunt, she swept her straw coloured mane out of her eyes and marched towards the door. Or tried to. She stumbled, and fell face first into the hard wood, where it then creaked open under her weight.

"Ah. Push not... pull," she mumbled shyly, although nopony was aware she had goofed again. With tentative steps she proceeded into the doctor's lab, and gaped at the amount of broken stuff there was just lying about. "Doc?"

Still no answer, but the building itself seemed to rumble as if it was responding to her, causing her to stumble and lean against a shattered blackboard for some comfort. "What the heck happened here?" she wondered out loud, being careful not to step on any shards of broken glass.

Derpy felt very confused by today's events so far. First she had seen her best friend Doctor Whooves chasing after what looked like a swirling sentient blob after narrowly avoiding a nasty accident, and then her old friend--although she called everypony living or who used to live in Ponyville her friend--Princess Twilight Sparkle dash through like a bat out of Tartarus. She wondered if Tartarus had a mail delivery system. She wondered if they were hiring.

"Gah! Focus, you clutz!" Giving her head a shake, she focused more on the present. Her eyes briefly aligned as she narrowed them, before her pupils once again drifted in separate directions. She lifted herself into the air with a powerful flap of her wings and wandered through the lab.

The building rumbled again, and she could hear a faint sound in the distance from somewhere deep within. Derpy had been in the doctor's home a few times, but always got lost when he wasn't there. The sound she heard seemed to be calling to her almost, guiding her sort of. She gritted her teeth and followed the direction where she thought it was coming from.

VWOOO-KUCHUG-OORP

"Ooh. That doesn't sound good," the ditzy pegasus mumbled with a nervous giggle. She'd heard the TARDIS sound before when he'd first shown her. It sounded bad now, like it was stuck somewhere and couldn't move. Soon enough, she rounded a corner and saw it lifted into the air, spinning wildly and struggling to dematerialize.

Upon her presence, the TARDIS seemed to calm down and slow in it's spinning. "Hey?" Derpy murmured at it. "What's, uh... what's up?"

She knew the box couldn't answer her, but she still felt good talking to it. The light on it's top flashed and the sound continued.

VWOOO-KUCHUG-OORP

It's main door swung open, and a deep red light spilled out from within. Derpy gasped and flew straight through, where the door closed shut behind her just as quick as it opened. Now surrounded by the same red light, the pegasus looked around worriedly. "What's going on? Where's the doctor?" she asked.

The room began to shake, and though she struggled to keep her balance on solid ground, in the TARDIS, Derpy felt 'normal' for lack of a better word, and remained standing steady. She placed her hooves on the console at the centre and looked around for something to do; a lever to pull or a button to push. She had no idea how to fly the TARDIS, and Whooves hadn't really shown her properly what to do, but she knew she had to try something.

"Eenie, meenie, miny, moe," she counted, looking at the several levers, dials, buttons, swirly twirly wirlies, and Celestia knows what else. "Catch a bugbear by the toe, if it squeals let it go, eenie, meenie, miny... moe..." she rested her hoof over the button she had selected, licked her lips, and pushed down.

The shaking stop, the swirling of the room stopped.

VWOOOOORP

The familiar sound rang out in her head, and the entire TARDIS began to dematerialize around her. Her mane was billowed about by the wind, and soon she was left hovering in midair, not having a clue what had just happened, how or why, and left confused and dazed--as usual.

Dusting herself off, she landed on the ground and sat down, letting out a sigh of discontent. "Eh. Might as well," she muttered, and reached into her bag and pulled out a muffin, and happily bit into it.

***

VWOOOOORP

"Aha! There she is! Come on Twilight!"

Whooves sprang to his hooves and whipped his head around, looking for the sound of his beloved box.

Twilight blearily rose her head, having been startled awake and disturbed from a peaceful sleep. The magic that had curled up around her also shot up and looked around with it's proverbial head. "Whassappening?" she mumbled through a yawn. She felt like she had been asleep for hours, but swore she just closed her eyes.

VWOOOOORP

Her ears pricked up. "Oh is that-"

"The TARDIS," Whooves triumphantly stated. "I told you it would take a while." He paced back and forth and kept looking up. He muttered under his breath, "Come on... don't show me up now..."

Twilight looked at him and then down at the living magic. "Doctor, I still don't know why Discord's Magic is so... attached to me."

Whooves looked down at her and smiled. "Oh, well, I've been thinking about that. Because Discord's used his magic on you so many times, I think you and it have formed a connection of sorts. I noticed in Ponyville, it latched onto you like it was trying to, I don't know-" He grimaced and floundered. "Anyway, I think it went looking or you. How often do you see Discord in Canterlot?"

VWOOOOORP

"Not very. Today, or yesterday, or whatever, was the first time in a while."

"I see. And do you consider Discord a friend?"

Twilight twisted her face. "I guess so. He's more Fluttershy's friend than mine, but yeah I suppose."

"Mhm. Mhm. Mhm." Whooves resumed pacing. "Hmm." He glanced at the living magic as it curiously watched him. "Maybe it think it's your friend too."

VWOOOOORP

The princess looked down at it and petted it. It pushed itself up into her hoof like a cat and again, she swore she could hear it purring. "I guess."

She didn't know for sure. All she wanted right now was life to go back to normal, to get out of whatever limbo she had found herself in.

"But why did it create a loop of bad things to happen?"

Whooves paused. he turned to her and shrugged. "Why does Discord do anything?"

"Because he's chaotic. Or he wants something."

"And do you suppose that his magic wants something? A friend perhaps?"

They both looked down at it silently. It did look quite sad at times. Lonely.

Was that it? Was that explanation for her misery over the past however many times she had woken up? The past two point seven billion years? Was that it wanted a friend? She snorted in disbelief, just as a large blue box appeared before them.

"About time!" Whooves grumbled and clapped his hooves together. He paused and chortled at his own joke, and pushed open the door to his time machine.

Twilight stepped closer to it, and felt something tug at her hoof. She looked down to see the living magic clutching onto her, staring up at her without a face, and pulled her away from the TARDIS.

"We have to go in to get home," she explained to it. She didn't know how, but she felt like it could understand her. "We have to get you back to Discord, and stop the bad things from happening all over Equestria."

It released her and visibly deflated, and slumped to the ground in a swirling puddle of purple and green goo, bubbling lightly.

"Hey now, don't be sad." Twilight extended a hoof to it and smiled. Whooves popped his head out from inside the TARDIS and watched them quietly. "You and Discord are meant to be together yeah? And you've got Fluttershy as a friend?"

The magic rose and fell, like it was sighing.

"But you want me as a friend?"

It seemed to nod at her. She did feel bad for it, in a way. She thought about what to do with it. She wanted it to just go back to Discord, but if it felt like it wanted a friend again then who could say if it started doing this looping business again? She let out a frustrated sigh and crouched down low to it.

"Tell you what, uh... Discord's Magic?" She realised she had no idea how to refer to it. Maybe she could give it a name?

It looked up at her hopefully.

"If you promise to never create a time loop like this again, I'll see if Discord can let you come visit every now and then. How's that?"

It immediately sprung up around her and coiled two tendrils into what resembled fists, and thumped at the air in triumph.

Whooves chuckled as he watched them. "I can see why you're the Princess of Friendship."

Twilight laughed back, happy that the living magic was, or at least appeared to be, happy. "Come on," she told it. It slithered around her and darted into the TARDIS, where it then coiled up on a stool and watched them quietly.

The doctor's hooves danced across the console, he spun this, he twirled that, he paused over the large red button and smiled to himself, then yanked down another lever and with another great VWOOOOORP, they were off.

The princess clutched onto the railings for dear life and felt her stomach churn. The doctor grinned up at the big tube thing in the middle as light ran up and down it and licked his lips. With a jolt and a sudden stop, they landed. He smiled at Twilight, and she panted for breath. The living magic looked nonplussed at the whole thing, seemingly unaware that anything had even transpired or that they had been in a shaking room.

"Right, well. Come on then."

Whooves pushed the door to his TARDIS open and stepped through. Twilight followed after him, allowing the magic to hop onto her back like Spike, and gasped as she realised they were in the royal palace.

"But we were-" she started, and looked around in confusion.

"Hmm?" Whooves murmured and gave her a quizzical look, before realising why she was befuddled. "Oh. Well, the TARDIS travels through space and time, you see?" He nodded to the door. "We should be here just as that first morning started. Did you say Discord arrived shortly after you woke up?"

Twilight nodded, still dumbfounded that they were there. "Wait. Just as the morning started? What we just give Discord his magic back and that's it?"

Whooves nodded eagerly. "In theory. No better way to try it out than just do it right?"

The princess looked around at the magic on her back. It watched her intently, it's shifting colours swirling and glowing softly. She sighed and shrugged. "I guess." She was hoping this would work, ad she would wake up on just another day in her already exciting enough life, minus he carnage and destruction that was to follow previously.

The door burst open at that moment, startling her a touch. She both felt apprehensive and relaxed at the same time, however, when she spotted the perpetrator.

"Discord!" she cried out and surged forwards. The magical creature on her back resonated with the same feeling she had, and the doctor at back and watched.

Discord stopped dead in his tracks and gaped. "Twilight?" He glowered at his living magic and snapped his fingers. Nothing happened, eliciting a small giggle from the princess. "You-"

"Yes, I know, Discord. Here." Twilight stopped and nodded to him, telling the thing on her back to go. It reluctantly slithered off, and crawled along the ground like a dog who knew it had done wrong. "i believe this belongs to you."

The draconequus raised his eyebrows. "I would say so myself, actually. How did-"

"It's a long story," Twilight muttered, eager to end the reset once and for all. She paused and looked down at the magic as it too paused in front of it's owner. She twisted her face and looked Discord in the eye. "This... your magic... it left you because it wanted a friend."

He blinked at her. "It... what?"

Twilight sighed, realising she must sound beyond ridiculous. "It wants a friend. It left you to go find me, and caused a whole heap of trouble. I told it it can come visit every now and then if it stopped the..." She took a deep breath. "Just, it wants a friend, okay? As your friend I'm asking you if you can... I don't know... let it?"

Discord looked down at his magic and scowled. "Twilight, I must remind you that my magic is a part of me. Without it I'm... well, as useful as Celestia."

Whooves snorted with laughter from behind the princess, and quickly made to inspect his box under her glare. "I should give you a polish shouldn't I?" he mumbled to himself.

Twilight harrumphed and turned back to Discord. "Listen, Discord, I've had a really, really long day. Just-" She took a deep breath and lowered her head, and looked down at the living magic. It watched her intently, like a sentient blob of goo.

"Please Discord."

Discord scratched his chin and pulled on his short beard as he contemplated on her words. "I expect to be well compensated for my efforts, you understand?"

Her ears pricked up at that. She gazed up at him with wonderous eyes. "You... you mean you'll allow it?"

He reached down and scratched his magic behind it's non-existent ears. "I see how much trouble it's caused you, Twilight. I thought Fluttershy would be enough for me, but clearly my magic is... something else."

"Clearly."

They looked down at it as it coiled and slithered around their assorted hooves and claws, preparing itself.

The old Lord of Chaos yawned and stretched. He snapped his fingers and gave a sharp whistle, to which the magic began to rise into the air. Twilight stepped back and shielded her eyes, and watched in wonder as magic and master were reunited. With a poof of purple cloud and a few inexplicable party streamers, Discord remained hovering in the air, his usual mischievous smirk across his face.

"Oh that feels much better," he grumbled to himself. "Warn me next time you're about to go on vacation without me."

Twilight nervously lowered her hoof and looked around. "Is that it?"

"Ah, princess?" Whooves said from behind her. He waved her over. "A word, please."

She nodded to him and looked at Discord, who was casually sipping on a milkshake of his own invention. He gave her a polite bow and leant back, creating an armchair out of nothing, clearly eager to get back to his usual chaotic self.

"What is it, doctor?" the princess asked.

Whooves ran a hoof through his mane and grimaced. "Well, this isn't going to be easy to hear, but, um..." He paused and smiled weakly. "You, uh... need to reset the day once more."

A chill ran up Twilight's spine. "You mean..."

The doctor lowered his voice and glanced over her shoulder at the old draconequus, not paying attention to them. "Die? Yeah..."

Silence fell between them.

"It's just once more, right?" Twilight asked quietly. "Then it's over?"

He gave a stiff nod in response. "I... think so."

"You think?"

"Well... hypothetically, the thing causing the loop has been dealt with, so... logically... you, uh..." He turned scarlet under her wrathful gaze.

Twilight snorted hot air out of her nostrils and flicked her tail. "And if it doesn't work? What if I die permanently?"

Whooves pawed at the ground and turned his ears down. "Well..."

With a flash of magic and a poof of air, Discord appeared between them and gathered them up in his arms. "I believe I can help with that, Twilight, dear." He grinned at them with a glint in his eye. Twilight pushed away from him and furrowed her brow.

"You were listening?"

"Twilight my magic has seen everything you've been through. I know as much as you do at this point." He gave her a grim look. "I, uh... I must apologise for... what happened. If I had known, I..."

He reached out and gave her an awkward pat on her head. He seemed older somehow, like he had seen more than his years let on--and he was still as old as Celestia. His eyes shone with a never before seen warmth for a split second as well, and as he retracted his hand Twilight sensed something terrible about to come.

"This won't hurt a bit."

"What?" Whooves murmured, his eyes rapidly flicking between them. "Are you?" He fell silent under Discord's grim look. "Oh... I see."

Twilight raised her head and spread her wings. "Okay." She felt like she could handle it right now. Whatever it was. She had seen enough suffering and death to last a lifetime. "Will I remember any of this?"

The doctor placed his hoof on her shoulder. "I'm really not sure, Twilight," he replied, rather unhelpfully. She rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

"Thank you for helping, Doctor Whooves. Really. I'm sorry you got caught up in this too. Let's get this over with."

Discord snapped his fingers, and Twilight saw the world turn to a right angle for a split second. She saw the horrified face of the doctor, then she collapsed to the ground.

***

"Doctor Whooves."

Twilight sat upright and yawned. She rubbed her eye and stretched, smacking her lips together. She recoiled at the smell and taste of her own breath and made to get up, taking note that she had to tidy up her bedroom soon. She listened ot the radio, a marvellous creation really, as whoever this 'doctor' was kept talking.

"I, uh, just wanted to say good morning to Equestria. it's been a..." He trailed off, and something popping was heard in the background, as well as a muffled voice.

"C'mon doc, why did you want me here so early if you're just gonna talk on the phone all morning?"

Twilight smiled as she recognised the familiar voice of Ponyville's deliverymare.

"Sorry. Um.. right. Yes. Okay. Good morning Equestria. It's been a long night."

The princess thought she recognised something in the pony's voice. She frowned and thought about him as she brushed her teeth. The light shone brightly in the small room, and with it she spotted the familiar tube of dragon flakes toothpaste she kept for Spike.

"Doctor Whooves..." she mumbled curiously. "Hmm..."

She didn't know how, or why, but she felt like she had something to thank him for, whoever he was. She had a suddenly overwhelmingly strong urge to go and see her friends today, feeling like she hadn't seen them for a lifetime.

With a panicked thought, she quickly made to raise the sun as she realised it was still dark outside, and sheepishly smiled to herself.

"Another day, another sunshine..."