A little loopy.by FaelaArtsChaptersL3L4L5L6L7.1L7.2L8.1L8.2L9L10L11.1L11.2L11.3L12.1L12.2SSL2L12.3L12.4L13L14L15.1 Operation CoronationL15.2 Operation CoronationL15.4 Operation CoronationL15.5 Operation Coronation EndL16.1L16.2L17L18.1L18.2L19.1L19.2L19.3L20L21.1L21.2SSL57L22L23L24L25L26.1L26.2L27 Prosperity DayL28L29L30L31L32L33.1L33.2L34L35L36L37L38L39L40L41.1 Operation Eternal NightL41.2 Operation Eternal NightL42L43.1L43.2, 44.1L44.2(L45)L46L48L49 Operation Disc-orderedL50L51L52L53L54L55L56L57L58L59L60L61L62L63L64L65L66.1 Operation FlyDaDragonL66.2 Operation FlyDaDragonL66.3 Operation FlyDaDragonL67.1L67.2L68L70L71.1L71.2L72L73L74L75L76L77.1L77.2L78L79L80L81L83L84L85L86L87L88L89L90L91L92L93L94L95L96L97L98LOllel-----------------------------------Authors Final WordsSequence of events-Read this if you get confuzzled.L82L99 L15.3 Operation CoronationL1&L2SSL15SSL27L21.AddendumL41.3 Operation Eternal NightL47L69L492,363,977-L3“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” That was strange, it should be the weekend. Sweetie opened her eyes, and started looking around her room whilst rubbing her eyes. “Rarity, it’s the weekend, what do you mean?” Sweetie raised her voice as she walked over to the mirror and pulled the brush out of the drawer in the vanity unit's desk. Brushing her mane, she smiled as her hair bobbed slightly when she moved her head. Perfect, as always. She turned just as Rarity opened the door and started to roll her eyes. “Nice try little sister, you know as well as I do that the weekend ended yesterday. Now come downstairs and eat breakfast with me. I made pancakes.” Rarity chuckled as Sweetie was downstairs in an instant, digging into her pancakes. Sweetie loved Rarity’s pancakes, they were always so fluffy! ‘Still, must have been one heck of a weekend if I don’t remember any of it. Funny thing is, last week we had pancakes too, not that I’m complaining.’ Sweetie patted her stomach and sighed happily. Nothing beats a good meal, even on a school day. Standing up, Sweetie took the dishes, and began to wash hers up. “You really don’t have to wash them up my dear, I can do that with my magic and save you having to touch that filthy water with your hooves.” Rarity picked up the plates and gently swatted Sweetie out of the way as she worked. Frowning, Sweetie felt a sense of deja vu hit her. Wasn’t that the same thing Rarity had said last week? Sweetie shook her head, there was nothing wrong with Rarity saying it twice. Glancing to the clock, she paled. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!” Sweetie grabbed her saddlebags and made a dash for the door, closing it quickly and running down the path. Apple Bloom was already waiting for her. Scootaloo would meet them there, living on the opposite side of Ponyville. Sweetie looked up, taking in Twilight’s brand new castle, secretly glad for the shade it brought, and followed Apple Bloom to the school. “All right kids, today we’re going to learn about how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee smiled warmly at her students, seeing Sweetie Belle blink and shake her head. That was peculiar, was something up with the filly? “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark of diamonds.” As if on cue, Diamond Tiara smirked at Sweetie, who shook her head once more. Both diamonds, and that same line from Tiara? Turning, she opened her mouth to make a quip, but Cheerilee was quick to intercept. "That's a perfect suggestion, Diamond Tiara. Oh, since your name has diamond in it, why don't I give you the first question instead?" Cheerilee smiled warmly as Diamond Tiara winced, and glared at Sweetie in response, as if it was all her fault. Sweetie Belle held her head, and raised a hoof. "Miss Cheerilee? Can I go to the nurse, I don't feel so good." It was true, her head was throbbing and as Cheerilee put her hoof on it, it was also warm to the touch. Biting her lip, she nodded. "Yes dear, make sure to tell her what the problem is when you get there.” Cheerilee watched as Sweetie left, and began teaching as if she hadn’t. Sweetie walked into the nurse’s office, holding her head and groaned as she realised the nurse must have stepped out. Sitting down on one of the beds in view of the door, she waited patiently for a few minutes. “Oh! I’m sorry, I was taking Lucky Shoe back to class.” The school nurse walked over and smiled warmly at Sweetie as she held her head. “Now this may tingle a little bit, but don’t worry about it.” The nurse concentrated, and a spell passed over Sweetie, fading a moment later. The nurse opened her eyes and tilted her head. “That’s strange, you’re having power fluctuations. Those normally don’t occur unless there’s a huge buildup of magic. Let me see if I can clear that for you.” Closing her eyes and biting her lip, the nurse once more cast a spell on Sweetie, who sat there and shivered as the spell washed over her. Suddenly, the pain was gone. “There, whew you’ve got a magical future ahead of you with that sort of magic potential.” The nurse sat down as she puffed, fanning herself with her hoof. Sweetie smiled and stood up, finding herself free of the headache that had been plagued her for three weeks now. Wait, three? “Miss nurse, may I please go home? I know I should be in class, but I’m still not feeling too well.” Sweetie held a hoof to her mouth as she pretended to still be feeling unwell, and nailed it. The nurse nodded, quickly filling out a slip excusing her from school. “Very well, but go right home and straight to bed.” Nodding as the nurse waved her off, Sweetie Belle took the slip and left. After the school vanished from sight, she turned and began heading for home. Opening the door, she realised Rarity was out, and shrugged. Walking to the kitchen table, Sweetie quickly wrote a note, before heading upstairs and straight to bed. It wasn’t long before her headache returned. “Note to self: Get the spell from the nurse tomorrow.” Groaning, she slid the blinds closed and hid under her blanket, and quickly fell asleep, despite the headache. Waking up, Sweetie Belle was relieved to feel her headache was just a backdrop today, and not a thudding pain. Turning to open the curtains, she widened her eyes. It was already midday. Sweetie quickly got ready and went downstairs to the living room. While she had been expecting Rarity, the lavender mare wasn’t too big a surprise, if not unexpected. “Ah, you’re up. Rarity got called into Manehattan for a meeting with a retailer. She asked me to take care of you until tomorrow.” Twilight smiled warmly at Sweetie, putting down the book as Sweetie tilted her head in confusion. “Wasn’t that meeting last week? Didn’t she say something about her fashion getting her big sponsors?” Sweetie felt her headache grow, and Twilight stood up and came over. “No, but the more important question is, are you ok? You don’t look so good.” Twilight felt Sweetie’s forehead, and bit her lip. Sweetie shook her head, and decided it would be best to try and explain it. “I’m fine, sorta, but I keep getting headaches and this weird sense of déjà vu. Like I’ve done this all before.” Sweetie winced once more. The pain was returning to a dull throb in her head, but it still hurt. Twilight’s horn lit up, and a spell passed over Sweetie. “That’s strange, it looks like your magic is backed up, and yet it’s not, there’s a clear flow going through you. Have you tried levitating or using it?” Twilight stepped back as Sweetie shook her head, and looked toward the book on the desk beside where Twilight had been sitting. “Well, all right.” Sweetie concentrated, biting her lip as her horn sparked to life. Slowly, the book levitated into the air. Almost immediately, she felt a strange sense of euphoria, as if this was a hot bubble bath after a long day of tree sap. Lowering the book, the headache returned, and she tilted her head. “That’s highly irregular, but I can’t figure out what could be causing it. Do you mind if I run some tests?” Twilight looked to Sweetie, who shook her head, once more levitating the book. For some reason, levitating it felt a lot easier than she remembered. “All right, let’s head to my castle. You’ll have to catch up on your schoolwork though.” Twilight chuckled as the filly winced, and they left Rarity’s boutique. “I just don’t get it, there’s no scientific reason for it. I’m sorry Sweetie Belle, I’m going to have to file it under ‘Pinkie Pie’.” Twilight put a hoof sympathetically around the filly, who was currently levitating a feather quill. “That’s all right Twilight, I’m just glad to have found something to stop the headaches.” Sweetie made a motion with the feather, and then paused, dropping it on the table. Levitating over a piece of paper, she folded it into a plane and smiled. Now she had something she could levitate that wouldn’t make her look strange, or like Twilight. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. “Oh shoot, it’s already dinnertime. I’m so sorry, you must be starving.” Twilight quickly trotted into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sweetie watched her work for a moment, before deciding to explore the castle. As she did, there were a lot of rooms, and her hooves seemed to know exactly where all the cool ones were. There was even one for Spike that housed a fluffy toy collection, which she would use to blackmail him with, of course. “Dinner’s ready!” a voice called from the distance, and Sweetie felt her stomach grumble. Despite her inability to remember the way back, she never got lost and quickly joined Spike and Twilight at the table. The baby dragon was currently eating sapphires. After that, it was time to read, and then to bed. Really, it was quite an unusual day. “I say we try getting our cutie marks in hole digging!” Scootaloo nodded as Apple Bloom spoke, and both beamed at Sweetie Belle as she played with her paper plane. “We did that last week though,” she said dejectedly. The other two raised an eyebrow, and shared a glance. “Uh, no we didn’t, Sweetie. Last week we tried for cloud-bucking.” Scootaloo watched as Apple Bloom winced, and bit her lip. Needless to say, that hadn’t gone well. “No, that was the week before! Why does everyone keep saying that?” Sweetie folded her arms irritably. The paper plane circled around her head, and then dived past her two friends. “Maybe because it’s true. Don’t you want to get your Cutie Mark?” Apple Bloom’s comment sliced straight through her irritation, and she relented. Surely they wouldn’t make the same mistakes this time. “All right, as long as we don’t dig it in Ponyville. We don’t want somepony falling in.” Surprisingly, digging holes did not get them a cutie mark. It did, however, get them grounded. Rarity returned just in time to share her disapproval with Twilight, before Sweetie was dragged back home and told no dessert tonight. However, the next morning the Pegasi had decided it was a snow day, and Rarity had relented (on the condition she go to school at midday), allowing Sweetie to go with her friends to play in the deep snow on Applejack’s farm. “I’m telling you, this whole week has been weird. It’s like I’ve done it all before.” Sweetie sat up from her snow angel and looked to the other two as they tried to make a snowman’s head be placed on an already towering body. Rolling her eyes, Sweetie Belle concentrated, and shakily placed it on top. Wiping the sweat from her brow before it froze, she picked up her paper airplane once more. “Woah, that’s amazin’! Yer gettin’ pretty good with that magic.” Apple Bloom rolled up a snowball and threw it at Scootaloo. Smirking, the mare plucked up snow and began to create a snow fort. Apple Bloom and Sweetie quickly did the same. The snowball fight lasted all morning, and it was all too soon they had to go to school. Walking to the school, Sweetie felt a chill from the cold weather, knowing that it was just two more days until the weekend! “And that is how you solve an equation with multiplication and division in it. I will see you all tomorrow.” Cheerilee watched all of the fillies make a hasty exit, and made to walk out herself. However, Sweetie had stayed behind for some reason. “Uhm, Cheerilee, is tomorrow’s lesson gonna be about the tides?” Sweetie saw the shock on the teacher’s face as she nodded. “But how did you know?” Cheerilee scratched the back of her head. She had been planning on using it to see if the students wanted to go stargazing, but it wouldn’t be very good if the surprise had been ruined. “Maybe you can just give us the slips that day, and we can meet you at the school that night. I’m sure everypony is gonna love the chance to go stargazing, especially with Princess Luna.” Once more, Sweetie had surprised Cheerilee, and she scratched the back of her head. “But Princess Luna isn’t coming.” Cheerilee felt her heart melt slightly as Sweetie beamed gleefully. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle getting Princess Luna. Just make sure it’s tomorrow night.” Sweetie put on her best begging face, and felt satisfaction as Cheerilee caved. “Well, okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she chuckled, sitting down at the desk. Sweetie quickly waved goodbye, and Cheerilee pulled out some paper, knowing she had about twenty ‘is your child allowed to attend this event’ slips to fill. “I can’t believe it, Princess Luna!” All the kids crowded around the Princess as she smiled good-naturedly at their praise. Only one filly didn’t fawn over her. It was, of course, Sweetie Belle. “I am most delighted to be sharing my night with you young ones. I do hope you enjoy the entertainment I have provided.” Luna smiled, and her horn glowed, filling the sky with a storm of shooting stars. Sweetie smiled warmly as she watched everypony enjoy it, wishing she had seen this last week. Eventually it was time for bed, and she placed her paper plane down on her desk for the final time, closing her eyes. Soon she would be able to enjoy a weekend with her friends, and maybe even earn their marks. And this week’s strangeness would be forgotten. After all, she didn’t remember the weekend earlier, so there was no way she’d experience deja vu. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Oh no. L4Sweetie Belle walked downstairs, and looked in the kitchen. Yes, there were pancakes. Sitting down, she began to eat. While peculiar, it had still been a few days since she had had them, and she did love them so. This time however, she made sure to finish with ample time left to head to school. “Say, Rarity, when was the last time you made me pancakes?” Sweetie smiled warmly at Rarity as she stood up. Picking up the plates in her magic, she began to wash them. Rarity widened her eyes, watching this. “My my sister, your magic is improving at an alarming rate. Why, you could probably help me with creating clothes if you liked.” Rarity smiled warmly, imagining how a second horn would make holding more items a lot easier. Sweetie finished washing up, and glanced to Rarity, who blinked, remembering she had been asked a question. “Oh! I’m not sure dear, it was before you went to visit our parents about four weeks ago.” Rarity waved goodbye as Sweetie grabbed her saddlebags, and headed out the door, on time. Meeting up with Apple Bloom, Sweetie narrowed her eyes as she thought back on Rarity’s words. ‘That’s eight weeks ago for me, including this week. Something is definitely wrong here.’ Sweetie sat down in her normal seat, and Cheerilee walked in, beginning the lesson. Sweetie smiled, she knew just what to say if this turned out to indeed be the same day. “All right kids, today we’re going to learn about how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee smiled warmly at her students. Sweetie beamed back a strange smile, like she was gleefully waiting something. “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark about diamonds.” As if on cue, Diamond Tiara smirked at Sweetie. This time, Sweetie rounded on Diamond and raised an eyebrow, tilting her head as she put on an innocent expression. “But isn’t your name Diamond Tiara? Surely you would be a better choice for the question.” Sweetie felt smug satisfaction as Diamond Tiara blinked, and then glared at her. Cherilee quickly intercepted, sending a scolding glare at Sweetie. Oops. “We’ll have none of that in my classroom. You both can write up a paper on today's subject as punishment. I expect it by Friday.” Cherilee turned, and gave Diamond a scolding glance as well before returning to her place in front of the chalkboard. Sweetie pulled out a piece of paper, folded it into a paper plane, and levitated it in circles under the desk, where nopony could see it. ‘I must find a better way to manage the headaches, I won’t have paper until class.’ Sweetie sighed inwardly, ears flopping down. Just why was she repeating time? Her friends hadn’t believed her last time, and it wasn’t likely Twilight or Rarity would believe her either. ‘Maybe I can convince Twilight it’s an attempt to get a Cutie Mark, she normally indulges those.’ Sweetie snapped out of her muse as a question was asked of her by Cheerilee, and she realised she didn’t know the answer. Shaking her head, she felt the smirk from Diamond beside her. 'Note to self: Spend some time learning these classes so I don’t have to keep doing them.' “Twilight, I was wondering if it’s possible to get a Cutie Mark about time.” Sweetie smiled innocently at Twilight as she served breakfast to her from Rarity’s kitchen. Apparently, when she got home at the normal time, Twilight left a note explaining she would be taking care of her, and had gone to get some items from her castle. Sweetie decided it would be best to just leave it until tomorrow. “Yeah, there’s quite a few Cutie Marks related to time, why do you ask?” Twilight raised her head from her book, and watched the paper airplane flying around. Sweetie had gotten pretty good at magic to be able to cast that constantly. Placing her book down, she brought her full attention to the filly. “Well, uh, a kid in class mentioned this strange thing and I want to know more about it cause it sounds interesting. And if there’s a chance it turns out to be my destiny then all the more reason to do it, so-” Sweetie paused as Twilight held up a hoof to silence her, and motioned her to take a seat on the opposite side of the table. “What exactly was this strange thing?” Twilight smiled in humor as Sweetie scratched the back of her head. Whatever this was, it was something she was either very confused about, or embarrassed about. “Well, he said he read this story where the main character was stuck in this same period of time, kinda like when you found that one-use time travel spell, but different. See, the main character isn’t going back to see his old self, he becomes his old self. Like...Let’s say he spends one day going to a movie because friends invited him, the very next day his friends would invite him to the same movie.” Sweetie bit her lip, wondering if she was explaining it ok. “Oh, you mean time loops. Quite a few stories use those actually, they’re quite popular.” Twilight smiled warmly, realising Sweetie was actually interested in something that wasn’t going to end in instant disaster, and tree sap. Even Twilight had no clue why it always ended in tree sap. “Time loops… Do you have any books left from the library I can borrow?” Sweetie leaned forward eagerly, until Twilight shook her head. Slumping, she sighed. That was just perfect. Now how was she supposed to find out about these ‘time loops’? “I’m sorry, I lost entire sections when it got destroyed. I’ll see if I can write up a quick list of books. Maybe you can convince your sister to take you with her to Manehattan and you can buy them.” Twilight winked, and felt relieved as Sweetie cheered up. Twilight took the paper plane out of the air and quickly scribbled the list on it, before folding it and allowing Sweetie to take it in her magic once more. “Thanks, Twilight.” “I’m telling you, who’d want a Cutie Mark of hole digging? Surely if our talent was that we would have already discovered it. You know, from all the holes we’ve dug ourselves into?” Sweetie looked knowingly at her two friends, who smiled and scratched the backs of their heads. “You make a fair point, but I’m not sure what else we could try. We’ve tried all the extreme sports, and still no awesome Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo looked sadly to her blank flank, and the others shared a sympathetic nod. Sweetie, however, had the answer. “Scoots, remember that time Rainbow Dash saved that carriage that was rolling down that steep hill? What if you ride down it on your scooter, and it gets you a Cutie Mark in speed!” Sweetie watched as the idea lit up in her two friends’ eyes; there was no way this could backfire. And yet, it never hurt to be safe. “Let’s get Rainbow Dash as well. I’m sure she would be amazed to see the event that gets you your Cutie Mark!” The others nodded, and the three dashed away. Sadly, even though Rainbow Dash did save Scootaloo from falling to her death, she failed to get the scooter. Sweetie felt a slice of guilt, and promised herself if this happened to be the last time she would do this week, the weekend would be spent getting enough money to purchase Scootaloo a new scooter. Thankfully, they still met up for the snowball fight on the next day before school started. Sweetie battled against Scootaloo and Apple Bloom as they teamed up against her, and found herself soundly defeated. Giggling, she was proud that she could still enjoy a good snowball fight. That would never change. Sweetie Belle decided to skip Friday, and convince Rarity she was sick. Looking over the list, she desperately spent the day memorising it. It was during this time that she realised the paper plane from the previous week was still sitting on her bedside table. Picking it up, she looked it over in confusion before placing it back down. ‘Does this mean, my room doesn’t loop? Maybe I don’t have to memorise this. And if not, what will happen if I go to sleep outside my room?’ Sweetie debated it, and decided not to risk it until she had read the books Twilight had listed, in alphabetical order. Sweetie sighed, and decided maybe turning it into a small song might help her remember. Consumed in her task, she jumped up, startled, when she realised it was pitch black in her room, a light coming from outside her window. Opening the blinds, she saw it was just the moon, and relaxed. Watching it, she placed the book list down on the table and strived to sit up all night. It was easier said than done, and she nearly dozed off a few times, but as the sun rose she felt a tired smile creep onto her face. Glancing to the table, both pieces of paper were still there. ‘I’m out, it’s finally the weekend.’ Her relief was leaking down her face. Sweetie wouldn’t need those books, she would get the chance to get Scootaloo a new scooter. Finally, the weekend. The sun never looked so welcoming as it rose, and she was almost tempted to lower back down into her blankets, but the fear that doing so would restart the week remained. Sweetie’s ear flickered. There was movement downstairs. Smiling, Sweetie decided to surprise her sister, and snuck down the stairs. Peeking into the kitchen, her sister was hard at work preparing breakfast. Sweetie stepped back a few steps, and then announced her presence with heavy clip-clops as she stepped into the room, and gave a yawn. “Sweetie Belle, you’re up early. I was just making breakfast.” Rarity smiled warmly at her sister as Sweetie slipped into the kitchen table’s chair and beamed at her sister. “What chu making?” Sweetie felt proud, and free. No more waiting for a weekend that might not come. Rarity levitated over the bowl of yellow paste, and Sweetie blinked, her blood running ice cold. “Pancakes, I know how much you love them. It’s been over four weeks since I last made them, so I decided to bake you a treat, my darling sister.” Rarity turned her back to Sweetie as she continued making the food. Sweetie lowered her head, and put a hoof to her forehead. “R-Rarity, I’m not feeling so good. Can I stay home today?” Sweetie felt her stomach give a heave, and didn’t have to fake the feeling of unease as Rarity walked over and put a hoof to her forehead, frowning. “You do feel warm. Go back to bed, I’ll bring you up the pancakes when they’re ready.” Author's Note Here is a poem made by: Divine Path The terror of stasis, lost within that which could never be. Searching for an escape from this nightmare, and yet it has only just begun. So with this, you must soon strengthen your ties to your present, lest the trapping of a soul in perfect cessation shall bring you madness, and you fall to despair. Oh, the terror of stasis, so lost within that which can never be. L5“Sweetie Belle, can I come in?” Rarity opened the door slightly, and saw Sweetie was in her bed, looking directly at the door. Opening it further, she stepped into the room. Sweetie tilted her head, but said nothing. “A big opportunity has come up in Manehattan, I really have to leave. Twilight’s agreed to watch you, I will be back in two days.” Rarity brought her sister into a hug, and smiled warmly as she snuggled. Sweetie whined, and eventually she was released from the prison. “Wait, can I come?” Sweetie pulled off the blankets, and turned to stand up. However, Rarity caught her in magic and levitated her back into bed. “Of course not sister, you’re much too sick for that.” Rarity raised an eyebrow and Sweetie pouted, heaving a sigh. Turning, Sweetie picked up the book list with a hoof and held it out to Rarity. “Could you get these for me then? I really need them, they might earn us a cutie mark!” Sweetie beamed at Rarity, who rolled her eyes and relented. Looking down the list, she left herself a reminder to go to the bookstore in Manehattan once her business was done. “Thank you!” Sweetie leapt toward Rarity, and hugged her tight, both smiled and laughed joyfully, before it became evident Rarity had to go. Separating, Rarity waved to her sister. “I’ll get any I can find sister, don’t worry.” Rarity turned and left just as Twilight arrived. Sweetie smiled in greeting, but knew Twilight would soon be leaving to get items from her castle. Turning to look at her table, Sweetie sighed. ‘So items in my room stay. What if I put an item outside? I’ll need to borrow my sister’s clock too, I need to see if I can find the exact time it loops. I don’t want to risk sleeping outside until I’ve read the books, but it doesn’t mean I can’t experiment.’ Sweetie walked over to her vanity table and moved all her brushes and such to one side, and placed a stack of blank paper. “Right, all set for when they arrive. Now let’s see, what can I do in the meantime…” Sweetie sat down, and levitated a pen over from her saddlebags, and smirked. Just because she wouldn’t be able to do some stuff until Rarity came back, or until the end of the loop, didn’t mean she couldn’t try certain things. ‘I won’t risk anything too extreme just yet, in case it doesn’t loop and I’m free from this nightmare. But maybe I can help us get our Cutie Marks, or bribe Spike into doing something. Come on Sweetie Belle, think! You’re stuck in a loop, what mischief can you get up to that won’t cause serious damage if the looping ends…’ After some thought, Sweetie decided going to school was the best idea for the moment. She couldn’t remember ever going to school on a Tuesday during a time she had headaches. So, as she sat down and waited for the class to start, it came as a surprise to learn she actually had homework from ‘last week’. “Diamond Tiara, you may start.” Cheerilee stepped to the side as the filly walked to the front of the room. Turning around, she smirked, and stood tall as she read out her piece of paper. “I am Diamond Tiara, and this is my report about my family history. As you well know, my family is rich. My grandfather was rich, his grandfather, all the way back to the very beginnings of my family’s history, to a pony called Quite Rich. And so you see, our family is always going to be rich, as I will absolutely be far richer than anypony in this room for the rest of my life. The end.” Diamond Tiara sauntered back to her desk, and sat down. “Thank you, Apple Bloom?” Cheerilee smiled warmly as Apple Bloom trotted up, and beamed to everypony. “Mah family’s roots go back beyond the foundin’ of Ponyville, back to the founding of Equestria even. We Apple’s are widely spread, and we always have each other's back. We are honest, hardworking, and always happy to lend a helping hoof. An I hope I can keep up that legacy as I grow up too. I am proud to be an Apple.” Apple Bloom received a few claps as she bowed and returned to her seat. “Scootaloo?” Cheerilee frowned as Scootaloo shrunk back, and waved a hoof, motioning her forward and giving her a comforting nudge. Scootaloo looked away from the crowd as she spoke. “M-My parents left me at an orphanage when I was young, and they eventually put me in a home with foster parents here to give me a chance to get to make some new friends...But I do have Rainbow Dash, who considers me good enough to be her sister.” Scootaloo brightened up slightly at the mention of Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie felt a twinge of sympathy. No wonder Scootaloo never wanted to hang out at where she lived. “Must have pretty low standards,” whispered Diamond Tiara loudly to her friend. Silver Spoon snickered, and Scootaloo’s face fell. Sweetie rounded on the two and felt anger burning inside her. However, Cheerilee was quick on the uptake. “Diamond Tiara, that is the second comment I have heard from you, and it better be the last. If I hear one more, we’ll go see your father, and you will learn just how ‘high’ his standards are.” Cheerilee was not made to be an imposing figure. However when she stepped in front of Scootaloo to look down at Diamond Tiara, for a small moment she was the scariest thing in the room. “Go Scootaloo! You’re the best!” Sweetie spoke up, seeing Scootaloo poke out her head and give a small smile at her. Apple Bloom began to clap her hooves together, Sweetie joined in as well. Soon enough, the entire class, barring two fillies, was applauding the orange filly. Wiping away moisture in her eyes, she looked to Cheerilee, who blinked and stepped aside. Scootaloo grinned at the class, and ignored the moisture running down her face, there was none there after all.(Tough ponies didn't believe in 'tears'.) “I have my big sister! And I have my foster parents! They have both taught me that the one pony I must be loyal to is myself. I may not be strong, I may not be wise! But I don’t need to be. I don’t need a history to tell me who I am! I have pride in myself because they have pride in me. My friends have pride in me. I can fly as high as I want, because they are there to catch me if I fall.” Scootaloo bowed, and headed back to her desk with her head raised high, the entire class clapping her. Sweetie wiped away a tear, glad she had been here to support Scootaloo, even if she hadn’t done so previously. This situation with Diamond Tiara had to be sorted out. Sweetie couldn’t stand seeing her friend get hurt, and having to hear the same insults was getting tiring. And most of all; revenge. “Sweetie Belle, you’re up next.” Cheerilee smiled warmly as Sweetie stood up and turned to the class. “I didn’t do my homework, whoopsie!” Sweetie smiled awkwardly, and winced as the entire class laughed at her. Glancing to her friends, they shared a small smirk. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo winked, approving of her answer. Cheerilee sighed, but shook her head and smiled. “Oh very well, but you better have it ready by next week.” Cheerilee looked down as Sweetie nodded enthusiastically, oh she would most definitely have it by next week. After a boring lesson with Cheerilee on how Pegasi bucked clouds, they were once again discussing digging holes. Sweetie looked at her friends, and sighed. “Look, I got an awesome idea, I mean do we really want hole-digger Cutie Marks?” The other two winced as Sweetie spoke, and she continued. “I say we try to get our Cutie Marks in something we haven’t done before. Let’s ask Applejack if she can teach us how to raise a barn. Could you imagine how cool a barn-raising mark would look?” Sweetie smiled, she had them hook, line, and Cutie Mark. If she was lucky this would actually turn out to be what she was destined to be good at. “Wow Apple Bloom, that’s an amazin’ job.” Applejack watched in silent amazement as Apple Bloom hammered together the foundation for the barn as if it was child’s play. Even Applejack took longer than her, and it wasn’t like the built a barn every week, let alone let Apple Bloom help with more than pulling it together. Glancing to the other two, they were having less luck. Scootaloo kept trying to rush it, and the frame was just tumbling to pieces, whereas Sweetie Belle was trying to get it ‘absolutely perfect’. Applejack shook her head and bit her lip, glad she had suggested building a mini barn for Winona instead of getting them building a full one. “I dunno what you’re talking about sis, this isn’t that hard.” Apple Bloom glanced over to her friends and blinked in surprise, looking to the one Applejack was making to guide them with. Compared to Applejack’s one, she was actually doing very good. Maybe she was actually good at something. Apple Bloom smiled and went back to her task. ‘I’m going to put all my heart and soul into this. This is a lot of fun, and I want to make it special for Winona.’ As she worked, she barely noticed the other three had stopped, and were just watching her work. After she finished, she stepped back and nodded, that was the best she could do. “Wow,” spoke her two friends. Turning, she smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. Suddenly, there was a tingling on her flank, and she glanced to it, blinking. On her flank, was a picture of the half finished barn being built, a saw, and a smile painted on the side of one of the pieces. “I got my Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom was so happy, she exploded into a bouncing ball of energy with her friends. Applejack stood back, smiling. It was not everyday somepony got their mark after all. “We should totally keep the Club going though okay? I wanna be there when ya’ll get yours.” Apple Bloom brought her friends into a hug, and they all smiled, nodding. It was decided, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would now allow ‘graduated’ members to help those who had yet to graduate. “Thank you for the books Rarity.” Sweetie took the books in her magic and brought her sister into a hug. After properly thanking her, she dashed upstairs, jumped onto her bed, and opened the first one, closing the door with a click. Flipping through it, she began to read. ‘Okay, so Time Loops are always constant, the time doesn’t normally change. This books says there’s a trigger, something that is keeping them in the loop. It might be related to my headaches. There’s also mention of death being one possible way out of a loop. I’m not that desperate. Jeez, there’s so much, I’m going to have to start writing a list… Sweetie decided to once more convince Rarity she was ill, after all why would she miss out on a snow-day? There was just too much information to go through, and she needed to read the books thoroughly. Maybe it would be better to bring Twilight in and get her to shorten it. That would require another loop, however. Before long, she glanced up and realised it was already night, and went to sleep. It had been harder to do so on Friday, but she had managed to once more play hookey, and stay home to read. As she glanced up to the night, she slipped a bookmark into the book, and picked up a toy. Sneaking into Rarity’s room, she slowly levitated her clock out of the room. Rarity wouldn’t let her have one for some reason. (Something about her setting an alarm once for 4am. That was ONE time!) Sweetie left the door open, and placed the teddy in the hallway, where she could see it. Placing the clock down on the table, she levitated up her paper plane, and glanced between the bear and the clock as time ticked by. Sweetie found it hard, but eventually slipped past the ‘I need to sleep’ phase of the night. 11:59...teddybear 12:00...teddy-wait what? The teddy bear was gone. Sweetie glanced to her teddy bear toys, it wasn’t back in the pile either. It was just...gone. L6“Alright kids, today we’re going to learn about how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee smiled warmly at her students. Sweetie looked directly at Diamond Tiara as she glanced in her direction. “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark about diamonds.” Diamond Tiara’s sneer was halted as Sweetie smiled warmly and turned to face her. “You’re absolutely right Diamond. In fact, can I do your homework for you?” Sweetie smiled innocently as Diamond blinked, and then glanced back toward the other Crusaders, who mirrored her shock. “Uh, sure,” she spoke as she looked to her friend, Silver Spoon. Silver shrugged, and Sweetie had to force herself to ignore the sharp pangs of guilt eating at her. ‘It’s for a good cause. If the loop ends you can explain it after.’ Sweetie could feel the wounded expressions coming from her two friends, and forced herself to pretend she really was fawning over Diamond Tiara. This was all for the plan. Luckily, her reply has shocked Cheerilee too, and she merely blinked, and continued the lesson. After school, both bullies approached her, and smirked. “Well, since you want to do work for us, you have to pass a test first. We need to make sure you’re high-class enough to look down on those lower than you. Pass this, and we will accept you into our group. Only then, will you be allowed to do my homework.” Diamond Tiara raised her nose and stuck it into the air, Silver Spoon copying the action. “Oooh yes! Absolutely! Just tell me what to do.” Sweetie forced an eager smile on her face despite her turbulent emotions. They better not betray her! “Sweetie Belle, what’s going on? Why are you hanging out with them?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hesitantly approached the group, and Sweetie stepped beside Diamond and smirked. ‘I’m a horrible filly, I’m a horrible filly’ Sweetie bowed once as Diamond look to her, and smiled even wider. “What a coincidence just the chance you need to prove yourself.” Diamond stepped to the side and waited. Sweetie looked to her friends, and copied the evil smirk she had seen on the two bully's face multiple times. “I’m hanging with them because they can give me what a bunch of blank flanks can’t, a life.” Sweetie saw both raise a hoof, eyes widened, tears springing to their eyes. For a moment, she almost cracked. This was too much, she couldn’t do this to them! Nothing was worth this amount of- “Wow, nice one, look at them run away crying.” Diamond and Silver stood beside her, and leaned in, looking pleased. Sweetie gulped, and put on a hopeful smile. ‘I don’t deserve them, I’m a horrible filly. They’ll never forgive me for this, even if it is only for one loop.’ Sweetie saw both motion for her to follow Diamond back to her home, a large house with maids and golden statues, with a fountain to top it off. “I hereby welcome you to my group. The induction will be in two days, and until then you will be expected to read up on fancy words like croissant and omle’t.(Omleh)” Diamond smiled, and then waved goodbye to them both, teaching Sweetie the cutie mark bump. As she left, she pulled over to a park and expulsed her lunch into one of the bushes. ‘Must...cleanse...taint!’ Later that night, Rarity would wonder why her sister was taking so long to have a bath, and lean her ear close to the door. Hearing that very mantra, she would carefully back away, and pretend she hadn’t heard a single word. After very careful consideration over the fact Scootaloo would be teased today, and she would likely be called upon to do the same, Sweetie decided the best course of action was to fall deadly ill. Thankfully, this meant she now had time to go over what she had read so far. Time loops Ways to get out: 1: Death(sometimes). 2: Stopping the cause(usually). 3: Performing the right sequence of events to find the ‘true’ loop(sometimes). 4: Cleaning up the world, or scrubbing it with toothpaste(never, but sounds like fun). 5: Kill the mastermind(Sometimes). Options 1 and 5 are obviously out, I’m not going to kill myself, and I’m not going to kill others. At least, not yet. These books say going ‘batshit crazy’ is only a matter of time, but surely I can prevent this if I just stay focused on figuring out either the cause or what 3 is. Still, I really want to try doing 4 one time. It sounds like fun, and hey; it might work. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. ‘I still have to test what happens at midnight if I’m outside, but I really want to test it on somepony other than me first. I believe anypony outside will just vanish back to their Monday positions, but what if they are in my room? Sweetie bit her pencil, and sighed. Either way, she didn’t want Diamond or Silver looping, so it would have to wait until the next one. “I have to prepare a note as well, in case going outside wipes my memory and puts me back in here.” Sweetie stood up and walked over to her window, and looked out as the sun set over the horizon. “Either way, objective one comes first.” “And with the ceremony complete, welcome to my home. Daddy, are the cookies ready?” Diamond Tiara glanced away from Sweetie as she shouted into the kitchen. ‘Darn it, I need to get into her room to get more serious dirt. The fact her dad wears a pink apron isn’t juicy enough.’ Sweetie watched as Mr Rich poked his head out, a plate of cookies in his mouth. As he placed them down all three crowded around and began to munch on them. “So, you ever tried getting your mark in something like attending dinner parties, or talking fancy?” Diamond looked curiously at Sweetie, and waited for a reply. Sweetie gulped down the rest of her cookie, genuinely shocked Diamond wasn’t sneering at her. “Well, my sister Rarity sometimes does fancy dinners with prospective clients, but I never really...I mean sure it was a nice evening, but I just felt like another face in the crowd. I don’t think my talent lies in fancy either, I mean what sorta cutie mark would that be.” Sweetie cringed, and once more was shocked as Diamond giggled and pointed to her and Silver’s mark. “Do you think I want my name to be my cutie mark? What about Silver? I mean gosh, what a life we’ve got, full of adventure and danger ahead of us.” Diamond rolled her eyes and Silver nodded, both sharing a sad smile. Diamond blinked, remembering Sweetie was there, wide-eyed and seeing her differently. “Hey, maybe yours has something to do with your name. Le’see...Sweet Bells. Maybe you’re really good at ringing bells?” Diamond looked over to Sweetie and shrugged. Sweetie snorted, and then realised she had done so, pausing before continuing. “We already tried that, back when I was a Crusader.” Sweetie saw both wince, and bit her lip. Looking down, she decided to breach the subject. “Why do you dislike them so much anyway?" Sweetie raised her head as the other two shared a glance, and Diamond smiled. “I’ll answer that, but only if you agree to a sleepover at my house. I’ve been waiting forever to have enough ponies for a proper Twister game, and daddy always gives up halfway through.” Diamond looked to Silver, who shook her head sadly. “Sorry, my Mom still won’t let me leave the house at night.” Silver tried to put a hoof around Diamond, who growled and shrugged it off, and looked at her. “Yeah yeah, I know alright? Not around the newbie.” Diamond turned toward Sweetie once more, and smirked as she opened her arms wide. “I’d love to,” replied Sweetie, smiling sweetly. “So this is the double bed we’ll be sleeping in. Unless you want your own bed, in which case there’s a smaller bed over there. Snacks are on the table, and I have some movies we can watch on my projector.” Diamond’s room was full of blues and pinks. Sweetie could tell she was a girl at heart, but there was evidence to the contrary too. “Can I play the arcade machine?” Sweetie almost wanted to hug the many machines, decrypting various games, lined up along the back of Diamond’s room. Diamond stepped to the side, and Sweetie was on them in an instant. Diamond leaned over her shoulder, and watched with keen interest. “Wow, you’re pretty good, woah!” Diamond walked over to another one of the machines, and began to play as well. Sweetie stopped her game soon enough, and came over to help Diamond. “No, you gotta be more gentle with the controls. That’s it, see?” Sweetie grinned as Diamond started truly enjoying the game, and stood back to watch as she examined her feelings. ‘Could it be that she’s a decent pony?’ Sweetie eventually pulled herself to the snack table, and they sat down to enjoy a movie. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer. “So why do you hate the CMC?” Sweetie glanced to Diamond as she cringed away, and then sighed and looked to her. “Promise not to tell anypony?” Diamond waited as Sweetie promised, but stopped short of a Pinkie promise. That mare knew. “Ok, well before Apple Bloom came to school, I was the newest kid.” Diamond turned herself to fully face Sweetie, who did the same. “When she arrived, all the attention I used to get, got directed to her. That would have been okay except…” Diamond paused, and her ears flopped down as she looked away. “Apparently the other kids decided I was a bully, and only Silver stuck by me. I was jealous of Apple Bloom, can you blame me? So I decided to become a bully to Apple Bloom. Teasing her makes me feel slightly better about myself, and it doesn’t help that you three ruined the one day that was supposed to be about me and my cutie mark.” Diamond stood up, and walked over to the bedside drawer, pulling it open. “Here,” she spoke as she pulled out a bright pink book with the word ‘diary’ on it. Before Sweetie could object, it was forced into her hoof as Diamond took a step back. They met each-other’s eyes. “Take it to your friends, tell them your whole plan was to get some dirt on me, they’ll believe you. It’s what you came here for after all isn’t it.” Diamond turned away as her head fell, and she wiped away something itching her eye. Sweetie took one look at Diamond, and dropped the book as she stood up and jumped forward, talking Diamond into a hug. “No,” she replied, feeling Diamond stiffen, and then relax. Sweetie looked down and saw Diamond’s face scrunch up, and tears leak from her eyes. Sniffing, she wiped her nose as she spoke, turning around to return the hug. “T-Thank you.” Sweetie walked home, waving goodbye to Diamond as she left. Entering her room, she walked up to the piece of paper, and looked over her list. Drawing a line through one of the numbers, she then wrote a new one, before walking to her bed, grabbing her saddlebags, and heading to school. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. 6: Get DT and SS to become CMC. Author's Note Would you believe I actually planned to have SB blackmail DT? Why did she have to be so darn not-evil? Curse you! Here is another poem made by: Divine Path And with the distant past, you find fondness in the realization; that among the ponies dark and dour, within the coldness of apathy and despair, the warmth unites one and all and there is light in all hearts under the Equestrian sun. L7.1“Scoots? Bloom? Can I talk to you quickly?” Sweetie called her friends to the side, knowing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would be out soon. Both turned and nodded. Sweetie bit her lip, and leaned forward. “I think I can convert Diamond Tiara to our side.” Sweetie saw both open their mouth to object, and stuck her front hooves forward, closing their mouths as she growled. “I know she’s mean, but I need you to trust me here.” Sweetie bit her lip as the other two frowned. Once more, guilt over her actions last loop sprung up, and she forced herself to focus as they nodded. Sweetie smiled, and turned to watch the door. “Just follow my lead.” Sweetie closed her eyes for a moment, before covering her face with an innocent smile. On cue, Diamond and Silver walked out, laughing quietly together. Sweetie breathed in, and walked over to them. “Oh great, what you you blank flanks want?" Diamond snickered, but blinked as Sweetie’s expression didn’t change. “Diamond, you’re an expert on all things fancy and high class right?” Sweetie paused just long enough to give Diamond a chance to nod. Glancing to her friends, she smiled once at them and nodded as she turned. “See? I told you she’s gotta be a better expert than my sister. I mean, all my sister does is design the latest trends endorsed by Fancy Pants.” Sweetie saw Apple Bloom raise an eyebrow, before blinking and glancing away. “Yeah, you’re right. Ah'm sorry for doubting you.” Apple Bloom glanced toward Diamond, who was slowly digesting this information. “Endorsed by... Fancy Pants? As in THE Fancy Pants, Fancy Pants?” Diamond stepped toward Sweetie, who shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Well yeah, I met him myself. Seemed like a nice guy.” Sweetie was of course lying about this bit, but as Diamond's eyes widened, she knew it was working. Now just to let her mull it over...and… “Why do you need me anyway?” Diamond frowned, and glanced to Silver Spoon. Blinking, she quickly smirked at Sweetie as she stuck up her nose. “I mean, there’s just so many reasons for you poor pitiful blank flanks to want to need me, I just wish to clarify which one.” Diamond nodded to herself, that was better. Didn’t want them thinking she was going soft. “Well, we’ve tried getting our Cutie Marks in almost everything, but we never tried anything relating to fancy. We were wondering if you might be willing to help us, for a price of course.” Sweetie leaned in and smiled, whispering quietly into Diamond’s ear. “I can get you a signed autograph of Fancy Pants.” Rarity had quite a few items laying around the boutique Fancy has signed. It would take some convincing, but Sweetie was sure she could get her sister to part with one for a good cause. “O-One moment.” Diamond pulled Silver away and both began to quietly discuss it together. After a moment, both nodded and smirked. ‘They’re totally going to try and swindle me of it.’ Sweetie watched them both walk over, and Diamond hold out a hoof. “Give the autograph to us right now, and you have a deal.” Diamond smiled, faking a warm one. Sweetie looked down and let her ears flop. “I can’t yet, Rarity’s gone to Manehattan and she won’t be back for a few days. And she takes them with her.” Sweetie waited as both shared a glance, and sighed. “Alright, but we expect it by the end of the week. We’ll start your training tomorrow.” Diamond held out her hoof again, and Sweetie took it, both shaking and smiling pleasantly at each other. “Excellent, we can’t wait.” “No no no! That spoon goes over here!” Silver Spoon glared at Scootaloo, who numbly put the spoon where it apparently went. Silver nodded once, and glanced over to the other two. Diamond Tiara was overseeing their ‘Fancy cutlery setting up’ over the other side of the table. They were using paper plates, so nothing had a chance of getting broken. “Ugh, you three are useless! You’re worse than blank flanks, you’re no-flanks!” Diamond pulled out the chair and leapt onto it, and then onto the table so she could look down at them. Apple Bloom met the glare, and opened her mouth to say something back. Sweetie put a hoof over the mouth, and shook her head. “Seriously, you three can’t even set up a table right, how are you expecting to master this? This is servant work.” Diamond thumped her hoof on the table three times, and then turned toward the chair and made to step off the table. However, it suddenly creaked, and snapped on one end, sending her careening toward a window. On the second floor, it would most certainly hurt. Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated, dragging Diamond to the ground, causing her to skid to a stop just before the window. Puffing, she wiped her brow, holding living objects was a lot harder than books or paper planes, even if she had only held onto Diamond’s leg. “Are you ok?” All moved around to make sure Diamond was ok. Sweetie reached out a hoof, but stepped back as it was swiped away. Diamond turned, and glanced toward the table. “What was that noise up there?” It was Mr Rich, Diamond flinched and breathed in sharply. If her father saw the table, she would be so dead. Sweetie looked to Apple Bloom, who was looking at the table, and tilting her head. “Think you can fix it?” Sweetie waited as her friend blinked, and gave a shrug. “Maybe, but Mr Rich isn’t going to just wait down there while I try to fix the table.” Apple Bloom turned as Scootaloo saluted, and dashed for the stairs. Sweetie moved toward the table and helped Apple Bloom lift it up, grunting. Feeling the weight slightly lessen, she saw Silver was helping. Both glanced to Diamond, who blinked and followed suit. “Ah need a hammer and some nails!” Apple Bloom raised her head and looked to Diamond, who quickly dashed away to get the tool kit. Sweetie groaned, and Apple Bloom pulled a chair over, bringing it to rest just under the lower end of the table. “Y’all can let go now.” Apple Bloom nodded as the chair kept the table from hitting the floor, leaving her enough room to examine it while she waited for Diamond to get back. Below, Scootaloo was stalling Mr Rich, but it wasn’t going very well and he was already at the stairs. If he got to the top, the table would be in clear view of the stairs. “Here!” Diamond came back with a large tool kit held in her mouth. Apple Bloom took it and nodded to Sweetie and Silver, who lifted the table back up to more or less horizontal. Apple Bloom quickly got to work, sweat beading on her head as she forced herself not to rush, despite the noise as somepony slowly walked up the stairs. “Can I see your money collection? Tell me about stocks!” Scootaloo’s panicked cries were ringing through as Mr Rich ignored every one. Apple Bloom was sweating, hooves shaking. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and forced herself to work slowly, but quickly. As she hammered the last nail in with a loud thunk, Mr Rich saw them surrounding the table. “What is going on.” Mr Rich looked as Apple Bloom rolled out from under the table. Looking between her and the hammer clutched in her mouth, he turned to look to Diamond as she strained to hold the table upright. “You can let it go now,” whispered Apple Bloom through the hammer. All three gently lowered the table down, and let go. It was rock steady. Mr Rich walked over and tapped it, before putting some weight onto it and frowning, tilting his head. Turning to Diamond, he folded his arms. “You were standing on the table again weren’t you?” Mr Rich was proven right, as Diamond lowered her head and gave a nod. He sighed, and looked toward Apple Bloom. “Dun worry sir! Ah fixed it up all good an’ proper so ya dun have ta’ worry about it.” Apple Bloom put the hammer down and motioned toward the tools sheepishly, as he once more leaned onto the table. “I can see that, this table used to have a wonky leg.” Mr Rich let his frown drop as he leaned down and examined the fixed leg of the table. “Where did you put the nails? I can’t even tell what is your work and what was already there.” Mr Rich looked toward Apple Bloom and let his surprise show. Slowly, the filly smiled and began to point toward specific nails. “Ya’ see, the table leg was wonky ‘cause this piece of wood wasn’t ‘ammered in properly. So ah fixed up tha’ piece and added some nails for extra support.” Apple Bloom felt hopeful, maybe they weren’t going to get punished. Mr Rich stepped back, and chuckled, shaking his head. “Well I can’t exactly let a filly who just got her Cutie Mark be punished can I?” Sure enough, on Apple Bloom’s flank was a picture of two pieces of wood being hammered together with a nail. There was also a small clock burned into one of the planks. “Ah dun believe it! Ah got mah Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom and her friends celebrated while Diamond and Spoon stood off to the side, feeling awkward. After a moment Apple Bloom turned to them and smiled warmly as she walked over. “Ah gotta admit, y’all are ok in mah book. Ah mean, if it weren’t for you, I may never have gotten mah Mark. So thank you.” Apple Bloom smiled warmly and brought the two into a quick hug. Diamond flinched and looked away, expression a whirlwind of emotions. “C-Can you get off me?” Diamond glared at Apple Bloom, who scratched the back of her head, and turned toward her friends. “Ah think we should let Diamond an’ Spoon become Crusaders. What do ya think? Ah mean, they helped me get mah mark an’ all.” Apple Bloom’s smile widened as the other two nodded, and turned back toward a confused Diamond. “But I already have my Cutie Mark, what use does a club about finding one have for me?” Diamond glanced to Silver, who nodded. Chuckling, Apple Bloom pointed to her Mark. “That’s the best part silly. Now we get ta’ help others earn theirs. An even if we all have our Marks, we’ll still spend time together, that’s what friends do.” Apple Bloom once more beamed a smile at Diamond, who looked away. “You really want to be my friend, even after the way I’ve treated you?” Diamond’s voice was small, barely a whisper. Apple Bloom had to lean in to catch it all. Stepping forward, she met Diamond’s gaze, and smiled. “The way ah see it, you more than made up for it when ya’ got me my Mark.” And then, once more, Apple Bloom hugged Diamond. Sweetie and Scootaloo nodded as Diamond looked to them. Diamond closed her eyes as a soft smile emerged on her face. “I’d like that…” Author's Note First part of L7 L7.2“So what are we learning today Diamond?” Apple Bloom smiled warmly as she stood beside Diamond, who winced and looked away. After a moment, Diamond pointed toward Scootaloo’s scooter. “We could try acting fancy. But I don’t think the other two’s talents are likely to be in fancy. If I had to guess, Scootaloo’s Mark is in scooter-ing.” Diamond noticed all three cringe, and Scootaloo shook her head. “We tried that, and I don’t want to spend my life having a Mark that means I’m only good at that.” Scootaloo glared at the ground, and scuffed the dirt. Diamond sighed and put a hoof to her chin, tapping it as she mused. “I don’t know then, maybe you’re good at something the scooting requires?” Diamond looked between the three, and they all copied her action. “Maybe stunts, I mean you really like those Scoots.” Sweetie glanced over to her friend, who tilted her head and smiled. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea! An stunt-pony Mark would look great!” Scootaloo smiled and walked over to her scooter, and attached the cart that her friends normally rode in. Pausing, she blinked and remembered Diamond and Silver. “How exactly am I going to get a Mark in doing stunts anyway? I do them all the time, surely I would have it by now if that was the case.” Scootaloo waited patiently as the others considered it. “Let’s ask Rainbow Dash what cloud-based sports there are that can be done without wings.” Sweetie smiled and nodded, all taking to the idea with relish. “Alright, I’ll go find Rainbow Dash, we’ll meet in that clearing near the edge of town.” Scootaloo took the cart off once more, and hopped onto her scooter and buzzed away. Sweetie folded the paper plane up and stowed it in her hair. Taking the handle, she levitated the cart as she followed the others to the clearing. “Hey, heard you need help organising an awesome cloud-surfing course.” Rainbow Dash flew into the clearing, Scootaloo under one arm, scooter in the other. Landing, she glanced up at the sky, and nodded. “We have to clear the clouds for tomorrow anyway, I see no reason not to get an early start. I‘ll be right back.” Dash flared her wings and began to construct an obstacle course out of clouds, similar to one she had done as a filly. However, the design was fundamentally different, centering around surfing down the cloud instead of flying around them. Landing, she smirked at them as she brought down a cloud. "Hop on Scoots, I’ll show you how to make a board.” Dash waited as Scootaloo jumped onto the cloud, and began showing how to slice it into a more aerodynamic shape, compressing it to be less fluffy. Scootaloo wobbled on the board, and flapped her wings as she slowly floated around the clearing, getting a feel for it. “Hang on a sec kid, something's wrong with the cloud.” Sitting down beside the board, Dash narrowed her eyes and looked as it wobbled under Scootaloo, and frowned. “Could ya tone down the magic, sis? It’s interfering with the stuff I used to make the cloud stay in shape.” Raising her head, Dash saw confusion in Scootaloo’s face, and tilted her head. “Hold on a sec, lemme see your wings.” Dash stood up and leaned over, gently touching Scootaloo’s small wings. Breathing in sharply, she slowly brought a wing over. As the wing got within a few inches of Scootaloo’s, the cloud suddenly began to drift sideways, sending Scootaloo in the opposite direction of Dash. There was no wind. “Scoots, have you ever used weather magic before?” Dash folded her wings and nodded as Scootaloo shook her head. It was something all Pegasi were taught at a very young age, and for a very good reason. “Are ya foster parents Earth or Unicorn?” Once more, Dash watched Scootaloo nod. Walking over once more, Dash put a hoof on Scootaloo's cheeks. “There’s the reason for it then, and with Cherilee being an Earth Pony; no wonder it’s leaking out so much. Alright, listen carefully, I’m not much of a teacher so this’ll be very basic, but follow exactly what I say.” As Rainbow Dash spoke, all fillies, excluding Scootaloo, quickly got confused at everything Dash was speaking about. It passed over their heads, did a loop-de-loop, and proceeded to dump a bucket of tree sap on their heads. “Alright, now for the final test.” Dash picked up Scootaloo, and tossed her high into the air. Crying out, Scootaloo instinctively flapped her wings, and for a brief moment she continued to fall. Suddenly, she remembered what she had just learned, and gritted her teeth, and applied it. Sweetie bit her lip as Scootaloo dived down, and pulled out, doing a corkscrew as she cried out in sudden jubilation. “Heh, I wonder if she’s gonna remember we’ve got stunts to pull.” Dash smirked as Scootaloo flew around the clearing for a solid half-hour, before finally noticing they were watching her, and coming to land. It wasn’t the best landing, but she managed to avoid falling into the dirt. “Alright, time to surf those clouds, kid.” Dash sent the cloudboard flying toward Scoots, who caught it and flew toward the top of the course, smirking confidently as she looked down at it. Was this the best Dash could do? Flipping upwards, she backflipped onto the board, and dived straight into the course. Each corner felt like water, her wings barely even flapping as she used her newfound control over her magic to weave between the clouds without disturbing them. Leaping off a ramp, she backflipped once before landing on the railing, and sliding past the finish line. Jumping off the cloud, she beamed as she realised Dash was looking at her, mouth hung open. “That...Was...AWE-SOME!” Dash and everyone began to crowd around Scootaloo, giving praise. Even Diamond, who was standing slightly to the side, sent a ‘good job’ her way. As Scootaloo felt everyone praising her, and the knowledge she would never be grounded again, tears sprung to her eyes, and she looked to her flank as a tingling distracted her. It was a picture of a cloud in a half circle, forming a sharp turn like the ones she had surfed around on her way down the course. There was a single bolt of purple lightning coming out of a small orange wing. Scootaloo looked to Rainbow Dash, and realised they were both crying. But it didn’t matter. Tough ponies didn’t believe in tears, so they never saw them. While not related to getting a Cutie Mark, the sleepover at Diamonds had been the icing on an otherwise great week. Sweetie once more showed Diamond how to properly play the arcade games, and all awkwardness quickly melted away during a movie. “Why couldn’t Silver attend?” Sweetie saw the wince, and smiled apologetically in response. “Her family doesn’t think I’m a very good influence, and they won’t let her see me outside of school and afternoons.” Diamond bit her lip, and looked down to her drink. Scootaloo brought an arm around Diamond, and gently hugged her. Diamond leaned into it, not resisting. “Listen, I think I can solve that, but we need to agree to a party at my house tomorrow. I’ll handle everything.” Sweetie saw all look to her, and she smiled, leaning forward enthusiastically. All sighed, and smiled as they gave her a nod. “Excellent.” “Now you kids have fun.” Rarity smiled as they all headed upstairs, and chuckled. When Sweetie Belle had come to her saying her friend Silver Spoon wasn’t allowed on sleepovers, and that she’d promise not to make food on the weekends for a month if she helped, Rarity had been out the door in an instant. Oh, it had taken quite some convincing to get them to allow the poor filly to sleepover. But after many assurances, and an agreement to give them a discount on purchases, she had managed to get the group together. From the happy smiles on their faces, Rarity knew it was going to be a loud night. 11:58 “I’m telling you girls, something amazing happens at midnight. You’re not gonna believe it.” Sweetie pointed to her clock, and the other’s rolled their eyes. This better be good, they were really tired. “Alright we get it, let’s just watch the clock then. This better be good, ah have farm work in the mornin’.” All fell silent as they watched the clock silently tick over. It was amazing, they were silent for the entire two minutes. 11:59… 12:00 Sweetie turned toward her friends, smiling in open relief, they were still here! As they frowned at her and looked around, they didn’t seem to have any clue about what was different. That meant, she now had her friends to count on during loops, if time was still looping. Feeling tears come to her eyes, Sweetie almost missed what Scootaloo had just said. “Is it just me, or are you growing smaller?” Scootaloo looked down at her hoof as she saw it growing, and turned to look to Apple Bloom. Sure enough, everypony but Sweetie was slowly growing into adult mares. Confusion on their faces, they turned to Sweetie. However, before one could open their mouths, the true horror began. Sweetie was frozen as she watched her friends age before her, slowly turning into wrinkled old ponies. Then, they collapsed, and all life drained from their eyes. Then the eyes fell into dust, the bodies slowly losing color and fading into a uniform gray color. And then, finally, they fell to ash. All before the clock beside her clicked to 12:01. Sweetie screamed. Author's Note I did put that dark tag there for a reason ya'know. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path The dream ends this night. It seems. trapped in this perfect nightmare of solitude, only alone you can stay. L8.1Rarity leapt out of bed and slammed Sweetie’s door open, blocking her ears off to the noise by holding her ears against her head. Sweetie was screaming at a pile of ash that was vanishing into nothing. Rarity took a step into the room, Sweetie didn’t notice. “Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong?” As soon as Rarity spoke, the screaming stopped, and Sweetie turned, and dived into Rarity arms. Sweetie began to sob loudly, tears streaming down her face. Rarity comforted her sister, confused but knowing what her role was. “I killed them *sob* I killed them.” Sweetie continued to speak those three lines without pause as she cried into Rarity. Rarity bit her lip, and decided it was best to comfort now, and ask questions later. Bringing her sister deeper into a hug, “There there, I’m here. It’s ok.” Rarity gently patted Sweetie on the head, the crying intensifying. Whatever had spooked Sweetie must have been very horrific if she was this mortified. Rarity sat down, knowing she was in for a long comforting session. After a few hours, Sweetie eventually ran out of tears to shed, and entered a fitful sleep. Rarity snuck the filly back into her bed, and breathed out. Rarity turned and headed down the stairs, maybe pancakes would make her sister feel better. There was the matter of school...No, Sweetie could miss a day. “Ah, there’s Apple Bloom, I’ll go tell her Sweetie won’t be going today.” Rarity put down the batter and turned toward the door. Walking out, she smiled warmly as Apple Bloom smiled back. “I’m sorry Apple Bloom, Sweetie won’t be going to school today.” Rarity smiled sadly as Apple Bloom tilted her head, and gave a slow nod. Rarity blinked, for a moment she thought she had seen relief on Apple Bloom's face. Shaking her head, it was gone. “Ah, okay, tell Sweetie that Ah’ll meet her at school for the rest of the week. Ah gotta get to it early to...help Cheerilee.” Apple Bloom waved goodbye, and skipped toward the school. Rarity turned and headed back inside to make pancakes. ”You killed us! I thought we were friends!” Scootaloo’s ashes curled into a vague pony-like shape, eyes made of darkness. The others formed, all circling around the huddled form of Sweetie. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” Sweetie covered her eyes and sobbed. Why had she thought they would be fine? Why had she thought the logical conclusion was they would loop too? Apple Bloom forced Sweetie’s hooves away, and looked Sweetie in the eyes. “Yer a monster! Never talk to us again ya hear? You don’t deserve friends for what ya have done!” Apple Bloom scoffed and walked away. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were next. “You will always be a blank flank. Somepony who murdered her friends does not deserve something as great as a Cutie Mark.” All four vanished in a puff of smoke, and the room began to darken, leaving Sweetie in darkness. “Sweetie, I made you pancakes.” Rarity opened the door slowly, seeing Sweetie huddled on the floor where the ash and dust had been earlier. Sweetie jolted awake at the sound of Rarity’s voice, and tears began to stream down her face again. “Oh dearie me.” Rarity scooped her sister up and hugged her close as the filly began to cry again. Breathing in, Rarity decided it was time to find out just what had Sweetie so traumatised. “Sweetie, I need you to tell me what’s wrong. Please, you’ll feel better once you do.” Rarity slowly put a hoof to her sister’s chin, and slowly pushed it upward. Sweetie sobbed, burying her face into Rarity’s fur. “I-I killed them! They were my friends an-an-and I thought it was-but it wasn’t an-and they-oh god they grew older than Granny Smith an-and It’s my fault!” As Sweetie cried into Rarity’s chest, the fashionista realised two things. One: She had no idea what Sweetie was talking about. Two: Sweetie had somehow ‘killed’ something and was absolutely mortified. “Shhh-Shh-Shhh...Sweetie look at me.” Once more, Rarity tilted her sister’s chin up. “Did you mean to do it?” Rarity forced her sister to remain looking at her as her cries grew stronger. “No! I-If I had known I would never have-my Celestia.” Sweetie closed her eyes and began to shake. Rarity waited a moment, before once more forcing her sister to look at her. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know, you have no reason to think you are to blame.” Rarity looked her sister evenly in the eyes as she suddenly stopped crying. Sweetie sniffed and tears leaked down her face as she opened her mouth to speak. “But-” As a hoof was placed on Sweetie’s mouth, Rarity interrupted. “No Sweetie. It is not your fault. It was an accident. You are not to blame. Say it.” Rarity waited patiently, remove her hoof from Sweetie’s mouth. “I-It wasn’t my f-fault, it w-was an a-accident.” Sweetie slowly repeated, tears streaming down her face once more. Rarity brought her sister into a smothering hug as Sweetie began to cry once more. “And don’t you forget that.” “I’m sorry, as big an opportunity that is, I can’t leave my sister here alone.” Rarity smiled apologetically at the pony in front of her. How she ached to say yes, but Sweetie needed her. Ambition could wait. “That is a shame. Very well, we will find a different designer for the event.” The stallion nodded, pulling up a pen to make a note. Both paused as a filly walked down the stairs, and smiled weakly. “Go on Rarity, I’ll be fine. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Twilight can watch me.” Sweetie knew this event, even if the world was looping, meant a lot to Rarity. And it got her out of Sweetie’s hair for a few days. Besides, she needed to talk to Twilight. Rarity winced, the offer so tempting. “But Sweetie Belle, what if you need me for something?” Rarity bit her lip and glanced between the filly and the stallion. What should she go with? “I’ll have Twilight with me, and you’re only a few hours away. Go on, I’ll be fine.” Sweetie forced a smile onto her face despite how exhausted she felt, and Rarity bit her lip once more. After a moment she growled and rubbed her forehead. Walking over, she brought Sweetie into a hug once more. “Are you sure?” Rarity looked her sister in the eyes. Sweetie forced herself to smile and nod. Rarity bit her lip, and stood up once more. “I’d be delighted to go to Manehattan with you.” Rarity turned, and smiled warmly at the stallion. He nodded, and wrote something down. Rarity glanced down to her sister, before motioning to the door. “Come, let’s get you to Twilight. I’m not leaving you alone on a day like today.” Rarity slowly led both to Twilight’s castle, and knocked on the door. Opening it, Twilight blinked curiously at the three. “Could you please watch Sweetie for me? I have to go to Manehattan for a once-in-a-lifetime opport-er- I mean business.” Rarity glanced toward the stallion, who raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Twilight rubbed her eyes, and nodded. “Of course, when will you be back?” Twilight leaned down and smiled warmly at Sweetie, who seemed to be underneath a cloud of gray. “On Wednesday. Can I talk with you for a moment?” Rarity gently pulled Twilight to the side, and pointed to where Sweetie was. “Sweetie has had a horrible morning. Something spooked her good, but she seems to be recovering from it now. Just don’t leave her alone for very long.” Rarity bit her lip, and once more considered staying with her sister. “Alright, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on her,” replied Twilight, giving a smile. Rarity gave Sweetie one last hug, before following the stallion to the train station. “Alright, let’s see what I can make us for lunch.” Twilight smiled and trotted into the castle. Sweetie followed without a word. “Hrm, ooh I can make us some delicious Hayfries. How does that sound?” Twilight waited patiently as Sweetie blinked, and looked away. “That sounds ok.” Sweetie sat down at the table, and Twilight bit her lip as she set about making the food. Rarity was right, Sweetie was almost like Twilight’s discorded version. ‘I gotta think of something fun to cheer her up. Maybe Twister? Kids like that right?’ Twilight silently sighed as she placed two plates of Hayfries down. What would Sweetie like to do? Sweetie wasn’t exactly how Twilight was when she was younger, she likely didn’t want the same things. “Twilight, can I ask you a question?” Sweetie picked at her fries before plopping one into her mouth, chewing it slowly. It wasn’t her fault, she had to focus. Sweetie had a feeling telling herself that wasn’t going to change how she felt, but Rarity had said to. And it was sorta maybe helping. “Shoot, we’ve got plenty of time to talk.” Twilight watched as Sweetie winced, before continuing. It was worse than she thought; the filly wasn’t even meeting her eyes. “I’m kinda...doing an experiment and...I was wondering what the first thing you do before conducting your own is.” Sweetie finished her plate of food, and looked around for a drink. Twilight levitated over a jug of water, and poured them both a cup. “Make a copy of my work.” Twilight took a sip of her drink, before noticing that Sweetie was looking at her for once. “Why?” Sweetie tilted her head. “Well, if something happens to me, I don’t want to lose my notes. Not to mention it’s helpful to leave a note for anyone who finds the spares in the future, warning them of what I was doing.” Twilight smiled, remembering a few notes she had made in her earlier years. Oh they had all been more or less the same, but even she would admit they had been on the dramatic side. “That makes sense I guess…” Sweetie lowered her head and tapped her bowl as she slid her hoof along the rim. “What’s the fastest way to do that?” Sweetie bit her lip and closed her eyes. Speed, she shuddered. “I can teach you a spell that will do it for you if you like. All it requires is the paper to copy the notes onto.” Twilight levitated over two pieces of paper, and quickly wrote something on one, before concentrating. With a small poof, the writing appeared on the second piece of paper. Sweetie raised her head, and the ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “Yes please.” Author's Note It's quite hard writing a child in situations like this. Oh the woes of being a writer. L8.2“Remember to copy how much is absorbed into the paper, otherwise it will just rub right off.” Twilight carefully watched Sweetie as she slowly transferred the notes on one page to the second. They had been practicing all day. Twilight didn’t like the fact Sweetie was missing two days of school, but decided one more day was acceptable, considering how Sweetie had been yesterday. “Is that ok?” Sweetie broke the connection and puffed. Transferring it onto a new page was quite exhausting. Sweetie knew it was going to take quite a long time to transfer all her notes into a copy. Twilight smiled as she examined the paper. “Good job, I can’t detect any difference between the two.” Twilight was quite proud of Sweetie. Her magic had a certain perfectionist quality to it. Whether that was due to Sweetie’s tendency to want to be as perfect as she thought Rarity was was a different matter. “Alright, so let’s say you’ve made the copy. What do you do next?” Sweetie wiped the sweat off her brow. Getting both pages exactly the same had been a challenge. And Twilight made it look so easy. Still, it felt nice to learn something new. “Well, assuming you’ve double checked your work and everything beforehand, and made sure it’s as safe as possible, you do it.” Twilight beamed a smile as she turned and headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sweetie followed, before pausing and turning to head back into the throne room. ‘Ok, so I need to make extremely doubly sure that this is safe. What is the possible outcomes. Think.’ Sweetie sat down and rubbed her forehead. For a small moment, their faces flashed into her mind and she winced. Sweetie had to focus. ‘1: I may get out of the loop. 2: I may get stuck with no memory of these loops. I’ll leave myself a note just in case. 3: Leaving the room causes me to suffer something-’ Sweetie cut herself off and shuddered as once more they flashed into her mind. If it came to that she wouldn’t be able to stop it. ‘Ok, there’s no way to protect myself from that, I’ll just have to risk it. That leaves 4; I am the loop and my room will wipe of its contents when I leave it. If that happens, it’s safe to assume that it is not a radius, due to the fact Rarity is not affected and she is on the other side of the wall, well within a circular radius.’ “I hope you like fresh salad.” Twilight brought out two plates of salad, a third plate holding gems for Spike, and sat down. Calling out, Spike quickly joined them. Sweetie dug in, feeling her stomach cry out in joy. Was she really that fond of salad? Sweetie decided salad might be a favorite food she hadn’t discovered. “I’m sorry Sweetie, but you can’t miss anymore school.” Twilight bit her lip as she saw the pallid fear on the filly’s face. Sweetie was shuddering, it was giving Twilight a strong sense of guilt. Rarity stood beside her, a stern mask over her own guilt. “B-Bu-Please!” Sweetie felt fresh tears brimming, and forced herself not to release them. No, she didn’t want to go back. They couldn’t force her, she would just flee and they would never- “Apple Bloom’s been waiting for you to return for two days now. She was here on Monday, wanting to talk to you.” Rarity saw the visible flinch, and something clicked in her mind. However, it seemed she didn’t need to act on it. “O-O-Okay,” whispered Sweetie, closing her eyes as she tried to control the racking tremors in her body. Apple Bloom was alive, she had to see this. If...If their previous loop’s death had affected them, she really wanted to know. Sweetie felt her body outright reject the idea, but forced herself to turn, and walk robotically toward the school. ‘Come on Sweetie, stay strong. You need to see this. Stop struggling body, you can do this. Oh Celestia what if they remember? Oh, what if they felt it. What if they-’ Sweetie blinked, she was already at the school. And there they were. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, talking. They turned, seeing her there. Sweetie briefly remembered it was lunch time, she had managed to get half the day off school from Twilight before Rarity had superseded her authority. “Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo’s voice was honey on Sweetie’s ears. Tears began to stream down her face. They were ok. They weren’t hurt. There was no lasting damage to what her horrible monstrous actions had caused. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached the group casually, not having a sneering face at all. That was the first sign that something had changed. “Hiya Sweetie. Feelin’ better?” Apple Bloom forced a smile on her face as she stepped forward. Sweetie rubbed the tears out of her eyes, and ignored the little warning signs going off in her head as she smiled warmly at them. They were her friends. Still, why were Diamond and Silver over here? Wasn’t this a normal loop? “Yep! Fit as a fiddle. I really missed hanging out with my friends though.” Sweetie’s smile faded as she watched Apple Bloom and Scootaloo share a glance. Once more, she tried to ignore the screeching in her head, warning her of danger. “Listen, something happened on Monday and we really need to talk to ya for a moment. Ya might have noticed Diamond and Silver are standing with us right now. The reason is we sorta became friends on Monday. We’re not entirely sure how it happened, but we realised we've a lot in common.” Apple Bloom scratched the back of her head, noticing the slowly fading smile on Sweetie’s face. “That’s great, more friends is never a bad thing.” Sweetie forced the smile back onto her face. If them becoming friends was the only change, she could live with that. Scootaloo winced. “About that…” Scootaloo glanced to Diamond and Silver, who bit their lips and looked away. Apple Bloom sighed, and put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “We’ve been thinking about how you’re our friend, and we realised something. When ah think of Scootaloo, ah feel the warmth of ‘er friendship fillin’ me up. But when ah think of you, ah feel nothin’. It’s like ya aren’t even a friend ya know? There’s also the fact ya’...” Apple Bloom trailed off, and looked to the ground. Diamond sighed and stepped forward. “You cause us to feel sick, like we’re water going down a drain. Even standing here right now is making me want to run to the other side of the playground. Look, what Apple Bloom is saying is whatever was there, is gone, so scram.” Diamond smirked and leaned forward. “Blaaank flaaaannk.” Diamond turned and stepped away. Apple Bloom scratched her front hoof and looked away. Scootaloo was the only one who looked at Sweetie’s stunned face. “Let’s go.” Apple Bloom turned, and the four fillies left Sweetie Belle alone, mind completely shut down. Cheerilee called all the students inside, before walking over and trying to get Sweetie’s attention. After being unable to even get the filly to blink, she decided to send somepony to escort her home. Rarity greeted the pony and took her sister into the house, seeing the hollow expression on her face. After numerous attempts to get Sweetie to respond, she eventually led the filly to her room, and tucked her into bed. It wasn’t until the following morning that Sweetie finally blinked, and broke into a quiet cry. Rarity felt racking guilt as she heard her sister crying, and paced the boutique restlessly. This was her fault. The signs had been there, and she had missed them. No matter what, all this was her fault, for forcing Sweetie to go to school when she clearly wasn’t ready. Did she dare even go in to see her sister. Surely she thought Rarity was the worst sister in the world by now. The crying stopped, and Rarity blinked, tilting her head as she realised the sudden absence of sound. Slowly, she ascended the stairs and opened the door a crack. There was Sweetie, sitting on her bed and shaking. Slowly, Sweetie turned toward her. “Yes?” Sweetie narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the current weight that had caused her to not even be able to think for nearly an entire day. Sweetie wasn’t ready to tackle that wall. Rarity bit her lip, and slowly entered. “I just wanted to apologise for forcing you to go to school. If I had known what was going to happen, I would have never forced you into it.” Rarity closed her eyes and sat down on the floor, bowing her head to Sweetie. Sweetie blinked, and realisation slowly passed through her brain. ‘Rarity is feeling how I’ve felt these last few days. But it’s not her fault that I went, I chose to go when I could have easily skipped. She doesn’t know that though.’ Sweetie felt the weight slightly lift, and a sad smile fell on her face. ‘We really are sisters aren’t we?’ Sweetie stood up, and slowly walked over to Rarity. Raising her head, Rarity blinked as the filly leapt into her arms, causing her to fall onto her back. “It’s okay, It’s not your fault.” Sweetie felt Rarity flinch, and then return the embrace. Both began to cry as they shared the experience of the feeling. Sweetie wanted to cry twice; her actions had everlasting effects. Rarity’s on the other hand would be gone after Friday. “You know what?” Rarity wiped her face, smearing her makeup. Sweetie raised her head, and looked at her sister as she continued. “Let’s go on a trip, just you and me, to Canterlot on Saturday. We’ll go shopping for fabric, go see the latest film, maybe even get you a meeting with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna if we’re lucky. What do you say?” Rarity brought her sister into a bearhug, and Sweetie felt another sad smile dawn upon her face. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.” Sweetie closed her eyes and leaned into the hug. For a small moment, she vaguely remembered she wanted to test being outside the room on a Friday. With Rarity preparing for the trip, she wouldn’t have much time to go over her notes before she prepared. ‘Oh well, it’s not like it can’t wait one more loop.’ Sweetie hugged her sister tighter, wishing she had somepony who was with her, looping. Blinking, she smiled honestly for the first time since Monday. Of course she had somepony with her. That somepony might not be looping, but her heart was as golden as the sun. It didn’t matter if Rarity was looping or not, her sister would always be there if she needed a hug. Oh how she loved her sister. L9Sweetie’s ninth loop began with a simple idea. ‘I don't want to see my friends.’ The idea slowly formed into a theory; could she skip school for an entire loop? She could probably fudge two days from Rarity and Twilight, but the other three would require her to actually not go. Sweetie bit her lip. ‘I could probably do it, but is it worth it? I mean, sure any effects it causes will be gone by next loop, and I’ve always wanted to play the bad filly. Plus, I really don’t want to have to go through that talk with Bloom and Scoots. Should I do it…’ Sweetie debated it as the sun slowly rose behind her. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Rarity’s voice barely registered on Sweetie, as the idea, as stupid as it was, slowly grew more and more appealing. Besides, she did need time to copy over her notes and double check them. Sweetie sat there for a few more moments, before shrugging and standing up, letting the paper plane in her magic drop. Oh why the heck not. You only loop once. “I’m not feeling too well sis.” Sweetie stumbled down the stairs to where Rarity was, holding her head. Rarity placed two plates of pancakes down, and put a hoof on the filly’s head. “You are a bit warm, do you want something to eat? I made your favorite.” Rarity smiled as she levitated a plate in front of Sweetie, who had to cover her mouth and stop herself from throwing up. Sweetie would never tire of pancakes, but it was important for her act. “No-urp-thanks.” Sweetie swayed slightly and lowered her head. “Wow, you really are sick. Alright, I’ll go tell Apple Bloom you won’t be coming today shall I? You go back to bed and sleep this off.” Rarity watched as Sweetie nodded, and slowly walked back upstairs. Turning, she headed toward the door to break the news to Apple Bloom Sweetie closed her door and levitated the paper plane once more, sighing as her headache cleared. Nothing was more convincing than a headache, and saying no to her favorite food. Now she just had be in bed at midday for when Rarity came to tell her she was going to Manehattan, and she was set until Wednesday. ‘Alright, let’s check over my notes while I have time.’ Sweetie slowly rifled through her paper, and began to read. Time loops Ways to get out: 1: Death(sometimes). 2: Stopping the cause(usually). 3: Performing the right sequence of events to find the ‘true’ loop(sometimes). 4: Cleaning up the world, or scrubbing it with toothpaste(never, but sounds like fun). 5: Kill the mastermind(Sometimes). Tested: Having people in same room as me. Leaving something outside room. To be tested: Being outside room. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. 6: Get DT and SS to become CMC. 7: Regain friends ‘Alright, so I’ll test being outside my room once I’ve copied the notes and put them into my saddlebags. I’ll take two of the loop books, the ones that have the most information, as well. Oh! I almost forgot, a note for myself in case me leaving means I restart at loop one with no memories.’ Sweetie nodded, that sounded like everything she would need. All that was left was to wait for Rarity to come up, and get to work “I’m sorry Sweetie, but you can’t miss a third day.” Rarity had come on Wednesday right on cue, and had quickly convinced Twilight to force Sweetie to go to school. Sweetie decided it was a good time to test her acting skills, and was currently pouting, giving both angry glares as she grabbed her saddlebags, and marched away from her home. ‘It took a little longer than expected to make notes of everything. I’m exhausted.’ Sweetie stifled a yawn as she paused, looking back to make sure Rarity and Twilight couldn’t see her. Sweetie decided the treehouse was the best place to hide while she skipped. It would be one of the first places they’d look, but she didn’t want them to think she had gone missing. “All that’s left is to write myself a note to leave on the table, but I can do that on Friday.” Sweetie plopped her saddlebags down, and opened one. Pulling out one of the loop books, she opened it and sat down to re-read it. Sweetie felt she had been pretty extensive her first time, but it didn’t hurt to go through it once more. Sweetie’s ear flicked as a bell sounded off in the distance. Time sure flew when she was reading. Packing up the book, Sweetie left the treehouse and began to trot back home. Once she got on the path, she turned and walked down the path she would normally go coming back from school. “Welcome home Sweetie, have a good day?” Rarity smiled warmly as Sweetie entered, and she beamed a smile in response. Sweetie knew Rarity would notice if she told an outright lie, but she had only asked how her day was. “Yep!” Sweetie trotted toward the stairs and up to her room before Rarity could enquire further. The mare chuckled, and returned to her work on a gown. ‘Three down, two to go.’ Sweetie was feeling pleased about her acting skills. So far; everything had been easy. Why, if Sweetie had known she could skip school this long before this loop, she would have done it ages ago. The next morning, breakfast was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rarity opened it to see a nervous Cheerilee at the door. ‘Oh, Sugar Honey Iced Tea.’ Sweetie kept her face innocent but curious as both glanced to her. “Uh, hello Rarity. I was just coming to make sure Sweetie Belle was ok. Will she be attending class today?” Cheerilee smiled warmly as she looked at Rarity, who narrowed her eyes and looked slowly toward Sweetie. “Yes, just as she attended class yesterday, did she not?” Rarity watched her sister for any signs of guilt or the ‘busted look’, but found nothing but innocence. Rarity had never known her sister was such a good actor. “No, Sweetie Belle wasn’t in class yesterday.” Cheerilee looked at Sweetie as well, and both slowly approached the filly. “Very well, would you please explain why you didn’t go to class yesterday Sweetie Belle?” Rarity leaned forward and looked Sweetie directly in the eyes as she shrugged. “I got lost.” It was an obvious, and poor excuse, but it caused both to pause and share a glance. “Cheerilee, would you be a darling and escort Sweetie Belle to school so she doesn’t get ‘lost’ again?” Rarity smiled pleasantly at the teacher, who gave a slow nod as she bit her lip. “Uh, sure, are you ready to go Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee began to back toward the door. Sweetie stood up and beamed a pleasant smile at them both as she picked up her saddlebags, and trotted merrily out the door. “See ya Rarity.” Sweetie paused and waited for Cheerilee to start walking as well, before trotting toward the school once more. Cheerilee picked up the pace, trying to keep up with the filly. Turning the corner, she blinked, Sweetie Belle was gone. Sweetie hid in the bush as Cheerilee began to look around, before biting her lip and rushing back to Rarity’s. As she realised there was an evil smile on her face, she winced as guilt laced through her. Turning, she quickly began to run toward the edge of town. ‘Ignore the guilt, they won’t remember this after Friday anyway. And even if they do, this isn’t going to damage me beyond a grounding and an armed escort to school for a week or two. If this is what it takes to get out, I’ll gladly accept the punishment.’ Sweetie dove into the treeline as Rarity and Cheerilee jumped out of the corner, and began scanning for her. Sweetie felt her heart beating fast as they slowly approached her hiding spot, and stopped. “Tch, when I find Sweetie Belle she is grounded for a month!” Rarity stomped her hoof as she began to trot away. Cheerilee followed closely behind, before she paused and sighed. “I’m really sorry Rarity, but I have to get to the school, the kids are waiting for me.” Cheerilee bit her lip again, and glanced in the direction of the school. Rarity paused, and gave a nod. “No problem, I’ll get my friends to help me search for her. Ask Apple Bloom and Scootaloo if they know where she’s hiding, and join us after school.” Rarity and Cheerilee split, and slowly left Sweetie alone. ‘This is getting serious. Rarity I can handle, but Twilight too? She probably has some sort of tracking spell too. I’ll have to be extra super sneaky if I want to not go to school today and tomorrow. But I don’t want Rarity to worry, I’ll have to make sure to be found right as school ends. Oh! I know just the place’ Sweetie smiled, and slowly looked around. It would take a lot of effort to sneak all the way into her room, but Rarity’s face when she realised she had been there the entire time would be priceless. Sweetie winced as another stab of guilt passed through her. ‘I’m going to have to grow a heart of stone eventually. I don’t think I’ll be able to cope with hearing Apple Bloom and Scootaloo do...that...every loop.’ Sweetie sighed quietly as she snuck into the house and up to her room, closing the door. Turning, she closed the curtains on her window, and sat down to continue reading her book. After a while, she heard Rarity return, and glanced at her ‘borrowed’ clock. School had ended. There was the sound of multiple hoofsteps, Sweetie felt a giddy smile fall on her face. This was it, time to make her appearance. Oh, this would have to be her best acting yet. Sweetie breathed in, and slowly walked down the stairs, a curious look on her face. All seven faces slowly turned toward her, and blinked. Sweetie looked between them in confusion, and tilted her head. Rarity’s eye twitched, and she leered over Sweetie. “Where have you been?” Rarity’s eye twitched as she breathed heavily over Sweetie. Sweetie frowned, and pointed to her room. “I’ve been in my room all day, why?” Sweetie turned back to Rarity, and blinked, taking a step back as her face got even closer. “Why did you leave Cheerilee's side?” Rarity forced herself to step back. Behind her Cheerilee bit her lip. “I forgot something, so I raced back home to get it. When I got back to where Cheerilee was, she was gone. I came to the house to find you but you were gone as well. You told me Cheerilee was gonna escort me to school, and I thought you’d be angry if I went by myself. So I waited for you to come home.” Sweetie looked down at her feet and scuffed the ground, crouching as she shivered under Rarity’s gaze. Rarity tried to find a possible way that Sweetie could be lying, but the filly’s behavior was simply too truthful to be anything but honest. Turning, she glanced toward Applejack, who narrowed her eyes. “Ah can tell you’re lyin’, Sweetie.” Applejack watched as the filly growled, and stood up straight. Sweetie suddenly looked a lot more serious, and a lot less innocent. “Darn, I was so close too.” Sweetie folded her ears back and glared at the wall. Curses, that was why she’d been trying to avoid lying. Sweetie had fallen for the obvious trap, and now she was going to pay for it. Rarity stepped forward, eyes blazing fire. “You’re grounded for two weeks, and I will personally carry you to school tomorrow.” Rarity turned and bid her friends farewell. Sweetie lowered her head and sighed. No matter, it was only for one day. Sweetie supposed skipping school for an entire week would have to wait for another loop. Sweetie slumped on her bed and sighed, she was exhausted. It wasn’t the fact Sweetie had been carried like a foal to school, or the laughing of the other students, that had caused her to feel like this. It was the fact that she had been actively avoiding Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all day. ‘They were playing with Diamond and Silver, which means the previous loop was correct, they now become friends while also kicking me out. I’m not sure how to solve that though. Maybe if I go to school next loop.’ Sweetie closed her eyes and sighed, rolling into a sitting position and grabbing a piece of paper. Pausing, she began to write. Dear Sweetie Belle, if you are reading this, you have indeed lost all memory of the events that led to this note. If Saturday exists for you; congratulations on getting out of the loop. (You won’t have any memory of this, but it still deserves congratulations.) If Saturday does not exist, you are still stuck, and my memory has been erased. Here is what you need to know: Sweetie began to briefly describe all the loops she had been in, and placed it on the top of a pile of papers, the copy of her notes. Picking up her saddlebags, she triple checked all the correct papers were safely secured. Levitating the clock over, she waited as time slowly ticked by. 11:58 Sweetie snuck slowly out of the room and turned to look toward it, standing in the hallway. Beside her levitated the clock, taking the place of a paper plane for now. Sweetie breathed in, and waited. 11:59… 12:00 Sweetie watched as every piece of paper in her room, including the books from Manehattan, vanished. Sweetie peeked her head in, the teddy bear she had thrown outside was back in its proper spot too. Sweetie unpacked her notes, and sat back down on her bed. ‘Ok, so now what do I do?’ Author's Note Here is another poem made by: Divine Path The approach of that something has been halted, that creature of darkness lurking in the hearts of all touched by this infinite nightmare. Presently, you must strive for that light lest it flickers and fades with the coldness of this single, solitary, never fortnight. L10Sweetie hugged herself as she shivered on her bed. Rarity called from downstairs, signaling she would be late for school if she didn’t hurry. There was no way around it, she needed to find a way to convince ponies she was looping. Adults would simply think she was pretending, so she’d have to take time to loop, and set things up. ‘Which means, I have to go to school. I can’t just vanish, Rarity would be horror struck.’ Sweetie knew she was going to have to face this eventually, and shuddered once more. Standing up, she put on her saddlebags, picked up the paper plane, and headed out the door. Sitting down, she smiled warmly at her sister. “Rarity, can I talk to you honestly for a moment?” Sweetie waited as Rarity nodded, and continued. “I’m stuck in a time loop, repeating today until Friday. This is my tenth time doing it, and I know you’re not going to believe me but...I was wondering, what could I do to make you believe me?” Sweetie bit her lip as she saw the amusement on Rarity’s face. Sweetie felt her ears flop, she thought it was a joke. “Alright, I’ll play along, you see this fabric here?” Rarity levitated up a piece of rainbow fabric, shimmering in the sunlight. Sweetie knew it well, it was a very small piece leftover from a custom order. That small square was all that was left. Rarity placed it on the table, Sweetie took it and rubbed it to her face. “If you are indeed looping, can you carry items through to the next ‘loop’?” Rarity supposed she could let Sweetie borrow the fabric for a week, it wasn’t as if she had any plans to use it just yet. Sweetie gently folded it, and placed it in her saddlebags. “Sure, I can do that. Thanks.” Sweetie stood up and hugged Rarity before bolting out the door. While she could be a little late, it wouldn’t do well to keep Apple Bloom waiting. Sweetie paused as she saw her friend waiting for her. Sweetie forced a smile on her face, and trotted up to greet her. “Hey Sweetie, woah.” For a second Apple Bloom jerked, taking a few steps backward. After a moment she shook her head, and took slow steps back to Sweetie’s side. “What’s wrong?” Sweetie tilted her head, ignoring both her own feelings and the fact she knew what was wrong. “Why’s there some sort of drainin’ feelin when I stand right next to ya?” Apple Bloom glanced away nervously. Sweetie breathed in and steeled herself. Maybe they would believe her. “I’m stuck in a time loop. The draining feeling was caused by something I did in a previous loop.” Sweetie leaned forward, holding onto the slim hope they would believe her. “I was being serious, thanks a bunch Sweetie.” Apple Bloom glared for a moment, before stomping toward the school. Sweetie sighed, they wouldn’t believe her either. Walking toward the school, she settled in for class, and tuned it out as she thought quietly to herself. Cheerilee broke her out of it for a moment, and she answered the question quickly before once more zoning out. At lunch, they broke the friendship just as Diamond and Spoon was walking past. Sweetie watched them walk away, leaving her alone. Looking toward the ground, she sighed sadly. “Wow, that was really mean.” It was another pony, a colt roughly the same age as her. Sweetie turned, seeing a second colt standing beside the first. One was small, cyan, and round. The other was tall, yellow, and thin. Sweetie immediately reconised the two, even without the visual aid of their Marks. “Are you alright Sweetie Belle?” Snips tilted his head as he glanced to Snails, who bit his lip and waited for a reply. Sweetie quickly wiped her eyes. It wouldn’t do to let them see her crying. “I’m ok, I’ll have to get used to it eventually anyway.” Sweetie briefly thought back to a moment she faintly remembered. Trixie, the showmare, they had believed her stories. Maybe they would believe her? “Why would you need to get used to it? Are you expecting it to happen again?” Snails leaned forward, concerned eyes taking up most of Sweetie’s view. Stepping back, she scratched the back of her head. Well, it wasn’t like she had anything to lose. “I’m stuck in a time loop where I keep repeating the week. So everything that happens today will happen next week for me.” Would they believe Sweetie? Sweetie honestly doubted it. However, as both shared a glanced, they gave her a look of honest sympathy. “That sounds…” Snips began. “Lonely,” finished Snails. Both shared a look, before Sips stepped forward and smiled warmly, holding out a hoof. “Listen, I know we’re not exactly your ‘normal friends’. And I know you’re probably a dozen times smarter than us. But if you ever want to hang out, we can find something new to do each day.” Snips smiled warmly at Sweetie, who felt tears come to her eyes. They believed her! “T-Thank you.” Sweetie was almost struck speechless as she took the hoof. Suddenly, she was pulled into a very awkward, but still good, hug. Stepping back, she smiled warmly at the two colts, so quick to console her. “Let’s go see if we can get me my Cutie Mark.” Sweetie smiled as both grinned, and followed them toward the other side of the playground. And who said clouds couldn’t have silver linings? “Twilight, can I talk to you quickly?” Sweetie stepped into the castle after school. Snips and Snails were as fun as they were exhausting. Sweetie honestly never knew those two were so much fun to be around. Really, Sweetie wanted to hang out with them more, but she was just tuckered out. “Sure Sweetie Belle, what’s up?” Twilight turned and smiled warmly at Sweetie as she paused. Breathing in, the filly prepared herself, and then spoke. “I’m in a time loop, but you won’t believe me if I just say I am in one. So I need some way to prove it to you in future loops. I can take small stuff through to the next loop. The loop lasts a week, and it ends Friday night, so it needs to be something you won’t miss.” Sweetie waited patiently as Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Humor me,” sighed Sweetie, glancing away in irritation. Twilight paused, and then nodded, holding out the book she was currently reading. “I can wait a few days to read this. Will it do for your ‘looping proof’?” Twilight smiled in amusement as the filly took the book and nodded. “Yep, this will do nicely, thanks Twilight.” Sweetie put the book in her bag. It was a Daring Doo book, something Twilight wouldn’t miss if she took it. Sweetie slowly walked toward her room. Now it was just a matter of waiting out the rest of the loop. “So today’s the last day right?” Snips bit his lip as Sweetie nodded sadly. Turning, both colts produced a poorly written note, and held it out for her. Sweetie took it, and glanced them over. “Give those to us on Monday, that way you won’t have to go through the conversation every time you want to hang out with us.” Snips smiled warmly as Snails laughed and pointed to the school. “Of course, you could always come and hang out with us without telling us. Really we’ll be happy to play either way.” Snails smiled, closing his eyes. Snips copied the action, and both ignored the sun setting behind them. Sweetie put the notes away, and felt bittersweet tears fall down her face as she brought them both into a hug. “Sure, I’ll see you next week.” L11.1“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie leapt out of bed, snatched her saddlebags with a flick of magic, and dashed down the stairs. Giddy with excitement, she rounded the corner and smiled at Rarity. “Rarity, can I talk to you honestly for a moment?” Sweetie waited as Rarity nodded, and continued. It was important she let the conversation play out the same. “I’m stuck in a time loop, repeating today until Friday. This is my 11th time doing it, and I know you’re not going to believe me but...I was wondering, what could I do to make you believe me?” Rarity looked amused, but turned to pick up the fabric. “Alright, I’ll play along, you see this fabric here?” Rarity held out the fabric, and Sweetie smiled, levitating out her piece of the same fabric. “You mean, the fabric you gave me last loop? Yes, I see it.” Sweetie smiled and held the fabric out, watching Rarity compare them with shocked eyes. Sweetie knew her sister would be able to tell they were the same piece of fabric. How Rarity did so was lost on her, but she knew her sister. “But-that’s-impossible!” Rarity blinked in confusion, and Sweetie sighed, knowing the signs of a mental breakdown. Pulling a chair over to her sister, she waited patiently as Rarity sat down, and composed herself. “At midday, a stallion is going to come to the door and offer you a job in Manehattan for a fashion show or something.” Sweetie knew Rarity would need more evidence, and this was her second piece of proof. Rarity scoffed, and waved a hoof. “Now I know you’re pulling my leg. You almost had me there sister, this is a pretty remarkable fake, but a fake no less.” Rarity smiled and held out the fabric, which Sweetie took. Motioning upstairs, Sweetie smiled. “Then let me prove it. Half the day off. If I’m wrong I won’t cook for three months. Even when Mum and Dad come to visit.” Sweetie watched as Rarity flinched, and bit her lip. Surely she’d allow half a day? Sweetie had used the perfect bribe too; her cooking skills. “Alright, half a day. If only to put this silly charade to an end.” Rarity placed down the pancakes, and Sweetie sat down to eat. They weren’t a nice as normal today, it was probably due to the fact she had spend time talking instead of eating. In the future, Sweetie would eat first, then talk. Standing up, she trotted outside and looked to Apple Bloom. “Go on without me, something came up!” Sweetie saw the relief on her friend’s face, and winced as she left. How much it hurt would always be an understatement. Turning, Sweetie headed up to her room to await for the appointed time. As she waited, she went over her notes, before plopping it all in her saddlebags. “Sweetie Belle, could you come down here?” Rarity’s voice echoed, containing suspicion and surprise. Sweetie hummed a merry tune as she trotted downstairs to meet her sister. Rarity was, of course, at the door talking to the stallion in question. “Such a shame, very well, I will get another designer to do the show.” The stallion turned, and left toward the station. Rarity shuddered, before turning and situating a serious gaze on Sweetie. “We’re going to see Applejack.” “Ah dun understand how, but Sweetie is tellin’ the truth. I’m guessing she believes it to be true. Has she proved it yet?” Applejak glanced to Rarity as she bit her lip and looked away. Sweetie growled and tapped her foot in the dirt. “Technically yes, but I’m just having trouble believing it.” Rarity purposely kept her eyes trained on the apple trees, avoiding Sweetie. Seeing a chance, Sweetie smiled and opened her mouth. “Take me to Twilight, I’ll prove it a third time.” Sweetie waited in irritation as both shared a glance, and nodded. Turning, Sweetie trotted briskly toward Twilight's, leaving the two adults to catch up. Knocking on the door, Sweetie levitated the book out of her bag and thrust it into Twilight’s grip. “I’m stuck in a time loop. Last loop I asked you to give me proof and here is your proof. Rarity and Applejack can vouch for me, even if they don’t believe it.” Sweetie glanced back, and Rarity winced. Twilight tilted her head, but slowly looked the book over, opening it to the first page. Her wings flared as she gasped. “This is Yearling’s signature! This is identical to the copy I have that I borrowed from Dash. It’s impossible to get another one because only one exists!” Twilight cut herself off, and raised her head to look at Rarity and Applejack. “I don't believe it, but Sweetie must be telling the truth. If you both can’t deny her claims, and I know this can't be a copy, there is no way she could be lying.” Twilight held the book out to Sweetie, who took it and nodded smugly. Finally, some progress. Twilight let them all inside, and they sat down to discuss it. “So, what have you tried so far.” Twilight put her hooves together as Sweetie held out her saddlebags, and began to pore over her notes. After a moment, she looked up and put a hoof to her chin. “There’s a few experiments we can try, but the major problem is we can’t actually follow you through the loop, is that correct? You have ‘ponies might be able to loop with me’ crossed out with a red underline, along with a skull and crossbones.” Twilight looked down as Sweetie nodded, biting her lip and looking away as she shivered. Sweetie silently hoped they wouldn’t ask about that. “So the main thing we need to do is get you a means of informing us quickly. I’ll muse over it tonight, meet me back here in the morning. Rarity, Applejack, can you fill the other elements in? We might need them, and it wouldn’t hurt to get them in the loop.” Twilight nodded as both saluted, and stood up. Walking over to Sweetie, she looked her directly in the eyes, and smiled softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of this.” Twilight brought Sweetie into a hug, and Rarity quickly joined in. Applejack was slow to follow, but eventually all were hugging the small filly. Sweetie closed her eyes, and tried to hold back her tears. Failing to do that, she just hugged them back and began to cry. “Please, I don’t wanna be stuck doing the same thing week after week. I’m never going to get my Cutie Mark or anything that way!” Sweetie wanted to tell them what she truly feared, what damage that loop had done to her friends, but knew there was more important things to deal with. As much as it hurt to admit it, Sweetie had to learn to ignore her ex-friends and focus on getting out of the loop. Sure, she’d leave time for Snips and Snails, but she couldn’t bear to hang with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, knowing what she had done. “We’re with you, don’t worry.” Author's Note Short chapter is short, sorry. L11.2Sweetie followed her sister to Twilight’s the next morning. It was so nice to not have to worry about school, the benefit of having a sister who was aware of the loop. As they entered, Twilight and the others turned to greet them. Sweetie shrank slightly as they all looked to her. Twilight held out Sweetie’s notes, and she carefully put them back into her saddlebags. “Alright, I’ve done some extensive studying, and there are a few methods to try to make it easier for you to fill us in. The first one I’ve done is fairly simple; each of us has written a note with something only we would know on it, and we’re going to hand them to you. I don’t need to warn you what happens when you go Gabby Gums do I?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and Sweetie shook her head. There was no point, they’d forget after a week. Sweetie decided it might make a fun joke one loop. “Alright, here’s the seven letters.” Sweetie took them, noticing Spike was off to one side. Putting them in her saddlebags, Sweetie pulled out one of her time loop books and placed it on a table. Sweetie would need more room, and she had read that one thrice already. Twilight nodded once, and then held out a small glass bottle, corked with something inside. “I have also tried alchemy to essentially ‘bottle’ my memories. This is less likely to work, so I’ve only done my own. If it does work; the others will also get one done.” Twilight held out the bottle, and Sweetie put it in her bag as well. Sweetie wondered why this one was less likely to work, but supposed it might have something to do with time rewinding being similar to looping. “Finally, I’m going to also teach you a ‘memory transfer’ spell. Essentially you’ll be able to show people, rather than try to provide evidence. The problem with this is I don’t think you have enough magic to cast it yet, but I’m sure it will be useful in the future.” Twilight held out a book titled ‘Showing versus Telling: A guide to memory spells.’ Sweetie giggled with glee and put it in her bag. New spells, oh this sounded positively exploitable. For a moment her thoughts soured, would she be able to skip that night? “I’ve left notes on the bookmarks to help you learn, but that’s essentially all I could think of at the moment. I can imagine you’re excited to try and learn the spell, so while you go have fun with that, we’re going to spend the rest of the day preparing a proper laboratory for me. If I have proper equipment, maybe I can help at least alleviate that headache you told me about. Oh! I also added a calendar spell to the front, so you can immediately know what day it is.” Twilight smiled once, and Sweetie silently thanked her. “Ok! See you later everypony.” Sweetie smiled at the adults, and turned. Trotting out the door, she missed the worried glances they all held as they formed a circle. No, she was too busy walking toward the treehouse to hear any of the conversation. But if Sweetie had thought to stay around to eavesdrop, she would have heard something startling. “So how are we going to stop that filly from going insane? All loop stories show that it is only a matter of time.” Twilight glanced between her friends, serious. If Sweetie went insane, then they would pay for it. Sure, they might not remember, but it would still hurt that version of them. Rainbow Dash frowned, before smiling. “Hey, she hasn’t tried the death thing yet right? Let’s say we convince her when she’s insane that that’s the way outta the loop.” Dash winced as all gave her shocked glares, and realised what she had said, cowering before them. “Sorry,” was all she could say in her defence. The other sighed and rolled their eyes. Dash might have been brash, and spoke without thinking, but she wasn’t a murderer. Twilight could see the logic in the plan, and knew Dash had likely not thought it through before saying it. Looking toward Pinkie Pie, she vaguely mused on the fact that Dash wasn’t the only friend who sometimes had that problem. “M-Maybe if s-she had something to h-hold onto d-during-” Fluttershy was cut off by Rarity, who raised a hoof and smiled as she spoke. “I got it! I should make her a soft toy she can hug that will go with her through the loops. It can be sort of like her good luck charm, something she can always count on to be there, her anchor.” Rarity smiled as the others all nodded, agreeing. It was better than nothing. “Alright, I’ll get started.” Rarity stood up, and bowed to her friends. Twilight watched her leave, before turning to her other friends, and smiling. “Let’s get this lab set up. I can’t wait to do some science.” Twilight rubbed her hooves together, and the other four shivered. All knew that when Twilight got like this, you did what she asked and hoped the world didn’t blow up. As they went to work, Rarity arrived back at the Boutique and hummed a tune as she began to work. ‘Now, it can’t have any gems, it needs to be sturdy. Material has to be special. The real question is, what should I make it. It has to be something Sweetie will love, but familiar too.’ Rarity sighed, flicking through her fabric. Something brushed her leg and she looked down. It was her cat, Opalescence. “Thank you Opal.” Rarity smiled, and knew just what to make the toy. Something familiar, something Sweetie loved, but never got the chance to hug. Something that was always there, like Rarity tried to be. Sitting down, Rarity slowly began to design the cat doll. It would have to be fluffy beyond compare, and made of the softest material, but not easy to damage. “Alright Opal, time to prove to the world that you are the best pet for the job.” Rarity didn’t even notice time fly, nor her sister returning home. In fact, she barely even noticed Sweetie grab a box of cereal for dinner, since Rarity had not made dinner. Sweetie didn’t mind, she was used to it. It always made her smile to see Rarity so absorbed in a task. In her talent. Author's Note Know what? What am I apologising for? I'm the Celestia-damned creator of this here universe. Fear me! Or not. S'not like it changes your fate. L11.3Sweetie was annoyed. Sure, that in itself was not that strange, but the situation she was in was now was. When Twilight had said ‘experiments’, Sweetie had thought she meant the evil genius kind. Instead, Sweetie was sitting in a chair, stuffed into many different things which were apparently measuring everything. “Are you sure I said I found nothing? Maybe I said ‘something’.” Twilight was currently going over data that looked like squiggly lines. Sweetie growled in annoyance again, and shifted under the restraints. Really, Twilight had asked that nine times already. “Twilight, are you going to keep looping on me, or are you going to try something different?” Sweetie glared as Twilight sheepishly smiled. Finally, Sweetie was allowed to leave the device, and she cracked her joints, giving a sigh of relief. Sweetie was used to sitting still for Rarity, but there were limits. “Alright, here’s a copy of my notes. Hopefully I’ll be able to use them to further this next loop. Is there anything you want to do before you head back home?” Twilight held out a cup of water, which Sweetie gratefully drank. Nodding, she pulled out the book Twilight had given her yesterday. “Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with the calendar spell. I’m having trouble telling what day it’s saying. I think it might be because of the loop.” Sweetie opened to the bookmark showing the spell, and Twilight mused for a moment. Sweetie concentrated, letting the paper plane drop, and cast the spell. “See, right now it’s telling me it’s Monday.” Sweetie shook off the spell, and levitated the paper plane back up once more. Twilight blinked, and then face-hoofed. “Of course, I forgot you don’t have weekends. Here, let me quickly fix that.” Twilight levitated the book up and scratched out the spell, writing the proper one. Sweetie took the book back and tried the spell again, this time it had the correct day. Sweetie nodded once and put the book back in her saddlebags, giving a smile. “Just remember that spell won’t be able to help you tell if you’re out of the loop. It’s pretty reliable through. Let’s say you suddenly jump back to the start of a loop, it will detect that. Well, should.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin and mused for a moment. Sweetie nodded, and turned to head out the door. “Thanks again, see ya Twilight.” “Goodmorning Sweetie Belle.” Rarity smiled as her sister sat down at the table. At first, she had considered making pancakes, but remember that Sweetie would be having them every week. If possible, she would have to leave herself a note with a list of foods Sweetie might like. “Mmmn?” Sweetie yawned, looking toward the box on the table. Rarity smiled as she leaned over the stove, cooking eggs. Behind her back, she heard the lid slowly being opened, and a gasp of surprise. There was a sudden charging of feet, and Rarity turned just as the small form leapt toward her. “Thank you!” Sweetie had the doll in her magic. It was perfect, fluffy and yet recognisable as Opal. It even had the irritated, but loving, stare Opal reserved for Sweetie. Pulling the doll out of Sweetie’s magic, Rarity held it out as she looked her sister gently in the eyes. “This is my gift to you. Something small which can go with you into loops when I’m not aware of it. If you ever get sad, or lonely, remember Opal is here to be annoyed with you for whatever reason.” Rarity chuckled as Sweetie hugged the toy, eyes moist, and smiled at the thought. As if on cue, Opal walked past the kitchen, and glared at them before moving on. “Knock knock!” Twilight walked into the boutique, and both Rarity and Sweetie walked out to greet her. Smiling, Twilight held a small potted plant, and a bottle of milk in her magic. “Sweetie Belle, I’ve been thinking how to nail down the specifics of the loop, and I’ve hit an idea. See, trees have a very small magical signature, but milk doesn’t. However, milk does expire, so if the milk expires and the tree grows, we know it is actually aging things around you. If the milk doesn’t expire and the tree grows, we know it’s only affecting things with a magical signature, eg: ponies.” “Alright.” Sweetie had to admit; that was a LOT smarter than what her test had been. It made her feel very stupid for deciding to do what she had done that night. Levitating the items over, Sweetie grunted, dropping the paper plane. That plant was heavy. Sweetie turned, and slowly walked upstairs to her room. “Are you planning on going to school?” Twilight tilted her head as Sweetie winced, and put the two items in her room, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Turning, Sweetie scratched the back of her head. “I was kinda hoping not to. I could really use a break.” Sweetie looked to Rarity as she peeked her head into the room and smiled. “Of course Sweetie.” Friday night came around all too soon, and Sweetie waited on her bed as Rarity came over to give a final hug. “Remember Sweetie, Opal is there if you ever need a hug, as am I.” Rarity felt the shudders as her sister began to cry, and held her as she let out one final tearful goodbye for this loop’s Rarity. In a way, Rarity would be dying from Sweetie’s view, fading and being replaced by someone exactly the same, except a week in the past. “Goodbye dear sister.” Rarity stepped out the door, and looked back at Sweetie. Sniffing back her tears, Sweetie forced a smile onto her face as she waved goodbye, Opal hugged to her chest. Rarity turned, and headed to her room. The clock ticked forward, and Sweetie turned her attention toward the tree and milk. Placing the tree down, she poured a bit of milk into a cup, and placed it on the other side of her room. 11:59… 12:00. The tree exploded upwards, punching a hole through the roof. Sweetie watched as some sort of illness passed over the tree, and it toppled over, causing the hole to slide down her wall and nearly level the building. Sweetie waited as the tree’s roots shriveled up, and then the tree rotted away, leaving nothing. Looking toward the milk, it had spilled over her carpet, but a small bit remained in the glass. Sweetie picked it up and let it drop onto her hoof, and roll down back into the carpet. It was still milk. Which meant Twilight was right. Sweetie turned her head as Rarity leapt into the room. “Read this,” Sweetie spoke, holding out the note. Rarity quickly read it and paled. Sweetie folded it up and returned it to her saddlebags. After a moment, Rarity blinked and looked toward the damage. “I’m...going to need some time to...come to terms with this...development.” Rarity turned, and walked robotically back to bed. Sweetie sighed, and looked toward the damage. Author's Note For those who need a visual guide: Blue X is SB Red is glass of milk Big green bad attempt at square is where the tree fell. Window is beside the bed \/ ways. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Living this tragedy, a fantastic view; staggering, falling, never into a world new. Perhaps you will seek and find, when the darkness grows bleak and the nightmares dim, the true creature which this charade is behind, the outrageous behalf of this treacherous sin? L12.1Sweetie snuck downstairs and into the kitchen early. Biting her lip, she looked toward the coffee and settled herself. She could do this. Slowly, she put a cup down and put a small bit of the coffee grinds into the bottom, and poured a small bit of her experimental milk(the one Twilight gave her) into it. Sweetie slowly pressed a button on the kettle, and waited for it to boil. “Ok, come on Sweetie, you can do this.” Sweetie carefully poured the hot water in, and placed the cup on the table next to a spoon and the sugar. Looking it over, Sweetie made sure there was no black in the cup, nor any smoke coming off it. Sweetie dared to silently hope she might have actually made something digestible. Rarity stepped down the stairs and looked toward the damage the tree had caused, sighed, mumbled something about needing coffee, and walked into the kitchen. Blinking, she took one look at the cup and the nervous look of her sister, and felt memories of a certain breakfast coming back. “I knew you’d want coffee when you go up, so I thought…” Sweetie glanced toward the ground and dug her hoof into it, biting her lip. Rarity levitated the cup over, and raised an eyebrow. The coffee actually looked normal. Sitting down, Rarity grabbed two spoonfuls of sugar, and stirred them into the drink. Taking a sip, she sighed in immense pleasure. “Could use a little more milk and a little less coffee in the future dear, but well done.” Rarity smiled warmly at her sister, who beamed a happy smile. Sweetie had done it! Defeating all odds, she had made something edible! Well, it was a drink, but considering how badly those could turn out it was still great news. “Alright, next time I’ll practice with more milk.” Sweetie hummed a merry tune as she turned and made herself breakfast. For some reason, pouring cereal and milk had never ended in disaster. Sweetie didn’t want to always eat it, it was always so blegh. Too crunchy or too soggy, never the perfect mix “I’m going to head over to Twilight’s and give her the results. Oh! Don’t forget a big designer is coming around midday. If you want to go to Manehattan I don’t mind, enjoy yourself.” Sweetie watched as Rarity blinked, and took another sip of her drink. “Right,” was all she said in response. Between the sudden hole in her house, and Sweetie apparently knowing her future, it was really too much for this early in the morning. Rarity closed her eyes and took another sip as Sweetie walked out. Really, Rarity was thinking of just going back to bed. Maybe things would be better if she woke up from this dream. Sweetie couldn’t cook, that was how she knew it was a dream. And there was no other way she’s know that secret about Rarity. It was something she didn’t even write in her diary. “And you’re saying I wrote all this?” Twilight looked over the notes suspiciously. Sure, Sweetie checked out, and it definitely sounded like something she would write, but it was hard to withhold disbelief. It wasn’t until Sweetie held out a glass bottle that Twilight began to get more into it. “And you’re saying I sealed my memories inside this? Why, it’s completely empty. It’s like all the magic was drained from it. If what you’re saying about the tree and milk, and what my other self wrote, then there can be no doubt. It’s a good thing we didn’t test it on ponies.” Twilight paused, seeing Sweetie flinch. Carrying on, she decided to ignore it. Sweetie would mention it if she wanted to. “I don’t entirely understand the situation, but the effects of the loop are as follows. 1: Any items without a magical signature can come with you through the loop. 2: If something, or somepony, has magic, they age and die within a minute of the loop resetting. These two facts lead me to my conclusion: somehow you are draining magic. And somehow that draining is causing time to turn back a week. And I’d bet my horn that it’s related to your headaches too.” Twilight turned and pulled out a fresh piece of paper, and began to write. Finishing it up, she rolled it up and looked around for Spike. Sweetie carefully repacked her saddlebags. With how things were going, she was likely going to need to get larger ones soon. If she did, would she be able to carry them? Maybe a cart, something she could pull around. “I’ll be frank with you Sweetie, I can’t think of any viable solutions. Finding the right ‘loop sequence’ might be possible, but for how many people? And for an entire week? The only other option is death, and that is not an option at all. I’m going to send a letter to Princess Celestia. Maybe she can help.” Twilight only hoped they believed her. Surely they knew she wasn’t the type to joke, right? “Thank you Twilight, can I ask you for a favor. Do you still have that ‘transform’ spell? I was kinda hoping to pull a prank on my class.” Sweetie glanced away. Sure, going to class wasn’t something she entirely wanted to do, but the idea had been in the back of her mind for a few days now. “Sure. What do you want to be transformed into?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie smiled, suppressing her urge to chuckle. “An Alicorn.” Sweetie couldn’t resist and began to laugh, rubbing her hooves together. Twilight blinked, and then joined in. Leaning down, she smirked. “Alright, but I want pictures.” Twilight levitated over and old camera, and handed it to Sweetie, who put it in her saddlebag. Positioning it in such a way she would be able to take pictures and nopony would notice. “Deal,” she smirked, seeing Twilight’s horn light up. “Sorry I’m late Cheerilee, Rarity forced me to fly to school.” Sweetie spread her newfound wings, roughly the same size as Scootaloo’s, and smiled warmly. Turning, she quickly took pictures of the students, and Cheerilee as she slowly walked to her desk. Sweetie was proud of her acting skills as she stood there, head raised slightly into the air, and waited for Cheerilee to snap out of it. “O-Of course.” Cheerilee stuttered, and slowly started the lesson. Sweetie glanced behind her, taking in the gaping mouths of four fillies in particular. Sure, getting out of the loop was important, but there were some moments that were priceless. Absolutely priceless. After school, the four approached, and Sweetie smiled pleasantly at them. All seemed to be a bit hesitant to approach, but as she explained how she gained the wings, Scootaloo was the first to instantly cheer up. Sweetie knew exactly what was going to come out of her friend’s mouth. “Thats great news! I can ask Twilight to help me. I-I mean-er…” Scootaloo trailed off, and Diamond Tiara sneered for a moment, before blinking and shaking her head. Silver put a hoof of her shoulder, and both shared a look. Apple Bloom bit her lip, but it was Sweetie that came to the rescue. “Actually Scoots, I’ve been talking to Twilight, and I think I’ve figured out why you can’t fly. Your foster parents aren’t Pegasi are they?” Sweetie paused, and beamed a smile as she nodded, buzzing her wings slightly. “Then maybe there’s something that Pegasi are taught that you weren’t. Ask Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy about it. I’m sure they can help you get up into the air. I bet my flank on it.” Sweetie saw the longful gaze as Scootaloo considered it, and gave a small nod. Sweetie knew that if either of those two had a look, they would be able to help Scootaloo. “Ya had me shocked there. Ah thought yah were an Alicorn.” Apple Bloom smiled, glancing away and giving a shudder. Sweetie decided to ignore it. Boy, it was so good to talk to her friends again. Maybe there was hope to rekindle the friendship. Maybe, but it would be hard. “Ya know, fer some reason, all day ah’ve been feeling guilty cause ah felt like we weren’t friends anymore, and then ya pull this stunt. Kinda reminds me why we’re friends, ya know?” Apple Bloom was obviously struggling, and Sweetie bridged the gap, putting a hoof on the shoulder and smiling in sympathy. “Listen, I know it feels really bad to be around me, but please just ignore the feeling. I know why, and I’m sorry. But I really don’t want to hear ‘I don’t want to be your friend’ again.” Sweetie began to cry, lowering her hoof as she tried to wipe away the tears. All four shared a glance, and it was Scootaloo that crossed the gap, and brought Sweetie into a hug. “What, and miss out on all the Crusading we’d be doing? Never.” Author's Note ALL HAIL NEW BEST PRINCESS Sadly, to transform someone into an Alicorn is not possible, due to the magic required being close to 'ascension' levels, not to mention hooking up the three different types of magic. Twilight merely used the spell she used to give Rarity butterfly wings. See here. L12.2The next morning, Twilight slammed the door open and dived at Sweetie, cupping the filly’s head in her hooves. “Prin-Ce-ants-ee-ou.” Twilight spoke too quickly, the words quickly jumbling up in her mad hurry to speak. Sweetie pushed the hooves holding her face off, and looked evenly at Twilight. Rarity raised her head, watching the exchange from the safety of her coffee. Twilight took a moment to calm down, and spoke again. “Princess Celestia wants to see you. She’s sent a royal carriage and everything!” Twilight began to bounce around the room, giddy. Sweetie blinked, taking a step back in confusion. The royal princess wanted to see her? Glancing to Rarity, she could see the shock mirrored on her face. “But why?” Sweetie turned just as Twilight stuck her face way too close for comfort. Being pushed back slightly, a letter was thrust into her chest. Twilight pivoted, and returned to bouncing around the room in excitement. Sweetie forced her eyebrows to remain level, and focused her attention on the letter. Dear Twilight If what you say is true, Sweetie must be brought to us post haste. There are a few things we need to discuss that have grave ramifications for the situation she is in. That is, if what you say is true. I have no reason to doubt you took time to check the claims, so I will send a carriage for three in the morning. Rooms will be provided of course, I expect you to arrive before noon. Sincerely Princess Celestia “Wow, I wonder what she wants to tell me,” remarked Sweetie, holding out the letter to Rarity. Quickly, her sister trotted upstairs to begin packing. Sweetie wondered if the reason she was so eager was the damage to the house. Sure, it would be gone after this loop, and they had plans to sleep in Twilight’s for the rest of the week, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t startling to see. “Alright, I’m ready Twilight. Sweetie Belle?” Rarity walked downstairs, saddlebags full to bursting. Sweetie quickly checked her own over, and made sure the camera was inside too. Sweetie faintly remembered that Twilight had said the spell giving her wings lasted three days. That thought led her to remember her friends, and she briefly spared them a silent sigh. ‘At the very least, now I know how to regain them as friends. I suppose it can wait for a loop or two.’ Sweetie, once satisfied she had all her things, raised her head and nodded to Rarity. Both trotted after a giddy Twilight. Sitting down in the carriage, they quickly took off. Glancing around, Sweetie spotted Spike waving goodbye from the castle. Sweetie waved back, and then turned to watch Canterlot swim into view. “One moment while I wake up Luna. She wanted to grab a few hours rest before you arrived.” Celestia stood up from the throne, horn lighting up as a scroll vanished in her magic. After a moment, there was a knock at the door. Luna walked in slowly, giving the four a warm smile, and a bow of her head. “While I understand that this is the first time you have seen me, Miss Belle, I want you to know that you do not have to call me by titles. Your situation is unique enough to warrant that.” Celestia raised a wing, and dismissed the guards, leaving them alone. Approaching Sweetie, she waited as the filly bowed. “Oh, no it’s really alright Princess Celestia. Calling you like a regular pony feels wrong.” Sweetie noticed the pointed glance to her wings, and smiled sheepishly. Celestia raised an eyebrow in Twilight's direction, who bowed once as she began to explain. “Sweetie wanted to play a prank on her classmates, and I saw no reason not to oblige. It will be gone in two days anyway.” Twilight raised her head and looked toward Sweetie. Celestia mused for a moment, and shared a glance with Luna. “I assume you got pictures, correct?” Celestia waited as the filly pulled out a camera, and smiled warmly. “Then there is no quarrel. I, ah, would like a copy when you get them developed however.” Celestia glanced toward her sister as a slight snigger came from that general direction, before ignoring it completely. Celestia gave a nod to Twilight, who quietly whispered something to Rarity. “Oh. Oh! Oh dear Sweetie, I really must go and visit the shops before they close. You will be fine here right?” Rarity glanced between Sweetie and Celestia as a nod came from the latter. Rarity glanced to Twilight, and began to drag her out of the room. “You simply must help me carry them dear. Bye Sweetie Belle!” Rarity closed the door, and both walked away. Sweetie watched the door for a moment longer, before turning back toward Celestia. The expression on the two sister’s faces grew more grave. Feeling a chill down her spine, she gulped. “Listen Sweetie Belle, while we would not normally pass on this information, you situation is unique enough to warrant us being more truthful with you. If you would follow us, we have something you must see.” Both paused, and waited for a response. Sweetie slowly nodded, and followed them as they walked toward the wall behind the throne. Sweetie noticed an unassuming hole, horn sized, in the wall. Celestia lowered her horn and inserted it, sending a pulse of magic into it. Stepping back, the wall slid open, revealing a dusty corridor, smelling stale. Sweetie saw cobwebs older than time. It was as if this place had been sealed, and nothing had escaped, even air. Celestia’s horn lit up, and a gust of wind blew into the room, sending the stale air up and out. Sniffing, Celestia nodded, and began to walk. “Once upon a time, there was a magical unicorn. This unicorn was wise, and powerful. However, he had a weakness. This was a weakness all feared, even us. For even though he did not believe it at the time, we are not immortal. One day, the sun will die, and the moon will crumble. But that is the way of all things. “This magician feared death above all else. And as he grew older, so too did his fear. Eventually, he could stand it no longer, and sought ways to remove that fear. He managed to create dark spells, truly despicable spells designed to drain the life from another, before he abandoned that chain of research. For while he was desperate; he was still our trusted friend. “It was nearing the end of his time that he began to delve into the Elements, hoping to harness their energy to grant him immortality. This unicorn was smart, he knew such power would ultimately change him. We feared the worst, and so he put us in charge of a fail-safe. We did not know at the time what he planned, for we only know the results.” Celestia paused as they emerged into a small room filled with dry paper. Sweetie winced, feeling the throbbing magic in the air. Whatever they were using to keep the paper in perfect condition, it was very strong. “What our friend planned, was to switch his destiny with one of us. He had gotten so desperate, he would use us. In truth, neither I nor Luna know if we have our true destinies, or if they are what we were switched into. The fail-safe turned out to be a placebo, and we found him unconscious near the Elements.” Celestia paused and bowed her head. Luna spoke up, eyes closing as she did the same. “He woke up long enough to ask what day it was. When we told him, he merely shed a tear, and perished before us.” Luna turned away, Celestia throwing a wing around her sister as they leaned on each other. Sweetie said nothing, not knowing what to say in the face of the story. Eventually, the two separated, and Celestia focused on Sweetie. “These are his notes, even containing details on how he got out. I moved them here after I moved to Canterlot. I’m afraid his way out was suicide, but the information may help you. Luna and I will also provide you a letter to inform us of the time loop, and I shall teach you the spell to send me letters. Take what you wish, after all it will be back here next loop.” Celestia and Luna stepped out of the way as Sweetie walked up toward the papers. Turning, she looked at them. “How come you trust me so quickly? Twilight and Rarity took so long to convince the first time.” Well, Twilight had agreed the first proof she had been given. But Sweetie had three other pieces of proof validated before that to back her up. Celestia and Luna smiled warmly, and bowed their heads. “Twilight is not a liar,” they spoke together. SSL2Hello, I am Star Swirl the Bearded. And I am stuck in what appears to be a time loop. At first, I simply dismissed the notion as Deja Vu, however I can now confirm I am indeed looping the same string of time. My loop appears to go for exactly six hours, and follows my preparations to cast my current spell on the Elements. I am unsure if the time looping is caused by the inclusion of the elements, but I shall plan out experiments to solve as much soon. So far, there are a few constants: 1: I am constantly hammered by a headache unless I am casting magic. Due to my level of expertise, the magic required to completely remove the spell is quite large. I have managed to circumvent this problem for now. But I fear it may become a problem in the future. 2: Anything with magic is drained upon restart. I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch my assistant die before me when he came to deliver something right as the loop reset. 3: I can take non-magical items through to the next loop. I tried bringing the elements, however they simply shattered once the loop reset. 4: Anypony who is stuck with me when the loop resets feels a draining sensation for the remainder of the loops. This is likely caused by my magic being connected to the cause of the loops. 5: I am the source of the loop. Anything in a room with me loops when it resets. I have yet to discover a means out, but I now realise it was a mistake to search for immortality. Instead of being given immortal life, I am now forced to relive the same six hours until I solve this problem I caused. If you are reading this, there are many possible reasons why. The main being I discovered a way out of the loop. I fear for anypony who falls into this dreadful situation. If you are reading this, I wish you the best of luck, and hope my findings somehow help you find escape from this reality. It’s maddening at times, knowing no one will remember my actions of the following six hours. I fear for my sanity most of all, as it was not in the best state to begin with. I know this now, for I was foolish to attempt what I did. Foolish, and a betrayer of friends. Good luck to you. Author's Note You know what time it is, time for me to go to school. See you in a few days! Good news: Last week. Bad news: Got stuff on next week that will interfere. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Oh the wretched soul, lost to the hunger of selfishness. The warmth of friendship left him. Grieve for that fate, come to accept the means by which to break you free lest your actions bring unto others your own harm. Consider the extents, consider the sacrifice, if you shall brave through these nights, silently, or in hope you may be reunited. For you carry ties, and these you must not forsake. L12.3Sweetie slowly walked out of the room, meeting the concerned gaze of her sister. Giving a weak smile, Sweetie allowed herself to be hugged. Turning, both walked out of the throne room, heading for where breakfast would be served. Sweetie saw various plates, and squaled in delight. Finally, something new to eat! “Sweetie, I know you are very busy learning about this other looper, but I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me in Canterlot today. If you are far too busy, that is quite alright. I suppose you can always do it another loop.” Rarity picked at her food, ears flopped down as she spoke. Sweetie tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow. “Of course I’ll go. Researching is fine and all, but I wouldn’t miss out on a trip to Canterlot. I might even get my Cutie Mark!” Sweetie ‘eee’d as she thought of the many high-class marks she might find herself worthy of. Rarity smiled warmly, and chuckled in response. “That’s good news. I’ll set up an itinerary for today while you get dressed.” Rarity finally dug into her meal, appetite restored. Sweetie learned, due to trying various foods, that she did indeed love salad. It was odd from her perspective, but really the freshness of the produce really drove the point home. Sweetie knew she would have to find a way to have it more often. After breakfast, it was onto getting ready. Sweetie trotted to her room to prepare, beaming proudly as she walked around the white halls alone. It made her feel incredibly grown up to be left alone unsupervised here. It made her feel like she was really lucky, instead of unlucky, to be stuck in a time loop. Sweetie quickly got ready, and turned to see her sister walking into the room. "Are you ready?" Rarity smiled as a nod came from her sister, and turned. Slowly, both walked out of the castle and into the bustle of Canterlot. Looking around, Rarity knew just where she wanted to go first. It contained shopping, and started with clothes. Sweetie breathed in sharply as she was led into a very expensive looking shop. "Normally I would just make you an ensemble'. However, since the loop resets on Friday, I don't have half the time I need to prepare you a lavish dress radiating perfection. So instead, I shall purchase you an outfit that is close. I also ask that you give my future self a note I will give you later. It just details my plan, hopefully we agree and we can create the start of the perfect gown." Rarity began to go through the clothes, looking for items similar in color to Sweetie. Eventually, Rarity picked out a dress with a pink and white chest, black waist, and white back. The back had the bottom tied up, and a note pattern on it. Rarity also picked out a pink pair of heels, the heel being barely a centimeter thick. Finally, Rarity picked up a black hat with a pink and white bow, and a neckband with a note on one side. Sweetie walked into the changing room to try them on. Sweetie Belle looked a lot more mature in the clothes, almost appearing to be simply a small pony instead of actually being a filly. Rarity nodded, proud of her work. While she personally would have preferred darker colors to bring out Sweetie’s features more, it would still suffice. Rarity paid the bits to the clerk, and they exited the shop. Sweetie smiled at Rarity who lent down and pointed toward a poster. "There's a concert in town, would you like to see it?" Rarity smiled, noting the enthusiasm as Sweetie nodded. Turning, they both walked toward the venue. Sweetie began to hum a merry tune. Rarity smiled down at her sister. Taking their seats, Sweetie fell silent as the concert started. Sweetie listened to the singers weaving music over the crowd and sighed, closing her eyes. Music was like magic in a way. It was made to convey a message, pursue a thought, do an action. This song was about loss, but it also contained a silent hope to be found. Sweetie knew all this just from her ears. Opening her eyes, she blinked as her horn activated unbidden, and she felt a tingling sensation in her eyes. Sweetie blinked, and suddenly she was met with the sight of something truly amazing. For Sweetie was seeing music. The song wove through people's ears, sometimes passing directly through them. Sweetie watched the crowd, noticing how some seemed bored, not even hearing the beauty of the song around them. How could they not hear this? Sweetie bit her lip, did she dare try to help? Glancing to the stage, Sweetie saw the concentration on the singer's face as she tried to weave her song. It sailed, swam, and yet Sweetie could sense it would not reach the intended audience. At least, not without some help. Sweetie looked to her horn, and slowly understood the spell that had activated. It was almost as if it was made for her, to help Sweetie complete her task of helping the singer on the stage. Sweetie closed her eyes, folded her ears to the sound, and concentrated. Slowly, she opened both and focused on the notes in the air. A gentle nudge, a soft touch to slightly alter the course. Suddenly, the crowd transformed. Sweetie no longer saw them as ponies, but as the notes that comprised their own specific song. Sweetie knew what she had to do. Slowly, Sweetie followed the note's back to the source, and altered each one as it emerged from the singer's voice. As the note divided, Sweetie altered each one more. Eventually, all the notes were exactly the same, and yet different on such a minute level that only the singer seemed to notice. Ears flickering, she opened one eye, eyes immediately drawing to the filly whose horn was aglow, concentration on her face. Slowly, the singer watched as the crowd changed from bored, to interested, until finally all were swaying in time to her music. Closing her eyes, the singer smiled, and her confidence grew to new heights, adding a final missing piece to her song. Sweetie felt the magic on her horn fade, and opened her eyes to a normal crowd, no longer seeing the music. It didn't matter, for Sweetie could feel it. This music resonated with her, filling her with such strong emotion she wiped a tear from her eye. Beside her, Rarity was trying to hold back tears. And so, the song that would have fallen on deaf ears, instead moved an entire crowd to tears. Sweetie smiled warmly, feeling happy for the singer. This was what Sweetie had always wanted. No, it wasn't to see herself sing upon a stage, that never interested Sweetie. But many songs, from many ponies, fell short of what they wished. Many let their voices die out, to never be heard again. Sweetie hated seeing voices fade before their message had been spoken. Sweetie felt a tingle on her flank, but didn't bother to look down at it. Sweetie didn't care anymore. It was only a Cutie Mark. Author's Note Scuse the slightly chopped top, didn't center the puppet before taking the image. Sweetie's Mark essentially means her talent is bringing out the heart in songs. AKA: Making others rise to the occasion, the medic, healer, bard, priest, etc etc. L12.4Author's Note When the previous chapter went out, I asked people: Should Sweetie keep her CM? I found reasons for and against myself, and I honestly had no preference either way. This is the result of that question, which was removed once I had enough comments to make my decision. Early chapter is very early so I don't sleep in and miss posting it at the usual time. L12.4 “Utility Spells and you?” Sweetie tilted her head as she read the book’s title. It was one in a small stack of spellbooks placed in front of Sweetie. Biting her lip, she wondered if she would actually be able to levitate all that. Thankfully, it looked like they had included a cart to carry it in. Celestia bowed her head once. Sweetie felt a lingering tingle where her wings had been. It was a pity the spell only lasted three days. “These are the same books Twilight read when she was starting out with magic. A lot of them are low level spells, but toward the end there are some that may prove useful. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to know how to do more than levitation correct?” Celestia smiled and Sweetie gave a slow nod. “That makes sense I suppose.” Sweetie looked toward Twilight and Rarity as she levitated the cart handle, pulling it toward her. Twilight smiled, and both bid farewell to the Princesses with a bow. Sweetie blinked, and then turned to copy the action. Celestia and Luna bowed their heads too, though not as low as Twilight did. Making their way out of Canterlot, they had opted for the train instead, despite the offer from Celestia. Sweetie supposed that was wise, considering she didn’t want to lose any books in transit. Sitting down inside the train beside her sister, Sweetie flipped the top book open and glanced at the chapter titles. As expected, they were a list of spells. Spell list(Ordered by chapter) Beginner: 1: Water 2: Spark(For fire(ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED)) 3: Stop-Sneeze 4: Wake-me-up 5: Knockout 6: Trip 7: Itch-be-gone Intermediate 8: Stun 9: Telekinetic force(Knock-back) 10: Disarm 11: Teleport 12: Fireworks 13: Smokebomb 14: Cloudwalking Advanced 15: Flight Spell(Wings) 16: Fire 17: Levitate self 18: Change gravity 19: Transform 20: Shield Sweetie looked over the list, recognizing a lot she had seen Twilight using. The Intermediate and Advanced spells looked to be well worth learning. Sweetie knew she would need to practice through. At the very least, it looked like she could use the Beginner spells to play some pranks. Which reminded her, she still needed to look at the letters everypony had given her to prove she was in a time loop. After arriving home, Sweetie quickly went up to her room to practice. The first one she tried was the water spell. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth, and slowly a drop of water dripped from her horn. Opening her eyes, she narrowed them, watching water leak like a dripping tap. Sweetie sighed, well, there was one she’d have to practice. The next was the spark spell. Sweetie looked to her combustible room and shook her head. No, she wasn’t that stupid. The next one was a stop-sneeze spell. Sweetie cast it a few times, feeling a tingling sensation in her nose each time. After a while, Sweetie noticed her sinuses had cleared. Well, that could come in handy. The wake-me-up would have to wait until tonight. Sweetie cast the knockout on her teddy, watching it fall over with a soft thump. Sweetie bit her lip, another spell she would have to practice. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she puffed. These spells were really hard. Sweetie wondered how many loops it would take before she moved to the Intermediate. The trip was just using levitation to grab a person’s leg as they were walking. Sweetie decided to skip it for now. Finally, the itch-be-gone. Sweetie felt a shiver pass through her body as she cast it, and sighed as an itch she wasn’t aware of vanished. Sweetie wanted to use that spell more often, it felt really good. Finally, Sweetie placed the book back on the cart. Walking downstairs, Sweetie approached Rarity. Rarity was currently making dinner, salad. Whether that was due to a certain filly strongly recommending it was an entirely different matter. It was definitely not related, not one bit. “I have to spend tomorrow night somewhere else to repair the house.” Sweetie saw the slow nod from Rarity, and both mused for a moment. Sweetie could always spend a night in Twilight’s, but that left the risk of confusion in the morning. Besides, Twilight had a habit of staying up late. “How about your treehouse?” Rarity placed two plates of salad down as Sweetie sat down to eat. Sweetie nodded, it sounded like a decent idea. It might be a bit cold though. Sweetie didn’t mind too much about the cold, it would still be fun to camp out in the clubhouse. “Alright Sweetie, I’ll help you move your camping gear there tomorrow. For now; let’s eat.” Sweetie snuggled into her sleeping bag, considering going to bed. After remembering her Mark, she sat up and looked toward the clock that was technically hers now. Levitating it over, she waited as time slowly ticked over. 11:59… 12:00 Sweetie glanced to her flank, and sighed in relief. Her Mark was still there. Rubbing it, Sweetie smiled warmly, remembering the moment with crystal clarity. It was something she was never going to forget, that’s for sure. The question was, how could she use the loops to achieve it? Sweetie sighed and shifted further into her sleeping bag. Rarity would be looking for her in the morning. Groaning, Sweetie sat up and quickly packed her things into a corner. Sweetie knew none of the Crusaders would be coming to the clubhouse, so it was safe to leave things here. Turning, Sweetie trotted outside, closing the door with her magic. Shivering in the cold, she walked through the deserted streets. Eventually she made her way back to the boutique, and entered quietly. Sneaking upstairs, she quickly checked her sister’s room. Creeping into her room, she was pleased to see the damage was gone, and slipped quietly into the sheets. Giving a yawn, Sweetie settled into wonderful dreams about her Mark. Sweetie dreamed of her friends seeing it, and praising her. Sweetie smiled in her sleep. Finally, all three of them could potentially gain their marks. That might be the key to getting out of the loop. Sweetie dared to hope it was, finally slipping into slumber. L13Sweetie trotted out of her house and walked over to Apple Bloom. Smiling, she weathered the reaction to the draining effect, knowing she could change their minds about cutting ties with Sweetie. Turning her flank, Sweetie let her friend see her Cutie Mark. “You got your Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom was leaping for joy. Sweetie smiled, enjoying the attention. However, that brought up an issue she hadn’t thought of. “What does it mean?” Apple Bloom allowed Sweetie time to think, both slowly heading toward school. Sweetie mused for a moment. “My talent is bringing out the song in pony’s hearts.” Sweetie nodded, satisfied she had explained her talent well. However, Apple Bloom merely looked confused. Sweetie sighed, knowing that meant she would have to actually go into detail to explain it. How does one explain Sweetie’s talent is helping other’s rise to theirs? Sweetie lowered her head and narrowed her eyes. “It means I’m good at singing,” she spoke in defeat. Really, this was a conversation she was going to have multiple times each loop. A one sentence answer was best, and that meant accepting she would have to lie about her talent slightly. Of course Sweetie was a decent singer, but that wasn’t what her Mark was about. “Oh! That’s great Sweetie. Ah wonder what mine will be.” Apple Bloom smiled toward the sky, imagining getting an ‘awesome’ Mark that would make Diamond and Silver envious. Sweetie smiled sadly, and they both headed into class. “It means I’m good at singing,” she repeated again. It seemed the effect of Sweetie getting her Mark was enough for the four to forget the draining effect almost completely. However, that presented a problem of its own. For, if Diamond and Apple Bloom did not bond over the feeling toward Sweetie, they stayed enemies. ‘Maybe staying home one day will prevent this. I’ll have to try it next loop.’ Sweetie bid farewell to her friends and headed home. Thankfully, Twilight was still there. That meant Sweetie wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow to get some questions answered. Sweetie dug into her saddlebags and held out the note. “W-What the!” Twilight stared at the note for a few long moments, before rubbing her forehead with a hoof, and nodding. Levitating the note back over, Twilight turned toward Sweetie as a large folder of notes was held out. Twilight reconised it as her own magic-writing “I was wondering, do you know why everything with magic resets, but my Cutie Mark stayed?” Sweetie pointed to her Mark as Twilight mused for a moment. “Well, there’s two possible reasons. One is the loop isn’t affecting you, and you are growing normally. The other is that it is, but because you already have memory of what your talent is, it can’t wipe the mark away. Sort of how Tirek took our Marks when he drained our magic, but we got them back again without any repercussions once our magic was returned.” Twilight smiled warmly, giving a nod at her reasoning. “Oh, ok.” Sweetie looked away, was it really that simple? Maybe it was, but what if it was option one? Would she eventually grow into an old Granny Belle? Sweetie shuddered, and turned to head up into her room. Sweetie wanted to practice spells. If she did it enough, maybe she could eventually use that memory transfer spell, so that Twilight could know her situation better. After much persuasion, Sweetie had convinced Scootaloo to try and teach them how to race down an obstacle course on a scooter. Sweetie wanted to see if it was possible to get Scoots a Mark in scooting. Front what Sweetie understood, Scoots mark was about the joy of doing stunts at incredibly fast speeds. So it should technically be possible. They had decided to practice near the sharp drop off the cliff, as it had the longest flat bit of road. They were careful to stay far away however. “Here, let me help you Apple Bloom.” Scoots was currently leaning over Apple Bloom’s scooter. Sweetie smiled, Twilight hadn’t wanted to agree at first, but eventually she had payed for two brand new scooters for them. Time looping payed off big time sometimes. Sweetie slowly sailed down the path, humming a tune as she tried to use her magic to push her along. Scootaloo had said to just use her hooves, but Sweetie wanted to try doing it the Unicorn way. Plus, it was good practice. Sweetie beamed as she sweated from the pressure. Slowly the scooter began to pick up speed. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie felt wind start to push on her face. Yes, she was doing it! Slowly, Sweetie went around the obstacle course Scoots had set up. Picking up speed, she turned and went back though it. Sweetie beamed, this was quite fun. Closing her eyes she let her magic cut off, allowing the scooter to come to a complete stop. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom turned toward Sweetie, eyes widening. “Sweetie! Look out!” As Scootaloo spoke, she leapt onto her scooter and dived toward Sweetie. Opening her eyes, Sweetie blinked and glanced back. Was it just her or was the obstacle course and Apple Bloom farther away than she remembered? No, she was definitely moving. Turning her head, Sweetie widened her eyes, seeing the incline she was starting to go down. Sweetie tried to slow herself down with her magic. There was still time, don’t panic. “SWEETIE!” As Scootaloo cried out, Sweetie lost concentration, and her gradual decline, that had been slowing down, suddenly jerked forward to a more hazardous speed. Sweetie cried out and gritted her teeth, but her magic was just slipping off the wheels. Sweetie looked down toward the ground, and lowered a foot. Sweetie’s foot made contact with the ground, and the scooter slammed sideways, sending Sweetie forward. Tumbling down the hill, Sweetie whimpered, curling into a ball as sharp rocks and jagged edges cut deep wedges into her white body. Slowly, her coat began to run red with blood. “Hyah!” Scootaloo leapt at Sweetie, and tried to bring both Sweetie and herself to a halt, digging her hooves in as she gripped the bloodied form of Sweetie Belle. For a small moment, they paused, balancing at the very edge of the incline. Scootaloo gulped, and slowly began to lean backward. “Look out!” Apple Bloom tried to warn them about Sweetie’s scooter as it crashed into them, sending them over the edge. Scootaloo buzzed her wings, before realising she had dropped Sweetie. As soon as she stopped, she too began to fall. Crying out, she desperately hoped Rainbow Dash was flying nearby. Sweetie opened her eyes slowly, pain throbbing through her body. Each breath sent jagged ice down her spine. Each movement was like someone slicing her body with a thousand knives. Looking up, she saw the fear on Scootaloo's face. Sweetie took another shuddering breath, unable to think in her current state. For Sweetie, everything was pain. Every moment was a thousand times worse than the headache boiling inside her head. Everything was a high pitched keening in her ears. Scootaloo’s fear barely registered, eyes blinded by pain. Sweetie felt her body slowly spin, aiming her downward due to her head being heavier at the front. There it was, the floor below. Hard, unforgiving, and uncompromising. Sweetie had no doubts, mind taken over by cold calculation as it worked through the pain. It was amazing really, her brain was split in two. One part was handling the immense pain Sweetie was feeling, and the other was just looking at what was going to follow. This would be her death. Sweetie had no emotion, she just stared as it approached. Closing her eyes, she took one final shuddering breath. Sweetie’s death was silent. There was barely a sound as her body implanted on the ground. Anyone who examined the body would notice the thousands of broken bones, and the calm look on the filly’s face. It had been instantaneous, no pain had been felt upon impact. Sweetie Belle was gone. Around Ponyville, Canterlot, and Manehattan, all the ponies looked up toward the sky. All blinked in shock as it suddenly turned to night without warning. All immediately began to notice something different. However, nopony had the presence of mind to comprehend it as reality bent. All ponies, and only ponies, who were outside began to age, and collapse. As they died, each turned into dust, which in turn blew away in the wind. As silence resounded in the clearing, only one pony saw this happen. This pony was an Alicorn, who had just looked up from the book she had been reading inside her castle. As Twilight watched this, she had no idea why it had happened, but she felt the chill pass though her all the same. Whatever had just affected those stuck outside could very well happen again. Twilight turned and woke up Spike, preparing him to send a letter. Whatever was happening, only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had a chance of surviving in the outside long enough to get anywhere. Twilight sighed and went to brew a cup of coffee, hoping it had been an illusion, and she hadn’t just seen dozens of lives snuff out in an instant. Including one that looked strikingly like herself. Rubbing her forehead, she groaned. This was really way too much for 12:02 in the morning on a Monday. L14“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie groaned, flicking her eyes open as a blurry room swum into view. Memory fuzzy, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. It had been an extremely uncomfortable night, full of nightmares of falling. Not to mention her bed felt really lumpy. Finally able to look around her room, Sweetie blinked. Various rocks, most small in size, were dumped around her room in a haphazard fashion. In fact, her bed was covered in them. No wonder Sweetie had been having trouble sleeping. Slowly moving the rocks off her bed, she rubbed her forehead and groaned. Not only had she slept badly, she had a splitting headache. Sweetie pulled a piece of paper out of her diary, a book kept under her bed, and folded it into a paper plane. As she began to levitate it, Sweetie held her head and waited for the headache to fade. Once it was gone, she could surely come to terms with what was going on. It didn’t. Sweetie dropped the plane, and slowly levitated her diary up, feeling it lessen slightly. Sweetie glanced to her sides, seeing her saddlebags still on her body. Yet another reason why she had slept horribly. Sweetie dug her two books out of it, levitating them instead. Sweetie sighed, the headache fading away. Finally able to think, Sweetie concentrated, trying to remember how she had ended up in her room. The last thing she remembered was scooting. Sweetie breathed in sharply, throbbing pain enveloping her as she remembered what had happened. Hugging herself, Sweetie sobbed quietly, both from the fact she had died, also dooming Scootaloo to the same fate, and the fact it wasn’t the way out of the loop. “Okay, calm down Sweetie, priorities. What day is it?” Sweetie quickly cast the spell, confirming it was Monday. The start of a loop, death had reset it. Not only that, dying had significantly raised the amount of stuff she had to levitate to keep the headache away. Sweetie bit her lip. Silently, she feared just what ramifications that had. “Sweetie Belle! Don’t make me come up there.” Rarity’s voice called again, jumping Sweetie out of her introspection. Sweetie looked at her bags and sighed. The good news was while death hurt, it wasn’t going to, well, kill her. It also looked like it reset her back in the room, albeit taking whatever was laying around her with Sweetie. That explained why there was a lot of rocks in the room. Standing up, Sweetie headed downstairs. Twilight would probably want to test that, however doing so meant Sweetie would have to restart the loop outside again. Sweetie knew that was something she would never attempt, at least, not now. Sweetie supposed there might be a time she got desperate enough, and shuddered as she sat down. “Sweetie, Twilight says there’s some event happening, and all ponies are ordered to stay indoors. She’s coming by to teleport you to school.” Rarity smiled gently as she placed the pancakes down. Sweetie tilted her head. That was strange, why was Twilight doing that? Was this due to her death? Sweetie mused for a moment, glancing toward her saddlebags. The temptation to see what would happen if Sweetie kept the truth about the loop hidden was strong. This was something that wasn’t going to happen a second time after all. Sure, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had been hesitant to be near Sweetie, but this was almost like Twilight had seen something. “Why?” Sweetie decided it was best to ask. Rarity paused, and winced. “Well dear, Twilight was up at midnight, and something dreadful happened that only she was awake to witness. She fears it might happen again.” Rarity nodded, satisfied she had avoided saying what to the best of her ability. Sweetie nodded, and resumed eating. There was no doubting it, Twilight had seen the loop resetting. It seemed Twilight was awake when it reset normally, likely reading a book overlooking a window. That meant she would have seen the reset. Sweetie shuddered, knowing full well what had happened to those that had been outside. The good news was they weren’t technically dead. The bad news was, well… “That’s strange, Opal is avoiding you for some reason.” Rarity watched as the cat did indeed give the kitchen a wider berth than normal. Sweetie watched this, and inwardly sighed. Was it wrong she felt nothing about what happened to them? Sweetie shook her head rapidly and forced herself to discard the issue. If she tried to analyse why she felt or did something, she really would go insane. ‘I think I’ll see what Twilight does if I don’t tell her this is a loop. I doubt it will happen a second time.’ Sweetie finished her food and nodded. There was too much unknown about what would happen with this loop. Unknown meant new, and Sweetie was just starting to realise how much she loved new. After all, new meant she hadn’t done it before. And that was good. “Sweetie Belle! You have your Cutie Mark!” Rarity finally noticed Sweetie’s flank, and the filly mentally sighed. It was going to be a long day. ‘Alright, so far, there’s not much change beyond the fact of that ‘stay inside’ that was in the morning. Twilight called it off around midday for some reason. I gotta ask her why today while Rarity’s gone to Manehattan.’ Sweetie descended the stairs, smiling in greeting as she saw Twilight was indeed there. “Twilight, is something wrong with outside?” Sweetie knew she had to be careful with her questions. Twilight would be trying to keep the truth of what happened from her. Sweetie debated just outright telling Twilight. “Apparently not, but it looked like there was when I looked out the window at midnight.” Twilight bit her lip and sighed. The image of those ponies as they...was still in her mind. And yet, Twilight had seen Roseluck in her home the very next morning as she’d warned everypony to stay indoors. Roseluck, Twilight shuddered. No, there was no way a nightmare could be that vivid. Sweetie bit her lip. The way Twilight looked, it was harrowing. It looked like the effect of what Twilight had seen was merely just a small moment of being stuck indoors. Sweetie let her ears flop down and sighed. There was no point, Sweetie had to tell her. Pulling out the letter, Sweetie held it out for Twilight. Twilight was silent for a few minutes after reading it. The only movement she made was handing back the note, and closing her eyes. Sweetie jumped slightly as Twilight turned toward her, opening her eyes once more. Giving a sigh, Twilight lowered her head, wearily looking at the floor. “Why are you telling me this?” Twilight couldn’t doubt the truth on that piece of paper, as much as she wanted to. There was no denying it. “When I loop, time reset’s back to monday at the stroke of midnight. And...well...when ponies are in the same room as me when it resets…” Sweetie trailed off, forcing tears back inside her head. It wouldn’t do to cry right now. “So when I saw a pony that looked like me outside, it was my previous loop self, dying because you were outside for some reason.” Twilight looked toward Sweetie, understanding ticking though her brain quickly. The horror of what she had seen met with truth, and her mind shattered, going blank. “Y-You probably have a draining sensation too…” Sweetie scuffed the ground, shivering as she tried to forced herself to ignore the darkness she had caused. So many lives, so many ponies had been outside when she had...Would they all suffer that effect? Twilight nodded solemnly. “Yeah, there was a draining sensation. I couldn’t find the source of it so I researched a spell designed to stop magic from being taken out of my body, sort of like an invisible shield. The feeling faded the moment I cast it, so maybe the sensation isn’t just a sensation. Maybe you are actually draining the magic of anypony who get’s stuck in the same room with you at the end of the loop.” Twilight sighed, and rubbed her forehead. “Either way, the bad news continues to mount. If you are indeed draining ponies magic, it might explain the headaches. Or it might contradict it, I’ll need to research in the Canterlot Library. There’s not enough time for it this loop however.” Twilight nodded as Sweetie pulled out a folder. Twilight reconised her magic-writing. Turning to some blank pages, Twilight wrote down the new findings, before closing it and handing it back. Then, standing up, she walked over and hugged Sweetie tightly. “It’s okay to cry you know, no one is going to think less of you for doing so.” Twilight closed her eyes and hugged the filly tighter. Sweetie clenched her eyes tight, and let herself finally cry. There was so much to cry about. Sweetie wanted to cry about her death, about those she had just killed, and about her friends. “I just wish I knew why Twilight. Why am I stuck in a time loop? Why does it drain magic?” Sweetie sobbed quietly, distraught on a shattering level. How many lives had she ended? How many fates would have to end before she finally escaped? Star Swirl’s notes hadn’t been helpful in the slightest. None of them listed the exact spell he used to get out. “Maybe we can find that out with a memory spell. It might be you did something that you don’t remember due to the specifics of the spell. I sadly don’t have access to a proper memory spell. I can feed images of memories I have experienced, but I can’t help you remember them. That will have to be something we do next loop. I’ll make a note of it.” Twilight raised her head, and smiled softly at Sweetie as the filly sniffed. “But I suggest you spend some time relaxing after what happened last loop. Play some jokes, learn some magic, do something to heal. You’re stuck in a time loop Sweetie, you need to use that sometimes. Answers can wait a loop or three.” Twilight leaned forward, hugging the filly even tighter. Sweetie smiled warmly. Twilight was right, of course. Sweetie knew that the trip to Canterlot was important, but she so desperately wanted to cry at every moment of the day. Even now, crying as she was, she felt no end to the pain that throbbed in her chest. Sweetie closed her eyes and nodded. Some time off sounded good. Sweetie had been saving up a few good pranks, after all. Answers could wait. After all, you only loop once. Author's Note If you're wondering why Twilight sounds emotionless it's because reality broke her mind. I mean, when one sees what she saw, how do you react to that? L15.1 Operation Coronation“Sweetie? What are you doing here?” Twilight tilted her head as the filly entered the castle. Giving a warm smile in greeting, she quickly read the piece of paper handed to her. Eyes widening, she couldn’t deny the truth in front of her. “I skipped school to come talk to you. May I speak?” Sweetie paused and waited. Twilight eventually gave a nod. “I want to send a message to Princess Celestia, and I want you to cast that spell to give me wings. I have a prank I need your help with.” Sweetie paused, and pulled out two letters, and a photo. “You want my help. With a prank.” Twilight narrowed her eyes at Sweetie, who nodded. Twilight took the letters and skimmed them over. The first was written in what looked like golden light, and was illegible, the second briefly went over Sweetie’s plan. “Alright, I’m in, let me go get Spike.” Twilight took the letters and turned. Sweetie followed behind as they found Spike. After sending off the letters, Sweetie smiled as a letter came back almost instantly. Opening it, Sweetie burst out laughing. Twilight leaned over curiously, and fell backwards as she began to laugh too. “Time for school.” Sweetie hummed cheerfully as Twilight began to cast the spell to give her wings. Sweetie flexed them for a moment, and nodded. Smiling, she waved goodbye to Twilight, and skipped out of the house. Sweetie strode purposely into class, acting as regal as she could. Sitting down, she tilted her nose upward. Soon enough, class was interrupted by the sounds of trumpets as a guard announced the arrival of Princess Celestia. Sweetie smiled warmly, and Celestia bowed toward her. “Apologies for the interruption, but Princess Sweetie Belle is late for her coronation.” Celestia smiled warmly at the students as all stared open mouthed. Sweetie stood up and strode slowly toward Celestia. Leaning down, Celestia whispered gently into the filly’s ear. “That’s good, slow and purposefully. Make sure to keep your wings open too.” Celestia raised her head, and Sweetie Belle levitated out the tickets, handing them to Cheerilee. “Here are the tickets to attend the event. These are front row seats, so you shall be able to see your friend receive her crown tomorrow. If that is all, we must take our leave I’m afraid.” Celestia bowed her head, and Cheerilee mutely nodded. Sweetie followed Celestia out, taking her advice while trying to keep up with the tall Alicorn. Sweetie looked from the corner of her eyes as she watched the many faces from the window. Stepping onto the chariot next to Princess Luna, who gave a warm, but confused, smile. Celestia sat down on Sweetie’s other side, and they took into the air, heading for Canterlot. “Tia, you didn’t get a young filly in on this charade of yours did you?” Luna narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Celestia who raised an eyebrow in response. “That is exactly what you said when Twilight ascended. Why must you be so skeptical of me sister?” Celestia was a master of acting, glancing down and letting her eyes close. Sweetie almost fell for it, but she quickly remembered who she was for this loop, and decided to glance toward Luna in annoyance. “Very well sister, I shall concede. But do not think me fooled.” Luna glanced down, meeting Sweetie's eyes knowingly. Sweetie blinked and felt a shiver pass through her. For a small moment, Sweetie wondered just what kind of fire she was playing with. With no clue what danger she was in, Sweetie decided to follow Celestia’s lead, and lapse into regal silence. “These are your chambers for now. We apologise for the plain garments, but we were not expecting another Alicorn to pop up.” The maid bowed, and Sweetie lowered her head slightly, bowing only barely. That was another lesson from Celestia. Bow, but never as low as others. “This is adequate, thank you.” Sweetie smiled warmly as the maid bowed, and left. Sweetie leapt onto her bed and squeed as quietly as she could. Wings buzzing, she lifted off the ground and twirled around her room. ‘THIS IS SO AWESOME! I am definitely doing this again one loop.’ Sweetie landed and bounced around the room, a bundle of energy. Sweetie only stopped when a knock at the door sounded, and she quickly prepared herself to act regally again. “You may enter,” she spoke. It was Celestia and Twilight, Sweetie relaxed. Giggling, she leapt toward them and bounced around them. “Thank you for this Princess Celestia, Twilight. This is so AWESOME!” Sweetie flew into the air and twirled around, enjoying every moment. Twilight and Celestia smiled warmly. “So, here’s our plan for Operation Coronation.” Twilight pulled out a blue piece of paper that held some blueprints. Sweetie landed and walked over, looking at it. “Oh, that is eeevil.” Sweetie smirked, feeling shivers of sadistic glee pass through her. These two were turning out to be great prank masters. Sweetie needed to use them to plan loop pranks one day, this was a perfect plan. “We knew you’d like it. But that’s only part one.” Twilight smirked as she brought out a second blueprint. Sweetie looked at it, and smiled in perverse pleasure. “Wow, you two are truly evil. I love it!” Sweetie smiled, and they began to nail down the specifics of the plan. After all, a plan this evil deserved perfection. Sweetie looked out the window, smirking evilly as she thought about the plan. It all hinged on Luna’s suspicions of this being a prank. Sweetie yawned and settled into bed. Sure enough, Celestia’s spell informed her Luna was indeed watching her dream. That meant it was time to set the plan into motion. ”Mwahahaha Burn!” Nightmare Bells flew over the town of Ponyville, deafening them with flaming bells that sung high pitched notes. Each one of the residents cried out in terror. Nightmare Bells smiled in pleasure. Raising a hoof, she called up a golden note, and smashed it into the town hall. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, this is a nightmare.” Nightmare Bells turned and looked sourly at Luna as she vanished back into a Unicorn filly with wings. “I’m sorry, I just.” Sweetie looked down, lip quivering as she pretended to be mortified by her actions. Curling into a ball, she shivered until two midnight wings curled around her. Being brought into a hug, Luna smiled softly at Sweetie. “It is fine, we understand your torment. For it was once ours. Rest assured you will never fall like we once did.” Luna smiled warmly, and Sweetie forced herself to cry, breaking into sobs. “But what if I’m a bad Princess? I mean why was I made a princess? I don’t understand what my Mark has to do with being an Alicorn.” Sweetie sobbed into Luna, who gently patted the filly’s back. “There there Sweetie Belle, thou were chosen for a reason. We do not know the reason, but assuredly fate will reveal it in time.” Luna sighed, looking toward the sun in the sky. As Sweetie cried into her, there was no doubting it. Obviously Celestia was not pulling a prank. Or if she was, she was going all out. Luna shook her head, remembering she was currently comforting somepony. However, it seemed Sweetie was already recovering. Wiping away her tears, she smiled warmly at Luna. “T-Thank you.” Sweetie waved goodbye as Luna politely excused herself, and turned toward her frozen dream. Pausing for a moment, she quickly changed it into a dream about being a dragon. Sweetie leapt back into her dream, losing her lucidity a moment later. Author's Note Spelling on letters is bad because I didn't spellcheck. Apologies. L15.2 Operation Coronation“No no no! My Coronation dress is all wrong.” Sweetie moaned as her sister rolled her eyes. Rarity was having none of Sweetie’s attitude, she knew better than to listen to her sister when she was like this. Besides, Sweetie had no fashion sense. “There, finished.” Rarity nodded as she stepped away from Sweetie belle, who looked it over and shook her head. “I’ve told you Rarity, this is all wrong! Where are the balloons and streamers? Know what, I think I’ll just go bare. After all, best Princess should be seen in all her splendour.” Sweetie carefully took the dress off, memorising where she threw it so she could steal it for a future loop, and tilted her chin up as she stood proudly. “But Sweetie Belle…” Rarity bit her lip, unsure if she had the authority to order her sister to wear it. However, as Princess Celestia entered, it seemed she did not. “I agree, your form is too small to properly show your features off in that dress.” Celestia smiled softly, and Sweetie beamed even more. Sweetie bowed slightly to her sister, and ‘slowly’ followed after Celestia as she turned to leave. “Say Princess Celestia, why does your letter contain glowy symbols?” Sweetie tilted her head as Celestia paused for a moment. Both turned to look out the window as she replied. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know the decoder spell. You’ll find my sister uses a similar spell. I’ll write down both for you, so you can read them at a later date. But remember to get pictures, or I’ll never forgive you.” Celestia winked, and Sweetie giggled. “Also, please call me Celestia. Someone in your position should not be calling me Princess, as we are on equal footing after this.” Celestia smiled warmly and Sweetie shook her head. “I’m sorry but I don’t feel right calling you that.” Sweetie looked up at the unreadable expression on Celestia’s face. After a moment, she lowered her head, and looked Sweetie in the eyes. “Right or not, I must ask you a second time. Please, honor us with the knowledge somepony out there will call us not by our title, but by our name. Even my sister normally calls me simply sister, as I do. If you still insist, I will accept it. However I felt it was worth a second try.” Celestia bowed her head slightly, then raised it to look outside. “But, to call you so improperly, is that really okay?” Sweetie hesitated, biting her lip as she glanced to and fro. Celestia gently lowered a wing, and brought the filly closer with a gentle nudge of the wing. “Would you prefer I call you Sweetie Belle, or Sweetie?” Celestia smiled knowingly down at the filly. “Well, Sweetie,” she admitted. Celestia nodded once, and raised her head once move, saying nothing. “I’ll try...But no promises...Celestia.” Sweetie forced herself to not say the title, giving a shudder. It felt wrong doing so, but Celestia’s smile lessened the blow. “That is all I ask,” responded Celestia, smiling toward the sky. Sweetie sat down as a hair stylist fussed with her hair, trying to get her curls perfect. Pulling out the letter Celestia had written herself, Sweetie decided it was time to begin reading all the juicy secrets all the adults had. Sweetie smiled, she would need them for the next loop after all. First up, Sweetie cast the spell to translate Celestia’s letter, and watched as characters shifted around the page, forming words. Nodding once, much to the chagrin of the stylist, Sweetie began to read. ‘Again with the sanity thing.’ Sweetie sighed and folded the letter, putting it back in her saddlebags. Checking over the stylist's work, Sweetie realised she looked exactly the same. “Thank you, it looks lovely.” Sweetie stood up and left, leaving her irritated mumblings until she was out of earshot. An hour wasted just to look exactly the same. What a waste of time. “There you are Sweetie, there is one last thing we need to instruct you on.” Celestia walked over, Pinkie Pie bouncing behind her. Sweetie tilted her head, but said nothing. “Right! Princess here wanted me to teach you how to start a Heart Song.” Pinkie Pie giggled, leading both Celestia and Sweetie belle toward the throne room. “A Heart Song?” Sweetie tilted her head, seeing Celestia’s knowing smile. “Oh! Right, silly me. A Heart Song is a song that comes from in here, that causes everypony to spring into song.” Pinkie Pie touched her chest and beamed a grinning smile. Sweetie tilted her head, a Heart Song? It sounded useful, and related to her talents. Sweetie discarded her hesitation, and smiled. “Alright! How do I start one?” Sweetie’s ear flickered, sensing something in the air. Pinkie giggled and brought Sweetie into a hug as she pointed to Celestia, slowly bobbing up and down. “Now Sweetie listen closely, For the wisdom I implore. No party’s quite complete, Without a song I quite adore.” Pinkie Pie stood on two hooves, and began to danced around the room with Sweetie straining to keep up. However, Sweetie felt the throb of magic in the room, and activated the spell she had learned when getting her Cutie Mark. To her amazement, the magic was coming from Pinkie Pie’s heart, and being pumped straight to her mouth. “For a Heart Song is unique, From start until its finish. Not one song is similar, And they never seem to diminish.” Sweetie watched the notes swirl around her, and glanced down. The magic was slowly coursing through her body as well. Sweetie felt a smile on her face, and ceased her spell. So this was a Heart Song. Sweetie knew learning to create these would be an amazing help to her goal once she got out of this loop. The goal that was centered around the meaning of her Mark. Opening her mouth, Sweetie sung the next verse, not knowing how words were forming, but knowing where they came from. “I see this magic is quite fine, It swells through me now like fire. I wish I’d known of this Heart Song earlier, For it helps with what I aspire.” Sweetie flipped into the air, buzzing her wings as she let Pinkie Pie catch her and flip her into the air once more. “That’s it my dear Sweetie, A song without compare. A Heart Song helps ponies see, Their heart’s lonely prayer.” Sweetie felt the magic taking her over slowly wind to a close, and landed, beaming at Pinkie Pie. This would be something she would be using during her life after the loop, that was certain. Being able to help ponies hear the song in their hearts, it was her destiny. And Pinkie Pie had just given the tools to do so. “Thank you Pinkie Pie.” Sweetie smiled as the party pony saluted, and bounced away to get ready for the coronation. Celestia approached, and smiled softly. “You want me to perform a Heart Song at the coronation don’t you?” Sweetie smiled knowingly as Celestia’s smile transformed into the same. “Indeed, my little Alicorn.” Author's Note Than should be then. Leter should be letter. <_< L15.4 Operation Coronation“Sweetie, it’s time to say a few words.” Celestia smiled warmly as the filly buzzed her wings to stand upon the railing, being too small to properly address the crowd otherwise. Beside her, Luna smiled, forgetting her suspicions to enjoy the moment. In between them sat the Mane6, all holding back tears of joy. “Attention everypony.” Sweetie raised a hoof, silencing the crowd like Celestia had shown her to. The crowd slowly stopped cheering, and Sweetie smiled down at them. Quickly locating her friends in the crowd, she began to speak. “Before I ascended, I was just a regular filly, trying to learn what my mark was. My school had two fillies that constantly bullied me and my friends about that fact. Their attacks made us miserable, and only hurt us more in the long run.” Sweetie closed her eyes and lowered her head, seeing the nervous glances of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “But!” Sweetie raised her head and smiled down at the ponies. All were looking at her with sympathy. Most knew her pain, having met ponies like that before. “When I got to know these ponies, whether they know I did or not, I realised something that granted me great insight and wisdom into bullies in general. For you see, bullies are ponies too. And what do ponies desire above all others?” Sweetie waited a moment, before smiling warmly. Twilight, who was standing behind her, smiled knowingly. Nodding her head, she approved of this lesson. “Friendship.” Sweetie closed her eyes, calling upon her magic to try and induce a Heart Song. Sweetie opened them, feeling the magic starting to respond. All around her, a tune began to rise up from nowhere. Sweetie smiled, there was time for one more statement before she was taken by song. “It reminded me that bullies are ponies too. Yes, there are mean ponies in the world. But, they are still ponies.” (Sweetie starts singing around the 30s mark) Listen closely all there below, I have something to tell, not show. Ponies have wronged me time before, But now I have wisdom I must implore. There will be times of sadness, But you must be strong, Sing your heart to the sky, For only you can truly fly Bullies will bring you down, that is true. But you can rise from it, into something new For we are all connected By pony hearts So stand strong Don’t let them bring you down For we are connected By pony hearts Sweetie looked down, seeing tearful smiled on everypony’s face. Beaming, she bowed her head, and stepped off the railing. Turning to Celestia, Sweetie smiled as she nodded her approval. It seemed her Heart Song was ok. Sweetie hoped it would at least help ponies for the last few days of the loop. After the Coronation there was a party. Sweetie dug into the sweets, trying to appear regal as she did so, and failing masterfully. Sweetie noticed Celestia take a single slice of cake and hide it somewhere. Giggling, she didn’t envy the princess, having to keep her love of sweet things under wraps. After all, Sweetie Belle was ‘Sweet’ie Belle. Slipping under the covers, Sweetie snuggled into her blankets and smiled. It had been a wonderful day. Sweetie was so full of pride and plain happiness her smile was beginning to hurt. Looking toward the ceiling, Sweetie turned her head as somepony knocked at the door. Sitting up, Sweetie levitated it open. “Princess Celestia.” Sweetie tilted her head, and stood up. Celestia pulled out a scroll from her mane, and held it out. Opening it, Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Shield spells? Are you sure I can even cast these?” Sweetie looked at the first one. It was made to keep her coat dry when splashed with water. It wouldn’t work to stop her getting wet when tossed in a lake, but would help her get dry once she got out. “The first one should be easy enough. The main reason I am bringing them up here is your unique magic situation. You said you have to levitate to stop a headache correct?” Celestia tilted her head, and nodded as Sweetie did the same. “Then you should switch to a shield spell. It requires magic constantly to maintain it, and is probably a better magic-sink than levitation.” Celestia smiled warmly as Sweetie looked at the spell and frowned. Closing her eyes, Sweetie clenched her teeth and cast the first spell. Her horn spluttered and groaned, but eventually she felt a shiver pass over her, and opened her eyes. “Your shield is still very weak, but it will grow in strength as your magic does. I must take my leave now. Goodbye Sweetie.” Celestia bowed her head, and left. Sweetie gently rolled up the scroll, and put it in her saddlebags. Smiling, Sweetie walked over to the tap, and turned it on. Sure enough, her fur was wet when under the water, but was dry almost instantly once she took it out. “I wonder if it works for tree sap,” she commented wistfully. Shrugging, Sweetie turned and headed back toward her bed. Either way, Celestia was right. While it was draining, the walk to the bed left Sweetie puffing, it did stop her headaches. Canceling the spell, Sweetie popped into bed and closed her eyes. Switching back to levitating the book, she stifled a yawn and snuggled into the blankets. 'It's too much for me right now, but it will definitely be a good option in the future.' Sweetie smiled, and slowly drifted off to sleep. If she was lucky, she and Luna could have some fun seeing other ponies dreams. If not, there was always the dinosaur dream. Sweetie giggled, wondering what others would say if they knew she liked dinosaurs. Would they tease her about it? Sweetie supposed it didn't matter, no one but Luna would ever know. Luna was very protective of others dreams around those who would exploit that knowledge. It was one of the reasons Sweetie had never seen her sister's dreams, except for that one time with Luna when she had to learn a lesson. Though, whose dream had that been anyhow? Sweetie shook her head, discarding the thoughts, sleep came before dinosaurs. Sweetie wondered if it was possible to bring dinosaurs back to life. Author's Note I kinda picture Sweetie as a 'best of both worlds' kinda kid. As in both a tomboy and a princess if you catch my meaning. L15.5 Operation Coronation EndSweetie spent all of Wednesday being pampered by the castle, knowing tomorrow was the final step in Operation Coronation. Sweetie closed her eyes and sighed as she lounged. Sure, she loved being out and camping with her friends, but sometimes a pony just wants a nice relaxing day of nothing. And Sweetie got it. However, Thursday was the day she finally got to reveal the prank, and she was entirely prepared for it. Sweetie waited until she received a letter from Celestia. For this prank to be perfect, everypony had to be at breakfast. Sweetie smiled as the letter came, and opened the doors to the breakfast room. “Good Morning Pri-ncess?” The maid blinked at her wingless sides as Sweetie confidently walked toward her food, and began to eat. Everypony, excluding two, was staring wide-mouthed at her. Sweetie took the moment to snap a few more pictures for her scrapbook, which Celestia had insisted upon. “Sweetie Belle, where are your wings?” Rarity blinked, feeling faint as she tried to make sense of the situation. Sweetie paused to take a sip of her drink, and gave a shrug. “The spell only lasted three days Rarity. I’m not an Alicorn anymore.” Sweetie finished her food, hiding a smile behind a sandwich. Of course, Twilight was the one that broke the silence, and she fell off her chair laughing. Gasping for breath as her laughter caused her pain, Sweetie couldn’t hold in her smile anymore. Even Celestia was trying to hide her smile. “You...Pranked us!” Rarity blinked, and Twilight’s painful laughter doubled. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie quickly joined in, enjoying a good prank as much as the next pony. Applejack and Fluttershy said nothing, deciding to continue eating. Rarity glared at them, and began to pick at her food. “Sister, Twilight, Sweetie Belle, may we speak to you alone?” Luna stood up, and exited the room. Twilight, finally calming down, stood up and stumbled after Luna. Celestia and Sweetie were the last to leave, closing the door behind them. Luna closed her eyes, and folded her wings. “I’m disappointed in you Celestia, bringing all your subjects together for a prank, wasting money on a Coronation.” Luna saw the smile still on Celestia’s face as she opened her eyes, and narrowed them. Sweetie Belle pulled out the letter Luna had written herself, and Luna took it, looking it over as all three still wore a smile. “I see…” Luna folded the letter up and handed it back to Sweetie Belle, and slowly a sly smile fell on her face. “Did you get copies of the pictures?” Celestia nodded. “Then all is forgiven. But next time it’s my turn.” Luna smiled down at Sweetie Belle, who nodded enthusiastically. “Consider this revenge for Mr. Cake.” Celestia smirked, and Luna rolled her eyes. “Please sister, that was revenge for you dying my mane bright pink one time.” Luna smiled, and both leaned toward the other, listing pranks of varying extremes. Sweetie smiled, enjoying the show. Twilight coughed, getting the three’s attention. “Luna, I thought you told me you didn’t sleep with a Twilight toy anymore.” Twilight smirked as Luna blushed, and glared vehemently at Celestia. Celestia shrugged, smiling knowingly. “So Luna, what dost thou rate my prank?” Celestia folded her wings as Luna considered it. “8.5. You did well to play on my suspicions, and I never once found any signs this wasn’t real, but you didn’t remove my paranoia enough that I didn’t see it coming when it arrived.” Luna smiled warmly, and Celestia whistled. “That’s pretty high, I was expecting a 7 at the most.” Celestia winced as Luna smirked, and put a hoof to her chin. “You’re right, 8.5 is too generous. I shall go with a 4.2.” Luna chuckled, and all smiled. “Come Sweetie, let us plan my future prank.” Luna began to levitate the filly away, much to Sweetie’s annoyance. “Can’t I finish the food first?” Sweetie folded her arms, glaring at the two chuckling Alicorns slowly growing farther away. “Of course not! We’ll order room service and eat as we plan.” Luna flared her wings and took to the sky, carrying the filly in her magic to her loft. “Joy,” muttered Sweetie. Sweetie slumped in her bed, tired from a long trip home. Closing her eyes, she quickly double checked everything she needed was in her bags. The good thing about her being the only looper was that Luna’s prank could wait a few loops. Sweetie wanted to try something with a little more adrenaline than a prank next loop. Smiling, Sweetie went to sleep, dreaming of herself running through the Everfree at top speed. Author's Note I know it's really short, but I had to write this the same day as the last chapter cause I didn't want to leave youse waiting while I do real life. Also, here's fanfiction based on my fanfiction, props to the creator. Go and give him words of support. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/233939/2/ It might be a day or two until the next chapter, as I said, real life. L16.1Sweetie opened her eyes, and smiled as Rarity called her downstairs. Leaping out of her bed, Sweetie concentrated, casting the shield spell, eliminating her headache. Wincing as she stumbled under the strain, Sweetie held it for five minutes, before canceling the spell and grabbing her two books. “Rarity, read this.” Sweetie pulled out the letter, waiting as Rarity read it. Weathering the reaction of her sister as she recovered, Sweetie quickly put the letter away. Forcing herself to remain still, Sweetie opened her mouth to speak. “I’m going to be gone for this loop, so don’t worry about where I am, okay?” Sweetie held up a hoof as her sister immediately objected, giving a scathing glare. “Come on Rarity, I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to go before Twilight leaves to go shopping today.” Sweetie waited as her sister bit her lip, and looked away. “Alright, but promise me somepony will know how to reach you in case you get into trouble.” Rarity hated the fact Sweetie was pressuring her right after that letter, but she supposed it was a side effect of what Sweetie was going through. “Of course, Twilight will know. Anyways, I gotta go, see ya Rarity.” Sweetie levitated the pancakes off the plate, and waved goodbye to her sister before dashing out the door. Pausing briefly, she quickly made an excuse to Apple Bloom, before dashing off. By luck; Twilight was only just leaving the castle. “Twilight! Wait!” Sweetie held out the letter as she ran, pausing to catch her breath once Twilight took it. Wiping off the sweat on her brow, Sweetie felt her thudding heart slowly return to normal. Twilight’s reaction was to be expected, and Sweetie waited patiently for Twilight to look over her data. “Twilight, I was wondering if you could teach me how to defend myself.” Sweetie nodded, narrowing her eyes as she squared her shoulders, determined. Twilight blinked and frowned, and put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Well I suppose I could teach you a few combat spells, but I don’t really know much about defending to be perfectly honest, excluding how to dodge that is. My big brother on the other hand…” Twilight trailed off, musing for a moment. Sweetie bit her lip, wondering if she would have to go to Canterlot for combat lessons. “Maybe Zecora or Applejack can help you. Applejack has battled the Everfree before, one time being when she saved Spike from Timberwolves. Zecora on the other hand really helped me when I was training against Trixie, despite the fact I used brains instead of magic-brawn to win.” Twilight glanced down as Sweetie nodded, thinking over the information. “Alright, I’ll try Applejack first. Thanks Twilight!” Sweetie turned and began to trot away. “Why do you want to learn how to defend yourself anyway?” Twilight waited as Sweetie glanced back and giggled. “I want to ride a dragon. A full grown dragon at that.” Sweetie watched as Twilight’s mouth slowly opened, and stayed like that. Smiling, Sweetie turned to leave. "Wait! What if you get yourself killed? Aren't you worried about you know, causing more..." Trailing off, Twilight looked away, causing Sweetie to cringe. "Twilight, I don't mean now. I mean when I can defeat a dragon. I'm not stupid you know." With that, Sweetie continued on her way. While she really wanted to ride a dinosaur, Sweetie was certain they were extinct, so that left them out as an option, at least for now. If Sweetie tried a time spell, Sweetie wondered just what would happen. Would it go back in time? Back in loops? No matter, it was too risky either way. So that left the dragons that were currently on migration. ’But first, I need to learn to defend myself. From what Spike told me one time when I was at Twilight’s, they’re proud creatures. If I best one in battle, it will either curse me or begrudgingly accept its defeat. Either way, I’ll get a ride out of it.’ Sweetie tilted her head, wondering how long dragons lived anyway. Did the time loop affect them? “Well howdy Sweetie Belle, shouldn’t you be at school with Apple Bloom?” Applejack greeted Sweetie with a tilt of her hat, blinking in confusion as Sweetie dug out a letter. Applejack quickly read it, and blinked. What this note said sounded absurd, Applejack held it back out to the filly. 'Ahm gonna have to hear ya say it, so Ah can see if you’re lyin’.” Applejack waited at Sweetie nodded. “I am stuck in a time loop.” Sweetie spoke quickly, seeing the hesitant acceptance on Applejack’s face. “Fair enough. Ah can tell you’re not lyin’, and the note here backs you up, so what can I help ya’ with?” Applejack didn’t like it, but there was no point in denying the truth. Why, that would be lying to herself now, wouldn’t it? “I want to learn how to defend myself if I get into a fight.” Sweetie wondered just how much of her plan she should reveal. Better to just say she wanted to know how to defend herself. “Well, Ah dun know much about it to be perfectly honest. But Ah guess I can help ya learn how to be stronger an better at dodging. Ya see’, I do rodeo shows occasionally, good way to earn some extra money for tha’ family. If Ah had to guess, that’s why Ahm a decent fighter. Ah could probably take you through the course, Ah normally run it once a day.” Applejack motioned toward a round circular track Sweetie recognised from the sister race. However, it looked a lot more advanced than just going over a puddle of mud. “Alright, I was hoping for some karate moves or something, but it couldn’t hurt to get stronger in both my body and my magic.” Sweetie nodded, it sounded solid. Her body wasn’t very strong, a by-product of being brought up by Rarity, but she wasn’t afraid of a little manual labor. In fact, if Sweetie was honest, it excited her. “Alright, follow me an’ we can go through the course before I go apple-bucking. Just remember, Canterlot wasn’t built in a day.” Applejack walked toward the starting line. Sweetie took place beside her, and they took off. Applejack slowed her speed to match Sweetie’s pace, and began to show her through the course. First up was the mud pit. Above it was a tarp, and Applejack dived underneath, crawling through it quickly. Sweetie did the same, knowing that while she was small enough to actually stand up underneath it, that would make the obstacle moot. Shaking some of the mud off after coming back up, Sweetie felt herself begin to sweat. Next up was the barrels. However this time they were arranged in a haphazard order. Applejack weaved through them, one almost toppling as she spun around it to get past an awkward barrel easier. Sweetie followed though slower, making sure to not miss any barrels. Third up was a bale of hay. Applejack tossed it forward, nodding as it landed on the target. Sweetie tried to lift it, but failed. Trying with her magic, she grunted under the weight and was able to toss it a very short distance. Despite her failure, Applejack only nodded encouragement. Sweetie felt her muscles burning as they rounded the corner to the final hurdle. Sweetie slowed down drastically as she approached the sharp incline to climb up. Using the rope, Applejack went from hoofhold to hoofhold, sometimes gripping the rope and tossing herself up the incline. Sweetie felt her strength leave her halfway up, and blinked as Applejack grabbed her hoof and carried her the rest of the way. “That*hah*. Was*huff*. Hard*Wheeze*.” Sweetie saw the sweat glistening on Applejack's face, the gasping breath coming from her as she calmed down. Sweetie could tell that while Applejack was tired, she was still going to recover quickly. Sweetie on the other hand, was exhausted. “Sorry hun, that course is designed for me an’ Big Mac. But yer free to use as much, or as little of it to get stronger. Just remember, it ain’t going to happen instantly. Took me five years to get strong enough to earn a bronze medal.” Applejack tilted her head, and brought over a cup of ice cold water, letting Sweetie guzzle it down. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Sweetie closed her eyes, too tired to move. So she could do almost the entire course, excluding the last one. If she worked at it, she’d be able to at least increase her endurance a lot. Sweetie sighed, getting stronger was hard. But fun, that was for sure. Author's Note Before I got the wonderful finished product that is now the story's picture, I got a sketch. This wittle Belle was made by: Piecee01. L16.2“Hello my dear Sweetie Belle, please come in so you can tell.” Zecora let the filly into her hut, pouring them both a drink of something Sweetie didn’t recognize. Giving it a sip, it tasted wonderful, she closed her eyes to enjoy the taste. “Zecora, I was wondering if you might be able to help me learn how to defend myself. Only for emergencies, but I’d like to be able to rely on more than just my magic.” Sweetie waited as Zecora considered it, wondering if she would need to try and convince the zebra she was looping. “What you ask is quite a task, but if you desire I can teach you what you require.” Zecora stood up and walked over to Sweetie Belle, and waited. “Yes please, anything you can teach me would be great.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and Zecora opened the door, leading the filly outside. After a short walk down a crack in the forest, Sweetie emerged into a clearing with a pool of water. “Some tasks will be above your skill, but I can teach you about the power of will.” Zecora sat down, instructing Sweetie to do the same. Sweetie did as instructed, wondering what this ‘power of will’ was. “A clear mind in any fight, will help you discover what is right. Patience and wit are what you need, for that we need to let go of greed. Close your eyes and be still as a rock, do not worry about thoughts that flock. Find a way to clear your mind, enough that thoughts leave you well behind.” Zecora closed her eyes, folding her legs as she turned as still as a statue. Sweetie tried to copy the position, but found her legs didn’t bend that way. Sitting normally, Sweetie got comfortable and closed her eyes. So she wanted to be still, and not think. Sounded simple enough, all she had to do was stop thinking. Right, that’s still thinking, Sweetie shook her head rapidly, clearing her thoughts as she tried to clear her mind. After five minutes, she opened her eyes and cried out in annoyance. “I’m sorry Zecora, but I can’t do this. Thank you for the help anyway.” Sweetie stood up, watching as Zecora slowly opened her eyes, and stood up. Bowing her head, she smiled warmly. “Do not fear the results of today, I did not expect it to immediately hold you sway. Practice often and soon you’ll find, it comes as easy as breathing to clear your mind.” Zecora escorted Sweetie Belle back to her hut, and bid the filly farewell. Sweetie began heading back toward Ponyville. So she had a way to increase her endurance, agility, and magic. “So if I practice running, then Zecora’s thing, then my magic I shouldn’t be too tired. But I still don’t feel like that’s enough. But it’s not like anyone here knows Karate or anything” Sweetie grumbled loudly as she stopped once arriving in Ponyville. The question was, how much of each should she do each day? “Did you say Karate?” A blue blur landed in front of Sweetie, and she blinked as it cleared into a familiar pony. Rainbow Dash tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded. “I could probably teach you a few things if you want, though I don’t know why you didn’t just ask your sister.” Rainbow Dash motioned in the direction of the boutique. “Why would I ask my sister?” Sweetie tilted her head. This was great! Something she could use to fight! “Well, duh, she’s an even higher belt than I am. I’m only a Songham-er camo belt-er…” Rainbow Dash paused, tapping her chin as she thought of the best way to describe it. “Well let’s just say it’s the belt between yellow and green. Essentially it means I’m pretty awesome at it, but I still have a long way to go. My form’s too freeform, it keeps getting me disqualified during sparring matches.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. It didn’t overly matter, they all agreed she was awesome, even when disqualified. “What belt is my sister?” Sweetie tilted her head, this was the first time hearing that her sister knew Karate. This was great! Sweetie could get lessons from someone even better than Rainbow Dash. “Brown, close to getting the next belt from what I heard one time at the s-” Rainbow Dash cut herself off and smiled sheepishly. Sweetie rolled her eyes, as if she didn’t know Dash liked the spa. “That’s great, I’ll go ask her for help then, see you later Rainbow Dash.” Sweetie waved goodbye, and quickly trotted in the direction of her home. By luck, Rarity was home. Sweetie stepped in and smiled warmly at her sister. “Teach me Karate!” Sweetie saw her sister jolt, and slowly turn toward her. “Come again?” Rarity put her drink down as she regarded her sister. Was she serious? “Rainbow Dash told me you’re a brown belt, whatever that is, in Karate. Please teach me!” Sweetie waited as Rarity digested this, and sighed. “Very well, but It isn’t going to be easy. It requires constant diligence. And I’m a little bit rusty.” Rarity stood up and began to clear the main room of the boutique out. Rarity knew it would be best to get Sweetie a proper teacher, but the filly might not want more than one lesson. Rarity supposed she could at least help her sister get off a white belt. “Alright, let’s begin.” Sweetie slumped on her bed, and sighed. Karate was a lot different to what she expected. It wasn’t tiring like Applejack, nor boring like Zecora’s. It was like a routine. Sweetie closed her eyes and smiled. ‘It is going to be a long time before I can actually be strong enough for what I want, but I can make it. If my magic is growing with each loop, it should mean I can grow my strength in other areas too. Either way, it will only help in the long run.’ Sweetie yawned and settled into bed. Sure, she wanted to do more pranks, but she felt antsy. Her desire to find a way out of the loop was hindering her pranks. “Back to work next loop,” she sighed, knowing she couldn’t faff around any longer. Author's Note I used this for the karate thing. And before you say; Yes the show has Rd wearing a black belt. But it's close enough to the belt I gave her to pass it off as that. I don't see RD having a black belt, it goes against logic. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path To be still in the darkness, searching silently for the fleeting light. The cage may grow tighter, can you tell? Warmth may drain from each regain of the love blossoming through the hearts of the ponies left dynamic, presently unchanging. The creature of darkness plays their own game, by which rules do they play, do you suppose? That in this nightmare a hope remains undying; is it welcome in this land of darkness? L17’Alright, skipping the attempt at Applejack’s course, I've done Zecora’s ‘being still’ class, and practicing the moves Rarity showed me. So that leaves casting the beginner spells again.’ Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated, going through the spells. It wasn’t much progress, but now her horn was letting out a very thin trickle of water. “Alright, time to head over to Twilight’s.” Sweetie turned, trotting downstairs. Pausing briefly at the kitchen, she held out the letter and waited as Rarity responded exactly the same as normal. After weathering the reactions, Sweetie motioned toward the door. “I’ll be at Twilight’s if you need me.” Sweetie inwardly sighed as Rarity objected once more, and narrowed her eyes. “Rarity, how is walking to Twilight’s any different from walking to school?” Sweetie waited, and finally Rarity begrudgingly agreed. Turning, Sweetie exited the house, and quickly apologised to Apple Bloom, before trotting away. ‘Darn, that way is actually slower than the other. I’m going to have to find the best way to get Rarity to let me go. Oh well, it can wait.’ Sweetie knew Twilight would have already left the house, but from the previous loop, she knew what direction she had been heading. Thankfully, Twilight was only about to turn the corner into a side street, so Sweetie was able to find her easily. “Twilight, wait!” Sweetie caught up and waited as Twilight read the letter. Once more, her reactions were exactly the same as all previous loops. Sweetie wondered if there would be a way to at least make this quicker, but supposed there wasn’t. “Can we head back to your castle Twilight? I need your help.” Sweetie’s ears flopped downward as she looked away. Sweetie hated to admit it, but she didn’t know everything. A lot of ideas spoke to her, but she was afraid to take a risk on the possibility they were bad. Following Twilight back to the castle, Sweetie handed Twilight’s notes off, and waited as Twilight slowly caught up with her old self. “I was thinking, what if something that has magic but lives a very long time loops with me. Maybe the magic cuts off at 12:01, and that’s why it drains everypony before that. But I…” Sweetie trailed off, and Twilight nodded once in understanding, musing for a moment. “What about a Phoenix? They technically don’t have an ‘old age’. When they get old, they simply burst into flames.” Twilight sat down, and motioned for Sweetie to do the same. “But, why did Spike get a baby if they live forever?” Sweetie tilted her head, why would something that can live forever need to make babies in the form of eggs? Sweetie briefly wondered if she would ever see a pony egg, but discarded it. There were more important things to think about. “Well, Phoenixes are hunted by Dragons. Teenagers break the eggs, and adults eat Phoenixes. With predators like that, they actually don’t live that long a life normally.” Twilight glanced toward a small photo of Spike and a baby Phoenix, and smiled sadly. “Oh, I see. But where are we gonna get a Phoenix before the loop ends? It’s a long trip to their nests.” Sweetie put a hoof to her chin, musing. “Oh that’s the easy part, Princess Celestia has a pet Phoenix named Philomena. If we inform her of the loop then she will probably lend Philomena to us.” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie nodded, pulling out the glowing letter and holding it out to Twilight. Sure enough, the reply agreed to send Philomena down. However, Celestia could not send Philomena down via the mail, and would send a guard to drop her off tomorrow. Sweetie nodded, shrugging. As long as it was before Friday. Thankfully, Celestia had also given back the glowing letter, which Sweetie quickly put away. “Alright, I’m gonna go to school now. See ya Twilight.” Sweetie stood up, waving goodbye to Twilight. Trotting out the door, Sweetie wondered if this had been a long enough time to get Diamond and Apple Bloom to become fast friends before her return. Entering the classroom, Sweetie inwardly sighed as both were obviously not on friendly terms yet. Maybe it took a day, no matter. Sweetie would have to try it a different loop. “Alright Philomena, you ready?” Sweetie saw the calm expression of the Phoenix sitting in a cage on the other side of the room. It was made out of metal, probably due to the fact Philomena was a fire bird, and had a door that was easy to open. Sweetie glanced toward her closed window and door, and nodded once. Turning, she watched the clock tick over. 11:59… 12:00 Instantly, Philomena burst into flames, and reformed in a blaze of fire. Sweetie looked away, rubbing afterimages from her eyes. Ears flicking, she heard the rapid sounds of two separate bursts of small flame. Sweetie scrunched her eyes, and forced herself to look over. Philomena seemed to not be in any pain, even as she rapidly resurrected. The clock ticked over to 12:01, and Philomena stopped. Sweetie gasped, looking toward the clock. For some reason she felt light headed, and frowned as her mind went foggy. Was it just her, or was she having trouble breathing? It took her oxygen starved brain a moment to realise something important. ‘Fire eats oxygen, and this is an enclosed room.’ Sweetie turned and weakly raised an arm toward the window, trying to open it as she shuddered for breath. But all her strength left her, and she tried instead with her magic. Failing that, she collapsed onto the bed and looked toward the Philomena. Would the Phoenix figure it out? No, Sweetie closed her eyes as she silently suffocated to death. The loop reset, sending Sweetie back to her room. But she was already in her room, so it’s contents followed her though. Sweetie gasped awake, unable to breathe. Diving for the window she found herself still unable to open it. Sweetie suffocated to death again. Stuck in an eternal loop of death, Sweetie knew, in the brief moment she was lucid enough to think, that there was no escape. There was no way to talk, all oxygen gone from her the moment it reset. Quickly, she lost count of the loops. Sweetie felt a tear escape her eye during one of those moments, seeing the Phoenix in the corner going through rapid rebirth as she died repeatedly. There was nothing she could do, she was stuck in a death loop. The door to Sweetie’s room opened, and fresh air rushed into the room. Sweetie gasped for breath, launching into a coughing fit as she barely registered the window opening too. As the clock finally clicked over to 12:01 while fresh air was in the room, Sweetie collapsed in relief. ’I’m ok, I got out of the death loop. I feel so weak.’ Sweetie looked toward the door, watching as Opalescence left Rarity’s room and headed downstairs. Sweetie knew the cat slept in Rarity’s room, so it wasn’t out of the question that she made midnight trips to the kitchen. Slowly sitting up, Sweetie forced herself to calm down. ’The question is, how did I escape?’ Author's Note Before you ask, yes Philomena eventually ran out of oxygen too and the fire would have stopped. Do you think Sweetie would have had the presence of mind to notice that? Also, Sweetie's loop start's with her asleep. So she dies, is asleep, wakes up to find herself suffocating, and dies. Also, I'm taking a day off. L18.1“Dear god, this is my fault! I should have remembered to tell you to open a window. I didn’t think the flame would eat more air than what was casually flowing into the room via cracks.” Twilight was mortified, how could she had made such a stupid mistake? One simple oversight had almost cost Sweetie’s life, forever stuck in a death loop. “It’s fine Twilight, you didn’t know.” Sweetie sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back on her chair. It really wasn’t that big a deal, everything turned out ok in the end. Twilight blinked, eyes slowly turning toward Sweetie. “Are you...apathetic to your death?” Twilight bit her lip, concerned as the filly tilted her head. “As in, you feel nothing about the fact you just died. Not only died, but died repeatedly by suffocation!” Twilight forced herself not to fly off the handle. There was nothing to be afraid of. A little apathy was not the signs of a mad pony, merely one of the steps toward it. “Oh, yeah a little bit I guess. I mean, sure it was maddening while I was dying, but now I’m not I kinda feel it was one of the better ways to die. I mean, I wasn’t scratched all over by a cliff before splattering to piece-oops.” Sweetie remembered too late that this Twilight probably didn’t know too much about it. However, Twilight merely bit her lip and looked away. Sweetie supposed she had a whole section in Twilight’s notes dedicated to in depth details of her deaths. “I don’t like it, but we should move onto the next bit of news. What happened to Philomena?” Twilight sighed, knowing that passing this might end badly in the future. Writing herself a note about it, Twilight returned her attention to Sweetie as she levitated the cage back up, including the live Phoenix inside. “It’s weird. I remember during the last few times, at least when I was conscious enough to look over there, Philomena was just ash. However the moment the window and door opened she burst back to life.” Sweetie placed the cage down and scratched the back of her head. Twilight nodded, writing it down. Beside her was a spare piece of paper, a half written letter to Celestia. “Speaking of which, how did the window and door open?” Twilight watched as Sweetie sighed, and shook her head sadly. “I don’t know. All I know is if it wasn’t for them opening, I wouldn’t have escaped the death loop. What do you think it means?” Sweetie could tell the obvious, but maybe Twilight would figure something out she had missed. Twilight tapped the feather to her face as she sighed, folding her arms and musing. “Well, there must have been outside interference. The question is by whom? How were they not resetting with each loop? This is based on the assumption if they weren’t then they would have gotten you out the very first death loop. I can only assume they’re in the same situation you are, able to keep a pocket around them from resetting each loop. The real question however, is why did they save you? Then there’s the possibility it was you somehow, but that answer doesn’t feel right.” Twilight closed her eyes, and bit her lip. “Sorry Sweetie Belle, but I can only provide questions, not answers. I’ll send out findings to Princess Celestia, if you give me the looping letter, and we’ll see what she has to say.” Twilight took the letter, and carefully scribbled down their findings on a piece of paper. Calling for Spike, Twilight sent it off, and they both waited. Sure enough, the letter arrived quickly. Dear Sweetie Belle and Twilight Enclosed is the loop letter, returned to Sweetie as requested. Moving on, this is indeed news both grave and hopeful. However, there is something I must discuss with Sweetie Belle in person, so I will be flying down with my sister, Luna, on Thursday. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Sincerely, Princess Celestia P.S. Feel free to release Philomena or take her with you though loops. I can confirm my version of her is not harmed in any way. Please do take care of her. Do not worry about feeding Philomena, as she will feed herself if you let her out. I have already instructed her to stay with you, so she will always return to you at sunset. “Huh, I’ve got a pet Phoenix. Awesome.” Sweetie turned, opening the door to Philomena’s cage. Flying out of the cage, Philomena stretched her wings and came to land on Sweetie’s head, making a nest in her hair. Sweetie giggled, and Philomena chirped innocently. “Anyway, that’s that. I’ll see you on Thursday Sweetie.” Twilight smiled warmly as Sweetie trotted away, heading toward school. As soon as the filly was out of sight, Twilight scribed a letter and sent it to Celestia once more. “Dear Twilight, you worry too much. When death is no longer an option, you do gain a certain apathy to it.” Twilight growled, and scrunched up the letter, unconvinced. “I’m sorry Sweetie, but no pets on the school grounds.” Cheerilee felt guilty to be forcing Sweetie to let her Phoenix go, mostly due to the sad look on everyfilly and everycolt’s face. Sweetie sighed, and opened the window. “Alright Philomena, I’ll see you at home at sunset, ok?” Sweetie smiled, holding out a hoof near her head, which Philomena stepped onto. After a moment of nuzzling Sweetie, Philomena flared her wings and took off toward the Everfree. Sweetie sat down, and the class gave a sad sigh. “Alright, now let’s begin today’s class on how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee began the class, and Sweetie glanced over to Diamond. There had to be a better way to get the five of them together without skipping a day. Sweetie glanced over toward Snips and Snails, and discarded her thoughts. It would be nice to hang out with them today. Sweetie quickly checked she still had their loop notes. Nodding, she opened up her book and began to draw. L18.2Sweetie yawned, eyes blinking open, and looked over to the open cage where her new pet Phoenix rested peacefully. Opening the window, Sweetie shivered as a cold breeze rushed into the room. Standing up, Sweetie carefully checked her bags, and trotted downstairs. And came face to face with Celestia. “Uh, Good morning Celestia.” Sweetie bowed lightly, seeing the amused look on Celestia’s face. Bowing in return, Celestia began to speak. Sweetie glanced behind her, seeing Luna holding something in her magic. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my version of Philomena. I need to know how stable our looping selves will be. There is a possibility it could end badly, but Philomena has agreed to take the risk.” Celestia looked toward the second Phoenix, who bowed her head slightly. “But, what if it does end badly?” Sweetie bit her lip and looked between the two. Surely they weren’t going to take such a big risk, right? Celestia bowed her head and smiled serenely. “We would never do it without your consent. We just wanted to present it as an option. Guard, take Philomena back to Canterlot.” Celestia turned, and Luna gave the cage to a guard, who saluted, and walked out of the door. Sweetie sighed, smiling. “Thank you, I really don’t want to see…” Trailing off, Sweetie shuddered. Surprisingly, Opal walked over and gently rubbed against Sweetie’s leg, before skulking away once more. Sweetie watched the cat go, wondering just where that small show of affection came from. “The reason we needed to speak to you in person is due to a request we have. Before that, can you confirm it stopped draining once a full minute had passed?” Celestia folded her wings as Sweetie nodded. “That is indeed news. For, while we may not be immortal, we are very long lived. It is possible we may be able to survive the drain. For how many loops, I do not know. It is possible the magic will not detect our link, and drain only my body of magic, rendering my 'immortality' useless. By that I mean my body will die, but my soul and mind will still be alive, now a part of the sun.” Celestia paused, and bowed her head. “Again, we will not go ahead without your consent.” Luna stepped forward, and the two looked at Sweetie. Gulping, Sweetie debated the problem, before once more shaking her head. “No, I just-I can’t it-just no. Sorry.” Sweetie’s ears flopped back and she looked toward the ground. Two sets of Alicorn wings enveloped her, and she smiled sadly. “Do not apologise, we are merely running the ideas by you. There is one more we must mention.” Luna and Celestia stepped back, and Sweetie raised her head. “If we cut off our magic, or give it to you, we may be able to fool the spell into thinking we aren’t alive. However, it might detect us like it did the tree due to the fact our bodies would still contain minute amounts of magic, which is why we present this third option.” Celestia flared her wings, and Luna continued. “If we use a spell to cause us to technically die for five minutes, we should be able to completely remove all magic from our systems. However, this poses a risk due to the fact that if you can’t power the spell to restart our hearts, we will die. Even if the spell drains the magic from our dead bodies, the moment we are back alive we will quickly regain our magic.” Luna looked toward Celestia, who nodded. “No,” replied Sweetie, shaking her head. "It’s too risky, I have very bad luck, and I’m not very good at magic.” Sweetie bit her lip and looked away. Relying on her skill would not end well. The fact she was terrible at cooking proved that. Still, at least she was making slow improvement with each dish and Rarity’s advice. “Then we will respect your decision.” Celestia bowed her head, and Luna smiled. Feeling relieved she wasn’t being forced into it, Sweetie smiled. “Here is a letter to ourselves about these results in case we bring it up again.” Celestia held out a note covered in golden moonlight. Sweetie tilted her head, this was new. It must be a combination of both translation magics. “Anyway, is there anything else you wanted?” Sweetie followed Celestia and Luna as they walked out the door. “Essentially yes. I also wished to ask if you have gone through the archives of Starswirl. I assume I have already shown them to you, yes?” Celestia looked down as Sweetie nodded. “Most of it yes, a few of them are pretty hard to understand, but Twilight translated them from book-smart into plain Equestrian for me. It’s the final pages that really confuse me. So I took a copy of them. I think once I know more about how this loop works, they’ll make more sense.” Sweetie smiled warmly as the two slowly walked over to the carriage where the cage had already been sat down. Sweetie turned and looked toward her window as her Philomena flew out of it, circled around in the air, and dived for the cage. Landing on it, both Phoenixes looked at each other, and touched beaks. Sweetie flinched and closed her eyes. However, nothing happened. “Well, at least we know that duplicates can meet and touch now.” Celestia raised a hoof, Sweetie’s Philomena hopping onto it and crooning happily. Thrusting her hoof upward, Philomena took into the air, and flew toward the Everfree. Celestia and Luna sat down in the carriage. “But-Shouldn’t there have been a paradox?” Sweetie tilted her head, and Luna chuckled. “Do not worry Sweetie, it’s just physics. Ask Twilight about it.” Luna chuckled as Sweetie winced. Waving goodbye, Sweetie watched the two princesses leave. Sweetie supposed she shouldn’t be surprised they were having some fun with their outing. But did they really have to show up in a banana carriage? Not only that, why did Celestia grant life to a dozen bananas, and give them wings? Sweetie shook her head, knowing if she knew the answer to that question, she’d be that much closer to getting out of the loop. After all, the meaning of life, the universe, of everything, was 42. And 42 divided by banana equaled Celestia. Sweetie shook her head, clearing whatever crazy cloud of thought had consumed it instantly. Boredom, she presumed. Author's Note This chapter was bought to you by the number: Here is another poem made by: Divine Path To still wander lost through the gloomy shade, surely you must find it now? The end of such lies, resting peacefully, ready to escape such a fantastically miserable nightmare. L19.1“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie opened her eyes, and sighed as she stared at the ceiling. In a corner of her room, Philomena quietly preened herself, preparing to leave via the open window. Closing her eyes, Sweetie let her arms fall on her face, letting the feeling of her fur slowly bring back reality. “What’s the point,” she mumbled to herself, rolling onto her side to look out the window. Sighing again, Sweetie opened her eyes slightly, watching life pass by outside. It wouldn’t be long before Rarity came upstairs looking for her. Sweetie sat up and looked to her hoof. “The only way out of the loop is to end the source or find the correct spell to get me out of here. We can experiment all we like but it isn’t going to change anything. It’s time-It’s time to accept this is my life now.” Sweetie hugged herself and bit her lip. After a moment, she stood up, and walked over to her desk as she pulled out a piece of paper. Looking down at it, Sweetie lifted a pen up, and scratched a line through the fifth item. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. 6: Get DT and SS to become CMC. 7: Regain friends “I should probably add a few more items when I get time, but it might be better to just make a list of things I want to do. Hrm…” Sweetie folded the piece of paper up, and put it in her bag. Pulling out a fresh piece, she mused for a moment, before shaking her head. “No, I’ll just end up needing to change it again. Alright! Time for something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.” Sweetie beamed a happy smile, and left her room. Philomena took that as her cue, and flew out the window. Sweetie trotted downstairs, and held the note out for Rarity once more. ’Alright, now I just wait for Rarity’s normal reaction...There! Now I can speak.’ Sweetie quickly cut off Rarity, and opened her mouth to speak. “At midday, somepony is going to come around and take you to Manehattan. I want you to bring me with you.” Sweetie saw the gut-rejection as Rarity denied that ‘even if it was true she would never’. After a moment, Rarity blinked and scratched the back of her head, remembering who she was talking to. “Well Sweetie Belle, if you really want to do so, it doesn’t hurt me to do so. Just remember to stay close and not go off by yourself.” Rarity smiled as Sweetie nodded enthusiastically, and both shared a quick moment of glee. Rarity upon realising she was going to be showing off her fashion in Manehattan, and Sweetie for finally seeing something new. Sure enough, the stallion appeared at midday, and the three were off without a second brush of the mane. Sweetie sat down next to Rarity on the train, both quietly discussing what they would be doing while in Manehattan. However, the stallion quickly cut them off. “I’m afraid Miss Rarity will be too busy organising the fashion shoot to spend time on such activities.” The stallion pulled out a noteboard and handed it to Rarity, who blinked open mouthed at the list on it. Sweetie sighed sadly, now she wouldn’t be able to spend time with her sister. Rarity mused for a moment, before smiling. “Sweetie Belle, how about we spend one more day in Manehattan so you and I can experience the city sights together?” Rarity winced as Sweetie hugged her tightly, and chuckled, returning the hug just as tightly. Rarity quickly went over the list, working out where there would be time to cut corners and spend a moment or two with Sweetie. Discarding such thoughts, Rarity realised Sweetie would just be happy to see her working as if she wasn’t with her sister. Rarity frowned, wondering how she knew that, but shrugged it off as intuition. Sweetie looked out the window as the scenery passed, thinking of how much she had been wanting to do this trip. Getting off the train, they followed the stallion to the hotel they had been assigned, and were given half an hour to settle in. Rarity ordered room service, and they both lounged on the beds for fifteen minutes before Rarity left to get ready. Sweetie smirked, and pulled out her coronation dress from her saddlebags, and quickly got dressed before Rarity was done in the bathroom. “Oh my!” Rarity fawned over Sweetie’s dress, her amazement only growing when Sweetie explained Rarity herself had made it. It was absolutely perfect for Sweetie in her opinion, the black bringing out the filly’s white vibrantly. Rarity looked to her sister’s hair, and quickly ferreted her into the bathroom so she could make the curls really stand out. Finished just in time, both bowed to the stallion as he looked at them, gulped, blushing as he turned away. Both sisters giggled, and followed the stallion to the cab, and off to the building the show would be at, so Rarity could get an idea of the scope of her work. As Rarity looked it over, she nodded, this was definitely workable. “Sweetie Belle, be a dear and help yourself to the hors d'oeuvres while I handle business.” Rarity watched as her sister went over to the table and began to eat delicately. Where had her sister learned how to act fancy, she would never know. Turning, Rarity began working over the details of the decor, designing the place so it would best complement the clothes being shown off. Sweetie ate slowly, feeling a sense of pride as Rarity sent her an approving glance. Sure, it wasn’t as fun as playing with her friends as doing extreme hang gliding was, but it included a lot less tree sap. In fact, the amount of tree sap was 0 exactly. Giggling at her silent joke, Sweetie took a seat so she could watch her sister work, wondering how she would tackle the decorations. Sweetie personally thought it needed pink. A lot of pink. In fact, paint the whole building pink. That would be perfect. L19.2Sweetie jolted awake and looked around in a blind panic, not knowing where she was. Eyes finally catching sight of Rarity, Sweetie relaxed as her memories returned, and she breathed in sharply. Rarity had outdone herself yet again with the decorations. Sweetie was a little disappointed in the lack of pink, but it wasn’t her job to make the place look nice. And really, Rarity had done a very awesome job regardless. “Sweetie Belle, you’re awake! We’re just about done for today, so what do you say we go someplace of your choosing?” Rarity smiled warmly as Sweetie leapt up and hugged her sister, thinking on it. Going somewhere was nice, but she would really like something that would last more than a few hours. “Mind if we go to the bookstore?” Sweetie saw the disappointed look on her sister’s face and looked away, oops. That must have been a test, and Sweetie had failed. Rarity shook her head, putting on a winning smile. “Of course Sweetie, and how about we go out to dinner afterwards?” Rarity smiled warmly as Sweetie jumped at the idea, and led her sister to the cab. It took some time to hail, but Rarity looked down and realised Sweetie didn’t care. Thinking fondly of her for a moment, Rarity almost missed the taxi pulling up. Arriving at the bookstore, Sweetie immediately jumped toward the magic section, looking for any useful books that might help when she was better at magic. Sure, progress was being made, but it was slow going. Sweetie could hold the protection spell while walking now, but it still wasn’t at the level Sweetie needed it to be. ‘Tardis Syndrome? Sounds interesting. Doesn’t somepony in Ponyville call their telephone booth that?’ Sweetie placed the book in her ‘want’ pile, and turned to the next one. This one listed exercises for strengthening her ‘horn muscles’. Sweetie flipped it open to the first page. “Gyah!” Sweetie flipped backward, the book flying and hitting Rarity on the side of the face. Picking it up, Rarity raised an eyebrow and flipped to the first page, before her white body turned bright red, and she slammed it closed. Trotting over to the counter, she got the store clerk’s attention. “Uhm, excuse me darling but I think one of ‘those’ books got into the magic section.” Rarity held out the book, and the clerk blushed, quickly stowing it under the counter with a quick apology as he walked away. Rarity walked over to Sweetie, and leaned down. “Sweetie dear, forget what you saw in that book, it will make sense when you’re older.” Rarity saw the skepticism on Sweetie’s face, and held a serious look. Sweetie sighed, and returned to looking for magic books. Whatever that book was about, Sweetie knew it wasn’t magic. Sweetie eventually found one more magic book titled ‘increasing magic flow in fillies: A guide for parents.’ Levitating her books, Sweetie moved over to the fiction section and began to look for more fun things to read. Sweetie gasped, the new Human Pals was out. Sweetie quickly slipped it between her magic books, hoping no one saw her taking it. Lyra had gotten her onto the series one day when Sweetie had tried getting her Cutie Mark in using a lyre as a slingshot. Somehow, tree sap got involved, again. Sweetie plucked out a few thicker tomes, before looking at one sharing the same name as Twilight. Sweetie turned, and blinked as Rarity thrust it back on the shelf. “Trust me dear, that thing belongs in Opal’s kitty litter box.” Rarity lifted up Sweetie’s books and took them to the counter. Sweetie followed, finished. Proud of herself, she looked over the fifteen books she had managed to find. It was sad that only two were magic books, but it meant she wouldn’t be bored for now. Following Rarity out, they dropped by the inn to drop off the books, and headed for the restaurant. Sweetie changed into the dress she had worn when getting her Cutie Mark, Rarity changing into something equally fancy. Walking in, they quickly got a table, and looked over the menu. “I think I’ll have the Royal Crepe with a red wine, what about you Sweetie?” Rarity folded up the menu as Sweetie perused her own. “I’m thinking the Chef's Salad, I don’t know why but I really like salad. Who would have thought?” Sweetie raised her head and smiled as Rarity chuckled, and quickly ordered for them. As the meal came, Sweetie looked toward the wine. “Rarity, can I have a taste?” Sweetie pointed to the wine, and Rarity tilted her head and considered it. After a moment, she shrugged and held out her cup. Sweetie sniffed it, and took a sip. Wrinkling her face up, she swallowed and gave it back a moment later. Rarity chuckled, digging into her meal. “Blegh, how can you like that?” Sweetie shivered, and Rarity giggled once more. “It’s an acquired taste darling. You’ll love it when you’re older.” Rarity tried to hide her smile as Sweetie tried to get the taste out of her mouth. “Blegh, nope. I’m never having that gunk again.” Sweetie gulped down her drink, calling the waiter over and asking for some apple juice. If that was what adults drunk, Sweetie never wanted to be an adult. Gulping down the apple juice, Sweetie sighed as the taste finally left, and dug into her meal. “We’ll see,” remarked Rarity, a sly smile on her face as she looked over at the tables, eyeing the other guests. Sweetie finished her meal quickly, and eventually it was time for them to go. Sweetie frowned, seeing Rarity stumbling as they tried to ascend the stairs toward the room. If adult drinks did this, and they tasted that bad, why the hell did they drink it? It boggled Sweetie’s mind. Shaking her head, Sweetie helped Rarity into the bed, and slipped into her own. Giving a yawn, Sweetie vaguely noticed it was way past her bedtime. No matter, one late night wouldn’t do any harm. Just like one sip of Rarity’s wine hadn’t done any harm. “Ooooh Fancypants,” mumbled Rarity in her sleep. Sweetie’s eyes flared open, and she groaned. Standing up, she grabbed her pillow and blanket, and trumped into the bathroom to sleep on the floor. Stupid Rarity. Author's Note I actually don't mind the Twilight books. Excluding the last one, they're a decent read. A bit heavy on the draaaaaammaaaa, but a decent read none the less. L19.3“Are you sure you’ll be fine to spend today in the inn? You’re free to come watch the show.” Rarity glanced to the clock that was ticking down the time to the shoot. For a Tuesday, they were starting the shoot very early, 3pm on the dot. Rarity silently cursed the fact she had slept in too long. “I’ll be fine.” Sweetie shrugged, and Rarity bit her lip, and finally left through the door. Pausing before she closed it, Rarity opened her mouth to speak. “Order what room service you want, don’t leave the room, and don’t let anypony but the ponies who bring up the room service in.” Rarity paused once more, unsure if she was really making a good decision, leaving Sweetie alone. Sweetie rolled her eyes and motioned Rarity away once more with a shooing gesture. “Goodbye!” Sweetie sighed as the door finally clicked shut, and yawned. Sleeping hadn’t been very easy to come by last night, so Sweetie was looking forward to an early night. However, she still had a few hours before she let herself sleep, and that meant room service. Sweetie grinned, and quickly scanned the menu, ordering as much candy as she could. Sweetie dug in the moment it was delivered, washing it down with some soda and milkshake, licking her hooves free of chocolate. Sighing, she laid on her bed and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of a candy-filled belly. Plucking out one of her books, Sweetie lazily read it, not even noticing the moment she fell asleep. Sweetie woke up slowly, feeling the buzz of a good nights sleep. However, the moment was quickly swallowed up by the intense need to go to the toilet. Sweetie leapt up, and dashed straight for it. Sighing, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and sniffed the air. Smelled like Rarity had already ordered breakfast. Stepping outside, Sweetie took a seat and ate her dry toast, drinking it down with orange juice. Rarity was quietly reading the newspaper. Sweetie rubbed her stomach, regretting the candy binge from last night. It would be hard to continue her exercise routine with a stomach ache. Sweetie finished her food just as Rarity placed the paper down. “So Sweetie Belle, we’ve got a few things we can do while we’re in Manehattan. We could go visit Applejack's cousin, Babs Seed. Or we could go to the museum and the water park. There’s also a spa I’ve been dying to go do, or we could do some traditional shopping. I’ll leave it up to you.” Rarity waited as Sweetie considered her options. She could always come back another loop after all. “You know, I could really use a day of relaxing. Let’s go shopping, and finish up with a spa trip.” Sweetie saw the giddy glee on Rarity’s face and smiled warmly. While Sweetie would love to dig into her books, or go to the water park, or even visit Babs, all three could wait. Sweetie closed her eyes and sipped her drink, wondering how many loops it would take before Manehattan no longer had anything new for her to see. Rarity decided to show Sweetie how to do proper clothes shopping. Sweetie didn’t entirely understand what went with what, and why. Rarity took her sister under her proverbial wing, and slowly led her toward a clothes rack. Plucking out a piece of clothing, Rarity began to speak. “Now Sweetie, Black goes with most things, however you have to be careful not to couple it with a dull color. Black needs something bright to contrast with it. Dull colors work well in a business setting, but otherwise you want to look good. Most ponies don’t wear pants, but if you do a pair of black pants or a skirt can help complement your flank.” Rarity brought the fabric up to her Mark so Sweetie could see what she was talking about. “Uh, I think I get it.” Sweetie was confused, but it was the good kind of confusion. While a lot of what Rarity was saying was going in one ear and out the other, it was still fun seeing her sister in her element. Sweetie wondered if she would ever look that happy doing her talent, which meant she would not be seen in the limelight. No matter, it wasn’t like Sweetie would ever get the chance to pursue her talent. Sweetie put a hoof to her heart, biting her lip as she felt a deep pain in her chest. Shaking it off, Sweetie quickly went back to listening to her sister. Maybe if she payed attention, she could learn to make her own dresses. After all, Rarity’s talent didn’t involve clothing, just her ability to bring out the diamond in the rough. Sweetie paused again, realising how similar their talents were. Except for the fact Sweetie helped people bring out their hearts, Rarity helped people shine no matter the occasion. Sweetie felt the pain sharp in her chest again, and decided she had done enough clothes shopping. Sweetie’s thoughts wouldn’t allow it. “Alright, let’s head to the spa, a wonderful end to a wonderful week.” Rarity and Sweetie took a taxi to the spa, and Sweetie’s thoughts faded as she began to let herself relax in the comfort of others pampering her. Sweetie vaguely thought about how this was similar to Zecora’s exercise, and finally realised why Zecora was teaching her it. Patience, Sweetie realised what she was teaching was patience. Closing her eyes, Sweetie smiled, and let her thoughts fade, focusing on the moment of pleasure as she was pampered. Eventually though, Sweetie was done, and she soon got out and washed herself off. Looking back, Sweetie realised Rarity was far from done, and sighed. “Rarity, come on, it’s time to go.” Sweetie waited as her sister begrudgingly removed herself from luxury, and followed her sister’s example. As they left, Sweetie saw her sister spend some more bits getting a hot towel for the road to wrap around her neck. As they exited into the street, Sweetie felt a smile plastered on her face. A nice day was its own reward. Author's Note Nows your chance to suggest what Sweetie should do next loop. I expect 500 comments. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Rest guiltless in this wonderful dream, yet to be spoiled by the inevitable darkness. May you retain your splendor through the night, and never lose sight of that light, even as you remain in bliss. L20Author's Note 20th Loop anniversary edition. Thank you for the suggestions. I'll be sure to enact them if and when appropriate. L20 Sweetie opened her eyes, waking up early for once. Quickly checking her bags, she walked downstairs and quickly ate her pancakes. They were yummy as always, but Sweetie silently wished she could eat something else on a Monday for once, just to liven things up. Oh well, Sweetie stood up and headed for the door. “Apple Bloom, can you head to school without me? I’m going to be late.” Sweetie waved goodbye to Apple Bloom as she left, and turned, heading down a side street. Looking around, Sweetie spotted them and smiled. Taking off into a run, Sweetie ‘accidentally’ ran into them, causing them to tumble into a pile. “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry!” Sweetie quickly untangled herself from the pile, and Snips and Snails quickly dismissed her apology. Sweetie pretended to pause, and then narrow her eyes. “Wait, you’re Snips and Snails, two colts who sit in the back of the class.” Sweetie tilted her head as they shared a sheepsh glance, and nodded. “And you’re Sweetie Belle, the filly who sits at the front and is teased for not having...a…” Snips looked down at Sweetie’s flank, and both gasped. Sweetie blushed, taking a step back. “Congratulations on the-” spoke Snails. “Cutie Mark,” finished Snips. Both shared a glance and smirked. Sweetie giggled, and took a step closer. “Thank you, I actually got the day off because I got my Mark.” Sweetie raised her head proudly up, and the two colts breathed out in awe. A full day off for getting a Mark? Boy, they were envious. “Why don’t you join me?” Sweetie fluttered her eyes and smiled as both blinked, and shared a glance. “Uh, sorry but we can’t.” Snails looked down in disappointment, and Snips nodded solemnly. Sweetie shrugged, and gestured with a hoof. “Come on, what’s one day of skipping going to do. Let’s go look for bugs at the edge of the Everfree.” Sweetie beamed a brilliant smile, and both colts blinked at her, before looking away and scratching the back of their heads. “Mm-ookay,” spoke Snips. “Yeah, sure,” replied Snails. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school!” Sweetie beamed a dirt-caked smile at the two colts, and bounced her filthy flank home. Both colts waved her goodbye, and quietly skulked home. Sweetie snuck upstairs to the bath, and quickly ran it before Rarity got wise. Once she was sparkling clean, Sweetie nodded, brushing her hair as she headed downstairs. “How was your day Sweetie Belle?” Rarity ate her food quietly as Sweetie saw down to hers. “Oh you know, the usual. Everypony was exited about my Mark though.” Sweetie smiled warmly at her sister, and started eating. Soon enough, she was done, and it was time for bed. Heading upstairs, Sweetie closed her door, and finally let her smirk show, looking toward Philomena. Jumping into bed, she silently laughed as she hugged her pillow. Tomorrow was the day. Sweetie walked into class proudly, taking her seat. Glancing back, Sweetie was pleased to see it looked like Diamond and Apple Bloom were on familiar terms, quietly discussing her new Mark. Sweetie leaned down, getting into work as she waited for the class to end. After three aching hours, it was time for lunch. “Hey Scootaloo, Apple Bloom!” Sweetie greeted her friends, waiting for Snips and Snails to leave the classroom. Both of her friends shared a glance, before shaking their heads rapidly and smiling. “Hey Sweetie, guess what? We managed to convert Diamond and Silver into Crusaders.” Scootaloo pointed to the two as they walked out, and shared an uneasy smile. Sweetie waved eagerly, and the two walked over. “Uh, hey. Listen, we’re...sorry for calling you a blank flank.” Diamond scratched the back of her head, biting her lip as she awkwardly apologised to Sweetie, having already done so to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Sweetie smiled and brought Diamond into a very quick hug. “Don’t worry, I forgive you.” Sweetie felt Diamond flinch, and then relax. Releasing Diamond, Sweetie stepped back so all her friends could see her, and waved Snips and Snails over. “Girls, you know Snips and Snails. Can we please include them in our group? They’re very fun.” Sweetie motioned both colts forward as they hesitated, hearing her introduction. All four fillies shared a glance, and then rolled their eyes. “Of course they can Sweetie.” Scootaloo smiled warmly, and all four walked over and began talking to Snips and Snails. Sweetie smiled, pleased with the results. Now all her friends were together. There was just one last thing to do. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, I know how to get you your Marks. But we need Diamond and Rainbow Dash’s help.” Sweetie could tell Diamond wasn’t entirely comfortable around them yet. And that meant they needed a bonding moment. Sweetie looked toward Scootaloo, who nodded. “I’ll get Rainbow Dash for tomorrow.” Scootaloo then turned her gaze to Diamond, who sighed. “Alright, what do you need me to do?” Diamond walked over to Sweetie as the filly motioned, and frowned as Sweetie whispered into her ear. “Well, alright, but are you sure this will work?” Diamond watched as her new friend enthusiastically nodded, and sighed. Whatever Sweetie knew that she didn’t, she’d find out. “Alright, we’ll meet at my house tomorrow, and do the thing with Rainbow Dash in the afternoon. Does that sound good to everypony?” Diamond looked between them as they all nodded, and glanced to the sky. “Alright, is there anything else? We’ve still got fifteen minutes left of lunch.” Diamond saw everypony except Silver smirk. Sweetie stepped forward, and gently booped Diamond on the nose. “You’re it,” she whispered, and everypony scattered. Diamond blinked, and then smiled, chasing after one of them. “Oh come on! I’m always it!” “No no no! That spoon goes over here!” Silver Spoon glared at Scootaloo, who numbly put the spoon where it apparently went. Silver nodded once, and glanced over to the other four. Diamond Tiara was overseeing their ‘Fancy cutlery setting up’ over the other side of the table. They were using paper plates, so nothing had a chance of getting broken. “Ugh, you three are useless! You’re worse than blank flanks, you’re no-flanks!” Diamond pulled out the chair and leapt onto it, and then onto the table so she could look down at them. Apple Bloom met the glare, and opened her mouth to say something back. Sweetie put a hoof over the mouth, and shook her head. “Seriously, you three can’t even set up a table right, how are you expecting to master this? This is servant work.” Diamond thumped her hoof on the table three times, and then turned toward the chair and made to step off the table. However, it suddenly creaked, and snapped on one end, sending her careening toward a window. On the second floor, it would most certainly hurt. Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated, dragging Diamond to the ground, causing her to skid to a stop just before the window. Pretending it took a lot more out of her than it actually did, Sweetie wiped her brow. It was important she act as she did on Loop 7. “Are you ok?” All moved around to make sure Diamond was ok. Sweetie reached out a hoof, but stepped back as it was swiped away. Diamond turned, and glanced toward the table. “What was that noise up there?” It was Mr Rich, Diamond flinched and breathed in sharply. Sweetie looked to Apple Bloom, who was looking at the table, and tilting her head. “Think you can fix it?” Sweetie waited as her friend blinked, and gave a shrug. “Maybe, but Mr Rich isn’t going to just wait down there while I try to fix the table.” Apple Bloom turned as Scootaloo saluted, and dashed for the stairs. Sweetie moved toward the table and helped Apple Bloom lift it up, grunting. Feeling the weight slightly lessen, she saw Silver, Snips, and Snails were helping. All glanced to Diamond, who blinked and followed suit. “Ah need a hammer and some nails!” Apple Bloom raised her head and looked to Diamond, who quickly dashed away to get the tool kit. Sweetie bit her lip, and Apple Bloom pulled a chair over, bringing it to rest just under the lower end of the table. “Y’all can let go now.” Apple Bloom nodded as the chair kept the table from hitting the floor, leaving her enough room to examine it while she waited for Diamond to get back. Below, Scootaloo was stalling Mr Rich, but it wasn’t going very well and he was already at the stairs. If he got to the top, the table would be in clear view of the stairs. “Here!” Diamond came back with a large tool kit held in her mouth. Apple Bloom took it and nodded to Sweetie and the others, who lifted the table back up to more or less horizontal. Apple Bloom quickly got to work, sweat beading on her head as she forced herself not to rush, despite the noise as somepony slowly walked up the stairs. “Can I see your money collection? Tell me about stocks!” Scootaloo’s panicked cries were ringing through as Mr Rich ignored every one. Apple Bloom was sweating, hooves shaking. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and forced herself to work slowly, but quickly. As she hammered the last nail in with a loud thunk, Mr Rich saw them surrounding the table. “What is going on.” Mr Rich looked as Apple Bloom rolled out from under the table. Looking between her and the hammer clutched in her mouth, he turned to look to Diamond as she strained to hold the table upright. “You can let it go now,” whispered Apple Bloom through the hammer. All five gently lowered the table down, and let go. It was rock steady. Mr Rich walked over and tapped it, before putting some weight onto it and frowning, tilting his head. Turning to Diamond, he folded his arms. “You were standing on the table again weren’t you?” Mr Rich was proven right, as Diamond lowered her head and gave a nod. He sighed, and looked toward Apple Bloom. “Dun worry sir! Ah fixed it up all good an’ proper so ya dun have ta’ worry about it.” Apple Bloom put the hammer down and motioned toward the tools sheepishly, as he once more leaned onto the table. “I can see that, this table used to have a wonky leg.” Mr Rich let his frown drop as he leaned down and examined the fixed leg of the table. “Where did you put the nails? I can’t even tell what is your work and what was already there.” Mr Rich looked toward Apple Bloom and let his surprise show. Slowly, the filly smiled and began to point toward specific nails. “Ya’ see, the table leg was wonky ‘cause this piece of wood wasn’t ‘ammered in properly. So ah fixed up tha’ piece and added some nails for extra support.” Apple Bloom felt hopeful, maybe they weren’t going to get punished. Mr Rich stepped back, and chuckled, shaking his head. “Well I can’t exactly let a filly who just got her Cutie Mark be punished can I?” Sure enough, on Apple Bloom’s flank was a picture of two pieces of wood being hammered together with a nail. There was also a small clock burned into one of the planks. “Ah dun believe it! Ah got mah Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom and her friends celebrated while Diamond and Spoon stood off to the side, feeling awkward. After a moment Apple Bloom turned to them and smiled warmly as she walked over. “But how did ya know Sweetie?” Apple Bloom tilted her head as Sweetie put an arm around Diamond’s neck. “This was all Diamond’s idea. I could have never done it without her.” Sweetie smiled, and Diamond frowned, confused. However, as the others crowded around to thank her, and congratulate Apple Bloom, she decided to forget about it. Diamond would never admit it, but she was a sucker for compliments. Sweetie watched this from the back, smiling warmly as she saw Snips and Snails join in. All in all, it had gone mostly to plan. Sweetie supposed it was lucky Snips and Snails didn’t change anything major. Either way, it was time for the next item. While it had happened on a separate day the last time, Sweetie was sure it would be possible to do it in one. Especially after her secret instructions to Rainbow Dash. All left the house, and met up with Rainbow Dash, who winked at Sweetie. Smiling innocently, she watched as Rainbow Dash explained she would be teaching Scootaloo how to ride a cloud down an obstacle course. Scootaloo buzzed her wings excitedly. “We have to clear the clouds for tomorrow anyway, I see no reason not to get an early start. I‘ll be right back.” Rainbow Dash quickly got to work constructing the clouds. Sweetie glanced toward the others, seeing their reactions. Stifling a yawn, Sweetie returned her attention to Rainbow Dash. "Hop on Scoots, I’ll show you how to make a board. Hang on a sec kid, something's wrong with the cloud.” Sweetie watched as Rainbow Dash showed Scootaloo how to make a board, and then realised Scootaloo was having trouble controlling her innate magic. “Could ya tone down the magic, sis? It’s interfering with the stuff I used to make the cloud stay in shape. Hold on a sec, lemme see your wings.” Sweetie tapped her foot, trying not to show her impatience. It wasn’t like she could bring out a book, she was supposed to be eager to see what Rainbow Dash was doing. “Scoots, have you ever used weather magic before? Are ya foster parents Earth or Unicorn?” Once more, Dash watched Scootaloo nod. Sweetie sighed, noticing the others had noticed her annoyance. Forcing herself to act like she was paying attention, the others quickly lost interest. “There’s the reason for it then, and with Cheerilee being an Earth Pony; no wonder it’s leaking out so much. Alright, listen carefully, I’m not much of a teacher so this’ll be very basic, but follow exactly what I say. Alright, now for the final test.” Sweetie mused over what Rainbow Dash spoke about, understanding slightly more. As Scootaloo flew around, she wondered if it would be possible to get a book about it. It sounded like an interesting subject. “Heh, I wonder if she’s gonna remember we’ve got stunts to pull.” Sweetie waited impaitently for Scootaloo to remember exactly what Dash had said. “Alright, time to surf those clouds, kid.” Sweetie watched as Scootaloo went through the course, keeping her expression the same as the crowd. “That...Was...AWE-SOME!” Dash and everyone began to crowd around Scootaloo, giving praise. Even Diamond, who was standing slightly to the side, sent a ‘good job’ her way. As Scootaloo felt everyone praising her, and the knowledge she would never be grounded again, tears sprung to her eyes, and she looked to her flank as a tingling distracted her. Sweetie watched as Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash shared a tearful hug, and nodded. There was just two more things to do. Sweetie dodged one snowball, tossing her own at Snips before getting hit in the head by one from Snails. Ducking, Sweetie nodded to Diamond and Silver, who were on her team, and they both rose, sending a flurry at the two colts, who were buried under the snow. A white flag popped out of the snow, and Sweetie turned her attention back to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Darn it, we took so long with Snips and Snails they made a flank-load of snowballs.” Sweetie smiled warmly at Diamond and Silver, and they all knew they were going to lose. Raising her final snowballs with magic, Sweetie charged the enemy base. “We fight to our last breath!” Sweetie gave a battle cry, Diamond and Silver right behind her. As they fell under the torrent, Sweetie saw Scootaloo get face planted with a snowball from Silver, and smiled as she fell backward. Next time, she would win Snips and Snails to her side and get those two out of the way, betraying the colts at the right moment. “Alright, I’ve gathered you here because I have something to tell you.” Sweetie had Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight standing behind her as she faced her friends. All gulped, but stood strong. Sweetie glanced toward the three adults behind her, and they nodded. “I am stuck in a time loop. That’s how I knew how to get Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s Marks. These three behind me will vouch for me if you don’t believe me. I can even get Princess Luna and Celestia if that is still not enough proof.” Sweetie looked at the skeptical faces, and all turned to Applejack. “She’s tellin the truth, Ah can vouch.” Applejack was not a liar, so they shared a glance and sighed. “Why are you telling us this? And why today?” Diamond spoke first, and Sweetie bit her lip. “Well, I want to get something to prove I am looping from each of you. And today is the last day so…” Sweetie trailed off, and the others paused. “Well, I guess we can do that. I mean if tomorrow comes we can always get you back for it.” Silver put a hoof to her chin, and Diamond nodded. The others gave them a glare, but relented quick enough. “Snips, Snails, I already have your proof.” Sweetie held up their letters, and the two colts took it, blinking in surprise. “Oh wow,” gasped Snails. “We believe you.” Snips nodded, and both handed back the letters. “Alright, so we jus’ need ta write something that only we would know?” Apple Bloom tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded, holding out paper. All four sighed, and wrote down the information as requested. “If it were anypony but mah sis, Ah wouldn’t be doin this.” Apple Bloom held out the piece of paper, and Sweetie took it, taking the others in her magic. Putting them in her bag, she gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, now I won’t have to handle…” Sweetie forced herself to stop talking, and shook her head rapidly. Smiling she turned toward Rarity. “Can we have the day off?” Sweetie waited as Rarity sighed, and shrugged. “Oh alright, but you owe me.” Rarity winked, and Sweetie giggled, running off to enjoy the final day with her friends all together. L21.1“Hyah!” Sweetie sent out a small burst of water at the target, drenching it before switching to the next one. The water came out of her horn in short bursts, and Sweetie was obviously concentrating. Behind her, Twilight quickly levitated the targets in random patterns, making Sweetie’s job of hitting them much more difficult. “Next!” Twilight watched as Sweetie turned and bent her horn close to the fire, and cast the spell. A spark erupted from her horn as she leaned back, setting the wood on fire. After she stepped back, the flame died down, now feeding on the wood instead of her magic. Sweetie wiped a bead of sweat off her brow. “Next!” Twilight levitated up some pepper mixed with itching powder, and sniffed it up. Feeling the sneeze about to explode, she sighed in relief as the spell swept over her, followed by one to remove the itching powder’s itch a second later. Twilight shook her head, and then sat down. “Next!” Twilight felt the spell hit her in the head, and instantly blacked out, after a moment she was quickly roused by a spell. Shaking off the muggy feeling in her head, Twilight cast the wake-up spell on herself a second time, clearing the effects of the first spell. Twilight took a step, and felt her hoof lock up, causing her to trip forward on the grass. Spitting out some of the dirt, she stood up, and clapped Sweetie Belle. “Good job, I think you’re ready to move onto intermediate. Promise me you’ll be careful with them though. What do you say we take a half-hour break, and come back to test them after?” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie nodded, sitting down at the picnic beside the now-burning fire. Eating her sandwich, she felt pleased by her progress. Twilight had suggested they practice on a hill near Applejack’s farm, away from any trees that might catch on fire. While Twilight was sure she could contain any magic mishaps without worry, it didn’t hurt to have a little extra protection. Sweetie sipped her apple juice and tried to hide her glee. Finally she would learn some proper spells. “Alright, let’s start with stun and disarm.” Twilight stood up, and picked up her fork, pretending it was a weapon, and crouched low to the ground. Trying to look fierce, Twilight even growled, much to Sweetie’s entertainment. Picking up the book, Sweetie read how to cast both the spells, and concentrated. Sweetie first cast stun, watching the beam leave her horn and hit Twilight. Twilight blinked, and then returned to her fierce gaze. Sweetie bit her lip, and cast the disarm spell. Her magic hit the magic holding the fork, and flung it behind Twilight. Sweetie was annoyed because it was literally right behind Twilight, but at least it hadn’t hit her. “Both could use a bit more force, but that will come as you grow your magic with that force-field. How’s that going by the way?” Twilight picked up the fork and put it back down on the picnic, glancing to the fire and dousing it with a quick spell. It was too warm for a fire anyway. Sweetie shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay, I can hold it for half a day now, and talk with it on. But I still lose it if something unexpected happens.” Sweetie raised her head as Twilight nodded, and took to the sky. Bringing a cloud down, Twilight held it near the ground for Sweetie. Getting the hint, Sweetie cast a cloudwalking spell, and jumped onto the cloud. Standing on it, she slowly sunk through it and gently slipped out the bottom, landing on the grass with a soft thud. “So the same situation with cloudwalking. Alright, now try knockback and the smokebomb.” Twilight kicked the cloud, dispersing it, and stepped back. Crouching down, she prepared her ‘war’ face and growled once more. Sweetie forced herself not to smile, and concentrated. Casting the spell, it hit Twilight and sent her back very slightly, but didn’t break her concentration. Sweetie pointed her horn to the ground between them, and cast the second spell. A small explosion of dust appeared, and quickly dispersed. “Right, I think I know what the problem is, but let’s see the last two spells. Do teleportation last.” Twilight waited as Sweetie concentrated, groaning as she forced as much magic as she could into the spell. Pointing her horn in the air, Sweetie sent a bolt of magic into the air just above her. The spell exploded into a tiny, colorless, sparkles that fizzled out almost instantly. “Teleportation…” Sweetie concentrated, wondering if she would even have the magic to teleport. Feeling her headache building as she tried to hold more and more magic in her horn, she was not anticipating the sudden explosion right in front of her, and the immediate headache. Twilight was quick to help her back up once Sweetie confirmed she was ok. “Alright, so the problem I’m seeing is you’re not able to get enough magic out of your horn. Think of it like a water tap. While I can turn mine up to a torrent, yours can only go to a trickle. The problem with that is, there isn’t many techniques to increase the flow of magic. I had a similar problem, at least until the day I got my Mark. “My magic exploded outward, essentially opening the floodgates. It took me a long time to learn how to stop my magic from just flowing out, and by that time I’d lost a lot of my built-up magic that most ponies have. I had to basically refill my water supply, and that was impossible until I learned how to turn my ‘tap’ off. If it wasn’t for Celestia, I would have probably spent my life with very weak magic.” Twilight paused, and sat down, putting a hoof to her chin. “There’s two possible solutions to your problem. One is you do what you have been doing, slowly opening your tap though practice. The other is we purposely force a magic surge on you, which is not a fun experience. Hrm.” Twilight mused for a moment, and then looked toward Sweetie, who shrugged. “Let’s go with the magic surge.” Sweetie nodded determined. Even if it wasn’t fun, it would still be safe, Twilight would make sure of that. Sweetie was tired of always feeling like she had the weakest magic. Now there was a chance she could fix that problem. “Alright, I’ll get Celestia and Luna in on it too, just in case. Meet me at the castle tomorrow.” Twilight wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but it couldn’t end too terribly. Even with Sweetie being the center of the loop, her magic ‘tap’ being opened wouldn’t harm anything. Well, that’s what Twilight’s science said. And science was known for being proven wrong. Author's Note Edit: That was weird, published and yet not? A lot of people have asked if the CMC still experience the draining, why Rarity believes it so easily, etc etc. The answer is yes, they do. I just omit it so that I don't get comments like this: So if you see something missing from a chapter, and it's following a normal order of events, that's why they're not there all the time. It's a fact of life in a time loop that events can seem copypaste if you constantly say the same thing, even when they're not. So if you see me skipping the CMC apology, Rarity learning about the time loop, and other such events, that is why. Also, happy . Here's some more awesome fanart, this time by Sbloom85: L21.2“So you’re saying I’ll be like a cup, and there’s a hole in the side near the bottom. But because it’s not at the bottom I’ll always have a small bit of magic?” Sweetie tilted her head, it made sense. Twilight nodded, glancing to Celestia for confirmation. “It would be too risky if you lost all your magic. Chances are extremely likely that would make the magic that is causing the loop to think you’re dead.” Celestia’s horn glowed yellow as she finished casting the final spells on the large room. They all knew what happened if the loop thought Sweetie was dead. “Are you sure this is safe?” Sweetie bit her lip, feeling unsure about her decision, now that it was time to actually go through with it. What if it turned out badly? After all, Sweetie had drained a lot of magic from ponies due to her reset outside, surely that might be more than Celestia can handle? “Do not worry. While I did not have the chance to take such measures when Twilight surged, there are many spells to reduce the damage it can do. One of these will funnel your magic into Luna, who has the highest tolerance for foreign magic. This way, once the surge is over, we can return what you lost, circumventing most of the problems Twilight had when she began to yearn for more complicated spells.” Celestia gently levitated Sweetie Belle’s bags off her back. “Hey, what are you doing?” Sweetie held out a hoof in objection, and Celestia quickly brought up a new pair of saddlebags. These ones appeared smaller, and was made of a black material with pink lines going down it, the same color as Sweetie’s mane. Sweetie glanced inside, and gasped, it was nearly twice as big as her old saddlebags inside. But, how? “During olden times, we often had to carry an army of paper with us. Saddlebags didn’t have enough room, even with how much we could carry. So we convinced Starswirl to invent a spell to help. So he made a spell to make the space inside saddlebags twice as large as the space outside, give or take a bit depending on the skill of the unicorn casting the spell.” Celestia paused, and put a hoof to her chin, glancing to Luna. “Come to think of it, didn’t Starswirl say he had gotten the idea from a colleague of his who was in town for the week?” Celestia waited as Luna shrugged, and waved the issue away, returning her attention to carefully repacking Sweetie’s new bag. Sweetie smiled, this was great news! Not only would she now not have to carry such bulky saddlebags, they were pretty too. “No matter, back on the the topic at hand. Even if Luna gets overwhelmed and is unable to handle the magic being sent her way, we have set it so it will instead be sent to the moon to be divided between the stars. I expect, depending on the amount we receive, the night sky will look vibrant for centuries to come. We have made every certainty in ensuring your safety.” Celestia bowed her head, Twilight looking over her notes. Sweetie breathed in, “Alright, let’s do this.” Sweetie stepped into the center of the room, feeling the magic vibrating in the air. Forcing herself to remain calm, she waited as the other three got into position, Luna and Celestia in front with Twilight behind her. They hadn’t told her what the test would require, so Sweetie was confused when they brought in a metal pole. “Using levitation, bend this pole.” Celestia and Luna looked seriously at Sweetie, so she picked up the pole in her magic. Maybe the test was to overcome her limits, and that would bring on the surge. Concentrating, Sweetie poured all her magic into trying to get it to bend. Grunting as the metal refused to budge, Sweetie glanced sheepishly at Celestia and Luna’s disappointed faces. Trying again, Sweetie gritted her teeth and concentrated so hard, she was giving herself a headache. KABLAM! Sweetie jumped, hearing something explode behind her. Giving a cry of fright, she glanced behind her to see Twilight holding a popped balloon, and quickly realised she no longer had control of her magic. The fright had removed a force she hadn’t been aware existed. Sweetie cried out, tears streaming from her eyes as a corona of energy burst out of her horn, surrounding her. Sweetie couldn’t see, there was magic in her eyes, and pain erupting from her horn. Sweetie felt no control over her own body, and she realised exactly what a foal she had been to think this was a good solution. Her horn felt like someone was tearing it off, and her body was spread out like she was on an operating table, her voice no longer working. Then all of a sudden, Sweetie felt something slide over her horn. It was done slowly, and Sweetie realised something she hadn’t been aware of in her head was there. It was like a-well it was as if there has been something blocking her horn that was currently locked in an upward position that was currently being forced back down. Sweetie supposed another way of explaining it was that it was as if someone was turning a handle she had only just become aware of, that was attached to her head, and limiting the flow of magic coming out of her horn. Sweetie realised, with shock, that as the force slowly closed it, she was gaining control of it. Almost like she was growing a second horn. As the force finally closed over her horn, and the handle clicked, telling her brain the flow was almost entirely sealed off, the magic holding her instantly faded. Sweetie felt her body slowly lower to the ground, feeling as if every nerve was alive with energy. Shivering like she had just gotten out of an ice cold shower, Sweetie looked to Celestia, whose horn was glowing. “Stay still, we’re almost done.” Celestia’s horn gained a second aura, and Sweetie felt the force holding her ‘handle’ vanish. For a brief moment, she was worried her ‘handle’ would immediately slam back to open, but it stayed inert. Very slowly, Sweetie felt the trickle of magic being returned to her body, and looked over to Luna to see a thin stream of magic connecting hers and Sweetie’s horns. After a moment, it faded, and Sweetie felt exhausted, but not, at the same time. “Alright, take as long as you need to recover. We can talk after.” Celestia’s words swept the breath out of Sweetie, and she fell into a sitting position. Her entire body ached, and she closed her eyes as the familiar headache returned. Sweetie didn’t want to risk casting magic just yet, so she decided to grin and bear it for now. As her head metaphorically cleared, she stood back on on shaky limbs, and nodded. “I was quite surprised, the amount of magic being expelled was quite a lot...less than what I was expecting.” Luna glanced toward Twilight, who nodded, joining them in front of Sweetie. “Yeah, it was less than my surge too. Uh! No offense intended.” Twilight sheepishly smiled at Sweetie who discarded it. Sweetie knew she was never going to be ‘magically talented’ like Twilight, but that was ok with Sweetie. Celestia was the only one who looked grave. “Twilight, didn’t you say Sweetie got out of a death loop somehow?” Celestia waited for Twilight’s reply. Pausing, Twilight tried to catch up with her mentor’s thoughts. After a moment of thought, she gasped. “Wait, are you saying that what got Sweetie out of the death loop might also be taking what energy is drained each loop?” Twilight bit her lip as Celestia nodded. “It is the first explanation that comes to mind when I consider the fact Sweetie does not have any of the magic she should contain from draining multiple ponies for...ten loops?” Celestia glanced toward Sweetie, who smiled sheepishly. “Uh, this is loop 21.” Sweetie saw their mild shock, and looked away. Now they probably wanted to know what she had been doing those twenty loops. Surprisingly, they simply moved on. “So, the real question is; what do we do about it?” Luna glanced between Twilight and Celestia, and both sighed. Shaking their heads, all looked toward Sweetie Belle. “I guess you could try to find who it is. I mean, that might even be the way out of the loop. Maybe your loop is different to Starswirl’s. Still, that presents the problem of finding them. Apparently they are also not affected by the time loop.” Twilight began to write down her notes. “We mustn’t forget there’s the chance this entity is not actually alive, and is just the spell’s design. I understand it’s difficult to not want to put the blame on somepony but…” Luna trailed off, and Twilight nodded, putting down Luna’s notes as well. “Either way, we are forgetting the most important aspect here; dear Sweetie had just gone through a surge and is likely worried about using magic.” Celestia had seen Sweetie holding her head, trying to ignore the headache. Smiling gratefully, Sweetie forced herself to listen despite the pain. “It is perfectly safe to use magic, just be aware you will have trouble managing how much to put into a spell while you learn how to control your magic. Be careful of putting too much in and getting a spell to explode in your face. The same goes for putting too little. As always, we will be here if you need us.” Celestia smiled, flaring her wings as she looked between Luna and Twilight. “Alright, thank you.” Sweetie cast the force field spell, wincing as her horn wanted to gush out all her magic. Thankfully, the spell soaked it up while Sweetie slowly reduced the amount to what the forcefield actually required. As her headache faded, Sweetie was able to fine tune it even more, relishing the control she had now. “Thank you,” she spoke to the three Alicorns, who smiled warmly in response. Author's Note Grunting as the metal refused the budget, Sweetie glanced sheepishly at Celestia and Luna’s disappointed faces. Pfff SSL57I invented a spell to transfer my mind to a temporary host, the first test being a rat. However the loop merely thought me dead and reset me back to my old body. A pity, the one time I could have eaten all the cheese I wanted. Er-I mean, ever since I found out Celestia has a room filled with cakes, I spent three loops eating the entire room, and five working off the resulting stomach ache. I have a problem. As it is, I have incinerated the spell I mentioned above, as it is useless. It is probably a ‘crime against ponydom’ too now that I think of it. After all, I could easily use to it jump into another pony’s body. Sure it would meld our minds together into some freakish pish posh of both personalities, but it is possible. I think I’ll try making shield spells next. Maybe if I devise a ‘complete’ version based on the highest power one, I can invert it in such a way to, at the very least, limit the effect of the time loop. If it works, then only I will loop. Which means storing all my notes in a box and including it in the bubble. But I digress... In other news, I discovered that Alicorns have a unique reaction to ingesting rocks. Apparently it causes a euphoric feeling in their bodies. It is quite curious to see, and very entertaining. I wonder if I could create a spell designed to give a pony the same feeling. No, it is best I don’t. Heaven forbid what would happen if the youth of tomorrow got a hold of it. Speaking of tomorrow, I wonder if a time spell would work. It wouldn’t have to last long, just enough to quickly pop into the future, see if I get out. I better put limiters on the spell too if I leave it written down. Then again, maybe it would be better to go into the past and- Well that’s just great. My future self just visited me. There’s only bad news. Not only do I now have to create the spell, and go back in time to repeat what he just said to me to fulfill the paradox, it counts the loop time, AND I now have to keep track of time while I work so I know when to jump back to. Stupid future selves and their knowledge of the now. Ps. Why the hell did I think putting my Mark on each page was a good idea? I think I'll stop here. It's stupid, who doesn't know me? Nopony, that's who. L22Sweetie was currently back practicing her spells, however this time she was getting a lot of magical explosions in her face, instead of just a weak spell. Sweetie’s water spell had blown Twilight sky high, and the fireworks were exploding right in front of Sweetie’s horn, earning her some very light burns. Thankfully, the spell was designed to prevent injury for the most part. Sweetie had spent the rest of the loop training with Twilight, and had decided to continue it in the mornings. Sweetie concentrated, trying to teleport again. Twilight watched as the filly blinked, coming out at the other side covered in soot. Wincing, Twilight thought back to her first tries, when she had used too much energy to teleport. Sweetie dusted herself off, and then smiled at Twilight. “I gotta go now. I’ve been secretly organising something for a few loops now.” Sweetie smirked as Twilight was instantly curious, and followed Sweetie into town toward a very poorly made stand. Twilight wondered if Sweetie was going to sell Lemonade, but as she looked toward the sign she narrowed her eyes. “Fortune teller?” Twilight watched as Sweetie sat down and flipped a sign to open. Slowly, people began to crowd around. Sweetie shrugged nonchalantly in response. “Granted I don’t have a lot of information about what they will be doing, I can learn it for the next loop using this sign right here.” Sweetie levitated up a sign saying ‘Accurate predictions or your money back!’ Twilight snorted, and took a seat beside Sweetie. Sure, she was going to read the new Daring Doo book that Rainbow Dash had lent her, personally signed too. But that could wait, this was much more interesting. The first customer was Lyra Heartstrings, ever the believer in strange and kooky things. Sweetie watched as the bit was dropped into her jar, and closed her eyes, pretending to concentrate. “Ask your question about the future,” she spoke, making her voice waver. Sweetie hoped she was doing a decent job of selling the ‘fortune teller’ look as well, despite her lack of clothing. Sweetie was silently hoping nopony would ask any questions she wouldn’t know for another loop, but it was always a possibility. “Is it going to snow tomorrow?” Lyra glanced to the crowd, deciding on a simple question. Lyra knew that the weather ponies were planning to bring snow, what with Winter coming soon, so it was a prediction she could actually use. After all, it was quite easy to bundle up. Lyra would return for some harder questions later. “No, but it will on Thursday.” Sweetie smiled warmly, closing her eyes and tilting her head. She was lucky Lyra had asked such a simple question. As she moved along, Sweetie looked to the next pony. It was Applejack. Tossing a bit into the jar, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “How many apples will I pick tomorrow?” Applejack smiled, knowing if Sweetie was going to try and guess, she would know instantly. Sure, being able to tell lies didn’t come in handy very often, but when it did it always payed off. “Alright, what I’m going to do is write a number on a piece of paper. Tomorrow after you finish, come here and I will show you the number. If it is wrong, you get your bit back.” Sweetie quickly scrawled a number, hiding it with her hooves as she quickly folded it up with magic. Silently, she wondered if it would be wise to learn to write horizontal while using magic. The next pony stepped forward, barging Applejack out of the way. “Can I take tomorrow off work without any repercussions?” As the bit flew into the jar, the pony was pushed out of the way. “Will my door be repaired in time for the bad weather?” Sweetie watched another bit fall into her jar. “Should I go to the hospital about my infection?” Shrinking back slightly as he leaned over her stall, Sweetie whimpered. “Should I do my job and repair a stallion’s door before this week?” Sweetie closed her ears, holding them down with her hooves. “I’m having trouble in bed, should I take some meds to help me sleep?” The sound carried into her ears despite them being held closed. Voices crying out for questions to be answered. Sweetie realised this was a very bad idea. She was regretting it immensely. “SILENCE!” Twilight raised her voice, flaring her wings. As she shouted, the crowd grew silent. Sweetie blinked her eyes open, and sat up properly again. Twilight sat down and stared sternly at every pony. “One at a time, no pushing. Anyone caught cutting will be moved to the back of the line.” Twilight looked toward Sweetie and bowed her head. Smiling gratefully, Sweetie looked to the crowd as they quickly got organised. “To answer the first five questions; no, yes, yes, yes, and no those won’t help what you need to do is flip the mattress upside down. Next!” Sweetie smiled sweetly, hiding her satisfied smirk behind an innocent smile. The ponies were asking stupid questions, questions she couldn’t get called out on. Really, this was going way too well for her liking. “Uhm, my mother has always had problems with losing her job. And she recently got fired again. I was wonderin’, does she get a job today? Cause I dun wanna go hungry…” It was Dinky, the daughter of Ditzy Doo, sometimes called Derpy. Sweetie bit her lip, and then smiled warmly, and tapped the jar. “Don’t worry, she’ll find a job. And if she doesn’t, all my earnings from today are yours.” Sweetie saw the tears as they left Dinky’s eyes, and felt her heart melt. Even if Derpy didn’t get a job, Sweetie would make sure her classmate didn’t go hungry. Sweetie wondered if she should feel guilty because she hadn’t realised this was happening in previous loops. After a long day, Sweetie greeted Dinky as she slowly approached. Looking down, there were heartbroken tears in the filly’s eyes. Sweetie quickly realised her prediction had come wrong. Levitating her jar of money up, she took out the majority, leaving a little in case some ponies came back, and quickly put it in Dinky’s saddlebags. “Don’t worry, somepony will give her the chance she needs. Ditzy just needs to find her place.” Sweetie gently lifted the chin of Dinky up, and looked her seriously in the eyes. Surprised, she fell backward as Dinky jumped at her, bringing her into a hug. Feeling the silents sobs Dinky was giving off, Sweetie gently patted her. “Th-Th-Thank you.” Dinky ignored her growling stomach, knowing it would soon be filled to the brim. Sweetie smiled sadly as she returned the hug, feeling a gnawing guilt slowly eating her up. How long had this been going on behind her? Why did she feel like it was her fault? Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie solemnly swore to make sure Dinky was cared for each loop from now on. L23“To answer the first five questions; no, yes, yes, yes, and no those won’t help what you need to do is flip the mattress upside down. Next!” Sweetie smiled warmly as Dinky stepped up. Sweetie was prepared for Dinky this time, and she had her savings from the previous loop already gift wrapped and ready. “Uhm, my mother has always had problems with losing her job. And she recently got fired again. I was wondering’, does she get a job today? Cause I dun wanna go hungry…” Dinky looked down, and Sweetie closed her eyes, and began to humm. After a moment, she stopped, opening her arms wide, and spoke. “Your mother will unfortunately not find a job until Thursday when the weather team asks her to help move clouds. However I foresee a stranger leaving a package for you at 7:25 tonight that will prevent you from going hungry until then.” Sweetie shook her head, as if breaking out of a trance, and blinked curiously at Dinky. “I’m sorry, I must have zoned out there. What was your question?” Sweetie noticed the confused gaze on Dinky, and smiled warmly as the filly explained what had happened. Putting a hoof to her chin, she shrugged. “Must have been the spirits talking through me. Either way I wish you the best of luck. Here, take two bits for a snack on your way home.” Sweetie levitated two bits out and handed them to Dinky, who smiled in gratitude. Sweetie turned her attention to the next customer. “Hi, I was wondering if it is time to break out my latest batch. Is it?” Berry Punch glanced awkwardly around, wondering if the greedy stares were directed at her, and the thought of her skill over alcoholic drinks. Discarding it, she turned her attention to Sweetie. “Sorry, it won’t be ready for another week,” apologised Sweetie, shaking her head slowly. Berry pouted, and sighed, walking away mumbling about how brewing was boring work. Sweetie turned her attention to the next pony. A male Earth Pony with a light gray coat, dark gray mane, and light blue eyes. Sweetie reconised him by this three four-leaf-clovers Cutie Mark. “Will I be able to do it today?” Lucky Clover glanced left and right, and Sweetie nodded. As the colt left, she remembered how she had said the same thing last loop, and had turned out to be right. Sweetie wondered what exactly it was, but discarded such thoughts. The next pony was a female Pegasus Pony with a light yellow-brown coat, a pink mane and tail with a light pink streak, rose-red eyes, and a Cutie Mark of three tornadoes. “Will I be put on weather patrol on Thursday?” Orange Swirl was looking forward to her trip to Las Pegasus, however knew she wouldn’t be able to go if she was called in to work. Sweetie paused for a moment, and held her head, pretending to be ‘communing’ again. “Sadly yes, and if you skip it you will be fired.” Sweetie saw the annoyance on the pony’s face as she skulked away, and turned toward the next pony. This stallion had a light brown body with dark brown hair and an hourglass Cutie Mark. Sweetie easily reconised the pony as Time Turner, a pony who was in charge of keeping time on events that required as such. “Is the world going to end this week?” Time Turner wasn’t known as the sanest pony, but even Sweetie could see something strange about how he asked the question. Eye twitching, it was almost as if he was a bullet about to explode. Sweetie had answered yes last loop, and it hadn’t ended well. Stifling a shudder, she decided to give a more puzzling answer. “The world will end when the clock has come full circle, and-uh-reversed to what it once was.” Sweetie silently cursed the fact she had slipped mid-sentence, but Time Turner hadn’t noticed. In fact, he seemed to almost relax slightly. Sweetie heard a quiet chuckle escape his lips as his eyes twitched once more, and he walked away. ‘Man, I’m going to need to find out what’s wrong with him one loop. However, Dinky is going to have to come first.’ Sweetie supposed under normal circumstances, the fact Time Turner was asking about the end of the world would make her want to know more, but such thoughts had quickly been discarded when Nurse Redheart turned out to be the next pony in line. She was a white pony with a pink mane and a medical red cross as a Cutie Mark. “I’m sorry about Time Turner. He got a head injury on Sunday and won’t let me take him to the hospital. The idiot was reading Planet of the Sapiens too. No thanks to Lyra.” Nurse Redheart glared at the crowd. After a moment she sighed, deposited a bit into the jar. “Do I catch him before he hurts himself?” Nurse Redheart looked in the direction Time Turner was stumbling, chuckling about flying ponies in the air, remarking how he must be dreaming. Sweetie shrugged in response. “It’s not a question of if you catch him before he hurts himself, but if before he hurts others. I’d get the entire squad, when that bomb blows it won’t be pretty.” Sweetie nodded gravely as Nurse Redheart’s eyes widened, and she dashed away. Sweetie turned to the crowd. “Alright! Last customer for today! Everypony else can wait until tomorrow!” Sweetie watched as the crowd began to part, and looked to the final pony. It was Fluttershy. Looking down, Fluttershy whimpered, and whispered words in a voice more fragile than silence. “Uhm...Is-Is Angel-g-going to b-be okay a-after getting hurt by that mean Everfree monster?” Fluttershy shrunk back, and Sweetie smiled gently, and gave a small nod. Relieved, Fluttershy rose slightly, hiding a smile behind her hair. “T-Thank you.” Fluttershy left, and Sweetie turned the open sign to closed, and glanced toward Twilight. Twilight stood up and nodded once. “I’ll be off then, see you later Sweetie Belle.” Twilight turned and left, and Sweetie returned home as well. Watching the clock, she rose when it got close to 7, and quietly excused herself. Walking out, Sweetie held a neatly wrapped present covered in pink ribbons and poka-dot patterns. Hiding behind a corner, she waited. At exactly 7:25, Sweetie concentrated, closing her eyes as she forced herself to not use more magic than needed. It was very important the package didn’t teleport half-singed on the other side. Sweetie cast the spell, and watched from her hiding spot. The door opened, and Dinky watched as a present appeared before her, completely unharmed. Sweetie silently cheered, glad she was right about objects being easier to teleport. Dinky opened the present, revealing a large jar full of bits. Eyes brimming with tears, she breathed in sharply, and picked it up, calling out to her mother. Derpy walked over, and looked over the paper the jar had been in, looking for signs of who had given it. Finally, she too broke into tears and hugged Dinky, hovering in the air as both laughed and cried over their sudden good fortune. Sweetie slowly left, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. L24“Excuse me, Miss Ditzy?” Sweetie approached the sad looking mare, sitting down and looking at a pink piece of paper that signaled her termination as a mailmare. As Sweetie approached, Ditzy quickly hid it behind her back and smiled warmly, trying to hide her sadness. “Oh, hello. You’re uh, one of the kids in Dinky’s class. Uh… What was it…” Ditzy paused and frowned, eyes going cross eyed as she thought. Sweetie blinked in surprise. ‘Oh, so that’s why she’s called Derpy. Huh.’ Sweetie discarded it, realising Ditzy wasn’t going to get her name anytime soon. And they had a schedule to keep. Sweetie wanted to have it done under 24 hours this loop, and five seconds every other loop. “My name’s Sweetie. Listen, I heard about you losing your job…” Sweetie glanced downward and scuffed the ground, once again proud of her acting skills. They had only improved over the loops. Sweetie, in a moment of morbid curiosity, wondered if she could fake being dead for a loop. “Oh, you heard about that. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll find another job. O-Oh and don’t worry about Dinky! She’ll be at school, make no mistake.” Ditzy smiled, and then narrowed her eyes and nodded, determined. After a moment, her face fell and she sighed, looking toward the sky as she folded her wings. “Well you see Miss. I want to help you find a new job. See I...happen to know all the jobs that are available today, and I was hoping you’d at least try each of them.” Sweetie wasn’t sure if Ditzy would go for it. “But why?” Ditzy’s eyes focused directly on Sweetie, and then went in opposite directions. Sweetie smiled warmly, and curtsied. “My sister is the element of Generosity. It tends to rub off.” Sweetie winked and Ditzy snorted, a proper smile finally coming onto her face. Sweetie pulled Ditzy up and pulled out a long list. Sweetie had been saving it for a non-fortune teller loop. It was obvious a long-term solution was needed if she wanted Dinky to not go hungry. Sweetie’s plan was simple. Find the job Ditzy got, and then in future loops have a ‘stray breeze’ blow it into her face. It might take more than that, depending on how desperately Ditzy was looking for a job. Sweetie glanced to the first item on her list. “Alright, let’s go!” Ditzy nodded as Pinkie explained how to make the batter, watching as she demonstrated. Ditzy stepped up, copying the moves to the best of her ability. Ditzy put everything in, slotted the muffins into the oven, closed the door, and stepped back. It was exactly three seconds before the oven exploded “I’m sorry, you’re not what we’re looking for.” Mr Cake escorted Ditzy and Sweetie outside, and closed the door. Applejack blinked as every leaf on the trees was bucked off, leaving only the apples. “I’m sorry, you’re not what I'm looking for.” Fluttershy spun around in circles as she tried to calm down every single animal that had been startled when Ditzy had tried to say hello ‘quietly’. “I-I’m sorry, you’re not what I'm looking for, if that’s ok with you.” Rarity’s eyes twitched, looking to all her ruined fabrics, including the priceless ones. “I’m sorry, you’re not what I'm looking for.” Twilight watched from outside as somehow her crystal castle burned. It wasn’t being damaged, but it was burning. “Oh come on! We were just walking by it!” Sweetie glared vehemently at the castle. “Face it Sweetie, there’s just no job out there that’s fit for me.” Ditzy sat down at the park bench, and sighed. Sweetie pointed to the last place on her list, and cried out as Ditzy took it, and rolled it up, tossing it expertly into the bin. The bin spat it back out, and said something about washing its mouth out with droppings. “Please Ditzy, just one more, and then we can call it a day. Think about it. Do you really want to be the pony that causes you to stop one step away from what might be your job? It might not be, but isn't it worth a chance?” Sweetie was begging. If Ditzy didn’t come to this last one, then she would have to try again tomorrow. And each day that passed would only make it worse. “Ok,” she sighed, standing up. Ditzy followed Sweetie toward the final place, a construction site. It looked like the building had just been completed, and all were looking toward it. Ditzy wove carefully though the site as Sweetie went from pony to pony, trying to find the one who was in charge of the Ad. They were outside, in the backyard of the building. Nopony was allowed inside, and there were no construction-ponies inside either. Ditzy’s tail swiped the side of the building, and she cried out warning, knowing what was about to happen. Sweetie jumped back, and the building imploded inwards, leaving only wreckage. Ditzy saw the glares from the construction ponies. Sweetie finally found the pony in charge, however it was when he was walking up to them. “Did you do this?” The stallion pointed to the building, and looked at Derpy, who cowered on the ground, wings upright. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Ditzy was crying at this point. So it took her by surprise when the stallion leaned down, and grabbed her hoof, pulling her upright. The stallion smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it, you saved us the trouble of doing it ourselves! You here about the job?” Ditzy nodded at the stallion, sniffing back her tears and rubbing her eyes. “Well we’re a demolition company. And with what you pulled right there, I think we can safely give you the job. Heck, you did the job of ten ponies and some dynamite.” The stallion laughed. Ditzy felt tears spring to her eyes again, and shook the stallions hoof, earning herself the job. Turning to thank Sweetie, Ditzy realised Sweetie was gone. Sweetie walked home, a pleased smile on her face. Author's Note Here's some awesome fanart by WafflezofEquestria: Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Turn back the clock reverse the flow, swivel forward and drivel side! Let goodness be your light, let the dream never end for nightmares. Resist the looming fate. L25Sweetie hid some distance away, and looked to the single slip of paper, the advertisement for the job Ditzy had gotten last loop. Sweetie had a copy in her saddlebags, so she could make a copy each loop. There was Ditzy, sitting on the park bench. Sweetie called up her magic, levitating the piece of paper, and waited for a breeze to pass by. Ditzy blinked as a piece of paper hit her in the face, and picked it up, looking it over. On it was a job request. Ditzy gasped, wings coming alive, and flew off in the direction of the job. Sweetie followed, just to make sure Ditzy got the job. Sure enough, Ditzy imploded the house again, and the manager offered her a job. Sweetie nodded, good, this was something she could do easily each loop. Sweetie turned, bumping into somepony. Blinking, she watched as the pony took her by the shoulders, and began to shout about the world ending. Sweetie blinked, it was Time Turner. Now that she was closer, Sweetie could see he had his head wrapped up, hidden under his mane. Sweetie gently excused herself from his grip. “Calm down Time Turner, the world isn't going to end. I was wondering if you’d let me ask some questions.” Sweetie watched as Time Turner stopped mumbling nonsense, and blinked at her. It was hard to tell if he was actually listening. “Listen, you said you have an uh ‘Tardis’ right? And it’s bigger on the inside?” Sweetie paused, and waited. After a moment Time Turner nodded, his eyes going cross eyed. “Indeed, it can travel through time too.” Time Turner shook his head, focusing on Sweetie. Sweetie opened her bags. “I’ve got the same thing with my saddlebags.” Sweetie watched Time Turner from the corner of her eyes. Was that shock, or was that narrowed eyes? “How?” Time Turner put his hoof into the bag and reached down to touch the bottom. It was indeed similar to the Tardis. “Princess Celestia gave me the spell, and I get Twilight to cast it each-mmph.” Sweetie quickly stopped talking, and smiled sheepishly at Time Turner. For once, there was a curious glint to his eyes. Time Turner glanced around, and then leaned forward. “Go to my house, I’ll meet you there once I lose Redheart.” Time Turner’s voice sounded different somehow to Sweetie. However it was gone a moment later as he jumped over her and ran away, mumbling about the end of the world once more. Sweetie turned, and headed toward Time Turner’s house. It was a small town, it wasn’t hard to remember where he lived. Sure enough, the door was open. Sweetie stepped inside, and glanced behind her as Time turner closed the door, and looked seriously at her. “Alright, talk. I have no doubt only Celestia herself could have taught you that spell, so why did she teach it to you?” Time Turner took off the bandages, tossing them to the side as he brushed his mane. “I’m stuck in a time loop, forced to repeat this week over and over. The two previous loops I ran a fortune telling service, and both times you asked me if the world is going to end.” Sweetie was sure that wouldn’t be much proof, however Turner simply nodded. “That is something I would ask...Can you prove it with something else?” Turning, Turner sat down on the couch, Sweetie sat opposite him. Reaching in, Sweetie pulled out Celestia’s note. Turner looked at it, and immediately handed it back. “Alright, I believe you, that’s definitely the sun’s own personal language.” Turner paused for a moment, putting his front hooves together as he mused. Sweetie watched, confused and curious. After a moment, a glow surrounded Turner, and he transformed into a Changeling. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” it spoke calmly just as Sweetie was about to panic. Forcing herself to relax, Sweetie quickly noticed the small crown atop his head. Sweetie didn’t know much about changelings, other than what they looked like. Forcing herself to calm down, Sweetie waited. “I assume you’ve heard of the attack on Canterlot. That was done by my hatchmate. Mother picked her to lead the hive, and I got cast out for being a pony-sympathiser. I assume you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them. And before you ask, no I am not immortal, Changelings live for about two thousand years, going through many stages. I’m in the last stage right now, and I have about 500 years left.” Time Turner shifted back to his pony self, and motioned for Sweetie to continue. It was a moment before Sweetie could make herself speak. “Were you alive when Starswirl was?” Sweetie watched as Turner nodded, and continued. “Were you there when he died?” Sweetie knew this would place Turner in the time that Starswirl’s loops were happening. Sadly, Turner simply shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I change disguises every 30 or so years, appearing as anypony who suddenly dies, taking their place until they reach a normal end to their life. I give their bodies a proper burial, and even go though being buried to help ease the families burden. At that time I was taking the place of a pony who was a scientist. Sadly, I ‘died’ five years before that, and moved onto the next life.” Turner closed his eyes, before opening them again. “Why were you acting crazy outside?” Sweetie was disappointed Turner wouldn’t be able to help her find answers to her questions about what happened to Stawswirl his last loop. For some reason, he had suddenly cut off with a short ‘I am no longer writing down these.’ Sweetie supposed it was still worth a shot asking. “Time Turner just suffered a head injury. It is giving him paranoid delusions that the world is ending. I’m planning to have him slightly injure a few ponies, and then jump off a cliff. It’s time for me to move on.” Turner shrugged nonchalantly. Sweetie plucked a few pieces of paper out of her bag. The last few entries of Starswirl’s journal. They looked like jibberish to her, full of hard to read terms. “If you knew Starswirl, maybe you can read these.” Sweetie waited patiently as Turner went over each of them, and narrowed his eyes. “I can, and I can cast a spell so you can translate them. But…” Turner paused, and glanced toward Sweetie, and smiled, closing his eyes. “Nevermind. I will cast the spell, and you can read them. But please be aware this spell will take a week to entirely translate them. Starswirl has outdone himself with his scrambler, he was trying very hard to hide the contents of these notes. I doubt even Celestia and Luna could break it. Lucky for you, I happen to live a life full of love this loop.” Turner concentrated, and a horn materialised on his head, glowing green. The parchment glowed. After a moment, the glow faded, and Turner handed back the notes, hiding his horn once more. “Is that five or seven days?” Sweetie tilted her head, unsure of what type of week he meant. Turner stood up, and both began to head for the door. “Seven. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way.” Turner bowed. “Thank you,” Sweetie waved goodbye, and blinked as Turner teleported away. Sweetie blinked away the afterimage, and exited the house. Putting the notes carefully back, Sweetie smiled. ‘Well, I now know a changeling. I wonder if I can use that for a loop.’ Sweetie walked for a moment longer, before blinking, and growling a silent curse in her head. ’Oh rats, I forgot to get looping proof from him. I’ll have to get it next loop.’ Sweetie nodded once, and continued on her way. Author's Note -Redherring.png- Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Curse though you may have wrought, sought unbelieving; perhaps a different time shall come, and with the fading dream, so too will you wither until the next, coming in the night, the complete darkness. Reincarnate, blossom again into a far more beautiful flower. L26.1Sweetie waited as the clocked ticked over from midnight, and watched as Philomena went through rapid rebirth once more. Pulling out the piece of paper Time Turner had been translating, Sweetie was dismayed to see it was a jumbled mess. Sighing, she tried to read what was there. “If you are reading this-you probably ran into my old friend the Changeling-a cooky fellow by my count, but he means well-I'm 97% sure I'm quite-When consequen-longer exist, actions that normally seem barbaric are no longer the case-mi ox soom faxalfaxalic axalo je reckol zo casaso?” Sweetie tilted her head, recognising the last bit as being some of the untranslated text. However, it looked like, for whatever reason, the text didn’t match up correctly. “So you're probably reading-last entry-had-translate it. I-did myself with-coding.-Princesses couldn't-lbond, ovon zo plincossos ceurdniz claxang dit. So I will tell you the truth. There is a means to get out. I found it, and I plan to-However-The reason for that-I know why you are looping-” Sweetie bit her lip, there was a way out of the loops? Why did it have to be so garbled? “Loaxasen bel zaxat, Pum axam sulo ug wirr bict din timo. Abtol axarr, Pum gned hupp ug axalo reepick-time loop, relax, let go of your inhibitions, put on a good show. You're not getting out-Se, dib ug axalo din pit timo reep, loraxax, rot ke eb yeep dinhifitiens, put en pit-Trust me-Ug'lo jet kottick uk. Sluch Vo.” Folding up the piece up paper, Sweetie closed her eyes, maybe the translation spell could be cast again. Besides, she had to get looping proof from Time Turner regardless. Sweetie waited patiently for the stray wind, and sent the job notice to Ditzy, turning and watching Time Turner run toward her. Sweetie quickly began speaking, speaking the same words he spoke just as they came out of his mouth. After a second, Time Turner paused, and blinked. “I know what you are, and I know you have lived for over a thousand years. I am stuck in a time loop, and I can prove it further. Right now you are likely going to tell me to meet you at your house while you get rid of Nurse Redheart, so I’ll save you the trouble of doing that too.” Sweetie stopped speaking, and waited for Time Turner to digest this information. “Okay,” was all he said in response, turning and beginning to run away again. Sweetie walked casually to his place, and entered. Right on cue, Time Turner arrived. Sweetie watched as he closed the door, and turned his intelligent gaze on her. Sweetie pulled out Celestia’s note. “Is this proof enough for now?” Sweetie waited as Time Turner looked it over, handed it back, and sat down on the couch, and blinked. “And I thought my story was hard to swallow,” he commented. Sweetie felt a strange smile come on her face, and resisted the urge to giggle. Shaking it off, she pulled out the half-translated note. “Last loop, you cast a spell to translate this for me, however you said it would take seven days. My loop only lasts five, so it was only partially translated. Also, I need something to prove I’m looping, a letter normally does the job.” Sweetie put her arms between her legs, and rocked on the couch as she waited. “Hrm, I can cast it again, and it should finish translating. I should probably give you the spell while I’m at it. Only two ponie-er-creatures know the spell. One being Starswirl.” Time Turner closed his eyes, a horn appearing on his head, and cast the spell. Opening his eyes, he mused for a moment. “This should take about three days. If you had seven days this wouldn’t have taken an extra day, but that’s how these things go. As for the proof, the easiest thing to do is tell you my Changeling name.” Time Turner paused, and chuckled slightly, a nostalgic smile on his face. “Even Starswirl doesn’t know that one. Alright, let me write it down for you, it’s a bit tough to say.” Time Turner quickly wrote the name down, and handed the paper to Sweetie. Looking at it, she frowned, and tilted her head. “Listaxald Nixen?” Sweetie slowly pronounced the first name, unsure if she was saying it correctly. “Actually, it’s pronounced List-ald. The ax is silent.” Time Turner smiled, looking down at Sweetie. Both blinked as his stomach rumbled. Sweetie glanced toward the door, and bit her lip. “Nono! Don’t worry, that’s not because I’m hungry. It’s uh...Well okay it is because I’m hungry but I’d never do it without consent. Well I have sorta been slightly draining everypony but that’s slow and nopony would feel any adverse effects!” Time Turner smiled sheepishly, and Sweetie giggled. Starswirl was right, the guy was cooky, but that wasn’t a bad thing. “So, should I call you Listaxald, or Time Turner?” Sweetie smiled at Time Turner, who paused and considered it. After a moment, he shrugged, and bared his teeth, eyes glowing green for a moment. “Call me Time Turner. Until my disguise dies, that is who I am.” Time Turner blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. Sweetie nodded, musing for a moment. “Say, I was wondering. Where do baby Changelings come from. I mean I know ponies are brought by the stork as an egg to be hatched, but I don’t know what it’s like for Changelings.” Sweetie tilted her head, completely oblivious. Time Turner blinked, and scratched the back of his head. “Well, we’re born from very tiny eggs, and we grow up in this sort of sludge. After our lungs grow in, we join the ranks of the Changeling army, and fight the Queen’s battles. Eventually, if we survive long enough, we reach adulthood. If a female reaches adulthood, the hive army is split in two, but if a male does he is given uh…” Time Turner blushed, and glanced away. Putting his two hooves together, he looked down at them. “Let’s just say they become Special Someponies.” Time Turner glanced up, seeing Sweetie was paying attention, and looked back down again. “So why aren’t you with your Special Somepony?” Sweetie was curious, she had never heard this about Changelings. Sweetie wondered vaguely if Starswirl had asked similar questions. “Well, pony sympathisers are sentenced to death. As soon as the Queen realised I was one, she told me to leave, or die. In one way, that was the only mercy she could give me.” Time Turner glanced toward the ceiling, and sighed, folding his arms behind his back. “You know kid, you’re a lot like Starswirl, looking for answers to everything. The only difference is Starswirl was born with more magical talent.” Time Turner glanced down, feeling the shock as it rippled through Sweetie. Sweetie looked at her Cutie Mark, remembering how she had gotten it, and thinking of how it had been related to magic, and not a task like Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Sweetie shook her head, discarding it, and instead stood up, and gave a smile to Time Turner. “Thanks for answering my questions, but I better get going. I promised Rarity I would be there to see her leave.” Sweetie blinked as Time Turner held out a hoof, and she shook it with her own. “Ssssee ya!” L26.2(If you can't read it, skip to the bottom where it will be shown as plain text) Sweetie didn’t understand. Was this all the note said? There was nothing more? No sudden clue to her escape? No realisation that would help her cope? Nothing. Sweetie shook her head, no, that couldn't be right. Sweetie had probably misread it. Yeah, that was it, Sweetie was sure of it. Sweetie read the note a second time, and a third, before scrunching it up and tossing it out her door. Gritting her teeth, she felt like pulling her hair out in frustration. Starswirl knew how to get out, but wasn't telling her. More to the point, he apparently knew why she was looping. Sighing, she flopped backward on her bed, and looked at the ceiling. “So, he knows why I’m looping. Somepony saved me from that death loop. Magic being lost that I should have access to. There’s no other possible conclusion, somehow Starswirl is behind this.” Sweetie bit her lip, and sighed another time as she relaxed. Closing her eyes, she levitated over her toy Opal, and hugged the doll closely. “Why me, why couldn’t he have chosen Twilight or somepony else? All I wanted to do was get a Cutie Mark and live out my destiny. And now I can’t. I’m never getting out.” Sweetie bit her lip, drawing blood as it mixed with the tears streaming down her face. Was this to be her life? Was this her punishment for deeds she had done while trying to get her Mark? “Please, somepony, anypony, help me. I don’t want to watch my friends glare at me anymore. I don’t want to see Ditzy lose her job. I don’t want Rarity to constantly go to Manehattan. I don’t want to know that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are nice behind their bullying. I don’t want pancakes. I want tomorrow.” Sweetie sobbed, hugging her Opal doll tighter. Suddenly, Opal walked in from the open door, and leapt onto the bed. Purring, she rubbed her body against Sweetie, who opened her tear-stained eyes and glanced to the cat. Opal rubbed her head against Sweetie, who giggled despite her sad mood. “Stooop Opal,” she whined. “I’m trying to be sad here.” Sweetie shook her head as Opal’s tail swished against her head, and felt a smile fall on her face. Reaching out, Sweetie went to pat Opal, who hissed, and swiped at her. The cat turned, and skulked out the door. Sweetie watched Opal go, the barest hint of a smile still on her face. “She’s right of course,” she told her Opal doll, looking at it as she rolled onto her back. Raising the doll above her, Sweetie looked at her doll, painstakingly made by her sister to help comfort her. Sweetie nodded, determined, and sat up. Walking over to the mirror, she looked at herself. “Okay Sweetie, crying isn’t going to solve anything. There’s nothing you can do in your current situation but learn more about what is happening, look for irregularities. But don’t forget to have a little fun. We don’t want ourselves going off the deep end.” Sweetie nodded at her reflection, and smiled. Turning, she placed her Opal doll on the bed, and removed her saddlebags. Going through her notes, she began to sort them, and then pulled out her very first note. Looking to one of the possible solutions out of the loop, Sweetie smiled, and turned to look toward Philomena's corner of the room, where a jar of money still stood, containing what little remained from her fortune teller loops. Sweetie began to make a list of materials she would need. First off, plenty of toothpaste. Secondly, she would require the help of at least one Princess. Twilight or Luna would be best. Sweetie was sure Celestia wasn’t one to get her mane dirty if she could help it. Sweetie nodded, toothbrushes as well. “Oh! I should also do a loop where Time Turner is right, and I help start of heart song about how the world is ending and everypony prepares for it and it turns out it’s a day wrong.” Sweetie giggled, rubbing her hooves together. Writing down her idea, she also mused on events in Ponyville that she hadn’t been a part of, but had heard about. “I wonder what happens if you Duplicate Parasprites…” Sweetie paused, and smiled. That was something she could even get Celestia in on, and not tell Twilight. Chuckling, Sweetie could imagine the look on Twilight’s face as Parasprites invaded Ponyville when Celestia was visiting for a second time. “I also have to do Luna’s Prank too now that I think of it.” Sweetie mused for a moment. Once she did it though, she would be obligated to do one for Celestia. It could end up being a multiple loop prank war, with only pictures to prove they had done something. Sweetie bit her lip, it didn’t sound too fun. “Oh! A Changeling attack! And a-And a Dragon invasion! Oh! I need to learn to fight a dragon! This is so exciting I can’t wait, I mean, eeee-” Sweetie couldn’t help but squee in glee. So many ideas, so much time to enact them. But first, Sweetie had to focus on the first idea. “Right, time to go shopping.” Sweetie levitated up her jar of bits, and turned, heading downstairs. Smiling, Sweetie wondered just how much toothpaste she could fit in her room. Not to mention she needed to leave enough room so she could breathe during the loop reset, considering Philomena would be there. “Maybe I should move into the main room…” Sweetie nodded, there was a lot more room there. Loop reset location decided, Sweetie turned, heading for the Toothpaste Emporium. Sweetie had always wondered why this shop existed. But, considering how many earth ponies lived in this town, a shop dedicated to tools to help brush teeth was not that strange. After all, they had a couch and quill shop. Author's Note In case you still can't read it: If you are reading this, then you probably ran into my old friend the Changeling Prince. Quite a cooky fellow by my count, but he means well. I don't think I can really talk at this point. After all, I'm 97% sure I'm quite insane right now. When consequences no longer exist, actions that normally seem barbaric are no longer the case. So, you're probably reading this due to it being my last entry, and probably had to go through a lot of trouble to translate it. I really outdid myself with the coding. It is absolutely perfect, even the princesses couldn't crack it. So, I will tell you the truth. There is a means to get out. I found it, and I plan to use it. However, I will not tell you it. The reason for that, I am sure you will find in time. After all, I know why you are looping, even if you do not. So, if you are in a time loop, relax, let go of your inhibitions, put on a good show. You're not getting out. Trust me. L27 Prosperity Day“Uh, excuse me. Princess Twilight, Princess Luna, what are you doing?” Luna looked up from her task, and toward the pony who was asking the question. Raising her head even further, she showed her toothbrush, and gave a toothy smile. “We are cleaning up the world. It is a very dirty place, and thus we must clean it. Sweetie Belle! I require more toothpaste!” Luna shouted the last bit of her sentence as, brandishing her toothbrush, she glanced toward the white filly currently squirting toothpaste into buckets. Raising her head, she gave a toothy grin. “Of course, remember, we’re getting to the root of the problem.” Sweetie levitated over a bucket filled with toothpaste, and Luna smiled, getting back to work. Twilight scrubbed beside her. “Uh, should we help?” The civilian glanced to the crowd behind him, and they all shared aversive glances. Luna raised her head and looked at them, startling the crowd. “If you decide to leave, it's your floss, not mine.” Luna lent back down, and continued working. After a moment, the crowd decided to follow the lead of the Princesses. Walking over to Sweetie Belle, they asked to help. “Remember to be kind to Luna too, she has fillings too.” Sweetie smiled, giving each pony a bucket of toothpaste. Stepping back, she watched as every pony went to work, scrubbing the ground. ‘Darn it, I’ve run out of puns’ Sweetie silently cursed that fact, and quickly got back to work putting toothpaste into buckets. Grinning when she wasn’t being watched, Sweetie felt immense pleasure at the fact most of Ponyville was now helping. It was amazing, watching all those ponies just work away, ‘cleaning’ the dirt. “I’m out, this is the last bucket.” Sweetie levitated the bucket over, and Twilight stood up. Luna was quick to follow, and they both shared a glance, and then sighed, letting a sad look go over their eyes. “It looks like we failed our mission,” sighed Luna, and both hugged each other. Sweetie bit her lip, forcing herself not to laugh as everypony glanced toward them. Standing up, it was the first stallion who spoke. “Don’t worry! We’ll buy more toothpaste!” He spoke, raising his voice and looking to the crowd, daring them to deny him. “And bleach!” A mare spoke up, standing up as well. “And Soap!” The entire crowd stood up, now on a mission of great importance. Sweetie watched as the crowd dispersed the moment Luna smiled, and they quickly vacated to the inside of the castle, saying they needed to rest. Taking a spot on the balcony, all three broke out into quiet laughter. “How are things going in Canterlot?” Sweetie glanced to Luna, who snickered and let her horn glow, shimmering into some sort of mirror that began to reflect Canterlot. Sweetie blinked, and then fell to the floor, rolling in laughter. “I’ll be, pff, honest. I didn’t expect-haha- Celestia to be behind the idea-tehehee.” Sweetie chortled as quietly as she could as Luna and Twilight smiled to the crowd below. The entire town was beginning to mobilise, just as they were doing in Canterlot. It wouldn’t be long until the Pegasi got involved to a greater degree. “I will admit, I did not think this would take hold, but it’s spreading like wildfire. I am surprised by how much influence we have.” Luna waved to the crowd as she watched, and Twilight smiled warmly. Sweetie finally got control of her fit of giggled, and stood up, sneaking over to the edge. “How’s Rarity doing in Manehattan?” Sweetie glanced upward, and both smiled, trying to hold in their grins. Sweetie couldn’t help but rub her hooves together, this was going extremely well. When she had told the Princesses, they had literally jumped at the chance, and the result was what was happening right now. Sweetie was amazed by how much influence a Princess had. “Her influence is really helping. People are convinced she’s doing it to show of a line of fashion, and she is even making clothes for free to those who volunteer to help.” Twilight held up the letter from Rarity she had received, and Sweetie giggled. It had toothpaste stains all over it, some in the shape of hearts. Rarity was getting into the spirit of things. “And what about Rainbow Dash and Applejack?” Sweetie wondered if the Apple family had enough influence in Appleoosa to complete the task, but soon realised she was worried for nothing. Twilight held up a picture of the buffalo helping to scrub the apple trees. Twilight then pointed toward the sky, where a large group of Pegasi were flying toward Ponyville. “Rainbow Dash has a lot of influence there, especially with Celestia backing her. This is turning into an Equestrian-wide event. I heard Las Pegasus got wind of it and is doing the same thing.” Twilight couldn’t hold it in anymore, and she broke down into laughter. Sweetie couldn’t help it either, this was awesome. And so, it was henceforth known as Toothpaste Day. Every year, on this day, everypony must spend half the day scrubbing the ground with a cleaning utensil to show their devotion to a clean Equestria. Some will decorate their houses with floss and toilet paper, enlisting the help of young colts who are practicing for Nightmare Night. Celestia and Luna praised Equestria for proving their devotion to a clean society, and promised that Equestria was going to have another year of prosperity. This has led the event to also be known as Prosperity Day to the public. However, those who witnessed the events first moments still call it Toothpaste Day. Eventually, it was decided that the festivities for next year’s Prosperity Day wouldn’t start until three ponies has started the scrubbing. These three ponies would be one of each race, and a Princess would be required to oversee the beginning of the event. Everypony cheered, for a new holiday had been created, and set in stone. All before the Friday rolled around. L28“Rarity, can I go with you to Manehattan? I’d like to go visit Babs Seed. You know, Apple Bloom’s cousin.” Sweetie waited as Rarity mused over this information, and gave a shrug. Sweetie shifted slightly, jostling her saddlebags as she waited. “Sure, we can even ask them if you are allowed to sleep over.” Rarity turned and headed upstairs to pack Sweetie’s bag. Sweetie smiled and waited patiently, and soon enough they were on their way. Following the stallion to the train car, it wasn’t long before they were in Manehattan. Rarity knocked on the door, and waited patiently. Soon enough Mr. and Mrs. Orange answered the door, smiling as they greeted them. Sweetie tilted slightly to the side, and saw Babs was glancing out at them from what appeared to be a living room. Upon meeting eyes, Sweetie saw a smile light on Babs’s face. “Hello Mr. Orange, good day to both of you. I’m Rarity, a friend of Applejack. My sister knows your daughter.” Rarity paused, seeing both adults share a quiet chuckle, and shake their heads. Mrs. Orange motioned Babs forward, and she walked toward the door in response, and quickly greeted Sweetie. “It’s great to see you again Babs, how’s your sister going?” Sweetie hadn’t heard much about Babs’s sister, but she did know the two were very close. “She’s doing okay. The kids in her class are starting to get Marks, but she doesn’t feel comfortable joining the CMC just yet.” Babs shrugged, and Sweetie nodded. Most kids didn’t want to join their club, it was why they only had three members after all. “Sweetie dear, Mr. and Mrs. Orange have agreed to let Babs come with us.” Rarity glanced down as Sweetie beamed a gleeful smile. “Come? Come where?” Babs tilted her head, and Sweetie began to drag the filly toward their taxi. “To the Water Park!” “Are you sure this is safe?” Babs looked at the ponies going down the long and windy slide as she ascended, Sweetie by her side. Sweetie nodded, and took the tube as it was handed to her by the stallion. “See you at the bottom.” Sweetie jumped onto the tube as it landed on the slide, and screamed in joy as she flew down it. A sudden drop, and she was speeding toward the end, spinning around on her tube. Standing up, Sweetie swayed as she felt her head continue to spin. “Aaah-hahaha wow!” Babs got off and beamed an excited smile at Sweetie, who giggled, glad to see Babs enjoying it. Sweetie gasped, catching sight of the wave pool, and dragged Babs over to it, levitating both their tubes with them. Leaping in, she waited for Babs to join her, and they both paddled over to the deeper end just as the waves started. “Whoooo!” Sweetie felt her gut go out from under her with each wave, feeling Babs gripping her tightly as the waves grew to twice their height. After a moment, they died down, and both fillies heard Rarity call lunch. Sweetie was pleased to see they had hayfries, and dug in. “I gotta admit, this is fun.” Babs looked down and blew her hair out of her eyes, and got into her own meal. Sweetie looked around, trying to plan their next water rides. However, something caught her attention instead. “I kinda wish Apple Bloom could be here.” Babs put her food down, and sighed, closing her eyes. Sweetie bit her lip, confused. Bringing Babs into a hug, she waited for her to continue. “The Manehattan branch isn’t going too well. All the kids my age already have one, so there’s no Crusaders for me to hang out with. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine. It’s just this new exchange student without a Mark reminds me of her. And I kinda miss my cous.” Babs rubbed her eyes, and smiled at Sweetie. “Don’t worry we’re supposed to be having fun right?” Babs blinked as Sweetie put a hoof on her shoulder, and looked her straight in the eyes. “Babs, this was going to be a surprise, but Apple Bloom is planning to bring you here next week.” Sweetie decided to omit the fact she had chosen to do it early due to the time loop, but Babs didn’t notice. “She is?” Babs felt her doubts ease as Sweetie nodded, and both stood up. Sweetie grabbed their tubes, and they took off to ride the bigger slides, provided they were tall enough. Over to one side, Rarity and Mrs. Orange were having a quiet conversation. "I mean personally I find wool to be a little bit 'Hivernal' for Ponyville during these months. But I could design Babs a few items if you so wish." Rarity smiled as Mrs. Orange considered it, and nodded once. "I will say though, I'm quite surprised. Babs is so different from you, I would have expected your daughter to be more fancy, but I guess it's unimportant." Rarity leaned her head back, taking a sip of her drink. “Oh no, Babs isn’t our daughter. Well not in the proper sense. We still treat her as one, and she knows we love her dearly.” Mrs. Orange smiled toward where Babs was playing. “I’m infertile, so we decided to adopt. When we saw those two huddled together, we just knew they were the fillies for us.” Mrs. Orange wanted to hug herself, remembering how adorable they looked. "I can imagine, Sweetie Belle might not be adopted, but she's just as adorable," commented Rarity. After their fun, Sweetie spent the night at Babs’s house. After playing a few board games, Sweetie spent an hour or so asking Babs about her life. It was then, Babs’s sister walked in. “Hey sis, see ya’ got yerself a friend.” Green Seed was an earth pony with dark green hair and a mud-brown body. Looking at them, Sweetie could instantly see the family resemblance. “Yeah, this is Sweetie Belle. She’s a Crusader like I am.” Babs smiled warmly, showing off Sweetie to her sister. “But she has a Cutie Mark,” Green pointed toward Sweetie’s flank, and both fillies giggled. “You don’t stop being a Crusader because you get a mark,” started Babs. “You just stop searching for your own, and instead help others,” finished Sweetie, and both shared a laugh. Green, the faintest smile on her face, sat down with them. “So how do you help others get their Mark?” Green glanced to Babs, who glanced to Sweetie. “Well, we do mainly the same thing we did to get our Mark, but with the knowledge only those who have one understand.” Sweetie smiled warmly, looking to the roof. “And what knowledge is that?” Both Green and Babs leaned forward. Sweetie lowered her head, closed her eyes, and smiled. “It’s not something you can really say in words, you’ll understand what I mean when you get it.” Sweetie glanced at their disappointed faces, and conversation quickly changed. Sweetie had to admit, talking like they were, she felt so normal, like she wasn’t different to them. Like she wasn’t stuck in a time loop. Author's Note Someone wrote a fanfiction for my story. You can read it here. I've also made a group so I can compile all the fan content and give it the proper recognition it deserves. You can find the group on the right side of the page, or click here. L29Sweetie was on the final day, this was where she had messed up last time. This was the moment she would have to test her skills as an actor. Lying to somepony who can tell the truth would be difficult, because she would have to be sure she didn’t say a single thing that was a lie. “Where have you been?” Rarity’s eye twitched as she breathed heavily over Sweetie. Sweetie frowned, and pointed to her room. “I’ve been in my room all day, why?” Sweetie turned back to Rarity, and blinked, taking a step back as her face got even closer. “Why did you leave Cheerilee's side?” Rarity forced herself to step back. Behind her Cheerilee bit her lip. Sweetie forced herself to remain calm, this was the point where she showed off everything she had learned. “I’m sorry I ran off like that, there’s no real excuse.” Sweetie let her ears flop down as she looked to the floor, managing to muster up a single tear too. Applejack didn’t react, which meant Sweetie had finally done it. Sweetie saw Rarity glare, but she relented just enough for Sweetie. “Alright, but if I find out you skip again tomorrow, I will personally escort you to school in my magic for a month!” Rarity leaned forward, and Sweetie shrunk back from the gaze. Sweetie had forgotten how scary Rarity could be on a bad day. “Of course,” replied Sweetie, breathing a silent sigh of relief. She had done it! “As it stands, Twilight will escort you tomorrow.” Rarity loomed over Sweetie, and she nodded as if she wasn’t bothered. Mentally she chided herself, knowing that Twilight being the escort made things slightly more difficult. Heading upstairs, Sweetie mused for a moment. After dinner, Sweetie headed straight for bed. Tomorrow would require plenty of sleep. “Good morning Sweetie.” Twilight greeted the sleepy filly as she walked out of the house, and they began to make their way toward the school. Twilight kept an eye on Sweetie at all times, but relaxed as the School came into view. Twilight turned to look for Sweetie, and blinked, the filly had vanished. Twilight quickly cast a detection spell, and noticed a teleportation spell had been cast. Surprise mixed with unease rippled through her. Twilight hadn’t known Sweetie knew how to teleport. After a moment, Twilight quickly found out where the filly had teleported to, and took to the sky, looking for the filly. Finding the white form running, Twilight swooped down, flaring her wings and speeding up to catch up. As she began to close in, Sweetie glanced toward her. Twilight’s eyes widened, and time seemed to slow as she saw a feral smirk emerge on the filly’s face, just as she vanished into another teleport. Twilight landed and quickly turned, leaping back into the air and teleporting in short bursts, quickly catching back up with Sweetie. The filly didn’t react at first, and Twilight reached out a hoof to grab her. Suddenly, she was blown back, and forced to shake her head to clear some sort of muddle from it. “Was that...a stun spell!?” Twilight narrowed her eyes, and took off, this time flying into the air directly for a friend. Waking Rainbow Dash, Twilight informed her of the situation. Saluting, Dash took Twilight hoof, and her fast friend began to help Twilight reach higher speeds. It wasn’t long before they found Sweetie once more. The area exploded into smoke, and Twilight and Dash skidded to a halt. Telling Dash to wait just outside in case she made a run, Twilight entered the smoke, and lit her horn as she tried to clear away the smoke. Turning, she called up a shield, deflecting the spell she quickly identified as a knockout spell. “Give it up Sweetie, you are going to school!” Twilight shouted into the smoke, hearing a soft chuckle resound around her. Blocking another spell, Twilight fired in the direction, and bit her lip as she hit nothing. Where had this filly learned to fight!? “That’s where your’re wrong Twilight. And you know it. I’m only using a fraction of my power here. I know every spell you do, and I can easily cast them.” Sweetie’s voice almost sounded menacing, and Twilight suppressed a shudder. Where had this filly learned such magic? What was going on? “That doesn’t change the fact I will make you go to school!” Twilight wished she had Applejack here, so she could tell the truths from the lies. Regardless of that, Twilight knew she had to take Sweetie seriously. Anypony that could cast teleportation was on at least equal footing, and that meant forcing the filly to go to school was now a lot more difficult. Twilight concentrated, calling up a whirlwind and blowing away the smoke in one movement. Glancing around, she quickly saw the surprised filly, and fired a suppression field at her. Sweetie teleported, watching as a bubble of purple energy swallowed the place she had been standing a moment before. Rainbow Dash dived for her, and Sweetie gritted her teeth, and fired a spell upwards, knocking the pegasus out. Turning, Sweetie knocked Twilight away with a torrent of water, and leapt out of the way of a binding spell. Sweetie cried out as she charged up her horn, and a fire sprung up briefly on the gravel path. Twilight, distracted for a fraction of a second, nearly missed the filly firing another knockout spell, dodging by instinct alone. Sweetie gasped for breath, sweat coming off her forehead. This was a lot more difficult than she had thought it would be. Twilight was a lot more experienced, a lot more talented, and had access to a lot more spells. Sweetie dodged another bubble spell, and realised she was going to lose. “Wait! Time out!” Sweetie pulled out Twilight’s looping note, knowing there was no use continuing the fight when she was going to lose. Levitating it out, Sweetie waited as Twilight took it, and read it with one eye still on her. After a moment, Twilight handed the letter back, and narrowed her eyes. “I wanted to see if I could get out of school for an entire week this loop,” replied Sweetie, glancing toward the ground and scuffing it. Twilight relaxed slightly, coming out of a combat position and into a more neutral standing pose. Sweetie waited as Twilight digested this information, and then rubbed her temple. “Nng, fine, go. But if I see you tomorrow and this loop thing turns out to be untrue, you won’t get off so easy.” Twilight quickly cast a wake up spell on Dash as Sweetie turned and teleported away. Taking a seat in her clubhouse, she sighed and closed her eyes. “Just great, I can’t defeat Twilight, and I don’t want to, and the only way to naturally skip school a loop is to do so. Either I need a new plan, or I need to accept Rarity is going to have to be given the loop note each time.” Sweetie opened her eyes, and growled in irritation. What a pain. Author's Note From this day on, ALL will update every second day. L30Sweetie opened her eyes, smiled, and teleported downstairs the moment the clock hit 12:01. Leaping out the door, she galloped toward Twilight’s castle, knowing she had roughly fifteen minutes before the Princess fell asleep. Knocking on the door, Sweetie waited, catching her breath. ‘This is going to be even better than my Coronation.’ Sweetie giggled, trying to hide her glee. If it wasn’t for the fact she was in a time loop, Sweetie would have burst into song over her plans. Moment soured by that thought, Sweetie glanced to her flank and pursed her lip. Singing songs from the heart was pointless with no one to remember them. “Sweetie? What are you-” Twilight cut herself off as a piece of paper was slapped into her face, frowning as she read it. Sweetie waited patiently for Twilight to finish reacting, and then held out Twilight’s notes. Interrupting the Alicorn before she started reading, Sweetie put a hoof on Twilight’s nose, and smiled. “I need your help to create a spell.” Sweetie walked downstairs and sat down at the table, digging into her pancakes. As delicious as they were, Sweetie was getting tired of having them every Monday. Silently, she made a mental note to find a way to change the menu on a Monday. Maybe waking up before Rarity started breakfast would do the trick. “Oh my! Sweetie what’s that on your body?” Rarity looked Sweetie Belle up and down, seeing her covered in red spots. Rarity had heard of many childhood illnesses, but never this one. Sweetie opened her mouth to respond, but they both turned as a knock sounded at the door. Opening it, Rarity was relieved to find out it was Twilight. “Twilight! Sweetie’s sick with something!” Rarity moved out of the way as Twilight leaned down, narrowed her eyes, and touched Sweetie. Where she touched Sweetie, a single red spot appeared. Twilight nodded once, carefully hiding the spot as she turned toward Rarity. Smiling, she reached out her hoof, and took her friend by the shoulder. “Oh don’t worry, it’s nothing contagious. It’s just cooties. Most fillies get them her age, I’m surprised you didn’t.” Twilight removed her hoof, leaving a red spot where Rarity couldn’t see. Relieved, Rarity put a hoof to her chest, and smiled. Sweetie tilted her head, pretending to be confused. “Oh, well as long as it isn’t serious.” Rarity had never believe cooties were real. The colts at her school had been right! Who could have known? Sweetie waved goodbye to Rarity as she quickly left the house. Rarity waved to her, and then blinked, and gasped. Sweetie was sick! She shouldn’t be going to school. “Hey Apple Bloom nice to see ya.” Sweetie brought Apple Bloom into a hug just as Rarity came out, and scolded her. Sweetie walked up to her bedroom, and smirked. Around midday, Rarity came up and mentioned she was leaving, and Twilight would be around soon. The moment Rarity left, Sweetie walked downstairs, meeting Twilight as she walked in. “How’s the spread?” Sweetie smiled as Twilight pulled out a mirror, and cast a spell on it. Soon enough, Sweetie and Twilight could watch other ponies go about their daily lives. Sitting down, Sweetie watched as Twilight placed down some drinks, and a bag of popcorn. “Let the show begin!” Apple Bloom blinked in shock as a sudden desire to brush up against everypony filled her, and she couldn’t stop herself from doing so. As soon as she did, the feeling passed. It wasn’t long before the teacher noticed she was covered in spots. Tilting her head, Apple Bloom widened her eyes, she was too. Cheerilee ordered the students home, looking to the dots rapidly spreading over her hoof. If they were unlucky, this would spread to everypony in Equestria. Cheerilee decided the best place to go first was the hospital, and so she cantered there, coming to a stop when she saw the line-up of ponies with the same condition. It was an epidemic! Rarity frowned when she realised she was covered in ‘cooties’, and bit her lip. Had she caught it due to missing out on it when she was younger? No, the stallion with her also had spots. They were rapidly spreading along the train and infecting other passengers too, some even on their way to Canterlot. Mr Rich greeted his marefriend with a hug as she hopped off the train, quickly noticing she was covered in red spots. In fact, everypony on the train was infected. Looking toward Canterlot, Mr Rich felt a chill enter his spine. Nopony would be safe, not even the Princesses. Gripping his marefriend, they both quailed in fear. Celestia and Luna glared as somepony barged into their once-a-day lunch break. Both were in no mood, especially for emergencies. “Your Highness-es! A sickness has broken out all over Equestria! It’s slowly infecting the castle!” As he spoke, the pony pointed to a single spot on his arm, and Celestia rubbed her forehead. “Is it fatal?” There was silence for a moment. “Pardon?” The pony blinked, and Celestia narrowed her eyes. “IS. IT. FATE-AL.” Celestia glanced to Luna, who rolled her eyes as she bit down on her meal. “Well, we don’t know. We know it originated from Ponyville, and nopony has died yet despite being infected since this morning, but…” Celestia returned to her meal, “Then it can be handled by my student.” Celestia watched as once more the pony fell into silence. “Just because nopony has died doesn’t mean they won’t! You could be risking lives right now! We don’t know if and when it starts hurting ponies.” The pony slammed a hoof down, and both gave him a scathing glare. “We get fifteen minutes a day to both eat and spend time with each other. We’re willing to take the risk. Besides, Twilight is capable, she’ll solve it.” Celestia gave a reassuring smile, and sipped her drink as a letter arrived. Nodding as if to say ‘I told you so’, she opened it. And proceeded to splurt her drink all over Luna. “I QUIT!?” Celestia, dove for a pen in panic, almost missing the fact that two more letters had arrived. Celestia quickly scanned the one with glowing gold letters, and instantly her composure returned, along with an irritated growl. Celestia held out the second letter for Luna, who immediately snorted, and broke into laughter. “I can’t believe it, we got pranked by Twilight. Waaaha-hah-hah-ha.” Luna flared her wings as Celestia let a small smile fall on her face, and glanced toward the half written letter she had been making. Burning it with a flick of her horn, Celestia sent the other two letters back, and flared her wings. “Come Luna, let’s go on vacation. It’s the only way to pay back Twilight. Oh, before I forget.” Celestia turned toward the pony, and quickly cast a memory forget spell, normally a forbidden dark art, and both Princesses teleported away. “Alright, that’s my cue to leave.” Twilight stood up, and bowed to Sweetie, who waved Twilight goodbye as she teleported away. Giggling, Sweetie wondered what Twilight was going to do with Cadance in the Crystal Empire, and wondered if she should visit it one loop. Then again, Sweetie had already seen the Empire. “Loop well spent,” she spoke, falling backward onto her bed just as the sun began to set. L31Author's Note This chapter is terrible, but if I tried to make it better I'll never get past this writer's block. Sorry in advance. We have another fanfic, read it here! L31 Sweetie opened her eyes, and concentrated, biting her lip. With a grunt, she teleported right to the door of her home. Puffing, she smiled, that was two paces further than yesterday! Turning, Sweetie cantered straight to Twilight’s home once more, and knocked on the door. Slapping the letter in her face, again, Sweetie waited for her chance to interrupt. “Twilight, Could you send a letter to Celestia for me? I want to go visit her.” Sweetie pulled out her letter, and her looping letter, and waited as Twilight did what she asked. Sure enough, a letter quickly arrived, telling her she could. Sweetie nodded, and quietly thanked Twilight. “If Rarity comes looking for me, could you tell her what happened? Kay-thanks-bye!” Sweetie galloped away, quickly checking her saddlebags had everything important. Finished that, Sweetie turned up to the station just as the train rolled in. Pulling out a bit, she bought a train ticket and hopped on, waiting for the train to start to move. It wasn’t long before she arrived, and found the guard who was escorting her to Celestia. Sweetie Belle smiled as she was lead into the throne room. Her ride had been so boring. It wasn’t often in loops that she came to Canterlot but that fast moving gopher fight she kept seeing wasn’t enough to keep her attention. Even if she did sit in the caboose to catch more of it this time. “Hey Celestia.” Sweetie bowed her head slightly, and the Princess smiled, bowing hers also. Sweetie followed Celestia as she slowly walked back toward the throne, and took a seat. Sweetie smiled, and opened her mouth to speak. “Hey uh, I was wondering, do you have any secret spies? Like undercover agents?” Sweetie sat down on the ground, waiting as Celestia mused for a moment. Giving a shrug, she seemed to decide that there was no point in hiding it. “We have a few, most of them are trained to live a quiet life in the background. I can’t name names for security reasons, but I normally have one stationed in every town.” Celestia shrugged, sipping a drink as one of her servants entered the room. Sweetie took the drink offered to her and blinked, it was quite good. “Do they go on any secret special spy missions?” Sweetie’s eyes sparked, thoughts of undercover missions in the back of her brain. Undercover Belle. Secret Agent 00Sweet. Sweetie giggled, oh what fun it would be to do something spy related one loop. Sweetie had been hoping Celestia could help her brainstorm it. “Actually, they’re all a part of this single mission I’ve been trying to accomplish since me and Luna took over the kingdom. It’s classified, so I can’t tell you much about it. Why, you looking to live out some secret agent loop?” Celestia winked, and Sweetie blushed with embarrassment. Well, when Celestia said it, it sounded a lot more silly. “Alright, I can make you a spy. I’ve always wondered if children spies would have an edge. Like how no one suspects the orange.” Celestia sipped her drink again, ignoring the confusion on Sweetie’s face. “Oh uh, well that’s great!” Sweetie didn’t understand the last sentence, but something told her she didn’t really need to understand. Sweetie made a silent note to always be wary of oranges in the future. “Alright, here’s your mission. I need you to steal a cookie jar.” Celestia pulled out a diagram showing the cookie jar, Sweetie tilted her head. Celestia glanced to the window, and pouted. “Our mother gave it to Luna and forbade me from ever looking inside. Since we’re stuck in a time loop, it’s a perfect chance to find out what’s inside.” Celestia nodded, and Sweetie shrugged, it sounded like fun anyway. Celestia pressed a button, and the wall popped open, revealing a dozen or so gadgets. Sweetie picked them up as Celestia quickly spoke. “These are your tools. There’s toothpaste, a ponyboy, and all the usual kid spy gadgets. I will teleport you right to the Night Ninja’s lair, where you will then steal the jar and bring it here.” Celestia’s horn began to glow as she turned toward Sweetie. “Alright,” Sweetie spoke, and blinked as she appeared in front of a castle. Sweetie could see many bat ponies patrolling the area. Using her many tools, Sweetie made her way silently through the building, snatching the cookie jar and leaving without being spotted. However, the moment she entered the throne room where she was meeting Celestia, Luna appeared. Boss fight activated Sweetie struggled to defeat the boss, and eventually managed to pull out her Luna note, waiting as Luna read it. Eventually they all crowded around the jar, and Celestia took the lid in her magic. Opening it, she poked an eye inside. “Oh my-” “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” L32Author's Note There has been some confusion over this so here: Philomena died last loop. Second note: Yes I'm aware I messed up with the seasons by making it snow in July. And before you say 'but it's december' yes that is what my math was BEFORE someone smart pointed out the flaw in that. If it is a snow day near the end of the week, and it was a snow day 32 loops ago, when is Hearts warming? If it's loop 32, then that means it was snowing 32 weeks earlier. If it's Loop 0, then that means Hearts warming would have fallen in the loop. I am aware of this huge plot hole, but I'm leaving it in because it's easier to just call it a stupid mistake then go through 30 odd loops to try and fix it. L32 Sweetie Belle looked to where Philomena’s cage had been, and sighed. Closing her eyes, she took a few moments to mourn the loss of her pet. Opening her eyes, Sweetie walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Approaching a calendar hanging on the wall, Sweetie counted the days, watching as she passed months by, and eventually landed on a day she would normally look forward to. “It’s Hearth's Warming Eve. But I don’t know how to celebrate by myself.” Sweetie glanced toward Rarity, who was looking at her in confusion. Sweetie pulled out Rarity’s looping note, and waited. Weathering the reaction, Sweetie pointed to the calendar. “Rarity, please help me celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve.” Sweetie waited patiently as Rarity bit her lip, and sighed, nodding once before dissolving into a smile. Sweetie grinned, and turned to head for the door. “Great! I’ll go get Twilight and everypony else.” Sweetie made a quick note to invite Mr. Turner and Ditzy as well. Giggling, she trotted quickly to Twilight's, and quickly informed Twilight of the news. “Hearth's Warming Eve? Well I guess we can organise something. It’ll have to be small though. Need a hoof telling everypony?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded, holding up the two letters she wanted sent. One for each Princess. Twilight sent them off, and soon enough Sweetie was ready to leave. Next up was Applejack, who was at the farm. Shortly after, Sweetie found Rainbow Dash, and had her tell Fluttershy. Walking toward Sugarcube Corner, Sweetie also informed Pinkie Pie. Naturally, once Pinkie knew, there was no turning back. Sweetie managed to find Time Turner easily enough while delivering Ditzy’s job advert. After handing him the 'I am a looper' note, Sweetie waited a moment, and then spoke. “Hearth's Warming Eve? Oh, do you mind if I come as a Changeling? No, maybe a pear. Yes, I can sense the irony right there.” Time Turner smirked, and Sweetie tilted her head, but they were interrupted by Nurse Redheart, and Time Turner dashed away. Sweetie turned toward Ditzy, and breathed in, walking toward the hopeful mare as she gazed over the advert. “Miss Ditzy, Pinkie Pie is hosting a private party tonight at Twilight’s, and I’d be grateful if you brought Dinky along.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and Ditzy nodded. After all, it would be a free meal for both of them. “Oh sure, just let me do something first. I just lost my job and I have a feeling this might just be the one for me. Call it fate.” Ditzy laughed, scratching the back of her head as she took to the air, and flew away. Sweetie turned, and made her way back to Twilight’s. “So are we ready?” Sweetie looked to the group of ponies as they shared a glance, and gave a toothy grin. Sweetie beamed a smile, and looked around, seeing a seat for herself. Sweetie knew there would be a party later tonight, but before that, there was a time honored tradition to keep. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, I present to you: Farts Warming EVE!” Rainbow Dash smirked, and Sweetie blinked, sensing instantly this was going to be a very strange telling. Rainbow Dash coughed, and began her tale as the others moved into position. “Once upon a time, the three pony races lived apart, and none farted, for it was very rude to do so.” As Dash spoke, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy made a show of trying to hold something in, while looking at their flanks. “So eventually, someone did it.” As if to make a point, Dash smirked, and let off a large poof of gas. Everyone else cringed away, Twilight diving for the window, forgetting about her magic. “Eventually, everypony realised the one who did it had the right idea, and so everypony let it go. And thus, they decided to found a new nation, one where everypony farts, and they called it Fartlestia.” Dash bowed, and Celestia appeared on stage, wearing a mask depicting a pony farting. “Pfff-bwuhahhaha.” Sweetie fell off the chair, rolling with laughter, the others bowed, sharing a quiet smirk. Pinkie Pie moved around them, setting up for the party just in time for the other’s arrival. Sweetie smiled, looking to everypony and beaming a smile. This was so much fun! “Time for presents.” Sweetie dove for the first one, and opened it to reveal a cupcake. Her second one was a muffin. Sweetie realised the third one was a snowflake pattern scarf, and threw it around her neck. Twilight naturally gave her a book. Rainbow Dash made an excuse about her being present enough. Fluttershy had a basket of flowers, which Sweetie could enjoy later. Applejack gave a basket of apples. Time Turner gave her a list of Changeling spells, such as detect emotions. “Thank you, this is great!” Sweetie beamed a smile, and all smiled warmly in response. Pinkie Pie turned, and layed a random polka-dot pattern on the floor. “Enough presents, it’s time for Twister!” Pinkie giggled and everyone took a place beside the pattern. Sweetie bounced up and down excitedly, this was going to be fun. Sadly, it turned out Sweetie was not good at Twister. Apparently being a child with smaller arms was a handicap. No matter, Sweetie still enjoyed it, feeling worn out as Rarity carried her home. Closing her eyes, smile plastered on her face, Sweetie knew that Hearth's Warming Eve had been done right. Being slipped into the bed, Sweetie stifled a yawn and blinked her eyes open, noticing a curious present on her vanity table. Standing up, she sluggishly walked over, and opened it. Instantly alert, her eyes widened. Sweetie had been expecting a surprise present from Rarity, but this was not something Rarity would ever get her. It was a clock that told the date and time. Not only that, it had the correct day. Sweetie instantly knew that this clock would even work with time looping, keeping an accurate count of the days as the loops began to count up. Sweetie strapped it around her wrist, and sat down on the bed. “Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, and thank you for the present.” Sweetie spoke to the room, knowing whomever had given the present was likely to be listening. Laying back down, Sweetie gave a yawn and decided to try beating the Crusaders at a snowball fight again. After all, she was getting better at remembering their movements. With that thought fading from her mind, Sweetie drifted into sleep. L33.1Sweetie stared at the ceiling, and sighed. Boredom was one of those things she had been trying to avoid, but she really didn’t know what she could do. A part of her silently wondered what would change if she did nothing? Closing her eyes, she knew it wouldn’t. There was nothing she could do, there was no escape. “So, what do I do about it?” Sweetie glanced toward the window, watching as a pegasus flew by at exactly 5:15 in the morning, as he did every other loop. Sighing, Sweetie counted down the seconds, her ear flickering as a rooster began to caw in the distance. Sitting up, Sweetie rummaged around her bags, and pulled out one of the looping books she knew off by heart. “Tch,” gritting her teeth, Sweetie tossed it into the air, and set it on fire, quickly dousing it the moment it was turned to ash, preventing the fire from spreading. Glancing toward it, Sweetie tried to force herself not to think about the friend she had lost before even getting to know her. “Right, I think it’s time I asked Twilight for help.” Sweetie nodded, standing up and quickly checking her bags were in order. Most of the stuff was piled in her room, due to the spell to make the bags twice as big not working until she got Twilight to recast it. Only the most important items were in her saddlebags. Walking downstairs, Sweetie quickly wrote a note to Rarity, explaining she had gone to see Twilight, leaving a copy of Rarity’s looping note beside it. Placing it on the table, Sweetie turned and trotted out the door. Knocking on the castle door, Twilight was quick to answer. Sweetie barged past her, entering the castle. Levitating the note into Twilight’s face, Sweetie closed the door, and took a seat. “Bla bla okay listen Twilight.” Sweetie quickly cut off Twilight, motioning for her to sit down as she waited impatiently. Eventually, Sweetie was obeyed, and she began to speak, eyes narrowing as she discussed the serious subject. “I’m bored. I don’t think I need to tell you why I need to avoid that.” Sweetie knew Twilight would be thinking about the many looping books, and what happened to the main character if they grew bored, or too pressured. Sweetie closed her eyes, and waited for Twilight to think on the matter. “Well, I’m going to need some time to think of better ideas, but...Oh! I got it, this!” Twilight beamed a smile as she held up a diary of some sort. Sweetie raised an eyebrow, taking it in her magic. Opening it, she realised it was the diary of Celestia and Luna. Sweetie’s eyebrow raised further, and she slowly closed the book. “Well, not that exactly, but that’s what brought the idea into my head. You see, I got that from the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree. There’s plenty to do there. I’d be happy to escort you, but you probably don’t need me to escort you ehe…” Scratching the back of her head, Twilight tried to laugh away what she felt was turning into an awkward moment. Sweetie shook her head, giving an endearing smile. “I’d love you to come. Who knows what we might find together?” “As you can see, there’s plenty of ancient books. Lore, even a section dedicated to Celestia’s Fanfictions. I would not advise reading them.” Twilight winced as she glanced to them, and Sweetie wondered how bad they could be. Maybe it would give her an idea of what heroes Celestia had seen while growing up. “There’s a lot to read here, sounds like fun, but is there anything else?” Sweetie plucked a few of the books out, and placed them in her saddlebags for later. Turning, Sweetie followed Twilight out of the library, and into the ruined halls of the castle. “To be honest, I don’t really know. Last time we properly explored the castle we all got horribly lost and frightened only to find out it was Pinkie Pie. I’ve never really properly ‘explored’ it per se.” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie mused, both pausing as they entered the throne room. Looking around, Sweetie supposed this would be fun. “Alright, I’ll see if I can make a map.” Sweetie nodded, that sounded like the most fun. Twilight giggled, and waved a wing as she turned and headed for a door. “Alright, I’ll be in the library if you need me. Try not to get stuck in a death loop or something. See ya.” As soon as Twilight left, Sweetie opened her saddlebags and pulled out a large piece of paper, and scribbled down the bit of the castle she already knew about. Listing it up, she nodded, and slipped it back into the saddlebag. “Alright, so I’ll stick to the left, and once that’s done try tracing my way backward.” Sweetie nodded, taking a step to head for the first door. Opening it, Sweetie saw a long hallway with a lot of armor being displayed on stands. Stifling a shudder, Sweetie was struck by how creepy they were. “Nonsense,” she scoffed, shaking her head rapidly and beginning to walk down the path. Sweetie noticed signs amiss, one armor set being in disarray. Sweetie supposed this was from Twilight’s last exploration. Nodding, Sweetie marked the corridor on the map, and continued. Of course, that was when a giant gaping hole opened up underneath her, and she fell down a slide into a dark dungeon room with rusted bars. Rubbing her sore flank, she turned and kicked a few out, and exited the cell. Looking around, Sweetie flipped the piece of paper over, beginning her map again. “Right, let’s uh...try...right…” Sweetie turned, and headed down the hall, ears flopping back as a grating sounded from right above her. Visions of the ceiling crumbling around her made her worry she might get caught in a death loop again. Sweetie shuddered, highly doubting her savior would be able to find her out here. Ignoring her qualms, Sweetie pushed forward. Author's Note Hey, I'm looking to shamelessly advertise a fic I'm working on for a contest. You can find it here if you are interested. It's roughly 5k, so it's not very long. I would love any feedback you care to give. Also ^that, because devils number and whatnot. L33.2Sweetie was hopelessly lost. Her map had become squiggles that meant nothing. Going left had never ended in a dead end, and she had made four lefts! Why hadn’t she found any intersections that led her back to the jail? It wasn’t going up, nor was it going down. It was like this was designed as a maze. Sweetie shivered as a drip of water landed on her back, making her jump and give a tiny squeal. After calming down, she took a moment to look around, and realised she had no idea which way she had come. Sweetie bit her lip, feeling a headache coming on. What was the best action to take? “Wait, of course!” Sweetie chided herself for being an idiot, and dug into her saddlebags, pulling out a slip of paper. Recalling the moment Twilight had given her the spell to send letters via magic, Sweetie couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to try using it yet. Twilight said the distance to Canterlot was too far, even for her. But maybe… “Dear Twilight, fell down hole. Please help, can’t find exit. Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie spoke out the words as she quickly scribbled down her note, and folded up the letter. Placing it on the ground, she poked her horn into it, and concentrated. Gritting her teeth, she winced as her magic exploded in her face, incinerating the letter. “Attempt number two…” Sweetie placed down the letter a second time, and concentrated. Casting the spell, she gritted her teeth in disappointment as the spell simply fizzled out, the letter flopping back to the floor. This spell required so much control, Sweetie wasn’t sure she could cast it yet. “One last try.” Sweetie concentrated, taking care to make the spell as strong as she could, while ensuring it didn’t blow up in her face. Pausing, she made extra sure the spell had enough juice to cast it, and then let it rip. Sweetie watched as the letter hovered in the air for a moment. Leaning forward, Sweetie felt hope brimming in her chest. With a disappointing view as the spell ripped the letter to pieces, and then exploded in a small burst of flame, Sweetie knew no one would be able to read it even if it did make it to the other side. Kicking the ground, Sweetie watched as a stone came loose, and cracked into the wall. Sweetie watched as the stone rolled for a moment, and fell still. Rumble... Sweetie pivoted, and ran. The roof behind her came crashing down, and she looked straight ahead, ignoring the thudding heart and the fear eating at her hooves. Turning a corner, Sweetie saw a second cascade of rubble coming toward her, and paused. Surrounded, Sweetie crouched, closing her eyes and cowering under her hooves. Sobbing, Sweetie heard the collapse tear through her eardrums, and felt dust and debris hit her body, sending her flying toward the wall. Gasping for breath, Sweetie felt her lungs clog with dust, and tried to blink her eyes open, pain throbbing through her body. Looking around, Sweetie noticed she had somehow made it to a small section where the two collapsing forces had met. Looming over her were two large pieces of rubble, creaking and groaning. Sweetie looked at her injuries, a few scrapes and bruises. “Okay, *cough* I’m alive. Now what?” Sweetie looked around, quickly working out that air would become a problem sooner rather than later, and scowled. Ears flicking back, she silently hoped somepony came to save her before she suffocated, falling into a death loop. Closing her eyes, Sweetie leaned against the wall, and sighed. Opening her eyes as a strange tinking sound reached her ears, Sweetie realised half of her prison had turned into crystal. Looking through the transparent material, a pony figure was visible. Sweetie leapt to her feet and waved, beaming a smile. The pony’s horn glowed, and Sweetie found herself slowly levitated through the crystal, coming to stand beside Twilight. Sweetie leapt at Twilight, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. Sweetie didn’t understand why her body was moving all on it’s own, and felt her mind slightly detached from the situation as Twilight comforted her. Why was she still afraid of death? Why had Twilight’s rescue moved her to tears? “I think that’s enough exploration for today,” Chuckling, Twilight slowly carried Sweetie outside. As they walked, Sweetie rubbed her body over, still feeling detached. And yet, this was her body. The pain from the cuts and bruises still hurt. But the feeling lingered. Sweetie shook her head, and instead focused on Twilight. “How did you know I was alive?” Sweetie watched as Twilight teleported up the hole Sweetie had fallen down, and began to head out of the castle. Sweetie silently cursed her inability to teleport such distances. Maybe in the future, she supposed. “Well, when I heard the collapse, there was only two possibilities. Either you were alive down there, or you had...been killed and we were out of the loop. I uh...took the risk of it being the former, and tried to find you anyway.” Twilight scratched the back of her head, ears flopping down as the morbid option that was tied to her deduction hung in the air. “No more ruined castles,” mumbled Sweetie, closing her eyes and shuddering. Twilight gently hugged the filly, taking to the sky and slowly beginning the fly back to Ponyville. Twilight normally conserved her energy, as the air currents were a lot more punishing over the Everfree, but was willing to put of with wingache for Sweetie. “I can imagine why.” Twilight smiled, and winked at Sweetie, who let a small chuckle escape her lips. Sweetie looked ahead, and let her smile fall. The feeling still clung to her, like a flea from Winona, Apple Bloom’s dog. Shaking her head, Sweetie instead focused her thoughts on what she should do next loop. Thoughts focused on that, her mind finally let go of the feeling. L34“Actually Rarity, do you mind if we go to a museum?” Sweetie waited as the emotions rolled over her sister, before settling on defeat. Rubbing her forehead, Rarity let out a sigh, and smiled gently down at her sister. Sweetie smiled, the good news was rolling in today. “If that is what you want to do Sweetie, let me go grab my things.” Rarity trotted over to her bedside table and grabbed her saddlebags, slotting them on her back with careful precision. Turning, she flicked her tail to motion for Sweetie to follow, and let via the door. Locking it behind her, Rarity nodded once, and began the trip to the exit. “What brought this on, if I may ask?” Rarity called for a cab, and they hopped in as Sweetie removed a small 3-fold flyer from her saddlebags. Taking it in her magic, Rarity immediately saw the wide array of magical artifacts being shown off. Rarity handed it back as Sweetie began to speak. “Some of those items are Starswirl’s. I’m hoping there might be something I can use.” Sweetie smiled as she watched people pass by, and saw the museum come into view. Hopping off the cab, Sweetie waited as Rarity paid the driver. Turning, they headed for the building. “I suppose, but don’t get your hopes up.” Rarity bit her lip, inwardly sighing at her excited sister. Rarity didn’t want her to get set on one possible solution, the chances of something useful being inside were slim. Yes, the artifacts might be powerful, but what use would any of them have to someone in a time loop? “I know, but it’s kinda hard not to.” Sweetie knew Rarity was right, but it was so hard not to let hope guide her actions. Would there be something she could use? Sweetie sure hoped so. Regardless, it was something she hadn’t done yet, and thus was a new experience. “You’re just in time for the next tour, join the group over there.” The ticket master pointed with a hoof toward the group of shuffling ponies, and they quickly joined the herd. As they waited, Sweetie noticed an old dinosaur skeleton laying in one room not related to the current exhibit. For a brief moment, she toyed with the idea of bringing it back to life, before eventually deciding it was too cliche. “Starswirl the Bearded was known as a heretic, and was constantly ostracised when he was younger. This led him to dive into his studies, and create his first item of magi-tech; a lightbulb.” As the pony spoke, Sweetie glanced toward the very poorly constructed lightbulb, and wondered what they had used prior to this invention. “This got the attention of Princess Celestia, who ferreted him into the castle where he could conduct his experiments without the hassle of those who called him a fool. It was during this time, he created the first magi-circuit. This circuit would turn a light on or off by flicking a switch.” As if to show it off, the pony flicked a switch on an open version of the circuit. Sweetie had to admit, this was amazing. “However, as this science became more accepted, Starswirl grew bored. Leaving the magi-tech to other scientists, Starswirl began to delve into the pure magical nature of the world. While he did so, scientists took his ideas, and implemented them to make the appliances we know today.” Pausing, the pony motioned toward a fridge, toaster, and other such kitchen appliances. Sweetie rubbed her hooves together, now they were finally getting somewhere. “Starswirl eventually went crazy, and died alone. But his knowledge of magic and magi-tech still helps society to this day.” The pony finished by showing a poster of Starswirl when he was obviously ancient by pony standards. Everypony began to separate, and Sweetie stared at the poster for a few moments longer. “Are you ok Sweetie?” Rarity put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, who nodded in response. “I’m fine, just a little disappointed. They only spoke of what he did in one field of study, completely ignoring the other.” Sweetie’s ears flopped down and she sighed. Walking up to the poster, she put a hoof on it, and sighed. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head, mourning the loss of one of the few unicorns who might have been able to help her. “Woah!” Sweetie blinked as her hoof went right through the poster, and fell forward. Rarity tried to follow, but found the poster was solid again, and reared back in fright. Pacing for a moment, she didn’t know what else to do but wait. If Sweetie wasn’t back in five minutes, she would get the staff involved. Sweetie rubbed the back of her neck where she had hit it on something. Opening her eyes, she looked around and realised she was in a very tiny room filled with sketches of various machines. As Sweetie walked forward more, she realised they were quickly becoming more and more about magic, and spell creation. Eventually, Sweetie noticed a final trend begin, one where Starswirl was constantly trying to find a way to become immortal. Sweetie looked to the final picture, one showing Celestia and Luna collapsed on the ground, Cutie Mark’s gone, with Starswirl standing over them. Surrounding Starswirl were what she recognised as drawings of the Elements. Looking down a bit more, Sweetie saw an unfinished spell that would swap the Cutie Marks of anypony connected to the Elements. “Oh Starswirl,” she sighed, closing her eyes as she looked away. Sweetie couldn’t deny it any longer, Starswirl had, by the point of the time loop, already been insane. Sweetie supposed Starswirl had been so consumed with his desire, he would do anything to accomplish it. Turning, Sweetie let her eyes fall on a picture of Starswirl when he was a colt, showing off his invention to Celestia. Sweetie turned, and headed back for the painting. Stepping through it, she met the worried look of Rarity, who quickly became consumed with relief. Gasping for breath as she was hugged, Sweetie glanced back to the poster. “So you really couldn’t follow me?” Sweetie took that information and digested it as she thought. A secret area of Starswirl’s, one she had been able to access but nopony else had. That final spell to switch Cutie Marks. All of it was related, and yet Sweetie couldn’t help but frown. Related yes, but how? L35Sweetie stuck her hoof into the jar as the substance got cupped in her hoof, and dragged it out, plopping it into her mouth as she layed on grass. Watching ponies pass by, she dragged her grubby hoof along her white body, feeling pleased as passerby’s looked away in disgust. Sweetie licked her hoof again, and spat out the hairs as she sighed and reached into the jar again. When the Crusaders had suggested this as a joke loop, she had been expecting it to be a lot more fun. Glancing to her left and right, she could see Diamond watching them with disgust. Surprisingly, Silver Spoon was getting really into it, having a small bath tub dedicated to their chosen substance. “Sorry Sweetie, I really thought Nutella would be a lot more fun than this.” Scootaloo slapped a hoof on the puddle of Nutella she was sitting in, and Applebloom nodded agreement. Sweetie sighed, standing up, and began casting her spell into the air, causing water to shower onto them. Sweetie bit her lip as she tried to change the flow, and smiled as it went from a single torrent to a spray. Looking at everypony, she watched as they began to clean themselves off. “Well, there are worse ways to spend a loop,” commented Sweetie as she scrubbed the gunk out of her fur. The others nodded, and lapsed into a casual silence. Finishing up, they tossed the empty jars in a bin, and trotted toward the park. If they were lucky, they might be able to get some serious playtime in before they got called away. “By the way, why were you scared about those rocks fallin’ on ya in the castle? Wouldn’t ya have just popped back in your room?” Applebloom tilted her head, and winced as Sweetie cringed, falling behind the group as they came to a stop. Sighing, Sweetie closed her eyes, ears flopping back, and opened her mouth. “Stuff follows me though. When I died the first time off that cliff, the rocks surrounding me when I died appeared in my bedroom. Meaning it would just smoosh the rocks that had smooshed me into the room, leaving me stuck in a death loop.” Sweetie shuddered, remembering her first death loop, glad it was the only one she had experienced. “Oh,” was all that was said in response. Falling silent once more, everypony’s thoughts were dark and morbid, knowing that what had saved Sweetie wasn’t likely going to ever get out of that like she had the first time. Sweetie suspected there might be a chance it wasn’t a fluke, but did she really want to tempt fate? “Alright, everypony, let’s form a circle.” Scootaloo ordered everypony to the grass, and they all obeyed with curiosity. Sitting down, Sweetie smiled awkwardly at Diamond, who scratched the back of her head. While they had read their looping notes, Sweetie knew it was always going to be awkward for Diamond to just start being friendly. “So, tell us, what are the secrets in the looping notes?” Scootaloo beamed a mischievous smile, and Sweetie chuckled, fishing out the notes. It wasn’t like they’d remember it next loop. Besides, Sweetie had been meaning to look through them for a while now. So why not with her friends? Sweetie picked up the first one, and smiled. “Alright, so before I begin, Celestia’s note speaks about her liking to eat rocks. I don’t know what Luna’s says, so let’s start with Twilight's. ‘To prove this is not a joke, I will say one single item that reminds you of the worst moment of your childhood. Bright pink polka-dot pajamas.” Sweetie blinked, and they all gave a nervous chuckle. “Alright, now Rarity. ‘I once designed a hat when I was younger that is still making me money today, and I am embarrassed because it uses double stitch instead of triple. But no one went after my redesigned hats.’ That’s Rarity for you.” Sweetie rolled her eyes, and the others bit her lips. Where were all the funny secrets? “Pinkie Pie, this should be funny. ‘I once killed a pony by making them laugh. I still send flowers to the widow once a year, who has two colts to look after.’ Oh…” Sweetie’s ears flopped back, poor Pinkie, that would have terribly hurt somepony who only wanted to make people smile. Scootaloo dug a hoof around in the ground, saying nothing. “Rainbow Dash suffers from an anxiety disorder. Fluttershy sometimes has to kill animals to end their misery. Applejack regrets the night she told Applebloom the truth about their parents. Jeez, they’re all so morbid…” Sweetie folded up the letters, and put them back in her saddlebags. Sweetie had a feeling Mr Turner would have a similar note. “I guess when faced with the reality of what you’re going through, the only thoughts that you can think of are bad ones.” Scootaloo glanced to the others, and they all nodded. Sweetie glanced to their notes, and immediately put them away. All sad, all depressing. Sweetie wished she hadn’t read them now. “But why was Celestia’s so mundane?” Sweetie was grasping at one odd straw in the bunch, and the others quickly dived onto it as she explained how Celestia had taught her to read it. Sweetie watched as all the other’s considered it, and let her thoughts wander. Was it to do with the age? “Well, it’s likely she’s desensitized to all the terrible things due to her age.” Silver Spoon held out a hoof as she spoke, offering her solution. Sweetie nodded slowly, it was the most likely. Diamond Tiara looked away, possibly in the direction of her home. “Or maybe she has seen so much she understood that leaving a depressing note would only make you sad.” Diamond kept her eyes trained on the distance, and Sweetie realised it was toward Canterlot Castle. Sweetie liked Diamond’s suggestion. Not only did it provide a valid excuse, but it showed off Celestia as being wise, which Sweetie knew was true. “Sweetie Belle!” It was Rarity, time to go home. Sweetie stood up, and waved goodbye to the others as she turned and followed Rarity home. Musing on today’s events, Sweetie supposed it was something she would never really be able to share out of this loop. “So, did you have fun today?” Rarity smiled warmly at her sister, completely unaware of the loop. Sweetie raised her head and smiled in response, giving a nod. Rarity returned to looking forward, and blinked. Was it just her imagination, but did Sweetie seem more...adult compared to last week? “I did,” replied Sweetie. L36“So, how am I doing?” Sweetie puffed as she caught her breath, looking toward Twilight as she mused for a moment. Practicing her magic had become routine, and Sweetie felt she was starting to make progress. Certainly there was a lack of explosions, and she was getting faster at it with each passing day. But still, Sweetie could sense a disappointment from Twilight. “Very good, but you’re not ready for the next level of spells yet. I know this is selfish of me, but I was hoping you’d be talented at magic and take to this a lot quicker than this. Like I was.” Twilight bit her lip and looked toward the ground. Sweetie weathered the insult, knowing that hating Twilight for it wouldn’t help. What’s the point in holding a grudge if the pony responsible didn’t remember why? “It’s alright, I understand.” Sweetie lied smoothly, knowing only Applejack would see through it. A part of her was disappointed when Twilight didn’t even notice the lie, smiling warmly and thanking her. Sweetie glanced toward the sky, a bored expression falling on her face. It was just too easy these days. “I fear there may be no means out of this loop, despite Starswirl’s claims and proof to the contrary,” she commented as she closed her eyes, and let her head fall. Sweetie felt a hoof touch her shoulder, and shrugged it off, taking a few steps to distance herself. Right now, Sweetie didn’t want comfort from a non-looper. “Well...what if we contacted a god?” Twilight rolled the idea off her tongue before she even registered whom she was referring to. Quickly catching up, she mentally face-hoofed, realising she should have done this loops ago. Sweetie turned, opening her eyes, alert and listening. “Discord, he’s a God of Chaos right?” Twilight supposed he was more a ‘lord’, but there was no denying he was a powerful force of chaos. If it hadn’t been for Fluttershy taming him, he would likely still be encased in stone. Sweetie blinked, and a bright beaming smile emerged on her face. “Of course! And even if he can’t he still presents a perfect pranking opportunity!” Sweetie jumped into the air with glee, this was something she could use! Something new, that was the main cincher in this plan. Sweetie savored the feeling of newness coming from the idea, glad Twilight had finally produced a golden nugget of opportunity. “So how do we find him?” Sweetie waited patiently as Twilight looked around, and put a hoof to her chin. Sweetie wondered what was behind the first action, but supposed it could be because of the subject. Sweetie wondered what prank Discord would come up with, how crazy would it get? “Well, considering he didn’t just appear when we called his name, I dunno. I guess try searching for him?” Twilight shrugged, unsure how one summoned a chaos god in a world of harmony. Sweetie mused for a moment, and nodded. It might take a few tries, but she was nothing if not patient. “Alright, I’ll try looking for him.” Sweetie waved goodbye to Twilight, and started looking around. After finding nothing, she remembered that Fluttershy was the closest to Discord, and pivoted, heading toward her cottage. Sweetie hadn’t had much chance to speak to Fluttershy during the loops, and she mentally chided herself for it now. “Hey Fluttershy.” Sweetie waited patiently for the Pegasus to finish feeding the animals. There were quite a few strange one’s, but nothing Sweetie hadn’t seen before. Sighing, she wondered what she would find if she went exploring in the Everfree. Finally, Fluttershy nodded once, indicating she could continue. “I was wondering if you knew how to contact Discord.” Sweetie’s response was so unexpected, Fluttershy took three steps back and glanced around rapidly. After a moment of nothing happening, she breathed out in relief, and approached once more. “W-Well you could t-try a-asking him nicely.” Fluttershy shrunk slightly as she crouched low, and Sweetie sighed, giving a nod. It looked like Fluttershy wasn’t going to be any help whatsoever. Sweetie turned, and began walking away. It wasn’t like she had rudeness to worry about, it was nearing the end of the week. “Thanks Fluttershy.” Sweetie trotted back toward the town as she mused. Asking Discord nicely, it might work, but doing so would require a little bit of preparation. Sweetie knew convincing Discord this was a time loop would be immensely harder compared to that of Twilight. “Let’s see, I’ll need chocolate milk, and probably a book or two for him to snack on. At least, from what Twilight said. Alright, Ill get that ready, and contact him next loop.” Sweetie smiled, and began to skip down the path. Author's Note Sorry it's so short. L37“Oh no, it’s raining chocolate milk, it must be another Discord prank.” Sweetie pretended, badly, that she was actually frightened and angry at the chocolate raining on her. After a while, she sighed, and stood still, narrowing her eyes. Great, making fun of him hadn’t drawn him out. Kicking a bucket, she watched as it banged against the ground. “Just great. He won’t come when called OR when made fun of. How the hell does one summon this freaking Chaos God?” Sweetie growled in irritation, wincing as a spike of pain laced through her head. Sweetie reconised the pain instantly, and sighed. Great, another chore she would have to do. “You could always try asking politely you know. I do have feelings.” Turning, Discord’s pouting face swam into view, and Sweetie smiled sheepishly. Whoops, looks like Fluttershy was right. Sweetie quickly composed herself, and pulled out the two books she had ‘borrowed’ from Twilight during the previous loop. “Fancy some light eating?” Sweetie smiled innocently as Discord mused, glancing the books over. Tossing them aside, he snapped his fingers and transformed them into flying doughnuts. Sweetie watched them fly around a few times, before breathing in, and getting to business. Discord was currently eyeing her saddlebags, full of paper. It would be best to not let him get any ideas. “Discord, I am-” Sweetie blinked as she was cut off, her mouth zipping up like a pair of pants. Unzipping it, she tilted her head as Discord regarded her, and gave a yawn. “Stuck in a time loop, forced to repeat the same time over and over again, I’ve heard it before. You remind me so much of the grizzled old goat, no sense of fun left in you. Blegh.” Discord shuddered, his arms falling off and beginning to bounce along the ground. Discord watching them begin to dance to a tune coming out of thin air. “Wait, so you know about it?” Sweetie leaned forward, eyes sparkling with hope. Discord narrowed his own eyes, and snapped his fingers in between a backflip and split as the dance continued. Sweetie found herself wearing a pair of sunglasses, covering her eyes. Pulling them up, she realised Discord was no longer looking at her. “Of course I do, you don’t think I’d notice the magic slamming through the air with little care for any magic in its way? Anyone with some sense of Chaos could detect it. It slides along my back like someone stroking a cat the wrong way.” Discord shuddered again, and snapped his fingers. Hands back on his body, he flew over to a house, and turned it into a bubble. Blowing on it, Discord watched as it flew away. “I imagine your tiny head is exploding with questions, so let me answer them quickly for you so I can get back to ignoring the elephant standing right next to you.” Discord glanced scathingly toward Sweetie’s right, and she blinked, there was an elephant right there. Sweetie glanced upward as it suddenly began to rain elephants, causing untold panic. Sweetie couldn’t resist the slight upturn of a smile. “Yes I can survive the loop reset, no I don’t want to, no I don’t have memories from previous loops, yes I used to know Starswirl, no I don’t know how you cast the spell, and yes English Literature is my favorite.” Discord snapped his fingers, and a piece of paper appeared in front of Sweetie. Taking it, she saw it was covered in a crude drawing of Discord. Folding it up, she wondered how Discord had guessed her last question. “If that is all, I’d like to go cause some lovely chaos in New Griffonia. Those Gryphons served me bad cheese last time I was there.” Discord paused just long enough to snap his fingers, and return everything to normal. Fluttershy would scold him if he didn’t clean up his mess. Well, Discord had only sworn not to cause Chaos in Equestria. The Gryphon Kingdoms on the other hand… “Uh, see ya…” Sweetie watched as Discord vanished, and realised she hadn’t actually gotten a chance to properly talk to him. Sitting down, Sweetie sighed as she wrote down everything Discord had said, cataloging it as she mused on her notes. Looking over them, she bit her lip and scratched her head. “Alright, so Discord can survive a loop reset, but doesn’t want to. He doesn’t keep memories from previous loops. He knew Starswirl, and called him a ‘grizzled old goat’ I think. Okay, so what does that tell me. Come on Sweetie, think.” Sweetie leaned back, and pursed her lip. “Discord likes chaos and disharmony, something like time looping would make any chaos he did become boring or similar if he did it too many times. So maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to come with me to a loop reset? I guess that makes sense.” Sweetie glanced to the sky, and winced as another slice of pain hit her head. “Right, priorities.” Sweetie stood up, and headed toward Twilight’s. Knocking on the door, she quickly wrote the letter as she waited for Twilight to answer. Holding it out to Twilight, Sweetie opened her mouth to speak. “Twilight, can you send this to Celestia? I need a new shield spell.” Sweetie winced, the pain was starting to occur more often. Twilight nodded, but levitated over a scroll instead of allowing Sweetie inside. Opening it, Sweetie saw a complicated spell, and tried to understand what it did. Thankfully, Twilight came to her rescue. “This is a shield spell that will create a bubble in a sphere around you. It will take some time before you can control it enough to make it skintight, but it should do you for quite a while.” Twilight tilted her head and gave a smile. Sweetie nodded, and tried to cast it. A tiny bubble flickered to life around her, and her headache cleared. “Thanks Twilight,” she spoke, giving a warm smile as she put the scroll in her saddlebags. Sweetie waved goodbye, and turned, heading home to where Rarity would be waiting. The strain was immense, and she had to stop a few times. Sweetie was also positive it wasn’t very strong either. Both things that gave her something to work on. “I’ll try talking to Discord again next loop.” Sweetie still had questions she wanted to ask. L38“Excuse me Discord, but do you mind if I have a word with you?” Sweetie waited patiently as a sigh echoed around her, and the Draconequus in question materialised. Sweetie showed him the picture, and he rolled his eyes, folding them in irritation. “How do you know Starswirl?” Sweetie waited as Discord snapped his fingers, transforming a cloud into a stone chair. Sitting down on it, he growled. Sweetie could tell Discord obviously did not want to be here. And yet, he was making the effort to remain, to which Sweetie was grateful. “I was created when he escaped from his time loop. The energies of the spell coalesced into a discordic center that created me. I was incredibly handsome and already older than time by that point, he merely gave me form.” Discord waved his hand in a circle, creating a tornado on his fingers. Rolling it around his hand, he snapped his fingers and sent it toward Griffonia. “Do you know if there’s a way for me to escape the time loop?” Sweetie was surprised to find out Discord was born the day Starswirl died. Well, according to him it was the day he gained form. Sweetie supposed that explained the lack of, well, morals. “Yes, the same way Starswirl escaped. Harnessing the energy to create an immortal creature. You could always create another Draconequus.” Discord snapped his finger again, summoning a chicken that squawked the alphabet. “Wait, immortal?” Sweetie blinked, eyes widening as Discord raised an eyebrow. “Well what did you expect the way out was? A spell made to make someone immortal can only be completed when this occurs. Starswirl couldn’t make himself immortal after realising this due to being the epicenter of the loop, so he instead focused the energies into a center point, and added a spark of life.” Discord flicked the chicken into the air, watching in boredom as it began to dance, strobing disco lights coming out from it’s primary feathers. “A-And how does one create a spark of life?” Sweetie didn’t really like the idea of her being the source behind another Chaos God, but if it was the way out, then she would take it. “All the necromancer books I’ve eaten on the subject say it’s a spell that is only conceived, and has never been created. You’d have to be as smart as Twilight to ever attempt it. Which, sorry to say, you are not.” Discord snapped his fingers, exploding the chicken into a thousand tiny, strobing, dancing chickens. Chuckling, he materialised sunglasses on both himself and Sweetie. “And before you ask, no Twilight couldn’t do it. She’d need more than a week.” Discord cracked his fingers and leaned forward, regarding Sweetie. Snapping his fingers, he began to mess with her appearance by first turning her a sickly green. “What about you? Could you do it?” Sweetie silently hoped Discord reverted her to normal at the end of the conversation, wincing as a tiny chicken landed on her head, still singing the alphabet. Sweetie didn’t entirely like the fact Discord was messing with her appearance, but it was keeping him somewhat entertained while she got answers. “Hardly, my magic is so unpredictable it would more than likely create a spark of light. But I digress; your efforts are futile. There is no escape.” Discord sighed, leaning back as his chair shattered into diamonds. Looking up, he folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes as chickens began to land on his body, still dancing. “Alright, thanks.” Sweetie bit her lip and sighed, disappointed that another lead had turned up dry. At the very least she could use Discord for a prank later on in another loop. Sweetie paused for a moment, and shook her head rapidly. No sense dwelling on the dead end. She had to think what she could do that would be new. “Are you gonna eat that?” Discord pointed to the tiny chicken on her head, and Sweetie blanched as she shook her head. Discord grabbed the chicken and swallowed it without chewing. Sweetie covered her mouth, trying not to barf. “Thanks for your time Discord, but you can go now. Unless you want to discuss a looping prank.” Sweetie forced herself to a smile, and waited as Discord quickly returned everything to normal. Discord snapped his fingers, causing a Hawaiian shirt and suitcase to appear. “I’ll pass, that sounds dreadfully mundane. Try not to be too picky with what you decide to do, I hold no responsibility for changing the prank if it’s boring. Ta Taa~” Discord vanished, and Sweetie breathed out. “That does reveal an interesting idea though.” Sweetie mused on the chickens for a moment, remembering how Twilight had mentioned burgers during Twilight Time once. L39Sweetie ignored the disgusted looks as she bit down into her fruit bat, enjoying the delicious taste of illusion. Looking up, she smiled warmly at Twilight, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Twilight gently levitated utensils as she ate, disguising her horn magic as something a lot less intensive. “So how’s the strawberry Sweetie? Is it mixing with the meat well?” Twilight waited patiently as Sweetie pretended to finish the food in her mouth. Really, the filly had become extremely gifted at subterfuge. Twilight would never admit it, but she worried Sweetie was too gifted. “Oh yes! When you suggested eating fruit bats, I never thought the meat would compliment the fruity taste that comes from their peculiar diet.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and Twilight chuckled. After a few moments of pretending to eat, Twilight wiped her mouth again, and regarded Sweetie. “Why did you want to do this anyway? It’s quite a strange prank, don’t you think?” Twilight watched Sweetie put down her fork, and took the cue to behind ‘cleaning up’. “I was talking to Discord last loop, and he asked me if I was gonna eat one of the chickens he made. I said no and he ate it. It was probably only a ball of magic, but I thought it might be fun to try it one loop, even if pretend." “I’ll have to have a talk to Discord when the loops end,” spoke Twilight, writing down a note in her looping journal. “So Sweetie, how are you doing?” Twilight leaned forward, regarding Sweetie with wide eyes. Sweetie blinked, and tilted her head. “Uh okay?” Sweetie didn’t entirely understand why Twilight was asking. Twilight sighed, recognising the confusion. “Sweetie, you’ve been stuck in a Time Loop for probably months now. That doesn’t come without some problems. I’ll ask again, are you ok?” Twilight watched as Sweetie looked away, ears flopping down and up quickly. After a moment, she sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “I’m okay for now. There’s plenty of stuff for me to do. I gotta grow my magic, go through a few pranks, see a few things. Maybe one of them will give me a clue to get out of this. As long as there’s something new I can do, I’ll be fine.” Sweetie gave a sad smile, and watched as Twilight lent even further over the table. “And what if there isn’t anything new?” Twilight watched warily, keeping her eyes trained for any slight change in Sweetie’s face. Sweetie looked at Twilight, bit her lip, and turned away. “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully, lowering her head and looking at the ground. Ears flopping back, she rubbed her shoulder with a hoof. “I could travel, maybe. But I don’t know what to do when everything I could do has been done, I just don’t. A-And it scares me okay? I don’t want to think about it. It’s a dark pit I don’t want to look down. So please Twilight, don’t ask me what I’ll do. Because I fear the answer.” Sweetie closed her eyes, face scrunching up as tears began to leak down her face. Twilight instantly brought the filly into a hug, letting her sob as she stroked Sweetie’s hair. “I promise, I’ll never mention it again. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight closed her eyes, magic quickly writing a note in her journal. Sweetie could always read it, but Twilight had a feeling the filly hadn’t looked inside yet. Sweetie sighed, stepping back and wiping her eyes. “I’ll be okay,” whispered Sweetie, giving a shaky smile as she watched Twilight stand up. Twilight smiled, and they both began making their way back toward the castle in silence. Passing Sugarcube corner, Twilight motioned to Sweetie, and they entered. Mrs Cake was currently serving the counter. “Pick what you want from the menu.” Twilight stepped aside and let Sweetie order, levitating out her bag of bits. Twilight knew Sweetie probably had money of her own, but it was one of the few things she could do in her short timeframe with the filly that might at least be somewhat meaningful. “Thanks Twilight.” Sweetie ordered, and they left the store, heading back toward the castle. Sweetie bit into her treat, allowing the taste to encompass her. Living in the moment, she savored the thoughtful gift, ignoring everything else as the taste traveled along her tastebuds. “Come on, let’s go see if there’s anything hidden in Spike’s secret room.” Twilight winked, and Sweetie grinned, leaping toward the task with gusto. It turned out the fluffy toys masked a gem hoard, which Twilight immediately scolded Spike for. Was he trying to get fat? Sweetie watched this with a sad smile, and looked away. Author's Note This is by far the longest fic I've ever made. L40“Impressive Sweetie, did you teleport all the way here?” Twilight was quite shocked at the gasping Sweetie Belle before her. The filly held up a hoof, taking a moment to catch her breath again. Finally able to speak, Sweetie shook her head. “Not yet, it took me two teleports in quick succession, but I’m getting closer.” Sweetie beamed a smile as Twilight nodded, surprised by the amount of progress that Sweetie was making. At the rate she was going, according to her notes from previous loops, Sweetie would soon be able to move onto advanced spells. “Say Twilight, have you ever eaten meat?” Sweetie tilted her head. It was a leftover curiosity from the last loop. How had Twilight known what meat tasted like. Sweetie hadn’t tasted anything, but it left a nagging feeling in her mind. Twilight gave a sheepish grin, and escorted Sweetie inside. “Once, and it was in a different universe, as a creature called a ‘Human’.” Twilight waited as Sweetie digested this, once more surprised how quickly the filly came to terms with this information. “So humans are both real, and carnivores?” Sweetie brought out her notepad, writing this down. Maybe she could use it to prank Lyra in a future loop. Maybe not, Lyra was crazy enough as it is. “Actually, they’re omnivores. They eat both plant matter and meat. Just don’t ask me about the morality of it because it’s not something I really want to discuss.” Twilight winced at the thought. It was something she prefered to ignore. Sure, she hadn’t known it was meat when she first tried it, but it was still something she prefered to leave in the ‘do not discuss’ pile. “Can I visit this world? Maybe leaving Equestria will stop the spell.” Sweetie doubted it would, likely the spell followed her. Mainly she just wanted the chance to explore a new world. Twilight considered it for a moment, and shook her head. “Sorry Sweetie, your week doesn’t fall on a full moon, so you can’t.” Twilight gave a sympathetic smile, and blinked, flaring her wings as Pinkie leapt through a window. The problem with her Castle was the lack of glass. “But Twilight, didn’t you cast some spell dohickey when Sunset needed your help?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head, giggled, and leapt back out the window. Sweetie watched this, savoring the feeling of utter confusion. Twilight sighed, and rubbed her forehead. “Alright, you found me out. Now, listen very carefully Sweetie.” Twilight crouched down, and looked straight into Sweetie’s eyes. “Repeat after me; I do not want to go to their universe.” Twilight called upon her magic, keeping Sweetie from reeling back. “But-” Sweetie glared as she was cut off, and sent her magic to slice through Twilight’s, releasing her from the telekinetic hold. “Trust me, it is not worth it. And you will never get me to tell you the spell. If you go through 200 loops, and can prove it, I will consider it. But not before then.” Twilight narrowed her eyes and waited as Sweetie growled in irritation. “Fine, Fine! I do not want to go to their universe.” Sweetie rolled her eyes, annoyed she was being barred from something interesting. No matter, Sweetie was sure if she got to 200 loops, the new world would provide a treasure bounty of new. Which, would be the best present she could get after so many loops. “Alright, that’s all.” Twilight stood up, and smiled warmly at Sweetie, glad to see the filly had actually thought to break her hold. Without a doubt, the filly was growing stronger. Twilight turned away for a moment, letting a flash of concern fall on her face. The stronger Sweetie got, the more she lost time better spent on a childhood. “Twilight?” Sweetie slowly walked around Twilight, before whining as she was brought into a wing-hug. After a moment, she allowed herself to be hugged, and rolled her eyes. Twilight had been getting really sentimental lately. Sweetie supposed a few loops of not telling Twilight would be great. But that meant she wouldn’t be able to prove that loop existed. “I’m sorry, I’m just feeling sad for the fact you are missing out on a normal childhood. Like I did…” Twilight closed her eyes, feeling Sweetie stiffen in response. Slowly, small arms wrapped around Twilight. “I’m fine Twilight, really. If I ever feel like it, I can do an activity with the Crusaders. Last week we tried out fishing with my levitation magic. It was loads of fun. So...don’t be sad, I have plenty of time to have a childhood too.” Sweetie didn’t entirely understand why Twilight was suddenly sentimental not once, but twice in separate loops. Not to mention one after another. A lace of fear swept through Sweetie, wondering if she would one day not even feel the sadness coming off Twilight. Would Twilight’s sadness just turn into another chore? Sweetie shuddered, discarding the issue as quickly as possible. Author's Note I know they've been short lately. But darn it you will like those words! It's not my fault I'm on a budget! No you're not getting that candy bar near the checkout! Here is another poem made by: Divine Path A wonderland of absence, resting within the breath of wind circling time. Before the light flickers, and you remain in darkness, hold true the feelings of love and warmth, before such blackness pulls you tight in embrace, and you welcome the coldness of apathy. L41.1 Operation Eternal Night “Is everypony here?” Sweetie looked at the round table of ponies. To one side sat the Crusaders, quietly coming to terms with the news she had just told them. Luna and Twilight shared excited smirks, eyes glowing with mischief. The other five were less enthused, but Sweetie could tell they were behind the plan as long as Twilight was. “Yes, now tell us; did your test work out as planned?” Twilight smiled, flicking through her notes as she skimmed the ones relating to the day in question. Sweetie nodded, pulling out a piece of paper revealing a notice of a new holiday. Everypony shared a laugh at the photo used for the notice, showing two Princesses scrubbing the ground with toothbrushes. “Indeed, Toothpaste Day was a huge success, showing that if we involve Twilight and Luna, we should get immense support. However, this also means you’re going to have to be in multiple places at once Luna.” Sweetie paused as Luna nodded, and teleported to a different seat at the table. “So, is everypony clear on the plan?” Sweetie smiled as she rubbed her hooves together. All ponies nodded, giving a salute, and Sweetie stood up. Everypony watched as she unfurled a charter, dividing up Equestria into different sections. Sweetie motioned to the different cities. “Now, we want to finish this by tomorrow, so everypony is going to be teleported to their locations to begin. At midday, we all start at the same time. Twilight has prepared the speeches so that Luna has roughly ten minutes between them, giving her enough time to teleport to each of the locations and make a quick appearance. “Remember, this is going to be much harder than Toothpaste Day, we’re trying to convince a nation of something serious. So make sure to choose your words carefully.” Sweetie waited as all nodded, and smiled, slicing up the map and hoofing a section to the ponies. Sweetie saluted them, and stepped back. “Good luck, and goodbye.” Sweetie and the Crusaders were first, Sweetie charged with their safety. After all, it wasn’t as if they could get any permanent damage. Sweetie picked a spot in the middle of Ponyville, and levitated over the pieces as Apple Bloom got to work building it. This, of course, earned her a Cutie Mark. Scootaloo was next. “Alright, so we need something we can march to. I’m thinking something along the lines of ‘No more fright, we want night’.” Sweetie waited as Scootaloo nodded, and began to help Apple Bloom design the big signs for the picketing line. Sweetie watched this, and noticed onlookers beginning to see their work. Finally, it was time. Sweetie wrote up the final touches on the banner, levitating it up high in her magic. Turning, she pulled out a piece of paper, reading the spell Twilight had given her. Casting it, her voice was now amplified greatly. Sweetie also cast it on the other Crusaders, and they all smirked. “Citizens of Ponyville! It is time we rise up against the one who oppresses us with her light. For too long we have slaved away under her, and now it is time to rise up, and accept a new sovereign to take her place. May I introduce, Princess Luna!” Sweetie stepped to the side just as Luna appeared. Luna looked down, and gently smiled to everypony. “My subjects,” she spoke, keeping her voice loud, but not screeching. “My wonderful subjects, for too long has my sister been on the throne. For too long has she toiled. So long, that she has been corrupted by time. No longer does she represent three races. My sister does not fly with Pegasi, does not run with the Earth Ponies, and she does not glow with the unicorns.” Luna lowered her head, letting a tear fall. Nearly all of Ponyville was already at the edge, willing to go along with Luna if she gave the right push. “But fear not! For I shall free us from this oppression. Too long has my sister hoarded the sun, using it as her means of keeping power! I will free us from the chain. I will create a world without the sun! Earth Ponies will still be able to grow if they so wish. The cold will not come! I implore you; trust me! For the longer we wait, the closer we get to…” Luna trailed off, her horn sparking and an image of Sombra over Crystal Ponies in chains was revealed. Luna stepped back, and the Crusaders stepped forward. “No more fright! We want night!” Sweetie held the banner, while Scootaloo and Apple holding up signs with their logo on it. Ponyville blinked en masse, and then dive bombed the stage, grabbing the signs they had made up prior. Sweetie and the Crusaders leapt off the stage, joining Silver and Diamond. Waiting, they watched Luna teleport away, and began to organise the mob. “For Equestria!” From the buffalo of Appleloosa, to the high class of Manehattan. All ponies heard the Princess cry, and all responded with outrage. As all marched on Canterlot, where another uprising occurred just before all would meet up, led by Rarity as she showed off her best fashion design, one she had been saving. All the groups lined up around the castle, and Celestia leant out the window, looking down. Seeing not only her sister but the mane 6 leading the strike, she knew there was no chance she could beat them. Celestia glanced to the stacks of paperwork near her desk, watching as three more stacks were levitated in. Making a decision, she glided down from the window, meeting the crowd with grace only she could pull off. “Sister, Twilight, why are you doing this?” Celestia decided to go with the pleading option, knowing it was the best chance at winning back sympathy. A few faces in the crowd swayed, but most stayed resolute. Celestia was amazed at the strength of a mob. “Sister, is it time to step down. The populace hath spoken. They wish for Eternal Night.” Luna looked seriously as Celestia, who flared her wings in surprise. How had Luna organised this? Celestia glanced upward to the window, and sighed. If it was just a small group, she might have been able to talk them down. But with Twilight backing Luna, and the elements following suit, there was no chance she could even raise an objection. “Well played Luna, I concede.” Celestia smiled, and gently took the sign off one of the crowd. Clearing the paint with her magic, she saw one filly holding a can of paint and a brush, and levitated the brush out. Writing on it, she gave an amused wink to Luna. ‘No more paperwork, no more sun.’ Celestia hoisted her sign, and joined the front of the mob. Marching toward the castle entrance, Luna turned around at the top of the stands, and silenced the mob with a simple hoof. “We are victorious! The night shall last forever!” Cheers rang out, reaching a crescendo as Luna preened from the praise. Celestia watched this, eyes holding a cheerful mirth. L41.2 Operation Eternal NightLuna sat down on the throne as ponies began to leave, leaving only the elements, one filly, and Celestia in the room. Celestia glanced toward the filly, curious as to why she was still in the room. Twilight motioned with a wing, bringing the filly over. Celestia left it at that, Twilight obviously wanted the filly here for some reason. “Luna, I think this joke had gone on long enough now. You know as well as I that the world can’t survive eternal night. Not to mention the fact your moon cannot cover the other half of the world. We might be rulers of Equestria, but we have duties to the entire world and you know it.” Celestia flared her wings, looming over her sister. “Sister, let me level with you.” Luna raised a hoof, meeting Celestia’s eyes equally. Twilight and everypony else walked over, standing beside Luna. Celestia took a step back, not used to being the one without allies. Twilight glanced toward Sweetie, who quietly snapped a picture from her saddlebag. “If I can prove the world could survive under eternal night before the weekend, you allow me to modify your sun so it becomes a second moon. The moon will stay up during this time.” Luna saw the insult on her sister’s face, and was tempted for a moment to blow the prank, and just let her sister in on entire ordeal. Celestia folded her wings, leaning forward as fire burned in her eyes. “You forget sister, not only do I have the elements under my command, all of Equestria is behind me.” Luna gave her sister nothing, letting Celestia realise the folly of fighting back. Luna had her trapped, and Celestia knew it. Growling, she glanced toward the windows and clenched her teeth. If it was just Luna, she had a chance. But without the elements, she had no real pushing power. “Very well sister, one week. But if at any time Equestria starts to suffer, you allow me to raise the sun, and end this silly bet.” Celestia glared at Luna, who bowed her head. The deal had been made, so Celestia stormed off. Luna waited for the doors to close, before slumping, letting her fear finally show. “Great job lasting the entire time Luna.” Twilight patted Luna’s shoulder, who gave a begrudging smile. Sweetie took another secret picture of this. If this continued, she’d have to get a new album soon. “I do not know how my sister do it. Er- does it.” Luna straightened up, and wiped her brow. It had been tough, but finally her goal was complete. Twilight levitated up the plan details, showing stage two. Sweetie beamed a smile, knowing that they had already won the bet, but Luna would likely make an act of fumbling for a day or two. “I want you seven to pretend to be searching while I run the kingdom. It is going to be difficult to handle the paperwork mine sister hath left me. Er-my sister has left me. Maybe your research can turn up an unconsidered point we missed.” Luna watched them bow, and leave. Calling in her servants, she realised the sun was still in the sky. Luna, feeling like a kid taking a cookie without telling their parent, slowly reached out her control to the sun. Celestia’s presence was there, but not blocking. Luna slowly began to grasp the sun, and lower it. It was a lot harder than the moon, but still within her power. Raising the moon, she forced herself to remain composed. “Admit it Luna, you have no idea how to prevent the problems that come with having only the moon and sun idle!” Celestia pressed her sister, seeing uncertainty falling on Luna’s face. It had taken two days, but Celestia was finally getting through Luna’s stubbornness, or so she thought. “Nonsense, the elements won’t fail us-er me.” Luna carefully let a slip into her sentence, knowing she was actually fooling Celestia masterfully. Sweetie had been right, if they believe you are being manipulated by them, it is a lot easier to fool them. The door opened, and the two turned as Twilight and Sweetie walked in, holding a stack of paper. “Princess! We’ve done it!” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie took a picture of Celestia’s shocked expression. Luna forced herself to show a bit of shock, and then flare her wings, standing up as she smiled in relief. “Excellent, come! Tell us two what you have done to solve the problems relating to eternal night.” Luna smiled warmly, completely ignoring Celestia. Sweetie held the papers for Twilight as she began to read the charter. “First off, we turn the sun into a second moon. It will still be much brighter than a normal moon, but this way it will be eternal night everywhere. Your theory was right on the money in that regard. However, the two main problems of heating the planet and feeding the planet are a lot more difficult to solve. Which is why I suggest the following. “First off, the creation of a mutation that will infect all plant life and make them able to grow under less light. The Everfree has already converted itself, having many plants that do just that, according to Zecora. We can also create a magic spell to help the more fussy plants adapt quicker to this change. Soon enough, all life will only require the light from the moon to grow. “As for the other side of the planet, we convert the sun into a moon by a simple spell. Essentially, we enclose the sun inside a moon. For the other half of the planet, it is much easier to simply induce a day/night cycle with the new moonsun, thus allowing those who want both day and night to live over there. “As for the heating problem, Celestia here is the perfect source of heating magic. All we do is have a heating spell cast over the entire half that is always under the moon, thus keeping the planet warm despite the lack of proper sun. Of course, this task could easily be done by yourself. I am merely using Celestia as an example due to her talent being powerful heating and lifting the sun. “So yeah, that solves the main two problems. As for ponies, who can’t see well in the night. A simple night vision spell cast across the moonside will prevent that problem too.” Twilight smiled, and Celestia’s jaw dropped. After a moment, she straightened up, and breathed in. “I am a mare of my word, Luna.” Celestia turned and gave a gentle smile to her sister. There was no doubt she had lost. Luna stood up, and they both shook hooves. Regardless of the outcome, Celestia was proud of her sister for taking the initiative, and not becoming corrupted in the process. “Celestia, would you please sign this agreement then?” Twilight held up a piece of paper with glowing, golden words. Celestia frowned, wondering how her student learned that private language. Looking at it, Celestia quietly read it, eyes widening as she went down it. Handing it back, she looked toward Luna. And laughed. Everypony joined in, sharing a good natured laugh at the expense of Celestia. As it finally cleared, Celestia wiped a tear away with her wing, and chuckled once more. “You got me,” she spoke, a sly grin on her face. Luna nodded. “I see no reason not to continue your plan however. But I will not deny you got me.” Celestia nodded once, and Luna beamed a smile. Yes! Her hard work would still pay off, at least until the end of the week. “We’ll be heading back to Ponyville then.” Twilight bowed, Sweetie doing the same. Celestia watched them go, and then turned toward Luna. “I expect no less than 3 events named after me.” Celestia smile, and Luna chuckled. “How does Solar Night sound? Wherein we bring back the sun for precisely 7 hours.” Luna stepped aside as Celestia took a seat on the throne. “Why seven?” Celestia tilted her head. “Because rocks.” Luna smirked, and Celestia winced. “You are never going to let me live that down are you.” Celestia glared at Luna as she chuckled. “Eenope,” she replied. Both smiled warmly at the other. Celestia stood back up, and both quietly embraced in a hug. “I love you sister.” “As I love you.” Author's Note Happy early chapter people! Please note: There are many things to consider before making eternal night. I am bound to have forgotten some. L42Sweetie watched the clock tick over to 12:01, and sighed. It was a very important day, her birthday, and nopony would know without her telling them. A part of Sweetie didn’t want to tell them. Closing her eyes, she hugged herself on the bed. Why was she here? Why did Starswirl refuse to share the exit? Discord’s words blended together, and Sweetie knew that even if Discord was telling the truth, it changed nothing. She was trapped in this new reality, and there was no escape. Sweetie knew she could not get out under her own power, so she was at the mercy of the spell. But there was another thought that was dragging her down. Apple Boom, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, four names that would avoid her unless she provided proof she was looping, or convinced them to ignore the feeling. Sweetie supposed when she got strong enough, she could simply cast the same spell Twilight used except on them. But what was the point, it didn’t change the fact of what she’d done. Sweetie hugged herself tighter, trying to push the dark thoughts in her head aside. But they refused to leave, only growing stronger as she remembered the feeling of suffocating. Sweetie stood up on her bed, and sighed. Leaping down onto the floor, she felt something familiar stir in her heart. Sweetie was tempted to ignore it, ignore her innermost desires. After all, there was no point to it, her voice would be erased in five days. Sweetie looked around her room, toward the empty bird cage, and made her decision. Letting her inner song take her, Sweetie approached the window, and opened it. Letting the notes weave through the air, the song strummed the air around her. “I have changed, I have changed“ Sweetie closed her eyes. “Just like you, just like you“ Sweetie opened them once more. “For how long? For how long, must I wait? I know there's something wrong“ Sweetie leaned further out the window. “Your concrete heart isn't beating. And you've tried to, make it come alive“ Sweetie stepped back. “No shadows. Just red lights.“ Sweetie jumped. “Now I'm here to rescue you.” Sweetie landed masterfully, taking care to roll as she came to a stop. Turning, she lit her horn, casting light on the area around her. “Ooh I'm still alive, I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie began to walk down the street, looking at the dark houses. “Ooh I'm still alive, I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.“ Sweetie closed her eyes. “So silent, No violence.” Opening her eyes, she looked to the sky. “But inside my head, So loud and clear.” Sweetie stopped walking, letting a tear roll down her cheek. “You're screaming, you're screaming! Covered up with a smile I've learned to fear.” Sweetie lowered her head. “Just sunshine, and blue sky.” Sweetie started walking again. “Is this all we get for living here?“ Sweetie closed her eyes. “Come fire, Come fire. Let it burn and love come racing through.” Sweetie opened her eyes, looking toward the ground as rain began to fall. “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no -oh ooh.” Sweetie gritted her teeth, holding back her own tears. “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie stopped walking, and sat down on the wet ground. “I've learned to lose. I've learned to win.” Sweetie slowly opened her eyes. “I've turned my face against the wind.’ Sweetie looked up as the wind blew through her mane. “I will move fast, I will move slow.” Sweetie stood up. “Take me where I have to go.” Breaking into a run, houses blurred as Sweetie passed. “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie tripped, falling to the ground, sliding along it. “Still alive.” “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie hugged herself in the rain. “Still alive.” Sweetie sobbed. L43.1“Good morning Twilight, read this.” Sweetie waited patiently, and then stepped into the Castle. Twilight numbly followed her, going over the notes Sweetie had handed her. Putting everything away, Sweetie pulled out her ransom note. It was done in the traditional newspaper-cutout format. Confused, Twilight read it aloud. “Attention, we have your sister!? Pay us a fee of bits before Sunday or else? Leave your money at the stairs of the Town Center on Saturday at 5pm.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, noticing Sweetie was hovering numbers and some glue. “I don’t know what a proper amount would be. It needs to be large enough that it looks real, but small enough it’s possible.” Sweetie put the ransom note on a table and waited for Twilight to speak. “Well I can help you work that out but-uh-why?” Twilight narrowed her eyes, wondering if Sweetie had gone off the deep end. Sweetie blinked, and then mentally scolded herself for not mentioning the why. “Oh right, well. Okay, see I can’t go an entire loop without needing to see either you or Rarity, and it is draining. So I’m thinking, I pretend to be kidnapped, then I can just vanish for an entire loop, maybe even two.” Sweetie beamed a bright smile, and Twilight looked away, scratching the back of her head. “What about food, water?” Twilight wasn’t entirely behind the idea of Sweetie kidnapping herself, but it wasn’t as if it was going to harm anypony. At least, directly. “I can take most of the stuff I need before leaving Rarity’s. And if I need something I can always teleport back.” Sweetie smiled, knowing Twilight wasn’t going to say no. “What about the end of a loop?” Twilight wanted to make sure Sweetie had thought it out properly. Sweetie smiled, and levitated out a camping tent. “Last loop, I had a bit of time left at the end, so I moved most of my stuff into a tent, and got Rarity to set it up in my room. She was amused, but she did it. Turns out, a camping tent also counts as an ‘inside’. Cool huh?” Sweetie put the tent away, and waited. “Alright, as long as you’re prepared, I see no reason not to. Do you want me to use a memory wipe spell so I don’t remember this meeting?” Twilight saw the surprise on Sweetie’s face. “You can do that? I was just gonna ask you to pretend we never met this loop. That would be great. I have to test whether it works for an entire loop, you see.” Sweetie was planning on camping out in the Everfree. If an animal killed her, she’d revive in her room with her saddlebags. So nothing of importance would be lost. “Alright, as for the fee I think this would be a good amount. It’s half what’s in the royal treasury, and I’m sure Celestia will be more than happy to part with it to help us.” Twilight arranged the numbers into an amount, and Sweetie glued them onto her ransom note. Concentrating, she made two copies, and clenched her teeth. One note teleported, appearing on her bed. Folding up the other two, Sweetie wiped off the sweat, gasping for breath. The good news was she could teleport smaller objects the distance from her home and the castle. Soon enough, hopefully, she’d be able to do the same with her body. “Alright, it’s time for me to go then, see ya Twi.” Sweetie smiled, allowing herself to be brought into a quick hug. Stepping back, she watched as Twilight saluted, and galloped away. Twilight concentrated, and cast the spell, wiping her memories of the conversation. Blinking, she noticed the time, and hurried off to do her morning shopping. Sweetie set up camp in the Everfree, on the edges near Applejack’s farm. It was one of the safer sections, due to Applejack and Big Mac having to fight Everfree constantly for their land to grow apples on. It was still unsafe, but Sweetie wasn’t worried. What were they going to do, kill her? Sweetie chuckled, checking her tent was set up properly, and waited. After a few moment, she pouted as she realised she had no means of seeing what was happening. Thinking for a moment, she remembered Luna’s scrying spell, and considered if she’d be a high enough level to cast it. Fumbling for a moment, her horn sparked as she tried to create a makeshift scrying spell off what she had seen Luna do. “Therewego,” commented Sweetie as a hazy image appeared in the puddle of water she had substituted for a mirror-like surface. As Sweetie continued the spell, she began to tweak the magic, eventually getting it clear enough she could see what was going on. Sitting down, Sweetie watched as her sister entered her room. “Oh no!” Rarity’s blind panic made a slice of guilt slide through Sweetie, but she ignored it. As Rarity cantered toward Twilight, Sweetie noticed the slight increase in magic strain. Sweetie supposed her limit was likely the very edge of Ponyville. Shrugging, she continued watching. Panic, a letter to Celestia, all in all like she had predicted. Sweetie watched the events unfold, watching as Twilight tried to detect her location with a spell. Sweetie tried to block it with her magic, and noticed the surprise on Twilight’s face. As it was cast a second time, Sweetie blocked it much better, knowing what to expect. Twilight’s concern only grew, and Sweetie could guess why. Somepony able to block locating spells, that meant they were on the same level as pre-Alicorn Twilight. Rarity was distraught, but all faces cleared as Celestia entered. Sweetie could see the edge of a large cart full of bits behind Celestia. It looked like Celestia was discussing something. Sweetie tilted her head, frowning. Concentrating, Sweetie blocked another detection spell from Twilight. Celestia frowned, and her horn began to glow. Sweetie gritted her teeth, calling upon her magic to block it, and felt Celestia’s spell slice through her protection like butter. Sweetie growled and turned her attention to the picture, noticing Celestia was now examining Rarity. Sweetie felt someone snap her magic tendril, and the puddle cleared. Growling, Sweetie cast the spell out, this time to Spike’s perspective. Due to his natural resistance, Sweetie was now struggling to even keep the image clear. However, it made her spell harder to detect. Celestia was shaking her head, holding up a spell Sweetie didn’t recognize. After weeks with Twilight, however, she recognised it as being designed to travel through protection spells, and check the target was breathing. Sweetie felt a slice of guilt, Celestia had only been checking she was still alive. “Okay, so they can detect I’m alive, but as long as I keep the *huff* shield spell up they won’t be able to find me. Whew this is hard.” Sweetie canceled the scrying spell, putting up a shield spell instead. At the very least, it would protect her from Twilight’s attacks. Sweetie grabbed a drink of water, and tried to regain some of her breath. “I’ll haveta...think of something for the night...to stop Twilight’s detection spell.” Sweetie felt her eyelids droop, and stifled a yawn. It had been a rough week, Sweetie hadn’t been sleeping well. Sweetie began to lean forward, drifting off. “Blurgh!” Sweetie splashed in the muddy pool, sitting up and grimacing at her coat. “Well, that’s one way to stay awake. At least it’s not tree sap.” L43.2, 44.1Sweetie was exhausted. When she wasn’t trying to stay awake long enough to eat something, she was being woken up by an alarm spell she had put in place. Sweetie didn’t understand any of the science behind it, that was Twilight’s thing. What Sweetie did know was that if she put a thin circle of magic around her, she’d notice something passing through it. “If I was better at magic, I’d know how to automate my horn blocking Twilight’s spell.” Sweetie’s eyes drooped as she sat in her tent, and shook her head rapidly. Gobbling down her cereal, she vaguely wondered if she should try cooking again. Eyelids drooping again, her thoughts scattered like the breeze. “Wargh!” Sweetie jolted awake, pulling up her shield just before Twilight’s spell slammed into her own. Rubbing her weary eyes, she unzipped the tent, and walked over to her puddle of water, casting the spell to quickly check on Rarity. As she suspected, they were working hard to find a means of tracking her down. Sweetie ended the spell, and dragged herself back to bed. Closing her eyes, she slowly drifted back into darkness. What seemed like minutes to Sweetie turned out to be an hour, and she quickly defended herself against Twilight again. Exhausted, she fell instantly back to sleep. Another hour passed, and once more she was woken. By the time Friday rolled around, Sweetie could barely muster the energy to eat, let alone stop Twilight from finding her. Her horn reacted automatically whenever the spell happened, reactions built from a week of blocking it. Sweetie forced her horn to life, and spoon fed herself, unable to even open her eyes. Sweetie was only vaguely aware of the sun setting, and forced herself to turn her eyes to her alarm clock. Watching time tick over to midnight, and then to 12:01, she laughed, and collapsed. Regardless of anything, Sweetie only understood she could now sleep. And her mind rejoiced in that fact. Right before it lost all cohesion, and dreams consumed her. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie groaned, opening her eyes and rubbing her eyes. She was still exhausted, dizzy, and feeling slightly queasy too. Slowly sitting up, she blinked as she watched Opal, who had been sitting on her bed, hiss. Leaping off her bed, Opal slinked out of the room. “Okay, I am way too tired for any actions right now, so all I have to do is walk down and tell Rarity I’m sick.” Sweetie gulped, and slowly dragged herself to the edge of the bed. Falling down with a thump, she dragged herself to the stairs, and called out to Rarity. Sweetie was fighting to keep her eyes open. “Can...stay...home...sick...please…” Sweetie slumped, eyes closing, and Rarity gasped, levitating her sister back into the bed. Rubbing Sweetie’s forehead, she frowned, and went downstairs to get a wet rag to put on Sweetie’s head. The filly was heating up, maybe she had come down with something? “Don’t worry my sister, I will nurse you through this trying time.” Sweetie woke up, and felt refreshed and revitalised. Honestly, she felt like jumping up and running a marathon. Debating the wiseness of that, she opted to just sit up. Sweetie looked toward her saddlebags in one corner, and to her sister sleeping in a chair, and smiled softly. Rarity must have looked after her while she recovered. ‘So camping out for an entire Loop is possible, but not feasible with my current level of speciality. I lack the proper spells. Maybe I was too close as well. I’ll try deeper into the Everfree next time.’ Sweetie nodded to herself, standing up and biting her lip. Carefully, she levitated her heavy sister onto her bed, and pulled the covers over. Leaving a quick note, Sweetie put her saddlebags back on. ’Come to think of it, how did I get here?’ Sweetie frowned, looking toward her bed. Not to mention, her saddlebags had had the enchantment that made them bigger on the inside had been replaced, as it had to each Loop. Sweetie tilted her head, and shook it. Regardless of the who, she had no doubts that she would never know. “Oh Blueblood, eat those blueberries. Slower…” Rarity drooled in her sleep, and Sweetie shuddered. Walking out of the room, she went downstairs. Using her spell, she quickly detected it was Wednesday. “Two days of full sleep, wow I must have been tired.” Sweetie looked to the descending sun, and shook her head. “Regardless, it does present the problem of-Oh no! Ditzy!” Sweetie quickly wrote a note and left it on the counter, and dashed out the door. If she was lucky, they weren’t too hurt. Oh she hoped they were ok. Author's Note Alright! Alright! I get it already! No more random experiments like pictures, poems, songs, videos, etc etc. I was just having a little fun. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Sinking the ever-pained enshrouding darkness, and pondering the cause. Soon the ever-night shall reach, and soon might you linger, soon might you rest a wanton rest without bliss. L44.2Sweetie knocked on the door, and waited. As Ditzy answered, she glanced inside and saw Dinky eating, a good sign. Smiling pleasantly, Sweetie quickly bowed her head. Ditzy tilted hers, but said nothing. “Hi, my name’s Sweetie Belle. I’m-uh-I heard about your money problems, and wanted to make sure my classmate Dinky was getting enough food. Cause I-uh- could probably let you come over for dinner. Rarity said it’s ok.” Sweetie lied about that last bit, but she had no doubts Rarity would agree. Ditzy smiled warmly, touched by the filly’s concern. Pulling out the very same flier Sweetie normally used, she pointed to it with a hoof. “That’s very kind of you, but a gust of wind blew this onto my face on Monday. I’m not sure how, but apparently I’m perfect for the job. They keep telling me to hammer in a piece of board into a condemned house, and praise me when it falls over. Confusing, but good money. And stable too.” Ditzy giggled, putting the flier down. “Oh…” Sweetie’s blood turned ice cold for a moment, before she shook her head rapidly, and beamed a smile, jumping around as she giggled. “That sounds like a silly job, telling you to do one thing and watching you do the other.” Sweetie stopped bouncing, and gave a giggle. “Either way, I’m glad Dinky’s ok. I better get going now, you’re obviously eating.” Sweetie waved goodbye, and frowned as Ditzy shook her head. “Nonsense, come and join us. I’d love to hear about how you know my daughter.” Ditzy slowly nudged Sweetie into the house, and Sweetie didn’t have the heart to resist. Taking a seat at the table, Sweetie silently cursed her bad luck. ‘Great, now I have to pretend to be a happy foal instead of thinking about the elephant just shoved into my room.' Discarding her irritation, Sweetie smiled warmly at the two, and waited for them to begin the conversation. “I’m sorry, but you said you know me?” Dinky tilted her head, frowning as Sweetie blinked. Putting a hoof to her chin, she pretended to consider it. “Well, I wouldn’t say know. I see you in class occasionally, but we’ve never talked. I just overheard some grownups talking about how Ditzy wasn’t doing well and I wanted to make sure you were ok.” Sweetie let her concern show, and Dinky blinked, touched. “Well thank you for being concerned for us,” spoke Ditzy, giving a motherly smile as she brought Dinky into a hug with her wing. Dinky whined, and Ditzy chuckled as she let her daughter go. Sweetie exchanged small talk with them while they ate, and wondered how long she had before Rarity woke. To her surprise, and gratitude, Rarity knocked on the door at that moment. “Hello, I’ve come to pick up Sweetie-Ah there you are.” Rarity’s face was full of concern and evident relief. Sweetie walked over and gave her sister a hug. “Sorry for worrying you sis. See ya Dinky, goodbye Miss Doo.” Sweetie waved goodbye like the good little filly she was, and followed her sister home. “I’m proud of you,” commented Rarity, noticing her sister’s sudden confusion. Bringing Sweetie into a hug, she smiled. “You showed concern for your filly friend, despite the fact she was only a classmate. That kindness is one of the most important traits you could ever have. Of course Generosity is one of those.” Rarity chuckled, and brought Sweetie around so they could see eye-to-eye. “You are growing up so fast.” Rarity began to tear up, and Sweetie brought her sister into a hug. “There there,” she spoke, letting emotion creep into her voice. ‘Alright, so somepony must have sent that ‘gust of wind’ for Ditzy. Likely the same person who got me out of the death spiral. I have no idea who it could be. Either they’re somepony I don’t know, or a very good actor.’ Sweetie mentally sighed as she followed her sister home. ‘This is too much for me. Solutions where there are none. I just don’t know what else I can do! I guess the only thing I can do is have a little fun. Maybe play a few pranks. Hrm...Speaking of pranks…’ Sweetie smiled, and began designing the pranks for her next loop the moment she entered her room. ‘I’m thinking, catapult, tar, and chicken feathers. That should entice Pinkie Pie. Now as for Dash, maybe a weight to make her fly slower. No, that wouldn’t work. Hrm. Maybe a bucket of water. Yeah, she should be able to get the idea from that.’ Sweetie nodded to herself, writing down her notes. ‘Cheese, yes that is a great idea. And some frosting. Party Balloons? No, too Pinkie Pie. How about… argh I dunno! So many to chose from.’ Sweetie growled, grabbing her head and falling off her chair. Laying on the floor, she bemoaned the amount of choices she had. (L45)L46Rainbow Dash walked out of her cloud house, wings flaring as a bucket of ice cold water hit her. Looking up, she saw the string it had been attached to, and narrowed her eyes. Turning her gaze groundward, she noticed Sweetie Belle, snickering quietly. Rainbow Dash considered it, and decided Pinkie Pie was the likely cause. “Speak of the pony.” Rainbow Dash glided down to Pinkie Pie, who had an amused smile on her face. For some reason, she was covered in feathers. If Rainbow Dash had of considered it for a moment longer, she might have thought it strange. “I’ll admit Dashie, it isn’t normally you who starts the prank war.” Pinkie Pie smirked, and Rainbow Dash met it with her own. “Me? What about you. Surely the water-above-the-door is too cliche for you.” Both laughed, fully convinced the other was lying to get the upper hand on their next prank. However, such thoughts got rapidly discarded as pastry splattered on their faces. “I’m disappointed in you two. Not only have I gotten you both once, I have now gotten you twice.” Sweetie winked, tossing a third pie up and down in her magic. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shared a glance, and than rubbed their hooves together. Moving in close, they made a quiet agreement to work together. Of course, Sweetie threw her third pie then, hitting them both. “Oh it is ON.” Rainbow Dash flew up to her house as Pinkie vanished to her own. Sweetie smiled, and turned, humming a tune as she headed for the park. ‘I’m glad the pie part went as planned. From what I learned the previous Loop, I should expect Water Balloons from Dash, and muffins with hot spices in them. After that, they will try to pull some elaborate mouse trap kind of device.’ Sweetie nodded to herself. This loop, Loop 46, she was going to get both of them to bow down and call her the prank master. After waiting the exact amount of time she had the previous loop, Sweetie stood up, and began to head home. While she was sure she wouldn’t be able to avoid all of them, any that hit her wouldn’t wet anything she was carrying. So, stepping into the street where her home was, she stepped lightly to the left, avoiding the first water balloon. “What the?” Rainbow Dash blinked from above, watching as Sweetie dodge the water balloon, and yet seemed completely oblivious to it. Tossing another one, Rainbow Dash growled as it once more missed. Finished with being messed around with, she tossed all remaining down in quick succession. Smirking, she watched as they all hit. Sweetie was completely dry, and oblivious. “Maan, she’s good.” Rainbow Dash was all for proclaiming her pride, but it did her no harm to admire a pro in action. Shaking her head, she burrowed into a cloud to wait for Pinkie’s prank. “Sweetie Belle, want a cupcake?” Pinkie Pie darted into Sweetie’s personal space, and shoved a cupcake into her mouth while the filly was still recovering. Sweetie gulped, swallowing it and coughing out a few crumbs. Pinkie watched eagerly, and frowned when Sweetie showed no signs of panic. “Of course I want a cupcake, but could you not force feed me it next time? I coulda died.” Sweetie glared at Pinkie for a moment, before heading into her house. The moment she got up to her room, she closed the window and curtain, and dived for the 2L bottle of water she had left up here for one single purpose. ‘HOT, HOT, HOT ,HOT.’ Sweetie dug at her tongue with a hoof, feeling as if it was dead. Sighing she pulled out a candy bar, sucking on it until her taste-buds returned. Finished that, she pulled out her two pranks, and slipped them into her bag. Finally she went downstairs to have dinner, and prepare for bed. Sweetie opened the door, and felt herself be pushed into some sort of cart. The moment she pulled her head up, she was catapulted into the air, and sent on a roller coaster ride through Ponyville from catapults and party cannons alike. Sweetie saw the end coming up, and prepared her spell. “Here she comes!” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash waited eagerly as the cart landed, and a giant pie fell on top of it. Giggling with glee, they used the device to remove the pie lid, and began to eat their way through to the cart. “It’s empty!?” Both turned to the completely pie-free filly that was standing behind them. “Yeah, I was gonna say something, but I didn’t want to ruin your fun.” Sweetie smiled innocently, and the two shared a glance. Sweetie blinked, watching them both bow to the ground. “We concede, you are obviously better at pranking then us.” Rainbow Dash raised her head slightly, and Sweetie smirked. “Please teach us your ways.” Pinkie Pie stood up, slowly followed by Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie pulled out the two items from her bag. Smiling, she held them out. Both were book-sized boxes. “Very well, here’s lesson one,” she spoke, turning away as they opened the boxes. Hearing the pleasing sound of two splat’s, Sweetie’s grin reached new heights. “Don’t.” Leaving it at that, Sweetie made her way home. As the days passed, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash gave up trying to prank her, and instead asked for advice on pranking the other. Sweetie was more than willing to give them it, watching as their pranks got even more elaborate. Sweetie smiled, closing her curtain and heading off to bed. Within moments, her smile vanished, and she stared up at the ceiling. L48After nearly two weeks of constant practicing, Sweetie was only slightly better at casting the advanced spells. When casting the flight spell, she managed to spawn a single feather. The fire spell on the other hand, exploded out of her, and had to always be aimed at the sky so it didn’t start a fire. The levitate self option she was excelling at. Sweetie was already mastering it by jumping out of her window and using it to land safely. However the change gravity and transform spells just slipped through her magic. Thankfully they didn’t explode, but Sweetie wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to master them. Given enough time, she supposed. That of course left the final spell, a might higher level shield. Sweetie had tried it out, but left it alone for the moment. It wouldn’t do to use a high level shield spell to drain her magic, and keep the headaches away BEFORE she needed to. “Sorry Sweetie, there’s no shortcuts at this point, you’ll just have to keep practicing.” Twilight sympathised with Sweetie, wanting to get to the more exciting spells. Sadly, training one’s magic took time and conscious effort. Even two weeks wouldn’t be enough for Sweetie to learn how to do these spells. Before Twilight was an Alicorn, she had struggled with them, even under pressure. “I know Twilight. It’s just so...boring!” Sweetie leaned backward, falling to the floor as she groaned. Why did learning magic have to be so boring. Sweetie was starting to despise her daily training regimen. It was boring beyond compare. Sweetie was horribly tempted to just abandon the advanced spells. “Well, you’re welcome to stop whenever. No one is forcing you to.” Twilight tilted her head. Sure, she LOVED learning magic. But Sweetie wasn’t Twilight, and she knew that. Sweetie glanced to Twilight, and sighed, shaking her head. “Well yes, but it’s something for me to do.” Sweetie sighed, closing her eyes as she layed there. Twilight bit her lip, and looked away. “It opens new stuff to me. No matter how boring it is.” Sweetie stood up, and quietly mumbled a goodbye. Twilight waved, and watched Sweetie leave. Looking at Sweetie walked away, Twilight could see just how much Sweetie had matured during the time loop. And it was not a good thing. A filly should be allowed to enjoy her childhood, not forced to do increasingly hard stuff to keep herself from being bored. Twilight sighed, and returned to her tasks, despite the fact she had apparently done them for weeks now. Author's Note There has been some confusion over this, so let me clarify: Sweetie got the news spells monday last week. This chapter takes place on friday the week after. Ignoring the weekends, that's more or less 2 weeks. L49 Operation Disc-ordered“Discord, what are you doing here?” Celestia stood up from the throne as the Draconequus walked over. The strangest thing was he was wearing a suit, business glasses, holding a briefcase, and had a small filly following him dressed in similar attire. Discord pushed his glasses up slightly, and held out a stack of papers. “This is a list of reforms and changes which will effectively half the amount of paperwork you have to do, and quarter the amount Luna will have to do. I could have offered you the quarter, but considering how jealous Luna can get, I opted to give it to her.” Discord waited as Celestia scanned the documents, and her wings went limp with shock. “B-B-But, you’re Discord!” Celestia blinked, feathers poofing, and fell to the floor like a statue. Hearing her slam, Luna opened the door, diving toward her and defending her from Discord. Discord sighed, and explained the situation calmly and logically, holding out a set of papers for Luna. Same reaction. “So, my dear assistant, what do you suppose we do now?” Discord raised an eyebrow at Sweetie, who pushed her fake glasses up and smiled. Pulling out a set of documents of her own, she handed them over, and Discord smiled. “Oh I do love when things work in my favor. Er, I mean. Ah yes, this is most adequate. Good work Miss Belle.” Discord coughed, and glanced to the side. Snapping his fingers, he levitated the princesses back up off the ground, and gently woke them from their shock. “Alternatively, if you do not wish to do any paperwork, sign these papers that will make me the ruling monarch of Equestria.” Discord waited as they blinked, and Celestia burned them quickly, pulling up her set of notes. Coughing, she glanced to Luna. “No uh, we think your reforms are most welcome, we are just shocked that they are coming from you Discord.” Celestia glanced to Luna, who gave a confused shrug. No, none of them had any clue what Discord was doing. Discord bowed, took Celestia’s hoof, and gently kissed it. “Please, call me Order. I have reformed, after all.” Discord glowed brightly, and transformed into a less jumbled looking dragon. He was still sporting a beard, of course. Celestia and Luna shared a glance, blinked, and fainted. “Oh dear, I ponder if this might be too much for them.” Discord poofed back into his normal form, and folded his arms, pursuing his lip. Sweetie giggled, and Discord let a small smile fall on his face. Sure, this filly reminded him of an old wizard that had tried to use him to power a spell, but he could see she was still a kind soul. If only she was just a little more chaotic, then he could show her how to use chaos magic. Sure, being this filly’s object of entertainment for a loop was far from a fitting role in his opinion. And not to mention the disgusting magic swaggering around her sickened him. But it wasn’t like it hurt him to allow this filly to live out her pranks, especially when they were very good ones. Now if only he could murder that wizard. L50“I’m sorry Sweetie, but I can’t pass you on that.” Twilight looked to the wing Sweetie had spawned, white in color, that was flapping around in her magic. Twilight was tempted to tell the filly she had to point her horn at her body while casting the spell, but decided that would be a lesson she’d need to learn the hard way. “Oh fine,” she responded irritably. The wing soon stopped flapping, and hung limp in her magic. After a moment, it vanished in a puff of magic. Sweetie sighed, and looked toward the window, watching the pegasi moving clouds. “Why are you so insistent of rushing this anyway?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie made no move to answer. Twilight was just about to reply, eyes narrowing in irritation, when Sweetie finally spoke. “I want to ride a dragon. I’m not going to be able to do that if I can’t master advanced spells.” Sweetie doubted these spells would give her the ability to ride a dragon, but it was all she had. Turning, she noticed Twilight's blank stare. Growling, she flicked back to a section near the beginning of her notes, and frowned. “My notes say nothing about giving you that book. Did my old self forget to write it down?” Twilight scoured the notes, and Sweetie quickly snatched them off Twilight. Waiting for her to calm down, Sweetie shook her head. “Celestia gave it to me. It makes sense you wouldn’t have it written down.” Sweetie smiled, and Twilight growled, making a note at the end of the notebook. “Still, if you were serious, my older self should have done more than she did. Honestly,” scolded Twilight, opening to the section showing Sweetie mentioning her desire to ride a dragon. Apparently Twilight had written it off as something she would hopefully forget. Sweetie growled, annoyed that she couldn’t punish that version of Twilight. “Well, if you are serious, that shield spell will do you for protection if you master it. But really, you need a proper Battlemagi spellbook. Let me grab you one from my ultra private library.” Twilight turned and walked toward her room. Sweetie paused, and then followed. After watching Twilight’s horn glow a section of the wall vanished, revealing some very weird posters of ponies laying in strange positions. Sweetie snuck back before Twilight noticed her. “Alright, here.” Twilight held out a small book, and Sweetie opened to the first page. After a moment of confusion, her brain slowly began to translate the complicated spells into Equestrian. Sweetie sighed, and looked down the contents, the only page readable instantly. Battlemagi Battletastic Battlespells 1: Lightning Bolt 2: Inferno shield 3: Icestorm 4: Magic Missile 5: Supermegaultrachicken(Aka, death) Sweetie blinked, and re-read the last name. Disregarding it as an eccentric pony being eccentric, she put it in her saddlebags and smiled at Twilight. Twilight was currently looking at her legs. Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for the book, but-uh-what are you doing?” Sweetie waited as Twilight jolted out of her daze, and shook her head rapidly. “I’m sorry, I was just so caught up examining your muscles. Uh,” she stuttered, and shook her head rapidly. Sweetie slowly took a single step back. “What I mean is, your body has the same strength I see in earth ponies. It’s strange, shouldn’t your body be resetting?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie considered it. So her exercise regimen with Applejack had been paying off. However, it also brought to the front the issue she hadn’t considered. “Wait, Starswirl stated his loop was resetting his body every time. One of his notes even showed various experiments he had done.” Sweetie and Twilight shared a concerned glance. Something was different. “And not only that, what happens when you grow too old?” Twilight bit her lip, and Sweetie shuddered. “Regardless, there’s nothing that can be done about it.” Sweetie nodded to herself. Whatever the reason she was growing older, but Starswirl hadn’t been, Sweetie was sure something would turn up eventually. “Sweetie Belle,” said Twilight, looking carefully at the filly. Sweetie turned, raising an eyebrow. Twilight shook her head rapidly, and brought the filly into a hug. “Nevermind.” L51Author's Note Please note; This chapter features a heartsong. If you hate songs, then don't read this chapter. Any complains about said chapter containing a heartsong will go to my intern, Mr Iddle Finger. Addendum: Come on guys, do you really expect Twilight NOT to sugarcoat it for Sweetie? L51 Sweetie watched Ponyville from her room, and sighed. There was Mr. Hooves running from Redheart. Derpy bouncing through town, pleased about her new job. Twilight ordering her groceries. The Manehattan pony getting off the train. Schoolponies going on their way to school. Suddenly, a morbid thought passed through her mind. ‘Twilight used a memory spell that loop I tried to go camping. A spell to forget.’ Sweetie considered it, knowing how terribly tempting it was to use it, and forget. No more memories of the loops, no more worries. At least, for this version of herself. “Tsss,” she winced, strengthening her shield. The headaches had gotten more noticeable recently, and Sweetie was still learning the best shield spell, so she couldn’t use that yet. Soon though, she’d be able to cast it and remove the headache again. “Yeah, even if I did that, it wouldn’t reduce my magic. And what good would it do? I doubt I could stand the pain of this without any shielding now that it’s this strong for very long.” Sweetie looked down, closing her eyes as she clenched her teeth. They were getting stronger, and she feared what would happen when she could no longer keep up with it. It was already a struggle as it was. “What I would give if the entire town could just know. What would they do if they had a week to live?” Sweetie sighed, leaning her head against the windowsill, and smiled at the fantasy. Blinking her eyes open, she glanced to her Cutie Mark, and frowned. Leaning closer, she could have sworn it looked...different. “Some talent, can’t even live my life and use it properly. What sort of pony has a talent for bringing out other’s heartsongs anyway? I meant, why couldn’t I have gotten some stinkin singing mark. At least then I’d have some sort of thing I could focus on. Starswirl had his Twilightness! Or would it be Twilight has Starswirlness…” Sweetie closed her eyes, and sighed loudly again. Something soft brushed against her leg, and she looked down. It was Opal, coming to comfort her. Sweetie leapt out of the way just as Opal went to scratch, and chuckled, waving a hoof as she scolded the cat. “Oh Opal, you never change do you? You mean old cat.” Sweetie cooed her words as she moved back to the window. Opal hissed, and skulked away. Sweetie watched the scenery for a moment longer, and then blinked. Slamming a hoof between her eyes, she kid-swore. “Sweetie, you are the biggest moron this side of Captain Obvious’s boat.” Sweetie turned, tossing her saddlebags on, and left her room. Meeting Rarity in the Boutique, talking to the Manehattan Stallion, she pulled out the Looping letter, and waited as Rarity did the same reaction she always did. “Get Everypony, I’ll meet you at Twilight’s.” Sweete turned, and headed out the door with another word. “Are you sure you want to do this Sweetie?” Twilight stood backstage with Sweetie as her friends quickly gathered up literally every single pony in Ponyville. Sweetie peeked out the stage, gulping as she saw the many ponies. Shaking off her stagefright, she nodded. “Alright, I’ll go introduce you.” Twilight walked onto the stage, displaying what she hoped was coming off as regal confidence. Looking at the crowd, she bowed her head slightly, and began. “Citizens of Ponyville, something of grave importance has come to my attention, and you must all be informed immediately. To do so; I introduce our expert; Sweetie Belle.” Twilight motioned to one side of the stage, and took three steps in the other direction. Slowly, Sweetie emerged, followed closely by the Elements. Once they were all on stage, the six made a V formation with Sweetie at the tip. Looking at the crowd, she forced down her stage fright once more, and called upon her instinctual understanding of heartsongs, and Pinkie’s lessons. “Ponies, now hear me, For on this very day. Time is repeating, but not in the same way.” Sweetie felt her horn spark for a moment, and music began to fill the air. The crowd stood rapt at attention, caught in the heartsong the moment she started to speak. “For you see I remember, In every horrible way, Just what goes wrong for all of you, For these coming days.” Sweetie’s ear flickered, and she heard the mane six begin to sing, the heartsong’s magic lending them the lyrics. A spotlight appeared around Sweetie, and she stood proud upon it. “One will lose a loved one, One will die of shame, One will do a naughty deed, With nopony but himself to blame. “You see my dear town, While you live in ignorant bliss, I am forced to watch everything, Including those regrets I remissed.” Sweetie closed her eyes, and used her magic to levitate her higher into the air, hair billowing in a phantom breeze. “She is forced, with little recourse, while we dine on our own ignoraaance.” Rarity and Twilight joined to sing the high note, voiced weaving together in the perfect harmony of the heartsong. “We play and party, but she can’t crack a smile, because we play in happiness.” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sung the line together, leaning heads together as they sung, closing their eyes. “Work is meaningless, ponies get hurt, things that could be avoided if we were all aware.” Fluttershy’s voice was mostly overpowered by Applejack’s, but her voice added a weight to the words that would have been absent otherwise. “So hear me now, And please believe me, Because this is your last week, And only I will see.” Sweetie felt the song end, and slowly lowered herself back to the stage. Everything was silent. And slowly the crowd began to clap. Sweetie bowed, and left the stage. Twilight quickly answered the main questions, and eventually everypony left to reassess their lives. Sweetie was not told any of the details beyond the fact her words had caused great sadness, but Twilight knew them well. Over the course of the week, crime grew to astounding levels, suicide increased, and Twilight saw a new side to ponies she hadn’t known existed. Sweetie would never know this, but it didn’t make the effects any less depressing. L52Sweetie stepped off the train to Canterlot, and turned her gaze toward the castle.Watching ponies go by, she began to make her way up to it, having told Celestia not to bother with an escort. As she walked up, her thoughts turned to Twilight, whom she had not told the reason behind her visit to Canterlot. Sweetie walked up to a guard, and explained her reason for being here. As another guard left to confirm this, she also thought to her sister. Sweetie had waited until Rarity had left for Manehattan. It meant she wouldn’t have to drag either one along. Sure, Twilight might be fine with it, but Rarity wasn’t going to miss the chance. “Hello Sweetie Belle. Ah, sorry. You prefer Sweetie, correct?” Celestia bowed her head as Luna teleported some papers away. As Sweetie approached, she gave a nod, and motioned toward a balcony overlooking Canterlot. Sweetie leaned on the railing, looking down as everypony went about their daily lives. “I know I was vague in my letter, but it’s something I really want to talk about in person. And, well, as the longest lived ponies I know, you are the best to go with this question.” Sweetie turned her head toward them. Celestia and Luna both looked to the other for a moment, and motioned for Sweetie to continue. “I’m losing my ability to care.” Sweetie leaned her head on the cool, marble railing, and sighed. Celestia and Luna frowned for a moment. After their minds caught up, they quickly surrounded the filly, embracing her in a hug. Celestia glanced to Luna, and she bowed her head. “Sweetie, you must be more detailed in your explanation, for it is hard for us to entirely understand the situation. Therefore, we cannot help until that is solved.” Luna waited as Sweetie raised her head, looking toward Canterlot again. “All those ponies, their faces, their lives. I know they don’t know it, but every action they do is meaningless. Even if they knew, nothing would change the next week. I know I should see them as ponies, but they feel like...Puppets, going through the motions without knowing I could be the one pulling their strings, changing their show. I know that’s not true, but the fact of the matter is I-” Sweetie lowered her head to the railing again. “I just don’t care anymore.” Sweetie knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t change her feelings. Ditzy losing her job, Dinky starving. What was the point? Sweetie was so tired of it. Sometimes, she almost forgot to do it, it had become a routine by now. “In that case, we must implore you to reconsider our offer.” Celestia stepped back, and Luna did the same. Sweetie slapped her head to one side, watching them wearily. “Please allow us to try and come through the loop with you. If we die, it is not like we will be gone forever. If you really are starting to lose empathy, then time is slowly running out for you.” Celestia did not go into further detail. If Sweetie wasn’t ready for it, then she would not push it. If she did not push it, to be honest, Celestia would actually be relieved. “I’ll,” started Sweetie, pausing and turning her head to look at Canterlot. Sweetie desperately wanted something new to do. As she considered Celestia’s proposal again, part of her mind brought a suggestion to go spend time with Babs. Sweetie liked the idea, she could go to the Zoo or something this time. “I’ll consider it.” Sweetie didn’t want to make a hasty decision based on her current emotional state. While she knew they would not remember it, she still cared about the Princesses. Sure, even that was starting to ebb, and Sweetie knew she was in a position where their plan was looking more and more appealing. But if there was one thing she had plenty of, it was time. “Thank you for the talk, I’ll take the train back home now.” Sweetie turned, dismissing their offers for a carriage, and walked out of the Castle. Heading toward the train station, she used her magic to pick the pocket of an Earth Pony. Using the money, she bought herself a ticket, and waited for the train. It wasn’t like the stallion would notice he was missing five bits. L53“Alright, have fun Sweetie Belle, I’ll pick you up at 1.” Rarity bid them farewell, and left to go do her job. Sweetie smiled, and noted the confused stare from the filly standing next to her. Babs turned slowly, and opened her mouth to ask a question. “Hey Babs, did you know Apple Bloom is planning to come to Manehattan for a surprise event next week? Oh I hate to spoil it, but it involves that water park this city has.” Sweetie knew Babs was likely confused as to why Rarity had left them alone, and the best way to get past that was to blindside her with some news. “Uh, really?” Babs blinked, a hopeful smile appearing on her face, before vanishing as she looked away. Sweetie giggled, and both turned to look toward the place in front of them. Filled with many vibrant animals, most staying there for the cheap rent, the Zoo was the perfect place for ponies to gawk at wonderful creatures normally hidden in the wilder parts of Equestria. Sweetie and Babs went through the park, pausing to stop at a vending machine and buy something to snack on, taking a seat, they began to discuss what animals they had seen, and Sweetie felt herself beginning to relax. Suddenly, she realised Rarity was standing at the entrance. “Oh jeez, I forgot her present. Babs, go stall for time while I go get it.” Sweetie stood up, Babs nodding, and dashed back into the far reaches of the Zoo. Most of the food court was near the exit, but there was a souvenir stand located in the deepest part of the Zoo. Sweetie slammed her money onto the counter, ordering some animal feathers and down. It wasn’t much, but Sweetie was sure Rarity would find a use for the exotic feathers. Sweetie stepped out of the store and blinked. Suddenly, she had no clue where she was. Sure, she had used the map to find this store when she had been at the food court, but Sweetie had no idea the way back. Turning, Sweetie opened her mouth to ask the stall. With a slam, the stall closed up, and lights began to dim. ‘Oh horseapples.' Sweetie picked a path based on her vague memory, and set off. Walking in silence, her mind thought over stuff she had been trying to ignore, and she sighed, coming to a stop at where two Tigers were sleeping. Sweetie looked at them, and sighed quietly, closing her eyes. ‘What am I going to do?’ Sweetie looked to her hoof, knowing she was going to have to make the difficult choice eventually. Sweetie knew it was her best chance at getting someone with her. Escape? Well she highly doubted that, but it was always possible. ‘I know my decision, I just don’t feel right making it. My mind is saying yes, and my emotions are saying yes and no. Here I am, lost in a Zoo. And the experience is actually wonderful. It’s new, it’s not something I’d be able to repeat. I know what my decision is.’ Sweetie closed her eyes. “But I hate myself for choosing it.” Sweetie knew deep down that if anything even minor went wrong, it would be her fault. This wasn’t like with the Crusaders, or when she had fallen off the cliff. No, this time she had been aware of the risk, and was going ahead with it. Was she really ok with possibly being the cause of murder? “You know the answer.” Sweetie opened her eyes, and sighed loudly. Sweetie knew the answer, as much as it pained her to admit it. Sweetie wanted to get out of this week. Sweetie wanted a Saturday. Closing her eyes, a bittersweet smile fell on her face. Saturday, she was starting to forget what a weekend was. “Sweetie, there you are.” Rarity’s relief was palpable, and Sweetie allowed her sister to ogle her, looking her over. As they left, Sweetie allowed herself to be scolded, acting like the younger sister who had been caught doing something stupid. In truth, however, Sweetie was starting to resent her sister. Why couldn’t she see Sweetie wasn’t just a young filly anymore? L54Sweetie dashed home quickly, diving into her saddlebags. Pulling out the spellbook Celestia gave her, Sweetie turned to the shield spell, and cast it. After a moment, she sighed, melting into her bed. “Sweet release from headaches, hello.” Sweetie was still having trouble maintaining the spell, and she had been using the lower level one to this point. Sweetie slowly lowered the power of the shield, making sure she could maintain it from now on. Looking to the ceiling, Sweetie folded her arms behind her head, and pursed her lip. ‘Twilight said this spell is infinitely powerful, able to continue to grow well into Alicorn level, possibly even beyond. I hope she’s right.’ Sweetie sat up as a letter appeared above her, and opened it with her magic. Reading it, she smiled. Good, the Princesses were on their way. Sweetie had made sure not to tell Twilight or Rarity she was looping this time. Sweetie had even attended class. “Alrighty, so now I just wait for midnight. Which is in...six hours.” Sweetie groaned, and flopped back on her bed. Silently, she wondered if there was a time-speed-up spell. Scratching her flank, she used her magic to pull out one of her books, already read, and opened it to read. Soon enough, she began to lose track of time, and it was ‘time for bed’. “Goodnight Rarity.” Sweetie allowed herself to be tucked in, smiling pleasantly until Rarity closed the door. Flipping open her book, she closed her curtains, and waited. Soon enough, both Celestia and Luna appeared in the room. They were followed by a confused looking Cadance and Twilight. “Good Evening Sweetie Belle.” Celestia bowed her head, and Sweetie pulled out Twilight’s looping note, handing it to the Alicorn. Soon enough, Cadance was caught more up to speed, thanks to Twilight’s notes. Sweetie looked to the four, and breathed in. There was a building hope in her chest. Would this be it? “You know the spell right?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded, pulling it out. Spark, a small spell that jolted someone. It could be used to restart hearts. Of course, it would take the four a while to fully recover, but it was the best option they had. Sweetie politely talked with them, watching the clock slowly tick down. “It is time.” Sweetie opened her window and door, cautious even without Philomena in the room. Watching the four, she gulped as their horns began to glow. After a moment, they all slumped, and the clocked ticked over. Sweetie watched their bodies like a hawk. 12.00 12.01 Sweetie pumped the air, the bodies were still there. Sweetie called upon her magic and cast the spell. Slowly, the four gasped to life, coughing as their bodies slowly uncurled, spasming as they recovered from their brief death. Luna was the first to stand, and she quickly cast a spell, checking to see if there was another version of her. “There is indeed a second version of me at Canterlot. We are in the next week.” Luna helped Celestia and the others up, and Sweetie felt herself feel something she had been trying to quell. Hope had come true! Sweetie felt tears fall down her face, and didn’t care. She was so happy, now she wouldn’t have to loop alone. So alone. “I don’t feel too good,” Cadance groaned, holding a hoof to her forehead. All turned toward her, and Celestia smiled warmly. “I am sure it will pass. I too feel slightly ill.” Celestia glanced to Twilight, who was looking at them strangely. “That’s strange, I don’t feel-” Cutting herself off, Twilight’s eyes widened as a bright purple shield materialised around her, paper thin, and shattered. Pivoting, she pointed a hoof at Sweetie, and screamed as she tried to call upon her magic, and failed. “Sweetie! Get out of the room!” Twilight’s voice called Sweetie into action, and she dived toward the door. One step, Cadance was starting to gray. Two steps, Twilight collapsed to the ground beside Celestia and Luna. Three, all four began to gasp for breath. And five, just one step from the door, they all stopped breathing. Sweetie stopped, and closed her eyes, bowing her head as she heard them collapse into ash. Collapsing, she covered her head with her hooves, and began to sob. “What was different?” Sobbing, she repeated it over and over again. Eventually, her cries quieted, and she heard a sound in the hallway. Standing up, Sweetie stepped into the hallway, and looked right. Blinking, she immediately recognised Opal but the mouse was something that filled her with instant disgust and revulsion. Opal was tossing it around with her paws as the poor thing squeaked, fear in it’s black eyes. “Hey!” Sweetie shouted loudly, running forward to try and stop Opal. Opal glanced toward her, and grabbed the mouse in her mouth, biting down and snapping it’s neck. Sweetie stopped, and bit back her words, shocked by the action. Opal dropped the mouse, licked her paws, and walked away. Sweetie walked back into her room, closed the door, and broke down crying again. L55“So I thought it might be best to try this first. You know, since it doesn’t involve me having to try and revive you.” Sweetie lied masterfully, glad to see that the four Alicorns believe her immediately. Moving on, Sweetie watched them all stand close to the door. While they waited for the clock to tick over, Sweetie was allowed to dwell on her thoughts. Sweetie had decided not to tell them the results of the test, glad she hadn’t told Twilight until right before it, not leaving her enough time to write notes. After a week, Sweetie had only grown more determined to keep trying. If she was going to dig herself a grave and fill it with ponies, she might as well be thorough. Sweetie hid her convulsion as best she could, glancing around as no one noticed it. Good, Sweetie didn’t want them knowing what she really felt, especially not right now. Sweetie needed someone to get through the Loop. That was her current goal, she had to stay focused. Don’t focus on what terrible thing you caused a few days ago, nope, don’t focus on- “Sweetie are you ok?” Twilight turned, noticing Sweetie curled around herself, shaking occasionally. The filly jumped, and Sweetie gave a shaky smile. “I’m fine, just nervous,” she spoke, trying to clear her head of the dark thoughts clouding it. It wasn’t like their comfort would help. No, the next day their words would vanish, their meaning wiped away by the Loop around her. Sweetie shook her head rapidly, trying to focus on what she would do once they were also Looping. Yes, that was a safe thought. Twilight would likely use the time to try and work out how Starswirl escaped his Loop. Celestia and Luna might help her learn magic, maybe even teach a few awesome magic tricks just for pranks. Plus, their years of experience would provide countless hours of stories. Cadance might not be useful in regards to getting out on staying entertained, but Sweetie was sure she could use a compassionate heart on occasion. Sweetie smiled softly, letting herself imagine what she would do with the four Looping. Sweetie would start small, but eventually she might be able to grow the group into an even larger one. Rarity would of course be first on the list. Followed by the Crusaders, and the Elements… “Sweetie, it’s time.” Jolting at Luna’s words, Sweetie quickly smiled, and nodded as she began to watch the clock. Raising a hoof, she held it up as all four prepared to run out the door the moment her clock reached midnight. 11:59… 12:00! “Now!” Sweetie turned her head, watching as the four leapt into the hallway, startling Opal, making her lose the mouse for a moment. Opal quickly caught it, and quickly dashed away. Gasping for breath, the four waited, hopeful that this would be it. Sweetie closed her eyes and hugged herself. Any moment now they were going to fade into dust. 12:01 Sweetie opened one eye, looking at the clock. Looking to the four as they slowly began to stand up, Sweetie watched as they all patted themselves down. Sweetie watched for signs of sickness in Cadance, but they just stood there, smiling. Sweetie stood up, tears streaming down her face. The clocked ticked, minutes passed, the four smiled warmly. Sweetie slowly stepped toward them, tears now streaming down her face. Suddenly, they vanished. Blinking, Sweetie glanced toward her clock. 12:00 “B-But…” Sweetie gritted her teeth, and walked out into the corridor, where Opal was playing with the same mouse. Slapping the mouse, she watched it run away, and glared at Opal. “Stupid cat,” she spoke, and walked back into her room, closing the door with a slam. Walking over to her bed, she climbed under it, and curled into a ball. Sweetie didn’t understand, why had the Loop reset? Had it reset? Time had definitely gone backward. Sweetie was certain of it now, whatever force was keeping her in the Loop, it wanted her alone. Sweetie gritted her teeth, bitter tears leaking into her mouth. Schrich, schrich, schrich. Blinking, Sweetie opened the door with a casual flick of her magic. Seeing Opal at the door, she growled and turned away, slamming the door closed. However, she hadn’t been quick enough, for a moment later a bundle of fur curled up next to her. Sweetie clenched her teeth and curled up into a tighter ball. After a moment, she turned around and hugged Opal. “I’m sorry.” Sweetie cried into the soft fur. “I’m sorry.” L56“-And I’m not sure if it’d be wise to try something else, but I want to keep trying.” Sweetie confessed the last two Loops to Twilight, who bit her lip, digesting this information. While she wasn’t sure she agreed with Sweetie keeping it a secret, she was starting to really have concerns for her sanity. “While I’m disappointed you lied about it, I agree with the fact you need to get out of this Loop. It’s starting to affect you, and I don’t know what I can do to stop it.” Twilight brought Sweetie into a hug, and both glanced toward the floor. “I know, I’m scared Twilight. Part of me doesn’t want to go through more pain, and part of me wants to get out so badly I’m starting to be torn in two.” Sweetie stepped back, unsure how to deal with her current set of circumstances. What was she supposed to do? There was two options available to her, and neither one was a good decision. “If I continue to try and get somepony Looping, I murder more ponies, and let more of my hope die. But if I don’t, I risk becoming like...Discord pre-reform.” Sweetie wasn’t entirely comfortable using Discord’s name, but it was the best description she had for it. Sweetie was frightened that when, not if, she got to that point, she wouldn’t even notice the difference. “I’m sorry Sweetie, I don’t have the answers.” Twilight bowed her head, racking her brains for a third solution, a means to solve both problems. But she turned up no answers. Any risk Sweetie made might only hurt the filly more. And yet, doing nothing would lead to the same outcome. Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, and sighed. “There is something that might work, but the chances of it doing so are slim, considering what you’ve told me.” Twilight seriously disliked the knowledge of something behind the scenes pulling the strings, especially since it filled her with burning anger. How dare something put a poor innocent filly through all of this! “If we try transferring all your magic to me, I might be able to absorb the timeloop spell, and thus free you from it. It doesn’t entirely fix the problem, but it means we can transfer it between people, share the burden. Plus, it doesn’t have to wait until Friday.” Twilight offered her plan, and Sweetie bowed her head, eyes hidden under her hair. “Yeah, okay.” Sweetie closed her eyes, knowing that everything she did was likely going to fail. But the other option just wasn’t an option. Giving up? Rarity was one of the most stubborn sisters Sweetie knew, and she would have never just ‘given up’ in Sweetie’s position. Or at least, that’s what Sweetie was choosing to believe. “Let’s do it at your house.” Twilight put some things into her saddlebags, and turned to Sweetie. Sweetie concentrated, horn glowing, and they both appeared in her room. Twilight’s eyes widened, surprised. “Wow Sweetie, you can teleport this far in one go?” Twilight was impressed, and a little nervous. If Sweetie had the magic capacity to teleport such a distance, would she even be able to contain it? Shaking her head rapidly, Twilight discarded her thoughts on the matter. “Are you ready?” Twilight gulped, and Sweetie nodded slowly. Breathing in, Twilight concentrated, pulling on her knowledge of spells and magic to make the spell the other Princesses had cast on her. With a casual flick of her horn, she reversed the flow, and touched it to Sweetie’s. Sweetie felt herself freeze, unable to move. It was as if something was slathering her with a terrible, ice cold ooze. Her horn felt like fire, and she was barely able to maintain consciousness. Twilight pulled at the last sliver of Sweetie’s magic, watching her Cutie Mark begin to vanish, and pulled it to the tip of her horn. Sweetie blinked, thudding to the floor as she glanced around her. Twilight was ash, quickly blowing away, and she had full control of her magic once more. Rubbing her forehead, she tried to form a coherent thought, but decided to just teleport onto her bed, and fall instantly to sleep. Sweetie felt exhausted, for no reason she could conceive in her current state. So she slept. A few hours later, she awoke with a fresher mind and sighed, ears flopping down. “Well, that didn’t work.” L57Sweetie blinked as she hovered in her sister's magic. Rarity was currently running toward a train filled to the brim with screaming ponies. Behind them, skeletons and flesh-eaten ponies shambled toward them. Sweetie casually placed the Necronomicon in her saddlebags, glad she had had the foresight to pack everything she needed to Loop with her. ‘Well, I’ll admit I’m confused as to how that happened. I thought for sure It was going to fail.’ Sweetie, still held in Rarity’s magic, watched the train door close just before they reached it, and the train begin to slide forward. Rarity, beginning to panic, followed the group of ponies as they tried to climb onto the train. Sweetie rolled her eyes, breaking Rarity’s magic, and teleported herself and her sister to stand on the top of the train. “Nng,” she grunted, pulling more and more ponies onto the train. Sweetie filled the top with ponies, using her magic to help them stick to the top of the train, at least until they got their bearing and held on. Collapsing in a heap, she gasped for breath, spell flickering on her horn. Rarity touched her horn to her sister, slowly followed by a couple of other unicorns, and the strain eased. “Sweetie, how on earth did you manage to accomplish that?” Rarity blinked as a letter was shoved into her face, and read it. Confusion consuming all thought, she numbly handed it back as Sweetie began to stand up, recovered from her recent exertion. Thanking the eager unicorns, she noticed their strained faces, feeling guilty for using so much of their magic. “Sweetie.” Rarity’s tone spoke volumes of the conclusion she was coming to, and Sweetie looked away. Nodding once, she confirmed Rarity’s suspicions, and the older sibling sighed. Bringing Sweetie into a hug, Rarity considered with silent fear what levels her sister was willing to go to to be free. Sadly, she could understand Sweetie’s reasoning. “So what’s the plan?” Rarity stepped back, and Sweetie smiled sadly. Glancing to the scenery rushing by them, a bitter smile fell on Sweetie’s face. Rarity, thinking the worst, latched her magic tightly around Sweetie, who blinked and then growled in annoyance. “No, not that! I plan to teleport back to Ponyville and wait out the week sealed in my room. I can teleport around for supplies, and once the week is up I can just spend it like I normally do.” Sweetie saw the relief on Rarity’s face, and felt insulted that her sister would assume she’d take that option. Did Rarity not realise that meant literally killing thousands of ponies? “Are you sure?” Rarity looked carefully at Sweetie, noticing the bored expression on the filly’s face. Sweetie nodded, and Rarity finally caved. As much as she hated to admit it, Sweetie could obviously take care of herself now. Even better than Rarity could. As proof by the teleport to get onto the train. “Just be careful sister.” Rarity brought Sweetie into a hug, and stepped back. Sweetie smiled, and concentrated, teleporting away. However, what she hadn’t considered was her forward momentum, and so as she teleported to the side of the tracks, she began to tumble through the grass. While she survived, she was badly cut up. Wincing, Sweetie stood up and checked herself over. Seeing nothing was too terribly injured, she decided to walk some of the distance back. After all, she would eventually run into the zombies. Sweetie shuddered, remembering the first one. “I mean, how was I supposed to know bringing ponies back from the dead didn’t bring back their brains?!” Sweetie complained to the sky, loudly, for the remainder of her trip back. L58“Twilight?” Sweetie waited patiently as Twilight looked up from her book. Pulling out the Looping note, Sweetie waited as Twilight read it. After a moment, she pulled out Twilight’s notes, and then pulled out a picture Sweetie drew of herself. Finally, Sweetie pulled out a blank piece of paper. “I was wondering, is it possible to make two of me?” As if to demonstrate, Sweetie duplicated her drawing onto the blank piece of paper. Twilight put a hoof to her chin, considering it. “Sweetie, no offense, but your artistic skill is worse than your magic.” Twilight nodded once to herself, confirming it. Sweetie blinked, flapping the piece of paper as she motioned irritably. “How exactly am I not supposed to take offense to that?” Sweetie watched, ear twitching, as Twilight opened her mouth to reply, and closed it again. Once more putting a hoof to her chin, she sheepishly smiled. “Point made. As for the duplication, while I would normally never bring this up, there is the Mirror Pool. Pinkie Pie once used it to make duplicates of herself. I don’t really think it will work. Buut…” Twilight trailed off, pulling out a book and flipping through the pages. Sweetie glanced to the window, opening her mouth to finish the sentence. “We don’t have many options left at this point.” Sweetie sighed, closing her eyes as she rubbed a hoof on her drawing. Sweetie had thought she was pretty good at arts and crafts. Another thing, she supposed, she was apparently not very good at. At the very least, Twilight’s lessons proved that even if she wasn’t any good at it, she could overcome it with practice. “Alright, I can take you to the pool now. I was just getting the coordinates.” Twilight gently closed the book, placing it down as she smiled at Sweetie. Turning, they both began to make their way out of the town. Twilight, wanting to make smalltalk, decided to ask Sweetie how she was doing. “To be honest? You don’t want to know. Another strange thing popped up when I awoke after the previous experiment. I’m not sure what it means, but-well.” Sweetie lowered her head, glancing to her Cutie Mark. Twilight followed her gaze, and blinked, according to her notes, there was something new to the Mark. It was still notes shaped in a heart. But now, for no discernible reason, it almost looked like it was more rounded than her diagram. “I-Uh,” stuttered Twilight, scanning her memories for anything she could say on the matter. Twilight didn’t understand, and a part of her secretly wondered if she wanted to. Closing her eyes, she took a calming breath, and opened them once more. Giving Sweetie her full attention, she looked the filly seriously in the eyes. “I can’t say I know what’s going on with your Cutie Mark. But I do know that it is likely an effect of this forsaken Loop.” Twilight gritted her teeth, wings flaring as she thought of the thing doing this to poor Sweetie. When Twilight got her hooves on the perp, she would make the damage done to her Treehouse look like child's play in comparison. “We’re here.” Twilight smiled, glad at the chance to change the conversation. Levitating out Tom, she dumped him to the side, and led Sweetie down to the pool. After a brief discussion, they agreed to only make a single clone. Sweetie breathed in, and approached the pool. Opening her mouth, she repeated the words, and dived into the pool. However, at the same time, she also pulled herself out. “Hello,” they both spoke in unison. After a moment, one began scuttering about the place, looking for its Cutie Mark. Sweetie raised an eyebrow, looking to the flank, and rubbed her forehead. Was that really how she and the Crusaders sounded? Shaking her head, she caught the clone, and the three left the pool. Twilight dumped Tom back on top, and Sweetie began teaching her clone how to act like a pony. “Alright, we’re gonna go Twilight. I’ve got a lot of work to do if I want Sweetwo to be more than just a ‘fun’ clone.” Sweetie saw the shudder from Twilight, and smirked. Oh how nice it was to have some blackmail. Disregarding it, she entered her home. Sweetwo close behind. Rarity was currently not home. Twilight had agreed to babysit, but because they both knew Sweetie could take care of herself, she had the house to her lonesome. “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders~” Sung Sweetwo, and Sweetie growled in irritation. Just great, she had to get the Crusader clone. Why couldn’t it have been a Twilight clone instead? At least then she might learn something from the exchange, even if it would end in failure. Bringing her clone in, she sat Sweetwo down, and began to give her a crash course in being a pony. ’This is going to be a long week…’ Sweetie felt a headache coming on, and she knew that a shield spell was not going to keep this one away. “Okay, after a long, long, so very very long week, we have arrived at Friday night.” Sweetie closed her door, but left the window open. Sweetwo was currently playing with the teddy bears in the corner. Sweetie had managed to at least teach the clone how not to be stupid around others, but sadly the clone persisted with it when alone. “And then they kissed,” hummed Sweetwo, making the two bears kiss. Sweetie’s ears flicked back in anger. Not only that, Sweetwo was getting the pairings completely wrong. Mr Frufflewuzzy went with Miss Snickerdoodle, not Madam Grumphrey. Sweetie turned her attention to the clock, and waited. 11:59… 12:00! Sweetie watched as Sweetwo blinked, and exploded into a puff, leaving a thin mist in Sweetie’s room. As it escaped through her window, Sweetie reflected on the nature of Mirror Pools and what magic had been at play with her clone. Finally, Sweetie walked over to her chest, and put her teddy bears back in their rightful pairs. L59“No no no!” Sweetie cried out in outrage, swiping at her desk and sending the papers flying. As they fluttered to the ground, Sweetie glared at the Cutie Mark on all except a few. The accursed Mark of Starswirl. Sweetie growled, stepping down and rubbing one piece of paper into her carpet. “There has to be something I missed, but there is nothing. Just useless INFORMATION!” Sweetie screamed loudly, and then slumped to the floor. Sighing, she covered her face and closed her eyes. Sweetie breathed in, and out, standing up to look out the window. Looking at Ponyville, she forced herself to remain focused. ’Okay Sweetie,’ she mumbled to herself. ’Think around the problem. What have you yet to explore?’ Sweetie scoured Ponyville for something she could use, racking her brains for any way she could use the town that might help her get free. Gritting her teeth, her eyes finally found Mr Turner was currently running away like a madman. ‘Wait, if he knew Starswirl…’ Watching Mr Turner as he dashed through the streets, Sweetie concentrated with her magic. At the exact moment Nurse Redheart broke eye contact, she teleported the pony into her room, waiting as he came skidding to a stop. Turning around, Mr Turner wasted no time in beginning to pretend that he was insane. “Relax, Changeling, I know who you are.” Pulling out Mr Turner’s Looping note, Sweetie waited as the stallion read it, and closed his eyes. After a moment, the window’s curtains were shut by a green magic, and he shuddered, transforming into a Changeling for a small moment. Changing back, he stifled a yawn, and approached Sweetie, handing back the note. “So, what is the problem, fair filly who apparently knows quite a lot about me.” Looking at the papers on the ground, Turner approached them as Sweetie began to group them up. Shoving them into his magic, he looked them over, raising an eyebrow as he noticed the strained expression on Sweetie’s face. “Okay, so I’ve been looking over Starswirl’s notes, trying to find a way to get out of this Loop. The thing is, I’m positive there is someone in this Loop that is not being reset other than me, but I have no way of finding out who they are. Therefore, there must be some clue in these notes as to how he got out, because I am at my wit’s end and I NEED to get out.” Eye twitching, her thoughts continued to spiral after this one thread she had. Time Turner watched the filly, and his expression softened, looking toward the door, he sighed softly, letting a sad expression fall on his face. Turning, he lent down, looking Sweetie in the eyes, and put a hoof on her shoulder. Sweetie met his gaze, curious and confused. “Listen kid, even if I did know how to get out of the Loop-and I’m not saying I do, because I honestly don’t. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to help you. Because if this other Looper is whom I think he is, and everything written here leads me to believe it is, there is no way you are getting out until he wants you out.” Pausing, he saw the anger on Sweetie’s face. Putting a hoof on her mouth, he continued. “And that’s not even counting the fact he is an old friend of mine. So I’m sorry, but I can’t try to help you more than I already have. For I have no doubts that if I tried, it would only force this power you speak of to play its hand. I can help you find things to do, but I can’t help you escape. I’m sorry.” Standing up, Time Turner stepped back, letting Sweetie absorb this information. “What could you possibly suggest, that I haven’t already tried?” Laughing, Sweetie motioned to the paper still laying on the floor. Looking at it, Time Turner closed his eyes for a moment, and then transformed back into his Changeling self. Walking forward, he levitated up a piece of paper with a detailed map of Equestria. “Only one; and her name is Chrysalis.” Looking over the information Time Turner had given her, Sweetie let a sad smile fall on her face. Turning, she levitated over a pile of things she could do, some of them she had thought too much for her. Now though, Sweetie could cross some of the items off the list. Allowing a strained smile to fall on her face, she tried to sound happy. “Alright Sweetie, you’re in for the long haul, so let’s try to make the most of it.” Sliding Time Turner’s information into the stack, Sweetie began sorting them. One by one, she began to lay them out. Looking them over, Sweetie decided she would need to make them last. ’I don’t know how long I’ll be in here, so I need this list to last as long as possible. That means I have to limit myself. One a week sounds good.’ Nodding once, Sweetie sorted them into a decent list. While most of them wouldn’t be done until the very end, there was one last lead Sweetie wanted to pursue. ’And that lead goes by the name of Harmony.’ Determined, Sweetie looked out the window in the direction of the Everfree. Camping out would give her time to properly see what she could do with the Elements. If Sweetie was lucky, they might even be the way out. But Time Turner was right about one thing; any possible escape had likely been blocked by whomever was also in this Loop. “Regardless, there are some things that might not be under his control yet.” Glancing over to the corner, where her camping stuff was located, Sweetie nodded to herself. This was it, finally she would test if she could spend a Loop away from her room. Sure, the last test had technically worked, but it hadn’t been easy. “Next Loop then,” she spoke, nodding to herself. L60Sweetie stepped onto the path leading into the Everfree, following the forest to the old Castle. While it was still barely a path at all and more a break in the treeline that was thick around her, Sweetie could see the signs of recent trips. Twilight had said they had been coming here more often recently. Of course, that was before the Loops had begun. Walking along the path, Sweetie wondered what she would find once she arrived. Sure, she could go down to the Elements immediately, but this was a chance to explore the Castle. Besides, most of the experiments she wanted to do couldn’t happen until Friday. Logically, considering her failed attempt to explore last time, she should be less inclined to explore. “And yet,” she sighed, “I want to at least try to explore it. I’ll try to stay away from the hallway I went down last time.” Not only that, Sweetie was certain she could teleport out. So it was a lot safer in general. There was also the fact that there was someone in the Loop with her. If she did get stuck in a room, and then get stuck in a Death Loop, it was likely this thing would bail her out. Considering the fact- Sweetie jumped as a bird caww’ed from a tree, and she whimpered, cowering in fear for a moment. Breathing out in relief as nothing appeared, Sweetie shook herself over. Starting to walk again, she glanced toward the edges of the path nervously. “Relax Sweetie, it’s nothing. This is just a forest oversaturated with magic. Yes, just like Twilight said.” Trying desperately to believe her lie, she continued mumbling to herself as she finally reached the bridge. Looking down, she saw the path leading to the elements. Debating her choice, she slowly leaned her head back toward the castle, and continued over the bridge. “No,” she spoke, pausing and closing her eyes. Turning around, she decided to just head directly for the Elements. Sweetie had been trying to resist going there first, leave a little mystery for the end of the Loop, and had failed to do so. Walking down the path, she entered the cave, and looked up at the glowing tree. The Tree of Harmony was beautiful, crystal leaves growing around it and the glow of the Elements shining brightly. Sweetie slowly stepped forward, awed by them. Reaching out, she stood on the tip of her hooves, and touched the lowest one. Nothing happened. “Well, I guess that was asking for a little too much.” Smiling, Sweetie chuckled and shook her head as she found a place to set up camp nearby. Settling into her tent, she snuggled up in a blanket, and looked upon the tree. After trying for a few days, Sweetie was certain she couldn’t get them out. Hindsight told her Twilight might have been able to, but Sweetie doubted that would affect her experiment at all. After all, in the tree or outside of it, the Elements would react the same. ’I hope everypony will be ok.’ Glancing toward the exit, Sweetie couldn’t deny what she was doing might very well kill ponies. But at this point, it was her final option. Stepping out of her tent, Sweetie left everything but the essentials inside it, ensuring her saddlebags could hold it all. Sweetie was sure the tent would Loop, but it didn’t hurt to be sure. Watching her clock tick down, Sweetie breathed in, turning her attention to the Tree. Time ticked down, closer and closer, and finally, it was time. Leaning forward, Sweetie watched the tree intently, everything fading out of view around her. 11.59… Sweetie’s eyes widened as magic curled around her, and she was slammed into her tent, it zipping up just as her clock ticked over. 12.00! “No!” Strained, she thrust her tent open and looked around frantically. But she was alone. There was nothing out of place, no change, nada. Collapsing to the floor, she allowed her gaze to follow the cave wall, rising up to look at the roof. Blank faced, without emotion, she let a single tear fall. “If you won’t let me do this either, just what will you let me do?” A roar sounded in the distance, and Sweetie turned. Watching without care, Sweetie followed the trail of destruction as it began to head in her direction. After a moment a Chimera appeared, breathing fire on a pack of fleeing Timberwolves. All were heading in her general direction. The Chimera had a snake tail, a goat head, and a panther body. Considering her current location, and her knowledge of magic, even while learned through hard practice, Sweetie was certain she could flee before they spotted her. But some part of her wanted to placate a part of her that was...curious. Filly vs Everfree, who would win? Standing up, Sweetie called upon her magic to begin channeling the spells she had been practicing, taken from a book that was so complicated, Sweetie hadn’t even begun to understand the very last spell about summoning a chicken. And yet, Sweetie felt a smile fall on her face as she took a battle stance. Bring it on Everfree, her body spoke. And the Everfree answered. Author's Note 40 L61Sweetie leapt, dodging the bite aimed directly at her, sending a torrent of water in front of her into the mouth of the Chimera. Teleporting, she appeared behind the pack of Timberwolves as they dived for her, and right into the path of a furious Chimera. Roaring, the Chimera tried to breathe fire again, but only manage to breathe out smoke. The Timberwolves turned, and once more tried to attack Sweetie. Sweetie turned and ran, teleporting up a tree and breathing in. The Timberwolves growled, unaware of the spell she was casting. Lowering her horn, she also prepared herself to immediately cast a water spell immediately after. Her horn began to glow red, and some of the smarter wolves leapt out of the way. A torrent of fire blasted out of her horn, followed by a torrent of water. Those caught in it got badly burned, before the cooling water used their new injuries to instil a sense of panic. Realising their prey was not prey, the Timberwolves quickly scattered, leaving just one angry Chimera for Sweetie to deal with. Teleporting down, she called upon her magic to summon a white bolt of magic energy. It was shaky, and close to dissipating, but as it sped toward the Chimera, whom leapt out of the way, it curved and hit the beast in the side. The attack did little to no damage, but the Chimera now knew his opponent was not a simple Timberwolf. Sweetie breathed out, closing her eyes and squaring her shoulders as she poured all her magic into her horn. Breathing in, an icy light glowed around her, and the Chimera took a step back. Temperature dropping, the Chimera began to run forward, trying to stop Sweetie’s spell. But it was too late, and Sweetie opened her eyes, glowing with energy, and cast the spell. Ice formed around her in large sheets, and began to dive toward the Chimera in spikes, splitting up into thousands of tiny ones in the span of a second. The Chimera called upon its breath, and flame burst out of its mouth, protecting it from the brunt of the attack. However one leg was not protected, and the Chimera roared in pain. Sweetie forced herself to stay standing, everything spinning around her. Three Chimeras roared softly in her direction, all limping toward her. As her vision began to clear, the three slowly formed into one, and she noticed it lean back. Mind still dazed, she wondered if it was going to breathe fire. A phantom image of her roasting on a spit appeared in her head. ’Wait a second. Chimeras breathe fire!’ Sweetie’s mind snapped back into focus just as her body was bathed in flame. Cringing, she sighed in relief as her shield spell absorbed it, and quickly leapt out of the flames. Magic flickering, she reinforced the shield quickly, watching her vision swim slightly. ‘I need to work more on my endurance. My magic feels like it’s all spent.’ Sweetie looked to the Chimera, and forced her brain to buzz back to life, considering her array of spells. Sweetie had just about enough magic for one, maybe two more spells, and then she would need to rest. Calling once more upon her magic, Sweetie formed the spell on her head, and began to run toward the Chimera. The Chimera breathed in, and fire formed around her. Leaping up, Sweetie spun in the air, landing on top of the Chimera. Pointing her horn directly at its head, she cast the spell twice in quick succession, and leapt off the Chimera. One knockout spell might have done it, but two definitely did the trick. The Chimera flinched, and slumped, unconscious. Sweetie collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath as her vision danced across her. After a moment, a feral grin appeared on her face. She had done it! Not only had she defeated Timberwolves, but a fire-breathing Manticore too! After she took a few loops to recover her magic, Sweetie was feeling confident in her ability to finally do her dream. Sweetie was going to take on a dragon. ’Well, after I get a bit more practice in,’ she thought to herself scathingly. Author's Note 39 L62The First National Bank of Equestria was the only bank company in Equestria. A few competitors had tried during its early inception, but had not been able to compete with their established market. After all, why would ponies change to their bank when not only could they not provide cheaper loans, but they only had one main city you could borrow from. So when a filly walked into the bank, saddlebags in tow, humming a merry tune, nopony looked twice as she moved up the line. It was only when she pulled out what looked to be a bomb at the counter that she got every single pony’s undivided attention. Sweetie smiled pleasantly to the mare behind the counter, and held out the bomb, sliding it across to her. “Hello, I’d like to take out all the money from my account.” Smiling, Sweetie waited patiently as the mare tried to appear normal, and asked her what account she was trying to access. Pursing her lip for a moment, Sweetie pretended to think about it. “Oh I don’t know. I seem to have forgotten, so how about I rob all of them instead?” A cheerful sing-song tune entered her voice as she beamed an innocent smile, and the mare glanced toward the guards slowly advancing on the filly. Spotting her glance, the filly turned and rolled her eyes, shrugging as if everything was only a minor annoyance. “Honestly, your service is terrible.” As her horn lit up, the four stallions charged. Each one was knocked out with a simple spell, and fell to the floor instantly. Sweetie once more approached the counter. Smiling, she tapped her hoof against it. “A-And uh, who should I make it out to?” The mare pushed a button underneath her desk, listening to her training and doing everything the robber asked her to do. While she hadn’t been expecting one so young, the bomb ticking down on her side of the bench confirmed it was indeed the case. Handing back the bomb, she motioned to another server to go get the money. “Sweetie,” she spoke, giving a ‘sweet’ smile. Nopony would believe it was her name. So when Rarity came forward with her picture, that would be such a funny scene to watch. A part of her did feel guilty for putting Rarity through this. But, well, it wasn’t like she’d remember it in a week. “Here you go.” Holding out a bag of bits, the mare pushed it through to Sweetie’s side. Smiling, she sat it on her back, and picked up her ‘bomb’. In fact, it was just her clock with a few wires and stuff attached to make it look like a bomb. Sweetie had pretended it was a fun game for Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and her to play. The rest was cake. Sweetie stepped out of the bank, and looked casually at all the guards surrounding her. To her surprise, Rarity and Twilight were also pointing their horns at her. Pegasi were watching the sky, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and a small group of Earth Ponies was approaching her from an emergency exit one pony had opened from inside the bank. “Sweetie Belle!?” Rarity, overcome with surprise, was struck speechless. Sweetie lowered her ‘innocent’ mask, and looked seriously at the crowd. Horn glowing, she watched as they all dived for her, and smiled. Vanishing in a teleport to her max range, she began to rapidly teleport over town, before entering the Everfree and teleporting the distance back to her tent. Puffing, she collapsed and gasped for breath. After her exertion the other Loop, Sweetie wasn’t surprised teleporting had taken it out of her, but she still scolded herself for it. ’Regardless, I have now robbed a bank.’ Sweetie proudly counted the bits in her bit bag, nodding in satisfaction. So no pony could stop her now, and she could take on a Chimera and win. Now she just had to grow strong enough to take on Twilight. “Bit-opia. That’s what I’ll call it.” Sweetie smiled, and began using her magic to melt the gold into shapes, slowly transforming her money into a city. It was badly made, but Sweetie took her time, knowing that her artistic talent would come with time. ‘After all, I’m Rarity’s sister.’ Author's Note 38 Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Secrets laying wildly across the stream, time disillusioned for the cursed shade, simpler than the wondrous lies, obvious like the clearest sky yet painful terror and unknown, sinking deeper into the blackness. Sending for another day in which to rest, warding off the coldness of the night. L63Sweetie Belle stepped into the bank, and smiled. Breathing in, she listened intently to the world around her, waiting for the right time. Starting a heartsong, she now knew, was more about timing than singing. Sweetie had to wait for the time when everything lined up. This could be influenced, but only so much. ‘Now!’ Taking a step forward, notes danced around her and the Heartsong began at her call. Pulling out the notes, she began to sing, weaving the heartsong quickly and efficiently. After a moment, it was time for her to begin to sing. Glancing around as she opened her eyes, Sweetie saw everypony was under the heartsong’s power. Perfect. “I am going to steal from you,” she sung, spinning towards the counter. Ponies stepped out of her way. “And there is nothing you can dooo.” Smiling, Sweetie put her bomb down on the counter, and the mare quickly dashed away to get the money. Turning, Sweetie smiled as the crowd began to sing along. “Nothing we can do.” Humming for a moment, Sweetie touched a hoof to her chest, bowing slightly. “For I am in charge of this song, and it is this song that controls you.” Picking up her bomb, Sweetie grabbed the bag of bits, and began to slowly walk toward the exit. “Sweetie Belle, why do you do this? I thought you were a good girl.” Rarity’s voice spoke loudly, the crowd backing her up. Looking at them from the door, Sweetie took a step outside, and smiled. “Oh my Sister, I do this for fun. You should give it a whirl.” Reaching a high note, Sweetie winced as her voice cracked, almost breaking the heartsong. “Oh Sweetie dear Sweetie, please stop this at once. The punishment for stealing paints you like a dunce.” Rarity’s expression showed she was referring more to the outfit than the punishment, and Sweetie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Time to wrap this up. “I will not my sister, for on this day: You will watch me act, and then fade.” Calling upon her magic, Sweetie tried to teleport in time with the end of the heartsong. However, she slammed into something, and fell to the ground. Twilight approached, and smiled wickedly. “Anti teleportation field. Your little routine gave me plenty of time to set it up.” Twilight looked to the guards as they slapped a limiter on Sweetie’s horn, and she was dressed in a bright orange outfit. “Oh Treesap,” she swore loudly, watching as she was tossed into a carriage to be carted off to Canterlot. Rolling her eyes, she could just imagine the conversation waiting for her there. At the very least, she could blame it on Time Turner. After all, not many ponies knew what he did, and he spent most of this week pretending he was insane. Arriving in Canterlot, she was soon brought in front of the princesses. As her crime was spoken, Sweetie could tell the two Alicorns were trying to hide their amusement. They were doing it very well too, but Sweetie was better. Looking like a scared and fearful filly, she waited as the guards went through her saddlebags. “The bomb appears to be fake, but it’s these two notes that have us the most confused.” Pulling out the Princess's looping notes, he held them out as they blinked. Reading it, their faces creased, and they shared a look. “These notes are nothing short of treason. We will have to give her the highest level crime we are allowed to sentence.” Celestia walked over, and leaned down, smile finally showing on her face. “To the Moooon~,” she sung softly. Sweetie couldn’t stand it any longer, and she broke into hysterical laughter. Luna joined in shortly after, much to the guard’s confusion. “So what were you planning on doing with the bits anyway?” Celestia raised an eyebrow as she released Sweetie, earning jaw-drops from the guards. Shrugging, Sweetie concentrated, and managed to make a very faint image of Bit-opia with her magic. “I call it, Bit-opia. I am Best Princess in it, and you are all my willing slaves. Opal is there for some reason too.” Sweetie chuckled, pulling out her Opal doll and beaming a mischievous smile at the two. Celestia and Luna bowed, no doubt agreeing completely with Best Princess over her title being Best Princess. “I need a bit more to finish the top, so I decided to have a little fun and rob it in song this time. I was planning on blaming it on the local insane pony.” While Changeling Time Turner was a very sane and very smart individual, Pony Time Turner was not. Sweetie doubted the two would know the difference. “Hrm,” mumbled Luna, glancing toward Celestia. Both were silent for a moment, before breaking out into smiles once more. “We are both glad to see you are having fun,” the spoke in unison. Sweetie beamed a smile, and accepted their offer for a chariot home. Of course, five ponies would need a proper explanation of her actions, but Sweetie wasn’t worried. ’Come to think of it…’ Sweetie looked to the two princesses standing together, and pulled out her ‘list of things to do’ looking to the next item on her list. Oh yes, next loop would be even more fun. Author's Note 37 Have a look at this made by Liam King. You guys just continue to amaze me. Oh! And be aware it's not a full game, just a menu and an image of Sweetie's room. L64Sweetie glanced to her Cutie Mark, pursing her lip. Over the past few Loops, its pattern had kept changing and changing. And now? Sweetie looked to the five notes surrounding a single note in the center. For some reason, the notes were forming the same pattern of a Cutie Mark she recognized despite the difference. ‘Okay, my Mark kinda looks like Twilight’s now. That’s freaky, and scary, but there’s not much I can do about it. Moving on.’ Packing her saddlebags, Sweetie wrote a small letter and attached it to Twilight’s Looping note, informing her of the plan for this Loop. Breathing in, Sweetie descended the stairs, and shoved Rarity’s Looping note into her face as well. Informing her sister of the plan, Sweetie easily smoothed it over enough for Rarity to accept, despite the task. Blinking, a note appeared from Twilight, informing Sweetie that Applejack had begrudgingly agreed to her plan. Smiling, she rubbed her hooves together, and set to work constructing a quick Lemonade stand. “You know Celestia, I’ve been considering going down to see Princess Twilight and her friends in Ponyville.” Luna took a bite of her lunch, looking to her sister with sparkling eyes. Really, despite her misgivings over Nightmare Night, Luna would love an opportunity to properly get to know the town. “I think that is a wonderful idea. I shall join you, granted I manage to finish the paperwork early that day. What day should we-Oh, speak of the Princess.” Celestia blinked as a scroll appeared in front of her, and opened it. Taking a bit of her own food, she skimmed it, and gulped. Choking for a moment, she swallowed it down, guzzling water as she coughed. Recovered, she held it out to her curious sister. “Dear Princess Celestia. Today me and my friends learned that we can take our destiny into our own hooves.-Oh that is wonderful for them- We have done so by trusting the services of a Matchmaker? -that has moved to our village? -What the- So we are all very happy, and are considering marriage within the month to our new special someponies!?-Sister, what do we do?” Celestia stood up, and looked evenly at her sister. “Pack your saddlebags Luna, you’re getting to visit Ponyville right now. We leave first thing Wednesday.” Turning, Celestia dived toward the throne, beginning to tackle her duties so she could spare the visit. If she was lucky, what she didn’t do today, Tuesday, she could leave till her return. “I really must thank you Matchmaker. Not only have you given me a wonderful evening for the both of us, you did so out of your own pocket. I’ll admit, I actually had fun.” The mare glanced lovingly toward the sheepish stallion, and the hooded pony nodded. The two held out a bag of bits, and the pony shook her head. Money was no use to her when she could just rob a bank. A Chariot landed in the distance, and five ponies went out to greet the two arriving. Sweetie watched from underneath her cloak, a feral grin masterfully hidden under her clothes. Rarity was a master, making Sweetie not only adult-sized, but snug too. Sweetie waited as the group chatted excitedly to the Princesses. “I’m telling you, I have never been happier since I left my fate to the Matchmaker. Did you know she does fortunes too? She can accurately predict any problems you will have for the future. She said her radar only affect the current town or residence though, so it probably won’t help you. But even-” Twilight talked vividly as the five led the two to Sweetie. “So I hear you are pairing up my little ponies, and they are...happy?” Celestia tilted her head, having mixed feelings about this entire case. If it was true, then she couldn’t just deny her ponies a service that would help them. If it was false, she could reveal it as so, leaving the ponies to solve their own problems instead of trusting somepony else. “Indeed I am,” spoke a high pitched voice. Celestia frowned, it almost sounded like a filly. Shaking her thoughts away, she glanced to Luna, whom shrugged. Well, the best way to prove it was via testing. “If you are indeed what you say you are, then you will have no objections to us testing that theory?” Celestia watched the hooded stranger nod, and she turned around. Picking out a random couple, she quietly asked them about their relationship. “I honestly was skeptical, but with Twilight and the other Elements backing it, I thought it worth a shot. And I have never been happier.” The stallion nuzzled his mare, and the two walked away. Celestia frowned, and sighed. It did indeed look like her ponies were happy. What right did she have to forbid them from it? “Sister, if I may…?” Luna stepped forward, and Celestia stepped back. Leaning down, Luna narrowed her eyes. “If thou are-you are as good as you say. Provide me with a special somepony.” Luna knew this was impossible. After all, she wasn’t going to date somepony who would die in a century. It would only lead to her heartbreak in the end. “Well your options are Twilight and Celestia,” the Matchmaker spoke softly. Blinking, Luna reared back, wings flaring. For a moment, she considered herself being mocked, but when Twilight stepped between them, the voice explained. “You’re long lived right? And you need somepony whom will give you the attention you deserve. Twilight has always been an avid stargazer, and she might turn out to be as long lived as you, considering her talent is magic. As for Celestia, you two may have had problems in the past, but now you two are closer than ever. And don’t worry about the sister thing, you can always abolish that later.” Sweating slightly, Sweetie wondered if they would buy it. Pulling out a bag of bits, she placed it on the table. “As I am a giving pony, I will even pay for the first date. If you are dissatisfied, come to me and prove me to be a fraud. But I think my track record speaks for itself.” Nodding once, she saw Luna considering it. Glancing to her sister, she bit her lip. Celestia glared, and Luna knew her sister wasn’t willing to ever go there. So that left Twilight. “Very well, I shall test your ability.” Luna turned to Twilight, who had pulled out a large list. “Great, shall I pencil us in for seven tomorrow?” Twilight smiled at her note, before noticing Luna’s shocked gaze. Shrugging, she smiled sheepishly. “Uh, as the Elements of Magic, I understand friendship very well. That means a lot of ponies are...compatible with me.” Twilight glanced to her friends, all of whom were casually glancing away. “Urg,” growled Luna, gritting her teeth. “Fine, see you then.” Luna stormed toward Twilight’s castle, where they had already agreed to be staying. Celestia followed, and Sweetie smiled. The next day went exactly as planned. “So, how did it go?” Raising her hood slightly, she looked to Luna and Celestia. Both were sharing surprised glances. “Uh, good. We have chosen to have a followup meeting within a month.” Luna had to admit, this service was good. Glancing to her sister, she wondered if Celestia would pluck up the courage to ask. But, after a moment, they both said goodbye, and went to meet with the chariot. Stepping up, they waved goodbye to the Elements. Taking into the sky, Luna watched as a small filly crawled out of the Matchmaker, watching the clothes slump to the floor. ’Huh,’ was all she could think in response. Author's Note 36 What the- Hi Uh, I think I need an adult. I am an adult Heh, funny thing, so am I. And uh, I have to go uh...write the next chapt- -er ~And the author was never seen nor heard from again~ L65“Excuse me Miss Fluttershy, I was wondering if you had anything that could help me attract animals.” Sweetie looked down, scuffing the dirt in front of the cottage with one hoof. Today she was playing the timid filly. Fluttershy was instantly beckoning her inside, pulling out some bitter smelling liquid. “This is made out of some of the flowers growing around my home. It should attract most creatures with a keen nose if you only use a little. I assume this is for a dog or cat?” Fluttershy smiled gently, and for a moment a slice of guilt laced through Sweetie. Quickly shaking it off, she took the bottle, dabbing it on her fur lightly. “Yeah, thanks Fluttershy.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and began to skip toward the door. Fluttershy watched with a shy smile. It was so adorable that Rarity’s sister had come to her for advice on Opal. Sweetie smiled as she took the path into Ponyville, and turned once she was out of sight of Fluttershy. Stepping into the Everfree, Sweetie rapidly teleported to the clearing she had battled the Chimera in. Pulling out the small bottle of yucky smelling stuff, she poured it on a piece of tofu she had borrowed from town. Animals ate Tofu right? Sweetie wasn’t entirely sure what carnivores ate beside herself and meat. And, according to what she knew, tofu was not-meat meat. So, pouring the entire bottle onto the tofu, she tossed it toward the edge of the forest, and waited for something to show. After five minutes, she scowled and pulled out something to read. Honestly, animals were so late sometimes. A shadow appeared, and she glanced upward, noticing a large beast had blocked out the sun, and was currently standing over her. “What do you know, Cerberus. What are you doing out of Tartarus?” Sweetie smiled sheepishly as the three headed dog towered over her. Timberwolves and other such creatures, that would have been expected. But could she even defeat this guy? Standing up, Sweetie leapt out of the way as a paw swiped toward her. Sweetie called upon her magic, protecting herself as heat sprung up around her. Looking toward one head, she saw its drool was actually lava. Blinking, she wondered what their teeth were made out of. Distracted, she was slammed into by the third head, and blinked as teeth crunched down, splintering her shield. Wincing, Sweetie felt all her magic go toward her shield, glad she had updated that feature. Gritting her teeth, she pushed at the molar barring her freedom. Seeing no change, even when exposed to a fire spell, a stray spark brought her an idea. Making a spell out of her ice storm spell, Sweetie cast it at the tooth. A single ice spear emerged from her horn and hit the tooth. As the head reared back and howled in pain, Sweetie saw the pit of madness that would lead to its bowels, and quickly levitated herself out of the mouth. Teleporting back down to the ground, she puffed, taking a moment to recover from her sudden ordeal. Would being swallowed alive count as ‘indoors’? Cerberus howled for a while longer, and then turned tail, vanishing into a portal that appeard from nothing. Grinning, Sweetie savored her victory. Turning as something once more covered her in shadow, Sweetie’s eyes bulged out of her head. For there was a creature eating her tofu, but also looking directly at her. Sweetie had entirely forgotten this had been sighted close to the edge of the Everfree once. Three of its heads were facing her while one swallowed the tofu. A Hydra. A freaking Hydra. It gave a roar the moment it finished the tofu, and charged right for Sweetie. Gulping, she crouched and prepared for a fight. Three heads dived for her, the fourth watching carefully. Great, this one had an intelligent head. Sweetie teleported, standing on the Hydra’s back, and began to cast her ice storm spell as the four heads turned toward her. “Woah!” Standing on one leg, the Hydra balanced with its tail, sending Sweetie tumbling down to the grass. Softening her fall with a levitation spell, Sweetie stopped casting, knowing she wouldn’t have time to cast it. Concentrating, she sent out a torrent of flame, the Hydra shrugged it off, and two heads dived for her. Teleporting, Sweetie began to run around the Hydra, calling upon her makeshift spell to send ice spikes at the Hydra. They cracked against its tough scales, and Sweetie growled in annoyance. Turning, she levitated herself up high into the air just as the third head dived toward her. Roaring flames sprouted from its mouth, heading straight for her. Sweetie let her shield handle the flames, calling upon her magic to send lightning toward the fourth head. The fourth head howled in pain, and the other three glanced toward it. Teleporting back toward the ground, Sweetie saw she had now pissed off the beast. Knowing that was bad, she racked her brains quickly in the brief moment she had. ’Blade, blade, need to make a blade. Aha!’ Sweetie, in a stroke of genius, turned and ran toward the castle. Reaching the bridge, the Hydra close behind, she teleported inside and looked for a smashed window. Finding one, she pulled out a piece of the broken glass, inspecting the edge. ’Perfect.’ Hearing the roar, Sweetie turned just as the Hydra leapt over the gap, tail smashing the bridge as it vaulted over. Heads smashing through the castle, Sweetie protected herself with a weaker shield, avoiding the broken rubble. Breathing in, she dove toward the exit, the Hydra roaring at her. Leaping off the cliff, Sweetie watched the Hydra follow her back up the mountain and to the clearing. Panting heavily, Sweetie turned, and glared at the Hydra. Levitating up the piece of glass, Sweetie swore to herself to make her goal not to kill it. Sure, it would be back next loop, but Sweetie didn’t want to add another life to her body count. Teleporting past three of the heads, she sliced at its weak underside with the blade of glass. It howled in pain with each cut, despite the damage being comparable to thin cuts. The Hydra, whom Sweetie was currently under, stopped supporting its own weight, and slammed down on Sweetie. Sweetie woke up in her room, ash surrounding her. There was also blood on her walls and ceiling, as if something had been sliced off to fit into her room. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead, and cast the shield spell to eliminate her headache. ‘Darn, I was sure I had it that time.' Sweetie pulled out her spellbook, and placed a hoof on it. Regardless, she was ready. And she had learned a valuable lesson about not standing under beasts. L66.1 Operation FlyDaDragonSweetie walked down the dust caked ground, a stray gust sending it in the direction she was heading. Everything had an orange quality to it, and she coughed as her dry throat reminded her she was out of water. Trees were completely dead, and any signs of life were long gone. Sweetie pulled out her map, calling upon her magic to start charging up her water spell. Due to the lack of moisture in the air, it would take more out of her than normal, but it was necessary. Sweetie considered herself lucky her magic water was drinkable. Pulling out her bottles, she cast the spell, quickly filling them up. Sipping her drink, she continued up the sharp incline, her destination bound to be in sight once she reached the top. Glancing to her map as she walked, Sweetie nodded, putting the map away. Eventually, she couldn’t pull herself up the side without resorting to climbing, so she concentrated, levitating herself up to the rim, landing on the edge. Dragons, and all of them looking toward her. Most of the adults quickly looked away, giving a yawn and settling back to sleep. It was only a group of teenagers that approached her as she descended into the bowl. None of the adults moved, waiting to see what her reasoning for coming was. “Well well well, a namby pamby pony. Who’s hungry boys?” The leader, a crimson dragon standing on two legs with a yellow underside, approached. Sweetie looked evenly, despite the shaking slowly trying to escape. Even with many Loops of experience, instinct prevailed. Standing proud, a bead of sweat slid down her face. The two other dragons, one a pale blue and the other a dark purple, approached, licking their mouths as they punched a fist into their hands. Sweetie breathed in, closing her eyes as she calmed herself. This was her time, her chance. Yes, she had put a protection spell on her saddlebags to ensure they didn’t get burned for as long as the magic lasted, so it was time to brave her goal. Two dragons leaned back, and fire enveloped her. Horn sparking, Sweetie easily kept her shield up. After a moment, the two ceased, and all three leaned back in shock. Sweetie inspected her hoof, and looked at them with a bored expression. Challenge accepted, the leader pointed at her. “Grrr! Get her! She’s just using some pansy magic!” Folding his arms, he smirked at Sweetie. Surprisingly, the pony merely smiled sweetly in response. Mind slow to absorb this fact, it wasn’t until his lackeys were already diving forward that he realised this pony was different. But by then, it was too late. Teleporting, Sweetie avoided the two dragons, standing on her back hooves and giving a twirl. Turning, she fired a bolt of water, sending them crashing into the side of the bowl, leaving an indent in the wall. The two rose, and roared. The leader knew there was no way they could defeat the strange pony, and glanced toward the adults watching. Sweetie teleported behind the two dragons, and then teleported once more as they anticipated her action. Calling upon her magic, she pulled out her blade of glass, and swung it at their weak undersides, aiming for non-serious spots in case she went too deep. The two howled in pain, and dived for her again. A huge thud sounded, and the three teenagers immediately ran behind it, cowering in confusion and fear. Sweetie turned, inspecting the dragon in front of her. He was coal-black in color, with his underside being a light gray. Eyes of molten fire glared her down, and Sweetie nearly gave into her instinct to run right there and then. But, forcing that feeling down, she breathed in and out, and met the dragon right in the eyes. Sweetie bowed low, showing respect in a way she hoped would transcend any language barriers. The dragon made no move for a moment, and Sweetie slowly raised her head to meet his gaze again. The teenagers were smirking, expecting her to be killed. All the other dragons watched on, curiosity nearly all-consuming. “You, pony whose blade pierces teenage flesh. You show us humility, and yet see yourself as our equal. I will overlook your transgression against the hatchlings, but choose your next words carefully.” The dragon’s voice rumbled around Sweetie, nearly deafening her. Thinking for a moment, she stood up straight, and raised her voice to speak as loud as she could without shouting. “I am Sweetie Belle, a filly who is stuck in a Time Loop.” As Sweetie paused, a few of the adults shared a glance, but the black dragon didn’t even flinch. “II know not why or how I got trapped in such, but it has granted me the ability to slowly grow my battle abilities to the point you saw just now.” Pointing toward the teenagers, Sweetie closed her eyes, breathed in, and continued. “I do not know if you believe me, but that is unimportant. My reason for being here is simple, and I understand the ramifications of such a request requires combat. I wish to ride a dragon. I would be honored if you would consider my request.” Sweetie bowed once more, opening her eyes, as the majority of the dragons reared back, roaring at the insult. The black dragon leaned back slightly, looking at the adult dragons, quickly silencing all the commotion. “We are aware of this time loop you are in. Our magic resistance affords us considerable resistance to most of your magic. This spell, while powerful, is nothing that we can be affected by.” The dragon paused, watching Sweetie’s reaction. As her eyes widened, he saw the questions appearing on her face, and leaned in closer. “While we cannot detect the source of the spell, it does not affect us. We do not care for ‘weeks’, ‘months’, or even ‘years’. Our lives go on, and your Loop does not change anything for us.” Satisfied he had answered the majority of the questions, he waited for the pony to speak. “But my town has a baby dragon, and he’s not aware of it. And what about those three?” Sweetie didn’t understand. Was this something she could use to get out? “A dragon’s age is directly proportional to how much magic resistance they have. While those hatchlings can absorb most of the damage incoming from low level spells, their scales are weak, their minds unclear. At most, your baby dragon would suffer from a minor case of deja vu, I believe that is what you call it?” Pausing, the dragon watched Sweetie nod. “One last question. What would you do if it was affecting you?” Sweetie tilted her head, and the dragon leaned down, one huge eye covering most of her vision. “Raze Equestria to the ground,” he spoke seriously. Gulping, Sweetie nodded as he leaned back. That was fair, considering what their race was like. Sweetie was certain if it had of been the case, she would already be gone. The dragon shifted, flaring his humongous wings. All the adults roared at once, and Sweetie winced, covering her ears. After a moment, it was silent again. “We have discussed your request, and have agreed to grant you the chance, granted you defeat the dragon in combat first. I trust that is to your liking?” The dragon tilted his head, and Sweetie nodded, gulping as sweat began to fall down her face. This was it, finally. The dragon made a sweeping motion with his wing, motioning toward the adults looking at her. “Choose your opponent. Sweetie of the Glass Blade.” While she didn’t entirely care for the dragon’s nickname for her, she wasn’t going to say that. Turning, Sweetie looked over the many dragons, noticing one’s that looked sickly, and some that were sleeping. If she was smart, she should go for one of those. And yet… “I choose you.” Sweetie turned, and smirked at the black dragon. Blinking, he reared back, and laughed. Sweetie noticed dragons begin to carry gems around. If she had to guess, it was likely they were taking bets. On the other side, she noticed the teenagers run toward a female dragon with rose-red scales. “Oh, it has been a while since someone has dared to challenge me. Please be aware I won’t go easy on you.” The black dragon moved, taking his place at the other edge of the clearing. Sweetie gritted her teeth, nerves quickly consuming her. What the hell was she doing!? ’Calm down, you can do this. Death is only temporary. Just make sure you don’t get swallowed up by the magic-shield. Also called dragon.’ Lowering herself down to the ground, she began to shake in fright. All around her dragons began to laugh, all except the coal-black dragon. After a moment, his voice rang out from the other side of the bowl. “It is not too late to back out, young one.” The dragon’s voice carried a tone of concern, and that touched Sweetie greatly. Here in the middle of nowhere, a dragon was caring about her, even slightly. All at once, her fear faded, and she stood back up. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the dragon, and he gave his own dragon smile in return. “Very well,” he spoke, cracking his joints as he prepared to to battle. Sweetie stretched out, breathing in as she took a battle stance. This was going to be one of the hardest things she ever did. And yet, Sweetie had never felt more alive. Author's Note 34 I have really gotta stop staying up so late... .... ... Ah screw it. Too lazy for that. L66.2 Operation FlyDaDragonThe huge opponent in front of Sweetie was fearsome in every sense of the word. Sharp teeth that would crush her in an instant. Thick scales that would resist every magic attack she had to offer. Sharp claws that could slice her in half. And a blazing ball of death that would erupt from his mouth. The black dragon roared, flaring his wings, challenging her. Sweetie breathed in, and crouched. Glass blade at her side, she began to approach. Slowly, and then breaking out into a run, her voice exploded in her own cry of challenge. The dragon’s eyes approved, and time seem to pause for a moment as she sprinted for her opponent. Sweetie dodged a claw swipe, backflipping over it and trying to cut her blade into the underside of the dragon’s palm. A drop of red blood splurted out from her shallow cut. Sweetie didn’t have time to dwell on it, teleporting out of the way of the second hand. A large mouth opened in front of her and she sent a torrent of water toward it, creating a shield of steam that obscured her from view. Levitating herself, she flew high into the air, dodging something swiping toward her. Upside down, she used her tail to turn herself downward, and raised her head, casting her ice storm spell. A few spikes formed, splitting up and raining down on the dragon. Sweetie watched the steam blow away as he flapped his wings once. Position given away, Sweetie teleported out of the way of the teeth, further into the sky. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated and fired another round of spikes. Then, releasing the magic holding her up, she dived toward the dragon. Using her magic to direct her fall, she dodged the hands and aimed for the dragon’s chest, slicing down it. Glancing back as she spun, and landed, cushioned by her magic, she saw no mark upon the scales. What’s more, her glass shard had shattered into a million pieces. Sweetie glanced upward at the claw coming toward her, and teleported out of the way just as it slammed down. The second hand came for her, and she dodged, taking a quick moment to consider her options. Unable to think of anything, she dived forward, avoiding the flame as she moved in close. This was a dangerous place to be, but it afforded her precious seconds to glance around for another blade. However, that time ticked up, and she teleported into the air, avoiding the body crushing down upon her. Looking up, she watched the dragon below her roar, and leap toward her. Seeing no escape below, she opted to teleport rapidly into the air. Wings flaring, the dragon took into the sky, and Sweetie teleported out of the way as it came to hover. Looking around, Sweetie concentrated, making a platform under her with her magic. Sweetie needed to be able to stand, she couldn’t fight upside down. Only now was she realising the usefulness of flight. Flame erupted toward her, and she called upon her ice spell to freeze it before it made it to her, filling the air with steam for but a moment. A wingbeat later, and she was staring down a dragon’s mouth. Stopping her magic, she fell down just as the dragon passed toward her, pulling a shield of ice around her as fire followed her. Ground rapidly approaching, and dragon close behind, Sweetie’s mind caught the sparkle of the ice melting around her, and an idea struck. The dragon fire ceased, and claws reached out for her. Sweetie turned herself upside down, magic gaining a second glow around her horn as she formed a long shard of ice, sharpened as much as she could. Using her magic, she pushed herself backward slightly, and slowed her fall. Dragon rushing past her, she swung the shard at the belly, watching it shatter against the scales once more. Gritting her teeth, she released the magic slowing her fall, staying in line with the dragon. Pulling on her magic, her eyes began to glow white, and a large, thin shard formed, icy white. Sweetie swung just as the dragon flared his wings, slowing his fall. Sweetie pivoted, using her spell to completely negate gravity for a moment, and levitated herself right at the dragon. Crying out in desperation, she swung the shard. For a moment it seemed to shudder against the scales, and Sweetie gritted her teeth, teleporting away as it shattered in her magic. The dragon landed, inspecting his chest. There was a small mark on it, the ice shard hadn’t been strong enough to do more than leave a mark. Sweetie gasped for breath, vision fading for a moment before she shook it back into focus. No! She couldn’t lose now! Just one more try! A spear, to pierce it this time. Slicing wasn’t going to do anything. “I don’t know who you are, monster who is using me for his own ends,” she spoke quietly between gasps for air. The dragon was quickly coming toward her, victory shining in his eyes. “But please, give me this one victory. Give me one fight I can win.” Sweetie closed her eyes for a moment, the dragon raising a claw to crush her. Magic collapsing on her forehead, Sweetie began to slightly hover in the air, time slowing down as the claw came toward her. Sweetie’s horn glowed brighter than ever before, and her eyes were pure white as she opened them. The claw touched the magical aura surrounding her, and Sweetie vanished, exploding outward with energy as she appeared above the dragon. Looking up, he roared, flame erupting. Sweetie parted it using her magic, and called upon her ice magic once more. A long shiver began to form, the point so sharp she couldn’t even see it. Taking it in her magic, the glow faded from her, and she held herself still with levitation. “ARRRGH!” Sweetie swung it with all her remaining magic energy, and it flew true, slamming into the dragon’s belly, piercing the scales and causing minor damage. The dragon roared in pain, pulling out the spear and melting it with flame. The wound began to bleed lightly. The dragon turned his attention toward Sweetie, and blinked. Sweetie closed her eyes, and began to fall. As she was above the dragon at that time, such a fall would easily kill her. However, the dragon extended a paw, saving her swiftly. Folding his wings, he looked to the tiny form, and then to the wound he had received. It had been enough, in his opinion. This pony had shown greater strength than he had ever seen in his millennia of life. The dragon gently placed Sweetie down, and turned to the other dragons, giving a nod. An awe struck the dragons, and they all stared at the tiny form. The tiny little pony that had managed to score a minor injury against the Dragon King. Not once, but twice. The teenagers looked to each other, thinking for once that maybe ponies weren’t as ‘namby pamby’ as they had once believed. “Rest young one, you fought well.” Author's Note Sorry for the wait. L66.3 Operation FlyDaDragonSweetie groaned, her head on fire as she slowly opened her eyes. For some reason, she felt very warm and comfy, despite the hard abrasive material. Rubbing her eyes, she heard something beating from inside the material around her. She was so warm, like she was snug inside her blankets. Wait, inside? “Wargh!” Sweetie began to panic, kicking as she tried to escape the bowels of the dragon. However, as the lid of her box was lifted up, she realised she was being curled around by a dragon, not inside it. Giving a sheepish smile, she apologised to the light gray female. The female chuckled, and raised her head as the black dragon came over. “I lost,” spoke Sweetie, ears flopping down as she realised. The two dragons chuckled, rumbling the earth underneath her. Both could recognize the signs of a hatchling, and it both invigorated them, and made them fearful for the egg. The black dragon leaned closer. “Yes, but you won something far greater in the pursuit.” The black dragon paused, and folded his wings, revealing the group of dragons behind him watching Sweetie with curiosity and wonder. After all, it was incredibly rare for a dragon to be so surprised by something so small. “Uh, what?” Sweetie tilted her head, and she felt the female she was currently still on shake slightly. Leaping off, she quickly apologised for overstaying her welcome. The female shook her head, and Sweetie quickly turned her attention back to the male. Something about that female dragon made her uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to pursue it. “What, she asks.” The black dragon laughed, glancing to the dragons behind him. Most were chuckling, enjoy the novelty of the experience more than anything. “You have earned our interest, young one. And I have not been so interested in something since I was on the cusp of adulthood, many thousands of years ago.” The black dragon smiled, lost in his own memories. Sweetie considered this for a moment, and nodded. Interest, something new. It seemed she and the dragons had something common in that regard. “Well, thank you for not killing me. I appreciate it.” Sweetie smiled, feeling a little better about the whole experience. It had been a challenge, and it had been eye-opening too. But in the end, she had lost. That meant no dragon ride. But Sweetie wasn’t bothered that much. She had learned so much more in return. Once more, the black dragon chuckled. “Oh my young one, I am going to do much more than that. First off, I believe you have a dream to fulfill?” The dragon turned, exposing one side to Sweetie, opening a wing to create a ramp up to his shoulder. Sweetie breathed in sharply, unsure if she was actually awake. “Oh darling, I think you broke the poor thing.” It was the gray dragon behind Sweetie, humor ripe in her voice. The dragons behind the black one shared sniggers, all of which sounded incredibly loud to Sweetie. Blushing, she pouted slightly, and stepped onto the wing, walking up it. As she reached the top, the black dragon lowered his head, and Sweetie slowly walked up it to the head. “I apologise for the embarrassment, but I am sure you understand how rare...novelty is to us.” The black dragon looked up to the pony on his head. Sweetie did understand, so she nodded once. Horn still incredibly sore, she managed to pull off a small spell to keep her held onto the top of the dragon. Most of her magic kept slipping off though, so she was grateful when the horn appeared to be much more willing to co-operate. “Are you ready young one?” The dragon’s voice caused her to jump, and she gave a fearful nod. This was it, finally the time to get her dream fulfilled. Would it be what she dreamed it would be? Gulping, she knew there was only one way to find out. Glancing to the right, she noticed the dragons all watching her eagerly, and gave a small wave. “Very well, let us go for a quick fly around your nation, shall we?” The black dragon flared his wings, head lowering as he crouched. Leaping into the air, Sweetie was slammed with a huge amount of gravity, and she had no idea how she even managed to keep her magic gripped on the horn. They rapidly ascended until soon the bowl was barely a pea’s length in size. Looking down, Sweetie was struck by awe at how small everything was. Sweetie could see Canterlot, The Everfree, and the Crystal Empire too. But everything else was much too hard to make out. And then she looked to the side. Before her stretched an eternity of blue. Clouds danced below her, and the sun blazed far above. Everything was silent except for the wind whistling by and the flap of the dragon’s wings. Sweetie had never seen something so huge before. In it, the dragon was the small creature, and she was barely even an ant. “So what do you think, young one?” The dragon’s voice spoke from seemingly far away, and Sweetie was scared to even reply in a whisper, for fear of breaking the scene around her. “It’s...amazing. Big, scary, and yet amazing. I felt small next to you, but up here I feel like a speck of dust.” Sweetie winced slightly at the image of dust, but quickly discarded it so she could admire the scene before her. The dragon seemed to approve of her answer, as he grumbled a sound that was pleasing to Sweetie’s ears. “Yes, young one. That is one lesson even we learn when growing up. There is always something bigger than you, an opponent you can’t defeat. We are strong, with few enemies, but we do have them, and the weakest of us do fear them.” The black dragon settled into a glide, and Sweetie watched as time seemed to slow below them. It looked like the world was moving slowly beneath her, and yet they were moving so fast. “Even you?” Sweetie glanced down to one of the dragon’s eyes, and he chuckled, bumping her slightly. “Yes young one, even I have a wariness to them. But as the king of my flock; my job is to be their shield against that fear, disregarding my own feelings about it.” The dragon looked off into the distance ahead of them. Sweetie couldn’t read the look, it didn’t seem neither happy nor sad. “Wait, KING!?” Sweetie nearly fell off as she realised she was riding the KING DRAGON. Not only that, she had CHALLENGED him to a FIGHT. Sweetie really hated ignorance, especially when it almost cost her her life. “Do not fear young one, I was aware of your ignorance the moment you challenged me.” The black dragon chuckled, and Sweetie gave a sheepish smile in response. Well, as long as the big scary dragon said it was ok. Sweetie didn’t want to anger him by ignoring his advice. “Come to think of it, what is your name?” Sweetie tilted her head, wondering if she had heard it yet. The black dragon raised an eyebrow. Names were sacred to dragons, to be shared between only the closest of friends. Hatchlings were not told their real name, they learned it the moment they unlocked their true flame. To speak a dragon’s name granted the creature speaking it a great sway within the dragon’s mind. In the wrong hands, such knowledge could easily be abused. “Tho̱rakisména ouranós. Or in the pony tongue; Armoured Sky. But do not repeat my full name ever.” Deciding to take a risk, he allowed her to hear his true name. Sweetie blinked as the name rung around her head, some sort of magic in the words. Sweetie didn’t entirely understand what the magic did, but she understand that when he meant ‘don’t repeat my full name’, he meant it. “How about I call you Thorak?” Sweetie smiled sweetly, and he laughed in response. Thorak, that was as good a name as any. And it did not invoke dragontongue when speaking. “Very well young one, call me Thorak.” Smiling, Thorak couldn’t help but admire this young pony. Maybe it was her admiration of both his kind and the sky, but he felt dragon inside of her. There were very few creatures he had met that had a ghost of a dragon inside them, but here was a filly that made him feel comfortable enough to tell his true name to. “As long as you call me Sweetie,” she teased, before slapping her hooves over her mouth. Teasing a dragon, was she asking to be killed!? Surprisingly, Thorak merely chuckled, and began to angle downward, heading back toward the bowl. Sweetie watched the world grow smaller around her, and felt an itching on her back. Sweetie desperately wanted to stay in the big blue. “~~You told her your true name, are you sure that’s wise? You can feel the thing following her right?~~” The gray dragon whispered in dragontongue to Thorak, and he nodded in response. “~~Even if he hears the name, words spoken without power are useless. Without a dragon gifting the name, overhearing it does nothing.~~” Lowering his head, he allowed Sweetie to step onto a ledge about eye-height for a dragon. Sweetie turned and regarded the two. Somehow, she felt different, as if the flight had changed her. “Thank you for the ride, it was a great honor.” Not one to forget her manners, Sweetie bowed low to Thorak. The dragon bowed slightly in response, and Sweetie straightened up. Glancing to the gray dragon, Thorak watched as she shuffled something further into the nest, a guilty look on her face. “Azure, you were the one that suggested it.” Thorak would not force his lifemate to do it, but he didn’t like it when she went back on her decision. Especially when it had been decided before the young-Sweetie...-before Sweetie had woken up. “I know, I just…” The gray dragon glanced toward Sweetie, who looked between them, having no clue what was going on. After a moment, Azure sighed, and curled her tail around something, pulling the item out. “This is our son. I birthed him shortly before that spell around you began. He is unable to grow past this stage. As our only egg at this point, with most already at the hatchling stage, there is no rush to find a solution to the foul magic. At least, not yet. “However, as a mother, I want my son to live. So I ask you, beg you even. Please take my son with you, allow him to hatch. And then, bring him back to me.” Once more hesitating, she hugged her egg for a moment. Holding it out to Thorak, he also took the egg, breathing a strange flame on it for a moment, before holding it out to Sweetie. Sweetie took it in her hooves, not trusting her magic to carry it just yet. This was a huge responsibility she was taking on. Glancing to the two, she frowned, was she really ready to accept such a responsibility. Sure, she wanted to help, but what would she do once it did hatch? “Uh, what do I do when it does hatch? How fragile is it?” Sweetie glanced between them, and Thorak shook his head once. “We will know when it hatches and come retrieve him. We will also come if the magic ends. As for fragility; do not worry, dragon eggs won’t shatter from normal force. You would have to throw it off a mountain to break it.” Thorak bowed his head, and Sweetie bit her lip. Could she really deny them this? “How do you know he won’t die from being in the same room with me? Anything with magic get’s drained and dies of old age when I’m in the same room.” Sweetie was concerned about this. It was such a big risk, did they realise what they were asking her to do? “For one, the egg is not resetting to the same place at the start of these ‘loops’. Secondly, this egg will not be assisting you to escape, so the force working to oppose you won’t object to it. And he knows not to mess with a dragon egg.” Thorak raised his head, narrowing his eyes as he looked in the direction of the Everfree. “Yes, he would not dare harm our egg.” Azure nodded once, eyes glowing fiercely for a moment. Sweetie debated it, and sighed. Really, she couldn’t say no, not after the generosity she had been shown by these dragons. “I’ll do what I can, but please don’t burn down Equestria if this accidentally turns out bad.” Sweetie’s ears flopped down, and the two dragons shared a glance. “No promises,” they replied, “but we will try.” Sweetie sighed, that was about as good as she was going to get it. “Okay, I’ll take your egg with me.” Sweetie saw the relief on both faces, and let a sad smile fall on her face. Oh she really hoped this didn’t end badly. “Come, let me fly you home.” Thorak held out a wing, and Sweetie was immensely grateful. “Thank you,” she spoke, and Thorak regarded her seriously. “No, thank you.” “I promise this won’t take long Spike, just a test.” Sweetie led Spike into her room, watching him walk over to her dragon egg. “Woah,” he spoke, rubbing a claw over it. “Yeah, I promise if this works I’ll tell you about it. Take a seat on the cushion.” Sweetie grabbed a cushion, and set it next to her makeshift nest for the egg. While Spike sat down, Sweetie closed her windows and doors. That way, if the monster interfered, she’d know where from. 11:59… “What the-hey!” Spike was suddenly levitated in the air by a magic aura Sweetie didn’t recognize, the same one that had thrown her inside the tent at the Tree of Harmony, and it threw him through the window. As glass shattered, the clock ticked over. 12:00! Sweetie glanced to the egg, noticing it hadn’t even so much as flinched. Sweetie put a hoof to it, it was still warm. Sweetie watched the clock tick over for a few minutes, and then sighed, sitting down on her bed. Whatever the monster was keeping her here, it was growing more bold. Author's Note I'm making a comment-driven story here. If you've ever wanted to have input in a chapter before it was written, nows your chance. Shameless advertising aside, it came with a free chapter, so you win either way. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Tick, tock, the scarlet cloth; a fabric so vain and clear, time frequents, spawned legends, and presently you have fallen to sleep. Silk must dye, this all-seeing eye, a vivid shade of blue, then impart with wisdom and with good will, before the dark may fall on Sweetie. With respect for old, with restless adoration for the timeless wonder; let the night bring you peace. let the cold be led astray in a heart as complex as a heart with still youthful love. L67.1“Are you sure about this?” Looking down at the filly, Celestia wasn’t sure this was a very good idea. Considering the pressures that she bore on a daily basis, would she risk entrusting them to a filly? Sweetie nodded enthusiastically, and Celestia glanced to Luna, who nodded once. Pulling off her crown, she gently took her sister’s as well, and placed them on Sweetie’s head. “Alright then, thank you for this.” Celestia lowered her horn, and magic swirled around Sweetie. After a few moments, her body grew in size so she was eye-to-eye with the princesses. Sweetie wobbled for a moment, crown clinking on top of her head, before finally getting the hang of her new height. Sweetie pulled out a mirror from her saddlebags and looked to her mane. Instead of its normal bouncy nature, it was billowing behind her, and was almost a combination of Luna and Celestia’s manes. If she had to describe it, she was looking at the dawn, stars flickering out as it rose. Luna and Celestia shared a glance. “Now, the mane is an illusion, but the body is not. If you can’t recast the spell to transform your hair, send us a letter. One last thing.” Lowering her horn once more, and two large wings sprouted out of Sweetie’s back. Folding them, Sweetie had to admit; she looked quite the princess. Turning, she narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her. “So wait, your mane’s are illusions?” Sweetie watched both share a glance, and then nod. “When we first began to rule, we quickly realised our subjects didn’t think our mane’s ‘holy’ enough for our position.” Pausing, Celestia let Luna finish. “They would constantly want to make our hair as large and flowery as possible. So we decided to solve the matter by faking an explosion that ‘revealed’ our true Alicorn manes.” Luna’s horn glowed for a moment, and her hair returned to its short, crescent shaped hairstyle. Nodding, Sweetie understood their decision. “Alright, that should be everything. Now for the reveal.” Smiling, Sweetie saw the two share an amused glance, and their horns began to glow. A large bang sounded, and smoke filled the room before being chased out by a bright light. Guards rushed into the room as it faded, and Celestia and Luna breathed in sharply as it dimmed to reveal Sweetie. “Sister, a new Alicorn has been born!” While not the most convincing of stories, all three knew how easy it was to lie about matters concerning Alicorns. Sweetie from her experience with the coronation, and the other two from their hair stint. More ponies began to charge in as Sweetie opened her eyes, keeping her wings outstretched. “Celestia, Luna,” she spoke, amazed by how different she could make her voice by speaking in a low tone. It was getting to the point she didn’t even recognize herself. The two Princesses bowed, and Sweetie smiled gently down at them. “Rise, we have much to discuss.” As they did so, the ponies began to stare wide-eyed in wonder. Sweetie had no doubts they would brag about having been there when an Alicorn was ‘born’. “Who are you,” began Luna. Raising a hoof, Sweetie easily silenced Celestia, and gave them both a serene smile. “I am Dawn, here to give you both a much needed break. I shall take care of your kingdom for a single week, giving you time to relax, and be the two sisters you wish to be.” Bowing her head slightly, Sweetie finally folded her wings. It was strange how tired she felt. It was likely the spell eating away at her endurance. After all, Sweetie wasn’t meant to be this big. “We understand, but you must let us make proper preparations first.” Bowing, Celestia and Luna turned to the ponies, announcing a ceremony to celebrate the arrival of Princess Dawn. After a ceremony took place, the mane 6’s letter arrived, talking about a filly going missing. “I’ll handle this, Luna you take care of everything here.” Flaring her wings, Celestia teleported away, and Luna dug into the paperwork for their signing over. Sweetie sat carefully on a chair, keeping a serene smile on her face. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can hold this. This entire change is making me queasy.’ While excited to see what it was like being an actual Princess, in comparison to just a fake one, Sweetie knew it would be good practice for her skills as a liar. Hopefully she could get good enough to fool Applejack. “That should do it. All that is left is to attend the ceremony tonight, and the rest of the week is yours. Minus the weekend.” Luna levitated the papers over to a maid, and she dashed away to deliver them. Luna picked a seat of her own, and slumped, giving a sigh as she closed her eyes. Sweetie glanced around, seeing nopony but guards looking away from them, and relaxed her expression as well. “Good luck dearest Sweetie, you’re going to need it.” Luna rubbed her forehead, and Sweetie grimaced. Just great, make her feel even more nervous. Good job Luna. “We appreciate everything you are doing for us, Princess Dawn.” Giving a soft smile, Celestia bowed her head directly in tune with Luna. Bowing in return, Sweetie felt the butterflies fluttering around her stomach. All she knew so far was that there would be paperwork. Like, a lot. “Have a relaxing week,” she replied, smiling in a decent impression of Celestia’s smile. Hopefully this would be decent enough for now. Both Princesses flared their wings, and took off. Around Canterlot, ponies were cheering for them, congratulating them and sending their farewells. Breathing in silently, Sweetie stepped onto the balcony, and smiled down at Canterlot. “It’s time, Princess Dawn.” The pony spoke, and Sweetie nodded. Turning, she slowly followed him inside. It was time to knuckle down and do Princess duties. The things she went through out of curiosity. Author's Note 33 We finally hit 1k likes. Let me just say what a honor it is to have made something so many people enjoy. I never aimed to get this story that big, and I hope the ending lives up to everyone's expectations. Enjoy the final chapters, and stay sane. Someone in this universe has to after all. L67.2“I’m just not sure the ponies will support this reform if it means they lose money in the end.” Sweetie frowned as she discussed the subject with various ponies around the table. A few at the table disagreed with her, but were trying to hide it. Most were considering her view, and consider the best way to broach the subject. “It isn’t a matter of the money in this case. This research could put us fifty years into the future! Klein Stein swears his ‘electricity’ can do things that magic cannot.” Opposite Sweetie was a purple pony, and she was having a hard time not comparing him to a beetroot. Pursing her lip, she considered his words. “Let me think for a moment,” she spoke, and small conversation began around the room. While she doubted this electricity would go anywhere, it did sound promising. Especially since Klein had shown an example of it. A part of her wanted to not make the decision in case the Princesses told her she had made the wrong one last. Raising her head, silence descended almost instantly. “How soon can he start his research?” Seeing their pleased and excited faces, Sweetie felt a swell of pride. It was strange, feeling pride for ponies like she was their superior. It left her with a disconnect, but she absorbed the experience with gusto. These were her ponies, and they were her responsibility. Was this what Rarity felt when Sweetie came to her and showed off her artistic skill? “Onto the next subject, a Mr Hydealyn Jackl’ has reported that his research has resulted in giving him a split personality. At first both were at each other’s necks, but have now come to an agreement to split the time between them.” As a report was handed to her, Sweetie noticed that the first personality had been given slightly more time than the other, barely an hour on some days. “That is relieving to hear. Tell him to start research into duplication. It is likely he can split his personalities into two bodies if he succeeds.” Sweetie watched as the pony nodded, and wrote down her notes. Inwardly sighing, she wondered what idiot had thought making that was a good idea. “How goes our Envoy in Griphonia?” Glancing to one pony beside her, Sweetie watched him pull out a document, and open it. Skimming through it, he began to talk. “Her presence has met with mixed results, but the Gryphons are starting to accept her. It helps you picked one of our strongest Pegasi.” The stallion’s words lined up with her impression of Gilda. Sweetie was glad she had gotten that right. “Announcing the return of Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna!” As trumpets sounded, Sweetie glanced to the ponies, one inch away from leaping out of their seats, and chuckled softly. Standing up, she folded up her notes, placing them in her saddlebags. “Let’s call it a day.” No sooner had she spoken, Sweetie was alone in the room. Stepping outside, she walked over, greeting the two. Looking at them, she could feel their refreshed nature. “Swee-Dawn! We had so much fun! Thank you!” Luna, who seemed to be drunk, leapt at Sweetie, tackling her to the floor, and hugged her. Celestia, who seemed slightly more sober, chuckled as she lifted Luna off. “Oh Luna, you were never good at holding in alcohol.” Motioning with her head, Celestia turned and headed down the corridor. Sweetie took the hint, and followed closely behind. Pulling out a stack of papers, she quickly went over her work. “You’ve done well. There are a few things that show your maturity, but nothing I wouldn’t expect from Luna.” Opening the door, Celestia (Did the Dinosaur) gently placed Luna into her bed, and crept out of the room, joining Sweetie outside. “Hrm,” said Sweetie as she pursed her lip. What did Celestia mean by ‘maturity?’ Regardless, she handed over her list, watching as Celestia went over it. Walking once more, Sweetie saw Celestia’s intent before the mouth even opened. “It’s a pity we can’t re-use this information every Loop. It would save us much time.” Smiling, Celestia glanced to a window as they passed it. Sweetie growled in annoyance. “Tch, Fine! I’ll send a copy of the information to you via magic every Loop. Happy?” The satisfaction in those eyes irked Sweetie. Regardless, she couldn’t exactly say no now, could she? Besides, she could always not do it anyway. Not like Celestia would remember. “My thanks,” replied Celestia, satisfaction hidden behind grateful eyes. Sweetie smiled warmly in response. Seeing Celestia turn away, she was disappointed that Celestia had neither picked up on her lie nor noticed her annoyance at her obvious satisfaction. ’Such a chore, they give me all these jobs, but never give me something I can use. Discord and the Dragon gave me something. I know they helped me learn magic spells, but what have they done for me recently? Well, they did allow me to experience this, but I just...ARGH!’ Words escaped Sweetie, and she realised she didn’t know what she wanted to say. A feeling she couldn’t describe. After a flashy exit, Sweetie said goodbye to Canterlot, and took the train back to Ponyville. She would arrive late, and it wouldn’t be long before she could return to her room. Musing on her thoughts as she took a seat, she sighed. Closing her eyes, she tried to understand what she felt. It wasn’t that she disliked Celestia, but something had changed. Was it like her boredom? Loss of sympathy? No, none of those were correct. Why did she want to snap at Celestia, shout and scream about how much she hates her? But Sweetie didn’t hate Celestia. So why? Why did she want to do such things? A headache began to form, and she rubbed her temple. ‘They’re getting stronger. I’m going to have to find something stronger to do with my magic. And there’s also the problem with my Mark.’ Glancing down, Sweetie watched as her Mark slowly transformed before her eyes, reverting from her normal Mark back to one similar to Twilight’s. A third pattern had formed, but it wasn’t recognisable. “The world is getting more pale,” she muttered, opening her eyes to look out at the scenery. Mouth down-turned, she decided it was time to see somepony new. Author's Note Sorry for the delay. Been a rough few days. L68It had taken Sweetie two days of walking, but she had finally arrived at the location on Mr Turner’s map. This meant she had roughly a day to explore the area, and find Chrysalis if she wanted to return home in time for the next Loop. Sweetie didn’t think she’d need it though. Especially considering she was surrounded by five Changelings. “Take me to your leader,” she spoke with authority. The Changelings shared a glance, and then one flew off, diving into a hole hidden in the grass. After a moment, he returned, and gave a slow nod. Being escorted, Sweetie stuck her nose up, using her ‘regal’ abilities. Soon enough, she jumped into the hole, using her magic to slow her descent to match the Changelings. After a few twists and turns, there was the Queen. “You have 30 seconds to explain why you’re here before I have you turned into a first course meal.” Chrysalis was sitting on what could be considered a throne, if you looked at it right. For Sweetie, it looked like a chair carved out of the wall. The real thing that caught her attention, however, was Chrysalis. Crysalis looked beaten. There was a weariness to her eyes, a slight slump to her body, and one of her wings was crooked. In addition, Sweetie hadn’t noticed it at first, most Changelings were covered in a lot more holes than Sweetie knew them having. There was no doubt, the hive was in dire straits. “I met your brother. I can’t pronounce his name, and I can’t prove it, but that is the truth.” Pausing, Sweetie saw the slightest hint of surprise on Chrysalis’s face. It was nice to find someone better at masking their emotions. Regardless, the Queen leaned forward, putting her two hooves together as she narrowed her eyes. “Continue.” While Chrysalis had kept it hidden, she did indeed have a brother. The only way a pony could have known that is by meeting him. So it meant she should at least heed what this filly had to say. “I am stuck in a time loop. That was how I found your brother, who was disguised as a pony in my town. Believe me or don’t, you will find me a tougher opponent than my appearance lets on. But I am not here for a fight. I am here to learn about your race.” Closing her eyes for a moment, Sweetie looked toward the Changelings. “I can see you are all hungry. And while I can’t help you right now, if I ever escape my cage, I will do what I can to help you. I don’t know how much I will be able to provide, but I will do my best to provide it.” Bowing low to the ground, Sweetie let Chrysalis consider it. “On one condition.” It was futile thinking on how ridiculous the story sounded, as she could sense the magic swirling inside the filly. While she hated to admit it, they were starving to death. As much pride as she had, she wouldn’t kill her hive just to hold onto it. Standing back up, Sweetie nodded. “Tell my brother I’m sorry,” she spoke, closing her eyes as she stood up. Blinking, Sweetie nodded in response. There was obviously some family conflict, but it wasn’t really her place to pry. The Changelings around her stepped back, and soon only two remained. “Come, let me show you what a Changeling hive is like.” Chrysalis began walking. After glancing to the Changelings waiting patiently for her to follow, Sweetie trotted after her. Looking at the crooked wing, Sweetie pursed her lip. “There is no need to feel sympathy for me. I brought it upon myself.” Chrysalis was cold, but she held herself just like the Princesses. Sweetie glanced away and nodded once. Regardless of her feelings, there was nothing permanent she could do. “This is the feeding area. This is where we keep creatures, harvesting their love before returning them home.” In the various strange sleeping-bag-like structures in the roof, Sweetie could see animals inside, none being ponies. Looking away, she nodded, and they continued. “This is where the young are tended to. There are none currently.” Chrysalis pointed to a large area with many different sections. There was a hollow tone to her voice, and another pang of sympathy passed through Sweetie. “And finally, this is where we rest.” Chrysalis had ended the tour in a small room that looked like a honeycomb beehive. In each of the holes was a Changeling resting. At some unbidden signal, they all woke up, and were replaced by another group. Slowly, Sweetie followed Chrysalis back to the throne room. “Thank you, that’s all I wanted.” Bowing, Sweetie knew there was one way she could show her gratitude. Looking to Chrysalis, she smiled warmly, and walked over. Chrysalis, caught unprepared, blinked as sudden waves of friendship and compassion passed toward her. before she knew it, the filly was hugging her, increasing the amount being passively absorbed. “That’s about all I can do for now, sorry.” Stepping back, Sweetie tilted her head. Chrysalis paused, quickly dividing up the meal evenly between her and her subjects. Looking at the filly, she had a new respect for her. “Thank you,” was all she said in response. Turning, Sweetie followed the guards back outside. After they gave her a quick salute, she was once more alone. Looking toward the sky, Sweetie was surprised to find it was already midday. “Time to head home,” she spoke to herself, shifting her saddlebags and concentrating for a moment. After a solid ten minutes of concentrating, two wings sprouted from her back. Flapping them, Sweetie began to hover, and nodded once. Taking off, she began to head back the way she had come. ‘They only last a day at the moment, but it helps with travel greatly. I can’t just teleport all the time, and levitating makes it hard to keep myself pointed in a direction.’ Smiling, Sweetie held her bags closed with some magic, and began to corkscrew as she flew. Really, there was nothing as amazing as flight sometimes. ‘I’m glad I was right about it being close enough to get there before the reset. If it hadn’t, not only would I have had to return for the Dragon egg, but lug it with me.’ Closing her eyes for a moment, she settled into a glide, enjoying the cool breeze blowing against her. Sweetie had a new dream, now that she had ridden a dragon. Sweetie wanted to return to the great ocean in the sky. By her own power. L70In a decrepit old bar in Las Pegasus, a mare walked in. “Just give me something light, bartender.” A white mare with curly pink hair took a seat on one of the stools, noticing that a few stallions were glancing to her with greedy eyes. As her drink was placed down, she put some bits on the table, and picked up her drink. Taking a sip, she paid attention to the taste this time. ’Strange, it actually tastes a little better. Is it an acquired taste?’ Taking another sip, Sweetie still didn’t think she’d ever fully enjoy it, but it was drinkable, that much she knew. When she had come up with the idea to turn into an adult after learning how Celestia did it, she was expecting to have something more exciting to do. ’Alas, anything I could have done, has already been done for the most part.’ Sweetie took another sip of her drink, blinking as a stallion sauntered over to sit next to her. “Hey, are you an angel? If so, what are you doing in such a run down cheap bar?” The stallion smiled, and Sweetie blushed. Wait, why did she blush? Sweetie hadn’t meant to blush! Looking down at her drink, she felt her mouth go squiggly. “I’m not an angel,” she mumbled. “Just somepony here to try alcohol for the first time.” Celestia dammit why had she said that? What was wrong with her? Sweetie took another sip of her alcohol. “Then, my dear, you have much to learn. Would you like a recommendation on where to start?” The stallion pulled a drink that was bubbling out from behind him, smiling like an idiot. Sweetie took it, giving a grateful smile. “Thanks, but I’d rather just take it slow for now.” Placing the drink down, Sweetie caught the scowl, but it was gone so quick she had trouble remembering it. Her mind felt...buzzy. “Come on, trust me. This drink is slow, but it will rock your world.” The stallion leaned closer, touching Sweetie on the back and smiling. Sweetie found him absolutely charming, and blushed again. “Well, one more drink couldn’t hurt,” she spoke. Taking a sip, her head exploded into a wonderland of flavour. A lot of it was bad, but there was a small part of her that wanted more. And so, Sweetie drunk more. Soon enough, the cup was empty. Turning, Sweetie tried to open her mouth to thank the stallion, only to find something had magically transformed him. “Come, let us dance.” The beautiful stallion before her held out a hoof, and, blushing, she took it and was led to the stage. As they danced, her head swum with colors and sounds, and everything was incredibly bright. More drinks arrived, and she faintly saw the stallion put some sort of dissolving pain pill into her drink. “Here, have a drink.” The stallion was like the gospel to Sweetie right now. All she wanted to do was do everything he said. So, she gulped down the drink with no regard, her head spinning as the music thumped around her. The stallion twirled her around to the music, and she squealed with glee. Time had lost all meaning, and so had the amount of drinks she had ingested. Sweetie had no idea what she was doing, and only had eyes for the stallion. Eventually, he leaned in close, caressing her neck. “Come, let’s go somewhere private for the real show.” Following the stallion to a side alleyway, Sweetie vomited on the pavement as he unlocked a door, leading her into a decrepit room. It was really strange, there was only a bed in it. “Lay down,” he ordered, but Sweetie hesitated. Maybe it was the change of location, but something in her mind was warning her. Brain completely burned out, all she could do was look to the bed in confusion. The stallion quickly grew impatient, and pulled her to the bed, forcing her to lay down on it. “Easy now, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” The stallion smiled, and Sweetie tried to concentrate through the haze around her. Surprisingly, the headache beating against her head was actually helping in that regard, helping her focus. Sweetie took a moment longer to slowly battle through the haze, and then widened her eyes. Slap! “Let me go!” Sweetie began to struggle, but she was so weak. It was as if all her energy had been drained away. The stallion smiled, ignoring her weak slap, slowly getting closer to Sweetie. Closing her eyes, Sweetie began to cry. “No, please.” CRASH! Something crashed into the room, but Sweetie couldn’t see it from her view. The stallion glared at it, before suddenly being knocked into the wall to Sweetie’s right so hard, he flew straight through it. And the next one, and the one after that. Sweetie tried to lift herself to see whom had saved her, but suddenly felt a spell hit her. It was a weak spell, but one she reconised as the knockout spell from her book. Going unconscious, she wondered vaguely what was next for her. Sweetie jolted awake, noticing she was once more a filly. Head pounding, and not because of the normal reason, she groaned and glanced toward her bedside. There was a box of tablets labelled ‘hangover pills’ on it. Was that what this was? Sweetie used her magic, groaning as her headache intensified, and took one pill with some water before curling into a ball. What felt like hours passed as the pain slowly lessened over time. Sitting up, Sweetie looked around her room, noticing a note had been placed next to where the hangover pills had been set. Picking it up, Sweetie only saw a single cutie mark drawn on the page. It was one she recognised as Starswirl’s. “So, it is you.” Sighing, Sweetie placed it back down on the table. Laying back down on her bed, she shuddered. Sweetie had very little memory past accepting the drink from that stallion, but she had no doubts it had ended badly, but not for her even thought it had been close to doing so. “Thank you.” Author's Note 30 This is all coming from someone who doesn't drink. Please note: A lot of comments have told me this isn't how being drunk and slipped a pill is like. Regardless, I will leave it like this because I am too lazy to rewrite it. L71.1‘And three, two, one...there!’ Watching the two from her hiding place, Sweetie felt the thumping of her heart. Sweetie didn’t understand why she wanted to see them, why they reminded her of that stallion from the night she couldn’t remember. There was some unspoken connection, and she wanted to find out what it was. “Cheese? On a taco? Now you’re just being silly Snails.” Snips glared at Snails, who returned it with a glare of his own. Stopping in their tracks, they began to argue about it, all within earshot of Sweetie. Frowning, she regarded the two, feeling the strange fluttering in her body. What did it mean? ’They’re far from smart, and there’s no chance we’d have enough in common to hit it off to be more than just...just what? What is it you are thinking of Sweetie? RRrg.’ Sighing internally, Sweetie quietly backed away. Turning, she headed toward home. There was only one pony should could ask on the subject. For better or for worse. “Rarity? Can you help me with something?” Sweetie had opted to tell Rarity about her looping status this loop. Mainly because she wanted to sleep with her for a few nights. Sweetie missed being able to be comforted, even if it was meaningless. There was a strange nightmare haunting her, and Rarity helped chase it away. “Of course Sweetie Belle, what seems to be the problem?” Rarity put down her pencil, leaving the patterns on the table. Taking a seat on a cushion, she was now eye level with Sweetie. Pausing, Sweetie wondered if she was making the right choice asking about it. Well, it didn’t hurt to ask regardless. Wasn’t like she’d remember it next week. “Well, there’s these two colts at school. And when I look at them, I get this...funny feeling in my chest. Like I’m nervous, but in a good way. It’s strange, because they’re fun to be around, but it’s hard to have fun with them because it’s just been getting stronger and-why are you looking at me like that?” Noticing the knowing look on her sister’s face, Sweetie stopped her sentence. “Don’t worry Sweetie, that’s just your old run-of-the-mill crush.” Crush, what did Rarity mean crush? Like being smooshed? Rarity noticed her confusion, and brought her sister into a hug. “Sweetie, do you love me?” The question Rarity was asking was ridiculous. Of course she loved her, they were sisters! Wisely, Sweetie opted to nod, trying to keep her incredulous feelings off her face. She failed to do so, if Rarity’s amusement was to be believed. “Now imagine if you felt that way to someone that wasn’t family. And it was much, much stronger.” Watching her sister consider it, Rarity closed her eyes, smiling. Pursing her lip, Sweetie compared the feeling she was getting to her love for Rarity. They didn’t seem very alike, but it was true one was stronger. “Why is it called a crush?” Hearing the sad chuckle, Sweetie knew there was something her sister wasn’t telling her. “Poor, dear Sweetie; that is something you’ll have to figure out on your own.” A bittersweet smile on her face, Rarity stood up, and gently pushed Sweetie toward the door. “But what do I do about this crush then?” Confusion about what was being hidden aside, Sweetie didn’t understand why she was being pushed toward the door. What reason could Rarity have behind forcing her to go outside? “You go spend time with them, and see if they share the same feeling. See if it is more than a crush.” Rarity’s words filled Sweetie with fear for some reason. Tell them about her weird feeling? That sounded like the worst idea in history. “But what if-” Getting cut off, Sweetie turned to look at Rarity standing at the door. “No sister of mine is going to play the what if game. I won’t let you back inside until you go and ask one of them out.” Winking, Rarity closed the door. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie could hear her sister’s excited squee-ing from the other side of the door. Turning, she growled in irritation. There was no way around it. Sure, she could teleport inside, but Rarity would just find out. Pulling out a bit from her bag, Sweetie marked one side. Flipping it, it landed on the unmarked side, and she sighed. Snails it was then. Teleporting, she made a beeline for the path they would be at. Thankfully the talk with Rarity had been short, she should be able to catch them just before- Crash! “Ow,” winced Sweetie as she rubbed her shoulder. Well, she had found them, and they looked very embarrassed. The feeling passed over Sweetie, and she glanced away, feeling blood rush to her cheeks. As they apologised profusely, she tried to find her voice. “..S’okay…” What was wrong with her? Why was she having trouble speaking? Sweetie noticed both blink, and then blush as well. Maybe they did feel the same. Gulping, Sweetie forced herself to look at Snails. “S-Say Snails. I-I was wondering if y-you would like to come out a-and have milkshakes after s-school…” Looking away, the blood rose further on her face, and she couldn’t bear looking at them. Sweetie knew what a fool she looked like. An absolute and utter- “S-Sure Sweetie Belle! That s-sound like fun.” Raising her head, Sweetie widened her eyes as Snails looked away. Disbelief on her face, she stood there for a solid minute, before shaking her head an stuttering an answer. “O-Okay! Let’s head there t-together after school!” Giving a laugh, Sweetie didn’t understand why she felt like laughing. Snails joined in on it, and the silence stretched for a moment longer. Thankfully, the bell rang, and they all began to focus on other things. “Oh no! We’re late!” Snips dashed off, and both Snails and Sweetie were quick to follow. Peeking glances at each other, the blush never left the other's face. L71.2Sweetie Belle blushed uncontrollably as she tried to hide behind her milkshake. Glancing from the corner of her eyes at Snails, she saw he was also blushing. Unsure how to feel about that, her blush deepened. Sipping her drink, she didn’t even notice when she reached the bottom. Snails scratched the back of his head, and gave an unsure smile. “Uh, want another milkshake?” Snails looked around, not sure how he was supposed to treat this. He knew it was a date, but what exactly was he expected to do on a date? All Snails knew was that he had had be polite, and pay for everything. At least, that’s what Snips said you did, he had told Snails how to act during lunch. “Oh, uh, no ‘mfine.” Sweetie stopped hiding behind her milkshake, and forced herself to smile at Snails. Glancing away, she wondered if she should suggest an activity. Her hair itched as she gave another shaky smile. Snails looked toward the window, eyes picking out the sign that indicated their bowling alley. “Oh! That’s right.” Snails turned, a cheerful idea bursting on his face. Tilting her head, Sweetie forgot her nervousness for a moment, following his hoof as he pointed out the window. The bowling alley? Watching it, she saw groups going in and out of it. Despite its centralised location, it wasn’t a common hangout for younger ponies. “Snips and I often get free games there because my parents run the place. I could get us a free game, I mean if you want.” Looking at the table, Snails bit his lip. As he reached over to finish off his milkshake, Sweetie was struck by how awkward Snails was. Without the eager hoof of Snips to guide him, the more easygoing personality of Snails was given time to shine. “Sure, sounds like fun. But my Cutie Mark isn’t a bowling mark, so uh,” she trailed off as she looks out the window. Blinking, Snails looked to Sweetie, widening his eyes as he realised she looked almost excited at the prospect. Gulping, he took a breath, and smiled, standing up and holding out a hoof, hoping Sweetie would take it. “Uh...-D-don’t worry, they have these little railing things so that people who aren’t good can still have some fun. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Snails was awkwardly smiling as he held out his hoof. Giggling, Sweetie was struck by how silly he was standing. Taking his hoof, she slid out of the seat, and gave an eager smile. “Sure! Let’s go!” Humming cheerfully, she was slowly escorted toward the bowling alley. Closing her eyes, she began to skip along too. Snails watched this closely, the blush not leaving his face as he gulped. Thoughts trying to ignore the feeling in his chest, he wondered why Sweetie had picked him over Snips, considering he was more in the background compared to Snips. “Oh hey Snailsy, what are you doing here at work? Where’s your little Snips friend?” Blinking back to reality, Snails realised they were already at the counter. Sweetie rocked back and forth eagerly on her hooves. Looking to his mother, he tried to hide his blush as he looked to Sweetie. “Uh, well, you see, uhm. This is SwEE-tie Belle, a friend at my s-school. And I decided to hang out with her today. But we ah, don’t have bowling cutie marks so uh if you could do the thing that makes it so we can…” Speaking rapidly, Snails tried to explain in a constant mumble what he wanted. The mother chuckled, looking to Sweetie with a wink. Blinking, Sweetie tilted her head, and then blushed and looked away herself. “No problem dear, you have fun. I’ve cleared lane 7 for you, mmkay~?” Cheerfully, the mother began to bounce around the small area behind the counter, humming a merry tune. Turning, Sweetie gasped, seeing these small mini-railings hide the drains at the sides of lane 7. That’s what they were called, right? “T-Thanks,” muttered Snails in response, following Sweetie meekly toward the lane. The mother quickly popped by to provide a ramp device, explaining that they could use it if they wanted. Sweetie declined, knowing she wasn’t going to be as destructive as Apple Bloom. Picking out a light bowling ball, she watched as Snails did the same. “L-Ladies first,” he spoke, hiding behind his bowling ball. Giggling, Sweetie approached the lane, furrowing her brow. Gripping the ball in her magic, she rolled it forward with a decent amount of strength. It jumped slightly, and rolled forward in the lane, hitting the railings before taking out half the pins. “Oh my gosh! Did you see that?” Turning, Sweetie gripped Snails eagerly, excited by the fact she had managed to hit some. Mumbling, he quietly congratulated her, and she sniggered, picking up her ball for the second shot. Or at least, she thought that was how it worked. Taking out a few more pins, she was proud of her score, and moved aside to let Snails have a turn. Gripping the ball in his mouth instead of his magic, Snails tossed it, watching it head toward one side. Ping ponging down the lane, it hit right in the center, taking out nearly all the pins. Glancing back, his ear flickered as Sweetie clapped him, giving a bright smile. Turning away, he gulped, and got ready for his second shot. Unsurprisingly, he missed. Time passed quickly, and soon both's awkwardness gave way to pure fun.The score was close for most of the game, with Sweetie even scoring a lucky strike once! As the final ball rolled down the lane, Snails won by merely 3 pins. Looking around, both realised they were the only two remaining. “Here, I cooked you some tea, and I called your sister Sweetie to tell her where you are. She said it’s fine to stay over tonight if you want.” Giving a warm smile, the mother led the two over to a table, and placed some hayfries down. Retreating with mentions of dessert to follow, the two quickly dug in. “So what does your Mark mean Sweetie Belle?” Taking a bite of his food, Snails used his weak magic to pick them up. His mother had told him to practice his magic at every meal, it was almost habit by now. Pausing in her own food, Sweetie tilted her head, frowning. “Well, it’s sorta hard to explain. I got it by helping a mare with a music Cutie Mark realise her full potential. As I listened, my horn suddenly came to life, and I learned this spell that allowed me to sorta see the notes? I don’t think it’s simply relating to just music though. I guess the best way to describe it is my talent is uh, bringing out the best in others?” Shrugging, she returned to eating. “Have you tried using it on somepony who doesn’t have a music Cutie Mark?” Curious, he leaned forward and motioned with one hoof. Shaking her head, Sweetie sighed, taking another bite of her food. No, she hadn’t. Really, it was something she should have tried, but for some reason she hadn’t wanted to really explore her talent. After all, what was the point? “Well if you want, you could try it on me tomorrow. I’ve gotta go help out Fluttershy, and it isn’t that far out of our way after school.” Giving a cheerful smile, Snails waited for Sweetie’s response. However, her reaction caught him by surprise, was that...trepidation? “Oh, sure, sounds like fun,” she replied, giving a beaming smile after a moment. Finishing their food, they gasped as dessert came out, ice cream, and dug in. Conversation quickly dissolved into small talk. All the while, Sweetie couldn’t help but shake the fear that her mark really was only for music. Only for helping one specific type of pony, and never herself or others. “Hey Fluttershy, I hope you don’t mind me bringing Sweetie with me.” Walking close beside each other, they greeted Fluttershy with bright smiles. Looking between them, she gave a loving smile and shook her head, leading the way along a dirt path around her cottage. “Not at all Snails. Just remember to be careful with the snakes, they’re a bit testy because it’s getting close to winter.” As they walked around, Sweetie noticed a medium sized cave covered in moss behind Fluttershy’s house. Pulling the moss to one side, she let them in, and flew off to tend to the other animals. “Snakes?” Looking around, Sweetie realised the entire cave was infested with many creepy crawlies. Rapidly backpedaling, it was only Snails grabbing her by the hoof that stopped her from fleeing instantly. Looking at Sweetie calmly, he held a hoof to his mouth. “Don’t worry Sweetie, they won’t hurt you. Just be quiet or you’ll startle them.” After a moment, he blushed and rapidly let go. Breathing in, Sweetie forced herself to remain standing in the cave, and watched Snails make his way through it. “This is my talent Sweetie. I’m not so good at the bigger creatures, but bugs, snakes, and snails are creatures I can talk to. This is what my Mark means.” Glancing to her, Snails waited as Sweetie gulped once more, shaking as she imagined the thousands of creatures on the roof falling on her. “Sorry, I should have warned you first.” Turning, Snails began to help Sweetie out of the cave slowly. Once outside, she hugged herself and shook. Muttering uncontrollably, she couldn’t help but wish she was all the way in Canterlot and far far away from this cave. Pausing, she noticed how sad Snails looked, and breathed in. “Just...give me a moment here. I-I’ll try again.” No, there was no way Sweetie was going to give up at such a simple hurdle. It was unexpected yes, but she needed to at least tolerate this. If she really did like Snails, she needed to be able to accept every part of what he really was, even it it involved bugs. “You don’t have to if you…” Trailing off, Snails noticed the look of determination on Sweetie. Waiting, he watched as she stood up, breathed in, and looked him straight in the eyes. Nodding once, he once more led her inside the cave. Looking around, Sweetie forced herself to remain in the cave, and focused on Snails instead of the bugs around her. “I won’t be long, I just need to check on some of the more temperamental bugs.” Walking slowly through the cave, Snails avoided stepping on anything with ease. Watching this, Sweetie bit her lip, concentrating as she tried to recast the spell she had learned upon getting her Mark. It took a few tries of it fizzling out, but eventually her horn glowed softly, and she looked to Snails. Blinking, Sweetie was struck by the calming aura Snails was giving off as he interacted with the insects. As he radiated it, they flocked to him. The more that flocked, the stronger the sensation grew. Snails was subconsciously maintaining a field of positive emotion that both soothed and invited. Canceling the spell, Sweetie looked to the insects around her, realising she wasn’t as frightened of them as she had been a few moments ago. Was that the effect of those like Fluttershy and Snails? Did they simply have a calming presence that ponies needed? Kindness, Sweetie realised, they both radiated Kindness. ‘Snails said he can’t handle the larger creatures. Does that mean Fluttershy has an even stronger field?’ It made sense, she supposed, considering Fluttershy was an Element bearer. Blinking, she realised she had been so absorbed in her observations, that Snails was looking at her with worry. Leaving the cave, Sweetie smiled warmly, understanding Snails a little better than before. Glancing to the setting sun, they begin to head back to town. “So, did your spell reveal anything?” Curious as ever, Snails was rewarded by a nod, and Sweetie turned, giving him a warm smile. Struck by impulse, she gave him a light peck on the cheek before skipping ahead to cover the bright red blush covering her face. After it had calmed down, she glanced back to see Snails hadn’t even moved. ‘My Celestia, what do I even describe him with?’ As Snails began to follow meekly, Sweetie resumed walking, examining her feelings. Beating as it was, her heart was causing her no small measure of worry. It was almost like it was sinking in her chest, she glanced toward Snails, feeling it ease slightly. “See ya Snails,” she spoke as it was finally time to go their separate ways. Snails chuckled, waving goodbye as she skipped merrily away. “See you tomorrow Sweetie!” “-tomorrow-” Sweetie froze in her tracks, and looked back as Snails walked away. “...Don’t go,” she whispered, tears starting to fall down her face. Sweetie couldn’t bear to see Snails, so she hid in her room. Thursday passed quickly, and as Friday ticked by all she could do was cry. Why had she thought this was a good idea? She was going to lose them for a second time now. The pain in her heart as she constantly remembered over and over again seeing them all turn to dust was crushing. And so, Sweetie’s time ticked by as she huddled in her blankets, unwilling to face the reality that Snails would not remember in a few hours. Why had she thought this would be a good idea? Not only was she still alone, she now had more heartache. Clenching her eyes shut, she heard the clock tick, and cried herself to sleep. Author's Note 29 We're back! Every 2nd day for now, I need to get back into the swing of things. L72“Everything is a circle,” she muttered to herself. Closing her eyes, Sweetie was struck once more by her situation. Every day was a circle of hours, every hour was a circle of minutes, and seconds coming inside that. Maybe she had been fooling herself from the beginning, thinking that time had been passing normally. “I mean, was there any point in my life even when I wasn’t stuck in this loop?” Slumping back on her bed, looking to the ceiling, she blew some air on her hair, watching it flop slightly. Glancing to the window, she watched the clouds roll by. In roughly five minutes, one shaped like a dinosaur was going to be bucked out of existence. “I wake up, I sleep, I searched for my Mark, I never got my Mark, I die, I come back to life. Everything circles like it’s some sick joke.” Laughing, Sweetie placed her arm over her eyes, a bittersweet smile on her face. “But wasn’t it always that way? Maybe I’ve just been fooling myself. Would I have gotten bored with life eventually too?” The question lingered, and she scowled. The reason being with the Crusaders had been fun was because they rarely did the same thing twice. It was exciting, fun, new. “Who knows, it’s not like I can change my fate now.” Rolling onto her side, she lowered her arm and looked back toward the window. The cloud was gone without any warning. Covering her head with her pillow, her ears flickered down and she gritted her teeth. “He’s the same. They circle just as he does, these thoughts. I want to see him, even if he won’t remember that we were getting really close. His feelings won’t change, but mine will. It hurts, seeing his cheerful smile, why does he smile? I don’t want to look at it, it hurts to see him so peaceful.” For some reason, her pillow was feeling slightly damp on her face. “I want to, but I don’t, but I want to, but I don’t-” ’-but I want to, but I don’t-’ Circling around as they were, she curled into a ball and hugged herself tight. Magic grabbing her blanket, she pulled it over herself, feeling its slight warmth. Eventually, she stood up on her bed, and looked out the window, placing a hoof on the glass as she leaned toward it. It was closed, no reason to leave it open without Philomena. “Please,” she pleaded, leaning her forehead against the cool glass, tears streaming down her face. As her horn touched the glass, she gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep back sobs as her shoulders shuddered. “Please, give me something. One thing that I can use to prove to myself that this isn’t futile. One pony who looks at me and knows what is happening to this place. One look at the future to prove that this isn’t all life is. Please, just give me this. Please!” Sweetie was shouting now. There was a knocking at her door. Ponies outside were looking up at her. “Help me,” she sobbed, opening her eyes to look to the sky. “Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Rarity, please help.” Shaking as she was, she was having trouble keeping her hoof on the glass. Clenching down hard on her teeth, she glared to the sky, voice raising to new heights. “Don’t go! Don’t say tomorrow! Don’t, please!” Closing her eyes, she sobbed onto the window. Slumping, she heard the banging as someone tried to break down the door. They’d find it impossible, Sweetie was holding it closed. “But you will,” she whispered, opening her eyes and looking down into the small space between her bed and the wall. Tears slowly dripped from her face, and she watched them fall down it. “Cause tomorrow still exists for you.” Pulling the blanket around herself again, Sweetie huddled in its semi-darkness. “And I’m going to have to accept that,” she spoke after a moment, eyes half closing. Sighing, she turned over, and wiped her nose. “I think it’s time I leave. At least for a while.” Standing up, Sweetie looked to her discarded saddlebag, and the various items that had exploded out of it at the start of the loop. Sweetie hadn’t had the presence of mind to unpack it after-Sweetie cringed away from the thought. “Alright, I’ll change myself to an adult so I can carry more. Rarity won’t mind me borrowing her saddlebags. That, plus the ‘increase bag size’ spell means I should have plenty of room for both the camping equipment and my notes. I’ll take the Battle-tastic Spellbook so I can practice that last one, and the rest I’ll just say goodbye to.” Glancing to the pile of books she was leaving behind, Sweetie nodded. “After all, if I need them I can just grab them another loop.” Smiling, Sweetie nodded to herself, looking to her list of things she could still do for fun. Up first was a trip to the Canterlot Archives. While she had a nice array of spells, Sweetie wanted to grab some more battle spells, along with possibly an even stronger shield spell. “After that, I’ll see if I can figure out what’s going on with my Cutie Mark.” Glancing down to it, it was somewhat normal for once. But Sweetie could still see the strange star shape almost visible underneath. Breathing in, Sweetie glanced toward her bed, and turned toward the door. There was the sound of even harder banging. It was time to go, Sweetie didn’t want to stick around and face her panicked sister. Concentrating, she teleported out just as her magic faded on the door, causing it to explode inward. Rarity looked around frantically, and her worry only got worse as she saw the kidnapping note left on the bed. Meanwhile, Rarity's saddlebags casually vanished from her room, and a tall pony with bobbing curls headed for the train to Canterlot. With it being Thursday, and Rarity leaving her alone for some reason, she hadn't bothered to ask why, Sweetie needed to get there before sundown so she could find a hotel to spend the night. ‘I think I’ll spend Friday 'earning' some spending money so I can go shopping once I’m done in Canterlot.’ Cheered by the thought, she swished her tail, humming a single note. Author's Note 28 Twelve L73‘Come on Sweetie, you can do this.’ Biting her lip, she concentrated, the letter in her magic as she concentrated the location. According to Twilight, long-distance mail required knowing a specific magical signature or location. While she couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, Sweetie hoped she had enough concentration to send this to Rarity. With a flash, her letter sent, and a beaming smile emerged on her face. Grinning, she packed up the items, and turned toward her bag. Now for the real test. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated, her horn gaining a second aura as she weaved the spell into the bag. Slowly, but surely, the spell weaved through the fibres, and she felt the spell complete. “I did it!” Giving a giddy squeal, she stuck her head right in the bag. Now she no longer needed Twilight or the Princesses to cast the spell to make her bag bigger. Plus, with her current adult form, she could carry nearly double the amount. Meaning; more books! Her mouth watered, what knowledge would she unlock from the Royal Canterlot Library? Looking toward the windows, her ear flickered as bits shook around her bag. Time ticked by slowly, but eventually she grinned. There went the chariot to Ponyville carrying Celestia. That left only one Princess in Canterlot. Smiling, Sweetie concentrated, teleporting to the garden that led to the archives. “Halt, you’re not allowed to teleport this close to the Canterlot Arc-” Cut off by Sweetie’s knockout spell, she quickly stole his keys, and pushed the guard into a bush. Turning, she trotted calmly into the archives like she belonged there. She did, after all. Walking around, she found the section she had been looking for, and smiled. Just past the Starswirl the Bearded wing was a section dedicated to the old wars between Unicorn races. It was kept strictly locked for reasons relating to the fact it housed spells that only Alicorn-level magic could even conceive, let alone cast. As Sweetie unlocked the door, and entered, she glanced to a mural depicting a circle of unicorns raining fire down upon their enemies. Turning away from it, she approached the single item in the section. ‘Only Twilight and those directly under Celestia are allowed to even see the spells, let alone try to cast them.’ Giddy from excitement, she placed a hoof carefully on the book, and opened it. Cautious magic opening the weathered pages carefully, Sweetie could see the amount of painstaking work. The entire book had four spells, and it was thicker than a dictionary! ‘What’s more, it requires a link to this ‘aetheric plane’. Apparently the better their connection to it, the stronger the magic? Rrrg, this magic theory is gobbldeygook!’ Stuffing the book into her saddlebag, she sighed, ears flopping down. If only she had Twilight’s talent for magic. Exiting the ward, she headed for Starswirl's’ next. Entering, Sweetie looked around the books, skimming them for anything useful. Other than a few notes on time spells, there wasn’t much else that she didn’t already know. Spells to help out with everyday, tactics on irrigation, something about an anthropomorphic spell. Starswirl was absolutely boring! “Excuse me, what the hell do you think you are doing to our priceless collection of books? You tripped over five thousand alarms.” That voice belonged to the Princess of the Night, and Sweetie turned, regarding her. There was a lot of power inside Luna, powered by her connection to the night. While she was strong, Sweetie knew her limits, and she wasn’t sure she’d win a fight with Luna. At least, not until she could lift the same planetary body. “I’m reading it,” she answered simply. For now, she need to buy time and come up with a plan. Luna was still wary of her, and she was an adult. So her cute looks wouldn’t work. Luna’s horn began to glow, and Sweetie carefully put the book back, appearing to not consider Luna a threat. Looking around the books, Sweetie got a spark of inspiration. Besides, what did she have to lose? After all, she had been told she reminded Discord of him. And it would be so funny if it worked. “I’m disappointed Luna, I thought you at least would recognise me irregardless of my beardless status.” From what Sweetie had read, Starswirl was one who spoke slightly above people, but always meant well. It was likely his way of speaking was because of the era he grew up in. Therefore, it she acted similarly, it might just work. “You are joking, right?” Apparently, Luna was not convinced. Sweetie gave a warm smile that did not reach her eyes, and chuckled, shaking her head as if she had been expecting it. “I guess my death would make this seem a little far fetched, but I assure you, I am the genuine article.” Looking toward the shelves, she tried to pull off a pleased look. Luna’s silence was good, that meant she was considering her words. Sweetie was having trouble keeping herself from cracking into a fit of giggles. “Prove it, tell me something only you would know.” Smiling, Luna was convinced this would prove it once and for all. Raising an eyebrow, Sweetie sighed and began to slowly walk past Luna. As eyes followed her, it took all Sweetie’s will to not break character. “Well, I will be on my way then.” Heart beating rapidly, Sweetie wondered if she was actually going to get away with this. There was no way Luna would just let her walk away, right? “Wait,” came the voice, and Sweetie paused. Looking back, she saw the horn still pointed toward her, suspicion mixed with confusion. ‘This isn’t working, time to bail.’ Looks like Discord didn’t know Starswirl like Luna did, and that was working against Sweetie. Breathing in, she prepared her escape plan. Luna was speaking, demanding proof, nearly shouting it. Anger? They hadn’t seemed angry to Sweetie when they’d been discussing it. Obviously this had been a bad idea. “Alright, your proof is there.” Pointing behind Luna, Sweetie was rewarded when the Princess glanced back. Horn glowing, Sweetie concentrated, pulling upon her magic quicker than she normally did. Luna looked back, and dove to intercept. Sweetie cast the spell, risking backlash, and exploded through the archive wall, into the garden. Wincing, Sweetie rose to one arm, looking around her as her horn burned. Standing up, she shook herself off. Sticking around was not a good idea. Concentrating, she winced through the pain, preparing to teleport a second time. However, an explosion of dust knocked her up into the air, halting the spell. “INTRUDER!” Luna’s voice cracked with raw power and undiluted rage. Giving a shaky laugh, Sweetie quickly forgot her pain. Concentrating, she covered herself in magic just as the first spell shattered her barrier. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie flipped her gravity, rocketing into the sky as she concentrated, reforming the barrier. Looking around, Sweetie could see Guards coming out of the city like animals out of Fluttershy’s cottage. This was really bad, she needed to get out of here. There was no way she’d take on an entire army. Breathing in, Sweetie ended her spell, dodging a bolt of dark lightning aimed at her. Biting her lip, she forced herself to ignore the fact Luna had just tried to kill her. Wings forming on her back, Sweetie curved upward, and corkscrewed out of the way of another arc of magic. Unicorns were beginning to cast spells to limit her magic, she could taste them in the air as they came toward her. It felt sickening, she grunted, using a series of rapid teleports to dodge them while distancing herself from Luna. Diving toward Canterlot Castle, she smashed through a window and out the other side, diving down as she tried once more to teleport long range. Luna exploded above her, a ball of darkness coming straight for Sweetie. Knowing she wouldn’t make it, Sweetie teleported a short distance once more, diving down to the streets in the hopes Luna would avoid hurting civilians. Glancing back, she smiled, she was right! Sweetie looked where she was going, seeing the road block. Teleporting through it, Sweetie finally found the precious time to lock onto her hotel room. Holding the spell on her horn, she ensured she wasn’t going to take anypony with her, and teleported. Closing her curtains, Sweetie gasped on the floor, door locked, and used the last bit of her magic to change her mane color and coat color. Magic spent, her wings vanished too. ’I look like Pinkie Pie, but it’ll do. I need to get out of here and on a train though.’ Catching her breath, Sweetie stood up, and looked to her Mark. Concentrating, she tried to will it to the different shape. To her pleasant surprise, it transformed like she wanted, only slightly however. With that done, it was time to go. ‘Note to self; just because the Princesses don’t seem angry does not mean they aren’t. Also, Luna shoots black lightning.’ Rubbing her horn, Sweetie could feel the exertion starting to take over. In hindsight, she should have expected a fight. “My bad,” she chuckled, shaking her head before wincing. “Ow. Least I got the book.” Author's Note 27 Eleven ht L74Finally arriving home, Sweetie sealed her room to everypony once more. After spending days camped out reading the book, Sweetie had figured out four things specifically. Those four things were; Swords Dance, Flare, Terravolt, and Ultimate Seeker. The names of the four spells. The names told her very little, but she was able to get some basic idea of the spells from the name. “So Swords Dance has something to do with swords, no duh there. Flare sounds fiery, so it might be a fire spell. Terravolt has volt in it, and that’s an electric word? As for Ultimate Seeker, it finds things?” Really, the names told her very little about the spells. Sighing, she closed the book, and decided to get to work on her task for this loop. Crossing out the item on her list, she looked to her mark and thought. ‘So changing it seems possible by thought, but I guess it only works for Marks I’ve seen it do?’ Shaking her head, she decided to concentrate on one she knew she could make. Closing her eyes, she pictured Twilight. There was Twilight, opening a book on magic theory, seeming to read it as if it was Equestrian. ‘There she is trying to put it into practice, and there she is finally succeeding at it.’ Smiling, Sweetie felt a connection to Twilight, remembering how the mare had first gotten her Mark. Given a task she had no book knowledge of how to do. Formulas ran through her head, the theory behind hatching an egg, half formed by hasty thoughts. And then...flash! A surge of magic erupting onto her horn, clutching her makeshift spell and fueling it with the magic needed. It cracked, raw talent meeting book smarts to create a miracle. The feeling when your dream became a reality. Sweetie smiled, her head raising slightly. So excited by the news, the quiet flash of a Mark signifying her dream was now possible. “I’m proud of you Twilight,” she spoke softly, giving a nod. Twilight had known what she wanted to do, but wasn’t sure she had the ability. But when her efforts were rewarded with her dream becoming true, her Mark had appeared. Twilight’s expertise was in the theory, rather than the application. If she hadn’t been born with the raw power she had been, Twilight would have become a professor at the very least. “Remember Twilight, take it one sentence at a time. Magic is not meant to be skimmed.” Opening her eyes, Sweetie watched her room flash for a moment, and looked to her flank. There is was, an almost perfect image of Twilight’s Mark composed of musical notes. Trotting to the mirror, Sweetie saw her eyes were now a violet color. Opening the book once more, she read it once more. “Before the words were blurring together, but now it’s like a cloudy sky. It’s still complicated, but I’m able to make sense of it. Am I talking to myself?” Pausing, Sweetie considered it for a moment, rapidly shaking her head as she continued to read. Before long, she blinked at the darkness in her room. Somehow, the entire day had vanished! “This feels kinda like cheating,” pouted Sweetie, blinking her eyes back to normal as she snapped out of her trance. Regardless of her intent, she now knew how to cast the first spell, Swords Dance. It was a higher level ice spell. From the reading, she made icy swords float around her like a shield, and imbued them with her thoughts. ‘So essentially, if I go to block, the swords would move at the speed of my brain.’ However, it required a link to this ‘aetheric plane’. Supposedly, an enlightened unicorn could act as the focal point for the spell. Standing up, Sweetie stifled a yawn, glancing toward the window. There was no way Sweetie would have the patience to do that, so she supposed that was the reason why only Alicorns could do it. “Not to mention, the amount of concentration needed for this is just...How am I supposed to cast ten spells at once?” Scowling, Sweetie sighed, flopping onto her bed. That was the way of it, she supposed. Giving a small smile, she wondered if the Alicorns might be able to reduce the number to five. Four possibly, because of Twilight’s abilities. “Still, why am I able to ‘Twilight Mode’? I can assume it’s because of the loops, but what would cause it? It’s true that Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance along with possibly Rarity have…” Wincing, Sweetie continued her sentence. “Maybe them... in the same room with me makes them sorta give me a portion of their talent? Twilight said the spell switched the Element’s destinies, and the one Starswirl made was meant to switch Celestia’s and his so...some sort of bleed? Guh, maybe I should re-Twilight Mode so I can figure this out.” Grabbing her pillow, Sweetie placed it on top of her head, blocking out the remaining light. “So what would happen if I went ‘Celestia Mode’ or ‘Luna Mode’? Would I gain control of the Sun or Moon? Weird. And not useful to me either. Rarity might though, would be nice to be able to make clothes.” Chuckling, Sweetie sat up, and looked toward the Moon, remembering the previous loop. “Doesn’t hurt to learn the spells I suppose, might come in handy. It’s gonna take a while. Let me see...One day per spell, plus sleeping. Roughly four days. Ugh, this would be so boring if I wasn’t going to enter ‘Twilight Mode’ I bet. I don’t know how she finds studying ‘fun’. Weird.” Shrugging, Sweetie put her pillow under her head, and slipped into the blankets. She was exhausted, and she’d need to have a large breakfast tomorrow. Sweetie had a feeling she was going to be skipping Lunch and Dinner for a while. Following that thought, she wondered if she even needed to eat anymore. After all, if she died it would just reset her. Then again, dying of hunger probably sucked more than falling off a cliff or suffocating. Nodding to herself, she yawned, and went to sleep. Author's Note 26 Ten tp Here is another poem made by: Divine Path More resources spent, more time taken to nothingness. Further into the trap, sinking, blinking out to nothingness. Less light coming, lessened hope flickering, standing tall, falling far, soon swallowed in darkness. Princesses giving, might they grant peace and calm, together you break. L75Opening her eyes, Sweetie stretched, licking her lips as the calming sun came through the window. It was a Monday, which meant she’d have to block out Rarity again. Sighing, she wished they’d leave her alone. Hugging her pillow, she tried to discard her suddenly morbid mood, and focus on more exciting things. “So what do I have on this Loop?” Looking at her list, Sweetie was disappointed at the single item she had for this week. Sweetie was running out of things to do. But even this wasn’t even a lot of effort. Sweetie was certain she could do it. Wincing as a spark of pain went through her, she quickly put her shield on, removing the headache. “Well, since that’s the only item, and it could end in a reset, I might as well spend the rest of the week trying to activate Rarity. I’m pretty sure she only...once or twice so...If it works then it means it works on people who I’ve...at least once.” There was the chance she could do it to ponies she hadn’t...but if that was the case, why had Twilight’s Mark been the first to show? “Alright, let’s see…” Closing her eyes, Sweetie imagined she was a super fashionista, and knew everything about clothes. Sweetie imagined being a little stuck up, and forgetful of things pertaining to her sister. Keeping what she knew of Rarity in mind, Sweetie tried to copy the feeling of going ‘Twilight Mode’. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Had two hours passed already? Glancing to her Mark, no change had happened either. Pursing her lip, Sweetie decided she needed a smart pony’s opinion. While going Twilight Mode might work, Sweetie decided visiting the proper Twilight would be best. “Read this,” she started, holding out the note for Rarity. As her sister read it, she visibly paled, and sat down in the chair meant for Sweetie. Waiting, Sweetie counted off the ten seconds in her head, giving her sister time to get her thoughts together. “I’ll…need some time to-” cut off, Rarity blinked as her sister headed for the door. “To come to terms, yada blada, I’ll be at Twilight’s.” Exiting, Sweetie made a beeline for Twilight's. Scowling, she hated having to inform Rarity. However, if she wanted to talk to Twilight, she had to inform her sister, or cost more time later in the week. Knocking on the door, she gave Twilight the note, going through the motions with ease. “And you’re saying I wrote all this?” As Twilight eyed the note as Sweetie snatched it back, and moved inside. Breathing in, Sweetie turned to face Twilight as she went over the looping notes. “So we’re up to Loop 60? Alright, remember to get me every Loop, so I can update my notes.” Glancing to Sweetie, Twilight was worried by how unaffected she seemed by the events of 58. There wasn’t much on Loop 59 except a brief message from Sweetie saying she spent it recovering from the string of failures. “Ok Twilight, I’ve found out that for some reason I can sorta copy your abilities. However, I can’t do it with Rarity, so I’m pretty sure it’s because of well...So I was wondering if you had any ideas about it.” Getting Twilight off the book was important. Sweetie still hadn’t managed to copy Twilight’s handwriting perfectly. “Well, it kinda sounds like you’ve already got it figured out. I don’t really have anything to add. If I had to guess, it likely has something to do with the draining effect that I feel without that shield on.” Holding out the book, Twilight watched as it was put away, and her ears flopped down as she looked to the window. “I’m sorry Sweetie, but I honestly don’t have any leads. My special talent only goes so far.” As she spoke, Twilight sparked an idea in Sweetie’s head. Concentrating, she began the spell she used to see pony’s talents. As her vision blurred, she took a look at Twilight’s talent, and sighed, ending the spell. “Sweetie Belle?” Turning, Twilight noticed the sad look on the filly’s face, and waited as she began to explain. “I thought if I saw your talent, I might be able to bring it to its full potential, but your talent already is. I don’t know if it’s because of you being an Alicorn, or because of the Elements, but there’s nothing I could do to increase your talent.” Ears flopping down, she was incredibly disappointed at that. Someone like Twilight would have been perfect. “Cheer up Sweetie, you’ve still got plenty to keep you occupied while I figure this out. You haven’t ridden a dragon yet, right?” Giving a smile as she closed her eyes, Twilight missed the flicker of emotion that passed over Sweetie. It was quickly brushed aside, and she pulled out an excited mask. “You’re right! I better go practice!” Bidding goodbye, Sweetie trotted towards her home, scowling the moment she was out of sight. Useless, this entire morning had been useless! Nothing had come of it, and she couldn’t use anything but Twilight Mode and maybe the other Princesses. Closing her eyes, Sweetie supposed she could try using Twilight Mode to solve the problem of escape, but if Twilight herself couldn’t do it, what hope did she have for a fake Twilight? And now she was bored again. It was finally Friday. Pulling out the spell, Sweetie smirked. This was the spell Twilight used to shield herself from the draining sensation. The spell wasn’t likely going to work, which was why Sweetie had her stuff in a rough circle around her. If she focused, she should be able to include her items in the spell. Casting the spell, Sweetie let her magic flow outward, capturing her items and causing a bubble to form around her. As she pushed more and more energy into the spell, she felt it become ready, and finished casting. Looking around, she- Author's Note 25 Nine :// L76“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Opening her eyes, Sweetie sat up, quickly checking she still had her items. Luckily, she did. However, they were semi-fused to her bed and blankets. Twilight would likely have a spell to fix that. Standing up, her ears flickered at the sound of birds outside, and she pulled out her list. “So, that’s that one down. Moving onto the next one, okay.” Reading it, Sweetie tapped a hoof on her chin, considering how she could get the most fun out of it. While her first attempt at Necromancy hadn’t been...well received, Sweetie was sure if she started with a more basic spell she should be fine. Placing down the note, Sweetie concentrated on herself, looking to her bed to check her height. Slowly, she shrunk down so her height was more or less her size before the Loops happened. Shaking, she waited as the magic finished putting everything into place. Closing her door, Sweetie teleported to the fringes of the Everfree, heading directly for the Graveyard. ‘You know, this is surprisingly less creepy than it used to be.’ Looking around, Sweetie was struck by a strange calm, and she pulled out her Necromancer book. Naturally, this hadn’t been given to her by Twilight. Flipping in a few pages, she raised the book high, and began to draw the symbol decrypted on the ground. Standing in the middle, Sweetie lowered her horn to the ground, and concentrated. “Send some energy into the bones, make them not sentient, zombies. So I uh, focus my intent...right. Then I…” Frowning, Sweetie brought the book closer once more, reading it, she scowled. Returning to her half finished spell, she tried to, according to the book, ‘request to borrow the departed’s bodies’. “Ah!” Stepping back, she glanced around as graves erupted around her. Slowly, skeletons emerged, bones clattering as magic forced them back into a pony-like form. Rubbing her horn, Sweetie felt the drain on her magic, and estimated she’d be able to maintain the spell for an hour. Thinking quickly, she smiled, turning toward Ponyville. “Come on boys, time for a little...Chaos,” she smiled, glancing upward just as Discord appeared, giving her a thumbs up. Pulling out a device that was playing a strange song, Sweetie glanced back, seeing the skeletons begin to clatter to the tune. Smirking, she felt the stirrings of a Heart Song, and winked at Discord. Marching into town, head held high, she soon gathered a shocked crowd as she made her way to the Town Hall. The Mane 6 were already there as she ordered her army to stand on the stage just outside Town Hall(Some called it the Balcony). Waiting as they all got into place, her tail swished to the beat, and she looked to the crowd. “Spooky, scary skeletons, Send shivers down your spine. Shrieking skulls will shock your soul, Seal your doom tonight.” Naturally, Ponyville joined in. “Bwuhahhaha!” Laughing uncontrollably on her bed, Discord merely floated above her, an amused smile on his face. There was no doubt, he could see it in this filly, the spark that she had been missing from his memory. Discord couldn’t remember what had happened previously, but he knew the signs of...fun. ‘I’ll need to make myself a Chaotic note so the sickly magic can’t touch it.’ Discord snapped his fingers, preparing for an eventuality. Finished that, he spawned a small cotton candy cloud for the filly, teleported the items fused to her bed onto the floor, and vanished. Finally calming down, Sweetie dove into the cotton candy, instantly in love with Discord. “Oh mai god! It tastes like chocolate too!” Squeeing in glee, she was overcome by how fun today had been. Levitating the Necromancy book, she flicked through the items with a smile. While it had taken time to rebury the bones, if she could make golems this time, she might be able to use them for some sort of sport. “Discord’ll have ideas.” Giggling, she hugged the book, and sighed happily. This loop was turning out great! The magic threaded through the discordic dimension with purpose, heading directly for a black box surrounded by strong chaotic magic. As it hit it, sparks flew, and Discord raised his head, glancing toward it. Narrowing his eyes, he watched as the magic link exploded with energy, shattering the defenses and destroying what was inside. Reaching out, Discord grabbed the strand of magic, looking down at it as it flinched, and then struggled to escape his grip. Leaning down, he looked at it as his hand clenched. Writhing, the magic sparked wildly, strength trying to flee back down and end the spell. Holding it, he looked in the direction it came, before leaning down, and speaking quietly to it. “Pum axam chleckol zaxan ug. Dinkolbolo axagaxain, pi wo wirr whaxavo pit plefrom,” he spoke, gibberish seemingly leaving his lip with fluency. The magic stopped sparking, and then hissed. Discord clenched down harder, before leaning close once more. “I can’t hear you.” Once more, he narrowed his eyes, and the magic seemed to deflate. “Molupp worr, wo wirr sottro zis hon sko nud lipo.” As the words echoed in the air, Discord released the magic, and watched it scurry away. Snapping his fingers, his black box reformed, and he reopened his newspaper, flicking the page. “Oh dear, chocolate rain prices are on the rise again,” he sighed, sipping his glass and throwing away the chocolate milk Author's Note 24 Eight ti We've finally got a fanfic about the Loops if they continue on after Sweetie Loops back. Check it out: A Little Loopy: Divergence Theory L77.1“Rarity, could you teach me cooking?” It was a Tuesday, having had to give all of the main 6 time to come to terms with the fact she was Looping. As Rarity turned, Sweetie could see the trepidation, and sighed, opening her Looping notes again. Specifically, the one where she made Coffee. “Come on Rarity, I’m not going to make it blow up, even if it turns out bad.” Convincing Rarity would likely be the hardest, which was why she had chosen to do her first. Looking at it, Rarity sighed, and began levitating out pots and pans. Smiling, Sweetie realised what the answer was. “Alright Sweetie Belle, just this once. We’ll be making pancakes.” Giving a small smile, Rarity noticed the slightest cringe come from Sweetie. Did she not like pancakes anymore? That was unusual. Shaking it off, she pulled out a piece of paper, beginning to write down the instructions. “Alright, follow this recipe. I’ll be here to help guide you.” Smiling, Rarity forced herself to stand back and let Sweetie try. As her sister followed it, Rarity was surprised by the ease at which she did it. Once more, the nagging feeling passed through her. Shaking it off, she nodded when Sweetie looked over for confirmation. “Alright, now the batter’s made, I...set the stove to medium, put a pan on top, and measure out-” Repeating the recipe to herself as she did the actions with her magic, Sweetie was entirely focused on her actions. She needed to get this right, she had to prove to herself she could do this. “Alright, done.” Taking the pancake out of the pan, she placed it on a plate, and turned the heat down as she served it to Rarity. Looking at it, Rarity noticed how normal it looked, and risked a bite. Cringing, she swallowed it, and shuddered. Ears flopping down, Sweetie realised she had failed. “It’s a bit lumpy, you didn’t stir the mixture enough to get the ingredients together. But it’s edible, which is a big step up.” Turning toward her sister, Rarity winced at the disappointment, and put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Cheer up Sweetie, you can’t learn to cook in a day.” As Rarity spoke, Sweetie noticed a strange look in her eyes. Sure enough, Rarity glanced away, and pursed her lip. “Say Sweetie Belle?” Turning, Rarity looked to Sweetie, who waited for the question. After a moment, she shook her head, faking a smile. “Nevermind, it’s not important.” Before Sweetie could comment on it, she suggested she go to Applejack and see what Sweetie could learn to make there. As the front door closed, Sweetie frowned, eyes going serious for a moment. Pretending to walk away, she hid in a bush and waited. Sure enough, Rarity soon left, heading for Twilight’s. ‘Ten loops ago from their perspective, Twilight said the same thing.’ Suspicious, she trotted toward the river running through town, and levitated out some of the water. Finding a secure location, a back alleyway, she scooped out a shallow puddle with her magic, and placed the water in it. Concentrating, she cleared it slowly, and used a second spell to allow her to hear them. ‘I can do this for about five minutes. Good practice though.’ Steadying her breath, she tried to pace herself as the conversation began. “I’m telling you Twilight, something is seriously wrong with Sweetie Belle, tell me you haven’t seen it.” Rarity was looking at Twilight, so Sweetie couldn’t see her expression, but Twilight’s was in full view. Looking away, Twilight’s ears flopped down, and she sighed. “I know Rarity, she’s changed. I can see her trying to pretend she hasn’t, but it’s painfully obvious how untrue that is. But what do we do?” Twilight’s voice was strained as she looked to Rarity with desperation. Looking on, Sweetie couldn’t stop watching. “Listen Twilight, I think I’ve figured out why. What if that isn’t Sweetie Belle?” Both Twilight and Sweetie were taken aback by Rarity, and unable to respond. “Listen to me, what if this Loop thing is so she can get to know us better before she fully assumes Sweetie’s identity? Don’t you see, she’s trying to find weakness in the Elements of Harmony!” Rarity at this point was breathing so loud it was coming through the link. Twilight took a few moments to allow Rarity to calm down, and then spoke calmly. “Nonsense, if that was the case there would be proof. Sweetie’s just a little emotionally unbalanced from the-” Cut off, Twilight didn’t forgot her annoyance. “No! Twilight, this Sweetie can cook! The old Sweetie could never cook, even with a recipe!” Come on Rarity, just because she had burnt everything with a recipe one time doesn’t mean she couldn’t learn from her mistakes. Sweetie pursed her lip, feeling annoyed and uneasy. Twilight opened her mouth, but was once again cut off. “Twilight, there’s a huge dragon egg in her room! We both know Sweetie would never be able to beat a dragon, let alone steal an egg.” Oh darn, Rarity was right. Sweetie inwardly swore. Why hadn’t she hid the egg? ‘Mainly because I wanted to make sure it didn’t move while I Looped somewhere else,’ she admitted. Shaking her head, strain reminding her of the conversation, she returned to her peeping. “I’ll admit, that is strange, but didn’t you learn from Zecora not to draw conclusions? I am sure if we ask Sweetie she can clear up any-” Once again, Twilight was cut off. “Queen Chrysalis,” was all Rarity said, and Twilight narrowed her eyes. Looking away, Twilight sighed, ears flinging back as she remembered how no one had believed her, even when she had been one of the few to really know Cadance. “Alright, you’ve made your point. I’ll go get everyone together so we can apprehend her, and get this sorted out. I just hope you’re aware of what you’re going to be doing to her if this turns out to be wrong.” Looking Rarity straight in the eyes, Sweetie could see the pool ripple as Rarity flinched. Striking at the pool, she cancelled the spell and scowled. ‘So this is how it is. I can’t rely on them any more.’ Teleporting back to her room, Sweetie quietly packed her things. Looking to the dragon egg, she began to levitate it, struggling to keep a grip on it with her magic. Puffing, she began to carry it downstairs. Finally outside, she rested for a moment, looking toward Twilight’s castle. ‘Where do I go though? I can’t take this everywhere...I guess my best bet is asking the Dragons to hold onto it until I find a place.’ As she considered this, she was levitating food and water out of the pantry for the long trip. Taking the egg with her, she was expecting it to take most of next loop, as well as this one. Beginning to roll the egg toward the end of town, she wasn’t surprised when the Elements found her. “Stop right there Sweetie Belle!” Twilight was at the front, a binding spell on her horn. Bringing the egg to a stop, she turned and faced them, not even bothering to hide her contempt as they looked to her with anger. “Where are you going.” Twilight narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and the others prepared for a fight. “To a place where I’m not bothered by ponies constantly second guessing me.” Sweetie did not bother telling them she had been listening in, Twilight would be able to guess. “Sweetie, hand yourself in or we’ll be forced to fight you. There’s a simple test we can use to prove you are who you say you are, please stand down.” Twilight pleaded honestly with Sweetie, and she narrowed her eyes, looking to Applejack. “Ah know ya are telling tha’ truth, but ah want ta’ be sure too hun.” Applejack looked away, and Sweetie turned to her sister. No love was in those eyes, only anger. So Rarity had already made up her mind. Sighing, Sweetie closed her eyes. “I have nothing I need to prove to you.” Opening her eyes, her horn sparked to life, and she placed her saddlebags beside the egg. Shield forming around her, she approached them. Wings formed on her back, much to Twilight’s surprise. Lowing her horn, she took a battle stance, and concentrated. Sweetie cast five missiles, watching them home in on all but Twilight. All were deflected by Twilight’s shield, even as lightning struck it with surprising force, sending her sliding back slightly. Concentrating, Sweetie made a blade out of ice, releasing the spell holding her height. Growing slightly, she was now only slightly shorter than them. Charging forward, Sweetie sent her blade slicing through the shield, knocking Twilight back even as a stun spell impacted on Sweetie’s shield. Rainbow Dash dived forward as Fluttershy cowered, and Sweetie used the broad side of her sword to knock Dash out without too many problems. Rarity began picking up rocks and throwing them at her with top speed, Sweetie ignored it. Charging forward, Sweetie and Twilight’s horns met, sparks flying as a powerful wave blasted Applejack and Pinkie Pie away. A ball of energy surrounded them, and they both exploded backwards, hovering in the air and glaring at the other. Raising their horns, raw magic met with Sweetie’s flame shield, and was easily deflected. Forming spears of ice, Sweetie rained them down at Twilight as she dove high into the sky. Twirling around, she formed a flame shield once more, and dove down, forming a spike of fire. Both attacks met Twilight’s shield head on, and Sweetie was deflected, crashing into the ground. Back-flipping out of her crater, she looked up at Twilight, and changed gravity around herself, rocking upwards with great speed. Reversing gravity once more, Sweetie fired lightning down at Twilight, who was rocketing upward at Sweetie. Once more, the shield deflected everything, and she was knocked away by the pachinko ball. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie felt her strength wane, and hovered for a moment. It was then that Twilight went on the offensive. Raw magic being fired at Sweetie, she deflected it with her own shield, and wiped the sweat off her brow. As the magic met her shield, Sweetie began to see the main difference between her and Twilight, and a twinge of fear passed through her. The shield she was using took time and magic to cast, but the one Twilight used was just raw magic given shape. Sweetie knew she could never work magic like that, and she gulped as a crack formed in her shield. As they flew higher and higher into the air, Sweetie focused all her energy on trying to keep the shield up. Twilight was unrelenting, even copying the attacks Sweetie had showed off. Sweating, Sweetie began to wish she had just done what they asked. Sure, it would have meant giving in to their demands, but this was nearing her limits. ‘And here I thought I was ready to take on a dragon, how naive.’ Flying higher and higher, Sweetie neared the cloud barrier, and for a small moment, she was distracted by memories. Twilight took the moment, shattering her shield and slamming her with the full force of a magic blast, gasping for breath. As Sweetie began to fall, she tried to muster the magic for wings, as they had vanished the moment she’d lost. Falling as she was, she saw Twilight diving to catch her. Sweetie felt her horn spark, and sighed, giving a laugh as she closed her eyes. Twilight would get to her in time, and then she’d have to explain herself. Suddenly, something large swooped down through the cloud layer, scooping her up with a large claw as it landed on the ground. Picking up the egg, the Dragon grabbed Sweetie’s saddlebags as an afterthought, and flared his wings. Taking off, They were above the cloud layer in an instant. Glancing down through the hole they had made, Sweetie saw Twilight, half frozen, before the cloud closed around the hole, sealing them from the surface. Settling into a glide, the Dragon brought his hands together in front of him, and looked down upon the filly. Sweetie took one look at him, and broke into a smile. “Thorak!” Author's Note 23 Seven ny Real life caused this chapter to be a few hours late than I was planning because my nan can't use a computer. And yes, it would have been late even then, but yeah. L77.2As they landed in the bowl, Sweetie wasn’t surprised by the recognition on all but three Dragon’s faces. What she was surprised by was their eagerness to greet her. Surrounded by the rumbling of a hundred voices, her head spun, even as she was gently lowered to the ground. Picking up her saddlebags, she watched as the egg was placed down, and looked up to Thorak. “Tell me young one, why did your kin attack you?” Cutting straight to the point, Thorak curled slightly as he sat down, folding his wings. Scowling, Sweetie looked away, ears flopping down as she sighed, and began to explain. As the Dragons began to sit, the listened intently to her story. “Okay, so essentially they think I’m not me, and they wanted to capture me and put me through tests to prove it. The catalyst for this was, if you’d believe it, cooking and your Dragon egg. Uh, not cooking the egg! I mean I was trying to cook pancakes an uh…” Trailing off, Sweetie realised the dragons hadn’t reacted. Was it strange they seemed more understanding compared to Rarity? “And why did you not go with them for these tests, young one?” Thorak leaned his head forward, looking Sweetie in the eyes. As they met, he saw her anger flare, before quickly abating as she turned away. Leaning back once more, Thorak closed his eyes, listening silently. “Because I shouldn't have to prove myself!” Bitter tears beginning to flow down her face, she kicked at the ground, trying to keep herself from shouting in misplaced anger. Thorak opened his eyes, and nodded to her to continue. “Why should I have to prove I’m myself! Why am I going to have to do this every Loop from now on if I want them aware? Why did Rarity lie about my cooking! Why don’t they trust me to be able to know! Why do they write me off as insane!” Visibly shaking, Sweetie was unable to keep her anger out, and her voice only grew. “I see,” was all Thorak said in response, glancing over the other dragons as they watched on. Taking the hint, they all returned to their work, which was sleeping. Only one dragon beside Thorak remained, a gray female sitting some distance from them. As Sweetie cried, staring at the ground in anger, Thorak simply watched. After a few moments, he lowered his head, and simply watched her. “What are you looking at?” Glaring at Thorak, Sweetie’s glare met his emotionless gaze. After a moment, her anger died and she looked away, not wanting to anger the Dragons. Thorak didn’t answer, and she turned around, sitting down with her back to his gaze. Annoyance growing, the hairs on her back stood on ends. “Tell me young one, do you believe this moment to be important?” Thorak’s rumbling voice caused Sweetie to jump, and she sighed, turning around and sitting back down. “Well yeah, every moment is important.” Tilting her head, Sweetie wondered what Thorak was talking about. “Even with a chance to redo events come the sunset two or four suns from now?” Thodak didn’t know specifically when, he hadn’t been paying too close attention. “Well, yeah,” she admitted, ears flopping back. Even with the Loop Reset, this Loop had been important, even if it had been disaster. “And why is that?” Thorak watched the filly blink, and actually consider it. “Because I’ll remember it?” It wasn’t exactly the answer she was looking for, but it summed up her best translation. “Would it still be important, if no one remembered it?” Thorak’s calm eyes bore into Sweetie’s, and she shuddered, wondering where this was going. “Well yeah, but no one would remember it.” Shrugging, Sweetie didn’t really see how to get around that problem. “Which is more important to you young one. All memory of happiness at the cost of forgetting the bad memories, or to remember everything, at the cost of possible happiness?” Blinking his eyes, Thorak wondered what the answer would be. “All my memories of course,” eyes open, Sweetie answered without hesitation. “Memories are precious, I’d never want a happy life at the cost of losing them. It’d be like blank moments in my life. This is my life, for better or for worse.” It was true, at least to her. Despite her anger at what Rarity and Twilight had done today, it didn’t outdo what good they had done. “Very well said young one.” Thorak yawned, and stood up. Watching this, Sweetie followed his actions as he brought the egg to the gray Dragon. After that, he leaned toward Sweetie. “It seems young one, that you require more stamina if you wish to defeat your opponents. Feel free to spar with the hatchlings. Just do not harm them, that is my one request if you are to stay here.” Bowing his head slightly, Thorak turned, following the gray Dragon to the nest. Watching them go, Sweetie looked toward the hatchlings, and breathed in. ‘Alright, I’ll start working on that in a little bit, as it is, I’m still tired.’ Sitting down, Sweetie watched the Dragons curiously, enjoying the act of watching. Author's Note 23 Seven ur L78Sweetie ducked under the fireball, sweat beading down her face as she maintained her balance on the rock in the middle of the pool of lava. The Dragon teenagers hovered around her, trying to find the chance to attack her. Biting her lip, she resisted the temptation to use her magic, keeping the wings on her back poised to take off. The rules for her training were simple; she was allowed wings and a shield, but no attack magic. Sweetie leapt upward as one of them dived toward her, and dove down, avoiding another as she landed on top of the first. The third one, a Dragon named Garble, had guessed her action, and sent a fireball. ‘Oh manure-’ Reacting off instinct, she slipped behind the Dragon she was standing on, watching the fireball pass by. But now she had a face of Dragon to deal with, and the teeth opened wide. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie flared her wings and back-flipped away. Below her, the lava pool began to creep closer. Using her wings precisely, Sweetie managed to steer herself back to the rock, her back slamming into it and knocking all her breath out. As she tried to catch her breath back, all she could do was widen her eyes as the Dragons flew toward her, claws outstretched, victory on their faces. “Stop,” spoke Thorak, and the three veered away. Catching her breath finally, she sat up, and gave Thorak a grateful smile. Grunting, she tried to stand up, and fell back on her flank as her bruises kept her grounded. Casually, she ended the spell keeping her wings. Thorak extended a talon, carefully picking her up in the palm of his hand. “You have done well, these past few days and nights. After nine days, you are able to last nearly an hour before you succumb.” Thorak’s voice had no tone, but Sweetie still looked away in irritation. An hour was not good enough, she had trained super hard for a measly hour? Sighing, ears flopping down, she discarded it, and gave a grateful smile to Thorak. “Thank you for the help, and thank you for rescuing me.” Giving a bigger smile, Sweetie knew if Thorak hadn’t come for her, she would have likely spent days just waiting around in boredom. Levitating out some food from her saddlebag, she began to munch on it, hungry after her exertion. “What will you do now?” Thorak had no doubt that Sweetie was planning on moving on after this Loop. He could see her itch, even as she expended most of her energy to grow her endurance. Looking toward the sky, he breathed in, checking that there had been no changes to the flock while he had been distracted. There hadn’t, which was unsurprising. “Well, I really want to explore Equestria. I’m planning on going to The Crystal Empire next Loop, and then maybe spend the Loop after just flying around and seeing everything.” Smiling, Sweetie marveled at her chance to finally get a good look at The Crystal Empire. Sure, she’d been there before, but not with a week to just explore every nook and cranny. “Very well, I shall give you a lift there tonight, so as to prevent any panic ruining your experience. I do have one request, if you may.” Bowing his head slightly, Thorak motioned over the red teenager Dragon. Sweetie had learned his name was Garble, and he seemed surprised to be called over. “Garble had reached the age where he is immune to the spell, roughly three of your pony weeks prior. I want you to take him with you.” Thorak watched as both glanced to the other, and then looked to him. “What?” “Hell no! I’m not hanging out with a Namby Pamby Pony, even if she’s a pretty good fighter.” Thorak said nothing, merely looking to the two. Glancing toward Garble, Sweetie sighed, ears flicking back as she considered her choices. Either she walked/flew all the way to the Empire, or took a quick Dragon flight. On the others mind, Garble was considering what punishment he might receive if he didn’t respect Thorak’s request. “Alright,” they responded in union, and both shared a glance. Neither was looking forward to the others company. However, Sweetie didn’t mind as much as Garble, considering it would be a new experience. And new was something she thrived on. Wincing slightly, she felt a pulse of pain from her headache. ‘I’m gonna have to strengthen that.’ Concentrating, she did so, and smiled as the pain faded. Thorak gently placed her down, and traced a path to the gray Dragon. Watching them, Sweetie looked toward the Dragon egg, knowing it wouldn’t be coming. While she knew Thorak was disappointed about this, he had agreed she couldn’t carry it across Equestria. “So what is this ‘Crystal Empire’ anyway?” Glaring at her, Garble was in no mood for jokes. Deciding to answer honestly for now, she to gave the Dragon a big bone. “It’s just a city made out of crystal.” Seeing the Dragon’s mouth begin to water, Sweetie giggled, smiling as she watched the sun set. Author's Note 22 Six l. L79There were a few things Sweetie could stand. Occasional pangs of pain? Manageable. Working out what to do for that Loop? Well, as long as she had her list...But a Dragon telling her exactly what he hated about ponies for an hour straight? Well, there was only so much patience she had. “Could you shut up!” Sweetie gave Garble one of the most glaringest glares she could muster, watching him blink, and look to her glowing horn. Gulping, he looked away, and mumbled a quick apology. Sighing, Sweetie finally enjoyed the silence, watching the Crystal Empire from her tent as midnight finally ticked over. Stepping out, she began packing it up, casting the spell to make her bags bigger, and increasing her size slightly to match normal adult pony size. “Here we are, without having caused mass panic too.” Smiling, Sweetie trotted toward the town, Garble slinking after her with a grumble. Looking around, Sweetie saw that while most of the city was asleep, a few places were still awake. If Sweetie had to guess, those were night clubs. She shuddered for some reason, and continued toward the only inn open at this time. Opening the door with her magic, she waited for Garble to get inside, and approached the Stallion who was reading a book behind the counter. Approaching it, she took out the money for the room. The Stallion looked between them, doing a double take on Garble. “And here’s a little extra to cover my friend.” Smiling sweetly, Sweetie put a few extra bits on the table. The Stallion smiled, knowing the language of money well. Writing down their reservation, he held out a key, and escorted them to their room. Opening the door, Sweetie waved goodbye to the Stallion, and closed the door behind Garble. Sitting down on the bed, she yawned. “You weren’t kidding about this place being mostly Crystal.” Garble was looking out the window with narrowed eyes. the glowing structures glittered in the moonlight. Smiling, Sweetie levitated out a gem for Garble, who took it and munched on it as he looked out. On his back was a saddlebag hanging off his wings. They were both filled to the brim with gems. “I’m gonna get some sleep, wake me up when the sun is higher than the houses.” Lifting up the blanket, Sweetie slipped into her bed, nodding once to Garble. Glancing to her, Garble gave a nod, returning to watching the city. He seemed almost entranced by it. Closing her eyes, Sweetie focused on getting some sleep. “Hey, wake up.” As she was shaken awake, Garble’s voice rang through. Groaning, she sat up and saw the sun was where she had asked him to wake her at. Stretching, a few of her joints cracked, and she smiled, unpacking her bag of most of her belongings to leave room for her to shop. “Thanks Garble, what do you want to see first?” Locking the door behind them, Sweetie noticed Garble hadn’t unpacked his bags, and shrugged mentally. The Dragon seemed to eat a lot regardless, Sweetie wasn’t sure that they would last the week with that amount. “I don’t know, you said you have some sort of book?” Looking to the Pony, Garble watched as she fished out a tourist guide book. Flicking through it as they headed for the desk, he frowned. Pulling out some bits, Sweetie paid for the remaining week, and turned to watch Garble as he stopped on a page, and turned it toward Sweetie. “You want to see the tiny sheep? Well okay, you know you can’t eat them right?” Raising an eyebrow, Sweetie met Garble's glare of annoyance, and shrugged, leading them outside of the inn. As they walked, Sweetie looked at the various Crystal ponies, admiring their appearance as Garble and her walked. “Wow, a Dragon.” Soon enough, ponies began to notice Garble, and he looked to Sweetie. Musing for a moment, she simply smiled, and stood tall and proud as they walked. Garble watched this for a moment, and then looked toward the small petting Zoo they were heading towards. “Oh wow, look at them, they’re so cuuute.” Fawning over the multicolored sheep, Sweetie patted a bright pink one, giggling as it baa’ed at her. Garble watched this, and smirked. “Look at them, so stupid, how could you find something so weak cute? I could kill one of these without breaking a sweat.” Smirking, Garble laughs as he picked one up, watching it baa in fright. Blowing fire slightly, he lit a tiny bit of the wool alight, causing it to smoke. “Garble!” Glaring at the Dragon, Sweetie snatched the poor sheep, dousing the smoking wool with a small bit of water. Glaring at the Dragon, she watched as he looked toward the horrified expressions of the ponies, and rubbed his hands together. As they saw this, they screamed, and scattered. Garble said nothing as he once more looked to Sweetie, who rolled her eyes and sighed, placing the poor sheep down and watching all remaining run away. Pulling out the tourist book, she flipped through it, and looked for something to do with no animals or flammable materials. Pausing on a page about a sprinting event they practiced for, Sweetie looked to Garble, showing it to him. “Sounds like fun,” he smirked. Turning, they began to walk toward the large open area near the Stadium. Looking at it, Garble’s wings twinged for a moment, and he grabbed a gem out to munch on. Walking over to a Stallion with blue hair and a white body, Sweetie politely asked about the sprinting event. “Oh hey, yeah if you want I can grab a few guards to race you. If you win, we give you a grand tour of the Palace. You in?” Smiling, he winked at Garble, who bristled under the challenge, and smirked, giving a nod. The Stallion whistled, calling forth five Stallions in armor. Saluting him, the Stallion grinned and turned toward the Dragon. “Alright, a few ground rules. No flying, and stay on the track. Sound alright to you?” Winking, The Stallion once more watched as Garble removed the saddlebags being carried on his wings, and marched onto the track. The five guards took their places, and the Stallion thought of a final point. “Oh! And no knocking out the other competitors, this is a nice, fair game. Got it?” Once more, The Stallion watched Garble, who nodded, preparing for the run. chuckling, the Stallion winked at Sweetie, who finally got a good look at his Cutie Mark. It was a shield with the same pattern as Twilight’s Mark. “On your marks, get set, go!” Garble rocketed forward, running as fast as he could. Blinking in surprise, he watched as the ponies easily outpaced him, and he frowned, putting all his energy on running. Sadly, even while he got second place, he didn’t win the race. Growling, he leered at the first place soldier. Glancing to his commander, the guard used all of his training to stay in place. “Rotten luck, you can try again if you want.” The Stallion smiled warmly at Garble, who turned his attention on him, clenching his fist as smoke left his nostrils. Sweetie stepped between them, narrowing her eyes at the Stallion. “Are you by any chance related to Twilight?” As Sweetie watched, the Stallion's eyes widened, she knew she was right on the money. Thinking back to her faint memory of Cadance's wedding, her mind clicked, and she remembered the name. Smiling, she realised she should have recognised him earlier. “You’re Shining Armor! I remember now. I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie saw Shining do the same, giving a chuckle as they both reconciled. Sure, they hadn’t really spent much time knowing the other, but it was amusing to realise they had forgotten the other. “Well in that case, let me give you a tour of the Castle regardless, Cadance will be thrilled to see you, I’m sure.” Shining smiled, and then frowned, looking Sweetie over. “Why are you...older than I remember?” Frowning, he watched as Sweetie concentrated, shrinking to her old age. Blinking away the magic, he turned, and began leading them to the Castle. Garble followed, glaring at the both of them. “Sweetie Belle, it is so nice to see you again. And you’ve got your Cutie Mark, congratulations!” Cadance smiled at Sweetie, who stayed small for the purposes of the visit. Giving each a beaming smile, she looked to Garble, noticing him trying to sneak looks at the rooms. “Mind if we get a tour?” Giving a smile, Sweetie watched as the two adults jumped to action. As they were escorted around, Sweetie was interested, hearing about the various history, even on how it came to be. Garble listened to this quietly, a permanent frown on his face. “And we’re back at the entrance, which brings me to a question, if you don’t mind Sweetie. Why are you here alone?” Cadance frowned, and Sweetie begrudgingly gave Cadance her Looping note. Returning to an adult size, Sweetie waited as the two read it, and blushed deeply. Folding the note back up, they coughed as Sweetie retrieved the note. “Well, you have fun exploring The Crystal Empire...Sweetie.” Giving an embarrassed farewell, Sweetie followed Garble back to the inn just as it become dinnertime. Dropping by a fast food place, Sweetie grabbed herself a meal, and followed Garble up to the room, where they ate quietly. “Garble, can I ask you a question?” Raising her head, Sweetie looked to Garble, who gave a nod. “Why do you insist that you hate Ponies?” Looking him honestly in the eyes, she watched him visibly cringe, dropping various gems on the floor. Glaring at her, he growled. “Garble,” she said simply, no opinion in her voice. Pausing, Garble growled once more, picking up the gems quietly. After finishing that, he walked over to the window, and looked out it. “Because I’m the oldest Dragon of the hatchlings. They expect me to hate them.” After speaking, Garble sat back down on the bed, continuing to eat. Sweetie did the same, silence between them. “What do you really think?” Their eyes met, and Sweetie simply looked at Garble. Giving another sigh, he looked to the window. “I think you are interesting creatures, capable of so much, and yet so weak. How can something so weak create an Empire as strong as you have? Just don’t repeat this, okay?” Looking toward Sweetie, Garble blinked as she gave a smile, and nodded. Taking a bite of their food, the silence turned into a warmer atmosphere, and the two decided to enjoy the week, and nothing more. “You’re still namby pamby though,” he commented, and Sweetie snorted, covering her amusement with another bite of her food. Author's Note 21 Five com L80“So how long is this going to take exactly?” Garble looked toward Sweetie as she glided beside him, his own wings flapping occasionally to keep him in the air. Smiling, Sweetie looked at the landscape below them, looking for anything interesting. At the moment they were going over the plains part of Equestria, where there was not much to see beyond the occasional pool of water, and the large lake going south-west. “A couple days. I want to spend time seeing everything in Equestria while we’re on our way back.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie saw the annoyance on Garble’s face, and she pulled out another gem. Tossing it to him, he stopped grumping and lapsed into miffed silence. Looking back at the land as they flew, Sweetie smiled, seeing a large crevice. “Oooh!” Gliding down, they flew into it and looked around the inside. There was a strong downdraft, but Sweetie blocked it with a makeshift spell, bursting with pride when it worked. Looking around, she saw all the many caves in the sides, and noticed Garble gravitating to one. Following his lead, Sweetie soon saw why. “Woah,” she said in awe, watching as the cave opened up to a dark pool, lit by the thousands of glowworms on the ceiling. Flipping onto her back, Sweetie marveled at how it was almost like a personal double sky. Garble looked at this for a moment, and then crouched near a wall, digging at it. Soon enough, he unearthed a large gem, and smiled. “Ready to continue?” Smiling, Sweetie waited as Garble once more rose, and they flew out of the crevice. Loving their quiet little find, Sweetie wondered if she could ever take one of her friends here if she ever got out. Shaking her head, Sweetie quickly focused on other things, looking for anything else that was interesting. “Geronimo!” Diving into the water, Sweetie giggled as she was tossed around by the raging waterfall. With the spell on to shield her from being hurt, it was actually quite fun. Garble hovered above, watching this. Poking her head back above the water, Sweetie approached land, and shook herself dry, sighing in bliss. “Alright, we can go.” Flaring her wings, Sweetie took to the air and hovered next to Garble as she pulled out the map. Tracing their path east, she found the waterfall, and then traced a path south. Nodding, she folded up the map, and they flew off. Garble glanced back toward the waterfall for a moment, and then followed Sweetie. “Uh, do ponies normally come with bat-wings?” Garble landed beside Sweetie as they entered a town with a tree canopy so thick, it was like night inside. Looking around, Sweetie dimmed her horn so they could just see, giving a smile in apology to the Bat-Ponies who lived here. Shaking her head, she turned to Garble. “No, Batponies are very rare. This is the only town I know of where they live actually.” Looking around, Sweetie noticed how normal it seemed despite their appearance, and was reminded what Cheerilee had told her about Bat-Ponies. ‘They are ponies, just like us. Their difference is only skin deep.’ “Huh,” was all Garble said in response, looking around curiously. Eventually, Sweetie felt her wings twitch once more, knowing it was time to continue on. Opening up her map, Sweetie traced a path past Canterlot, toward the next place of interest. Smiling, she flared her wings, watching Garble do the same, and they took into the air. “I gotta say, Pegasi have great food.” Munching down the wonderful food of Cloudsdale, she looked to Garble, and returned her eyes to the map in her magic. Looking to their next destination, Sweetie wondered if she’d be able to find a woodworker in Cloudsdale. Garble munched on his gems, noticing that his bags were now empty. “Don’t worry Garble, I packed gems for you.” Smiling, Sweetie levitated out two handfuls of gems, holding them out to Garble. Muttering a quick thanks, he placed them in his saddlebags. Finishing her meal, Sweetie and Garble took to the sky, continuing on their path. Both ignored the stares they got, having quickly gotten used to it in The Crystal Empire. “I don’t know if this is safe…” Garble looked down the gorge, biting his lip as the cliff stretched before them. Cantering broke him out of this, and he watched Sweetie do a backflip off the top of the cliff, and pull out her wooden board. As she angled herself with her wings, the cliffside rapidly approached, curving downward. “Well, here goes nothing.” Garble jumped off, holding his own board with an iron grip. As the cliff hit the wood, he smacked his nose against the wood, and watched one of his teeth be knocked out by the force. Focus quickly diverted to the next hit coming, he leaned back, and rode the hit as they bounced down the cliff. “Whooo! Oh jeez, are you ok Garble?” Immediately noticing his mouth was bleeding, Sweetie was waved away by Garble. Opening his mouth, he showed off where the tooth had come out, and Sweetie’s ears flopped down. Garble picked up the board, and glanced to the top of the cliff. “I’ll race you?” Looking back at Sweetie, Garble flinched as two arms wrapped around him, before a white blue dove to the top of the cliff. Looking up, he sighed, rubbing his mouth where it was sore. Flaring his wings, he joined Sweetie at the top of the cliff. “Alright, one race, but then we’ve gotta head past the Unicorn Range to Tall Tale.” “How exactly did ponies make these?” Looking at the huge buildings, Garble couldn’t believe his eyes. Ponies were moving around in them, doing their daily lives as if this was normal. Giggling, Sweetie directed his eyes to a construction half-built. Looking at it, Garble saw that every pony down there was a Unicorn. “Unicorn magic helps reinforce it so it’s really strong.” Pointing at it, Sweetie smiled, watching them work from their perch on top of one of the higher buildings. Sure, she couldn’t pick out details from this distance, but if she ever thought of it, she’d like to come back and explore this town. “So why aren’t we going to that town?” Looking down, Garble pointed toward a cloud city that had a mountain with the word ‘Applewood’ on it. Flipping onto her back, Sweetie opened her mouth to explain. “I’m not here to explore pony cities, I can save them for a different loop. I’m here to see everything in Equestria. That’s why we’re heading straight for the desert.” Giving a smile, Sweetie flipped back right-side up, and they continued on. Garble felt a cramp starting in his wings, and bit his lip. “There, an oasis!” Gliding down to land, they both dived into the water as steam rose off it. Surprisingly, it was cool despite the blistering heat around them. Creating an air bubble underneath the water’s surface, they looked around, and broke out laughing. “Alright, I’ll admit, we should have brought some water,” commented Sweetie, and Garble raised an eyebrow in response, before folding his arms and snorting. “Leave it to a pony to forget something needed to live.” They both shared a glare, and then broke out laughing once more. “Alright, we’ll wait for nightfall, and head back to the bowl then.” Thorak looked toward the horizon as two forms appeared from the west. The sun behind him, he soon recognised them, and roared in greeting. The Dragons quickly joined in, continuing until the two landed. Both were obviously exhausted, but full of energy at the same time. Garble quickly said goodbye, and went to brag to the other Dragons. “Some things never change,” she commented, watching Garble quickly resume his place on top. Thorak rumbled in amusement, and they sat in silence for a moment. “Why did you ask me to take him with me?” Looking to Thorak, Sweetie watched as his large mouth opened. “Perspective is important for a leader.” Thorak pointed toward Garble, and Sweetie flicked her ear, turning into the conversation. “-I bet it sucked being stuck with a whimpy little pony, right Garble?” A stout Dragon smirked, poking Garble in the ribs. Turning to the dragon, Garble growled, voice growing low as he spoke. “Now listen here, just because something is small, doesn’t mean it is weak. Ponies might be namby as all pamby, but I have never seen the pony behind me be anything but steel.” Looking the Dragon evenly in the eyes, Garble straightened up, towering over the Dragon. They all shared a glance, and then mumbled quick apologies. Glancing to Sweetie, Garble and her shared a glance. “...I wonder if turning myself into a swamp monster would earn their respect,” she muttered quietly. Musing on this, Sweetie shrugged it off. “Nah, Garble’s got this.” Smiling, Sweetie gave him a wave, and watched him turn back to the other Dragon’s. As he spoke, he spoke of his experiences, skipping the part where he has burned a sheep. Chuckling, Sweetie was silently glad of that. After all, it was hard to maintain her status as a strong, but small, race when most ponies had run at the sight of Garble burning a sheep slightly. “Have you found a place of residence?” Looking down to Sweetie, Thorak waited as she formed a response. “I’m thinking of Canterlot. There’s this inn I stayed at. I think I’ve got it down pat enough that I should be able to stay there without any problems. Plus, with the train it makes transporting your egg easier.” Smiling, Sweetie looked to Thorak, who bowed his head in gratitude. With the plans sorted of where Sweetie would be staying, she gave a yawn, settling in for a calm rest after a long and arduous Loop. Author's Note 20 Four /who L81Opalescence played with the mouse. It was one of the things she did on a weekly basis, right after the reset. Finished playing, she ate it without a second thought, and stalked past Sweetie Belle’s room, sneaking a look inside. Sure enough, there was a flash of light as a note appeared on the bed. Yawning, Opal skulked downstairs, eating her food and drinking her water. Finished that, she paced in a circle a few times in one corner of the room, and then curled into a ball. Closing her eyes, her ears flickered once, and she was soon asleep. After a moment, a spark seemed to rise out of her head, and pass through the wall of the house, becoming invisible. Rising into the sky, the magic spark rocketed toward Canterlot, heading purposely toward an Inn. Arriving at it, it went through the wall, and found a spider in one corner of the room. The spider didn’t react, however it did slowly turn toward the one heat signature in the room. Its web vibrated as it spoke. Slowly, the vibrations formed specific patterns, and the spider translated them into words. “Okay, let’s try this again, hrrrg!” Sweetie concentrated, focusing on the spell she had used Twilight Mode to create. Slowly, her hoof began to dissipate slightly, becoming almost a shadowy outline. Two more followed, before the spell fizzled, and she sighed. Pulling out some fabric from her bag, she smiled to it. “Oh well, if I can’t do Sombra, I can pretend to be Mare-Do-Well.” Giggling, Sweetie changed her height, and got dressed. Concentrating, she also grew wings, ensuring they were hid expertly under the cape. Nodding, she opened the window, glancing toward all her items. The chances of her accidentally causing a reset were low, so she took the chance and left them in her room. As Sweetie flew out of the room, the spark also left the Spider, once more passing through the ceiling and making a beeline for a bird high in the sky. There was a brief moment where the bird faltered mid-flap, before steadying out and settling into a glide above the flying pony. As Sweetie flew, she began to sing a merry tune to herself. Gliding to land, the bird picked a spot on top of a house, watching as Sweetie used her knowledge of events to both cause and stop events. Preening, the bird merely watched, doing nothing. Eventually, the Elements confronted Sweetie, who never gave away her disguise. Eventually, it became night time, and the bird closed its eyes, the spark leaving and following Sweetie once more into the inn room. “Glad the Ponyville inn is cheap,” she spoke, taking off her disguise as she closed the door, and closed the curtains. Looking out at everything from a crack, she smiled at today, and then turned toward the desk. Writing on it, she began to plan out her actions for tomorrow. Giggling, she wondered just how much mischief she could get away with before being caught. As the light turned off, the spark once more rose out of the spider, and dissipated. Opal opened her eyes, stretching casually as Rarity came in the door, giving her a weak smile, quickly going back to worry about her sister. Stalking upstairs, Opal swished her tail, heading for her bed. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep in her cat bed. ’She is growing stronger, that much is certain. We’re nearing the end, finally.’ ‘I was lucky, in some aspects, to gain such a strong resourceful filly, no matter. When this is over, I will gain what I want, and she will return to her life, unharmed, unknowing.’ ‘There are two rogue elements in my spell, I must prepare for the case that they might interfere. Both are powerful, maybe too powerful. Hopefully my safety measures hold. The Dragons shouldn’t be able to gain access, and Discord would need to go against his very nature.’ ‘Still, I must prepare. As the images blur together, she will soon descend to the most destructive part of this process. The Dragons might resist now, but I must include them in the spell before that happens.’ ‘Or at the very least, I must prepare to limit the damage she can do. As her power grows, her chains must grow tighter.’ He laughs ‘The years of waiting, finally I will succeed where I failed.’ ‘And no one can stop me.’ Author's Note 19 Three is You asked for Seriousness, here ya go. L83‘Finally, the serum is complete.’ The scientist hugged the phial with a giddy glee, looking toward his notes as he corked the fluid, and placed it in a beaker. Locking his door, he trotted down toward the Scientific discovery office. Once they saw his invention, they would have to give him a meeting with the Princess. ‘There’s a lot of Pegasi around today…’ Glancing up, the scientist adjusted his glasses, and then widened his eyes. There were no wings on the back of the ponies. Turning, he saw a poster about the exact same serum he had just created, and the free taste testing going on in the square he had been going to announce it. “Tonic! Tonic! Get yer tonic! Guaranteed to make you fly!” There she was, a white pony with pink bobbing curls and a music Cutie Mark. Growling, he marched over and thrust a hoof at her, face beetroot red and scrunched up. Blinking, he coughed, took a step back, and began his rant. “What are you doing with MY tonic! I just created this!” Breathing through his nose, his glare sent children crying. The mare looked him over, and then pulled out a notebook titled ‘research notes’. It was in a different hoofwriting too. Snatching it, the scientist could only widen his eyes as his notes, perfectly scripted in a different hoof, opened before him. What was more, the dates were different. “But, it, I-” The scientist’s mind failed to compute the situation before him, and he fainted. Taking the note back, Sweetie casually burned them, looking down as a twinge of guilt passed through her before getting swiftly squashed. Levitating the pony, she placed him on the stand, and wrote out a note. ’You will find the proper notes under the desk.’ Slipping it under his hoof, Sweetie teleported away as a spell weaved through the air, quickly rousing him. Snorting awake, the scientist read the note, and pulled out exact duplicates of the notes he had just created, ink dry and writing formalised. “Mister, may I have a potion?” A young white filly with curled hair approached, and the scientist rubbed his eyes, seeing the Cutie Mark. Confused as he was, he numbly hoofed over a potion, and rubbed his temple. Smiling sweetly, Sweetie turned, trotting away with her potion. Turning around a corner, she glanced back. The scientist hoofed out another potion, and sighed, unable to comprehend the events of today. According to the documentation, he had submitted the potion on Monday, despite it being Wednesday. What’s more, he had an appointment with Princess Celestia on Friday. While he should be happy, his brain kept trying to work out how this was feasibly possible. ‘I wonder how he’ll handle this,’ mused Sweetie, turning and heading toward her inn. Arriving, she rummaged through her saddlebags, and gave the egg a gentle pat, smiling as she looked out the window. Finished that, she drunk down the potion, and dove out the window, flying toward the castle entrance. ’It shouldn’t be too hard for Celestia to pass me off as an Alicorn again.’ Author's Note 17 one Note: To make things a little suspenseful, I'll leave the final word secret. L84“Please?” “No.” “Please?” “No, I said no!” “Please?” “I SAID NO!” “Please?” “You’ve been doing this for an hour no and the answer is still no!” “...” “...” “Pleeee-” “Oh for Changeling’s sake! FINE!” “Yaay~” Sweetie hugged Chrissy and rubbed her face against the chest. Using her adorable child form, she giggled as Chrissy simply looked away, blushing as the love from Sweetie went to her head. Standing up, Sweetie trotted a few steps away, and turned, giving a wicked smile. Chrissy sighed, standing up herself and looking to her hungry Changelings. “Alright, what’s your plan?” Knowing she was gonna regret asking, Chrissy could only watch as the filly scrunched her face up, and transformed into a Changeling. Examining the magic, Chrissy saw it only changed the surface, due to the fact she couldn’t detect the sensory gland. Looking it over, Chrissy began to scowl. “You fool, our holes are Annulus, not round! And your ears are slightly too high on the-” As Chrissy spoke, Sweetie obeyed, changing everything to her disguise. Soon enough, even Chrissy was satisfied with the level of detail. Finally, Sweetie pulled out a slip of paper, holding it out to Chrissy. “Is this a spell to...stop that green spell that disrupts our disguise?” Seeing the nod, Chrissy smiled, quickly focusing the magic into her horn. Using the energy harvested only moment ago from the filly, she sent out a pulse, covering her Changeling army in a thin coat. Only good enough for one blast. “This...might actually work.” Turning toward Sweetie, Chrissy was taken aback by the snort the filly gave as she turned to leave. “Might? Pff, there is no might about it.” “Twilight?” Walking into the castle, Sweetie looked at Twilight as she closed her book. Walking over, she let a gleeful smile fall on her face. Bemused, Twilight waited for the influx of words. “I just learned an awesome spell! Let me show it to you!” Concentrating, Sweetie pretended to make it a hard challenge. Watching this, Twilight smiled warmly, waiting to see what Sweetie had learned. Of course, that was the last thought she had as the spell hit her, and she was knocked out cold. “You can come out now,” spoke Sweetie as she tied up Twilight. Chrissy came out, and ordered the hive to begin creating the containers for the ponies. Watching this, Sweetie wondered what it was like being inside one, before shaking it off. Chrissy placed Twilight inside, and Sweetie roused the Princess, letter her ‘disguise’ fall. Twilight gasped, “Chrysalis!” Scowling, she grunted, trying to struggle and get unbound. Failing that, she tried to cast magic, but found it being drained the moment she brought it to her horn. Chrissy smiled, and gave an evil laugh. You had to admire an expert in action. “My Queen, the beds are prepared.” A Changeling approached, bowing before stepping back. Chrysalis smirked, and everything turned into their disguises. Looking to Sweetie, Chrissy watches as her horn began to teleport small groups around town. Each group had a unicorn, just in case someone questioned them. “Whew,” she spoke, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Teleporting so many really played off her endurance. Sure, she was getting better, but Sweetie still wasn't satisfied. Following Chrissy outside, Sweetie watched her don a Twilight disguise. As they stood out the front, they both shared a nod, and perked their ears. Sure enough, sounds of fear and cries of panic rose. Soon enough, the entire town was covered in a black cloud that was rapidly shifting, shrinking, and moving. Slowly at first, but quickly increasing in speed, the Changelings began to bring the ponies into the castle, sealing them in cocoons. “-estia .... -it.” That voice, Sweetie slammed the door open and looked to Twilight, who was talking to Spike. Firing off a flame spell at the scroll in his hand, Sweetie scowled as her flame didn’t reach it in time, and it was sent. Glancing to Chrissy, they narrowed their eyes, and the Changelings began to work even faster. Soon enough, the entire town was deadly silent. Both flew up to a roof to await their arrival. “I’ve gathered as much love as I can,” spoke Chrissy, glancing to Sweetie, who was currently covering them in strong shields. There was no doubt a fight would ensue. Gulping, her mind quailed. They would be battling the Princesses. Could they do it? What if they- “Relax, Sweetie Belle. Their strengths are in endurance, not power.” Bringing a wing around Sweetie, they watched as two glowing specks, one brighter than a star and one as bright as the sun. With a flash, they were in front. Then Chrissy dropped her disguise, there was no need for it. “Release our little ponies.” Commanding an overpowering presence, Celestia’s eyes burned with fire, and the two took a small step back, before starting directly at the sun. Luna hovered beside, glowing brightly while an aura of darkness swirled around her. Glancing to Chrysalis, Sweetie gave an unsure glance. “Never.” Chrysalis was anything if not graceful. Standing tall and proud, without anything hiding her, she presented a powerful presence by merely being as she was. In awe of this, Sweetie almost missed the que. Turning, she locked onto Luna, glancing to Chrissy. Lowering their horns, trusting Sweetie’s shield, they fired their bolts of raw magic power at Luna. “What!?” Caught off guard, Celestia’s attack halted just as the shield shattered, earning Chrissy only minor burns. Luna struggled with all her might against it, but was quickly overwhelmed. Turning, the two spared no time to let Celestia recover, and managed to get a quick upper hand in the power struggle. Wings flaring, the sun rose behind Celestia, blinding them and empowering her. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie poured as much as she could into the link, closing her eyes as she tried to not lose this fight. All three cried out as they used all their power. Celestia felt herself being pushed back, and opened one eye, widening it as she saw the beam pick up speed, and knock her down. Both collapsed, Chrissy glancing to the castle, calling the Changelings out to place the two Princesses in a bed before they woke. While they did that, the two shared a laugh. Collapsing, Sweetie closed her eyes, exhausted beyond compare. Looking at this, Chrissy smiled, slowly moving a hoof down the fur on the filly’s back. “You’re such a child sometimes.” “So, what do we do now?” Looking around, Sweetie watched as the Changelings ensured all the ponies were fed, bathed, and kept in top condition while they dreamt. Thin green lines were being sent around the castle, showing just how quickly the Changelings were regaining strength. In fact, Chrissy was slowly losing her holes. “Well, I don’t know about you Sweetie Belle, but I plan to regain my nation's strength, and then discuss some sort of agreement with Celestia so we may feed occasionally.” The annoyed tone in her voice suggested how smoothly that would go. Sighing, Sweetie stood up, stretching her aching joints. It was strange how magic made the entire body ache. “Well, it’s been fun Chrissy, see you if I see you.” Waving goodbye, Sweetie grew wings and flew out the front door. Watching this, Chrysalis wondered if she would ever see that filly again. Well, would she remember it? Author's Note 16 Poaxal Plincopt Corochiaxa Ug axalo pit chupid lurol. Do to popular complaint, I have changed Chrysalis's nickname to Chrissy L85The dark blue pony with a Cutie Mark consisting of two double quavers opened his eyes. Shaking his slightly darker blue mane, he smiled, sitting up and looking towards the piano resting in the corner of the room. Rising, he walked over to the window, opening it and smiling as the sun warmed him. “Good mooorning world,” he whispered to himself, closing his eyes as a fresh breeze washed over him. Chuckling, he turned, heading for his piano. Sitting down, he brushed his hoof along the smooth surface. After a moment, he flipped open the lid, and pressed a single key. As the single note rang out, his ears flickered. In the distance, a violin began to play, joined by the sound of a bass beat, likely coming from the unlikely duo down the street. If he really perked his ears, he could also hear a lyre being played. Hovering his hooves over the piano, he closed his eyes, and breathed out, letting the music wash through him. “Good morning world,” he sung, playing the notes that melded his voice with the song already outside. Wordlessly, the song changed, welcoming his presence, and they began to play. Key presses soon transformed into a more complex beat, and his quiet voice slowly faded. Mouth still moving, his mind was focused completely on his task. “-Giving way to the dawn of this new day.” Playing a few notes, all sound slowly faded, and the sounds of Ponyville waking began to fill the silence. Sitting there for a few moments, he merely listened to it, a smile on his face. Finally, the smells of breakfast blew in through the window, and he rose to make some toast. Eating his breakfast, Noteworthy looked out the window, planning his day. Wiping his mouth, he stood up, and left his home. Looking around, he noticed one of the local kids glance toward him as she passed. Flashing a smile, he turned to lock his door, and headed toward the markets for shopping. “Half a dozen cherries please,” he spoke, holding out the money. Putting the cherries in his bag, he turned, heading for Applejack’s stall. Placing his order, he turned to his final location, Sugarcube Corner, and entered. Sure enough, Pinkie Pie was watching the register. Giving a warm smile, they both nodded in greeting. “Could I get some pie crust? Gonna bake myself a pie for dinner. Oh, and one cupcake as well.” Taking his items, Noteworthy bid farewell, and left the building. Heading towards home, he noticed Lyra playing on a bench, and tossed her three bits. The two exchanged a musician's knowing look, and he moved on. Dropping his items off at his house, Noteworthy moved the basket of apples Applejack had delivered inside, and once more locked the house. Turning, he trotted cheerfully toward the local restaurant. Heading inside, he punched himself into work, and put on his apron. Turning, he began to serve customers. The moment the sun hit the horizon, he punched out, hanging up the apron. A bag of bits was tossed toward him, and he waved goodbye to his employer. Walking home, Noteworthy yawned, entering his house. Looking around, he flicked on the light, and moved to make dinner. Eating it, his eyes closed, a smile on his face. The sun finally set, and the moon rose. Rising, Noteworthy headed to his bedroom just as the sounds of music began once more. Joining in, his voice managed to muster the energy to sing, despite his exhausted state. As their song went over Ponyville, lights began to turn off. Even the electronic sounds of the DJ was smooth, easing ponies into their night. “Day is done, gone the sun, From the lake, from the hills, from the sky; All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.” Yawning, Sweetie Belle looked to her notes, and began her flight back to Canterlot. There was no rush, and she could sleep all day now her task was done. Watching a pony's day was exhausting, but it would be worth it. Putting the notebook in her saddlebag, she glided over the town, humming the song to herself. Smiling, she sighed, looking toward the stars. As they twinkled, she almost hesitated. “No, he won’t remember it after a few days anyway.” Author's Note 15 Ug rot vo spoct wheuls, daxays, wooks welkick en sporrs zaxat ug wisk bel. Sporrs te whorp, sporrs te poboct, axarr ‘suggochow’ fupp ug axas Pum klod an. Pum waxas pleud te solvo ug, fut hon Pum waxas baxacow um zo staxanco te focemo dimmeltaxar? Hon vupp losoaxalstow tulnow an pit roaxad? It's a little short, sorry bout that. L86Noteworthy opened his eyes. Shaking his mane, he smiled, sitting up and looking towards the piano resting in the corner of the room. Rising, he walked over to the window, opening it and smiling as the sun warmed him. “Good mooorning wo-” A pie implanted itself into his face, and he reared, falling backward as his mouth opened, crying out in alarm. As he thudded into the ground, he groaned, wiping the pie off his face and standing back up. Looking around, he saw someone had made a swinging device that activated upon him opening the window. ‘Strange…’ Musing on it, he frowned for a moment, before turning and heading toward his piano. For some reason, there was a cushion on the seat. Picking it up, Noteworthy recognised it as a whoopee cushion. Tossing it aside, he scanned the room for a moment, and sat down. Flipping open the lid, he pressed a single key. As the single note rang out, his ears flickered. In the distance, a violin began to play, joined by the sound of a bass beat, likely coming from the unlikely duo down the street. If he really perked his ears, he could also hear a lyre being played. Hovering his hooves over the piano, he closed his eyes, and breathed out, letting the music wash through him. “-Giving way to the dawn of this new day.” Playing a few notes, all sound slowly faded, and the sounds of Ponyville waking began to fill the silence. Sitting there for a few moments, he merely listened to it, a smile on his face. Finally, the smells of breakfast blew in through the window, and he rose to make some toast. Taking a bite of his breakfast, Noteworthy paused. Spitting it out, he dove for the sink, getting cold water on his tongue, eyes watering from the burn in his mouth. Sobbing slightly, he waited as the sting slowly lessened. Tossing the rest of his food in a bin, he decided to head out for today, grimacing as his stomach growled. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll spoil ourselves to pie tonight.’ Smiling at the thought, he noticed one of the local kids glance toward him as she passed. Flashing a smile, he turned to lock his door, and blinked. Somehow, the lock, along with the door handle, had vanished in the small time he hadn’t been watching. “Uhh, okay…” Turning, he began to trot toward the shopping district. While he preferred to lock his home, Ponyville was a safe district, so he wasn’t worried about being robbed. Turning the corner, he headed toward the cherry cart. Giving a warm smile, he reached into his bit bag. “Half a dozen cherries please,” he spoke, holding out the money. As the clerk began to pour the berries, they began to float. Small arms seemed to grow out of them, and a moaning began to sound. Looking at this, Noteworthy almost believed his cherries had come to life, and then he did a double-take. “Hold on, those ‘arms’ are just the skin slightly peeled off, and the moaning is just the cart. Not to mention, someone is levitating them.” Looking around, Noteworthy was unable to spot the pony doing it, and growled. The clerk packed him a new batch of cherries, and he began on his way. It was definite, someone was trying to screw with him. Quickly ordering his apples, he hastened to Sugarcube Corner, having a suspicion about who might be behind it. “Uh Pinkie Pie, are you pranking me?” Looking her deep in the eyes, Noteworthy only saw confusion as she shook her head. Sighing, he rubbed a hoof over his face, and placed his order. Not bothering to look at his order, he turned, heading for home. Glancing at the apples he had gotten delivered, he wasn’t surprised to find them all rotten. Tossing his items inside, he headed for work. Punching in, he forced himself to put on a smile. “Sir! This soup is already cold!” Oh it was one of those days. Sure, there were customers like this on good days, but sometimes there were just days when you could feel the storm rising up inside you. It took all his patience to make it through the shift. The moment the sun hit the horizon, he punched out, hanging up the apron. A bag of bits was tossed toward him, and he waved goodbye to his employer. Walking home, Noteworthy yawned, entering his house. Looking around, he flicked on the light, and moved to make dinner. Glancing inside his bag of bits on a hunch, he gritted his teeth and tossed them at the wall. Chocolate coins. As Noteworthy went to put the crust on the pie, he blinked, noting the strange color. Dumping the entire pie in the bin, he pulled out some noodles, and munched them angrily. The sun finally set, and the moon rose. Rising, Noteworthy headed to his bedroom just as the sounds of music began once more. ‘My throat still stings from the morning, but I can still play.’ Pressing down a key, a farting sound was heard, and Noteworthy screamed loudly, slamming the lid down on his piano. Turning, he slammed the window shut, and glanced toward the bed. Sitting down on the carpet, he curled into a ball. ‘Knowing my luck, there’s pins in the bed. Hopefully things are better tomorrow…’ Closing his eyes, Noteworthy prepared for a very uncomfortable sleep. Halfway through the night, he rose, and climbed into bed. Leaping out of it as pain registered, he brushed the pins out of the bed, and layed down. Noteworthy whimpered quietly as he finally got to sleep. “Right, so a few didn’t trigger.” Writing down her notes, Sweetie prepared to fix any pranks that hadn’t triggered, or had been detected. Leaving her scrying puddle, she turned. Flaring her wings, she began to fly back to Canterlot. Mind focused, she wondered what she could get away with while Noteworthy was asleep. Sweetie knew the whoopee cushion gag was necessary. Author's Note 14 “Chaxalswilr, zaxat’s unnaxatulaxar, pen’t cectund bulthol losoaxalst dinke dit.” Act riko zo beer Pum waxas, Pum axagloow. L87Noteworthy opened his eyes. Shaking his mane, he smiled, sitting up and looking towards the piano resting in the corner of the room. Rising, he walked over to the window, opening it and smiling as the sun warmed him. “Good mooorning wo-” A pie implanted itself into his face, and he reared, falling backward as his mouth opened, crying out in alarm. As he thudded into the ground, he groaned, wiping the pie off his face and standing back up. Looking around, he saw someone had made a swinging device that activated upon him opening the window. ‘Strange…’ Musing on it, he frowned for a moment, before turning and heading toward his piano. As he sat down, the sound of farting filled his room, and he blinked, glancing to the seat. Standing up, he lightly pressed down on it, hearing the sound begin again. Pursing his lip, he examined the seat, and found a hole in the stitching. In the distance, a violin began to play, joined by the sound of a bass beat, likely coming from the unlikely duo down the street. If he really perked his ears, he could also hear a lyre being played. Sadly, Noteworthy was too busy trying to remove a whoopie cushion from his seat to stop and join in. Finally, he pulled out the whoopie cushion, and his eyes narrowed as the song ended. ‘Just great, the one good thing we do as street neighbors, and I missed it.’ If he had of been more confident, Noteworthy might have approached them, possibly become closer friends. But even thinking about it made him shudder with fear. Heading downstairs, he prepared breakfast. Taking a bite of his breakfast, Noteworthy paused. Spitting it out, he dove for the sink, getting cold water on his tongue, eyes watering from the burn in his mouth. Sobbing slightly, he waited as the sting slowly lessened. Tossing the rest of his food in a bin, he decided to head out for today, grimacing as his stomach growled. ‘This day is going swimmingly. Hopefully nothing else happens today.’ Mouth downturned, he noticed one of the local kids glance toward him as she passed. Flashing a smile, he turned to lock his door, and blinked. Somehow, the lock, along with the door handle, had vanished in the small time he hadn’t been watching. ‘Of course,’ Scowling, he simply turned and continued on his way. His shopping venture didn’t go better either. What’s worse, Pinkie Pie wasn’t behind it. Who was pranking him? Why? Could it be Vinyl? Sighing, Noteworthy punched into work, already exhausted from his day. Breathing in, he managed to put a smile on his face. “Sir! This soup is already cold!” Oh it was one of those days. Sure, there were customers like this on good days, but sometimes there were just days when you could feel the storm rising up inside you. However, with each customer Noteworthy served, his mood only got worse. It took everything he had to not say anything. In the end, it wasn’t good enough. “Would you shut up for Celestia’s sake!?” Shouting at the customer, Noteworthy backpedaled, and glanced to his boss, who was serving the drinks at the counter. Beckoned over, Noteworthy had no choice but to follow orders, and his ears flopped back as the boss simple told him this was his final week here. ‘I’m fired.’ After such a terrible day, Noteworthy was ready to cry. In fact, upon arriving home, and finding that his pie was inedible, he couldn’t even bring himself to make noodles. Sobbing into the counter, he only rose when the sounds of music echoed down the street. Rising, he clung to the hope he could have one moment of happiness. As the fart sound rang out at the press of a key, and his voice still sore from breakfast, Noteworthy collapsed on the carpet and cried. Looking to his bed, he pulled off the sheet to expose the pins, but didn’t factor in the fact some would get flung at him. Pulling them out, he slumped in bed, and sobbed. “Right, so all the pranks went off without a hitch. It resulted in him crying though, might need to tone it down for regular ponies in the future.” Finishing her notes, Sweetie ended the magic on the puddle that allowed her to see Noteworthy's day. Pocketing her notes, she took a seat on a roof, and looked along the town. “Alright, so who’s next.” Concentrating, Sweetie twirled herself around rapidly in her magic, and stuck a hoof out, stopping herself. the moment her eyes stopped spinning, she looked to the house she had chosen, and made note of its location. Pulling out a list of ponies and where they live, she was surprised to find out Cheerilee lived there. Musing on this, Sweetie considered the best way to prank her. “Maybe turning her into a filly? That might be amusing to watch. I should make a list of pranks for specific ponies, now my list of things to do has run out.” Thinking aloud, Sweetie soon noticed a lone pony walking down the street. Blinking, she breathed in sharply, realising it was Noteworthy. Flaring her wings, she dove for her scrying puddle, and cast the spell. “Right, here we are.” Coming to a stop, Noteworthy looked out upon the cliff, and sighed, sitting down. Hugging himself he sobbed quietly. Pursing her lip, Sweetie flared her wings, going to apologise, when he began to speak. Turning, she paused, listening in. “Uh hey Celestia, or whatever force governs this place. Listen, I know you’ve never liked me a-and you proved it when my p-parents disowned me. I m-mean, I understand you wanted me to go through trials, but I w-was finally happy with my life.” Closing his eyes, Noteworthy’s tears continued to flow. “But please, why did you give me such a terrible day? Without my job I can’t repair my piano. And I’m so hungry right now. Please, if this is because you are testing me, why? I don’t want more, I was happy. WHY!” Shouting out across the cliff face, Noteworthy shrunk as many grumpy pony voices told him to shut up. “I get it.” Standing up, his legs wobbled as he gulped, looking at the cliff. Sweetie’s eyes widened, and she flew off, going as fast as she can, teleporting most of the distance. “I’ll shut up then…” Closing his eyes, Noteworthy fell forward right off the cliff just as a hoof tried to grab him, missing him by an inch. Sweetie jumped, buzzing her wings as she tried to fly faster than terminal velocity. However, she wasn’t exactly a born flier, and she lacked true Pegasi magic. “Nooo!” Crying out, she watched as Noteworthy merely looked at her, eyes gray. What’s more, his Cutie Mark seemed to fade, as if he no longer believed in his destiny. Sweetie cast a shield over Noteworthy, along with a one over herself, and teleported to the ground. However, she had forgotten about her speed carrying over, and tumbled over, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to catch him. Bloodied, with one leg possibly broken, she blinked the pain away. There was a thud, and Sweetie turned, hope staining her face. Looking at the body, she waited for the dust to clear, slowly crawling over. As she got close, gasping breaths, gurgling coughs, reached her ears. Standing up, Sweetie approached, and looked down at Noteworthy, something impaling his chest. Their eyes met, before he closed his, and took his final breath. Sweetie blinked. Followed by another. And another. And another. Author's Note 13 Jed zeugh, Pum axam belcow te laxaco axagaxainch zo creng axas vupp timo tings pewn te dits binaxar socects. Arr focaxauso ug lobusow pit yeuck konius whis staxanco te vaxako ovolyeno rivo belovol. Ug axalo pit baxairulo axas pit lurol, Pum soo zaxat jed. If you think this is out of character, I have one thing to say: Party of one. Have another poem: Your taint grows blacker with this silent unbroken night, left with cold so sharp and painful. Soon you may forget, these feelings of despair, the light flickering to reveal this darkness. Soon, your love may fade away. L88 “And so, I went to his house on Monday, and he didn’t even remember? Isn’t that super funny? Not a single memory, a single pippity peep you know? But that’s how it is you know, no one ever remembers. No one ever will.” Giggling to herself, Sweetie flinched, dragging her item through the dirt. For once, she was her normal height. Only those who knew her would recognise her. “Sweetie Belle.” That was Diamond Tiara, one of her bestest best friends in the world. “So it got me thinking, I mean really what punishment do I receive for all the crimes I cause? What is my karma? And then I realised it, this loop is my karma! I am already paying for my crimes, and no good deeds will ever right it enough to let me escape!” Tossing the object into the air, Sweetie began to juggle it with her magic, beginning to trot cheerfully to her destination. “Sweetie Belle!” Once more, the other voice rang out. “No one remembers! No one knows! No one ever will! And it’s boring! Would you believe my biggest problem isn’t the fact of what I did, nor the fact I got away with it, but the boredom? I mean, of course A and B are important, but you gotta have priorities when you’re gonna more or less live forever.” Coming to a stop, Sweetie put her package down. “What are you doing? Why are we here? What do you mean!?” Of course Sweetie ignored the voice, it was rude to interrupt monologuing. “So yeah, that’s that in my book. No point in really talking myself out of it after what I’ve done. Might as weeelll go all the way. Whooo! I mean, it’s not like it will have any lasting effect, and it’ll be fun to see what happens. Thank you for being here, you’re a great listener. Really it’s just nice to talk this out before I go through with it.” Looking around, Sweetie smiled as a breeze washed over the night. “No wait! What are you doing! Please, what’s going on!?” Not even compliments were working? Darn, Diamond was being really stubborn. “But you see, I’ve got to test my convictions, no point doing anything really fun until I’m sure I can, you know? I’ve been playing the nice little filly for so long I’m worried it might prevent me from doing it you see, so what better way to test than with you? Don’t worry, you won’t remember it.” Looking to Diamond, Sweetie tightened the rope keeping her bound. There was no way she was letting her package run. “I don’t understand! If this is about bullying you I’ll stop, just let me go please!” Struggling in vain to escape, Diamond could only watch in terror as Sweetie lifted her up in magic, cutting the rope and holding her out over the cliff. “That old problem? Please, I forgave you for that ages ago. Like, over sixty loops ago. Look Diamond, this is much bigger than you, my entertainment is kinda more important. You’ll be fine, it’ll only be a few days. You won’t remember it anyway. So uh, see ya.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie hovered the screaming filly out over the cliff, and let her magic fade. Watching Diamond fall, Sweetie waited for her to hit the ground, and then trotted away. Teleporting back to her room, she shrunk herself back down to normal size. For once, she had decided to spend a loop at home. Sure, she was still paying for her room in Canterlot, but mainly she wanted to see what happened now. Morning came, and with it shock, alarm, and distress. Sweetie’s mask never slipped as she watched with fascination, absorbing all the new information, her rapid eye movement the only sign of something. Eventually, a funeral was held, and things went back to normal. “Well, that was boring. No investigation or anything.” Gliding back to Canterlot, Sweetie began writing down a list of various new things she could do. Still, it was disappointing to see so little effect. Flipping onto her back, she closed her eyes and sighed. The headaches were starting to return. “Right! I’ll have to step up my game, phase two!” Smiling, Sweetie flipped right side up, and settled back into a glide. There was a few tasks she wanted to do, and Sweetie really wanted to see what happened when they happened. Chuckling, she felt her excitement chase away the boredom. It wasn’t like anyone would remember it. Author's Note 12 Pen’t wellupp, hon wo slaxado praxacos, Pum caxan kuaxalaxankoo ug wen’t fo poniow zaxat. Abtol axarr, enco Pum’v dimmeltaxar, Pum caxan welk en vaxakick ovolyeno orso dimmeltaxar. Zon wo caxan bini ox rivo din doaxaco. I have been waiting a long time to get to this part of the story. L89Browsing the bookstore, Sweetie yawned. Canterlot didn’t have the best selection, but she had found a small section on what she was looking for. Browsing it, she smiled as she found the plant she was looking for. It was commonly found near forests, which was just perfect for her needs. “Excuse me miss? Are you going to buy that?” Looking toward the store clerk, Sweetie pursed her lip. Turning, she headed out the door without another word. Of course the clerk gave chase, but by then Sweetie had teleported away. Flipping through the pages, she headed for Whitetail Woods. “Okay, so it looks like a purple corn cob of flowers…” Looking around, Sweetie settled into a glide. She spied a small outcropping of it buried deeper into the woods, and flew towards it. Giving a smile, she plucked two stems from the plant. Turning, she began to fly back towards Ponyville. “Ahh, Larkspur Delphinium. You and me are going to have a little...chat.” Giggling, Sweetie headed for the main source of Ponyville’s drinking water, the huge tank kept near the outskirts of town. Tossing one of the stalks in through a small hole in the top, she then glided to the second source, a freshwater lake, and did the same. Those who noticed were more caught aback by a white Alicorn with Pinkie Pie hair flying around town. They could see it wasn’t Celestia, so their confusion only grew. Teleporting away, Sweetie found herself a place to return to filly size, and covered her Mark in some white powder. Nodding, she then teleported to her room, where she was being ‘sick’. All that was left to do was wait. It took a day for symptoms to appear, and when they did, Sweetie watched the show. The first sign was ponies tripping over more often, with some even having Pinkie Pie level twitching. Eventually the hospital was overrun with ponies suffering from bloating or irregular heartbeats. Rashes began to appear, and it was finally declared a grave problem. Celestia and Luna brought down their best doctors, and began to look for the problem. They quickly found the half-rotted plants in the water sources, and went to Zecora, who brought some sort of potion. Listening in via her scrying pool, Sweetie tilted her head. “This potion may help save them, but the substance may also bring an end.” Eventually, the Princesses were forced to make a difficult decision. To use the substance, or hope the ponies could fight it off. With no conclusion in sight, they went to the room the Main 6 were staying in. Barely conscious, Twilight simply smiled, giving a nod in encoragement. “We will try it.” Closing her eyes, Celestia forced her own fears down, standing tall as she watched it being administered. Days passed, and the effects of the potion both helped and hindered. Many Ponies died, while most managed to pull through. All the Main 6 came through, but with a newfound addiction that had to be curbed. “So someone sabotaged our drinking water?” Mind still slightly distracted due to withdrawal, Twilight managed to focus as Celestia nodded, and considered the information. All searched for leads, but all witnesses agreed a white pony with Pinkie Pie hair had been seen doing it. Rubbing her forehead, Twilight knew neither Pinkie Pie nor Celestia would have done it. Not to mention the fact Pinkie wasn’t an Alicorn. “So much life,” she muttered to herself, breathing in and steeling herself to find the terrible person responsible for this. Glancing to the corridor, she blinked as Sweetie Belle passed the doorway, leaving the hospital. Looking out her window, she watched as the filly left, and felt a nagging sensation in her stomach. “Ugh, I’m still sick.” Laying back down, she curled into her blankets, closing her eyes. “Alright, next up is to give myself a challenge.” Putting a strike through the last item on her list, Sweetie rolled around on her bed as she thought of the best way to do her next challenge. Author's Note 11 Abtol axarr, withuk poaxath te pusk us, wo’rr whaxavo otolnitupp te rivo eep rivos. Pen’t ug soo? Wo joow te fo dimmeltaxar. Eul rivos axalo baxal tee skelt te soo ovolythick, whoaxal ovolythick, uctolchaxact ovolythick. Fixed a spelling mistake in the previous chapter's cipher. I know these are short, but I'm releasing them pretty fast. So uh, yeah? L90“RAAARGH!” Diving at the floating Draconequus, Sweetie gave a battle cry as she threw her ice spear straight for his heart. As it slid straight through his body, Discord looked up from his newspaper. Currently, he was sitting on Rarity’s Drama couch reading it, and now had a ice spear sticking out of his body. “Excuse me my dear, what are you trying to do?” Raising an eyebrow, Discord noticed quite quickly the eye twitching and ear flicking of Sweetie as her magic swirled to life. Gripping an ice axe in it, she smirked, a feral grin forming on her face. “What does it look like? I’m trying to kill you!” Jumping at Discord, Sweetie lopped clean through the shoulder joint of one of his arms, separating it from his body. As it floated there, Discord returned to reading his paper. Licking a finger, he turned the page. “Fair enough, let me know if you need anything.” As Discord casually read his paper, various limbs were hacked off, and many items were stabbed into him. Eventually a stray spike ripped his newspaper apart, and he sighed, looking toward Sweetie. Currently, she was trying to summon a huge fireball. “Oh boy," he sighed, snapping his fingers and turning the fireball into a giant chicken. The chicken swallowed Sweetie, and did the same to Discord, sending them to his home. Snapping his fingers, a rope made of feathers appeared, and he tied Sweetie up, towing her toward his home. Looking toward the Pit of Never-Ending Despair, he noticed another mailman was stuck in there. Honestly, that was the fifth time this day. “Here we are.” Setting the pony down, Discord stopped floating, and watched as she struggled to escape from the bonds. After a few moments, she teleported out of them, and once more tried to kill Discord. Folding his arms, he merely shook his head. Something needed to be done about this. “So why are you trying to kill me again?” Escorting Sweetie inside, Discord sat down on his couch, turning it upside down once they were both seated. Soon enough, he had Sweetie drinking her glass, finally somewhat calm. Of course, she was still trying to impale him on occasion, but that wasn’t really important. “Why not?” Tilting her head, Sweetie didn’t really feel there was any need for a better explanation. After finishing her plans for the next Loop, Sweetie had nothing to do, so why not try to kill Discord? Sipping her glass, she tossed the tea outside. From a quick glance, it looked like it was heading toward the Ham Kingdom. “Hrm. I see, I see…” Musing on this, Discord considered his options, spinning his finger in a circle, the chair began to slowly spin. Neither of them seemed to mind this action. Standing up(side down), Discord headed into his bedroom, wondering if he still had the item. Looking around in what appeared to be a frog’s mouth, he smiled, pulling out some sort of brick. “Say Sweetie Belle, would you like to learn chaos magic?” Floating the brick around his head with a twirl of his finger, Discord looked up to Sweetie, who was still sitting on the couch. Standing up, she flipped rightside up, and gave a delighted gasp. Eagerly nodding, Sweetie’s excitement only made Discord smile. Snapping his fingers, the brick decided to give Sweetie Belle a kiss right on the forehead. Naturally, she fell onto her back. “Alright, you now know chaos magic.” Floating on his back, Discord popped Rarity’s couch back into existence, and stole another residents newspaper to replace the one he’d lost. Blinking, Sweetie looked herself over, and frowned. Sighing, Discord glanced to her, giving a bored expression. “What did you expect? It’s chaos magic.” Flipping the page, Discord watched as Sweetie began trying to exercise her new powers. Snapping his fingers, he transported them both back into Ponyville. Biting her lip, Sweetie looked around, and growled in annoyance. Just how did she do chaos? “You’ll figure it out,” replied Discord, once more turning the page. Looking around, Sweetie swished her tail, and blinked as a chicken appeared out of thin air. Smirking, she did it again. And again. Shouting a quick thanks, she dashed off to go cause chaos, spawning chickens in a mad frenzy. Chuckling, Discord shook his head. “Never ceases to amuse me how giving somepony the ability to summon chickens can convince them they have chaos powers.” Shaking his head, Discord flipped the page, and blinked. Somehow, his newspaper was now entirely made up of the word chicken. Looking at every page, he chuckled. “What do you know, she’s a natural.” Author's Note 10 Je, fut zon axagaxain, zaxat’s hupp Pum’v zo eno ug caxamo te bel zeso gicts eb wiskos, pi jet yeulsorb. Zis wisk wirr bini ox cemo sluo, pen’t ug wellupp. Chicken chicken chicken. Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken, chicken chicken chicken chicken. L91 Thud. Thud. Thud. “BUCKAW!” The giant chicken walked through Canterlot, knocking over buildings occasionally with its tail. Atop it was Sweetie, who couldn’t help her uncontrollable laughter as they made their way to the castle. Teleporting them both straight into the throne room, where the chicken could fit, she slid off it, and looked toward the shocked Princesses. “I am Tulip Song, and I am the translator for her highness, Princess Supermegaultrachicken.” Bowing to her chicken, Sweetie turned and beckoned their ‘armed forces’ into the room. In truth, they were chickens with spears taped to their wings. There had been...quite a few casualties while making the trip to the castle. “As you can see Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, we have fully armed troops here to fight the inequality that non-hooved creatures experience in this land.-” “BUCKAW” ”-Yes I’ll ask them. Do you surrender?” Turning to the Princesses, Sweetie looked at them seriously, taking note of their mixed reaction. Luna was trying to hide her laughter, while Celestia was deciding if it was serious or not. After a glance, both stood up, and Celestia cleared her throat. “I am sorry, but we refuse to recognise your right to challenge our rule. If you wish to discuss inequality, you will have to go through the proper Equestrian channels. Please leave, or I will be forced to call the guards.” Certain that the strange pony in front of them was either insane or their sister’s joke, they gave nothing away. “BUCKAW” “Very well then. TO WAR!” As her cry rang out, the chickens did nothing. Sweetie glanced back at them, and scrunched up her face. Honestly, it was so hard to get good help these days. Rolling her eyes, she turned toward Celestia and Luna, and shrugged. Climbing back onto Princess SMUC, she patted her. “I’m sorry to make you do the hard work your highness, but the civilians are struck by fear. We have to make the first strike.” Standing atop SMUC, Sweetie howled out a cry of rage, and SMUC began to move. One huge leg rose, and slammed down. Celestia and Luna survived between the toes of the bird, and shared a look. “Alright sister, this prank has gone far enough,” they said in perfect sync. Blinking, their eyes widened, and they looked between each other, and the rising leg of the chicken rapidly. Turning, both attempted to dive out of the way, but got their tails caught under the hoof, effectively pinning them. Both teleported back to a standing position, and prepared to fight. Firing two bolts of magic at SMUC, they watched as two chickens were levitated between the blast, exploding into balls of feathers. SMUC turned her head, and pecked at Celestia, who blocked it with a shield, crying out in shock as her shield shattered under the force. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw her sister get a large gash on her arm, and get picked up by SMUC. “RARRGH!” Firing her strongest bolt, she was furious as once more it was blocked by one of the smaller chickens. Looking up to the pony sitting atop SMUC, she dove forward, trying to attack her in close quarters. A feathered object was tossed at her, flapping wildly. The spear caused a few cuts before Luna could teleport past. “Cluck.” SMUC opened her mouth, and ate Celestia whole. Luna got distracted by this, and her head turned. Smiling, Sweetie pivoted, and kicked Luna down with her hind legs. As Luna hit the floor, the chicken leg rose once more, finally slamming down on her. Sweetie jumped off SMUC, and ordered Celestia to be spat out. Both were now unconscious, and very seriously injured. “Wow, they’re still alive. Gotta admit, they’re pretty tough.” Shrugging, Sweetie bound them and pulled out some Changeling goo, a present from Chrysalis, and slipped it over their horns. Wincing, she touched her head as a large wave a pain washed over her. Concentrating, she focused her magic on levitating SMUC. The pain faded slightly, but continued to throb painfully. “Urrgh,” she groaned, falling down as she began levitating everything she could get her magic on, and casting spell after spell. With each item she levitated, the throbbing grew fainter, until finally she was able to think clearly. Standing up, she rubbed her forehead, and glanced around the room. There were now two giant chickens. Both currently being levitated as they flapped wildly. Sweetie was also levitating all remaining chickens, and the Princesses. Sighing, she pursed her lip. Gripping her chest, she cowered slightly, clenching her eyes shut. Breathing slowly, she managed to calm down, and rose once more. Concentrating, Sweetie slowly lowered all the chickens to the ground, but kept them barely levitating. Looking around the room, Sweetie focused her magic on trying to lift the throne. Using the room, she soon began to release the chickens and Princesses. Soon enough, the only creatures still in her spell were the two summons she was maintaining, and levitating. Sitting down on the throne, she closed her eyes. The two Princesses woke up, and Sweetie considered her options. “There’s been a change of plans. Give me access to all of the Canterlot archives, and you can have the kingdom back.” Looking at them, Sweetie removed the Changeling goo, slicing the rope. The two almost prepared to fight, but then noticed the glowing horn, and the fact there were now two giant chickens in the room. “...We will do as you ask,” replied Celestia diplomatically. Turning, Sweetie teleported herself and the two SMUC out of the room. Leaving them outside the archives, being held still by her magic, she gripped every single book inside, and began to stack them outside it. Sitting down in a seat of her own magic, she began to scan for any about spells. Partway through, the Princesses launched an attack, but Sweetie ignored it, letting her two SMUC deal with it. Author's Note 9 Pum wen’t axafuso vupp dewol oithol. Pum’rr skaxalo dit um ovolyeno, unriko ug he waxankow zo bod te loign evol axarr. Pum pen’t fraxamo ug. Abtol axarr, ug klod an din pit timo holo sust zintick waxas jelmaxar. One day, I'd like to have a video of Sweetie singing Get Jinxed. This chapter was slightly delayed for a very valid reason. I only realised the picture was 100% necessary just as I was going to write it, and had to wait for an awesome person to complete a rush order. L92Sweetie skimmed the book, and tossed it away. Growling, she winced as another throb of pain passed through her. The four SMUC around her constantly drained her magic from having them summoned, but even four wasn’t enough. Concentrating, Sweetie managed to muster enough concentration for a fifth. “Come on, I need to find something before the reset. I don’t know if I’ll survive another magic wipe.” Biting her lip, Sweetie rubbed her head as another throb caused her pain. There was only a few hours before the next Loop, and she had already gone through nearly every book in the Canterlot archives. Whimpering, she pulled out the next book, skimming it. There were utility spells, but nothing that would be powerful enough to help. Flipping through the pages, she gritted her teeth, and tossed one at the wall. Howling, she turned her horn toward it, and fired her magic, watching it disintegrate with ease. “I need something,” she spoke, looking past the blockade, past the soldiers trying to contain the situation. Eyes scanning everything, Sweetie found nothing. Falling to her knees, she looked toward the sky, where the moon hung. Slowly, her mind sparked off a desperate idea, and she stood up. Concentrating, Sweetie cast her magic out toward it, dismissing all SMUC as she did so. As her magic reached the moon, it hit a presence, and was blocked. Focusing, Sweetie curled her magic around the presence, feeling it squirm. Her magic slipped off the moon as she tried to move it, and she tried again. For a small moment, she considered going Luna Mode, or Celestia Mode, but decided against it. Making this task easy would defeat the purpose of the task. Tilting her head, as she tried to push it, her magic continued to slip off it. There was a thud behind her, and Sweetie turned. Sure enough, Luna was charging a blast of magic directly at her. “So clear,” remarked Sweetie, jumping high into the air as she charged up a bolt of magic, firing it at Luna. Keeping most of her magic focused on moving the moon, Sweetie used what remained to place a shield on herself. Blocking the magic, Luna’s own beam was quick to arc up and hit Sweetie. Growing wings, Sweetie flew high into the air, drawing more of her magic into a blast. Teleporting, Luna narrowly dodged an attack that left a large crater in the ground. Screams of civilians rang out as they fled, and the guards marched into action, firing their own bolts of magic. The few pegasi flared their wings to assist in the fight, but were halted by Luna. “Do not interfere! This villain is beyond your capabilities.” Dodging another blast, Luna tried to get above Sweetie, attempting to avoid casualties. But for every flap, every teleport she did; Sweetie seemed to be one step ahead. Every spell was deflected, every attack brutal. Luna was losing, and that left her only one option. Firing a flare into the sky, Luna backed up, fleeing toward the castle as a flash of light appeared just outside it. Meeting up with her sister, both turned to face the threat, and combined their magic. Dodging it, Sweetie teleported out of the way of their boomerang attack, and sent her own beam of energy, knocking them both back. Forgetting the moon for a moment, Sweetie concentrated all her energy into an orb of magic, holding it steady with all her concentration. “Mother of-” “Oh my.” Both princesses nearly forgot they were flying from the sheer size and enormity of it. Holding steady, Sweetie looked down at the two, and narrowed her eyes. “Now listen up. I have a very bad headache, and I need to have control of the moon, or I will be very very very angry. And unless you like huge magical blasts that could take out Canterlot, you won’t like me when I’m angry.” Hovering there for a moment, Sweetie watched the two share a look. Landing, Luna’s horn pulsed for a moment, and Sweetie probed the moon, sensing the resistance she had been feeling was now gone. “That’s better,” she spoke, diverting her orb of magic upward, creating a thin beam of magic that connected with the moon. Landing, Sweetie allowed her magic to envelop the moon, and tested giving it a push. Looking up, she was rewarded with the moon sliding slightly in either direction. Mind finally clear, she sat down and sighed. “Well poop, I’m going to have to give them the Looping note from now on." Author's Note 8 Dit’s timo bel staxacko, pi Pum wirr fo zo eno te staxacko dit. denios axalo loaxadupp te baxaco otolnitupp, Pum axam coltaxain eb zis. Wo axalo axarr loaxadupp te skaxako zo skaxangros eb poaxath. L93Sweetie nearly punched Celestia with the force she put behind her hoof. The note in it was crumpled, but as Celestia lifted it up, and read it, any objections she had were quickly washed away. Beside her, Luna was caught between anger and shock. Lifting a hoof, Celestia gently shook Luna, snapping her out of it. “Look, I’m sorry for stealing control ofthemoonbutthisheadacheisgettingreallybad.” Holding her head, Sweetie whimpered as another throb of pain passed through her. The moon wasn’t enough anymore, and it was growing worse. What should she do? The notes Starswirl left mentioned levitating the world, did she dare? “Very well, I will also allow you to levitate the sun.” Bowing her head, Celestia’s horn pulsed for a moment, and Sweetie nearly leapt for joy. Instead, she sent her magic out like a lasso, gripping the sun without a moment’s hesitation. As her mind became crystal clear, she sighed, falling onto her back with a smile. “And you say only levitating my moon was enough the previous Loop?” Tilting her head, Luna absorbed this information. Nodding once, Sweetie stood back up. Looking between them, she merely sighed, rubbing her temple. Motioning with her hoof, Celestia slowly led them out of the throne room, heading for a very special room. “Sister, you are serious?” Blinking, Luna could only watch as Sweetie dive bombed Celestia’s cake room. Looking to her sister, Celestia bowed her head. While Sweetie was occupied, it afforded them both precious moments to think on the problem. It was painfully obvious how thin the veil of sanity was dressed over that pony. “Sweetie Belle, right? Have you ever tried transferring the magic?” Thinking aloud, Luna looked to the roof, remembering transferring her magic to Twilight. Stopping in her cake enjoyment, Sweetie considered it, and shrugged. “No, I didn’t even consider it. You think it’s possible?” Licking her hoof clean of cake crumbs, she cast a quick spell to clean herself up, and walked over to them. Silently mourning her cakes, Celestia let Luna talk. “I would not advise it for this Loop, as you are sufficiently occupied. Perhaps next Loop?” Leaning forward, Luna met Sweetie’s eyes, and waited for a response. Awkwardly, Sweetie looked away and gave a nod. Personal space was something Luna still had problems with it seemed. “For now, shall we show you how to make the cakes our sister so shamefully hoards?” Giving a mirthful gaze, Luna glanced to Celestia. Narrowing her eyes, Celestia sulked out of the room. “No no, how about we go make some special rock candy Sweetie Belle? It’s Luna’s favorite.” Glancing back, Celestia and Luna both shared a competitive look. Looking between them, Sweetie shrugged. “Why not both?” As they both looked to her, Sweetie pulled out a coin, and flipped it. It landed on heads, so Luna was first. Narrowing her eyes as she left to prepare, Celestia swore revenge. However, as her mind moved on, she remembered their situation, and began to pace. Author's Note 7 Dit dis timo, fut Pum whepo ug wirr belgivo vo hon Pum lochelo yeep vomelupp enco zis dis evol. Pum praxacow pit socectaxalupp sporr te chelo yeep vomelios din pit vaxagic belm pi gour zom saxabo unkir dit dis timo bel vo te loroaxaso zom. Zo reng dis vupp posign, ovon Pum ceurdn’t floaxak dit withuk zo goupp. Next chapter's already out. L94“Are you ready?” Holding most of her magic in an orb as she was, Sweetie was having trouble keeping her voice from shaking. The two Princesses nodded, flaring their wings as they prepared for the sudden influx of power. Breathing in, Sweetie drained from her orb to power the spell, watching it quickly shrink in size. Casting it, Sweetie felt her magic begin to be sucked away. It felt as if she was suffocating, and it took all her concentration to not cancel the spell. Both Celestia and Luna began to cry out in pain, and Sweetie turned. Without warning, all sound ceased from them, and they collapsed. With an explosion of blood, Sweetie’s coat was dyed red. “ARRRGH!” Casting her magic to both the sun and the moon, Sweetie focused what remained on creating another orb of magic. As her mind cleared, she was dismayed as the orb she had created seemed to slowly grow in size. If Sweetie had to judge how long she had before it was the same size as the old one, she’d judge less than a week. “Okay, think.” Cleaning herself off, Sweetie wondered if she had enough raw magic to brute-force a transformation spell. Sure, being able to grow her own wings was nice, but what if she could simple give herself a permanent pair? Or, even better, become an actual dragon? Why not go all out and become a huge chicken? “Right, time to get to work on that.” Teleporting back to her hotel, Sweetie tried, and failed, to activate Twilight Mode so she could work on the theory. Failing that, she decided to simply try it her own way. That of course, meant explosions. Grimacing, Sweetie wondered how long this would take. Author's Note 6 Zo goupp foick dimmeltaxaritupp din zis caxaso. Zoelotici ox Pum ceurd floaxak dit um pit raxalgo oneugh cenconklaxatien eb vaxagic, fut hupp weurd Pum joow te? Dib Pum’v dimmeltaxar, dit wirr unreng oaxasirupp. Pum’mo ovon lomevow zo socect whaxarb eb vupp sporr se zaxat je eno caxan cepupp vo. And again, next chapter's up. L95Looking to her claw, Sweetie changed it into a wing, before changing it back into a hoof. Standing up, she switched her wings between dragon and Pegasus wings, before deciding on none. Swishing her tail, she decided on a pony tail as well, before discarding all her changes, and blowing a hole straight through the hotel. “Sure, this is keeping the headaches away, but it’s extremely boring.” Sighing, Sweetie transformed her foreleg into a snake, watching it hiss at her. Turning it into a chicken, she grimaced at where it was connected to her. Tossing her arm, she made it super stretchy, watching it sail out the hole and flop down. “I’ll ask Celestia for help, I have a feeling this isn’t going to work for very l-AUGH!” Turning her foreleg back to normal, Sweetie held her head as another wave a pain hit her. Falling to the floor, she turned the bottom half of her body into a fin, tears streaming down her eyes as the headache continued to throb. Casting her magic out to the moon, Sweetie slowly uncurled herself, and transformed into a dragon for a moment. Horns glowing, she looked up at the moon, and bit her lip. Already, she was having to rely on the moon again. Sweetie had no doubts the sun would soon follow. Growling, she blew another hole in the building, and transformed back into a pony. “Must stop the headaches,” she spoke to herself, mind completely focused on the task. Author's Note 5 Dib pit denupp caxachs dit withuk pit rint te zo oromonks, jethick wirr whaxappon. Whewovol, dib eno eb us caxachs dit, zo ethols wirr switst Vaxalks. Saxadrupp, enrupp zo Oromonk eb Vaxagic caxan caxach dit. Sinco feth vo pi ug caxan oqui ox wiord dit, fut Runaxa caxan’t, dit voaxans wo whaxavo te loselt te slingick zo Oromonks. Last chapter for today. There is a reason why they're so short. I wonder who will guess. Also: L96Sweetie slammed the door open. She was in pain. Shouting, she demanded the two Princesses give over the sun and moon. She diverted the remaining magic into an orb. Finally, as her mind cleared once more, her expression softened and her mind provided her with plans beyond simple orders, shouted above the throbbing pain that consumed her. “Need levitate, pain,” she spoke, pointing to her head as another throb of pain brought her to her knees. She yelled in pain, screaming as it hurt her head. Her horn lit up with magic. The orb above her grew bigger. Crying in pain, she could not hear anything the two Princesses said. She opened one eye, looking at them. Thoughts occurred, and she pulled out Changeling goo. Placing it on her horn, the magic she was casting became slightly harder. But because she was too strong, the goo quickly blew apart. Rolling on the floor, she gritted her teeth in pain. She was desperate. She couldn’t think, she was too in pain. “Try the planet! Move the planet!” Words came through, and in desperation, she did as they ordered. She cast her magic at the planet, and her mind began to clear. Slowly, the pain began to fade, and she shuddered. Standing up, her eyes went to the two in front of her, and a weak smile fell on her face. “No moon or sun, yet. Good.” Magic fully focused on covering the planet, Sweetie noticed how she barely had enough to cover half, even with all her magic focused on it. That was good, it would satisfy her for at least a Loop or two. But what after? Crossing her eyes, Sweetie couldn’t focus enough to think. Author's Note 4 Simprupp put, Pum cloaxato pit zild denupp um zo axafiritupp te cenkler dit. Zis teet venkhs eb plocieus losoaxalst, fut Pum beuct uk Pum caxan sprit vupp dolsenaxaritupp. Se Pum put zo paxalt eb vo zaxat vech loplosonks zo Oromonk dinke zis paxalt eb vupp vict, whaxavo dit cenkler zo sporr hiro Pum caxach dit, pi feem! L97Sweetie levitated the world, and it was good. Sweetie levitated the world and moon, and it was good. Sweetie levitated the world, moon, and sun, and it was good. Until it wasn’t enough. Author's Note 3 Vo pi ug wirr switst pochinios, praxacick vo din yeep desitien um vupp vomelios whighton dinsido zo socect vo. Zo sporr wirr oct, zo faxalliol fotwoon vo pi whix wirr baxarr, pi Pum wirr logaxain axarr vupp vomelios. L98“ARRRGH!” A enormous blast of magical energy smashed directly into the sun, sending it spinning. A second one followed almost immediately after, followed by another. Each one contained enough power to raze Canterlot to the ground, and each one was quickly growing in strength. “HURTS!” She shouted, tears streaming down her eyes in pain. Her pain was strong. It was overwhelming. She couldn’t expend it fast enough, the pain grew stronger. It was as if the world was tearing her apart, starting with her skin, and she was being ground into a thousand flaky pieces. Unable to explode the sun, Sweetie instead began to try and push it together. Her mind instantly clearing, she focused entirely on her task. Slowly, the sun began to shrink, and it required more and more of her magic to continue. Soon enough, Sweetie had no need to levitate the earth, or even the moon. She continued. Author's Note 2 Reet axat vo, laxamfrick en, dit’s timo te ke. Pum waxachow tee vust timo oxpraxainick zis te semothick Pum’v praxacick pit cedo en. Zis cedo dis se axadvaxancow jet ovon vupp erd blioct zo Staxackorick Plinco ceurd claxang. At roaxach, who ceurdn’t claxang feth cedos. LOllelAuthor's Note Dear Princess Celestia, What have I done? LOllel A ghostly image of Sweetie Belle walked by, entering a hotel. Watching this, the real Sweetie Belle found herself able to float, and glided up to the room. Looking in the window, she watched as multiple versions of her worked on certain stuff in the bedroom. The window opened, and one sailed right through Sweetie, giving her a shudder, despite the lack of sensation. Looking around, Sweetie followed the ghost as it began its path back to Ponyville. There were multiple versions heading in this direction, and all scattered upon arrival. Watching three in particular, she realised they were from sixteen or so Loops ago. Turning, Sweetie flew toward her room, looking inside. One version of her was choking, another was watching a teddybear vanish, another was sobbing over some ash piles. Going through the wall, Sweetie entered the hallway, looking toward Opal. For some reason, there were ghostly versions of Opal as well. One ghost in particular, drew her attention. Glancing between this one, and the version of her that was choking, she noticed their outlines seemed more solid. Was this due to the number of times she went through that death Loop? Opal’s paw rose, and a thread of magic sailed out of it. Watching it, Sweetie looked as it shattered the invisible wall, sailing past her, and re-entered at the window. The window was flung open, seemingly slow from wherever Sweetie was, and the door opened. The magic dissipated, and the shattered reality quickly returned to normal. Turning, Sweetie continued on her way. Flying out of the house, Sweetie hovered over the town, before heading into the Everfree. Going to the cave containing the Tree of Harmony, Sweetie saw a version of herself she didn’t recognise. The strangest thing was that she was following Opal. Landing, Sweetie followed them into the cave. They seemed to be speaking about something, but Sweetie couldn’t hear them. After a moment, the ghost Sweetie concentrated, getting her horn to spark. Opal placed a paw on it, and began to glow. Unable to hear anything, Sweetie watched as both rose into the air, magic crackling around them. And then the ghost version of her vanished. “Welcome,” a voice spoke behind her. Turning, Sweetie took in the fact that this Opal wasn’t ghostly in the slightest. The eyes betrayed a measure of intelligence, and the position Opal was sitting in was anything but cat-like. At least, until the moment Opal began cleaning herself. Watching this, Sweetie still couldn’t form words. “Take your time my dear, we have plenty.” Rubbing her face with a paw, Opal began to slowly change into a more equine shape. Soon enough, there was no doubt at who was behind this, and who he had been disguised as. White beard reaching nearly to the ground, Cutie Mark of stars on a swirl, it was enough to break Sweetie out of her stupor. “Starswirl,” she spoke, taking a step back. The stallion gave a slow nod, and didn’t move from where he was standing. Looking left and right, Sweetie noticed a version of herself running toward the forest to battle a Chimera. Looking back to Starswirl, she noticed him turn, and walk away. Following, their hoofsteps was the only sound for a long while. “I applaud you for surviving as long as you did. Dealing with that much concentration of magic is quite a feat.” As they walked, Sweetie noticed how much wildlife they passed, ghostly images that tendrils of magic weaved around. Still unable to find the words, she remained silent. Something was rising up inside her, it only required a little more baiting. “Don’t rush it, it will come. I am sure the many questions about the brilliance of my plan will be at the forefront of your mind.” Tilting his head, Starswirl led them to Twilight’s Castle, and walked over to a specific ghost version of Sweetie. “Uh, no, my first question is about-” As Sweetie was cut off, her eyes narrowed. “About what these ghosts are, yes? They’re the previous Loops, as you've probably deduced. I can even show you what other ponies were doing when you weren’t around. You might be the centre of the Time Loop, but you’re not the center of their world. But let’s move onto my plan, shall we, I mean even you will be blown away by it, I’m sure.” Chuckling, Starswirl gave an eager smile. “No I-” Once more, Sweetie was cut off. “Alright, I’ll show you. You pushed me into it though, remember.” Lowering his horn, he touched it to the ghost, and the entire scene lit up. Sweetie found herself the ghostly form this time. “So how are we going to stop that filly from going insane? All loop stories show that it is only a matter of time.” Watching the conversation, it took Sweetie a few moments to remember this Loop. It was the one Rarity had given her the Opal doll in. Sighing, she closed her eyes, disappointed to find out they had been planning for it so early. “No, I want to know-” Getting cut off again, Sweetie’s eye began to twitch. “Know what? Spit it out already, we’re wasting time that could be better spent explaining my plan. I mean yes, we have a lot of it my dear, and yes this place doesn’t exactly have a sense of time, but you really-” he continued speaking, and Sweetie slammed a hoof down, cutting him off. “Why?” Sweetie spoke, turning toward Starswirl. The scene faded back to a ghostly version, and silence returned. Tilting his head, Starswirl seemed confused as to what Sweetie was talking about. Lowering her horn, she slammed her hooves down, and repeated her question. “Why? Why! WHY! Why did you do this to me!” Anger finally burning, Sweetie approached Starswirl, features twisted by anger. Taking a single step back, he regarded her evenly for a moment, and then opened his mouth to respond. However, when no sound came from his mouth, and a simple shrug followed, Sweetie snapped. Diving at him, she shouted bloody murder, magic coming to her horn like air. However, the moment she tried to use it, pain exploded inside her head, and she fell to the floor, sliding to a stop in front of Starswirl. Leaning over her, he raises an eyebrow. “I would not advise using magic in your current state. I may be suppressing it for the moment, but it is still trapped inside you. At least, for now.” Stepping back, Starswirl avoided a hoof aimed at his head, and watched as Sweetie leapt to her feet, diving toward him. As her hoof sailed right through him, she thudded onto the ground, sliding slightly from the force of her own swing. “You can’t hurt me here either my dear, time doesn’t exist in this plane. It is only through my own genius that we even come to stand here.” Motioning to the ghosts around them Starswirl seemed smug about it. Growling, Sweetie cried out in frustration, and tried to punch Starswirl regardless. After a solid five minutes, Starswirl sighed. “I was hoping you would be more agreeable than this, I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part.” With a swish of his tail, Starswirl levitated Sweetie into the air, where she was unable to do anything. Struggling still, she howled in anger, eventually settling into a glare. Folding her arms, she focused on trying to find a way out of her predicament. “Much better. Now you are somewhat complacent, do you have any questions? I mean, beyond the very concept as to why I have truncated your week.” Raising an eyebrow, Starswirl let Sweetie down, and once more began to walk. With no real way to hurt him, Sweetie begrudgingly followed. “How,” was the first question she decided upon. As they walked, various ghost forms of her passed by, and Sweetie got a good look at the differences between a younger version of herself, and a recent version of herself. The contrast was striking; how contracted her irises were, the small ear twitch her later version had. “In the first instance, my instance, I planned on becoming immortal, as I know you know. However, instead of becoming immortal, it is the world that became immortal around me. That is the danger with creating your own magic spell, you see. Shall I repeat my finished spell?” Glancing to Sweetie, he didn’t even pause long enough for her to nod. “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled. Transference of power to one more fitting, bring me time eternal, permitting.” Voice almost singsong as he spoke, Starswirl seemed to smile, and an ethereal breeze ruffled his hair. Tilting her head, Sweetie tried to decipher the spell. Starswirl chuckled, continuing on his walk. “Of course, with magic you have to be more specific. Oh the spell transferred magic to me alright, and I was given time eternal. But alas, I was forced into the situation you see yourself in.” Motioning to a ghostly image of Sweetie talking to the CMC, Sweetie considered this, and followed. “I won’t bore you with the details, let me simply say there was someone in the position I am currently in. We had a delightful chat, discussed the finer points of our goal, and decided our current iteration was not satisfactory enough to perform it. “So that left us with the course of action whereupon we discovered that by using the power I had obtained during the iterations to create a hole in the magic to escape through. Thus, we began the search for a suitable unicorn by transferring to-” As Starswirl spoke, Sweetie found herself managing to understand nothing, and yet everything. It was hurting her head, and not in the regular way. “-It wasn’t too bad being a rat for that lifetime. We got plenty of cheese, even if we lost quite a few brain cells because of it. After that we became a-” Was Starswirl really going into detail about all his lives now? Groaning, Sweetie’s ears flicked backward, alerting Starswirl to the fact his audience wasn’t entertained. “-And that uh, eventually brought us to the present life, where we took over a young feline called Opalescence. Upon seeing your poor skill in magic, we knew you were whom we were looking for, close enough to be usable with the Elements active, so we engaged plan Delta, and waited for the time you were of sufficient age. Does that answer how sufficiently enough for you?” Looking to Sweetie, Starswirl came to a stop as she did so. “Operation Delta?” The name sent chills down Sweetie’s spine, and she couldn’t fathom why. Her head throbbed again, and she put of hoof to it, frowning. Why was her head all foggy? For some reason, Starswirl smiled at this. “Well, how do you think we made you into a potential Element bearer my dear?” The smile on Starswirl’s face faded, and he tilted his head in question. Absorbing this information, Sweetie gripped her head, the fog growing stronger inside it. What was going on? Why did he keep saying ‘we’ like Luna? “Split personalities…” Realisation dawning, Sweetie cried out as the fog cleared, and she felt it. Something, a part of her she had never known existed. The drive for new, the drive for fun, was it all because of that? Shuddering, she felt a disconnect, and slumped, unable to comprehend reality. “Correct, my dear. We are...a lot more alike than you know.” Flashes came to her at Starswirl’s words. Discord mentioning Starswirl, being able to pretend to be him just from reading a few letters. Was it? Could it? No, no she couldn’t believe it. There was no possible way. “I don’t believe you! I am Sweetie Belle!” Standing up, she took a battle stance, and shouted at Starswirl. Watching her, he shrugged, as if her words made little impact. Taken aback, she took a more neutral stance. Turning, Starswirl began to head out of Ponyville, following the train tracks. “I am me,” she spoke softly, letting the doubt creep into her words. Trotting after Starswirl, she shook her head rapidly, discarding it. An identity crisis would have to wait, she had more important things to worry about. As they walked, Sweetie considered her next question carefully. “What exactly is it you plan to do?” As they walked, Sweetie noticed Starswirl looking toward the sun, where it shimmered in a ghostly light. Making surprising time, they were already in Canterlot. Looking around, Sweetie realised they were heading towards where she had exited the Loop. “I plan to bring everypony into their own immortality by using the black hole you created as the epicenter of the Loop. This means, since black holes cannot feel pain, that it will be able to both absorb and maintain the spell so long as we provide it fuel.” Beaming proudly, Starswirl smiled, expecting Sweetie to understand and marvel at his genius. Naturally, this didn’t happen. “You’re doing WHAT?!” Standing in front of Starswirl’s path, Sweetie’s eye twitched. This entire plan was insane, and he expected her to congratulate him for it? Just what in Equestria was wrong with this pony? Slowly, Starswirl’s smile faded. “You want to put everypony into this torture? Do you realise how insane that sounds?” Glaring at him, Sweetie had no idea which part she should criticise first. Chuckling, Starswirl merely shook his head. “No, it’s not insane my dear. You see, if I dip a thin rope of magic into the black hole, I can-” As Starswirl went on, Sweetie’s eye twitch got worse and worse. Eventually, she could take it no more, and she screamed loudly out of frustration. “Do you even realise what you’re going to be putting them through, what I went through? Don’t you remember YOUR Loop? Wake up Starswirl! How is this a solution?” Screaming at him might not have had much effect, but it did make Sweetie feel slightly better. What would have really made her feel better, however, would be to really knock some sense into him. “I assumed you knew this already, but very well. If you haven’t had enough, I suppose I can explain a small measure more.” Clearing his throat, Starswirl tapped his foot a few times, and then smiled. “Well, I made a promise to share eternity with everypony. And not just simply being able to live forever, but being able to see everything, hear everything. While I was in my Loop, I came to the realisation that even if we lived forever, outside factors would prevent us from seeing and hearing everything.” Looking to the sky, Starswirl put a hoof to his beard, beginning to stroke it. “So in reality, my promise was realised, I did discover the true immortality. Once everypony is in their own personalised Loop, with access to the archive of the Loop, we will have achieved both parts of the promise. And with everyone aware of it, I won’t have to worry about policing the Loops like I did with yours.” Nodding twice, Starswirl regarded Sweetie, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, policing?” A cold chill passed through Sweetie as Starswirl teleported them back to Ponyville, and pointed to the room. Magic on his horn, time rewound to a minute after midnight, and Sweetie blinked, seeing the thread of magic weaving around all her friends that she had brought into the room. “You were behind that?” Tears stinging her eyes, she turned toward Starswirl. Giving a nod, Sweetie tried to grab him, and found her hooves pass through him. Anguish in her voice, she sobbed into the ground. “Why, why would you do that? Why did you put me through all this!” Unable to do anything, Sweetie found herself even unable to cry, tears unable to leave. Still, she sobbed, and for a moment, Starswirl hesitated. Looking around, he pursed his lip, and crouched down, putting a hoof under Sweetie’s chin. Using his magic, he slowly lifted her head up so their eyes met. “Come now, you won’t remember it once all this is over, what use is there crying over it?” Giving an encouraging smile, Starswirl stepped back as Sweetie tried to break free. Standing up, she narrowed her eyes. “What?” Eye twitching, Sweetie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You won’t remember it. Once everypony is inside, I’ll wipe your memory, meaning none of this ever happened.” Smiling warmly, Starswirl motioned to the room, and walked outside. Following, Sweetie stood in front of him, unable to really do anything to stop him. Thankfully, Starswirl paused. “You think wiping it away erases the amount of pain you’ve caused me!?” Glaring at him, Sweetie wished she had some way to expel the volcano erupting inside her. Calmly, Starswirl pointed toward a house Sweetie recognised, raising an eyebrow. “Like how the Loops erased the pain you caused that music pony?” Shaking his head, Starswirl walked around Sweetie, continuing on his way. Frozen, Sweetie realised he was right. Looking at the town, her mind scanned her memories, remembering everything she had done, and went blank. “I-but…” Unable to make a counter argument, Sweetie watched as Starswirl walked away. “Hypocrisy paints us all a terrible color, my dear. Please take your high horse elsewhere when trying to rationalise what you believe in.” As he walked away, Starswirl failed to see Sweetie’s eyes widen. “He was preparing me for this…” Speaking softly to herself, Sweetie gave a short laugh, catching Starswirl’s attention. Glancing back, he raised an eyebrow. Looking at him, Sweetie stood proud, and declared her words. “Even if I won’t remember it, you will! And even if you don’t, that doesn’t change the importance of those memories. I may have done terrible things in the Loops, I won’t deny that. But wiping my memory of them does not make that time vanish, even in an immortal space. This is my life, for better or for worse.” Smiling, Sweetie sent out a silent thanks to her Dragon friend. Thorak had come through for her. “Hrm,” muttered Starswirl, considering this as he stroked his beard. After a few moments, he shrugged, and turned his back to Sweetie once more, beginning to walk once more. “Very well, you can keep your memories when this is over. Regardless, the pain I caused is vastly outweighed by the final result. If that is everything, we really should begin.” Horn lighting up, Starswirl lifted up Sweetie, leading them to the center of Ponyville. Unable to get out of his magic, Sweetie struggled vainly. “No! You can’t do this! No one wants this!” Crying out, Sweetie risked magic, and shuddered as pain once more hit her. Ignoring it, she tried to cast a spell, and only managed sparks. Glancing back, Starswirl seemed mildly surprised by this display, but quickly shook it off. “No one wants immortality? I suppose you are right, no one would consider it possible, so no one would wish for it.” Nodding to himself, Starswirl placed Sweetie down in front of the Tree of Harmony, and drew a star in the space with his magic. Struggling, Sweetie cried out for help, knowing no one could. “Paxagick Foaxaldow Chaxalswilr, ug whaxavo pit signibicaxank faxaraxanco eb he'ep-axapt ewick.” There was a shattering sound, and the Draconequus flew in, knocking Starswirl away with his tail as he plucked Sweetie up in his claws. As they flew away, a bolt of magic curled around his tail, bringing Starswirl along for the ride. Discord brought Sweetie close to his face. “Sadly I can’t do much in the current circumstances, but I wish you the best of luck.” Kissing Sweetie on the horn, Discord tossed her away, and flipped onto his back, raising a fist to try and hit Starswirl. Starswirl’s magic crushed Discord, and he flew out the hole he had created, which Starswirl repaired without another word. “Right, let’s get this done before he has a chance to barge in again.” Gripping Sweetie, Starswirl slammed her back onto the star, and sent a beam of magic straight at the Elements. They glowed brightly, and a rainbow began to swirl around the star. Stepping inside the rainbow, Starswirl smiled mockingly. “And we’re off!” “Welcome to the aetherial plane my dear.” Bowing his head, Starswirl released Sweetie from his magic. Looking around Sweetie could see various star-like twinkles floating around them. There seemed to be a glowing light that kept the blue around them a shimmering aqua color. There seemed to be floating screens casually floating around as well. “If where we were is considered a place where time doesn’t exist, this is where time converges. It is also where we will be casting the final spell to complete my dream. Well ‘we’ being more you in this case.” Chuckling to himself, Starswirl turned toward Sweetie. Trying to take a step back, Sweetie yelped as a sharp pain travelled down her side. “I’m not doing anything for you!” Glaring, Sweetie tried to move again, and felt another spike of pain. Looking herself over, there was a glowing line in the color of her eyes traveling down her neck and into the ground. Narrowing her eyes at Starswirl, Sweetie saw the magic enveloping his horn. “Well, it’s a very good thing you don’t have to do anything.” Giving a gentle smile, Starswirl closed his eyes as he approached. Biting her lip, Sweetie leaned back as far as she could without moving, looking around desperately for something she could use. Lowering his horn, Starswirl tried to touch it to Sweetie’s, who instinctively dodged it, bring up a hoof to try and knock him away, Surprisingly, her hoof connected, sending Starswirl falling to the floor. Blinking in surprise, Sweetie watched as Starswirl got up, and narrowed his eyes. Charging at Sweetie, he held her down with his magic. Struggling, Sweetie found her body phased through it with little resistance, and she got another solid hit off on Starswirl. “How could somepony so inadvertently insane have the sense to counter the magic of time with chaos!? That old fashioned, ill brained, insane, ludicrous, two-bit brain of a monster!” Shouting in anger, Starswirl shattered one of the screens, snorting as he faced Sweetie. Magic powering to a second level, he fired a binding spell at Sweetie. “Now, I won’t claim to be as smart as you or Twilight, and I have no clue what time and chaos have in common, but there is one thing I know well. And that simple fact is this: I can hit you now.” Blocking the binding spell, Sweetie winced as pain throbbed for a moment. Smiling, she looked Starswirl in the eyes, and prepared for a fight. “You’re gonna fight me? While experiencing excruciating pain from the forced transfer?” Snorting, Starswirl nearly broke into laughter. However, instinct prevailed enough that he had the good sense to move his head as a beam of magic sailed past. A sharp stab of pain came, and Sweetie winced, and broke into a big smile. “This is barely even Loop 15 level of pain. If this is all the magic is going to hurt, then I will gladly ignore it for the chance to really punch you in the face. Because sometimes, somepony really deserves a punch in the face.” Charging her horn, Sweetie fired off another bolt of energy, and Starswirl narrowed his eyes. “Very well, if it is a fight you want, you shall have it.” Waving his horn in a circle, a star shape appeared in the air. Beneath them, earth began to appear, followed by tall winding trees. Around them, the landscape vanished into mountains, and the stars became further away. Standing atop a hill, Starswirl bowed his head. Ladies first. Rising slightly into the air, Sweetie’s connection to the ground ended, causing a sharp jab of pain that quickly faded. Learning this fact, Sweetie switched her magic to creating wings and placing a shield over herself. Rising further into the air, she closed her eyes, spreading her wings wide as she called upon an instinctive link to the aetheric plane. “Rise for me on winds of ice, dancing swords for a fight, you must. Calling upon the ancient powers, protect us while you also empower.” Voice layered with magic, she felt it swirl around her, magic draining from her horn and forming a whirlwind of snow around her. “Arise!” Flapping her wings once, the snow seemed to shatter around her, revealing ten blades of ice swirling around her. Looking to them, Sweetie turned her attention to Starswirl, ready. Raising an eyebrow, he shrugged, and touched his horn to the earth. Without warning, a large root lifted him up into the air, level with Sweetie. A tree grew around him, leaving only small holes where he could be seen through. Magic flaring, the fight began. Sweetie forced off fire from her horn, gliding around the tree as her swords remained poised, but out of the fire. Magic drained from her horn constantly, powering both her shield and a spell to maintain the swords. As the tree began to burn, a large glow came from inside, and Starswirl teleported out of it. Turning, Sweetie deflected the blade of wood, backflipping out of the way of Starswirl’s second attack. Flaring her wings, she dove into the sky as a ball of fire came for her. Raising her horn, she fired off ten bolts of gray magic that curled around, aiming for Starswirl. Dodging most, Starswirl deflected the remaining with a shield conjured from his horn. The magic impacted on his back, having homed in on him once he’d dodged. Falling forward, Starswirl landed on the ground, and dove into the air, another root springing from the ground. Landing on it, more and more platforms rose around him. Breathing in, Starswirl leaned back. A large sound crashed into Sweetie’s ears, and she turned to look behind her. Rising into the air, Sweetie watched as the tsunami rose with her, and scowled. Magic curling around her horn, the air froze, her swords spreading out to form a bubble of water around her. Freezing, the ice shield was complete, and Sweetie let herself fall, backflipping into a dive and aiming for Starswirl. The wave hit, and demolished most of the trees, leaving the branch Starswirl was standing on. Gritting his teeth, he conjured a shield of fire, and exploded it outward, demolishing both the wave and Sweetie’s shield. A single sword of ice appearing, Sweetie aimed it at Starswirl, aiming for serious injury. Pure magic formed around Starswirl, and erupted outward, knocking Sweetie to the ground. Eyes glowing with power, Starswirl’s horn gained a third layer of magic, and the earth beneath Sweetie began to shake. Leaping to her feet, she teleported into the air just as a large crevice formed where she had been, and slammed closed a moment later. "Earth crumble before me! Bow to power and obliterate my enemies!" The mountain rose into the air as Starswirl vibrated with a crackling energy. For a brief moment, Sweetie’s mouth opened in shock. That moment was interrupted when the mountain began to sail toward her, and Sweetie teleported higher into the air. Eyes widening, Sweetie had time to see the mountain switch directions immediately, heading for her. Slamming into it, Sweetie heard something crack, and cried out in pain as her shield also fizzled out. Gasping, she felt gravity begin to take effect, and noticed she was on the bottom, with the ground racing toward them. If she didn’t move, she would be crushed. “Arrgh!” Charging her horn, Sweetie’s eyes glowed with power, and a lance of pure magic came from her horn. Doing a flip with her wings, Sweetie sliced straight through the mountain, causing it to separate. Flaring her wings, she flew through it. Narrowing her eyes, she flew as fast as she could, growing a cone as the mountain tried to close her inside it. Slipping through the top, Sweetie felt her tail lose a few hairs, and caught her breath for a moment, checking her injuries. Magic quickly examining her body, she was cut off from determining what had caused it as the mountain rose around her once more. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie teleported to Starswirl, swords forming around her, and aimed for his neck. Starswirl teleported away, discarding the mountain. It crashed into the ground, raining debris around them. Sweetie growled, teleporting just as Starswirl teleported away, and got fed up with it. Magic charging, she gained another aura on her horn, and screamed the words of power. "Shatter the millions and shock the world! Find the slippery and stop their heart!" There were crackling sounds, and bolts of lightning exploded outward. Starswirl teleported rapidly, avoiding the bolts as they trailed him like dogs on a trail. Throwing up a shield, Starswirl cried out in pain as the lightning sliced through it like butter, shocking him. Most of the shock went into the tree he was standing on, but he was still damaged by it. “"Blazing wings of molten fire, eyes of malice intelligent pyre. ARISE!"” Fire bursting out of his horn, the trees around him exploded into ash. Flying higher, Sweetie’s eyes widened as she watched a dragon form out of fire. Roaring, the entire plane seemed to heat up. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie reformed her ice blades, preparing for a fight. Starswirl stood absolutely still inside the foot of the dragon, horn glowing with incredible power. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie dived at the dragon, avoiding a claw, and sliced directly through it. It roared, turning to breathe fire on her. Freezing temperatures folding around her, Sweetie dove through the fire, rising above the dragon. Wings flaring, her horn erupted in a torrent of water, causing steam to obscure her location as she turned the dragon into steam. Whittling it down, Sweetie dived for Starswirl, swords aiming directly for him. Grabbed in his magic, Sweetie was tossed to the ground as the earth around them vanished. “Enough! This is a pointless fight! We are too evenly matched.” Raising a hoof, Starswirl looked Sweetie seriously in the eyes. Standing up, her horn buzzed with energy, but she didn’t attack. Breathing out, Starswirl sat down, closing his eyes and rubbing his chest. Sweetie didn’t let her guard down. “Right, we need to figure out a conclusion to this. Do you agree?” Raising an eyebrow, Starswirl seemed completely at ease. Slowly, Sweetie returned to a more neutral standing position, magic still hovering on her horn. Rolling his eyes, Starswirl tended to his injury. Begrudgingly, Sweetie took the chance to do the same. “Right, here is what I propose; you provide one valid reason why ponies should not be given eternal life, and I shall concede.” Shrugging, Starswirl levitated up one of the glass screens, one decrypting Sweetie reading his note. Pulling it out of the screen, he concentrated, blasting it with a bolt of magic. “Here, the truth hidden behind the cipher.” Levitating it out, Starswirl waited patiently as Sweetie read it. Folding it up, she rubbed her temple, and sighed. Folding her arms, she considered this information, and discarded it. Starswirl’s reasons did not change her opinion. she just had to justify it. “Well…” Raising her head, Sweetie racked her brain for an answer, one that wouldn’t be disputed. Thinking back on her Loops, Sweetie came up with a single word; boredom. Pursing her lip, she looked to Starswirl. A hint of uncertainty in her voice, she tried to string along a reasonable objection. “Well, in my Loop it got really boring after a while. The problem with everything being the same is well, what’s left once you’ve done everything?” Nodding to herself, Sweetie considered her argument valid. Hopefully it held up to Starswirl’s scrutiny. “That’s simple my dear, there will be no end to things to do. With the way the Time Loops will be set up, to bring somepony into the same Loop, all you would have to do is restart the Loop with them in the same room. Thus, the amount of things that can be done increases insurmountably by each pony who does this.” Shrugging, Starswirl beckoned for Sweetie to continue. “And they’ll have access to that ghost world you showed me?” Tilting her head, Sweetie sighed as Starswirl nodded, giving a cheerful smile. Truly, she didn’t know what was worse; the fact this was the pony responsible for so much pain done to her, or the fact she couldn’t find anything wrong with his plan. ‘Okay, other than boredom, there must be something.’ Closing her eyes, Sweetie rubbed her temple as she tried to think of something. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie begged her brain to bring up something, anything, that could justify the wrongness she felt from Starswirl’s plan. Before anything came, however, she was gripped with magic, and slammed into the floor. “You see, I am far smarter than you my dear. Experience and all that. Do you not think I considered this myself?” Raising an eyebrow, Starswirl once more began to inscribe the star pattern into the floor. Struggling, Sweetie felt tears sting her eyes. Why couldn’t she think of anything? Why was there always ponies who were smarter than her? “Why…” Why had Twilight and her friends assumed she was going to go insane? Why had Twilight done that spell to clear out a blockage in her magic? Why was Starswirl’s plan so understandable, and yet left a gut feeling in her chest that is was the wrong idea? Why had she been chosen, above all others? Sweetie knew of one other unicorn who had skills that were as bad as her own. “Calm down, it will be over soon, and everyone will be facing eternity.” Smiling gently, there seemed to be a note of tenderness to Starswirl that sent shudders deep down Sweetie’s back. Facing eternity? Were they even ready for that? Both she and Starswirl had struggled to face it. Sure, they’d had a painful handicap, but even without that there was the- “Facing eternity!” Gasping in shock, Sweetie lit her horn, knocking Starswirl back and leaping out of the star. Looking at Starswirl, things fell into place in her mind. And some of her dread ebbed. Starswirl sighed, rolling his eyes as he motioned for Sweetie to continue. “Ponies aren’t ready to face eternity, Starswirl, you know this.” Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie pointed at Starswirl, who blinked in surprise. Taking a step back, he glared, opening his mouth, about to speak. Sweetie cut him off, standing tall as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. “You’re smarter than me, just as Twilight is. You know this, you just choose to ignore it. We are very alike, and I understand where now. We both couldn’t take the pressure of eternity. Don’t you see? Even without the pain, we would have eventually gotten bored and began to delve into the darker parts of our mind. Our minds are not made to handle eternity, to know everything. And you know this.” Sweetie regarded Starswirl calmly. “No! You’re wrong! Th-The pain was the problem! I-If we remove the pain then there will be no problem with-” As Starswirl spluttered an excuse, Sweetie merely smiled sadly, and walked over. Looking him directly in the eyes, she spoke softly, and sadly. “Yes, there will.” Silence followed Sweetie’s words, and Starswirl looked everywhere but at Sweetie. Waiting patiently, Sweetie still had the sad smile on her face. Starswirl eventually grabbed the sides of her head, and began to shout into her face. “But all the pain I felt! All the pain I caused! You’re telling me to just give up on that? I can’t! I won’t!” Starswirl’s magic flared once more, and he slammed Sweetie down. However, Sweetie didn’t bother resisting, merely opening her mouth to reply. “Bad things happen, and most people don’t have the option to reverse or forget. Sometimes, the best of intentions can lead to the worst of results. But yours wasn’t even the best of intentions now was it?” Sweetie regarded Starswirl calmly as he cried out loudly to the heavens, and shouted once more in her face. “It is the best! The world needs me! THE WORLD NEEDS ME!” Shooting, Starswirl’s transformation flickered, and for a brief moment, Opalescent was glaring at Sweetie, claws digging into her fur. Smiling sadly, Sweetie closed her eyes. “They didn’t need you during the time you were animal hopping now did they?” For once, silence was all that remained after Sweetie spoke. Opening her eyes, Sweetie watched as Opal got off her, and transformed back into Starswirl. Looking to the ground, he sat down. “Is it wrong to not want to die?” Clenching his eyes closed, a single tear fell from Starswirl’s eye. Walking over, Sweetie put an arm around Starswirl, bring him half into a hug. “No, but we all have to face it someday. You can’t run forever, you need to accept this is the fate of every pony.” Stepping back, Sweetie watched Starswirl, feelingly only pity for the pony, despite what harm he had put her in. Closing her eyes, she waited. “I’m afraid,” he spoke, barely above a whisper. Looking to Sweetie, their eyes met, and she gave a sad smile. “We all are. But sometimes you have to face your fears.” As they looked to each other, silence was the only sound between them. It was a long time before either one made a move, but eventually Starswirl stood up, walking over. “Forgive me,” he spoke, and Sweetie shook her head. Lowering his, Starswirl looked toward the star he had engraved on the floor, and walked toward it. Closing his eyes, his horn toughed it, and tears began to fall from his eyes. “Goodbye Starswirl,” she spoke. “Goodbye, Sweetie Belle.” --“So he’s truly dead now…” Closing her eyes, Twilight considered this information. Opening them, she looked to her friends, their trust in her, and was glad she had discovered them. Otherwise, she might have come out like Starswirl. Looking to the sky, giving a sad smile, she couldn’t imagine her life without her friends. “Ah’m glad ta see you're alright.” Applejack gave Sweetie an encouraging smile. Truly, to survive as long as the filly did was nothing short of remarkable. Well, she wasn’t exactly a filly anymore, but it was hard to admit the maturity hidden behind those eyes. Really, it made her proud to know Applebloom’s friend was such a strong individual, regardless of blood. “The amount of parties, my hair is twitching in excitement!” So many parties the poor pony had missed. Pinkie Pie could feel the pain that must have been caused from the lack of fun. Had she become boring at one point? No! Never! Pinkie Pie refused to believe she too could become boring! “Y-You said something about a d-Dragon egg?” Hiding behind her hair, Fluttershy was concerned the Dragons would come to retrieve the egg. While it was true they would mean no harm, it was a very real concern. Looking to her, Twilight quickly wrote a note, sending it off in a puff of magic. “I’ll ask Celestia to send it down with some Guards. I’ve also invited her to come down herself with Luna. I imagine they want to talk to Sweetie as well.” Giving a smile, Twilight noticed Fluttershy’s worries ebb slightly, and looked to Rainbow Dash as she began to speak. “I uh, don’t really have much to say, but it’s great to see you back here safe and sound Sweetie. Both Rarity and Scootaloo woulda been heartbroken to find you gone.” Rubbing the back of her head, Rainbow Dash managed a smile, before looking away and biting her lip. “Thank you, to be honest it’s just nice to hear something new for once,” giving a nervous laugh, Sweetie noticed all six faces fall, and looked away, ears flopping down. Standing up, she looked to her sister, and gave a weary expression. Blinking, Rarity turned toward the others. “So yes, that’s everything done here. If that’s all, I’d like to take my sister home, and spend time with her.” Voice soft, Rarity gave them all a sad gaze, and the five rushed goodbye’s. Turning, she and Sweetie began to head home, Sweetie leaning on Rarity. At the moment, all they wanted was to be together. Arriving home, Rarity entered the kitchen to begin preparing food. After sitting at the table for a while, Sweetie couldn’t stand her own thoughts, and stood up to help. Showing her sister, Rarity carefully instructed her so as to avoid any of it getting ruined. Finally, they sat down, eating in silence. “Rarity, is it normal to wanna say stuff, but not wanna?” Pushing her meal away, Sweetie looked her sister in the eyes. Gulping, Rarity put down her fork, and stood up, walking around the table to put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. Breathing in, she let go of her desire to protect her sister, knowing it was too late. “Sometimes, there are secrets we take to our graves. Lies we tell ourselves, places where even generosity can turn to greed. I won’t lie, there are times when you’ll want to share, but know what harm it will cause. Often, there is no right answer.” Closing her eyes, Rarity allowed a sad smile to fall on her face. “But that’s what family is for. Sometimes there will be things you can’t even tell them, but it doesn’t matter who, or what, as long as you have somepony to confide in, the pain eases slightly. So when I say this, don’t ever forget it Sweetie. I am here for you, if you ever need to talk. And I will never judge your actions, and will never speak of them.” Bringing her sister into a hug, Rarity opened her eyes, looking at the wall behind her. “I’ve killed ponies,” was the whisper from her sister’s lips. Being pushed away, Rarity noticed the strained expression on Sweetie’s face. For a moment, a slice of fear passed through her. Scolding herself mentally, she composed herself, reminding her who was behind such a frightful gaze. “A-And I’m not talking about the times you all turned into dust. I threw Diamond Tiara off a cliff, I poisoned Ponyville, I tried to kill Celestia and Luna, I drove a pony to suicide. What am I supposed to do?” Tears streaming down her face, Sweetie looked to her front hooves, and bit her lip. “I’ve done so much, so many terrible things. And I did them knowing full well what I was doing. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel, but I know it isn’t what I do feel. I feel nothing, and that’s the worst part sister!” Looking up, Sweetie’s tears flowed freely, mixing with some blood coming from her lip. “Why? Why can’t I feel guilty? Why does thinking about it fill me with guilt over the fact I feel nothing? Why do their faces torture me? I just want to go back to a normal life.” Sobbing into her hooves, Sweetie shook. Watching this, Rarity looked around the room, as if searching for inspiration. Gritting her teeth, she gave a strained sound, and then brought her sister into another hug, stroking her hair. “I wish I knew the answer, I truly do. But I will tell you one thing.” Breaking the hug, Rarity held her sister's head, and forced their eyes to meet. “You are the most kind-hearted sister in the world. You care about others, so much that the very fact you don’t care about those...incidents bothers your very core. I don’t know the answers but I know a smart little sister who will figure it out for herself. All I can say is this: Don’t focus on what you can’t change, focus on what you can.” Bringing her sister back into a hug, Rarity closed her eyes. “You’re right.” Eyes widening, Sweetie’s tears finally stopped. Separating from Rarity, she pulled out a list from her saddlebags, looking at it. Slowly, a warm smile fell on her face, and she looked to Rarity. “Hey sister, do you think you could help me with a few final things to take care of? I’ll need the help of the Elements, and probably the Princesses.” Looking, Sweetie felt the stirrings of passion in her chest. This, this was something she could change. Rarity, glad to see some of her sister’s determination return, saluted. “Say no more Sweetie, I have no doubts they will help you. And if not, I will do everything in my power to bribe them into helping you.” Giving a wink, Rarity watched as Sweetie went upstairs to prepare a few things. Following her up, Rarity leaned on the door frame, and looked at Sweetie’s room, letting a bittersweet smile fall on her face. A year, Sweetie had grown up so fast. ---There was a knock at the door, and Dinky opened it, surprised to see one of her schoolmates in the doorway. What’s more, it was Sweetie Belle, the friend of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom that had gone missing for a week. Having no idea why she would be visited, Dinky waited as Sweetie smiled in greeting. “Hello Dinky. I know you have many questions, but if you could ask Ditzy to come outside so we can chat together, that’d be great. I have a few things I need to discuss.” Smile still firmly planted on her face, Sweetie waited as Dinky gave a slow nod, and called to Ditzy. As the mare approached, curiosity in both’s eyes. "Do you mind talking with me for a moment? It's very important." Glancing between them, Sweetie was all business. “Well uh, sure.” Giggling, Ditzy closed her eyes, tilting her head as she gave a smile. Nodding once, she pointed toward the park. Following it, Sweetie noticed a very familiar seat, and felt a pang of pain in her chest. As they walked over to it, Sweetie could feel their stares. Once both were seated, Sweetie breathed in, and out. “I know you lost your job last Monday, and you got a job on Thursday again, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. I had visions while I...was away. And those showed Dinky worrying she would go hungry. So I just…” Looking down, Sweetie bit her lip. Ditzy stood up, crouching and and lifted Sweetie’s muzzle up, giving a gentle smile. “Sweetie, do you really think the town would let us starve?” Bringing Dinky into a hug, Ditzy chuckled as a small whine came from her daughter. Looking at this, Sweetie felt a huge weight on her heart lift. In retrospect, she should have known Ponyville was too kind to let Ditzy and Dinky starve. Looking toward the sky, Ditzy’s smile became sad. “When we first moved here, there was a day we ran out of money. My poor Dinky here was forced to go hungry, so I swore to make sure she never had to suffer it again. I worked hard, but time and time again I couldn’t do the simplest of jobs. Eventually, ponies found out. My poor Dinky had confided in one of the fillies at school. I think her name’s Silver Spoon?” Tears began to leak from Ditzy’s eyes, hidden by her blonde hair. “Regardless, ponies came to us and offered their help. So whenever money get’s a little tight, we normally go over to one of their houses and have a wonderful meal. Even my parents send money sometimes. I am trying desperately to raise my daughter, I only wish I could give her more.” Wiping away the tears, Ditzy hugged her daughter tighter than before, and the two were silent. Wiping some moisture from her own eye, Sweetie gently placed a hoof on Ditzy’s shoulder. “How did this happen? I mean surely there’s something you’re good at. Why can’t you earn a living doing that?” Eyes meeting, Sweetie wanted to know, knowing how much pain she would be bringing up just for asking. But there had to be a reason, surely? “When I was freshly born, I came down with an illness that would have killed me,” she spoke, looking back toward the sky. “The chances of me surviving were, according to the doctors, 0.000069%. Desperate, my parents sought the aid of the Princesses, who gave them a single hope. A spell that would give me incredible luck. Of course, this spell had a very large downside. Facing the odds, my parents agreed, knowing what they were dooming me for. “It raised my luck to absurd levels, and I managed to pull through. I gained my Cutie Mark the moment I was completely healed. It represents my fragility, and serves to remind me how lucky I am to be alive. Little Dinky here would not have been born if it weren’t for its effect either, so I can’t hate it.” Giving a scornful look to the sky, Ditzy quickly washed it away, gently brushing Dinky’s hair. “I’m sorry,” whispered Sweetie, looking down. Ditzy merely shook her head, chuckling. “Don’t be, it’s no one’s fault. It was simply fate, pure circumstance.” Releasing Dinky, Ditzy watched her run off to play. The two watched for a time, before the three began to head home. Pulling out a piece of paper, Sweetie held it out to Ditzy as they paused in front of the door. “While I was away, I looked into the future and saw me giving you this Ad. I foresaw you getting this job, and keeping it.” Watching the paper being taken, Sweetie let a smile fall on her face, pulling out a second slip. “And Dinky? Here’s a job delivering newspapers. It’s very easy, and wouldn’t be much work. You can earn money so that if ever your mother runs into problems, you can rely on what you’ve saved.” Looking to them, Sweetie’s smile turned almost motherly. “And you are always welcome over for dinner at our house too. Rarity loves company.” Finished speaking, Sweetie looked to Ditzy. Tears stinging her eyes, Ditzy put the job Ad away, and brought Sweetie into a bear hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Author's Note ----Walking through the Asylum corridor, Sweetie waited as Twilight explained a few things. The entire place was silent, almost eerie. Coming to a stop outside a door, Twilight levitated Sweetie a key, and gave her a hug. “As requested, everypony in this wing has been asked to leave, except for Mr Turner. You’ve got roughly half an hour to talk, and then we’ll come get you both. And don’t worry about any paperwork.” Winking as she turned, Twilight teleported out of the corridor, leaving Sweetie in silence. Unlocking the door, she saw Mr Turner watching her. “Hello? Hello? Does the click of silence foretell your coming? Heee Hoo!” Beginning to honk, Time Turner’s eyes went in different directions. There was a moment when the straight jacket bulged slightly, but held. Silent and watching, Sweetie waited to see if he would calm down. He didn’t. “Listaxald Nixen,” she spoke, watching as Time Turner became deadly silent. Frowning, his head lip up where a horn would have been, and a spell passed over Sweetie. Eyes widening, he leaned back. Closing the door as she approached, Sweetie could see a twinge of fear. “Don’t worry, your sister didn’t send me. Well not exactly. Let me explain.” And explain Sweetie did. Even the Loops she hadn’t opted to tell anyone excluding Rarity about. Time Turner absorbed this information quickly, asking questions on occasion, but staying mostly silent. Finally, Sweetie came to her last point. “So, that’s everything. Excluding one item that is. You see, in the Loop I visited Chrysalis, she told me to tell you she’s sorry.” Falling silent, Sweetie watched the shock on Time Turner’s face. After a moment, his not-horn lit up, pulling the jacket off him. Standing up, he walked over, and gave a small smile. “Bless your soul, you’re absolutely adorable. Er-And thank you.” Cluckling, Time Turner stepped back, and bowed his head slightly. Opening the door, Sweetie led Time Turner out of the building, to where Twilight was waiting. Smirking, she held out the papers to a dumbstruck nurse, and the three of them left. Looking away, Twilight whistled for a bit, before turning toward Sweetie. “So...why did we need Time Turner?” Raising an eyebrow, Twilight was confused as Sweetie gave a quick giggle. Pausing, she nodded to Time Turner. Glancing between them, he rubbed the back of his neck, and let his disguise fall. Gasps of shock sounded around them, and Twilight fell to her rump. “We’re gonna need him if we’re going to make peace with the Changelings,” replied Sweetie, sniggering as an embarrassed Time Turner changed back. Walking together, questions began to stream from Twilight’s mouth. Another weight lifted off her chest, Sweetie looked up as the royal chariot came down to land. “Are you sure you don’t need us?” Raising an eyebrow, Twilight glanced back toward the others. Celestia and Luna were standing beside her. Stepping onto the chariot, Sweetie nodded, thankful Celestia had agreed to leave their personal matters for another day. “If we come in with too many people we’ll seem like an army. This really can’t wait, sorry.” Looking forward toward the one pony pulling the chariot, Sweetie nodded. Flaring his wings, Time Turner, now a Pegasus, took to the air, settling into a glide as they headed for Chrysalis’s home. “So, why aren’t you simply flying?” Glancing back, Time Turner kept his disguise on simply due to habit, knowing that it was more easy on the eyes. Cringing, Sweetie gave a short laugh, scratching the back of her head. Sighing, she leaned over the railing, looking toward the ground below them. “Honestly? I’m afraid. I don’t really know my own limits anymore. The pain is no longer there to force me to use magic, so I have no real need to test it. What if instead of casting the spell, I cause some untold disaster, and this time a reset won’t be able to save it.” Sighing, she held out her hoof, imagining it was touching the ground below them and creating a line like it was sand. “Being afraid is not something that’s inherently wrong you know Sweetie Belle. You’ve just come out of a stressful situation where knowing your limits was constantly weighing on you. There’s no rush to use magic, just like there’s no rush of a clock ticking down. The thing about time my dear, is that you’ll never have enough of it.” Chuckling, Turner curved slightly, angling downward as he prepared to decent. “Uh, I’m sorry, you lost me with that last sentence, isn’t that exactly the opposite of what you just said?” Tilting her head, Sweetie was inherently confused. Discarding it for a moment, she watched as a bird flew past them. It was the smallest of things, but it eased her mind just watching it. “Precisely my dear. You’ll never have enough time, but that’s why what we have must be spent without remorse. If you want to relax, relax, don’t worry about what time you have to do so. That’s the only way to really enjoy the fullness of life. You don’t have to live life to love life.” Glancing back, Time Turner gave another wink, and came to land outside Chrysalis’s hive. Hopping off the chariot, Sweetie still had zero clue what Time Turner meant. Somehow, despite that, it did make her feel better. “I’m here to see my sister,” spoke Time Turner, eyes pointed at a random bush. Transforming into a Changeling, it hissed, baring fangs as it flew away. Time Turner moved his head, looking to Sweetie. “Do you want a lift?” Giving a smile, Turner watched as Sweetie shook her head, gulping down her fear as she levitated herself down the entrance. Following her down, Turner allowed a nostalgic smile to fall on his face. ’Just as prideful as he ever was.’ Shaking his head, Turner focused on the situation at hand as Sweetie led him toward the throne room, and he transformed into his Changeling self. There was Chrysalis, his sister. Biting his lip, he could see the starvation in her very eyes, where the glow had all but faded. “Oh sister…” Time Turner took a step toward Chrysalis, but was halted as her arm rose, and a wall of Changelings rose to block him. Standing up slowly, Chrysalis walked over, eyes narrowing. “Don’t ‘oh sister’ me. Not now. You know very well the state we have been in. The state you caused when you abandoned my mother because you disagreed with our feeding habits.” Glowering slightly, Chrysalis could barely muster the energy to sound angry. It came out just...tired. “But...I-uh.” Taken aback, Turner looked to Sweetie, who chuckled slightly, shaking her head as she approached the wall of changelings. Giving them a warm smile, she simply let out her open compassion, stunning them long enough for her to bring one into a hug. The wall crumpled, and she approached Chrysalis. “Come on, I know how you truly feel. This is your chance to tell him. We’re here to save you.” Warmly smiling, she walked toward a rapidly backing-away Chrysalis. Finally backed into her throne, Chrysalis was unable to resist as Sweetie also gave her a hug. Of course, the hug to Chrysalis was much stronger, having spent some time with Chrysalis. “N-no…” Feeble cries withstanding, Chrysalis couldn’t help but lick up the love this filly was freely giving off. This effect was further sped up when Turner lowered his head, horn lighting up and a pink stand of magic connecting to Chrysalis’s own horn. Slowly, her holes began to close, and the Changeling's eyes began to glow more bright. “That’s enough,” she spoke, cutting off the thread and pushing Sweetie off her. Standing up, she regarded the two, and sighed, looking away as her ears flicked down. Nuisances, all ponies were nuisances. And yet...a small smile fell on her face, it was those very nuisances that had just saved her hive. “I’m sorry for ratting you out brother,” she spoke finally, looking to Time Turner. All shimmered, transforming into various ponies. Chrysalis had opted for a unicorn with forest green hair. Walking over, she looked between them. “So what’s this about saving the hive?” “Here they come,” spoke Celestia as the Chariot came to land. Two ponies came off it, with Time Turner driving it. Chrysalis walked over slowly, and transformed into her usual self just as Time Turner did the same. Both stood in front of the Princesses. Looking between them, Celestia gave a compassionate smile, and turned to her side, opening a wing toward them. On the other side, Luna mirrored the action. “Welcome home, my little ponies.” Author's Note And there's your 10k, as promised. I've still got quite a bit to write, but they're mainly standalone chapters, so I'll have them happen every 2nd day or so. -----Rolling the egg onto the Chariot, Sweetie levitated some rope over, securing it. The two Royal Guards stood at the ready. Pulling the ropes tight, she looked to Celestia and Luna, giving a grateful smile. Both shared a glance. “I know you stated they know you, but are you sure this is safe?” Concern on her face, Twilight approached, concentrating as she placed fire protection spells over both the Chariot and the ponies. Nodding, Sweetie avoided the pang of doubt in her chest. “I’m sure, I have to return the egg. I know we need to talk, and you have royal duties, but this kinda has to take precedence.” Biting her lip, Sweetie looked toward the egg, and the two chuckled. “Sweetie Belle, we understand having duties that must come first. Do not fear, once this task is done we will have time to talk.” Bowing her head, Celestia gave a bemused smile. Nodding once, Sweetie looked toward the Royal Guards, giving a second nod. Flaring their wings, they took off. Glancing back, Sweetie gave them all a wave. Sighing, Sweetie closed her eyes for a moment. Feeling the breeze on her as they flew by, she wondered what would happen if she could mold that into a blade. If paper could cut, could wind? Chuckling, she supposed Twilight would know. It would be an interesting conversation, at least. Opening her eyes, Sweetie frowned. “God, I’m making myself sick,” she scowled, looking off the edge of the chariot. Stifling a shudder, Sweetie wondered if dropping something from this height would cause any damage. Chiding herself, she knew it would, but her morbid fascination continued. What items could she drop? What shape would they make? “Stop iiit!” Rubbing her head, Sweetie groaned, giving it a rapid shake. It was hard accepting the fact she wasn’t in a Loop anymore, that the things she did had permanent effects. Part of her accepted it, the other part wanted to do it anyway. Sighing, she slouched as the Dragon Nesting Grounds came into view. “Stop, land just outside the top of the bowl. I don’t want to be barbecued.” Turning, Sweetie began to untie the egg as the Chariot came into to land. Pushing it off the Chariot, Sweetie began to roll it up the mountain, pausing once they were at the top. Looking around, she wondered where Thorak was. Carefully, she began to roll the egg into the bowl, looking around for the female Dragon. Seeing her, Sweetie began to make her way over. As Dragons began to take notice, she saw Garble poke his head out of the treasure pile. Giving a quick wave, Sweetie continued on her way. “Oh, my baby,” spoke the she-Dragon, walking over and plucking the egg up, cradling it for a few moments. Stepping back, she returned to the nest, leaving Sweetie alone. “My mate is catching food. He will be back at sunhigh.” At those words from the she-Dragon, Sweetie glanced to the sun. Frowning, she thought it was already midday. Shrugging, she turned, heading toward Garble. Crawling out of the treasure pile, he slid down it and gave Sweetie a tooth-filled smile. “Well well well, the namby pamby pony got out of her Time Loop.” Smirking, he leaned down and picked up Sweetie, bringing her into a quick hug. Putting her down a moment later, he motioned toward the gem pile. “Wanna go a round of King of the Hoard while you wait?” Of course Garble’s request was about the gem pile. Of course Sweetie agreed, letting go of her fear about using magic to place a stronger shield spell on herself. Feeling slightly relieved when it worked without problems, she watched as Garble roared the challenge to the other teenage Dragons. “Come on, this all you got,” she remarked, standing proudly atop the gem pile as the teenagers tried to take her down. To her surprise, she was tackled by Garble, who had opted for a sneaky route. Pinning her down, he declared himself the king, and let her go. Shaking claw and hoof, the two shared a good natured laugh. A roar shook the sky. “Looks like he’s back,” remarked Garble, following Sweetie down toward the middle of the bowl. A black Dragon plummeted out of the sky, flapping his wings inches from impact to stop his fall. Looking around, he noticed Sweetie, and glanced toward the she-Dragon, eyes softening. Tossing something toward a sick Dragon, he approached Sweetie. “Welcome back, young one.” Bowing his head slightly, Thorak blinked as Sweetie hugged his snout. Stepping back, she bowed slightly, suddenly all business. “Your liege! I apologise for the delay in returning your egg. It was selfish of me to do so, but I felt stopping an entire race from starvation had to come first.” Saluting, Sweetie scrunched her face up, and Thorak gave a hearty laugh. “I am glad to see you escaped intact. Do not fear, I anticipated you would be more focused on recovering at first to deliver our egg.” Rising, Thorak led the way over to the she-Dragon, and both curled around the egg together. Approaching, Sweetie felt a bit more of her guilt ease, watching the egg with a warmth in her heart. “Come Sweetie, get closer.” Using the palm of his hand, Thorak gently nudged Sweetie closer to the egg. Glancing between them, Sweetie raised an eyebrow, but obliged. As they breathed in, Sweetie felt a split second of fear, but discarded it. There was no need to fear, she trusted Thorak. Flame erupted around her, Thorak and the she-Dragon’s wings rising to close off the rest of the bowl. Flinching, Sweetie tried to cower as the flame hit her, but blinked as it merely licked at her fur, warm but causing no damage. Glancing between the two dragons, Sweetie watched as they began to fade from view, the fire obscuring everything but the egg in front of her. Without warning, the flame turned emerald green, and Sweetie shuddered as a spark raced over her skin. Looking toward the egg, she watched as it shuddered, and began to crack. The flame turned red and orange again for a moment, before once more turning emerald. A second jolt passed through Sweetie, and she suddenly felt very hot in her own skin. The egg gave another jolt. Finally, the flame turned a striking blue, and Sweetie felt it. Gasping for breath, she glanced toward the egg as it began to shudder and shake. Cracks began to form, and finally it shattered, revealing a tiny baby dragon, smaller than even Spike. The flames died to a soft red, and Sweetie sighed in relief as the heat went down. Soon enough, that fire died, and the two Dragons revealed the outside world once more. Standing, the she-Dragon walked away from the nest, and curled into a tight ball. With a sigh, her entire body began to harden, turning to stone. The edges began to smooth, and soon enough Sweetie couldn’t even tell it was a Dragon. Glancing to Thorak, her mouth opened and closed, unable to speak. “When our race tire of life, we become female, and produce an egg. This egg hatches upon our death, where our life force becomes the new life. You are the first pony in our known history to witness this.” Thorak gently pushed the baby Dragon toward Sweetie. Looking to it, and then to Thorak, Sweetie noticed there was a new dullness to his eyes. “Do not fear, I still have life in me. The transference merely exhausts me. I must sleep for a year, maybe ten, to recover. Because of this, I have a final request from me to you. My mate wanted our son to grow up in a loving environment. This has happened in the past only once, and we entrusted that egg to your leader. “This was also to secure our peaceful relations for the foreseeable future. And now, I do the same to my son by bequeathing him to you.” Thorak bowed his head, and Sweetie took a step back as the baby Dragon gripped her hoof, dragging him slightly. Biting her lip, she tried levitating him, finding that he was almost too easy to levitate. “I-I don’t know. I don’t think I’m old enough to even consider-” Pausing, Sweetie noticed Thorak had fallen asleep, and was sending out a wisp of smoke. Silence stretching, Sweetie looked once more to the baby, taking note of the gray scales. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie blinked as she saw speckles of white upon closer inspection. ’What do I do…’ Sighing, Sweetie stepped away from Thorak, carefully balancing the baby on her back. It gripped her, and she winced as the claws dug in. Looking toward Garble, Sweetie approached, concern on her face. Garble did a double take, looking deep in her eyes. “Wow, he gave you the flame of a Dragon. I didn’t even know you could give a portion of that.” Looking her over, Garble soon noticed the baby, and fawned slightly at its sleeping position. “Flame?” Sweetie was getting tired of dragons, and their half-answers. “Yeah, your eyes have that ‘glow’ they were missing when we first met. It’s like an uh-oh what’s the word. You know those things some ponies hang up that say they’re a part of that family? Like a, uh…” Garble went cross eyed, glancing toward the sky as he thought about it. “A coat of arms?” Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie mentally sighed, overcome with everything that had just transpired. “Yeah! It’s like our coat of arms. Only a dragon would notice it though. It’s like an occasional flicker of green in your eyes. Not very obvious seeing as yours are already green.” Shrugging, Garble considered that a good thing, and began filling Sweetie’s bags with smaller gems for the baby. “I guess I better go,” she replied, simply weary. When Thorak woke up, Sweetie was going to give him one hell of a talking to. Part of her suspected he just didn’t want to raise a baby. Waving goodbye to Garble, Sweetie walked up the bowl’s edge, heading for the Chariot. The Royals Guards said nothing, taking off when she ordered it. Back in the bowl, Thorak rose, walking over to the rock that had once been the she-Dragon. Sitting down, he touched his forehead to it. Closing his eyes, he began to quietly mourn her. The other Dragons paid no attention, seemingly all occupied with other things. Only one dragon, Garble, flew over and stood vigil with Thorak. Author's Note Removed the questionnaire since it's no longer relevant. ------As the Chariot came to land, Sweetie’s package was quickly spotted. Stepping off, Sweetie carefully pried the baby off her, wincing as he began to cry. Sighing, she placed him back on her back, watching as he became quiet once more. Sweetie supposed she would have to give him a name sometime. “Long story short, I now have a baby dragon,” she spoke, giving a weary look to Twilight. Walking over, Celestia seemed to run some magic over the baby, before nodding and pulling out a piece of paper. “I’ll order the guards to place some items you’ll need to raise him on the next train, unless you want us to care for him until he is of age?” Pausing in her writing, Celestia raised an eyebrow, waiting for Sweetie to respond. Sighing, she looked to the baby, and knew she wasn’t ready to take care of a child. If she didn’t have Rarity, Sweetie would have taken Celestia’s offer. “I’ll raise him. Rarity raised me well, and she’ll be with me if I run into any problems. I don’t think I’m ready for it, but I know giving him to you would disappoint Thorak.” Whom, Sweetie bitterly thought, has a lot of explaining to do when he woke. Finishing the letter, Celestia sent it off, and bowed her head. “They will arrive first thing tomorrow, and we shall be leaving late tonight. For now, I suggest finding him a small gem to suckle on. It should keep him sated for now at least.” Finished speaking, Celestia watched as Sweetie pulled out some perfect sized gems. Placing one near the mouth of the dragon, Sweetie blinked as he pounced on it, suckling as he curled into a ball. “Okay, now uh Theodore? No….Thanos? No, not that… Now that this baby Dragon is taken care of, can we talk? Just us three?” Sweetie sent Twilight a apologetic look, and Twilight shook her head in response, bowing as she turned away. Following the two into Twilight’s castle, they all took a seat. “Well,” she began. “I want to ask your permission to try lifting the sun and moon. See, in the time Loops I always had a pretty good idea of my limits because I had to be constantly using my magic. But out here I don’t have that. So I want to try something that, well…” Trailing off, Sweetie looked to her hooves, swishing her tail on reflex. A Chicken spawned, flying out the window. Celestia watched this, and then cleared her throat. “Say no more Sweetie Belle. We will make the exception for you.” Both Celestia and Luna had heard the details from Twilight, and knew that this wasn’t some filly any more. In addition, Sweetie Belle had a baby dragon to take care of. Knowing her limits would be very...wise. Horns glowing, the nodded to Sweetie, who breathed in. Sending her magic out, Sweetie felt it easily grip the moon. After moving it around for a bit, she also picked up the sun. Canceling the spell, she sighed, rubbing her temple. It seemed so easy...Levitated up, Sweetie blinked as Luna brought her into a hug. Celestia blinked, but did not join in. “I’m fine.” Smiling, Sweetie untangled herself from Luna. Looking between them, Sweetie watched both share a glance, and her mood soured instantly. “You’re thinking about vacation, aren’t you.” Shocked that Sweetie had guessed correctly, they both had trouble recovering. Approaching, Celestia put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Yes, but you need to understand, we were not expecting you to do anything. I am sorry, it was selfish of us to think such thoughts, but we did.” Glancing back toward Luna, Celestia’s sister gave a nod. Sighing, Sweetie pushed the hoof off her shoulder, turning around to take a seat once more. “I know,” was her response. Silence followed, and the two sisters shared a look. Giving a bow, they spoke together. “If there is nothing else, we must begin the journey home.” Both turned, beginning to leave. Watching them, Sweetie waited until the door had closed before letting her annoyance manifest. Celestia and Luna were... It made her blood boil. The worst part in her mind? Of course she’d do it. Growling, she stood up, beginning to walk home. “SURPRISE!” Walking in, Sweetie was assaulted with confetti. Chuckling, she cleared her eyes and saw the bright smiling faces of everyone she knew. Even Ditzy and Dinky were there. Glancing to the baby on her back, Sweetie noticed he hadn’t even moved an inch. ’Thashen. A combination of Thorak and ash, as you are gray in color. I think it’s perfect, don’t you?’ Looking at the baby, she noticed it curl slightly tighter into the ball. Taking that as a yes, Sweetie entered her home, letting go of her worries so she could enjoy it. As always, Pinkie Pie had perfect timing. Author's Note Lil short today, sorry bout that. Removing this bit also. -----It all went perfectly to plan, almost too perfectly. Applebloom and Scootaloo agreed to blindly trust her as she managed to pull off the ‘Diamond Tiara teaches them about ritzy stuff, and Scootaloo learns about Cloud-boarding’ scenario. Too easily, they both gained their Marks, Diamond and Silver became their friends, and it was time for Sweetie to head home. “See ya Scoots, bye Bloom.” Waving her two friends goodbye as she stood outside Diamond’s house, she watched them leave, and sighed. Diamond looked at this, and coughed, gaining Sweetie’s attention. Sitting down on the step, she motioned with her head to Silver, who stepped inside, and closed the door. “So, why were you bored? Did you not like my games?” Watching Sweetie visibly cringe, Diamond knew she had hit the nail on the head. Watching Sweetie squirm slightly, there was a small moment when Diamond considered making a smart remark, and teasing Sweetie. Shaking her head, she discarded it quickly. When Sweetie didn’t answer, head bowed and mouth downturned, Diamond sighed. “Too easy? Or was it not easy enough?” Raising an eyebrow, Diamond tried to pry the issue out. Rubbing the back of her neck, Sweetie glanced to Diamond, and looked away. Gazing upward, Diamond considered what words she could say to make Sweetie open up. There had to be something. Her father always said there were some. “It scares me how close it mirrored the last time. It reminds me too much of how bad it got in there.” Sitting on her rump, Sweetie hugged her legs, and closed her eyes. Blinking, Diamond was confused as to what Sweetie meant by ‘last time’ but shook it off. Those were questions for another time. “Jeez, that’s really rough. I can sympathise, my daddy likes to make me repeat every smart thing he says. ‘Repetition is the key to remembering,’ so he says.” Scowling, Diamond glared at the setting sun, before letting her expression relax. Glancing to Sweetie, she realised she now had Sweetie’s undivided attention. “What do you do? How do you stop those feelings?” There was a hint of despair in Sweetie’s tone, and Diamond saw the hint of strong emotions threatening to break the dam, and scanned her memories. Biting her lip, she considered it seriously, frowning as she tried to pin down just why it didn’t bother her. “I guess I just try not to think about it. I mean, if I let it get to me, I’d never be able to have any fun, as rare as that is.” Shrugging, Diamond didn’t think that was the whole truth, but it was the best she could come up with. Glancing to Sweetie, Diamond was pulled into a hug, and she blinked, eyes widening. “...I can try. Maybe that’s the only way to handle some situations.” It didn’t sound very good for most problems, but ones that didn’t go away and didn’t cause any problems in the future? It might be best, at least in Sweetie’s view. As much as she wanted to let go of her past though, it continued to throb in the forefront of her mind. “As much as I love hugs, could you let go of me?” After being released, Diamond stood, and gave Sweetie an encouraging smile, rubbing her leg as she looked away. This didn’t feel right, Sweetie should be confiding in her old friends, not her ex-enemy. Regardless, there wasn’t much Diamond could do about it, considering she had been the one to pry. So she tried to hide her grimace behind a smile. “I’ll be going now, sorry for being such a bother.” Waving goodbye, Sweetie began to trot home, still preferring not to use magic unless necessary. Waving herself, Diamond waited until she was around the corner, and hugged herself. “You weren’t a bother, no bother at all.” Smiling, she let her glee show, and shivered at both the cold and her emotions. Opening the door, she walked over to Silver, bringing her into a hug. “Diamond? What’s wrong?” Concern painting her words, Silver was surprised as Diamond merely looked at her, and began to laugh. “Nothing, nothing is wrong.” Once more bringing her friend into a hug, Diamond tried, and failed, to keep moisture from coming out her eyes. “Everything is golden.” Author's Note Another short chapter, sorry. Was in a bit of a writing funk today. I am going ahead with the books. But, this will take some time after this story is complete. Therefore, so those interested can stay updated: I have made a book-update doc. Any further updates there will be about the book. Secondly, I've decided the updated story will also be available here, and not a physical book exclusive. I WILL, however be including a bonus chapter. What will this chapter be? Nothing too groundbreaking, just another little addition that won't affect the story. It WILL be interesting though. ----Walking down the street to head toward one of the items on her list, Sweetie halted in her tracks, putting a hoof on her chest as pain flared up in it. Chatting casually, Snips and Snails hadn’t noticed her yet, and she was tempted to hide. Cringing, she felt her breath go ragged as she fought that desire, and gave a small whine as they noticed her. “Hey Sweetie, not often we see you these days. Glad to see you were found safe.” Snails gave an eager smile, and was pushed aside as Snips beamed proudly, striking a pose. “Yeah, I was searching the forest for you painstakingly. Snails here looked after Fluttershy’s animals.” Glancing to his friend, there was a hint of arrogance in Snip’s words. Wincing, Snail looked away from both, and his ears flopped down. “Fluttershy couldn’t search for Sweetie and take care of them, and she’s much more comfortable around the Everfree monsters thanks to her talent. The chances of finding Sweetie were better when she didn’t have-” Cut off, Snail's head only got lower. “Whatever, admit it. You were just afraid of the Everfree. Don’t worry, I picked up the slack because you weren’t there.” Snips smiled, and Snails gave a hesitant smile in response. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie took a step forward, but stopped when Snails responded. “Thanks Snips, you’re a great friend, helping me all the time.” That answer, it made her blood boil. “Alright, that’s it!” Turning to Snails, Sweetie poked her hoof right in his face. “You, you are a kind and gentle pony that shouldn’t feel pressured by others to act like Snips just because he treats you better for it. And you,” she spoke, turning to Snips. “You need to stop forcing your beliefs on Snails, and start trying to get proper friendships. As such, I am officially interfering in your lives, and becoming your friend from now on. My first order of business is to introduce you to my friends, and hopefully get you inducted into the CMC.” Turning her back to them, Sweetie rolled her head toward the sky. “And yeah, I know this sounds hypocritical since I was just calling you out on it, Snips. But so help me, I refuse to let anyone I like be doormats. I get enough of it from Rarity overworking herself, I don’t need others doing it too.” Glancing back at them, Sweetie blinked, and took a step back. ’Oh jeez, I didn’t mean to get so angry… I gotta watch my temper in the future, it certainly didn’t get any better during my time in the Loops.’ Feeling a little sorry for taking out her frustrations on them, Sweetie opened her mouth, about to apologise. “But we can’t be Crusaders, we already have our Cutie Marks.” Snails surprised both Snips and Sweetie, speaking out of turn as he looked sadly to his Mark. Eyes widening, Sweetie smiled softly, feeling a pang in her chest. Coughing to hide the beginnings of a blush, she looked away for a moment. “Weeeeel, all of us have our Marks now. So that point is kinda moot.” Chuckling, Sweetie closed her eyes, rubbing the back of her head. Snips raised an eyebrow, stepping forward. “If yas have your Marks, why are you still the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Folding his arms, Snips frowned. Turning, Sweetie giggled, amused that they hadn’t figured it out. “That’s simple, it’s no longer about our Marks. I’ll admit, I haven’t discussed it yet with this version of my friends, but I’m pretty sure they’ll all be behind the idea of turning the CMC not into a crusade for our Marks, but for every Mark.” Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie smirked, raising a hoof slightly and pointing it to the sky. “There are fillies and colts out there, worried about never getting their Mark, worries we shared with them. I want to bring out their true potential. That’s what my mark means, after all. And I’m going to make it happen.” Looked to them, she put her hoof down, and stood proudly. “It may take years, maybe even decades, to bring the CMC around Equestria, to grow into a recognised group. But when we do, we will bring both happy memories, and cherished joy to all Markless ponies. For it's not only the Mark that counts, but the journey to get there.” Wiping her eye, Sweetie felt an open joy in her heart. Her dream, it could happen now she was outside the Loops. Both colts were open jawed at her, a hint of pink on their cheeks. “Wait, version?” Tilting his head, Snips was confused by this word choice. Winking, Sweetie chuckled, turning and walking away. Swishing her tail once, she spawned a chicken, giggling as they watched it pass them. “Oh no, that’s a story I’m saving. All my friends will hear it together, or not at all." Author's Note ---Stopping outside Noteworthy’s house, Sweetie waited patiently as the smells of dinner wafted through the street. Taking a seat on some grass by the road, she pulled out a book to read. It was one that had recently been released. It was about a young filly trying to make her way in a zombie apocalypse, with only an ex-murderer as company. Slowly, the sounds of music began to echo, and Sweetie gently closed the book, it was time. Noteworthy played the note, and sighed. There was something weighing on his mind, something he couldn’t quite place. Shaking his head, he noticed the sounds of his fellow musicians begin, and moved his hooves to join in, forgetting his worries almost instantly. Closing his eyes, he let the music speak. The song weaved and swirled, easing the minds of everypony listening. It softened anger, it soothed heartache, and helped children drift to sleep. It did all this, until a new tune entered the air. Swirling around it, the music hesitated, detecting the inexperience behind the magically infused notes. The tune began to swirl, singing a new song, one that disturbed the old rhythm as it spoke. The song tried to resist it, wanting to keep the soothing melody, but soon found the tune mixing to make it more haunting. The song faltered, and the tune rose up in panic, trying to continue the song. The song paused, and decided to listen, shifting to allow the tune, the voice, to lead. It began joyfully, bouncing around with a playful air, transforming into a mischievous undertone. The voice changed, while the melody continued the undertone, jumping into the calm beat of the old song. Transforming the song, the voice seemed to falter occasionally, but purposely in tune with the song, before finally coming to a stop. The voice resumed, and the song transformed into a sad song, emotion given a voice. The voice began to return to the calming melody of before, and the song resumed once more, sensing the message was finished. Finishing, the final notes ended as normal, and all was calm. Only a few ponies noticed the difference, and even fewer knew what was the cause. As all musicians poked their heads out, they saw Sweetie Belle in the street, looking directly at Noteworthy, and simply knew. Vinyl and Octavia both vacated inside, knowing it was none of their business. Lyra simply walked away, glancing back only once on her way home. Looking down at Sweetie, Noteworthy walked downstairs, and opened the door. “Come in,” he spoke, turning and walking toward the table, where he took a seat. Stepping inside, Sweetie shut the door behind her, and joined him at the table. Breathing in, she opened her mouth, and began to tell him her tale. At first, Noteworthy had been going to laugh, but his disbelief was removed when Sweetie transformed herself into an Alicorn for a moment. Hours passed quickly as Sweetie spoke, and Noteworthy’s expression grew more and more serious. Levitating over both of them some coffee, Sweetie took a sip, and continued. After finishing her tale, Sweetie waited patiently as Noteworthy looked down. Closing his eyes for a moment, he sighed, standing up and walking over. “I can’t exactly forgive you for what you put that version of me through, but I can’t hate you for it either. I don’t really know what my feelings are on the situation to be honest. I’m sorry I can’t give you more or a final answer on that.” Biting his lip, Noteworthy put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder, looking her in the eyes. “It’s late, you should head home.” Turning, Noteworthy led the way back to the front door. Stepping outside, Sweetie and Noteworthy shared a strained smile, and the door was closed. Noteworthy headed upstairs, slumping in his bed and heaving a sigh. Meanwhile, Sweetie went home, getting a quick hug from Rarity, and went straight to bed, where dreamless sleep met her. Author's Note Sorry about the short chapter. --Looking at the sunset over the cliff, Sweetie simply let her mind go blank. Nothing remained that weighed on her heart, her friends were all together, and the feeling of sameness had worn off quickly. Beside her sat Thrashen, suckling his thumb as he rested. Occasionally a burst of fire would erupt from his mouth, but Sweetie had come prepared with a fire-resistance spell. “I know you’re there.” Not even looking behind her, Sweetie could feel Discord’s hovering presence. While she wasn’t sure how or when she’d gained this ability, she certainly could feel the waves coming off him. Sure enough, Discord sat down at the cliff face beside her, and they were quiet for some time. “So, do you remember the Time Loops?” Watching a stray leaf get sucked downward by the wind, Sweetie had to constantly remind herself she could grow wings and levitate herself. This cliff had been the sight of many horrible encounters in the Loops, but Sweetie had to move past that eventually. “Hrm? Sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about.” Discord snapped his fingers, turning the leaf into a bird with three heads. Watching it for a moment, Sweetie concentrated, and swished her tail, turning it into a chicken. As it began to descend, Discord snapped his fingers a third time, returning it to a leaf. “You’re lying,” she spoke, finally turning to look at him. Raising an eyebrow, Discord regarded her, and then chuckled, giving a shrug. “Alright, you got me. I purposely allowed myself to forget the Time Loops, but I do remember the final one.” Leaning back, Discord looked toward the sky, a casual smile on his face. “I’ve got two questions then. My first one is simple; why did you kiss me? And no jokes please.” Giving a small smile, Sweetie tried to infuse a little energy into it. Failing that, she returned to watching the cliff, mouth downturned. “I’m disappointed, but veeery well. I basically made you my successor. I mean, I can’t let Celestia have all the fun now, can I?” Chuckling, Discord glanced toward the setting sun, and snapped his fingers, turning it into a triangle. Sniggering, he glanced to Sweetie, who was trying to not laugh. Rolling her eyes, she opened her mouth to ask her next question. “Oh right, right, of course yes. You see Sweetie, Chaos and Time are two sides of the same coin. Starswirl was essentially controlling Time, so while you were under Time's rules, you couldn’t fight back.” Pointing to the sun, Discord winked at Sweetie, who frowned, concentrating as she swished her tail. “No, you’ve got to add a little more math and a little less cluck. Come now, it’s not rocket surgery.” Looking to the chicken sun, Discord snapped his fingers, returning it to a triangle. Growling, Sweetie tried again, swishing her tail to a 90 degree angle. Surprisingly, it worked, and the sun was now a circle again. “Okay, so my second question. You mentioned one Loop that Starswirl created you?” Levitating Thrashen back onto her back, Sweetie stood up. Both began to head for Sweetie’s home. Passing a street filled with music, both paused for a moment to listen. “Did I say that? I was likely lying then.” Shrugging, Discord followed her as they finally arrived at the house. “So did you making me your uh, sucessor, do anything to my life expectancy?” After the time Loops, Sweetie didn’t even want to face that sort of problem. It scared her down to her very core, and she shuddered. A claw was placed on her shoulder, and Discord gave her an encouraging smile. “Of course not. You’ll live a chaotically normal life.” Chuckling, Discord snapped his fingers, vanishing. Opening the door, Sweetie entered her home, and smiled warmly as Rarity poked her head out and greeted her. “Hey Sweetie, how was your day?” Walking out with a tray of cookies, Rarity levitated one over. Taking it in her magic, Sweetie took a bite, and smiled as the warm cookie crumbled in her mouth, with chocolate chips melting between it. “A little bit chaotic, what about you?” Taking another bite, Sweetie followed Rarity into the kitchen to hear about her sister's day. “Celestia, why was your sun-” “Not NOW Luna! I’m trying to summon Discord.” “Did thou remember the chocolate rain?” - “And that, my little fillies, is how I got my Cutie Mark.” Smiling, Sweetie looked down at the three fillies, looking at her with amazement. The two girls were sporting red bows, a gift from their mother. The colt on the other hand, was dressed in a backwards cap, and his wings buzzed with excitement. “But Miss Belle...If this happened when my mum wasn’t even born yet, how are you still alive?” The buttercup filly scrunched up her face, confused. Chuckling, Sweetie used her magic to gently push them closer as she leaned down. “In truth,” she admitted. “I should have realised Discord was lying. I guess the news was so much a relief I didn’t detect it.” Shrugging, Sweetie straightened up once more, giving the three an amused smile. Outside, screams of enjoyment could be heard as the flying pig races exited the Discordic Portal. “Wait, if you got your Mark during that one Loop, why’d you tell us the entire thing?” The colt frowned, and the bright orange filly pointed a hoof in accusation. “Yeah! We coulda been flyin in Discord’s race if ya hada left it ta one Loop!” Sharing nods, the three folded their arms, annoyed with Sweetie. Shaking her head, she slouched slightly on her throne, swishing her tail and sending the three spinning around in the air. “Come now, do you realise how boring that would have been?” Smirking as they both cried out in annoyance, Sweetie swished her tail, letting them plop gently back to the floor. Their glares full of mirth, she launched into a full fledged laugh. Sighing, the three turned, skulking away. “She’s useless, let’s go bother Lightyear. I hear Princess Twilight finally let him off his studies.” After the three turned the corner, Sweetie pulled out a list, and began looking it over. Each page had a picture of a filly or colt, a background, and what their personality was like. Musing over the current page, she looked to the list of activities the pony had tried, before writing down a few ideas they had yet to. If none of those worked, she’d have to make a personal trip down and see the pony. “Excuse me, Miss Belle?” Glancing away from the papers, Sweetie was surprised to see the colt from earlier, drawing a circle in the ground “Call me Sweetie, our families are friends after all, Clipwing.” Giving the nervous colt a gentle smile, Sweetie watched as he mustered the courage to ask his question. “Umm, well, I was, well, wondering if you-You see I uh. H-How did you put up with it?” Glancing to her, the colt looked to the floor and bit his lip. Placing the paper down, Sweetie got low to the ground, placing a hoof under the colt’s chin, and forcing their eyes to meet. “What’s wrong,” she spoke sternly, but softly. Clipwing’s eyes clenched closed, and a single tear escaped. Without a second thought, Sweetie brought him into a hug. “I-It’s just. What if these exercises never work, and I’m flightless just like-And what if I get a mark that represents it, how do I-” Dissolving into sobs, Sweetie gently brushed Clipwing’s mane, letting him calm down. Finally, Sweetie released him, and brought his chin up once more. “You are such a kind and caring colt Clipwing. Don’t ever think that one single thing defines you. A Cutie Mark won’t change you, it simply completes you. It won’t appear until you realise what that very thing is. Take my story to heart, and remember that as long as you continue to put one hoof in front of the other, you’ll find it.” Bringing the colt into a hug, Sweetie smiled sadly. “I know you think you might be flightless, and I can’t say for certain if you are or not. But don’t let it be the focus of your life. Find a new goal. I can’t tell you what to find, because that would be cheating, but I can give you a nudge in the right direction.” Releasing the colt, Sweetie used a spell to dry his eyes, and made sure there was no sign he had been crying. “Close your eyes,” she spoke, and began nudging him along with her magic as he did so. Following him out, Sweetie slowly led him toward the finish line of the flying pig races, where a filly was currently being cared for by a nurse. “Open your eyes.” Sweetie stepped back as Clipwing did so, and noticed the hurt filly before anything else. Rushing over, he tried to help out without thinking about it. Walking away, Sweetie smiled, closing her eyes and letting a breath out. All it took was a careful nudge in some cases, she smiled. “Discord?” As she spoke, the Draconequus slowly swam over, hoving beside her as she walked. “Yes, Chickenlord?” Sniggering, both shared a good natured smile, enjoying each others company. Looking to Discord, Sweetie’s smile grew slightly malicious. “Let’s go eat Lightyear’s homework. In front of Twilight.” Author's Note And thus, we reach the final poem by Divine Path. A tale of time and shadow past has come to an end, now alive with splendour. Forever in peace, in this pleasant warmth of friendship. Authors Final WordsThis fic has been, above all, a test of endurance. It has taught me my limits as a writer, and as such suffered from some pacing issues. I had to take breaks, sometimes for 6 months, and because of that a lot of readers were left clawing for more. But it was necessary. Without those pauses, the final product would have suffered immensely. I could not be more proud of you, my readers, for finishing this story. It is no easy feat to read 100k words, especially when it’s just a fanfiction. What’s more, you even were inspired to make fanfiction of my work. Artwork, poems, even a game! All of this just fills me with immense pride for you. I could never have made it without your nagging, hungry voices clawing at my arms for more. I could never have made it as good as it was without the army of proofreaders whom continue to notice my errors, as vast as they are. I could never have done it without each and every comment, good or bad, liking or disliking. I couldn’t have done it without you. So, as we finally mark this story closed, there are a few closing comments I wish to make. For those interested, I am working on finally proofreading the entire story, and turning it from good into great, like you readers deserve. If you’re interested in contributing, click here to be taken to the proofread doc. And finally, there will be hard copies of the finished product, once the proofreaders are done making this story as great as you all are, with a bonus chapter. What will this chapter be? That’s a secret. I have to make the hard copy a little bit juicy don’t I? ;) Don’t worry, it’s nothing game-breaking. Probably. If you want updates on that, click here to be taken to the book update doc. That’s where any updates on how that’s going will be posted. So, with everything said and done, I want to remind everyone to stay A Little Loopy. Sequence of events-Read this if you get confuzzled.Author's Note Spoilers-Not advised to read this before the other chapters. Note: Rarity is said to be in Manehattan on Tue, but she leaves on Mon. To find a specific loop, press ctrl+f and type in the loop number. Be sure to check out our group: A Little Fan Content. Sequence of events-Read this if you get confuzzled. Normal loop: Mon Sweetie wakes up in bed, pancakes, she is late. Cherilee is teaching about how diamonds are formed. Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manehattan. Sweetie goes to school. Homework on family history due. Wed Sweetie goes to school, information on how Pegasi buck clouds. Sweetie and everyone try to get hole digger CM, get grounded. Rarity returns. Thur Snow day, allowed to go out and play in the snow until the arvo, when they have to go attend school. Math class. Fri Cherilee does presentation on tides, organises event to spend some of the night stargazing on Monday, when the slips will be given to give to the students. Loop 1 and 2: Exactly the same as Loop 3 excluding the Luna event. Loop 3(Chapter 1): Mon Sweetie wakes up in bed, pancakes, she is late. Cherilee is teaching about how diamonds are formed, Sweetie calls in sick due to headache and goes home early. Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manehattan, long day of tests to determine the cause. Sweetie has to levitate objects to stop the headaches. Wed Sweetie and everyone try to get hole digger CM, get grounded. Rarity returns. Thur Snow day, allowed to go out and play in the snow until the arvo, when they have to go attend school. Math class. Sweetie talks to Cherilee, convinces her to send the slips on Fri and organise it for that night. Says she will get Luna. Fri Lesson on tides, slips handed out and stargazing. Luna greets them and organises a comet shower in the sky for them. Loop 4: Mon Sweetie wakes up, pancakes, she is on time. Cherilee is teaching how diamonds are formed, Diamond Tiara is shown her place. Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manhattan, Sweetie gains list of books from Twilight about 'time loops'. Wed Scoots tries to get speed CM, scooter is broken, Sweetie feels guilt because it was her suggestion. Thur Snow day, allowed to go out and play in the snow until the arvo, when they have to go attend school. Math class. Fri Cherilee does presentation on tides, organises event to spend some of the night stargasing on Monday, when the slips will be given to give to the students. Sweetie stays up all night to try and catch the loop resetting. Loop 5: Mon Sweetie gives Rarity book list to take to Manehattan and buy books. Tue Sweetie goes to school. Homework on family history due. Wed Sweetie goes to school, information on how Pegasi buck clouds. CMC try to get building CM's. Rarity returns with books. Thur Sweetie stays home to read. Fri: Sweetie tries leaving a toy outside, borrows Rarity's clock. Loop 6: Mon Cherilee is teaching about how diamonds are formed. Sweetie convinces Diamond Tiara she wants to be part of her passe’ Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manehattan. Sweetie fakes sick. Wed Sweetie joins DT at her house to be inducted in ‘how great she is’ Thur Sweetie manages to get 'dirt' on DT. Fri Sweetie goes to school. Loop 7: Mon Sweetie convinces Silver and Diamond to teach them fancy in return for autograph Tue Lessons begin Applebloom get’s CM Wed Lessons continue Scootaloo get’s CM Thur Sleepover at Diamonds Fri Sleepover at Sweetie’s Loop 8 Mon: Rarity comforts Sweetie. Twilight teaches Sweetie how to copy notes. Tue: Rarity in Manehattan. Sweetie practices spell to copy notes. Wed: Rarity returns. Sweetie is forced to go to school. CMC say they’re no longer friends. Thur: Snow day. Sweetie and Rarity prepare for trip to Canterlot. Fri: Sweetie and Rarity prepare for Canterlot trip. Loop 9: Mon Sweetie skips school to go over her plan. Tue Sweetie copies over notes Wed Sweetie is forced to go to school, she sneaks away. Thur Sweetie vanishes, get’s caught. Fri Sweetie goes to school. Watches the reset from the hallway. Loop 10 Mon Sweetie goes to school, makes friends with Snips and Snails. Sweetie get’s fabric from Rarity to prove she’s looping. Tue Hanging out with S&S Rarity to Manehattan Sweetie get’s book from Twilight to prove she’s looping. Wed Sweetie hangs out with S&S Thur Sweetie decides to do something different, and hang out with S&S Fri Sweetie goes to bed at the normal time. Loop 11 Mon Sweetie convinces mane6 she is looping. Tue Twilight and the others devise ways to make Sweetie convincing them easier. Wed Twilight runs tests Twilight writes down her notes into a book, gives it to Sweetie. Thur Rarity gives Opal doll. Twilight gives plant and milk. Fri Sweetie watches the stuff Twilight brought on Thur. Loop 12: Mon Rarity tries to deal with the new ‘skylight’ Twilight learns of results Message to Celestia CMC make up Tue Royal Carriage to see Celestia/Luna with Rarity and Twilight Find out about past loopers Wed Sweetie and Rarity have fun in Canterlot Sweetie get’s CM Thur Celestia provides list of low-power spells that might be of use. Back to Ponyville Fri SB restarts loop in clubhouse. Loop 13 Note: From now on I’m only going to mention days if something different happened on them Tue Sweetie asks Twilight why her CM stayed Wed Sweetie dies Loop 14 Mon Sweetie Wakes up, Twilight forbids anyone going outside due to reset. Tue Sweetie and Twilight talk Loop 15 Mon Sweetie talks to Twilight and Celestia to become best princess. Tue-Fri Operation Coronation Loop 16 Mon-Fri Sweetie learns where she can train each loop. Loop 17 Mon After working out, Sweetie goes to Twilight to discuss plans. Fri Sweetie tries restarting a loop with Philomena Loop 18 Mon-Wed Sweetie attends school as normal. Philomena becomes a looper. Thur Celestia arrives Fri Normal loop reset Loop 19 Mon Sweetie gives up Sweetie convinces Rarity to take her to Manehattan. Tue Sweetie and Rarity in Manehattan Wed Sweetie and Rarity in Manehattan Thur They return home Fri Normal loop reset Loop 20 Mon Sweetie hangs out with S&S Tue Sweetie introduces S&S to CMC+DT&SS Wed Sweetie get’s Applebloom and Scootaloo their CM’s. Thur Snow day Fri Sweetie asks for loop proof. Loop 21 Mon Sweetie moves on to intermediate spells. Tue Sweetie tries to increase her magic power. Loop 22 Mon Sweetie pretends to be a fortune teller. Loop 23 Mon Sweetie does fortune telling. Loop 22 Mon Sweetie tries to find Derpy a job. Loop 25 Mon When dealing with Ditzy, Sweetie runs into Time Turner Loop 27 Mon Sweetie goes to visit Time Turner again. Thur Sweetie reads Starswirl’s final diary entry Loop 27 Tue Sweetie ‘cleans up the world’ Loop 28: Please note, from now on I will just say what happened differently that loop. Sweetie goes to Manehattan to hang out with Babs, they go to the water park. Loop 29: Sweetie tries to skip school for an entire loop. Loop 30: Sweetie masterminds an epidemic of cooties. Loop 31: Undercover Agent Sweetie Belle Philomena is lost to a Loop reset. Loop 32 Farts Warming Eve Loop 33: Sweetie explores the old sister's castle Loop 34: Sweetie goes to a Museum Loop 35: Nutella, Sweetie reads looping notes. Loop 36: Sweetie learns about Discord Loop 37: Sweetie talks to Discord Loop 38: Sweetie talks to Discord again Loop 39: Sweetie pretends to eat meat Loop 40: Sweetie asks about the EQG universe, told her week doesn’t fall on a full moon. Loop 41: Operation Eternal Night Aka Luna prank Loop 42: Sweetie has her birthday. Loop 43: Try getting ‘kidnapped’ (So as to determine if it’s possible to just isolate for a loop.) Loop 44: Spend time with Ditzy Loop 45: Challenge PP and RD to a prank war. Loop 46: Challenge them for a second time. Loop 47: Showing Sweetie's proficiency in spells. Loop 48: Sweetie moves onto advanced spells. Loop 49: Operation Discorded Discord pranks Loop 50: Sweetie asks Twilight if she’s strong enough to take on a dragon yet. Finds out her exercise is affecting her body. Loop 51: Sweetie convinces ponyville she is looping via heartsong. Loop 52: Sweetie goes to Celestia and Luna for advice. Loop 53: Sweetie goes to Manehattan to see the zoo, and get’s lost. Self inflection. Sweetie uses the highest level shield spell to keep the headache away. Loop 54: Sweetie decides to try the Princesses plan to fake their death. It doesn’t work. Loop 55: Sweetie tries having one of the Princesses step out of the room just after midnight. It doesn’t work. Loop 56: Sweetie tries transferring her magic to Twilight. It doesn’t work. Loop 57: Sweetie tries using necromancy, but only spawns zombies. Zombie pony apocalypse. Loop 58: Sweetie talks Twilight into telling her how Sweetie made copies, they try it with two Sweetie Bell’s in one room. Only the real one survives. Loop 59: Sweetie, getting desperate, goes over Starswirl’s notes once more, asking Time Turner about stuff. He tells her how to find Chrysalis. Loop 60: Sweetie leaves ponyville with camping supplies. Seeing the EOH tree, is stopped from looping in the cave with it. Loop 61: Sweetie battles monsters from the Everfree. Loop 62: Sweetie returns, and robs the only bank in Ponyville, before going back into hiding. Loop 63 Sweetie does it in song. Loop 64 Sweetie plays matchmaker. Loop 65: Battle the monsters in the Everfree. Loop 66: Sweetie travels to the badlands and finally rides a dragon. Is given a dragon egg as a reward. Loop 67: Sweetie runs Equestria for a week. Surprisingly doesn't burn it down. Loop 68: Sweetie goes and visits Chrysalis. After defeating the hive, she asks questions. Loop 69: Creates a spell to make Pudding, makes it rain it. Loop 70: Sweetie tries alcohol in Las Pegasus after learning how to alter her age. Loop 71: Sweetie spends time 'getting to know' Snails. Loop 72: Sweetie wallows Loop 73: Sweetie delves into the canterlot archives for ‘new’ magic. Loop 74: Sweetie realises she can ‘steal’ a pony’s Cutie Mark if they have been drained in her room, gaining a portion of their talent. Loop 75: Sweetie tries casting the shielding spell Twilight uses, it causes a reset. Loop 76: Sweetie practices necromancy. Loop 77: Sweetie practices cooking. Loop 78: Sweetie trains with Dragons. Loop 79: Sweetie goes to the crystal empire. Loop 80: Sweetie spends time seeing everything. Loop 81: Sweetie pretends to be Mare-Do-Well Loop 82: Sweetie finds an inventor. Loop 83: Sweetie passes off his invention as her own. Loop 84: Convince Chrysalis to invade Ponyville. Loop 85: Sweetie follows a pony around. Loop 86: Sweetie plays pranks on that pony. Learns what changes. Loop 87: Plays pranks a second time, accidentally force the pony to suicide. Loop 88: Reflection on actions, Sweetie drags Diamond to a cliff, and throws her off it. Loop 89: Sweetie poisons Ponyville's water source. Loop 90: Sweetie gains chicken summoning powers. Loop 91: Sweetie uses SMUC to take over Equestria. Headaches return. Loop 92: Sweetie tries to find more powerful spells to cast. Loop 93: Sweetie takes over raising the sun and moon. Loop 94: Sweetie tries giving her magic to Celestia and Luna. They explode. Loop 95: Sweetie learns transformation spells, uses them to help clear her head. Loop 96: No longer works, Sweetie asks Celestia what she can lift next. Loop 97: Sweetie tries to levitate the earth to stop the headaches. Loop 98: Sweetie tries to destroy the sun. Loop 99: Sweetie tries to implode the sun and create a black hole. Spell list Beginner: 1: Water 2: Spark(For fire(ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED)) 3: Stop-Sneeze 4: Wake-me-up 5: Knockout 6: Trip 7: Itch-be-gone Intermediate 8: Stun 9: Telekinetic force(Knock-back) 10: Disarm 11: Teleport 12: Fireworks 13: Smokebomb 14: Cloudwalking Advanced 15: Flight Spell(Wings) 16: Fire 17: Levitate self 18: Change gravity 19: Transform 20: Shield Battlemagi Battletastic Battlespells 1: Lightning Bolt 2: Inferno shield 3: Icestorm 4: Magic Missile 5: Supermegaultrachicken(Aka, death) Ancient Unicorn Battle Magic 1: Swords Dance 2: Flare 3: Terravolt 4: Ultimite Seeker L82“So this potion will make the user fly?” Looking at the flask, Sweetie tilted her head as the inventor nodded. After some persuading, she gave it a sip, and blinked as she suddenly began to float. Looking at the potion, Sweetie burped, the effect fading, and returned to standing. “So any way to stop the side effect?” Holding out the flask with her magic, Sweetie watched as the scientist shook his head sadly. Walking over to his notes, Sweetie listened in as he explained in great detail just how his potion worked. “So, we magically infuse this soda water with-” Listening to the scientist, Sweetie quietly took notes. If her plan was to succeed, she had to make note of every detail. Especially since this was Thursday, and the inventor was publishing his invention tomorrow. It would fail, as people wouldn’t risk trying it, but Sweetie had the means to change that. “So why did you use an age changing spell on it?” The scientist seemed shocked at Sweetie’s answer. “Wow, you’ve actually been listening. Well you see, by the time the magic has finished working on the soda water, it would be flat and lose fifty percent of its productivity-” As the scientist spoke, Sweetie made note of every detail. Thinking on everything, she had to make sure she understood his invention just as well as he did. “-And that’s essentially how I make it, any questions?” The scientist was thrilled to have one so young interested. He was so thrilled, he even let her take a copy of his notes. After all, he was releasing it tomorrow. Of course, he kept some notes sealed away, it wasn’t like the filly would steal them. “Thank you so much, that’s everything.” Giving a smile, Sweetie trotted away without another word. The next morning, the inventor would find his notes stolen, but nothing else touched. Author's Note 18 Two best Next chapter is already out to make up for this being so short. L99The sun finally could not compress any further, and exploded outward in a blast of massive energy, before collapsing in on itself. The moment it did so, all the magic focused on it was absorbed, and Sweetie found herself being sucked toward it. As her hooves lifted off the ground, she found herself unable to move, and her mind crystal clear. Smiling, she sighed, allowing her magic to be drained into the black hole. Thud There was a large sound, and everything halted. Sweetie looked around, seeing things held mid air, and found herself unable to move either. Something enveloped her in a magic aura, and she felt herself be moved. It felt like she was being dragged through mud. After a while, it stopped, and she was moved backward. There was a pause. With a rapid movement, Sweetie watched as she was sent flying down a street, where she hit some sort of invisible wall. As she hit it, it seemed to shatter like glass, sending her spinning toward the ground. Looking up, Sweetie watched as the wall seemingly repaired itself, and looked around. Widening her eyes, she had no response. Author's Note 1 Loi ox, zis welrd joods vo te rivo. Dit quich peosn’t gned dit yot. -Chaxalswilr Have another poem: Fleeting light of warmth, bless this shell before you go, it is all shattered L15.3 Operation CoronationL15.3 Operation Coronation Author's Note I'm using this as my 'get out of writing free' pass. I will pass go, I will collect $200. One or two more sections to OpC left. L1&L2“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Groaning as Rarity’s voice called through the door, Sweetie reluctantly rose. Giving a yawn, she rubbed her eyes as her light grey fur bristled from the morning chill. It was going to be another cold week, it seemed. Her mind briefly turned to her dreams, but before she could focus, they vanished like her weekend from her memory. “I’m up!” Rising, Sweetie looked around her room. Her room was neatly furnished, and it had everything she needed; a soft bed, a vanity unit, and a mat in one corner with some toys on it, most being teddy bears. Truthfully she didn’t play with Mr. Snuggles or Miss Poofsy anymore, but they still held a special place in her heart. Brushing her hair, she breathed in, suddenly smelling something in the air; fluffy, yummy, tummy, pancakes! Not even stopping to check her hair was in its right place, she instantly dashed downstairs, at the table so quick, you’d swear she had teleported. “I’m off! See you Rarity.” Bounding over, she gave her sister a quick hug, and then trotted outside. Looking around, it took a few moments before Apple Bloom appeared, rounding a corner, and she smiled. Waving a hoof, they both clothed the distance, and began to make the long trek toward school. “..., ..., ..., diamonds..., sand..., formed.” as Cheerilee spoke, Sweetie tuned out for a moment, going cross-eyed as a pressure began to appear in her head. What was with this headache, had it been something she’d ate? Had Rarity poisoned her!? WAS SHE GOING TO-No, even she knew that was ridiculous. Still, it was thoughts like that that made the day go a little faster. “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark of diamonds.” Sweetie turned, and glared at Diamond, opening her mouth to make a quip. Cheerilee was, sadly, too quick to interject. "That's a perfect suggestion, Diamond Tiara. Oh, since your name has diamond in it, why don't I give you the first question instead?" Cheerilee’s words caused Diamond to glare, and Sweetie couldn’t help the smug grin on her face. However, all too soon that faded as her headache began to become more distracting, and Sweetie raised her hoof. "Miss Cheerilee? Can I go to the nurse, I don't feel so good." After Sweetie spoke, Cheerilee put her hoof on her forehead, it was warm to the touch. Biting her lip, Cheerilee nodded. "Yes dear, make sure to tell her what the problem is when you get there.” Upon arriving, Sweetie managed to get herself sent home early, on the promise she headed right for bed. Doing so, her mind drifted off the moment she hit the pillow. “I say we try getting our cutie marks in hole digging!” Scootaloo nodded as Apple Bloom spoke, and both beamed at Sweetie Belle as she played with her paper plane using magic. Even now, Sweetie couldn’t believe how far her magic had come in just a few short days. “Sure! Let’s go!” Following the two into town, they grabbed shovels, and began to dig a hole. It was dirty work, but soon enough they were quite far done. Taking a break, they checked their flanks, only to be disappointed as they remained mark less. “WOAH!” A form fell atop of them, causing them to scream in panic, and try to flee. After a few moments, they realised it was just Noteworthy, and relaxed. Two heads peeked into the hole, and Sweetie shrunk down as Rarity’s voice called out. “You are so grounded.” “Today's lesson, is on Tides. You see, the moon in the night sky is also responsible for the tides of the ocean. Too close or too far, and we would not be the Equestria you see today. One of Celestia’s greatest fears during the birth of Nightmare Moon was of this. Now can anyone tell me why Princess Luna may have not done so, even if it would have been to her advantage?” Cheerilee regarded the class. “Uhm, because deep down she was a nice pony after all?” Snails shrunk slightly as the entire class laughed at him, but such behavior was quickly halted. “Actually, that is what most Ponies believe. According to Princess Twilight herself, Luna only wanted her subject's admiration. Perhaps, deep down, she still cared for life, even in the depths of despair.” Cheerilee began to draw white dots on the chalkboard. “Which is why, I want to ask you children if you would be interested in a School Excursion to see the stars one evening. You would need to sign permission slips of course, but it would be a good experience for all of you.” Turning, Cheerilee waited, and all the kids began to nod enthusiastically. Staying up late, on a school night? This was going to be awesome! “Goodnight Rarity,” whispered Sweetie, hugging her sister as she slowly climbed the stairs to her bed. The weekend promised to be a good one, full of fun and adventure, and Cutie Marks! Maybe, that is. Snuggling into her covers, a soft sigh escaped her lips. What a good week, she almost wished it wasn’t over. Without another thought, her mind sunk into dreams. Author's Note It was a long time coming! For new people to the series, welcome! See the Sequel to ALL here! SSL15Loop 15. Or at least, I think that is correct. It is hard to tell when losing track of time could take one or two loops without warning. I have completed the tests confirming my hypothesis. The real question is how do I test the correct order of events. From my chair, I can see three possible routes out. Two are fundamentally improbable as of this moment due to the nature of this loop. The first is to find the correct sequence of events. I am confident if I spend my time wisely, I can accomplish this. I fear what awaits me on the other side however. What will become of me once this loop ends? No matter, I must escape. Living forever in the same time is not in any way productive. My spells and experiments can never leave a singular room. The second is to kill myself. While I hate to admit it, I fear that may be the only means of escape. But I must prevail in my search. If it turns out to be true, I will have to learn to face it. I will have to learn to let go of this fear that is consuming me at the knowledge of my imminent demise. For it is imminent. Spells I cast to increase my life expectancy fail around me just as the loop resets. I have no doubt if it weren’t for the loop, I would die at the sixth hour. The final one is to break the connection my horn has to the spell. This in itself is a huge undertaking, and very well may end my life. Either way I move forward, death is there to greet me. I fear it so, and yet I know I have no choice but to accept it. The alternative is to stay in this loop, and I know monotony would eventually eat at me. Do not mistake my mastery over magic as a hindrance when I say this, but I fear the alarming growth in my magical power with each tick of the loop. What if it continues to grow? What will happen to me? So much uncertainty is hard to keep under tabs as I strive to see if option one is viable as a solution. But I must try. SSL27Loop 27 My god, he’s gone. My assistant is gone. My poor assistant, putting up with the draining sensation while diligently working as I asked. I never expected that being in the same place as him when the loop resets would end in this. I crept into his room at the end of a loop, knowing this was where he had been six hours ago. I anticipated him to appear in front of me, like he had when I had watched from the hallway. He didn’t. It’s been two loops and he still hasn’t returned. I fear I might have removed him from the loop. Whether that means he has just moved on to after the loop, or been removed completely, I cannot tell, but I must be absolutely sure to avoid looping in wide open areas from now on. What if someone happens to have a starting position in those areas? I fear what this might mean for the future. My magic continues to grow, the headaches growing harder to ignore. I’m running out of spells to maintain to keep the headaches down. I might have to create a new spell to do so. Maybe something that will allow me to levitate the moon. But I couldn’t do that to Luna. Maybe the world would suffice, but am I at the stage where I could even attempt such feats? That thought both excites me, and chills me to the bone. Either way, I am working on creating a spell to seal off my magic for a few moments. If I time it right, I can cut off my magic as the loop ends. It is possible that is the means for escape. Either way, I must ensure my body can survive without my spells that currently maintain my life. It is risky, death might come before I can reapply them. So much unknown, and yet I feel time slowly ticking down. L21.AddendumAuthor's Note Almost forgot to add this to the end of the loop. L21.Addendum “Oh, Sweetie Belle, one last thing before you go.” Celestia called out to Sweetie, who had her hoof out the door, ready to leave. Twilight glanced between the two as a piece of paper was levitated toward Sweetie. Looking over it, Sweetie realised it was a complicated spell, one that would increase the size of her bags. “That’s the spell we used on your bags. You will have to get Twilight to cast it each loop start, due to the fact the loops drains magic from the room. That’s what your experiments concluded right?” Celestia glanced toward Twilight, who bit her lip. “Well, when I gave Sweetie some magic-in-a-jar that was essentially my memories for a loop, it was completely drained the next loop. As least, that’s what my notes say.” Twilight tried to keep the doubt out of her voice. Could she trust her past self to run proper tests? “What would happen if the spell was drained of all magic?” Sweetie made herself a mental note to remember to remove the contents of her saddlebag when she went to bed on Fridays, or when she stayed up for a loop’s end. “Probably split apart, both ruining your bag and sending all the items everywhere.” Celestia nodded once, satisfied with that hypothesis. “Alright, thanks for the warning, see ya!” Sweetie smiled warmly as she waved goodbye to the three, and ran off to find her friends. If she was lucky, she might be able to get some fun out of this loop with her newfound magic abilities. Which is to say, her new ability to explode on a whim, but Sweetie ignored that fact. L41.3 Operation Eternal Night Dancing fireflies, coming from below, shroud me in a halo, light us in a golden glow. Dancing fireflies, listen to their cries, hear their pleased crescendo, over my midnight sky. Dancing fireflies, do you know the truth, that daylight is no longer, like it was in my youth. Dancing fireflies, let us fly away, to a new horizon, full of midnight's day. Dancing fireflies, please welcome all below, as they look toward you yellow lights and snow. Dancing fireflies, listen to my song, as it rings forth, hoping they join along. Dancing fireflies, come look my friend, let us watch and see, as the world ends. And yet the fireflies dance. L47“Alright Sweetie, are you ready for your test?” Twilight lowered her clipboard, pushing her glasses up slightly. Because they weren’t proper glasses, they had a tendency to slip down. Besides, Twilight found the action comforting. Sweetie stood in the field, and nodded. Bracing herself, she watched as Twilight fired a bolt of magic off, hitting Sweetie. Sweetie was pushed back slightly, but suffered no damage. “Your ability to hold it after a hit could use some work, but it definitely stood up to my attack. Very good. Ok, next up is the Beginner tests.” Twilight motioned toward Applejack, who had begrudgingly agreed to be the test subject. Sweetie smiled, and walked over to the fire pit. Using Spark, she lit it with ease. Moving on, she doused it with a gush of water from her horn, expertly controlled so Applejack didn’t get wet. Sweetie threw some pepper at Applejack, who began to prepare a sneeze. Sweetie cast the spell, and followed up with a itch-removal, before finally knocking Applejack out. Waking her up, Sweetie allowed Applejack to stand, before tripping her over with telekinesis. Finished showing off her mastery, she bowed to Twilight. Nodding, she put a tick into the first box. “Alright, intermediate now.” Twilight went up and grabbed a cloud, which Sweetie leapt onto with only the barest spark of her horn. Standing there, she created an explosion of smoke, and teleported directly next to Applejack. Applejack picked up a stick as Sweetie fired a few fireworks into the air. They were nowhere near the level of Trixie’s, but they had some color to them. Turning, Sweetie stunned Applejack, and moved instantly into the disarm spell, knocking the stick away. Finally, she reared up, and then knocked Applejack back with her spell as she slammed her front hooves into the ground. Applejack didn’t go too far, and Sweetie was puffing. Gasping for breath, she turned toward Twilight. “Not bad. They could all use a little more work of course, but that’s a pass.” Twilight smiled warmly, and ticked the second box on her check-board, and deposited it into her saddlebags as she walked over. Sweetie pulled out the book with the spells, a hopeful look on her face. Twilight nodded, and Sweetie beamed a jubilant smile. “That’s right Sweetie, it’s time to move onto the advanced spells. Now, these are going to take weeks to learn to cast, let alone master. But I have no doubt you can learn them without my tutelage by now.” Twilight smiled, bowed, and both she and Applejack began to back away quickly. Sweetie looked to the first spell, the one that Twilight used to give her wings. Horn glowing, she followed the book closely, and tried to cast it. Naturally, it exploded. L69Sweetie hummed a merry tune, using her magic to hold her umbrella as rain poured down on her. It was another normal day in Ponyville, but she was enjoying every moment of it. Sweetie had even used the illusion spell she learned from Celestia to hide her Cutie Mark. There was, of course, a reason for this. But Sweetie was enjoying Twilight’s reaction far too much to explain. “This is impossible! This can’t be happening!” Twilight ran around in a circle, fur darkened by the rain. Sweetie watched her friends crowd around. Pinkie Pie and Discord were both enjoying it for what it was. Sweetie had no doubts Discord knew it was her. Taking a seat, she pulled out her bowl, and filled it up with the rain. Taking out a spoon, she began to eat it. “Sweetie Belle, no pudding until after dinner!” Rarity took the bowl from Sweetie, who pouted in response. Just great, she created magic rain, and she couldn’t even eat it. It had been pretty hard too. A lot of bits had gone into bribing the weather team excluding Rainbow Dash. “Just let the filly have her fun, it’s not like this is going to happen again,” muttered Discord, gaining glares from the majority of the others. Shrugging, he returned to eating his bowl. Sweetie appreciated his sentiment, but knew it was futile. Besides, seeing Twilight about to blow a fuse was more than enough payment. “I know you’re behind this Discord, don’t lie.” Twilight turned, another hair twitching out of her mane, glaring at Discord. Raising an eyebrow, he put the pudding down, and leaned forward. “Of course you would blame me. It’s not like anyone else could cause chaos.” Rolling his eyes, he glanced toward Sweetie. Shivering, she wondered if he would rat her out. No, even if he did, they’d never believe him. “What’s that supposed to mean? Discord!” Shouting as he vanished, Twilight gritted her teeth. Sweetie sighed, standing up and trotting away. Maybe the Crusaders would be having fun. Finding Applebloom first, Sweetie found her running apple baskets to the barn and back in a blind panic. “Sorry Sweetie, don’t have time righ’ now. Gotta grab apples before tha’ pudding rots em.” Sweetie watched this for a moment, feeling a quick slice of guilt. After a moment, Scootaloo also appeared, helping carry the baskets in. Sweetie scowled, and turned to head back home. Maybe she could find something interesting to read until it blew over. Suddenly, she was pinned by Rainbow Dash, quickly flanked by the other five. There was also a pony she reconised as one she had paid to make it rain pudding. Immediately, she knew she had been caught, and enacted plan ‘sorry.’ “What’s going on?” Raising her voice, she held it with a measure of confusion, but also aversion. This was important, as Sweetie wanted them to know she knew what it was probably about. Applejack stepped forward, pointing toward the weather pony. “Ah can tell when somepony is lyin’, so Ah know it’s the truth when somepony tells me you paid him to make it rain pudding.” The others watched her seriously, looking for any signs that would validate this claim. “W-What are you talking about? I never did that.” Lying was something Sweetie had long since mastered, pretending to lie was a little different. Looking away, shaky smile, nervous sweat, all signs she was trying to avoid them seeing the truth. “Ah know yer’re lyin’.” Applejack watched as Sweetie turned, and gulped. Yes, the filly had just trapped herself, and knew it. Drawing on her own knowledge, Sweetie began to ‘tell the truth’. “I-I’m sorry! It was meant to be a surprise that everyone could enjoy. I thought it might get me a weather Cutie Mark. I didn’t know it was going to cause so much trouble.” Sweetie let tears leak down her face, scrunching up her eyes as she spoke. This was the key to her attempt to lie to Applejack. Her theory hinged that Applejack used her Element’s magic through the eyes “I-I saved up the money b-because I thought it would make everyone happy. I-I’m s-so-sorry.” Sniveling, Sweetie wiped her nose, and felt Rarity pull her into a hug. Applejack watched her for a moment longer, and then nodded to the others. There was no possible way Sweetie could lie good enough to be faking that. “There there Sweetie, now you know.” Rarity glanced toward Twilight, who nodded, giving a warm smile. Yes, damage had been done, but she wasn’t going to punish the filly, especially considering her good intentions. “Just never do it again,” she scolded the filly, who nodded rapidly, wiping the tears from her eyes. Rainbow Dash ordered the weather team to clear the clouds, watching them salute before flying off to do so. Now that she knew why they hadn’t been listening to orders, it was a lot easier to convince them enough was enough. “I-I w-will, s-sorry.” Wiping her eyes, Sweetie blinked them open, looking at Rarity’s warm smile and giving her own. A smug satisfaction crawled through her. Sweetie could lie to the Element of Honesty. That was both good and bad news. For if Sweetie could lie to Honesty, what said she couldn’t lie to herself? L492,363,977Rarity opens the door to Sweetie Belle's room. There is a skeleton. "It's not Nightmare Night," she scolds her sister. Sweetie poofs back to her normal self, and pouts. "You never let me have any fun." Author's Note If I'm going to be pestered for the next few days about april fools, I'm at least going to have some fun. -Friday Rarity cried on Twilight’s shoulder as they both waited for news about Sweetie Belle. Sometime on Monday, Sweetie had gone missing. Apparently, she was seen going into the Everfree with Opalescence by Vinyl, who had been up late preparing for a party that had been going to happen tomorrow. With the filly missing, nopony felt like really celebrating anything, and instead helped with the search effort. Glancing to the clock, Twilight noticed it was getting close to midnight, and gently helped Rarity to her room. Tucking her friend in, Twilight found herself being held with an iron grip, and pulled up a chair. Levitating out a Daring Do book, she began to read as she waited for Rarity to fall asleep. Time ticked forward, and the moment it hit midnight, a violent earthquake shook Ponyville. Rarity leapt to her feet, and Twilight bolted to the window. Looking up, Twilight watched as a bright light seemed to shatter the sky like a window, and it hurtled directly for Sweetie’s room. Turning, both bolted toward the door as another quake shook the house. Slamming the door open, both watched as the bright light dimmed, and a familiar face became visible. “S-S-Swe-Swee-” Unable to speak, Rarity dived for her sister, crying tears of open joy as Sweetie cried out in pain. Releasing her, Rarity looked horrified as she noticed the bruised state of Sweetie, along with the saddlebags that were badly burnt. Looking to Twilight, Sweetie spoke, pointing to her chest. Magic flaring, Twilight used a common healing spell to heal the broken bone. After a moment, she wiped her brow, and nodded to Rarity, who once more plucked her sister up, crying as she embraced her. Hugging her sister, Sweetie began to tear up as well. Seeing commotion outside, Twilight opened the window, and shouted to the crowd the good news. Cheers erupted, and two fillies raced up the stairs, diving for Sweetie to join in with the hug. Tears flowing freely, it was a long time before any of them could even form a sentence. Once Rarity was able to speak, the question of where came up all too soon. Looking to them, Sweetie asked what day it was. “Well, it’s just after midnight on a Saturday, Sweetie, why?” Twilight tilted her head as fresh tears emerged on Sweetie’s face, and she merely shook her head. Rarity and Twilight shared a glance, and Twilight gave a nod. Stepping out of the room, she left to go deal with the crowd. After all, explanations could wait. They had all the time in the world. Author's Note
L3“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” That was strange, it should be the weekend. Sweetie opened her eyes, and started looking around her room whilst rubbing her eyes. “Rarity, it’s the weekend, what do you mean?” Sweetie raised her voice as she walked over to the mirror and pulled the brush out of the drawer in the vanity unit's desk. Brushing her mane, she smiled as her hair bobbed slightly when she moved her head. Perfect, as always. She turned just as Rarity opened the door and started to roll her eyes. “Nice try little sister, you know as well as I do that the weekend ended yesterday. Now come downstairs and eat breakfast with me. I made pancakes.” Rarity chuckled as Sweetie was downstairs in an instant, digging into her pancakes. Sweetie loved Rarity’s pancakes, they were always so fluffy! ‘Still, must have been one heck of a weekend if I don’t remember any of it. Funny thing is, last week we had pancakes too, not that I’m complaining.’ Sweetie patted her stomach and sighed happily. Nothing beats a good meal, even on a school day. Standing up, Sweetie took the dishes, and began to wash hers up. “You really don’t have to wash them up my dear, I can do that with my magic and save you having to touch that filthy water with your hooves.” Rarity picked up the plates and gently swatted Sweetie out of the way as she worked. Frowning, Sweetie felt a sense of deja vu hit her. Wasn’t that the same thing Rarity had said last week? Sweetie shook her head, there was nothing wrong with Rarity saying it twice. Glancing to the clock, she paled. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!” Sweetie grabbed her saddlebags and made a dash for the door, closing it quickly and running down the path. Apple Bloom was already waiting for her. Scootaloo would meet them there, living on the opposite side of Ponyville. Sweetie looked up, taking in Twilight’s brand new castle, secretly glad for the shade it brought, and followed Apple Bloom to the school. “All right kids, today we’re going to learn about how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee smiled warmly at her students, seeing Sweetie Belle blink and shake her head. That was peculiar, was something up with the filly? “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark of diamonds.” As if on cue, Diamond Tiara smirked at Sweetie, who shook her head once more. Both diamonds, and that same line from Tiara? Turning, she opened her mouth to make a quip, but Cheerilee was quick to intercept. "That's a perfect suggestion, Diamond Tiara. Oh, since your name has diamond in it, why don't I give you the first question instead?" Cheerilee smiled warmly as Diamond Tiara winced, and glared at Sweetie in response, as if it was all her fault. Sweetie Belle held her head, and raised a hoof. "Miss Cheerilee? Can I go to the nurse, I don't feel so good." It was true, her head was throbbing and as Cheerilee put her hoof on it, it was also warm to the touch. Biting her lip, she nodded. "Yes dear, make sure to tell her what the problem is when you get there.” Cheerilee watched as Sweetie left, and began teaching as if she hadn’t. Sweetie walked into the nurse’s office, holding her head and groaned as she realised the nurse must have stepped out. Sitting down on one of the beds in view of the door, she waited patiently for a few minutes. “Oh! I’m sorry, I was taking Lucky Shoe back to class.” The school nurse walked over and smiled warmly at Sweetie as she held her head. “Now this may tingle a little bit, but don’t worry about it.” The nurse concentrated, and a spell passed over Sweetie, fading a moment later. The nurse opened her eyes and tilted her head. “That’s strange, you’re having power fluctuations. Those normally don’t occur unless there’s a huge buildup of magic. Let me see if I can clear that for you.” Closing her eyes and biting her lip, the nurse once more cast a spell on Sweetie, who sat there and shivered as the spell washed over her. Suddenly, the pain was gone. “There, whew you’ve got a magical future ahead of you with that sort of magic potential.” The nurse sat down as she puffed, fanning herself with her hoof. Sweetie smiled and stood up, finding herself free of the headache that had been plagued her for three weeks now. Wait, three? “Miss nurse, may I please go home? I know I should be in class, but I’m still not feeling too well.” Sweetie held a hoof to her mouth as she pretended to still be feeling unwell, and nailed it. The nurse nodded, quickly filling out a slip excusing her from school. “Very well, but go right home and straight to bed.” Nodding as the nurse waved her off, Sweetie Belle took the slip and left. After the school vanished from sight, she turned and began heading for home. Opening the door, she realised Rarity was out, and shrugged. Walking to the kitchen table, Sweetie quickly wrote a note, before heading upstairs and straight to bed. It wasn’t long before her headache returned. “Note to self: Get the spell from the nurse tomorrow.” Groaning, she slid the blinds closed and hid under her blanket, and quickly fell asleep, despite the headache. Waking up, Sweetie Belle was relieved to feel her headache was just a backdrop today, and not a thudding pain. Turning to open the curtains, she widened her eyes. It was already midday. Sweetie quickly got ready and went downstairs to the living room. While she had been expecting Rarity, the lavender mare wasn’t too big a surprise, if not unexpected. “Ah, you’re up. Rarity got called into Manehattan for a meeting with a retailer. She asked me to take care of you until tomorrow.” Twilight smiled warmly at Sweetie, putting down the book as Sweetie tilted her head in confusion. “Wasn’t that meeting last week? Didn’t she say something about her fashion getting her big sponsors?” Sweetie felt her headache grow, and Twilight stood up and came over. “No, but the more important question is, are you ok? You don’t look so good.” Twilight felt Sweetie’s forehead, and bit her lip. Sweetie shook her head, and decided it would be best to try and explain it. “I’m fine, sorta, but I keep getting headaches and this weird sense of déjà vu. Like I’ve done this all before.” Sweetie winced once more. The pain was returning to a dull throb in her head, but it still hurt. Twilight’s horn lit up, and a spell passed over Sweetie. “That’s strange, it looks like your magic is backed up, and yet it’s not, there’s a clear flow going through you. Have you tried levitating or using it?” Twilight stepped back as Sweetie shook her head, and looked toward the book on the desk beside where Twilight had been sitting. “Well, all right.” Sweetie concentrated, biting her lip as her horn sparked to life. Slowly, the book levitated into the air. Almost immediately, she felt a strange sense of euphoria, as if this was a hot bubble bath after a long day of tree sap. Lowering the book, the headache returned, and she tilted her head. “That’s highly irregular, but I can’t figure out what could be causing it. Do you mind if I run some tests?” Twilight looked to Sweetie, who shook her head, once more levitating the book. For some reason, levitating it felt a lot easier than she remembered. “All right, let’s head to my castle. You’ll have to catch up on your schoolwork though.” Twilight chuckled as the filly winced, and they left Rarity’s boutique. “I just don’t get it, there’s no scientific reason for it. I’m sorry Sweetie Belle, I’m going to have to file it under ‘Pinkie Pie’.” Twilight put a hoof sympathetically around the filly, who was currently levitating a feather quill. “That’s all right Twilight, I’m just glad to have found something to stop the headaches.” Sweetie made a motion with the feather, and then paused, dropping it on the table. Levitating over a piece of paper, she folded it into a plane and smiled. Now she had something she could levitate that wouldn’t make her look strange, or like Twilight. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. “Oh shoot, it’s already dinnertime. I’m so sorry, you must be starving.” Twilight quickly trotted into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sweetie watched her work for a moment, before deciding to explore the castle. As she did, there were a lot of rooms, and her hooves seemed to know exactly where all the cool ones were. There was even one for Spike that housed a fluffy toy collection, which she would use to blackmail him with, of course. “Dinner’s ready!” a voice called from the distance, and Sweetie felt her stomach grumble. Despite her inability to remember the way back, she never got lost and quickly joined Spike and Twilight at the table. The baby dragon was currently eating sapphires. After that, it was time to read, and then to bed. Really, it was quite an unusual day. “I say we try getting our cutie marks in hole digging!” Scootaloo nodded as Apple Bloom spoke, and both beamed at Sweetie Belle as she played with her paper plane. “We did that last week though,” she said dejectedly. The other two raised an eyebrow, and shared a glance. “Uh, no we didn’t, Sweetie. Last week we tried for cloud-bucking.” Scootaloo watched as Apple Bloom winced, and bit her lip. Needless to say, that hadn’t gone well. “No, that was the week before! Why does everyone keep saying that?” Sweetie folded her arms irritably. The paper plane circled around her head, and then dived past her two friends. “Maybe because it’s true. Don’t you want to get your Cutie Mark?” Apple Bloom’s comment sliced straight through her irritation, and she relented. Surely they wouldn’t make the same mistakes this time. “All right, as long as we don’t dig it in Ponyville. We don’t want somepony falling in.” Surprisingly, digging holes did not get them a cutie mark. It did, however, get them grounded. Rarity returned just in time to share her disapproval with Twilight, before Sweetie was dragged back home and told no dessert tonight. However, the next morning the Pegasi had decided it was a snow day, and Rarity had relented (on the condition she go to school at midday), allowing Sweetie to go with her friends to play in the deep snow on Applejack’s farm. “I’m telling you, this whole week has been weird. It’s like I’ve done it all before.” Sweetie sat up from her snow angel and looked to the other two as they tried to make a snowman’s head be placed on an already towering body. Rolling her eyes, Sweetie Belle concentrated, and shakily placed it on top. Wiping the sweat from her brow before it froze, she picked up her paper airplane once more. “Woah, that’s amazin’! Yer gettin’ pretty good with that magic.” Apple Bloom rolled up a snowball and threw it at Scootaloo. Smirking, the mare plucked up snow and began to create a snow fort. Apple Bloom and Sweetie quickly did the same. The snowball fight lasted all morning, and it was all too soon they had to go to school. Walking to the school, Sweetie felt a chill from the cold weather, knowing that it was just two more days until the weekend! “And that is how you solve an equation with multiplication and division in it. I will see you all tomorrow.” Cheerilee watched all of the fillies make a hasty exit, and made to walk out herself. However, Sweetie had stayed behind for some reason. “Uhm, Cheerilee, is tomorrow’s lesson gonna be about the tides?” Sweetie saw the shock on the teacher’s face as she nodded. “But how did you know?” Cheerilee scratched the back of her head. She had been planning on using it to see if the students wanted to go stargazing, but it wouldn’t be very good if the surprise had been ruined. “Maybe you can just give us the slips that day, and we can meet you at the school that night. I’m sure everypony is gonna love the chance to go stargazing, especially with Princess Luna.” Once more, Sweetie had surprised Cheerilee, and she scratched the back of her head. “But Princess Luna isn’t coming.” Cheerilee felt her heart melt slightly as Sweetie beamed gleefully. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle getting Princess Luna. Just make sure it’s tomorrow night.” Sweetie put on her best begging face, and felt satisfaction as Cheerilee caved. “Well, okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she chuckled, sitting down at the desk. Sweetie quickly waved goodbye, and Cheerilee pulled out some paper, knowing she had about twenty ‘is your child allowed to attend this event’ slips to fill. “I can’t believe it, Princess Luna!” All the kids crowded around the Princess as she smiled good-naturedly at their praise. Only one filly didn’t fawn over her. It was, of course, Sweetie Belle. “I am most delighted to be sharing my night with you young ones. I do hope you enjoy the entertainment I have provided.” Luna smiled, and her horn glowed, filling the sky with a storm of shooting stars. Sweetie smiled warmly as she watched everypony enjoy it, wishing she had seen this last week. Eventually it was time for bed, and she placed her paper plane down on her desk for the final time, closing her eyes. Soon she would be able to enjoy a weekend with her friends, and maybe even earn their marks. And this week’s strangeness would be forgotten. After all, she didn’t remember the weekend earlier, so there was no way she’d experience deja vu. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Oh no.
L4Sweetie Belle walked downstairs, and looked in the kitchen. Yes, there were pancakes. Sitting down, she began to eat. While peculiar, it had still been a few days since she had had them, and she did love them so. This time however, she made sure to finish with ample time left to head to school. “Say, Rarity, when was the last time you made me pancakes?” Sweetie smiled warmly at Rarity as she stood up. Picking up the plates in her magic, she began to wash them. Rarity widened her eyes, watching this. “My my sister, your magic is improving at an alarming rate. Why, you could probably help me with creating clothes if you liked.” Rarity smiled warmly, imagining how a second horn would make holding more items a lot easier. Sweetie finished washing up, and glanced to Rarity, who blinked, remembering she had been asked a question. “Oh! I’m not sure dear, it was before you went to visit our parents about four weeks ago.” Rarity waved goodbye as Sweetie grabbed her saddlebags, and headed out the door, on time. Meeting up with Apple Bloom, Sweetie narrowed her eyes as she thought back on Rarity’s words. ‘That’s eight weeks ago for me, including this week. Something is definitely wrong here.’ Sweetie sat down in her normal seat, and Cheerilee walked in, beginning the lesson. Sweetie smiled, she knew just what to say if this turned out to indeed be the same day. “All right kids, today we’re going to learn about how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee smiled warmly at her students. Sweetie beamed back a strange smile, like she was gleefully waiting something. “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark about diamonds.” As if on cue, Diamond Tiara smirked at Sweetie. This time, Sweetie rounded on Diamond and raised an eyebrow, tilting her head as she put on an innocent expression. “But isn’t your name Diamond Tiara? Surely you would be a better choice for the question.” Sweetie felt smug satisfaction as Diamond Tiara blinked, and then glared at her. Cherilee quickly intercepted, sending a scolding glare at Sweetie. Oops. “We’ll have none of that in my classroom. You both can write up a paper on today's subject as punishment. I expect it by Friday.” Cherilee turned, and gave Diamond a scolding glance as well before returning to her place in front of the chalkboard. Sweetie pulled out a piece of paper, folded it into a paper plane, and levitated it in circles under the desk, where nopony could see it. ‘I must find a better way to manage the headaches, I won’t have paper until class.’ Sweetie sighed inwardly, ears flopping down. Just why was she repeating time? Her friends hadn’t believed her last time, and it wasn’t likely Twilight or Rarity would believe her either. ‘Maybe I can convince Twilight it’s an attempt to get a Cutie Mark, she normally indulges those.’ Sweetie snapped out of her muse as a question was asked of her by Cheerilee, and she realised she didn’t know the answer. Shaking her head, she felt the smirk from Diamond beside her. 'Note to self: Spend some time learning these classes so I don’t have to keep doing them.' “Twilight, I was wondering if it’s possible to get a Cutie Mark about time.” Sweetie smiled innocently at Twilight as she served breakfast to her from Rarity’s kitchen. Apparently, when she got home at the normal time, Twilight left a note explaining she would be taking care of her, and had gone to get some items from her castle. Sweetie decided it would be best to just leave it until tomorrow. “Yeah, there’s quite a few Cutie Marks related to time, why do you ask?” Twilight raised her head from her book, and watched the paper airplane flying around. Sweetie had gotten pretty good at magic to be able to cast that constantly. Placing her book down, she brought her full attention to the filly. “Well, uh, a kid in class mentioned this strange thing and I want to know more about it cause it sounds interesting. And if there’s a chance it turns out to be my destiny then all the more reason to do it, so-” Sweetie paused as Twilight held up a hoof to silence her, and motioned her to take a seat on the opposite side of the table. “What exactly was this strange thing?” Twilight smiled in humor as Sweetie scratched the back of her head. Whatever this was, it was something she was either very confused about, or embarrassed about. “Well, he said he read this story where the main character was stuck in this same period of time, kinda like when you found that one-use time travel spell, but different. See, the main character isn’t going back to see his old self, he becomes his old self. Like...Let’s say he spends one day going to a movie because friends invited him, the very next day his friends would invite him to the same movie.” Sweetie bit her lip, wondering if she was explaining it ok. “Oh, you mean time loops. Quite a few stories use those actually, they’re quite popular.” Twilight smiled warmly, realising Sweetie was actually interested in something that wasn’t going to end in instant disaster, and tree sap. Even Twilight had no clue why it always ended in tree sap. “Time loops… Do you have any books left from the library I can borrow?” Sweetie leaned forward eagerly, until Twilight shook her head. Slumping, she sighed. That was just perfect. Now how was she supposed to find out about these ‘time loops’? “I’m sorry, I lost entire sections when it got destroyed. I’ll see if I can write up a quick list of books. Maybe you can convince your sister to take you with her to Manehattan and you can buy them.” Twilight winked, and felt relieved as Sweetie cheered up. Twilight took the paper plane out of the air and quickly scribbled the list on it, before folding it and allowing Sweetie to take it in her magic once more. “Thanks, Twilight.” “I’m telling you, who’d want a Cutie Mark of hole digging? Surely if our talent was that we would have already discovered it. You know, from all the holes we’ve dug ourselves into?” Sweetie looked knowingly at her two friends, who smiled and scratched the backs of their heads. “You make a fair point, but I’m not sure what else we could try. We’ve tried all the extreme sports, and still no awesome Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo looked sadly to her blank flank, and the others shared a sympathetic nod. Sweetie, however, had the answer. “Scoots, remember that time Rainbow Dash saved that carriage that was rolling down that steep hill? What if you ride down it on your scooter, and it gets you a Cutie Mark in speed!” Sweetie watched as the idea lit up in her two friends’ eyes; there was no way this could backfire. And yet, it never hurt to be safe. “Let’s get Rainbow Dash as well. I’m sure she would be amazed to see the event that gets you your Cutie Mark!” The others nodded, and the three dashed away. Sadly, even though Rainbow Dash did save Scootaloo from falling to her death, she failed to get the scooter. Sweetie felt a slice of guilt, and promised herself if this happened to be the last time she would do this week, the weekend would be spent getting enough money to purchase Scootaloo a new scooter. Thankfully, they still met up for the snowball fight on the next day before school started. Sweetie battled against Scootaloo and Apple Bloom as they teamed up against her, and found herself soundly defeated. Giggling, she was proud that she could still enjoy a good snowball fight. That would never change. Sweetie Belle decided to skip Friday, and convince Rarity she was sick. Looking over the list, she desperately spent the day memorising it. It was during this time that she realised the paper plane from the previous week was still sitting on her bedside table. Picking it up, she looked it over in confusion before placing it back down. ‘Does this mean, my room doesn’t loop? Maybe I don’t have to memorise this. And if not, what will happen if I go to sleep outside my room?’ Sweetie debated it, and decided not to risk it until she had read the books Twilight had listed, in alphabetical order. Sweetie sighed, and decided maybe turning it into a small song might help her remember. Consumed in her task, she jumped up, startled, when she realised it was pitch black in her room, a light coming from outside her window. Opening the blinds, she saw it was just the moon, and relaxed. Watching it, she placed the book list down on the table and strived to sit up all night. It was easier said than done, and she nearly dozed off a few times, but as the sun rose she felt a tired smile creep onto her face. Glancing to the table, both pieces of paper were still there. ‘I’m out, it’s finally the weekend.’ Her relief was leaking down her face. Sweetie wouldn’t need those books, she would get the chance to get Scootaloo a new scooter. Finally, the weekend. The sun never looked so welcoming as it rose, and she was almost tempted to lower back down into her blankets, but the fear that doing so would restart the week remained. Sweetie’s ear flickered. There was movement downstairs. Smiling, Sweetie decided to surprise her sister, and snuck down the stairs. Peeking into the kitchen, her sister was hard at work preparing breakfast. Sweetie stepped back a few steps, and then announced her presence with heavy clip-clops as she stepped into the room, and gave a yawn. “Sweetie Belle, you’re up early. I was just making breakfast.” Rarity smiled warmly at her sister as Sweetie slipped into the kitchen table’s chair and beamed at her sister. “What chu making?” Sweetie felt proud, and free. No more waiting for a weekend that might not come. Rarity levitated over the bowl of yellow paste, and Sweetie blinked, her blood running ice cold. “Pancakes, I know how much you love them. It’s been over four weeks since I last made them, so I decided to bake you a treat, my darling sister.” Rarity turned her back to Sweetie as she continued making the food. Sweetie lowered her head, and put a hoof to her forehead. “R-Rarity, I’m not feeling so good. Can I stay home today?” Sweetie felt her stomach give a heave, and didn’t have to fake the feeling of unease as Rarity walked over and put a hoof to her forehead, frowning. “You do feel warm. Go back to bed, I’ll bring you up the pancakes when they’re ready.” Author's Note Here is a poem made by: Divine Path The terror of stasis, lost within that which could never be. Searching for an escape from this nightmare, and yet it has only just begun. So with this, you must soon strengthen your ties to your present, lest the trapping of a soul in perfect cessation shall bring you madness, and you fall to despair. Oh, the terror of stasis, so lost within that which can never be.
L5“Sweetie Belle, can I come in?” Rarity opened the door slightly, and saw Sweetie was in her bed, looking directly at the door. Opening it further, she stepped into the room. Sweetie tilted her head, but said nothing. “A big opportunity has come up in Manehattan, I really have to leave. Twilight’s agreed to watch you, I will be back in two days.” Rarity brought her sister into a hug, and smiled warmly as she snuggled. Sweetie whined, and eventually she was released from the prison. “Wait, can I come?” Sweetie pulled off the blankets, and turned to stand up. However, Rarity caught her in magic and levitated her back into bed. “Of course not sister, you’re much too sick for that.” Rarity raised an eyebrow and Sweetie pouted, heaving a sigh. Turning, Sweetie picked up the book list with a hoof and held it out to Rarity. “Could you get these for me then? I really need them, they might earn us a cutie mark!” Sweetie beamed at Rarity, who rolled her eyes and relented. Looking down the list, she left herself a reminder to go to the bookstore in Manehattan once her business was done. “Thank you!” Sweetie leapt toward Rarity, and hugged her tight, both smiled and laughed joyfully, before it became evident Rarity had to go. Separating, Rarity waved to her sister. “I’ll get any I can find sister, don’t worry.” Rarity turned and left just as Twilight arrived. Sweetie smiled in greeting, but knew Twilight would soon be leaving to get items from her castle. Turning to look at her table, Sweetie sighed. ‘So items in my room stay. What if I put an item outside? I’ll need to borrow my sister’s clock too, I need to see if I can find the exact time it loops. I don’t want to risk sleeping outside until I’ve read the books, but it doesn’t mean I can’t experiment.’ Sweetie walked over to her vanity table and moved all her brushes and such to one side, and placed a stack of blank paper. “Right, all set for when they arrive. Now let’s see, what can I do in the meantime…” Sweetie sat down, and levitated a pen over from her saddlebags, and smirked. Just because she wouldn’t be able to do some stuff until Rarity came back, or until the end of the loop, didn’t mean she couldn’t try certain things. ‘I won’t risk anything too extreme just yet, in case it doesn’t loop and I’m free from this nightmare. But maybe I can help us get our Cutie Marks, or bribe Spike into doing something. Come on Sweetie Belle, think! You’re stuck in a loop, what mischief can you get up to that won’t cause serious damage if the looping ends…’ After some thought, Sweetie decided going to school was the best idea for the moment. She couldn’t remember ever going to school on a Tuesday during a time she had headaches. So, as she sat down and waited for the class to start, it came as a surprise to learn she actually had homework from ‘last week’. “Diamond Tiara, you may start.” Cheerilee stepped to the side as the filly walked to the front of the room. Turning around, she smirked, and stood tall as she read out her piece of paper. “I am Diamond Tiara, and this is my report about my family history. As you well know, my family is rich. My grandfather was rich, his grandfather, all the way back to the very beginnings of my family’s history, to a pony called Quite Rich. And so you see, our family is always going to be rich, as I will absolutely be far richer than anypony in this room for the rest of my life. The end.” Diamond Tiara sauntered back to her desk, and sat down. “Thank you, Apple Bloom?” Cheerilee smiled warmly as Apple Bloom trotted up, and beamed to everypony. “Mah family’s roots go back beyond the foundin’ of Ponyville, back to the founding of Equestria even. We Apple’s are widely spread, and we always have each other's back. We are honest, hardworking, and always happy to lend a helping hoof. An I hope I can keep up that legacy as I grow up too. I am proud to be an Apple.” Apple Bloom received a few claps as she bowed and returned to her seat. “Scootaloo?” Cheerilee frowned as Scootaloo shrunk back, and waved a hoof, motioning her forward and giving her a comforting nudge. Scootaloo looked away from the crowd as she spoke. “M-My parents left me at an orphanage when I was young, and they eventually put me in a home with foster parents here to give me a chance to get to make some new friends...But I do have Rainbow Dash, who considers me good enough to be her sister.” Scootaloo brightened up slightly at the mention of Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie felt a twinge of sympathy. No wonder Scootaloo never wanted to hang out at where she lived. “Must have pretty low standards,” whispered Diamond Tiara loudly to her friend. Silver Spoon snickered, and Scootaloo’s face fell. Sweetie rounded on the two and felt anger burning inside her. However, Cheerilee was quick on the uptake. “Diamond Tiara, that is the second comment I have heard from you, and it better be the last. If I hear one more, we’ll go see your father, and you will learn just how ‘high’ his standards are.” Cheerilee was not made to be an imposing figure. However when she stepped in front of Scootaloo to look down at Diamond Tiara, for a small moment she was the scariest thing in the room. “Go Scootaloo! You’re the best!” Sweetie spoke up, seeing Scootaloo poke out her head and give a small smile at her. Apple Bloom began to clap her hooves together, Sweetie joined in as well. Soon enough, the entire class, barring two fillies, was applauding the orange filly. Wiping away moisture in her eyes, she looked to Cheerilee, who blinked and stepped aside. Scootaloo grinned at the class, and ignored the moisture running down her face, there was none there after all.(Tough ponies didn't believe in 'tears'.) “I have my big sister! And I have my foster parents! They have both taught me that the one pony I must be loyal to is myself. I may not be strong, I may not be wise! But I don’t need to be. I don’t need a history to tell me who I am! I have pride in myself because they have pride in me. My friends have pride in me. I can fly as high as I want, because they are there to catch me if I fall.” Scootaloo bowed, and headed back to her desk with her head raised high, the entire class clapping her. Sweetie wiped away a tear, glad she had been here to support Scootaloo, even if she hadn’t done so previously. This situation with Diamond Tiara had to be sorted out. Sweetie couldn’t stand seeing her friend get hurt, and having to hear the same insults was getting tiring. And most of all; revenge. “Sweetie Belle, you’re up next.” Cheerilee smiled warmly as Sweetie stood up and turned to the class. “I didn’t do my homework, whoopsie!” Sweetie smiled awkwardly, and winced as the entire class laughed at her. Glancing to her friends, they shared a small smirk. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo winked, approving of her answer. Cheerilee sighed, but shook her head and smiled. “Oh very well, but you better have it ready by next week.” Cheerilee looked down as Sweetie nodded enthusiastically, oh she would most definitely have it by next week. After a boring lesson with Cheerilee on how Pegasi bucked clouds, they were once again discussing digging holes. Sweetie looked at her friends, and sighed. “Look, I got an awesome idea, I mean do we really want hole-digger Cutie Marks?” The other two winced as Sweetie spoke, and she continued. “I say we try to get our Cutie Marks in something we haven’t done before. Let’s ask Applejack if she can teach us how to raise a barn. Could you imagine how cool a barn-raising mark would look?” Sweetie smiled, she had them hook, line, and Cutie Mark. If she was lucky this would actually turn out to be what she was destined to be good at. “Wow Apple Bloom, that’s an amazin’ job.” Applejack watched in silent amazement as Apple Bloom hammered together the foundation for the barn as if it was child’s play. Even Applejack took longer than her, and it wasn’t like the built a barn every week, let alone let Apple Bloom help with more than pulling it together. Glancing to the other two, they were having less luck. Scootaloo kept trying to rush it, and the frame was just tumbling to pieces, whereas Sweetie Belle was trying to get it ‘absolutely perfect’. Applejack shook her head and bit her lip, glad she had suggested building a mini barn for Winona instead of getting them building a full one. “I dunno what you’re talking about sis, this isn’t that hard.” Apple Bloom glanced over to her friends and blinked in surprise, looking to the one Applejack was making to guide them with. Compared to Applejack’s one, she was actually doing very good. Maybe she was actually good at something. Apple Bloom smiled and went back to her task. ‘I’m going to put all my heart and soul into this. This is a lot of fun, and I want to make it special for Winona.’ As she worked, she barely noticed the other three had stopped, and were just watching her work. After she finished, she stepped back and nodded, that was the best she could do. “Wow,” spoke her two friends. Turning, she smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. Suddenly, there was a tingling on her flank, and she glanced to it, blinking. On her flank, was a picture of the half finished barn being built, a saw, and a smile painted on the side of one of the pieces. “I got my Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom was so happy, she exploded into a bouncing ball of energy with her friends. Applejack stood back, smiling. It was not everyday somepony got their mark after all. “We should totally keep the Club going though okay? I wanna be there when ya’ll get yours.” Apple Bloom brought her friends into a hug, and they all smiled, nodding. It was decided, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would now allow ‘graduated’ members to help those who had yet to graduate. “Thank you for the books Rarity.” Sweetie took the books in her magic and brought her sister into a hug. After properly thanking her, she dashed upstairs, jumped onto her bed, and opened the first one, closing the door with a click. Flipping through it, she began to read. ‘Okay, so Time Loops are always constant, the time doesn’t normally change. This books says there’s a trigger, something that is keeping them in the loop. It might be related to my headaches. There’s also mention of death being one possible way out of a loop. I’m not that desperate. Jeez, there’s so much, I’m going to have to start writing a list… Sweetie decided to once more convince Rarity she was ill, after all why would she miss out on a snow-day? There was just too much information to go through, and she needed to read the books thoroughly. Maybe it would be better to bring Twilight in and get her to shorten it. That would require another loop, however. Before long, she glanced up and realised it was already night, and went to sleep. It had been harder to do so on Friday, but she had managed to once more play hookey, and stay home to read. As she glanced up to the night, she slipped a bookmark into the book, and picked up a toy. Sneaking into Rarity’s room, she slowly levitated her clock out of the room. Rarity wouldn’t let her have one for some reason. (Something about her setting an alarm once for 4am. That was ONE time!) Sweetie left the door open, and placed the teddy in the hallway, where she could see it. Placing the clock down on the table, she levitated up her paper plane, and glanced between the bear and the clock as time ticked by. Sweetie found it hard, but eventually slipped past the ‘I need to sleep’ phase of the night. 11:59...teddybear 12:00...teddy-wait what? The teddy bear was gone. Sweetie glanced to her teddy bear toys, it wasn’t back in the pile either. It was just...gone.
L6“Alright kids, today we’re going to learn about how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee smiled warmly at her students. Sweetie looked directly at Diamond Tiara as she glanced in her direction. “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark about diamonds.” Diamond Tiara’s sneer was halted as Sweetie smiled warmly and turned to face her. “You’re absolutely right Diamond. In fact, can I do your homework for you?” Sweetie smiled innocently as Diamond blinked, and then glanced back toward the other Crusaders, who mirrored her shock. “Uh, sure,” she spoke as she looked to her friend, Silver Spoon. Silver shrugged, and Sweetie had to force herself to ignore the sharp pangs of guilt eating at her. ‘It’s for a good cause. If the loop ends you can explain it after.’ Sweetie could feel the wounded expressions coming from her two friends, and forced herself to pretend she really was fawning over Diamond Tiara. This was all for the plan. Luckily, her reply has shocked Cheerilee too, and she merely blinked, and continued the lesson. After school, both bullies approached her, and smirked. “Well, since you want to do work for us, you have to pass a test first. We need to make sure you’re high-class enough to look down on those lower than you. Pass this, and we will accept you into our group. Only then, will you be allowed to do my homework.” Diamond Tiara raised her nose and stuck it into the air, Silver Spoon copying the action. “Oooh yes! Absolutely! Just tell me what to do.” Sweetie forced an eager smile on her face despite her turbulent emotions. They better not betray her! “Sweetie Belle, what’s going on? Why are you hanging out with them?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hesitantly approached the group, and Sweetie stepped beside Diamond and smirked. ‘I’m a horrible filly, I’m a horrible filly’ Sweetie bowed once as Diamond look to her, and smiled even wider. “What a coincidence just the chance you need to prove yourself.” Diamond stepped to the side and waited. Sweetie looked to her friends, and copied the evil smirk she had seen on the two bully's face multiple times. “I’m hanging with them because they can give me what a bunch of blank flanks can’t, a life.” Sweetie saw both raise a hoof, eyes widened, tears springing to their eyes. For a moment, she almost cracked. This was too much, she couldn’t do this to them! Nothing was worth this amount of- “Wow, nice one, look at them run away crying.” Diamond and Silver stood beside her, and leaned in, looking pleased. Sweetie gulped, and put on a hopeful smile. ‘I don’t deserve them, I’m a horrible filly. They’ll never forgive me for this, even if it is only for one loop.’ Sweetie saw both motion for her to follow Diamond back to her home, a large house with maids and golden statues, with a fountain to top it off. “I hereby welcome you to my group. The induction will be in two days, and until then you will be expected to read up on fancy words like croissant and omle’t.(Omleh)” Diamond smiled, and then waved goodbye to them both, teaching Sweetie the cutie mark bump. As she left, she pulled over to a park and expulsed her lunch into one of the bushes. ‘Must...cleanse...taint!’ Later that night, Rarity would wonder why her sister was taking so long to have a bath, and lean her ear close to the door. Hearing that very mantra, she would carefully back away, and pretend she hadn’t heard a single word. After very careful consideration over the fact Scootaloo would be teased today, and she would likely be called upon to do the same, Sweetie decided the best course of action was to fall deadly ill. Thankfully, this meant she now had time to go over what she had read so far. Time loops Ways to get out: 1: Death(sometimes). 2: Stopping the cause(usually). 3: Performing the right sequence of events to find the ‘true’ loop(sometimes). 4: Cleaning up the world, or scrubbing it with toothpaste(never, but sounds like fun). 5: Kill the mastermind(Sometimes). Options 1 and 5 are obviously out, I’m not going to kill myself, and I’m not going to kill others. At least, not yet. These books say going ‘batshit crazy’ is only a matter of time, but surely I can prevent this if I just stay focused on figuring out either the cause or what 3 is. Still, I really want to try doing 4 one time. It sounds like fun, and hey; it might work. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. ‘I still have to test what happens at midnight if I’m outside, but I really want to test it on somepony other than me first. I believe anypony outside will just vanish back to their Monday positions, but what if they are in my room? Sweetie bit her pencil, and sighed. Either way, she didn’t want Diamond or Silver looping, so it would have to wait until the next one. “I have to prepare a note as well, in case going outside wipes my memory and puts me back in here.” Sweetie stood up and walked over to her window, and looked out as the sun set over the horizon. “Either way, objective one comes first.” “And with the ceremony complete, welcome to my home. Daddy, are the cookies ready?” Diamond Tiara glanced away from Sweetie as she shouted into the kitchen. ‘Darn it, I need to get into her room to get more serious dirt. The fact her dad wears a pink apron isn’t juicy enough.’ Sweetie watched as Mr Rich poked his head out, a plate of cookies in his mouth. As he placed them down all three crowded around and began to munch on them. “So, you ever tried getting your mark in something like attending dinner parties, or talking fancy?” Diamond looked curiously at Sweetie, and waited for a reply. Sweetie gulped down the rest of her cookie, genuinely shocked Diamond wasn’t sneering at her. “Well, my sister Rarity sometimes does fancy dinners with prospective clients, but I never really...I mean sure it was a nice evening, but I just felt like another face in the crowd. I don’t think my talent lies in fancy either, I mean what sorta cutie mark would that be.” Sweetie cringed, and once more was shocked as Diamond giggled and pointed to her and Silver’s mark. “Do you think I want my name to be my cutie mark? What about Silver? I mean gosh, what a life we’ve got, full of adventure and danger ahead of us.” Diamond rolled her eyes and Silver nodded, both sharing a sad smile. Diamond blinked, remembering Sweetie was there, wide-eyed and seeing her differently. “Hey, maybe yours has something to do with your name. Le’see...Sweet Bells. Maybe you’re really good at ringing bells?” Diamond looked over to Sweetie and shrugged. Sweetie snorted, and then realised she had done so, pausing before continuing. “We already tried that, back when I was a Crusader.” Sweetie saw both wince, and bit her lip. Looking down, she decided to breach the subject. “Why do you dislike them so much anyway?" Sweetie raised her head as the other two shared a glance, and Diamond smiled. “I’ll answer that, but only if you agree to a sleepover at my house. I’ve been waiting forever to have enough ponies for a proper Twister game, and daddy always gives up halfway through.” Diamond looked to Silver, who shook her head sadly. “Sorry, my Mom still won’t let me leave the house at night.” Silver tried to put a hoof around Diamond, who growled and shrugged it off, and looked at her. “Yeah yeah, I know alright? Not around the newbie.” Diamond turned toward Sweetie once more, and smirked as she opened her arms wide. “I’d love to,” replied Sweetie, smiling sweetly. “So this is the double bed we’ll be sleeping in. Unless you want your own bed, in which case there’s a smaller bed over there. Snacks are on the table, and I have some movies we can watch on my projector.” Diamond’s room was full of blues and pinks. Sweetie could tell she was a girl at heart, but there was evidence to the contrary too. “Can I play the arcade machine?” Sweetie almost wanted to hug the many machines, decrypting various games, lined up along the back of Diamond’s room. Diamond stepped to the side, and Sweetie was on them in an instant. Diamond leaned over her shoulder, and watched with keen interest. “Wow, you’re pretty good, woah!” Diamond walked over to another one of the machines, and began to play as well. Sweetie stopped her game soon enough, and came over to help Diamond. “No, you gotta be more gentle with the controls. That’s it, see?” Sweetie grinned as Diamond started truly enjoying the game, and stood back to watch as she examined her feelings. ‘Could it be that she’s a decent pony?’ Sweetie eventually pulled herself to the snack table, and they sat down to enjoy a movie. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer. “So why do you hate the CMC?” Sweetie glanced to Diamond as she cringed away, and then sighed and looked to her. “Promise not to tell anypony?” Diamond waited as Sweetie promised, but stopped short of a Pinkie promise. That mare knew. “Ok, well before Apple Bloom came to school, I was the newest kid.” Diamond turned herself to fully face Sweetie, who did the same. “When she arrived, all the attention I used to get, got directed to her. That would have been okay except…” Diamond paused, and her ears flopped down as she looked away. “Apparently the other kids decided I was a bully, and only Silver stuck by me. I was jealous of Apple Bloom, can you blame me? So I decided to become a bully to Apple Bloom. Teasing her makes me feel slightly better about myself, and it doesn’t help that you three ruined the one day that was supposed to be about me and my cutie mark.” Diamond stood up, and walked over to the bedside drawer, pulling it open. “Here,” she spoke as she pulled out a bright pink book with the word ‘diary’ on it. Before Sweetie could object, it was forced into her hoof as Diamond took a step back. They met each-other’s eyes. “Take it to your friends, tell them your whole plan was to get some dirt on me, they’ll believe you. It’s what you came here for after all isn’t it.” Diamond turned away as her head fell, and she wiped away something itching her eye. Sweetie took one look at Diamond, and dropped the book as she stood up and jumped forward, talking Diamond into a hug. “No,” she replied, feeling Diamond stiffen, and then relax. Sweetie looked down and saw Diamond’s face scrunch up, and tears leak from her eyes. Sniffing, she wiped her nose as she spoke, turning around to return the hug. “T-Thank you.” Sweetie walked home, waving goodbye to Diamond as she left. Entering her room, she walked up to the piece of paper, and looked over her list. Drawing a line through one of the numbers, she then wrote a new one, before walking to her bed, grabbing her saddlebags, and heading to school. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. 6: Get DT and SS to become CMC. Author's Note Would you believe I actually planned to have SB blackmail DT? Why did she have to be so darn not-evil? Curse you! Here is another poem made by: Divine Path And with the distant past, you find fondness in the realization; that among the ponies dark and dour, within the coldness of apathy and despair, the warmth unites one and all and there is light in all hearts under the Equestrian sun.
L7.1“Scoots? Bloom? Can I talk to you quickly?” Sweetie called her friends to the side, knowing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would be out soon. Both turned and nodded. Sweetie bit her lip, and leaned forward. “I think I can convert Diamond Tiara to our side.” Sweetie saw both open their mouth to object, and stuck her front hooves forward, closing their mouths as she growled. “I know she’s mean, but I need you to trust me here.” Sweetie bit her lip as the other two frowned. Once more, guilt over her actions last loop sprung up, and she forced herself to focus as they nodded. Sweetie smiled, and turned to watch the door. “Just follow my lead.” Sweetie closed her eyes for a moment, before covering her face with an innocent smile. On cue, Diamond and Silver walked out, laughing quietly together. Sweetie breathed in, and walked over to them. “Oh great, what you you blank flanks want?" Diamond snickered, but blinked as Sweetie’s expression didn’t change. “Diamond, you’re an expert on all things fancy and high class right?” Sweetie paused just long enough to give Diamond a chance to nod. Glancing to her friends, she smiled once at them and nodded as she turned. “See? I told you she’s gotta be a better expert than my sister. I mean, all my sister does is design the latest trends endorsed by Fancy Pants.” Sweetie saw Apple Bloom raise an eyebrow, before blinking and glancing away. “Yeah, you’re right. Ah'm sorry for doubting you.” Apple Bloom glanced toward Diamond, who was slowly digesting this information. “Endorsed by... Fancy Pants? As in THE Fancy Pants, Fancy Pants?” Diamond stepped toward Sweetie, who shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Well yeah, I met him myself. Seemed like a nice guy.” Sweetie was of course lying about this bit, but as Diamond's eyes widened, she knew it was working. Now just to let her mull it over...and… “Why do you need me anyway?” Diamond frowned, and glanced to Silver Spoon. Blinking, she quickly smirked at Sweetie as she stuck up her nose. “I mean, there’s just so many reasons for you poor pitiful blank flanks to want to need me, I just wish to clarify which one.” Diamond nodded to herself, that was better. Didn’t want them thinking she was going soft. “Well, we’ve tried getting our Cutie Marks in almost everything, but we never tried anything relating to fancy. We were wondering if you might be willing to help us, for a price of course.” Sweetie leaned in and smiled, whispering quietly into Diamond’s ear. “I can get you a signed autograph of Fancy Pants.” Rarity had quite a few items laying around the boutique Fancy has signed. It would take some convincing, but Sweetie was sure she could get her sister to part with one for a good cause. “O-One moment.” Diamond pulled Silver away and both began to quietly discuss it together. After a moment, both nodded and smirked. ‘They’re totally going to try and swindle me of it.’ Sweetie watched them both walk over, and Diamond hold out a hoof. “Give the autograph to us right now, and you have a deal.” Diamond smiled, faking a warm one. Sweetie looked down and let her ears flop. “I can’t yet, Rarity’s gone to Manehattan and she won’t be back for a few days. And she takes them with her.” Sweetie waited as both shared a glance, and sighed. “Alright, but we expect it by the end of the week. We’ll start your training tomorrow.” Diamond held out her hoof again, and Sweetie took it, both shaking and smiling pleasantly at each other. “Excellent, we can’t wait.” “No no no! That spoon goes over here!” Silver Spoon glared at Scootaloo, who numbly put the spoon where it apparently went. Silver nodded once, and glanced over to the other two. Diamond Tiara was overseeing their ‘Fancy cutlery setting up’ over the other side of the table. They were using paper plates, so nothing had a chance of getting broken. “Ugh, you three are useless! You’re worse than blank flanks, you’re no-flanks!” Diamond pulled out the chair and leapt onto it, and then onto the table so she could look down at them. Apple Bloom met the glare, and opened her mouth to say something back. Sweetie put a hoof over the mouth, and shook her head. “Seriously, you three can’t even set up a table right, how are you expecting to master this? This is servant work.” Diamond thumped her hoof on the table three times, and then turned toward the chair and made to step off the table. However, it suddenly creaked, and snapped on one end, sending her careening toward a window. On the second floor, it would most certainly hurt. Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated, dragging Diamond to the ground, causing her to skid to a stop just before the window. Puffing, she wiped her brow, holding living objects was a lot harder than books or paper planes, even if she had only held onto Diamond’s leg. “Are you ok?” All moved around to make sure Diamond was ok. Sweetie reached out a hoof, but stepped back as it was swiped away. Diamond turned, and glanced toward the table. “What was that noise up there?” It was Mr Rich, Diamond flinched and breathed in sharply. If her father saw the table, she would be so dead. Sweetie looked to Apple Bloom, who was looking at the table, and tilting her head. “Think you can fix it?” Sweetie waited as her friend blinked, and gave a shrug. “Maybe, but Mr Rich isn’t going to just wait down there while I try to fix the table.” Apple Bloom turned as Scootaloo saluted, and dashed for the stairs. Sweetie moved toward the table and helped Apple Bloom lift it up, grunting. Feeling the weight slightly lessen, she saw Silver was helping. Both glanced to Diamond, who blinked and followed suit. “Ah need a hammer and some nails!” Apple Bloom raised her head and looked to Diamond, who quickly dashed away to get the tool kit. Sweetie groaned, and Apple Bloom pulled a chair over, bringing it to rest just under the lower end of the table. “Y’all can let go now.” Apple Bloom nodded as the chair kept the table from hitting the floor, leaving her enough room to examine it while she waited for Diamond to get back. Below, Scootaloo was stalling Mr Rich, but it wasn’t going very well and he was already at the stairs. If he got to the top, the table would be in clear view of the stairs. “Here!” Diamond came back with a large tool kit held in her mouth. Apple Bloom took it and nodded to Sweetie and Silver, who lifted the table back up to more or less horizontal. Apple Bloom quickly got to work, sweat beading on her head as she forced herself not to rush, despite the noise as somepony slowly walked up the stairs. “Can I see your money collection? Tell me about stocks!” Scootaloo’s panicked cries were ringing through as Mr Rich ignored every one. Apple Bloom was sweating, hooves shaking. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and forced herself to work slowly, but quickly. As she hammered the last nail in with a loud thunk, Mr Rich saw them surrounding the table. “What is going on.” Mr Rich looked as Apple Bloom rolled out from under the table. Looking between her and the hammer clutched in her mouth, he turned to look to Diamond as she strained to hold the table upright. “You can let it go now,” whispered Apple Bloom through the hammer. All three gently lowered the table down, and let go. It was rock steady. Mr Rich walked over and tapped it, before putting some weight onto it and frowning, tilting his head. Turning to Diamond, he folded his arms. “You were standing on the table again weren’t you?” Mr Rich was proven right, as Diamond lowered her head and gave a nod. He sighed, and looked toward Apple Bloom. “Dun worry sir! Ah fixed it up all good an’ proper so ya dun have ta’ worry about it.” Apple Bloom put the hammer down and motioned toward the tools sheepishly, as he once more leaned onto the table. “I can see that, this table used to have a wonky leg.” Mr Rich let his frown drop as he leaned down and examined the fixed leg of the table. “Where did you put the nails? I can’t even tell what is your work and what was already there.” Mr Rich looked toward Apple Bloom and let his surprise show. Slowly, the filly smiled and began to point toward specific nails. “Ya’ see, the table leg was wonky ‘cause this piece of wood wasn’t ‘ammered in properly. So ah fixed up tha’ piece and added some nails for extra support.” Apple Bloom felt hopeful, maybe they weren’t going to get punished. Mr Rich stepped back, and chuckled, shaking his head. “Well I can’t exactly let a filly who just got her Cutie Mark be punished can I?” Sure enough, on Apple Bloom’s flank was a picture of two pieces of wood being hammered together with a nail. There was also a small clock burned into one of the planks. “Ah dun believe it! Ah got mah Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom and her friends celebrated while Diamond and Spoon stood off to the side, feeling awkward. After a moment Apple Bloom turned to them and smiled warmly as she walked over. “Ah gotta admit, y’all are ok in mah book. Ah mean, if it weren’t for you, I may never have gotten mah Mark. So thank you.” Apple Bloom smiled warmly and brought the two into a quick hug. Diamond flinched and looked away, expression a whirlwind of emotions. “C-Can you get off me?” Diamond glared at Apple Bloom, who scratched the back of her head, and turned toward her friends. “Ah think we should let Diamond an’ Spoon become Crusaders. What do ya think? Ah mean, they helped me get mah mark an’ all.” Apple Bloom’s smile widened as the other two nodded, and turned back toward a confused Diamond. “But I already have my Cutie Mark, what use does a club about finding one have for me?” Diamond glanced to Silver, who nodded. Chuckling, Apple Bloom pointed to her Mark. “That’s the best part silly. Now we get ta’ help others earn theirs. An even if we all have our Marks, we’ll still spend time together, that’s what friends do.” Apple Bloom once more beamed a smile at Diamond, who looked away. “You really want to be my friend, even after the way I’ve treated you?” Diamond’s voice was small, barely a whisper. Apple Bloom had to lean in to catch it all. Stepping forward, she met Diamond’s gaze, and smiled. “The way ah see it, you more than made up for it when ya’ got me my Mark.” And then, once more, Apple Bloom hugged Diamond. Sweetie and Scootaloo nodded as Diamond looked to them. Diamond closed her eyes as a soft smile emerged on her face. “I’d like that…” Author's Note First part of L7
L7.2“So what are we learning today Diamond?” Apple Bloom smiled warmly as she stood beside Diamond, who winced and looked away. After a moment, Diamond pointed toward Scootaloo’s scooter. “We could try acting fancy. But I don’t think the other two’s talents are likely to be in fancy. If I had to guess, Scootaloo’s Mark is in scooter-ing.” Diamond noticed all three cringe, and Scootaloo shook her head. “We tried that, and I don’t want to spend my life having a Mark that means I’m only good at that.” Scootaloo glared at the ground, and scuffed the dirt. Diamond sighed and put a hoof to her chin, tapping it as she mused. “I don’t know then, maybe you’re good at something the scooting requires?” Diamond looked between the three, and they all copied her action. “Maybe stunts, I mean you really like those Scoots.” Sweetie glanced over to her friend, who tilted her head and smiled. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea! An stunt-pony Mark would look great!” Scootaloo smiled and walked over to her scooter, and attached the cart that her friends normally rode in. Pausing, she blinked and remembered Diamond and Silver. “How exactly am I going to get a Mark in doing stunts anyway? I do them all the time, surely I would have it by now if that was the case.” Scootaloo waited patiently as the others considered it. “Let’s ask Rainbow Dash what cloud-based sports there are that can be done without wings.” Sweetie smiled and nodded, all taking to the idea with relish. “Alright, I’ll go find Rainbow Dash, we’ll meet in that clearing near the edge of town.” Scootaloo took the cart off once more, and hopped onto her scooter and buzzed away. Sweetie folded the paper plane up and stowed it in her hair. Taking the handle, she levitated the cart as she followed the others to the clearing. “Hey, heard you need help organising an awesome cloud-surfing course.” Rainbow Dash flew into the clearing, Scootaloo under one arm, scooter in the other. Landing, she glanced up at the sky, and nodded. “We have to clear the clouds for tomorrow anyway, I see no reason not to get an early start. I‘ll be right back.” Dash flared her wings and began to construct an obstacle course out of clouds, similar to one she had done as a filly. However, the design was fundamentally different, centering around surfing down the cloud instead of flying around them. Landing, she smirked at them as she brought down a cloud. "Hop on Scoots, I’ll show you how to make a board.” Dash waited as Scootaloo jumped onto the cloud, and began showing how to slice it into a more aerodynamic shape, compressing it to be less fluffy. Scootaloo wobbled on the board, and flapped her wings as she slowly floated around the clearing, getting a feel for it. “Hang on a sec kid, something's wrong with the cloud.” Sitting down beside the board, Dash narrowed her eyes and looked as it wobbled under Scootaloo, and frowned. “Could ya tone down the magic, sis? It’s interfering with the stuff I used to make the cloud stay in shape.” Raising her head, Dash saw confusion in Scootaloo’s face, and tilted her head. “Hold on a sec, lemme see your wings.” Dash stood up and leaned over, gently touching Scootaloo’s small wings. Breathing in sharply, she slowly brought a wing over. As the wing got within a few inches of Scootaloo’s, the cloud suddenly began to drift sideways, sending Scootaloo in the opposite direction of Dash. There was no wind. “Scoots, have you ever used weather magic before?” Dash folded her wings and nodded as Scootaloo shook her head. It was something all Pegasi were taught at a very young age, and for a very good reason. “Are ya foster parents Earth or Unicorn?” Once more, Dash watched Scootaloo nod. Walking over once more, Dash put a hoof on Scootaloo's cheeks. “There’s the reason for it then, and with Cherilee being an Earth Pony; no wonder it’s leaking out so much. Alright, listen carefully, I’m not much of a teacher so this’ll be very basic, but follow exactly what I say.” As Rainbow Dash spoke, all fillies, excluding Scootaloo, quickly got confused at everything Dash was speaking about. It passed over their heads, did a loop-de-loop, and proceeded to dump a bucket of tree sap on their heads. “Alright, now for the final test.” Dash picked up Scootaloo, and tossed her high into the air. Crying out, Scootaloo instinctively flapped her wings, and for a brief moment she continued to fall. Suddenly, she remembered what she had just learned, and gritted her teeth, and applied it. Sweetie bit her lip as Scootaloo dived down, and pulled out, doing a corkscrew as she cried out in sudden jubilation. “Heh, I wonder if she’s gonna remember we’ve got stunts to pull.” Dash smirked as Scootaloo flew around the clearing for a solid half-hour, before finally noticing they were watching her, and coming to land. It wasn’t the best landing, but she managed to avoid falling into the dirt. “Alright, time to surf those clouds, kid.” Dash sent the cloudboard flying toward Scoots, who caught it and flew toward the top of the course, smirking confidently as she looked down at it. Was this the best Dash could do? Flipping upwards, she backflipped onto the board, and dived straight into the course. Each corner felt like water, her wings barely even flapping as she used her newfound control over her magic to weave between the clouds without disturbing them. Leaping off a ramp, she backflipped once before landing on the railing, and sliding past the finish line. Jumping off the cloud, she beamed as she realised Dash was looking at her, mouth hung open. “That...Was...AWE-SOME!” Dash and everyone began to crowd around Scootaloo, giving praise. Even Diamond, who was standing slightly to the side, sent a ‘good job’ her way. As Scootaloo felt everyone praising her, and the knowledge she would never be grounded again, tears sprung to her eyes, and she looked to her flank as a tingling distracted her. It was a picture of a cloud in a half circle, forming a sharp turn like the ones she had surfed around on her way down the course. There was a single bolt of purple lightning coming out of a small orange wing. Scootaloo looked to Rainbow Dash, and realised they were both crying. But it didn’t matter. Tough ponies didn’t believe in tears, so they never saw them. While not related to getting a Cutie Mark, the sleepover at Diamonds had been the icing on an otherwise great week. Sweetie once more showed Diamond how to properly play the arcade games, and all awkwardness quickly melted away during a movie. “Why couldn’t Silver attend?” Sweetie saw the wince, and smiled apologetically in response. “Her family doesn’t think I’m a very good influence, and they won’t let her see me outside of school and afternoons.” Diamond bit her lip, and looked down to her drink. Scootaloo brought an arm around Diamond, and gently hugged her. Diamond leaned into it, not resisting. “Listen, I think I can solve that, but we need to agree to a party at my house tomorrow. I’ll handle everything.” Sweetie saw all look to her, and she smiled, leaning forward enthusiastically. All sighed, and smiled as they gave her a nod. “Excellent.” “Now you kids have fun.” Rarity smiled as they all headed upstairs, and chuckled. When Sweetie Belle had come to her saying her friend Silver Spoon wasn’t allowed on sleepovers, and that she’d promise not to make food on the weekends for a month if she helped, Rarity had been out the door in an instant. Oh, it had taken quite some convincing to get them to allow the poor filly to sleepover. But after many assurances, and an agreement to give them a discount on purchases, she had managed to get the group together. From the happy smiles on their faces, Rarity knew it was going to be a loud night. 11:58 “I’m telling you girls, something amazing happens at midnight. You’re not gonna believe it.” Sweetie pointed to her clock, and the other’s rolled their eyes. This better be good, they were really tired. “Alright we get it, let’s just watch the clock then. This better be good, ah have farm work in the mornin’.” All fell silent as they watched the clock silently tick over. It was amazing, they were silent for the entire two minutes. 11:59… 12:00 Sweetie turned toward her friends, smiling in open relief, they were still here! As they frowned at her and looked around, they didn’t seem to have any clue about what was different. That meant, she now had her friends to count on during loops, if time was still looping. Feeling tears come to her eyes, Sweetie almost missed what Scootaloo had just said. “Is it just me, or are you growing smaller?” Scootaloo looked down at her hoof as she saw it growing, and turned to look to Apple Bloom. Sure enough, everypony but Sweetie was slowly growing into adult mares. Confusion on their faces, they turned to Sweetie. However, before one could open their mouths, the true horror began. Sweetie was frozen as she watched her friends age before her, slowly turning into wrinkled old ponies. Then, they collapsed, and all life drained from their eyes. Then the eyes fell into dust, the bodies slowly losing color and fading into a uniform gray color. And then, finally, they fell to ash. All before the clock beside her clicked to 12:01. Sweetie screamed. Author's Note I did put that dark tag there for a reason ya'know. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path The dream ends this night. It seems. trapped in this perfect nightmare of solitude, only alone you can stay.
L8.1Rarity leapt out of bed and slammed Sweetie’s door open, blocking her ears off to the noise by holding her ears against her head. Sweetie was screaming at a pile of ash that was vanishing into nothing. Rarity took a step into the room, Sweetie didn’t notice. “Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong?” As soon as Rarity spoke, the screaming stopped, and Sweetie turned, and dived into Rarity arms. Sweetie began to sob loudly, tears streaming down her face. Rarity comforted her sister, confused but knowing what her role was. “I killed them *sob* I killed them.” Sweetie continued to speak those three lines without pause as she cried into Rarity. Rarity bit her lip, and decided it was best to comfort now, and ask questions later. Bringing her sister deeper into a hug, “There there, I’m here. It’s ok.” Rarity gently patted Sweetie on the head, the crying intensifying. Whatever had spooked Sweetie must have been very horrific if she was this mortified. Rarity sat down, knowing she was in for a long comforting session. After a few hours, Sweetie eventually ran out of tears to shed, and entered a fitful sleep. Rarity snuck the filly back into her bed, and breathed out. Rarity turned and headed down the stairs, maybe pancakes would make her sister feel better. There was the matter of school...No, Sweetie could miss a day. “Ah, there’s Apple Bloom, I’ll go tell her Sweetie won’t be going today.” Rarity put down the batter and turned toward the door. Walking out, she smiled warmly as Apple Bloom smiled back. “I’m sorry Apple Bloom, Sweetie won’t be going to school today.” Rarity smiled sadly as Apple Bloom tilted her head, and gave a slow nod. Rarity blinked, for a moment she thought she had seen relief on Apple Bloom's face. Shaking her head, it was gone. “Ah, okay, tell Sweetie that Ah’ll meet her at school for the rest of the week. Ah gotta get to it early to...help Cheerilee.” Apple Bloom waved goodbye, and skipped toward the school. Rarity turned and headed back inside to make pancakes. ”You killed us! I thought we were friends!” Scootaloo’s ashes curled into a vague pony-like shape, eyes made of darkness. The others formed, all circling around the huddled form of Sweetie. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” Sweetie covered her eyes and sobbed. Why had she thought they would be fine? Why had she thought the logical conclusion was they would loop too? Apple Bloom forced Sweetie’s hooves away, and looked Sweetie in the eyes. “Yer a monster! Never talk to us again ya hear? You don’t deserve friends for what ya have done!” Apple Bloom scoffed and walked away. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were next. “You will always be a blank flank. Somepony who murdered her friends does not deserve something as great as a Cutie Mark.” All four vanished in a puff of smoke, and the room began to darken, leaving Sweetie in darkness. “Sweetie, I made you pancakes.” Rarity opened the door slowly, seeing Sweetie huddled on the floor where the ash and dust had been earlier. Sweetie jolted awake at the sound of Rarity’s voice, and tears began to stream down her face again. “Oh dearie me.” Rarity scooped her sister up and hugged her close as the filly began to cry again. Breathing in, Rarity decided it was time to find out just what had Sweetie so traumatised. “Sweetie, I need you to tell me what’s wrong. Please, you’ll feel better once you do.” Rarity slowly put a hoof to her sister’s chin, and slowly pushed it upward. Sweetie sobbed, burying her face into Rarity’s fur. “I-I killed them! They were my friends an-an-and I thought it was-but it wasn’t an-and they-oh god they grew older than Granny Smith an-and It’s my fault!” As Sweetie cried into Rarity’s chest, the fashionista realised two things. One: She had no idea what Sweetie was talking about. Two: Sweetie had somehow ‘killed’ something and was absolutely mortified. “Shhh-Shh-Shhh...Sweetie look at me.” Once more, Rarity tilted her sister’s chin up. “Did you mean to do it?” Rarity forced her sister to remain looking at her as her cries grew stronger. “No! I-If I had known I would never have-my Celestia.” Sweetie closed her eyes and began to shake. Rarity waited a moment, before once more forcing her sister to look at her. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know, you have no reason to think you are to blame.” Rarity looked her sister evenly in the eyes as she suddenly stopped crying. Sweetie sniffed and tears leaked down her face as she opened her mouth to speak. “But-” As a hoof was placed on Sweetie’s mouth, Rarity interrupted. “No Sweetie. It is not your fault. It was an accident. You are not to blame. Say it.” Rarity waited patiently, remove her hoof from Sweetie’s mouth. “I-It wasn’t my f-fault, it w-was an a-accident.” Sweetie slowly repeated, tears streaming down her face once more. Rarity brought her sister into a smothering hug as Sweetie began to cry once more. “And don’t you forget that.” “I’m sorry, as big an opportunity that is, I can’t leave my sister here alone.” Rarity smiled apologetically at the pony in front of her. How she ached to say yes, but Sweetie needed her. Ambition could wait. “That is a shame. Very well, we will find a different designer for the event.” The stallion nodded, pulling up a pen to make a note. Both paused as a filly walked down the stairs, and smiled weakly. “Go on Rarity, I’ll be fine. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Twilight can watch me.” Sweetie knew this event, even if the world was looping, meant a lot to Rarity. And it got her out of Sweetie’s hair for a few days. Besides, she needed to talk to Twilight. Rarity winced, the offer so tempting. “But Sweetie Belle, what if you need me for something?” Rarity bit her lip and glanced between the filly and the stallion. What should she go with? “I’ll have Twilight with me, and you’re only a few hours away. Go on, I’ll be fine.” Sweetie forced a smile onto her face despite how exhausted she felt, and Rarity bit her lip once more. After a moment she growled and rubbed her forehead. Walking over, she brought Sweetie into a hug once more. “Are you sure?” Rarity looked her sister in the eyes. Sweetie forced herself to smile and nod. Rarity bit her lip, and stood up once more. “I’d be delighted to go to Manehattan with you.” Rarity turned, and smiled warmly at the stallion. He nodded, and wrote something down. Rarity glanced down to her sister, before motioning to the door. “Come, let’s get you to Twilight. I’m not leaving you alone on a day like today.” Rarity slowly led both to Twilight’s castle, and knocked on the door. Opening it, Twilight blinked curiously at the three. “Could you please watch Sweetie for me? I have to go to Manehattan for a once-in-a-lifetime opport-er- I mean business.” Rarity glanced toward the stallion, who raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Twilight rubbed her eyes, and nodded. “Of course, when will you be back?” Twilight leaned down and smiled warmly at Sweetie, who seemed to be underneath a cloud of gray. “On Wednesday. Can I talk with you for a moment?” Rarity gently pulled Twilight to the side, and pointed to where Sweetie was. “Sweetie has had a horrible morning. Something spooked her good, but she seems to be recovering from it now. Just don’t leave her alone for very long.” Rarity bit her lip, and once more considered staying with her sister. “Alright, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on her,” replied Twilight, giving a smile. Rarity gave Sweetie one last hug, before following the stallion to the train station. “Alright, let’s see what I can make us for lunch.” Twilight smiled and trotted into the castle. Sweetie followed without a word. “Hrm, ooh I can make us some delicious Hayfries. How does that sound?” Twilight waited patiently as Sweetie blinked, and looked away. “That sounds ok.” Sweetie sat down at the table, and Twilight bit her lip as she set about making the food. Rarity was right, Sweetie was almost like Twilight’s discorded version. ‘I gotta think of something fun to cheer her up. Maybe Twister? Kids like that right?’ Twilight silently sighed as she placed two plates of Hayfries down. What would Sweetie like to do? Sweetie wasn’t exactly how Twilight was when she was younger, she likely didn’t want the same things. “Twilight, can I ask you a question?” Sweetie picked at her fries before plopping one into her mouth, chewing it slowly. It wasn’t her fault, she had to focus. Sweetie had a feeling telling herself that wasn’t going to change how she felt, but Rarity had said to. And it was sorta maybe helping. “Shoot, we’ve got plenty of time to talk.” Twilight watched as Sweetie winced, before continuing. It was worse than she thought; the filly wasn’t even meeting her eyes. “I’m kinda...doing an experiment and...I was wondering what the first thing you do before conducting your own is.” Sweetie finished her plate of food, and looked around for a drink. Twilight levitated over a jug of water, and poured them both a cup. “Make a copy of my work.” Twilight took a sip of her drink, before noticing that Sweetie was looking at her for once. “Why?” Sweetie tilted her head. “Well, if something happens to me, I don’t want to lose my notes. Not to mention it’s helpful to leave a note for anyone who finds the spares in the future, warning them of what I was doing.” Twilight smiled, remembering a few notes she had made in her earlier years. Oh they had all been more or less the same, but even she would admit they had been on the dramatic side. “That makes sense I guess…” Sweetie lowered her head and tapped her bowl as she slid her hoof along the rim. “What’s the fastest way to do that?” Sweetie bit her lip and closed her eyes. Speed, she shuddered. “I can teach you a spell that will do it for you if you like. All it requires is the paper to copy the notes onto.” Twilight levitated over two pieces of paper, and quickly wrote something on one, before concentrating. With a small poof, the writing appeared on the second piece of paper. Sweetie raised her head, and the ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “Yes please.” Author's Note It's quite hard writing a child in situations like this. Oh the woes of being a writer.
L8.2“Remember to copy how much is absorbed into the paper, otherwise it will just rub right off.” Twilight carefully watched Sweetie as she slowly transferred the notes on one page to the second. They had been practicing all day. Twilight didn’t like the fact Sweetie was missing two days of school, but decided one more day was acceptable, considering how Sweetie had been yesterday. “Is that ok?” Sweetie broke the connection and puffed. Transferring it onto a new page was quite exhausting. Sweetie knew it was going to take quite a long time to transfer all her notes into a copy. Twilight smiled as she examined the paper. “Good job, I can’t detect any difference between the two.” Twilight was quite proud of Sweetie. Her magic had a certain perfectionist quality to it. Whether that was due to Sweetie’s tendency to want to be as perfect as she thought Rarity was was a different matter. “Alright, so let’s say you’ve made the copy. What do you do next?” Sweetie wiped the sweat off her brow. Getting both pages exactly the same had been a challenge. And Twilight made it look so easy. Still, it felt nice to learn something new. “Well, assuming you’ve double checked your work and everything beforehand, and made sure it’s as safe as possible, you do it.” Twilight beamed a smile as she turned and headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sweetie followed, before pausing and turning to head back into the throne room. ‘Ok, so I need to make extremely doubly sure that this is safe. What is the possible outcomes. Think.’ Sweetie sat down and rubbed her forehead. For a small moment, their faces flashed into her mind and she winced. Sweetie had to focus. ‘1: I may get out of the loop. 2: I may get stuck with no memory of these loops. I’ll leave myself a note just in case. 3: Leaving the room causes me to suffer something-’ Sweetie cut herself off and shuddered as once more they flashed into her mind. If it came to that she wouldn’t be able to stop it. ‘Ok, there’s no way to protect myself from that, I’ll just have to risk it. That leaves 4; I am the loop and my room will wipe of its contents when I leave it. If that happens, it’s safe to assume that it is not a radius, due to the fact Rarity is not affected and she is on the other side of the wall, well within a circular radius.’ “I hope you like fresh salad.” Twilight brought out two plates of salad, a third plate holding gems for Spike, and sat down. Calling out, Spike quickly joined them. Sweetie dug in, feeling her stomach cry out in joy. Was she really that fond of salad? Sweetie decided salad might be a favorite food she hadn’t discovered. “I’m sorry Sweetie, but you can’t miss anymore school.” Twilight bit her lip as she saw the pallid fear on the filly’s face. Sweetie was shuddering, it was giving Twilight a strong sense of guilt. Rarity stood beside her, a stern mask over her own guilt. “B-Bu-Please!” Sweetie felt fresh tears brimming, and forced herself not to release them. No, she didn’t want to go back. They couldn’t force her, she would just flee and they would never- “Apple Bloom’s been waiting for you to return for two days now. She was here on Monday, wanting to talk to you.” Rarity saw the visible flinch, and something clicked in her mind. However, it seemed she didn’t need to act on it. “O-O-Okay,” whispered Sweetie, closing her eyes as she tried to control the racking tremors in her body. Apple Bloom was alive, she had to see this. If...If their previous loop’s death had affected them, she really wanted to know. Sweetie felt her body outright reject the idea, but forced herself to turn, and walk robotically toward the school. ‘Come on Sweetie, stay strong. You need to see this. Stop struggling body, you can do this. Oh Celestia what if they remember? Oh, what if they felt it. What if they-’ Sweetie blinked, she was already at the school. And there they were. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, talking. They turned, seeing her there. Sweetie briefly remembered it was lunch time, she had managed to get half the day off school from Twilight before Rarity had superseded her authority. “Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo’s voice was honey on Sweetie’s ears. Tears began to stream down her face. They were ok. They weren’t hurt. There was no lasting damage to what her horrible monstrous actions had caused. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached the group casually, not having a sneering face at all. That was the first sign that something had changed. “Hiya Sweetie. Feelin’ better?” Apple Bloom forced a smile on her face as she stepped forward. Sweetie rubbed the tears out of her eyes, and ignored the little warning signs going off in her head as she smiled warmly at them. They were her friends. Still, why were Diamond and Silver over here? Wasn’t this a normal loop? “Yep! Fit as a fiddle. I really missed hanging out with my friends though.” Sweetie’s smile faded as she watched Apple Bloom and Scootaloo share a glance. Once more, she tried to ignore the screeching in her head, warning her of danger. “Listen, something happened on Monday and we really need to talk to ya for a moment. Ya might have noticed Diamond and Silver are standing with us right now. The reason is we sorta became friends on Monday. We’re not entirely sure how it happened, but we realised we've a lot in common.” Apple Bloom scratched the back of her head, noticing the slowly fading smile on Sweetie’s face. “That’s great, more friends is never a bad thing.” Sweetie forced the smile back onto her face. If them becoming friends was the only change, she could live with that. Scootaloo winced. “About that…” Scootaloo glanced to Diamond and Silver, who bit their lips and looked away. Apple Bloom sighed, and put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “We’ve been thinking about how you’re our friend, and we realised something. When ah think of Scootaloo, ah feel the warmth of ‘er friendship fillin’ me up. But when ah think of you, ah feel nothin’. It’s like ya aren’t even a friend ya know? There’s also the fact ya’...” Apple Bloom trailed off, and looked to the ground. Diamond sighed and stepped forward. “You cause us to feel sick, like we’re water going down a drain. Even standing here right now is making me want to run to the other side of the playground. Look, what Apple Bloom is saying is whatever was there, is gone, so scram.” Diamond smirked and leaned forward. “Blaaank flaaaannk.” Diamond turned and stepped away. Apple Bloom scratched her front hoof and looked away. Scootaloo was the only one who looked at Sweetie’s stunned face. “Let’s go.” Apple Bloom turned, and the four fillies left Sweetie Belle alone, mind completely shut down. Cheerilee called all the students inside, before walking over and trying to get Sweetie’s attention. After being unable to even get the filly to blink, she decided to send somepony to escort her home. Rarity greeted the pony and took her sister into the house, seeing the hollow expression on her face. After numerous attempts to get Sweetie to respond, she eventually led the filly to her room, and tucked her into bed. It wasn’t until the following morning that Sweetie finally blinked, and broke into a quiet cry. Rarity felt racking guilt as she heard her sister crying, and paced the boutique restlessly. This was her fault. The signs had been there, and she had missed them. No matter what, all this was her fault, for forcing Sweetie to go to school when she clearly wasn’t ready. Did she dare even go in to see her sister. Surely she thought Rarity was the worst sister in the world by now. The crying stopped, and Rarity blinked, tilting her head as she realised the sudden absence of sound. Slowly, she ascended the stairs and opened the door a crack. There was Sweetie, sitting on her bed and shaking. Slowly, Sweetie turned toward her. “Yes?” Sweetie narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the current weight that had caused her to not even be able to think for nearly an entire day. Sweetie wasn’t ready to tackle that wall. Rarity bit her lip, and slowly entered. “I just wanted to apologise for forcing you to go to school. If I had known what was going to happen, I would have never forced you into it.” Rarity closed her eyes and sat down on the floor, bowing her head to Sweetie. Sweetie blinked, and realisation slowly passed through her brain. ‘Rarity is feeling how I’ve felt these last few days. But it’s not her fault that I went, I chose to go when I could have easily skipped. She doesn’t know that though.’ Sweetie felt the weight slightly lift, and a sad smile fell on her face. ‘We really are sisters aren’t we?’ Sweetie stood up, and slowly walked over to Rarity. Raising her head, Rarity blinked as the filly leapt into her arms, causing her to fall onto her back. “It’s okay, It’s not your fault.” Sweetie felt Rarity flinch, and then return the embrace. Both began to cry as they shared the experience of the feeling. Sweetie wanted to cry twice; her actions had everlasting effects. Rarity’s on the other hand would be gone after Friday. “You know what?” Rarity wiped her face, smearing her makeup. Sweetie raised her head, and looked at her sister as she continued. “Let’s go on a trip, just you and me, to Canterlot on Saturday. We’ll go shopping for fabric, go see the latest film, maybe even get you a meeting with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna if we’re lucky. What do you say?” Rarity brought her sister into a bearhug, and Sweetie felt another sad smile dawn upon her face. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.” Sweetie closed her eyes and leaned into the hug. For a small moment, she vaguely remembered she wanted to test being outside the room on a Friday. With Rarity preparing for the trip, she wouldn’t have much time to go over her notes before she prepared. ‘Oh well, it’s not like it can’t wait one more loop.’ Sweetie hugged her sister tighter, wishing she had somepony who was with her, looping. Blinking, she smiled honestly for the first time since Monday. Of course she had somepony with her. That somepony might not be looping, but her heart was as golden as the sun. It didn’t matter if Rarity was looping or not, her sister would always be there if she needed a hug. Oh how she loved her sister.
L9Sweetie’s ninth loop began with a simple idea. ‘I don't want to see my friends.’ The idea slowly formed into a theory; could she skip school for an entire loop? She could probably fudge two days from Rarity and Twilight, but the other three would require her to actually not go. Sweetie bit her lip. ‘I could probably do it, but is it worth it? I mean, sure any effects it causes will be gone by next loop, and I’ve always wanted to play the bad filly. Plus, I really don’t want to have to go through that talk with Bloom and Scoots. Should I do it…’ Sweetie debated it as the sun slowly rose behind her. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Rarity’s voice barely registered on Sweetie, as the idea, as stupid as it was, slowly grew more and more appealing. Besides, she did need time to copy over her notes and double check them. Sweetie sat there for a few more moments, before shrugging and standing up, letting the paper plane in her magic drop. Oh why the heck not. You only loop once. “I’m not feeling too well sis.” Sweetie stumbled down the stairs to where Rarity was, holding her head. Rarity placed two plates of pancakes down, and put a hoof on the filly’s head. “You are a bit warm, do you want something to eat? I made your favorite.” Rarity smiled as she levitated a plate in front of Sweetie, who had to cover her mouth and stop herself from throwing up. Sweetie would never tire of pancakes, but it was important for her act. “No-urp-thanks.” Sweetie swayed slightly and lowered her head. “Wow, you really are sick. Alright, I’ll go tell Apple Bloom you won’t be coming today shall I? You go back to bed and sleep this off.” Rarity watched as Sweetie nodded, and slowly walked back upstairs. Turning, she headed toward the door to break the news to Apple Bloom Sweetie closed her door and levitated the paper plane once more, sighing as her headache cleared. Nothing was more convincing than a headache, and saying no to her favorite food. Now she just had be in bed at midday for when Rarity came to tell her she was going to Manehattan, and she was set until Wednesday. ‘Alright, let’s check over my notes while I have time.’ Sweetie slowly rifled through her paper, and began to read. Time loops Ways to get out: 1: Death(sometimes). 2: Stopping the cause(usually). 3: Performing the right sequence of events to find the ‘true’ loop(sometimes). 4: Cleaning up the world, or scrubbing it with toothpaste(never, but sounds like fun). 5: Kill the mastermind(Sometimes). Tested: Having people in same room as me. Leaving something outside room. To be tested: Being outside room. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. 6: Get DT and SS to become CMC. 7: Regain friends ‘Alright, so I’ll test being outside my room once I’ve copied the notes and put them into my saddlebags. I’ll take two of the loop books, the ones that have the most information, as well. Oh! I almost forgot, a note for myself in case me leaving means I restart at loop one with no memories.’ Sweetie nodded, that sounded like everything she would need. All that was left was to wait for Rarity to come up, and get to work “I’m sorry Sweetie, but you can’t miss a third day.” Rarity had come on Wednesday right on cue, and had quickly convinced Twilight to force Sweetie to go to school. Sweetie decided it was a good time to test her acting skills, and was currently pouting, giving both angry glares as she grabbed her saddlebags, and marched away from her home. ‘It took a little longer than expected to make notes of everything. I’m exhausted.’ Sweetie stifled a yawn as she paused, looking back to make sure Rarity and Twilight couldn’t see her. Sweetie decided the treehouse was the best place to hide while she skipped. It would be one of the first places they’d look, but she didn’t want them to think she had gone missing. “All that’s left is to write myself a note to leave on the table, but I can do that on Friday.” Sweetie plopped her saddlebags down, and opened one. Pulling out one of the loop books, she opened it and sat down to re-read it. Sweetie felt she had been pretty extensive her first time, but it didn’t hurt to go through it once more. Sweetie’s ear flicked as a bell sounded off in the distance. Time sure flew when she was reading. Packing up the book, Sweetie left the treehouse and began to trot back home. Once she got on the path, she turned and walked down the path she would normally go coming back from school. “Welcome home Sweetie, have a good day?” Rarity smiled warmly as Sweetie entered, and she beamed a smile in response. Sweetie knew Rarity would notice if she told an outright lie, but she had only asked how her day was. “Yep!” Sweetie trotted toward the stairs and up to her room before Rarity could enquire further. The mare chuckled, and returned to her work on a gown. ‘Three down, two to go.’ Sweetie was feeling pleased about her acting skills. So far; everything had been easy. Why, if Sweetie had known she could skip school this long before this loop, she would have done it ages ago. The next morning, breakfast was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rarity opened it to see a nervous Cheerilee at the door. ‘Oh, Sugar Honey Iced Tea.’ Sweetie kept her face innocent but curious as both glanced to her. “Uh, hello Rarity. I was just coming to make sure Sweetie Belle was ok. Will she be attending class today?” Cheerilee smiled warmly as she looked at Rarity, who narrowed her eyes and looked slowly toward Sweetie. “Yes, just as she attended class yesterday, did she not?” Rarity watched her sister for any signs of guilt or the ‘busted look’, but found nothing but innocence. Rarity had never known her sister was such a good actor. “No, Sweetie Belle wasn’t in class yesterday.” Cheerilee looked at Sweetie as well, and both slowly approached the filly. “Very well, would you please explain why you didn’t go to class yesterday Sweetie Belle?” Rarity leaned forward and looked Sweetie directly in the eyes as she shrugged. “I got lost.” It was an obvious, and poor excuse, but it caused both to pause and share a glance. “Cheerilee, would you be a darling and escort Sweetie Belle to school so she doesn’t get ‘lost’ again?” Rarity smiled pleasantly at the teacher, who gave a slow nod as she bit her lip. “Uh, sure, are you ready to go Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee began to back toward the door. Sweetie stood up and beamed a pleasant smile at them both as she picked up her saddlebags, and trotted merrily out the door. “See ya Rarity.” Sweetie paused and waited for Cheerilee to start walking as well, before trotting toward the school once more. Cheerilee picked up the pace, trying to keep up with the filly. Turning the corner, she blinked, Sweetie Belle was gone. Sweetie hid in the bush as Cheerilee began to look around, before biting her lip and rushing back to Rarity’s. As she realised there was an evil smile on her face, she winced as guilt laced through her. Turning, she quickly began to run toward the edge of town. ‘Ignore the guilt, they won’t remember this after Friday anyway. And even if they do, this isn’t going to damage me beyond a grounding and an armed escort to school for a week or two. If this is what it takes to get out, I’ll gladly accept the punishment.’ Sweetie dove into the treeline as Rarity and Cheerilee jumped out of the corner, and began scanning for her. Sweetie felt her heart beating fast as they slowly approached her hiding spot, and stopped. “Tch, when I find Sweetie Belle she is grounded for a month!” Rarity stomped her hoof as she began to trot away. Cheerilee followed closely behind, before she paused and sighed. “I’m really sorry Rarity, but I have to get to the school, the kids are waiting for me.” Cheerilee bit her lip again, and glanced in the direction of the school. Rarity paused, and gave a nod. “No problem, I’ll get my friends to help me search for her. Ask Apple Bloom and Scootaloo if they know where she’s hiding, and join us after school.” Rarity and Cheerilee split, and slowly left Sweetie alone. ‘This is getting serious. Rarity I can handle, but Twilight too? She probably has some sort of tracking spell too. I’ll have to be extra super sneaky if I want to not go to school today and tomorrow. But I don’t want Rarity to worry, I’ll have to make sure to be found right as school ends. Oh! I know just the place’ Sweetie smiled, and slowly looked around. It would take a lot of effort to sneak all the way into her room, but Rarity’s face when she realised she had been there the entire time would be priceless. Sweetie winced as another stab of guilt passed through her. ‘I’m going to have to grow a heart of stone eventually. I don’t think I’ll be able to cope with hearing Apple Bloom and Scootaloo do...that...every loop.’ Sweetie sighed quietly as she snuck into the house and up to her room, closing the door. Turning, she closed the curtains on her window, and sat down to continue reading her book. After a while, she heard Rarity return, and glanced at her ‘borrowed’ clock. School had ended. There was the sound of multiple hoofsteps, Sweetie felt a giddy smile fall on her face. This was it, time to make her appearance. Oh, this would have to be her best acting yet. Sweetie breathed in, and slowly walked down the stairs, a curious look on her face. All seven faces slowly turned toward her, and blinked. Sweetie looked between them in confusion, and tilted her head. Rarity’s eye twitched, and she leered over Sweetie. “Where have you been?” Rarity’s eye twitched as she breathed heavily over Sweetie. Sweetie frowned, and pointed to her room. “I’ve been in my room all day, why?” Sweetie turned back to Rarity, and blinked, taking a step back as her face got even closer. “Why did you leave Cheerilee's side?” Rarity forced herself to step back. Behind her Cheerilee bit her lip. “I forgot something, so I raced back home to get it. When I got back to where Cheerilee was, she was gone. I came to the house to find you but you were gone as well. You told me Cheerilee was gonna escort me to school, and I thought you’d be angry if I went by myself. So I waited for you to come home.” Sweetie looked down at her feet and scuffed the ground, crouching as she shivered under Rarity’s gaze. Rarity tried to find a possible way that Sweetie could be lying, but the filly’s behavior was simply too truthful to be anything but honest. Turning, she glanced toward Applejack, who narrowed her eyes. “Ah can tell you’re lyin’, Sweetie.” Applejack watched as the filly growled, and stood up straight. Sweetie suddenly looked a lot more serious, and a lot less innocent. “Darn, I was so close too.” Sweetie folded her ears back and glared at the wall. Curses, that was why she’d been trying to avoid lying. Sweetie had fallen for the obvious trap, and now she was going to pay for it. Rarity stepped forward, eyes blazing fire. “You’re grounded for two weeks, and I will personally carry you to school tomorrow.” Rarity turned and bid her friends farewell. Sweetie lowered her head and sighed. No matter, it was only for one day. Sweetie supposed skipping school for an entire week would have to wait for another loop. Sweetie slumped on her bed and sighed, she was exhausted. It wasn’t the fact Sweetie had been carried like a foal to school, or the laughing of the other students, that had caused her to feel like this. It was the fact that she had been actively avoiding Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all day. ‘They were playing with Diamond and Silver, which means the previous loop was correct, they now become friends while also kicking me out. I’m not sure how to solve that though. Maybe if I go to school next loop.’ Sweetie closed her eyes and sighed, rolling into a sitting position and grabbing a piece of paper. Pausing, she began to write. Dear Sweetie Belle, if you are reading this, you have indeed lost all memory of the events that led to this note. If Saturday exists for you; congratulations on getting out of the loop. (You won’t have any memory of this, but it still deserves congratulations.) If Saturday does not exist, you are still stuck, and my memory has been erased. Here is what you need to know: Sweetie began to briefly describe all the loops she had been in, and placed it on the top of a pile of papers, the copy of her notes. Picking up her saddlebags, she triple checked all the correct papers were safely secured. Levitating the clock over, she waited as time slowly ticked by. 11:58 Sweetie snuck slowly out of the room and turned to look toward it, standing in the hallway. Beside her levitated the clock, taking the place of a paper plane for now. Sweetie breathed in, and waited. 11:59… 12:00 Sweetie watched as every piece of paper in her room, including the books from Manehattan, vanished. Sweetie peeked her head in, the teddy bear she had thrown outside was back in its proper spot too. Sweetie unpacked her notes, and sat back down on her bed. ‘Ok, so now what do I do?’ Author's Note Here is another poem made by: Divine Path The approach of that something has been halted, that creature of darkness lurking in the hearts of all touched by this infinite nightmare. Presently, you must strive for that light lest it flickers and fades with the coldness of this single, solitary, never fortnight.
L10Sweetie hugged herself as she shivered on her bed. Rarity called from downstairs, signaling she would be late for school if she didn’t hurry. There was no way around it, she needed to find a way to convince ponies she was looping. Adults would simply think she was pretending, so she’d have to take time to loop, and set things up. ‘Which means, I have to go to school. I can’t just vanish, Rarity would be horror struck.’ Sweetie knew she was going to have to face this eventually, and shuddered once more. Standing up, she put on her saddlebags, picked up the paper plane, and headed out the door. Sitting down, she smiled warmly at her sister. “Rarity, can I talk to you honestly for a moment?” Sweetie waited as Rarity nodded, and continued. “I’m stuck in a time loop, repeating today until Friday. This is my tenth time doing it, and I know you’re not going to believe me but...I was wondering, what could I do to make you believe me?” Sweetie bit her lip as she saw the amusement on Rarity’s face. Sweetie felt her ears flop, she thought it was a joke. “Alright, I’ll play along, you see this fabric here?” Rarity levitated up a piece of rainbow fabric, shimmering in the sunlight. Sweetie knew it well, it was a very small piece leftover from a custom order. That small square was all that was left. Rarity placed it on the table, Sweetie took it and rubbed it to her face. “If you are indeed looping, can you carry items through to the next ‘loop’?” Rarity supposed she could let Sweetie borrow the fabric for a week, it wasn’t as if she had any plans to use it just yet. Sweetie gently folded it, and placed it in her saddlebags. “Sure, I can do that. Thanks.” Sweetie stood up and hugged Rarity before bolting out the door. While she could be a little late, it wouldn’t do well to keep Apple Bloom waiting. Sweetie paused as she saw her friend waiting for her. Sweetie forced a smile on her face, and trotted up to greet her. “Hey Sweetie, woah.” For a second Apple Bloom jerked, taking a few steps backward. After a moment she shook her head, and took slow steps back to Sweetie’s side. “What’s wrong?” Sweetie tilted her head, ignoring both her own feelings and the fact she knew what was wrong. “Why’s there some sort of drainin’ feelin when I stand right next to ya?” Apple Bloom glanced away nervously. Sweetie breathed in and steeled herself. Maybe they would believe her. “I’m stuck in a time loop. The draining feeling was caused by something I did in a previous loop.” Sweetie leaned forward, holding onto the slim hope they would believe her. “I was being serious, thanks a bunch Sweetie.” Apple Bloom glared for a moment, before stomping toward the school. Sweetie sighed, they wouldn’t believe her either. Walking toward the school, she settled in for class, and tuned it out as she thought quietly to herself. Cheerilee broke her out of it for a moment, and she answered the question quickly before once more zoning out. At lunch, they broke the friendship just as Diamond and Spoon was walking past. Sweetie watched them walk away, leaving her alone. Looking toward the ground, she sighed sadly. “Wow, that was really mean.” It was another pony, a colt roughly the same age as her. Sweetie turned, seeing a second colt standing beside the first. One was small, cyan, and round. The other was tall, yellow, and thin. Sweetie immediately reconised the two, even without the visual aid of their Marks. “Are you alright Sweetie Belle?” Snips tilted his head as he glanced to Snails, who bit his lip and waited for a reply. Sweetie quickly wiped her eyes. It wouldn’t do to let them see her crying. “I’m ok, I’ll have to get used to it eventually anyway.” Sweetie briefly thought back to a moment she faintly remembered. Trixie, the showmare, they had believed her stories. Maybe they would believe her? “Why would you need to get used to it? Are you expecting it to happen again?” Snails leaned forward, concerned eyes taking up most of Sweetie’s view. Stepping back, she scratched the back of her head. Well, it wasn’t like she had anything to lose. “I’m stuck in a time loop where I keep repeating the week. So everything that happens today will happen next week for me.” Would they believe Sweetie? Sweetie honestly doubted it. However, as both shared a glanced, they gave her a look of honest sympathy. “That sounds…” Snips began. “Lonely,” finished Snails. Both shared a look, before Sips stepped forward and smiled warmly, holding out a hoof. “Listen, I know we’re not exactly your ‘normal friends’. And I know you’re probably a dozen times smarter than us. But if you ever want to hang out, we can find something new to do each day.” Snips smiled warmly at Sweetie, who felt tears come to her eyes. They believed her! “T-Thank you.” Sweetie was almost struck speechless as she took the hoof. Suddenly, she was pulled into a very awkward, but still good, hug. Stepping back, she smiled warmly at the two colts, so quick to console her. “Let’s go see if we can get me my Cutie Mark.” Sweetie smiled as both grinned, and followed them toward the other side of the playground. And who said clouds couldn’t have silver linings? “Twilight, can I talk to you quickly?” Sweetie stepped into the castle after school. Snips and Snails were as fun as they were exhausting. Sweetie honestly never knew those two were so much fun to be around. Really, Sweetie wanted to hang out with them more, but she was just tuckered out. “Sure Sweetie Belle, what’s up?” Twilight turned and smiled warmly at Sweetie as she paused. Breathing in, the filly prepared herself, and then spoke. “I’m in a time loop, but you won’t believe me if I just say I am in one. So I need some way to prove it to you in future loops. I can take small stuff through to the next loop. The loop lasts a week, and it ends Friday night, so it needs to be something you won’t miss.” Sweetie waited patiently as Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Humor me,” sighed Sweetie, glancing away in irritation. Twilight paused, and then nodded, holding out the book she was currently reading. “I can wait a few days to read this. Will it do for your ‘looping proof’?” Twilight smiled in amusement as the filly took the book and nodded. “Yep, this will do nicely, thanks Twilight.” Sweetie put the book in her bag. It was a Daring Doo book, something Twilight wouldn’t miss if she took it. Sweetie slowly walked toward her room. Now it was just a matter of waiting out the rest of the loop. “So today’s the last day right?” Snips bit his lip as Sweetie nodded sadly. Turning, both colts produced a poorly written note, and held it out for her. Sweetie took it, and glanced them over. “Give those to us on Monday, that way you won’t have to go through the conversation every time you want to hang out with us.” Snips smiled warmly as Snails laughed and pointed to the school. “Of course, you could always come and hang out with us without telling us. Really we’ll be happy to play either way.” Snails smiled, closing his eyes. Snips copied the action, and both ignored the sun setting behind them. Sweetie put the notes away, and felt bittersweet tears fall down her face as she brought them both into a hug. “Sure, I’ll see you next week.”
L11.1“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie leapt out of bed, snatched her saddlebags with a flick of magic, and dashed down the stairs. Giddy with excitement, she rounded the corner and smiled at Rarity. “Rarity, can I talk to you honestly for a moment?” Sweetie waited as Rarity nodded, and continued. It was important she let the conversation play out the same. “I’m stuck in a time loop, repeating today until Friday. This is my 11th time doing it, and I know you’re not going to believe me but...I was wondering, what could I do to make you believe me?” Rarity looked amused, but turned to pick up the fabric. “Alright, I’ll play along, you see this fabric here?” Rarity held out the fabric, and Sweetie smiled, levitating out her piece of the same fabric. “You mean, the fabric you gave me last loop? Yes, I see it.” Sweetie smiled and held the fabric out, watching Rarity compare them with shocked eyes. Sweetie knew her sister would be able to tell they were the same piece of fabric. How Rarity did so was lost on her, but she knew her sister. “But-that’s-impossible!” Rarity blinked in confusion, and Sweetie sighed, knowing the signs of a mental breakdown. Pulling a chair over to her sister, she waited patiently as Rarity sat down, and composed herself. “At midday, a stallion is going to come to the door and offer you a job in Manehattan for a fashion show or something.” Sweetie knew Rarity would need more evidence, and this was her second piece of proof. Rarity scoffed, and waved a hoof. “Now I know you’re pulling my leg. You almost had me there sister, this is a pretty remarkable fake, but a fake no less.” Rarity smiled and held out the fabric, which Sweetie took. Motioning upstairs, Sweetie smiled. “Then let me prove it. Half the day off. If I’m wrong I won’t cook for three months. Even when Mum and Dad come to visit.” Sweetie watched as Rarity flinched, and bit her lip. Surely she’d allow half a day? Sweetie had used the perfect bribe too; her cooking skills. “Alright, half a day. If only to put this silly charade to an end.” Rarity placed down the pancakes, and Sweetie sat down to eat. They weren’t a nice as normal today, it was probably due to the fact she had spend time talking instead of eating. In the future, Sweetie would eat first, then talk. Standing up, she trotted outside and looked to Apple Bloom. “Go on without me, something came up!” Sweetie saw the relief on her friend’s face, and winced as she left. How much it hurt would always be an understatement. Turning, Sweetie headed up to her room to await for the appointed time. As she waited, she went over her notes, before plopping it all in her saddlebags. “Sweetie Belle, could you come down here?” Rarity’s voice echoed, containing suspicion and surprise. Sweetie hummed a merry tune as she trotted downstairs to meet her sister. Rarity was, of course, at the door talking to the stallion in question. “Such a shame, very well, I will get another designer to do the show.” The stallion turned, and left toward the station. Rarity shuddered, before turning and situating a serious gaze on Sweetie. “We’re going to see Applejack.” “Ah dun understand how, but Sweetie is tellin’ the truth. I’m guessing she believes it to be true. Has she proved it yet?” Applejak glanced to Rarity as she bit her lip and looked away. Sweetie growled and tapped her foot in the dirt. “Technically yes, but I’m just having trouble believing it.” Rarity purposely kept her eyes trained on the apple trees, avoiding Sweetie. Seeing a chance, Sweetie smiled and opened her mouth. “Take me to Twilight, I’ll prove it a third time.” Sweetie waited in irritation as both shared a glance, and nodded. Turning, Sweetie trotted briskly toward Twilight's, leaving the two adults to catch up. Knocking on the door, Sweetie levitated the book out of her bag and thrust it into Twilight’s grip. “I’m stuck in a time loop. Last loop I asked you to give me proof and here is your proof. Rarity and Applejack can vouch for me, even if they don’t believe it.” Sweetie glanced back, and Rarity winced. Twilight tilted her head, but slowly looked the book over, opening it to the first page. Her wings flared as she gasped. “This is Yearling’s signature! This is identical to the copy I have that I borrowed from Dash. It’s impossible to get another one because only one exists!” Twilight cut herself off, and raised her head to look at Rarity and Applejack. “I don't believe it, but Sweetie must be telling the truth. If you both can’t deny her claims, and I know this can't be a copy, there is no way she could be lying.” Twilight held the book out to Sweetie, who took it and nodded smugly. Finally, some progress. Twilight let them all inside, and they sat down to discuss it. “So, what have you tried so far.” Twilight put her hooves together as Sweetie held out her saddlebags, and began to pore over her notes. After a moment, she looked up and put a hoof to her chin. “There’s a few experiments we can try, but the major problem is we can’t actually follow you through the loop, is that correct? You have ‘ponies might be able to loop with me’ crossed out with a red underline, along with a skull and crossbones.” Twilight looked down as Sweetie nodded, biting her lip and looking away as she shivered. Sweetie silently hoped they wouldn’t ask about that. “So the main thing we need to do is get you a means of informing us quickly. I’ll muse over it tonight, meet me back here in the morning. Rarity, Applejack, can you fill the other elements in? We might need them, and it wouldn’t hurt to get them in the loop.” Twilight nodded as both saluted, and stood up. Walking over to Sweetie, she looked her directly in the eyes, and smiled softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of this.” Twilight brought Sweetie into a hug, and Rarity quickly joined in. Applejack was slow to follow, but eventually all were hugging the small filly. Sweetie closed her eyes, and tried to hold back her tears. Failing to do that, she just hugged them back and began to cry. “Please, I don’t wanna be stuck doing the same thing week after week. I’m never going to get my Cutie Mark or anything that way!” Sweetie wanted to tell them what she truly feared, what damage that loop had done to her friends, but knew there was more important things to deal with. As much as it hurt to admit it, Sweetie had to learn to ignore her ex-friends and focus on getting out of the loop. Sure, she’d leave time for Snips and Snails, but she couldn’t bear to hang with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, knowing what she had done. “We’re with you, don’t worry.” Author's Note Short chapter is short, sorry.
L11.2Sweetie followed her sister to Twilight’s the next morning. It was so nice to not have to worry about school, the benefit of having a sister who was aware of the loop. As they entered, Twilight and the others turned to greet them. Sweetie shrank slightly as they all looked to her. Twilight held out Sweetie’s notes, and she carefully put them back into her saddlebags. “Alright, I’ve done some extensive studying, and there are a few methods to try to make it easier for you to fill us in. The first one I’ve done is fairly simple; each of us has written a note with something only we would know on it, and we’re going to hand them to you. I don’t need to warn you what happens when you go Gabby Gums do I?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and Sweetie shook her head. There was no point, they’d forget after a week. Sweetie decided it might make a fun joke one loop. “Alright, here’s the seven letters.” Sweetie took them, noticing Spike was off to one side. Putting them in her saddlebags, Sweetie pulled out one of her time loop books and placed it on a table. Sweetie would need more room, and she had read that one thrice already. Twilight nodded once, and then held out a small glass bottle, corked with something inside. “I have also tried alchemy to essentially ‘bottle’ my memories. This is less likely to work, so I’ve only done my own. If it does work; the others will also get one done.” Twilight held out the bottle, and Sweetie put it in her bag as well. Sweetie wondered why this one was less likely to work, but supposed it might have something to do with time rewinding being similar to looping. “Finally, I’m going to also teach you a ‘memory transfer’ spell. Essentially you’ll be able to show people, rather than try to provide evidence. The problem with this is I don’t think you have enough magic to cast it yet, but I’m sure it will be useful in the future.” Twilight held out a book titled ‘Showing versus Telling: A guide to memory spells.’ Sweetie giggled with glee and put it in her bag. New spells, oh this sounded positively exploitable. For a moment her thoughts soured, would she be able to skip that night? “I’ve left notes on the bookmarks to help you learn, but that’s essentially all I could think of at the moment. I can imagine you’re excited to try and learn the spell, so while you go have fun with that, we’re going to spend the rest of the day preparing a proper laboratory for me. If I have proper equipment, maybe I can help at least alleviate that headache you told me about. Oh! I also added a calendar spell to the front, so you can immediately know what day it is.” Twilight smiled once, and Sweetie silently thanked her. “Ok! See you later everypony.” Sweetie smiled at the adults, and turned. Trotting out the door, she missed the worried glances they all held as they formed a circle. No, she was too busy walking toward the treehouse to hear any of the conversation. But if Sweetie had thought to stay around to eavesdrop, she would have heard something startling. “So how are we going to stop that filly from going insane? All loop stories show that it is only a matter of time.” Twilight glanced between her friends, serious. If Sweetie went insane, then they would pay for it. Sure, they might not remember, but it would still hurt that version of them. Rainbow Dash frowned, before smiling. “Hey, she hasn’t tried the death thing yet right? Let’s say we convince her when she’s insane that that’s the way outta the loop.” Dash winced as all gave her shocked glares, and realised what she had said, cowering before them. “Sorry,” was all she could say in her defence. The other sighed and rolled their eyes. Dash might have been brash, and spoke without thinking, but she wasn’t a murderer. Twilight could see the logic in the plan, and knew Dash had likely not thought it through before saying it. Looking toward Pinkie Pie, she vaguely mused on the fact that Dash wasn’t the only friend who sometimes had that problem. “M-Maybe if s-she had something to h-hold onto d-during-” Fluttershy was cut off by Rarity, who raised a hoof and smiled as she spoke. “I got it! I should make her a soft toy she can hug that will go with her through the loops. It can be sort of like her good luck charm, something she can always count on to be there, her anchor.” Rarity smiled as the others all nodded, agreeing. It was better than nothing. “Alright, I’ll get started.” Rarity stood up, and bowed to her friends. Twilight watched her leave, before turning to her other friends, and smiling. “Let’s get this lab set up. I can’t wait to do some science.” Twilight rubbed her hooves together, and the other four shivered. All knew that when Twilight got like this, you did what she asked and hoped the world didn’t blow up. As they went to work, Rarity arrived back at the Boutique and hummed a tune as she began to work. ‘Now, it can’t have any gems, it needs to be sturdy. Material has to be special. The real question is, what should I make it. It has to be something Sweetie will love, but familiar too.’ Rarity sighed, flicking through her fabric. Something brushed her leg and she looked down. It was her cat, Opalescence. “Thank you Opal.” Rarity smiled, and knew just what to make the toy. Something familiar, something Sweetie loved, but never got the chance to hug. Something that was always there, like Rarity tried to be. Sitting down, Rarity slowly began to design the cat doll. It would have to be fluffy beyond compare, and made of the softest material, but not easy to damage. “Alright Opal, time to prove to the world that you are the best pet for the job.” Rarity didn’t even notice time fly, nor her sister returning home. In fact, she barely even noticed Sweetie grab a box of cereal for dinner, since Rarity had not made dinner. Sweetie didn’t mind, she was used to it. It always made her smile to see Rarity so absorbed in a task. In her talent. Author's Note Know what? What am I apologising for? I'm the Celestia-damned creator of this here universe. Fear me! Or not. S'not like it changes your fate.
L11.3Sweetie was annoyed. Sure, that in itself was not that strange, but the situation she was in was now was. When Twilight had said ‘experiments’, Sweetie had thought she meant the evil genius kind. Instead, Sweetie was sitting in a chair, stuffed into many different things which were apparently measuring everything. “Are you sure I said I found nothing? Maybe I said ‘something’.” Twilight was currently going over data that looked like squiggly lines. Sweetie growled in annoyance again, and shifted under the restraints. Really, Twilight had asked that nine times already. “Twilight, are you going to keep looping on me, or are you going to try something different?” Sweetie glared as Twilight sheepishly smiled. Finally, Sweetie was allowed to leave the device, and she cracked her joints, giving a sigh of relief. Sweetie was used to sitting still for Rarity, but there were limits. “Alright, here’s a copy of my notes. Hopefully I’ll be able to use them to further this next loop. Is there anything you want to do before you head back home?” Twilight held out a cup of water, which Sweetie gratefully drank. Nodding, she pulled out the book Twilight had given her yesterday. “Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with the calendar spell. I’m having trouble telling what day it’s saying. I think it might be because of the loop.” Sweetie opened to the bookmark showing the spell, and Twilight mused for a moment. Sweetie concentrated, letting the paper plane drop, and cast the spell. “See, right now it’s telling me it’s Monday.” Sweetie shook off the spell, and levitated the paper plane back up once more. Twilight blinked, and then face-hoofed. “Of course, I forgot you don’t have weekends. Here, let me quickly fix that.” Twilight levitated the book up and scratched out the spell, writing the proper one. Sweetie took the book back and tried the spell again, this time it had the correct day. Sweetie nodded once and put the book back in her saddlebags, giving a smile. “Just remember that spell won’t be able to help you tell if you’re out of the loop. It’s pretty reliable through. Let’s say you suddenly jump back to the start of a loop, it will detect that. Well, should.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin and mused for a moment. Sweetie nodded, and turned to head out the door. “Thanks again, see ya Twilight.” “Goodmorning Sweetie Belle.” Rarity smiled as her sister sat down at the table. At first, she had considered making pancakes, but remember that Sweetie would be having them every week. If possible, she would have to leave herself a note with a list of foods Sweetie might like. “Mmmn?” Sweetie yawned, looking toward the box on the table. Rarity smiled as she leaned over the stove, cooking eggs. Behind her back, she heard the lid slowly being opened, and a gasp of surprise. There was a sudden charging of feet, and Rarity turned just as the small form leapt toward her. “Thank you!” Sweetie had the doll in her magic. It was perfect, fluffy and yet recognisable as Opal. It even had the irritated, but loving, stare Opal reserved for Sweetie. Pulling the doll out of Sweetie’s magic, Rarity held it out as she looked her sister gently in the eyes. “This is my gift to you. Something small which can go with you into loops when I’m not aware of it. If you ever get sad, or lonely, remember Opal is here to be annoyed with you for whatever reason.” Rarity chuckled as Sweetie hugged the toy, eyes moist, and smiled at the thought. As if on cue, Opal walked past the kitchen, and glared at them before moving on. “Knock knock!” Twilight walked into the boutique, and both Rarity and Sweetie walked out to greet her. Smiling, Twilight held a small potted plant, and a bottle of milk in her magic. “Sweetie Belle, I’ve been thinking how to nail down the specifics of the loop, and I’ve hit an idea. See, trees have a very small magical signature, but milk doesn’t. However, milk does expire, so if the milk expires and the tree grows, we know it is actually aging things around you. If the milk doesn’t expire and the tree grows, we know it’s only affecting things with a magical signature, eg: ponies.” “Alright.” Sweetie had to admit; that was a LOT smarter than what her test had been. It made her feel very stupid for deciding to do what she had done that night. Levitating the items over, Sweetie grunted, dropping the paper plane. That plant was heavy. Sweetie turned, and slowly walked upstairs to her room. “Are you planning on going to school?” Twilight tilted her head as Sweetie winced, and put the two items in her room, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Turning, Sweetie scratched the back of her head. “I was kinda hoping not to. I could really use a break.” Sweetie looked to Rarity as she peeked her head into the room and smiled. “Of course Sweetie.” Friday night came around all too soon, and Sweetie waited on her bed as Rarity came over to give a final hug. “Remember Sweetie, Opal is there if you ever need a hug, as am I.” Rarity felt the shudders as her sister began to cry, and held her as she let out one final tearful goodbye for this loop’s Rarity. In a way, Rarity would be dying from Sweetie’s view, fading and being replaced by someone exactly the same, except a week in the past. “Goodbye dear sister.” Rarity stepped out the door, and looked back at Sweetie. Sniffing back her tears, Sweetie forced a smile onto her face as she waved goodbye, Opal hugged to her chest. Rarity turned, and headed to her room. The clock ticked forward, and Sweetie turned her attention toward the tree and milk. Placing the tree down, she poured a bit of milk into a cup, and placed it on the other side of her room. 11:59… 12:00. The tree exploded upwards, punching a hole through the roof. Sweetie watched as some sort of illness passed over the tree, and it toppled over, causing the hole to slide down her wall and nearly level the building. Sweetie waited as the tree’s roots shriveled up, and then the tree rotted away, leaving nothing. Looking toward the milk, it had spilled over her carpet, but a small bit remained in the glass. Sweetie picked it up and let it drop onto her hoof, and roll down back into the carpet. It was still milk. Which meant Twilight was right. Sweetie turned her head as Rarity leapt into the room. “Read this,” Sweetie spoke, holding out the note. Rarity quickly read it and paled. Sweetie folded it up and returned it to her saddlebags. After a moment, Rarity blinked and looked toward the damage. “I’m...going to need some time to...come to terms with this...development.” Rarity turned, and walked robotically back to bed. Sweetie sighed, and looked toward the damage. Author's Note For those who need a visual guide: Blue X is SB Red is glass of milk Big green bad attempt at square is where the tree fell. Window is beside the bed \/ ways. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Living this tragedy, a fantastic view; staggering, falling, never into a world new. Perhaps you will seek and find, when the darkness grows bleak and the nightmares dim, the true creature which this charade is behind, the outrageous behalf of this treacherous sin?
L12.1Sweetie snuck downstairs and into the kitchen early. Biting her lip, she looked toward the coffee and settled herself. She could do this. Slowly, she put a cup down and put a small bit of the coffee grinds into the bottom, and poured a small bit of her experimental milk(the one Twilight gave her) into it. Sweetie slowly pressed a button on the kettle, and waited for it to boil. “Ok, come on Sweetie, you can do this.” Sweetie carefully poured the hot water in, and placed the cup on the table next to a spoon and the sugar. Looking it over, Sweetie made sure there was no black in the cup, nor any smoke coming off it. Sweetie dared to silently hope she might have actually made something digestible. Rarity stepped down the stairs and looked toward the damage the tree had caused, sighed, mumbled something about needing coffee, and walked into the kitchen. Blinking, she took one look at the cup and the nervous look of her sister, and felt memories of a certain breakfast coming back. “I knew you’d want coffee when you go up, so I thought…” Sweetie glanced toward the ground and dug her hoof into it, biting her lip. Rarity levitated the cup over, and raised an eyebrow. The coffee actually looked normal. Sitting down, Rarity grabbed two spoonfuls of sugar, and stirred them into the drink. Taking a sip, she sighed in immense pleasure. “Could use a little more milk and a little less coffee in the future dear, but well done.” Rarity smiled warmly at her sister, who beamed a happy smile. Sweetie had done it! Defeating all odds, she had made something edible! Well, it was a drink, but considering how badly those could turn out it was still great news. “Alright, next time I’ll practice with more milk.” Sweetie hummed a merry tune as she turned and made herself breakfast. For some reason, pouring cereal and milk had never ended in disaster. Sweetie didn’t want to always eat it, it was always so blegh. Too crunchy or too soggy, never the perfect mix “I’m going to head over to Twilight’s and give her the results. Oh! Don’t forget a big designer is coming around midday. If you want to go to Manehattan I don’t mind, enjoy yourself.” Sweetie watched as Rarity blinked, and took another sip of her drink. “Right,” was all she said in response. Between the sudden hole in her house, and Sweetie apparently knowing her future, it was really too much for this early in the morning. Rarity closed her eyes and took another sip as Sweetie walked out. Really, Rarity was thinking of just going back to bed. Maybe things would be better if she woke up from this dream. Sweetie couldn’t cook, that was how she knew it was a dream. And there was no other way she’s know that secret about Rarity. It was something she didn’t even write in her diary. “And you’re saying I wrote all this?” Twilight looked over the notes suspiciously. Sure, Sweetie checked out, and it definitely sounded like something she would write, but it was hard to withhold disbelief. It wasn’t until Sweetie held out a glass bottle that Twilight began to get more into it. “And you’re saying I sealed my memories inside this? Why, it’s completely empty. It’s like all the magic was drained from it. If what you’re saying about the tree and milk, and what my other self wrote, then there can be no doubt. It’s a good thing we didn’t test it on ponies.” Twilight paused, seeing Sweetie flinch. Carrying on, she decided to ignore it. Sweetie would mention it if she wanted to. “I don’t entirely understand the situation, but the effects of the loop are as follows. 1: Any items without a magical signature can come with you through the loop. 2: If something, or somepony, has magic, they age and die within a minute of the loop resetting. These two facts lead me to my conclusion: somehow you are draining magic. And somehow that draining is causing time to turn back a week. And I’d bet my horn that it’s related to your headaches too.” Twilight turned and pulled out a fresh piece of paper, and began to write. Finishing it up, she rolled it up and looked around for Spike. Sweetie carefully repacked her saddlebags. With how things were going, she was likely going to need to get larger ones soon. If she did, would she be able to carry them? Maybe a cart, something she could pull around. “I’ll be frank with you Sweetie, I can’t think of any viable solutions. Finding the right ‘loop sequence’ might be possible, but for how many people? And for an entire week? The only other option is death, and that is not an option at all. I’m going to send a letter to Princess Celestia. Maybe she can help.” Twilight only hoped they believed her. Surely they knew she wasn’t the type to joke, right? “Thank you Twilight, can I ask you for a favor. Do you still have that ‘transform’ spell? I was kinda hoping to pull a prank on my class.” Sweetie glanced away. Sure, going to class wasn’t something she entirely wanted to do, but the idea had been in the back of her mind for a few days now. “Sure. What do you want to be transformed into?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie smiled, suppressing her urge to chuckle. “An Alicorn.” Sweetie couldn’t resist and began to laugh, rubbing her hooves together. Twilight blinked, and then joined in. Leaning down, she smirked. “Alright, but I want pictures.” Twilight levitated over and old camera, and handed it to Sweetie, who put it in her saddlebag. Positioning it in such a way she would be able to take pictures and nopony would notice. “Deal,” she smirked, seeing Twilight’s horn light up. “Sorry I’m late Cheerilee, Rarity forced me to fly to school.” Sweetie spread her newfound wings, roughly the same size as Scootaloo’s, and smiled warmly. Turning, she quickly took pictures of the students, and Cheerilee as she slowly walked to her desk. Sweetie was proud of her acting skills as she stood there, head raised slightly into the air, and waited for Cheerilee to snap out of it. “O-Of course.” Cheerilee stuttered, and slowly started the lesson. Sweetie glanced behind her, taking in the gaping mouths of four fillies in particular. Sure, getting out of the loop was important, but there were some moments that were priceless. Absolutely priceless. After school, the four approached, and Sweetie smiled pleasantly at them. All seemed to be a bit hesitant to approach, but as she explained how she gained the wings, Scootaloo was the first to instantly cheer up. Sweetie knew exactly what was going to come out of her friend’s mouth. “Thats great news! I can ask Twilight to help me. I-I mean-er…” Scootaloo trailed off, and Diamond Tiara sneered for a moment, before blinking and shaking her head. Silver put a hoof of her shoulder, and both shared a look. Apple Bloom bit her lip, but it was Sweetie that came to the rescue. “Actually Scoots, I’ve been talking to Twilight, and I think I’ve figured out why you can’t fly. Your foster parents aren’t Pegasi are they?” Sweetie paused, and beamed a smile as she nodded, buzzing her wings slightly. “Then maybe there’s something that Pegasi are taught that you weren’t. Ask Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy about it. I’m sure they can help you get up into the air. I bet my flank on it.” Sweetie saw the longful gaze as Scootaloo considered it, and gave a small nod. Sweetie knew that if either of those two had a look, they would be able to help Scootaloo. “Ya had me shocked there. Ah thought yah were an Alicorn.” Apple Bloom smiled, glancing away and giving a shudder. Sweetie decided to ignore it. Boy, it was so good to talk to her friends again. Maybe there was hope to rekindle the friendship. Maybe, but it would be hard. “Ya know, fer some reason, all day ah’ve been feeling guilty cause ah felt like we weren’t friends anymore, and then ya pull this stunt. Kinda reminds me why we’re friends, ya know?” Apple Bloom was obviously struggling, and Sweetie bridged the gap, putting a hoof on the shoulder and smiling in sympathy. “Listen, I know it feels really bad to be around me, but please just ignore the feeling. I know why, and I’m sorry. But I really don’t want to hear ‘I don’t want to be your friend’ again.” Sweetie began to cry, lowering her hoof as she tried to wipe away the tears. All four shared a glance, and it was Scootaloo that crossed the gap, and brought Sweetie into a hug. “What, and miss out on all the Crusading we’d be doing? Never.” Author's Note ALL HAIL NEW BEST PRINCESS Sadly, to transform someone into an Alicorn is not possible, due to the magic required being close to 'ascension' levels, not to mention hooking up the three different types of magic. Twilight merely used the spell she used to give Rarity butterfly wings. See here.
L12.2The next morning, Twilight slammed the door open and dived at Sweetie, cupping the filly’s head in her hooves. “Prin-Ce-ants-ee-ou.” Twilight spoke too quickly, the words quickly jumbling up in her mad hurry to speak. Sweetie pushed the hooves holding her face off, and looked evenly at Twilight. Rarity raised her head, watching the exchange from the safety of her coffee. Twilight took a moment to calm down, and spoke again. “Princess Celestia wants to see you. She’s sent a royal carriage and everything!” Twilight began to bounce around the room, giddy. Sweetie blinked, taking a step back in confusion. The royal princess wanted to see her? Glancing to Rarity, she could see the shock mirrored on her face. “But why?” Sweetie turned just as Twilight stuck her face way too close for comfort. Being pushed back slightly, a letter was thrust into her chest. Twilight pivoted, and returned to bouncing around the room in excitement. Sweetie forced her eyebrows to remain level, and focused her attention on the letter. Dear Twilight If what you say is true, Sweetie must be brought to us post haste. There are a few things we need to discuss that have grave ramifications for the situation she is in. That is, if what you say is true. I have no reason to doubt you took time to check the claims, so I will send a carriage for three in the morning. Rooms will be provided of course, I expect you to arrive before noon. Sincerely Princess Celestia “Wow, I wonder what she wants to tell me,” remarked Sweetie, holding out the letter to Rarity. Quickly, her sister trotted upstairs to begin packing. Sweetie wondered if the reason she was so eager was the damage to the house. Sure, it would be gone after this loop, and they had plans to sleep in Twilight’s for the rest of the week, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t startling to see. “Alright, I’m ready Twilight. Sweetie Belle?” Rarity walked downstairs, saddlebags full to bursting. Sweetie quickly checked her own over, and made sure the camera was inside too. Sweetie faintly remembered that Twilight had said the spell giving her wings lasted three days. That thought led her to remember her friends, and she briefly spared them a silent sigh. ‘At the very least, now I know how to regain them as friends. I suppose it can wait for a loop or two.’ Sweetie, once satisfied she had all her things, raised her head and nodded to Rarity. Both trotted after a giddy Twilight. Sitting down in the carriage, they quickly took off. Glancing around, Sweetie spotted Spike waving goodbye from the castle. Sweetie waved back, and then turned to watch Canterlot swim into view. “One moment while I wake up Luna. She wanted to grab a few hours rest before you arrived.” Celestia stood up from the throne, horn lighting up as a scroll vanished in her magic. After a moment, there was a knock at the door. Luna walked in slowly, giving the four a warm smile, and a bow of her head. “While I understand that this is the first time you have seen me, Miss Belle, I want you to know that you do not have to call me by titles. Your situation is unique enough to warrant that.” Celestia raised a wing, and dismissed the guards, leaving them alone. Approaching Sweetie, she waited as the filly bowed. “Oh, no it’s really alright Princess Celestia. Calling you like a regular pony feels wrong.” Sweetie noticed the pointed glance to her wings, and smiled sheepishly. Celestia raised an eyebrow in Twilight's direction, who bowed once as she began to explain. “Sweetie wanted to play a prank on her classmates, and I saw no reason not to oblige. It will be gone in two days anyway.” Twilight raised her head and looked toward Sweetie. Celestia mused for a moment, and shared a glance with Luna. “I assume you got pictures, correct?” Celestia waited as the filly pulled out a camera, and smiled warmly. “Then there is no quarrel. I, ah, would like a copy when you get them developed however.” Celestia glanced toward her sister as a slight snigger came from that general direction, before ignoring it completely. Celestia gave a nod to Twilight, who quietly whispered something to Rarity. “Oh. Oh! Oh dear Sweetie, I really must go and visit the shops before they close. You will be fine here right?” Rarity glanced between Sweetie and Celestia as a nod came from the latter. Rarity glanced to Twilight, and began to drag her out of the room. “You simply must help me carry them dear. Bye Sweetie Belle!” Rarity closed the door, and both walked away. Sweetie watched the door for a moment longer, before turning back toward Celestia. The expression on the two sister’s faces grew more grave. Feeling a chill down her spine, she gulped. “Listen Sweetie Belle, while we would not normally pass on this information, you situation is unique enough to warrant us being more truthful with you. If you would follow us, we have something you must see.” Both paused, and waited for a response. Sweetie slowly nodded, and followed them as they walked toward the wall behind the throne. Sweetie noticed an unassuming hole, horn sized, in the wall. Celestia lowered her horn and inserted it, sending a pulse of magic into it. Stepping back, the wall slid open, revealing a dusty corridor, smelling stale. Sweetie saw cobwebs older than time. It was as if this place had been sealed, and nothing had escaped, even air. Celestia’s horn lit up, and a gust of wind blew into the room, sending the stale air up and out. Sniffing, Celestia nodded, and began to walk. “Once upon a time, there was a magical unicorn. This unicorn was wise, and powerful. However, he had a weakness. This was a weakness all feared, even us. For even though he did not believe it at the time, we are not immortal. One day, the sun will die, and the moon will crumble. But that is the way of all things. “This magician feared death above all else. And as he grew older, so too did his fear. Eventually, he could stand it no longer, and sought ways to remove that fear. He managed to create dark spells, truly despicable spells designed to drain the life from another, before he abandoned that chain of research. For while he was desperate; he was still our trusted friend. “It was nearing the end of his time that he began to delve into the Elements, hoping to harness their energy to grant him immortality. This unicorn was smart, he knew such power would ultimately change him. We feared the worst, and so he put us in charge of a fail-safe. We did not know at the time what he planned, for we only know the results.” Celestia paused as they emerged into a small room filled with dry paper. Sweetie winced, feeling the throbbing magic in the air. Whatever they were using to keep the paper in perfect condition, it was very strong. “What our friend planned, was to switch his destiny with one of us. He had gotten so desperate, he would use us. In truth, neither I nor Luna know if we have our true destinies, or if they are what we were switched into. The fail-safe turned out to be a placebo, and we found him unconscious near the Elements.” Celestia paused and bowed her head. Luna spoke up, eyes closing as she did the same. “He woke up long enough to ask what day it was. When we told him, he merely shed a tear, and perished before us.” Luna turned away, Celestia throwing a wing around her sister as they leaned on each other. Sweetie said nothing, not knowing what to say in the face of the story. Eventually, the two separated, and Celestia focused on Sweetie. “These are his notes, even containing details on how he got out. I moved them here after I moved to Canterlot. I’m afraid his way out was suicide, but the information may help you. Luna and I will also provide you a letter to inform us of the time loop, and I shall teach you the spell to send me letters. Take what you wish, after all it will be back here next loop.” Celestia and Luna stepped out of the way as Sweetie walked up toward the papers. Turning, she looked at them. “How come you trust me so quickly? Twilight and Rarity took so long to convince the first time.” Well, Twilight had agreed the first proof she had been given. But Sweetie had three other pieces of proof validated before that to back her up. Celestia and Luna smiled warmly, and bowed their heads. “Twilight is not a liar,” they spoke together.
SSL2Hello, I am Star Swirl the Bearded. And I am stuck in what appears to be a time loop. At first, I simply dismissed the notion as Deja Vu, however I can now confirm I am indeed looping the same string of time. My loop appears to go for exactly six hours, and follows my preparations to cast my current spell on the Elements. I am unsure if the time looping is caused by the inclusion of the elements, but I shall plan out experiments to solve as much soon. So far, there are a few constants: 1: I am constantly hammered by a headache unless I am casting magic. Due to my level of expertise, the magic required to completely remove the spell is quite large. I have managed to circumvent this problem for now. But I fear it may become a problem in the future. 2: Anything with magic is drained upon restart. I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch my assistant die before me when he came to deliver something right as the loop reset. 3: I can take non-magical items through to the next loop. I tried bringing the elements, however they simply shattered once the loop reset. 4: Anypony who is stuck with me when the loop resets feels a draining sensation for the remainder of the loops. This is likely caused by my magic being connected to the cause of the loops. 5: I am the source of the loop. Anything in a room with me loops when it resets. I have yet to discover a means out, but I now realise it was a mistake to search for immortality. Instead of being given immortal life, I am now forced to relive the same six hours until I solve this problem I caused. If you are reading this, there are many possible reasons why. The main being I discovered a way out of the loop. I fear for anypony who falls into this dreadful situation. If you are reading this, I wish you the best of luck, and hope my findings somehow help you find escape from this reality. It’s maddening at times, knowing no one will remember my actions of the following six hours. I fear for my sanity most of all, as it was not in the best state to begin with. I know this now, for I was foolish to attempt what I did. Foolish, and a betrayer of friends. Good luck to you. Author's Note You know what time it is, time for me to go to school. See you in a few days! Good news: Last week. Bad news: Got stuff on next week that will interfere. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Oh the wretched soul, lost to the hunger of selfishness. The warmth of friendship left him. Grieve for that fate, come to accept the means by which to break you free lest your actions bring unto others your own harm. Consider the extents, consider the sacrifice, if you shall brave through these nights, silently, or in hope you may be reunited. For you carry ties, and these you must not forsake.
L12.3Sweetie slowly walked out of the room, meeting the concerned gaze of her sister. Giving a weak smile, Sweetie allowed herself to be hugged. Turning, both walked out of the throne room, heading for where breakfast would be served. Sweetie saw various plates, and squaled in delight. Finally, something new to eat! “Sweetie, I know you are very busy learning about this other looper, but I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me in Canterlot today. If you are far too busy, that is quite alright. I suppose you can always do it another loop.” Rarity picked at her food, ears flopped down as she spoke. Sweetie tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow. “Of course I’ll go. Researching is fine and all, but I wouldn’t miss out on a trip to Canterlot. I might even get my Cutie Mark!” Sweetie ‘eee’d as she thought of the many high-class marks she might find herself worthy of. Rarity smiled warmly, and chuckled in response. “That’s good news. I’ll set up an itinerary for today while you get dressed.” Rarity finally dug into her meal, appetite restored. Sweetie learned, due to trying various foods, that she did indeed love salad. It was odd from her perspective, but really the freshness of the produce really drove the point home. Sweetie knew she would have to find a way to have it more often. After breakfast, it was onto getting ready. Sweetie trotted to her room to prepare, beaming proudly as she walked around the white halls alone. It made her feel incredibly grown up to be left alone unsupervised here. It made her feel like she was really lucky, instead of unlucky, to be stuck in a time loop. Sweetie quickly got ready, and turned to see her sister walking into the room. "Are you ready?" Rarity smiled as a nod came from her sister, and turned. Slowly, both walked out of the castle and into the bustle of Canterlot. Looking around, Rarity knew just where she wanted to go first. It contained shopping, and started with clothes. Sweetie breathed in sharply as she was led into a very expensive looking shop. "Normally I would just make you an ensemble'. However, since the loop resets on Friday, I don't have half the time I need to prepare you a lavish dress radiating perfection. So instead, I shall purchase you an outfit that is close. I also ask that you give my future self a note I will give you later. It just details my plan, hopefully we agree and we can create the start of the perfect gown." Rarity began to go through the clothes, looking for items similar in color to Sweetie. Eventually, Rarity picked out a dress with a pink and white chest, black waist, and white back. The back had the bottom tied up, and a note pattern on it. Rarity also picked out a pink pair of heels, the heel being barely a centimeter thick. Finally, Rarity picked up a black hat with a pink and white bow, and a neckband with a note on one side. Sweetie walked into the changing room to try them on. Sweetie Belle looked a lot more mature in the clothes, almost appearing to be simply a small pony instead of actually being a filly. Rarity nodded, proud of her work. While she personally would have preferred darker colors to bring out Sweetie’s features more, it would still suffice. Rarity paid the bits to the clerk, and they exited the shop. Sweetie smiled at Rarity who lent down and pointed toward a poster. "There's a concert in town, would you like to see it?" Rarity smiled, noting the enthusiasm as Sweetie nodded. Turning, they both walked toward the venue. Sweetie began to hum a merry tune. Rarity smiled down at her sister. Taking their seats, Sweetie fell silent as the concert started. Sweetie listened to the singers weaving music over the crowd and sighed, closing her eyes. Music was like magic in a way. It was made to convey a message, pursue a thought, do an action. This song was about loss, but it also contained a silent hope to be found. Sweetie knew all this just from her ears. Opening her eyes, she blinked as her horn activated unbidden, and she felt a tingling sensation in her eyes. Sweetie blinked, and suddenly she was met with the sight of something truly amazing. For Sweetie was seeing music. The song wove through people's ears, sometimes passing directly through them. Sweetie watched the crowd, noticing how some seemed bored, not even hearing the beauty of the song around them. How could they not hear this? Sweetie bit her lip, did she dare try to help? Glancing to the stage, Sweetie saw the concentration on the singer's face as she tried to weave her song. It sailed, swam, and yet Sweetie could sense it would not reach the intended audience. At least, not without some help. Sweetie looked to her horn, and slowly understood the spell that had activated. It was almost as if it was made for her, to help Sweetie complete her task of helping the singer on the stage. Sweetie closed her eyes, folded her ears to the sound, and concentrated. Slowly, she opened both and focused on the notes in the air. A gentle nudge, a soft touch to slightly alter the course. Suddenly, the crowd transformed. Sweetie no longer saw them as ponies, but as the notes that comprised their own specific song. Sweetie knew what she had to do. Slowly, Sweetie followed the note's back to the source, and altered each one as it emerged from the singer's voice. As the note divided, Sweetie altered each one more. Eventually, all the notes were exactly the same, and yet different on such a minute level that only the singer seemed to notice. Ears flickering, she opened one eye, eyes immediately drawing to the filly whose horn was aglow, concentration on her face. Slowly, the singer watched as the crowd changed from bored, to interested, until finally all were swaying in time to her music. Closing her eyes, the singer smiled, and her confidence grew to new heights, adding a final missing piece to her song. Sweetie felt the magic on her horn fade, and opened her eyes to a normal crowd, no longer seeing the music. It didn't matter, for Sweetie could feel it. This music resonated with her, filling her with such strong emotion she wiped a tear from her eye. Beside her, Rarity was trying to hold back tears. And so, the song that would have fallen on deaf ears, instead moved an entire crowd to tears. Sweetie smiled warmly, feeling happy for the singer. This was what Sweetie had always wanted. No, it wasn't to see herself sing upon a stage, that never interested Sweetie. But many songs, from many ponies, fell short of what they wished. Many let their voices die out, to never be heard again. Sweetie hated seeing voices fade before their message had been spoken. Sweetie felt a tingle on her flank, but didn't bother to look down at it. Sweetie didn't care anymore. It was only a Cutie Mark. Author's Note Scuse the slightly chopped top, didn't center the puppet before taking the image. Sweetie's Mark essentially means her talent is bringing out the heart in songs. AKA: Making others rise to the occasion, the medic, healer, bard, priest, etc etc.
L12.4Author's Note When the previous chapter went out, I asked people: Should Sweetie keep her CM? I found reasons for and against myself, and I honestly had no preference either way. This is the result of that question, which was removed once I had enough comments to make my decision. Early chapter is very early so I don't sleep in and miss posting it at the usual time. L12.4 “Utility Spells and you?” Sweetie tilted her head as she read the book’s title. It was one in a small stack of spellbooks placed in front of Sweetie. Biting her lip, she wondered if she would actually be able to levitate all that. Thankfully, it looked like they had included a cart to carry it in. Celestia bowed her head once. Sweetie felt a lingering tingle where her wings had been. It was a pity the spell only lasted three days. “These are the same books Twilight read when she was starting out with magic. A lot of them are low level spells, but toward the end there are some that may prove useful. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to know how to do more than levitation correct?” Celestia smiled and Sweetie gave a slow nod. “That makes sense I suppose.” Sweetie looked toward Twilight and Rarity as she levitated the cart handle, pulling it toward her. Twilight smiled, and both bid farewell to the Princesses with a bow. Sweetie blinked, and then turned to copy the action. Celestia and Luna bowed their heads too, though not as low as Twilight did. Making their way out of Canterlot, they had opted for the train instead, despite the offer from Celestia. Sweetie supposed that was wise, considering she didn’t want to lose any books in transit. Sitting down inside the train beside her sister, Sweetie flipped the top book open and glanced at the chapter titles. As expected, they were a list of spells. Spell list(Ordered by chapter) Beginner: 1: Water 2: Spark(For fire(ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED)) 3: Stop-Sneeze 4: Wake-me-up 5: Knockout 6: Trip 7: Itch-be-gone Intermediate 8: Stun 9: Telekinetic force(Knock-back) 10: Disarm 11: Teleport 12: Fireworks 13: Smokebomb 14: Cloudwalking Advanced 15: Flight Spell(Wings) 16: Fire 17: Levitate self 18: Change gravity 19: Transform 20: Shield Sweetie looked over the list, recognizing a lot she had seen Twilight using. The Intermediate and Advanced spells looked to be well worth learning. Sweetie knew she would need to practice through. At the very least, it looked like she could use the Beginner spells to play some pranks. Which reminded her, she still needed to look at the letters everypony had given her to prove she was in a time loop. After arriving home, Sweetie quickly went up to her room to practice. The first one she tried was the water spell. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth, and slowly a drop of water dripped from her horn. Opening her eyes, she narrowed them, watching water leak like a dripping tap. Sweetie sighed, well, there was one she’d have to practice. The next was the spark spell. Sweetie looked to her combustible room and shook her head. No, she wasn’t that stupid. The next one was a stop-sneeze spell. Sweetie cast it a few times, feeling a tingling sensation in her nose each time. After a while, Sweetie noticed her sinuses had cleared. Well, that could come in handy. The wake-me-up would have to wait until tonight. Sweetie cast the knockout on her teddy, watching it fall over with a soft thump. Sweetie bit her lip, another spell she would have to practice. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she puffed. These spells were really hard. Sweetie wondered how many loops it would take before she moved to the Intermediate. The trip was just using levitation to grab a person’s leg as they were walking. Sweetie decided to skip it for now. Finally, the itch-be-gone. Sweetie felt a shiver pass through her body as she cast it, and sighed as an itch she wasn’t aware of vanished. Sweetie wanted to use that spell more often, it felt really good. Finally, Sweetie placed the book back on the cart. Walking downstairs, Sweetie approached Rarity. Rarity was currently making dinner, salad. Whether that was due to a certain filly strongly recommending it was an entirely different matter. It was definitely not related, not one bit. “I have to spend tomorrow night somewhere else to repair the house.” Sweetie saw the slow nod from Rarity, and both mused for a moment. Sweetie could always spend a night in Twilight’s, but that left the risk of confusion in the morning. Besides, Twilight had a habit of staying up late. “How about your treehouse?” Rarity placed two plates of salad down as Sweetie sat down to eat. Sweetie nodded, it sounded like a decent idea. It might be a bit cold though. Sweetie didn’t mind too much about the cold, it would still be fun to camp out in the clubhouse. “Alright Sweetie, I’ll help you move your camping gear there tomorrow. For now; let’s eat.” Sweetie snuggled into her sleeping bag, considering going to bed. After remembering her Mark, she sat up and looked toward the clock that was technically hers now. Levitating it over, she waited as time slowly ticked over. 11:59… 12:00 Sweetie glanced to her flank, and sighed in relief. Her Mark was still there. Rubbing it, Sweetie smiled warmly, remembering the moment with crystal clarity. It was something she was never going to forget, that’s for sure. The question was, how could she use the loops to achieve it? Sweetie sighed and shifted further into her sleeping bag. Rarity would be looking for her in the morning. Groaning, Sweetie sat up and quickly packed her things into a corner. Sweetie knew none of the Crusaders would be coming to the clubhouse, so it was safe to leave things here. Turning, Sweetie trotted outside, closing the door with her magic. Shivering in the cold, she walked through the deserted streets. Eventually she made her way back to the boutique, and entered quietly. Sneaking upstairs, she quickly checked her sister’s room. Creeping into her room, she was pleased to see the damage was gone, and slipped quietly into the sheets. Giving a yawn, Sweetie settled into wonderful dreams about her Mark. Sweetie dreamed of her friends seeing it, and praising her. Sweetie smiled in her sleep. Finally, all three of them could potentially gain their marks. That might be the key to getting out of the loop. Sweetie dared to hope it was, finally slipping into slumber.
L13Sweetie trotted out of her house and walked over to Apple Bloom. Smiling, she weathered the reaction to the draining effect, knowing she could change their minds about cutting ties with Sweetie. Turning her flank, Sweetie let her friend see her Cutie Mark. “You got your Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom was leaping for joy. Sweetie smiled, enjoying the attention. However, that brought up an issue she hadn’t thought of. “What does it mean?” Apple Bloom allowed Sweetie time to think, both slowly heading toward school. Sweetie mused for a moment. “My talent is bringing out the song in pony’s hearts.” Sweetie nodded, satisfied she had explained her talent well. However, Apple Bloom merely looked confused. Sweetie sighed, knowing that meant she would have to actually go into detail to explain it. How does one explain Sweetie’s talent is helping other’s rise to theirs? Sweetie lowered her head and narrowed her eyes. “It means I’m good at singing,” she spoke in defeat. Really, this was a conversation she was going to have multiple times each loop. A one sentence answer was best, and that meant accepting she would have to lie about her talent slightly. Of course Sweetie was a decent singer, but that wasn’t what her Mark was about. “Oh! That’s great Sweetie. Ah wonder what mine will be.” Apple Bloom smiled toward the sky, imagining getting an ‘awesome’ Mark that would make Diamond and Silver envious. Sweetie smiled sadly, and they both headed into class. “It means I’m good at singing,” she repeated again. It seemed the effect of Sweetie getting her Mark was enough for the four to forget the draining effect almost completely. However, that presented a problem of its own. For, if Diamond and Apple Bloom did not bond over the feeling toward Sweetie, they stayed enemies. ‘Maybe staying home one day will prevent this. I’ll have to try it next loop.’ Sweetie bid farewell to her friends and headed home. Thankfully, Twilight was still there. That meant Sweetie wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow to get some questions answered. Sweetie dug into her saddlebags and held out the note. “W-What the!” Twilight stared at the note for a few long moments, before rubbing her forehead with a hoof, and nodding. Levitating the note back over, Twilight turned toward Sweetie as a large folder of notes was held out. Twilight reconised it as her own magic-writing “I was wondering, do you know why everything with magic resets, but my Cutie Mark stayed?” Sweetie pointed to her Mark as Twilight mused for a moment. “Well, there’s two possible reasons. One is the loop isn’t affecting you, and you are growing normally. The other is that it is, but because you already have memory of what your talent is, it can’t wipe the mark away. Sort of how Tirek took our Marks when he drained our magic, but we got them back again without any repercussions once our magic was returned.” Twilight smiled warmly, giving a nod at her reasoning. “Oh, ok.” Sweetie looked away, was it really that simple? Maybe it was, but what if it was option one? Would she eventually grow into an old Granny Belle? Sweetie shuddered, and turned to head up into her room. Sweetie wanted to practice spells. If she did it enough, maybe she could eventually use that memory transfer spell, so that Twilight could know her situation better. After much persuasion, Sweetie had convinced Scootaloo to try and teach them how to race down an obstacle course on a scooter. Sweetie wanted to see if it was possible to get Scoots a Mark in scooting. Front what Sweetie understood, Scoots mark was about the joy of doing stunts at incredibly fast speeds. So it should technically be possible. They had decided to practice near the sharp drop off the cliff, as it had the longest flat bit of road. They were careful to stay far away however. “Here, let me help you Apple Bloom.” Scoots was currently leaning over Apple Bloom’s scooter. Sweetie smiled, Twilight hadn’t wanted to agree at first, but eventually she had payed for two brand new scooters for them. Time looping payed off big time sometimes. Sweetie slowly sailed down the path, humming a tune as she tried to use her magic to push her along. Scootaloo had said to just use her hooves, but Sweetie wanted to try doing it the Unicorn way. Plus, it was good practice. Sweetie beamed as she sweated from the pressure. Slowly the scooter began to pick up speed. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie felt wind start to push on her face. Yes, she was doing it! Slowly, Sweetie went around the obstacle course Scoots had set up. Picking up speed, she turned and went back though it. Sweetie beamed, this was quite fun. Closing her eyes she let her magic cut off, allowing the scooter to come to a complete stop. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom turned toward Sweetie, eyes widening. “Sweetie! Look out!” As Scootaloo spoke, she leapt onto her scooter and dived toward Sweetie. Opening her eyes, Sweetie blinked and glanced back. Was it just her or was the obstacle course and Apple Bloom farther away than she remembered? No, she was definitely moving. Turning her head, Sweetie widened her eyes, seeing the incline she was starting to go down. Sweetie tried to slow herself down with her magic. There was still time, don’t panic. “SWEETIE!” As Scootaloo cried out, Sweetie lost concentration, and her gradual decline, that had been slowing down, suddenly jerked forward to a more hazardous speed. Sweetie cried out and gritted her teeth, but her magic was just slipping off the wheels. Sweetie looked down toward the ground, and lowered a foot. Sweetie’s foot made contact with the ground, and the scooter slammed sideways, sending Sweetie forward. Tumbling down the hill, Sweetie whimpered, curling into a ball as sharp rocks and jagged edges cut deep wedges into her white body. Slowly, her coat began to run red with blood. “Hyah!” Scootaloo leapt at Sweetie, and tried to bring both Sweetie and herself to a halt, digging her hooves in as she gripped the bloodied form of Sweetie Belle. For a small moment, they paused, balancing at the very edge of the incline. Scootaloo gulped, and slowly began to lean backward. “Look out!” Apple Bloom tried to warn them about Sweetie’s scooter as it crashed into them, sending them over the edge. Scootaloo buzzed her wings, before realising she had dropped Sweetie. As soon as she stopped, she too began to fall. Crying out, she desperately hoped Rainbow Dash was flying nearby. Sweetie opened her eyes slowly, pain throbbing through her body. Each breath sent jagged ice down her spine. Each movement was like someone slicing her body with a thousand knives. Looking up, she saw the fear on Scootaloo's face. Sweetie took another shuddering breath, unable to think in her current state. For Sweetie, everything was pain. Every moment was a thousand times worse than the headache boiling inside her head. Everything was a high pitched keening in her ears. Scootaloo’s fear barely registered, eyes blinded by pain. Sweetie felt her body slowly spin, aiming her downward due to her head being heavier at the front. There it was, the floor below. Hard, unforgiving, and uncompromising. Sweetie had no doubts, mind taken over by cold calculation as it worked through the pain. It was amazing really, her brain was split in two. One part was handling the immense pain Sweetie was feeling, and the other was just looking at what was going to follow. This would be her death. Sweetie had no emotion, she just stared as it approached. Closing her eyes, she took one final shuddering breath. Sweetie’s death was silent. There was barely a sound as her body implanted on the ground. Anyone who examined the body would notice the thousands of broken bones, and the calm look on the filly’s face. It had been instantaneous, no pain had been felt upon impact. Sweetie Belle was gone. Around Ponyville, Canterlot, and Manehattan, all the ponies looked up toward the sky. All blinked in shock as it suddenly turned to night without warning. All immediately began to notice something different. However, nopony had the presence of mind to comprehend it as reality bent. All ponies, and only ponies, who were outside began to age, and collapse. As they died, each turned into dust, which in turn blew away in the wind. As silence resounded in the clearing, only one pony saw this happen. This pony was an Alicorn, who had just looked up from the book she had been reading inside her castle. As Twilight watched this, she had no idea why it had happened, but she felt the chill pass though her all the same. Whatever had just affected those stuck outside could very well happen again. Twilight turned and woke up Spike, preparing him to send a letter. Whatever was happening, only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had a chance of surviving in the outside long enough to get anywhere. Twilight sighed and went to brew a cup of coffee, hoping it had been an illusion, and she hadn’t just seen dozens of lives snuff out in an instant. Including one that looked strikingly like herself. Rubbing her forehead, she groaned. This was really way too much for 12:02 in the morning on a Monday.
L14“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie groaned, flicking her eyes open as a blurry room swum into view. Memory fuzzy, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. It had been an extremely uncomfortable night, full of nightmares of falling. Not to mention her bed felt really lumpy. Finally able to look around her room, Sweetie blinked. Various rocks, most small in size, were dumped around her room in a haphazard fashion. In fact, her bed was covered in them. No wonder Sweetie had been having trouble sleeping. Slowly moving the rocks off her bed, she rubbed her forehead and groaned. Not only had she slept badly, she had a splitting headache. Sweetie pulled a piece of paper out of her diary, a book kept under her bed, and folded it into a paper plane. As she began to levitate it, Sweetie held her head and waited for the headache to fade. Once it was gone, she could surely come to terms with what was going on. It didn’t. Sweetie dropped the plane, and slowly levitated her diary up, feeling it lessen slightly. Sweetie glanced to her sides, seeing her saddlebags still on her body. Yet another reason why she had slept horribly. Sweetie dug her two books out of it, levitating them instead. Sweetie sighed, the headache fading away. Finally able to think, Sweetie concentrated, trying to remember how she had ended up in her room. The last thing she remembered was scooting. Sweetie breathed in sharply, throbbing pain enveloping her as she remembered what had happened. Hugging herself, Sweetie sobbed quietly, both from the fact she had died, also dooming Scootaloo to the same fate, and the fact it wasn’t the way out of the loop. “Okay, calm down Sweetie, priorities. What day is it?” Sweetie quickly cast the spell, confirming it was Monday. The start of a loop, death had reset it. Not only that, dying had significantly raised the amount of stuff she had to levitate to keep the headache away. Sweetie bit her lip. Silently, she feared just what ramifications that had. “Sweetie Belle! Don’t make me come up there.” Rarity’s voice called again, jumping Sweetie out of her introspection. Sweetie looked at her bags and sighed. The good news was while death hurt, it wasn’t going to, well, kill her. It also looked like it reset her back in the room, albeit taking whatever was laying around her with Sweetie. That explained why there was a lot of rocks in the room. Standing up, Sweetie headed downstairs. Twilight would probably want to test that, however doing so meant Sweetie would have to restart the loop outside again. Sweetie knew that was something she would never attempt, at least, not now. Sweetie supposed there might be a time she got desperate enough, and shuddered as she sat down. “Sweetie, Twilight says there’s some event happening, and all ponies are ordered to stay indoors. She’s coming by to teleport you to school.” Rarity smiled gently as she placed the pancakes down. Sweetie tilted her head. That was strange, why was Twilight doing that? Was this due to her death? Sweetie mused for a moment, glancing toward her saddlebags. The temptation to see what would happen if Sweetie kept the truth about the loop hidden was strong. This was something that wasn’t going to happen a second time after all. Sure, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had been hesitant to be near Sweetie, but this was almost like Twilight had seen something. “Why?” Sweetie decided it was best to ask. Rarity paused, and winced. “Well dear, Twilight was up at midnight, and something dreadful happened that only she was awake to witness. She fears it might happen again.” Rarity nodded, satisfied she had avoided saying what to the best of her ability. Sweetie nodded, and resumed eating. There was no doubting it, Twilight had seen the loop resetting. It seemed Twilight was awake when it reset normally, likely reading a book overlooking a window. That meant she would have seen the reset. Sweetie shuddered, knowing full well what had happened to those that had been outside. The good news was they weren’t technically dead. The bad news was, well… “That’s strange, Opal is avoiding you for some reason.” Rarity watched as the cat did indeed give the kitchen a wider berth than normal. Sweetie watched this, and inwardly sighed. Was it wrong she felt nothing about what happened to them? Sweetie shook her head rapidly and forced herself to discard the issue. If she tried to analyse why she felt or did something, she really would go insane. ‘I think I’ll see what Twilight does if I don’t tell her this is a loop. I doubt it will happen a second time.’ Sweetie finished her food and nodded. There was too much unknown about what would happen with this loop. Unknown meant new, and Sweetie was just starting to realise how much she loved new. After all, new meant she hadn’t done it before. And that was good. “Sweetie Belle! You have your Cutie Mark!” Rarity finally noticed Sweetie’s flank, and the filly mentally sighed. It was going to be a long day. ‘Alright, so far, there’s not much change beyond the fact of that ‘stay inside’ that was in the morning. Twilight called it off around midday for some reason. I gotta ask her why today while Rarity’s gone to Manehattan.’ Sweetie descended the stairs, smiling in greeting as she saw Twilight was indeed there. “Twilight, is something wrong with outside?” Sweetie knew she had to be careful with her questions. Twilight would be trying to keep the truth of what happened from her. Sweetie debated just outright telling Twilight. “Apparently not, but it looked like there was when I looked out the window at midnight.” Twilight bit her lip and sighed. The image of those ponies as they...was still in her mind. And yet, Twilight had seen Roseluck in her home the very next morning as she’d warned everypony to stay indoors. Roseluck, Twilight shuddered. No, there was no way a nightmare could be that vivid. Sweetie bit her lip. The way Twilight looked, it was harrowing. It looked like the effect of what Twilight had seen was merely just a small moment of being stuck indoors. Sweetie let her ears flop down and sighed. There was no point, Sweetie had to tell her. Pulling out the letter, Sweetie held it out for Twilight. Twilight was silent for a few minutes after reading it. The only movement she made was handing back the note, and closing her eyes. Sweetie jumped slightly as Twilight turned toward her, opening her eyes once more. Giving a sigh, Twilight lowered her head, wearily looking at the floor. “Why are you telling me this?” Twilight couldn’t doubt the truth on that piece of paper, as much as she wanted to. There was no denying it. “When I loop, time reset’s back to monday at the stroke of midnight. And...well...when ponies are in the same room as me when it resets…” Sweetie trailed off, forcing tears back inside her head. It wouldn’t do to cry right now. “So when I saw a pony that looked like me outside, it was my previous loop self, dying because you were outside for some reason.” Twilight looked toward Sweetie, understanding ticking though her brain quickly. The horror of what she had seen met with truth, and her mind shattered, going blank. “Y-You probably have a draining sensation too…” Sweetie scuffed the ground, shivering as she tried to forced herself to ignore the darkness she had caused. So many lives, so many ponies had been outside when she had...Would they all suffer that effect? Twilight nodded solemnly. “Yeah, there was a draining sensation. I couldn’t find the source of it so I researched a spell designed to stop magic from being taken out of my body, sort of like an invisible shield. The feeling faded the moment I cast it, so maybe the sensation isn’t just a sensation. Maybe you are actually draining the magic of anypony who get’s stuck in the same room with you at the end of the loop.” Twilight sighed, and rubbed her forehead. “Either way, the bad news continues to mount. If you are indeed draining ponies magic, it might explain the headaches. Or it might contradict it, I’ll need to research in the Canterlot Library. There’s not enough time for it this loop however.” Twilight nodded as Sweetie pulled out a folder. Twilight reconised her magic-writing. Turning to some blank pages, Twilight wrote down the new findings, before closing it and handing it back. Then, standing up, she walked over and hugged Sweetie tightly. “It’s okay to cry you know, no one is going to think less of you for doing so.” Twilight closed her eyes and hugged the filly tighter. Sweetie clenched her eyes tight, and let herself finally cry. There was so much to cry about. Sweetie wanted to cry about her death, about those she had just killed, and about her friends. “I just wish I knew why Twilight. Why am I stuck in a time loop? Why does it drain magic?” Sweetie sobbed quietly, distraught on a shattering level. How many lives had she ended? How many fates would have to end before she finally escaped? Star Swirl’s notes hadn’t been helpful in the slightest. None of them listed the exact spell he used to get out. “Maybe we can find that out with a memory spell. It might be you did something that you don’t remember due to the specifics of the spell. I sadly don’t have access to a proper memory spell. I can feed images of memories I have experienced, but I can’t help you remember them. That will have to be something we do next loop. I’ll make a note of it.” Twilight raised her head, and smiled softly at Sweetie as the filly sniffed. “But I suggest you spend some time relaxing after what happened last loop. Play some jokes, learn some magic, do something to heal. You’re stuck in a time loop Sweetie, you need to use that sometimes. Answers can wait a loop or three.” Twilight leaned forward, hugging the filly even tighter. Sweetie smiled warmly. Twilight was right, of course. Sweetie knew that the trip to Canterlot was important, but she so desperately wanted to cry at every moment of the day. Even now, crying as she was, she felt no end to the pain that throbbed in her chest. Sweetie closed her eyes and nodded. Some time off sounded good. Sweetie had been saving up a few good pranks, after all. Answers could wait. After all, you only loop once. Author's Note If you're wondering why Twilight sounds emotionless it's because reality broke her mind. I mean, when one sees what she saw, how do you react to that?
L15.1 Operation Coronation“Sweetie? What are you doing here?” Twilight tilted her head as the filly entered the castle. Giving a warm smile in greeting, she quickly read the piece of paper handed to her. Eyes widening, she couldn’t deny the truth in front of her. “I skipped school to come talk to you. May I speak?” Sweetie paused and waited. Twilight eventually gave a nod. “I want to send a message to Princess Celestia, and I want you to cast that spell to give me wings. I have a prank I need your help with.” Sweetie paused, and pulled out two letters, and a photo. “You want my help. With a prank.” Twilight narrowed her eyes at Sweetie, who nodded. Twilight took the letters and skimmed them over. The first was written in what looked like golden light, and was illegible, the second briefly went over Sweetie’s plan. “Alright, I’m in, let me go get Spike.” Twilight took the letters and turned. Sweetie followed behind as they found Spike. After sending off the letters, Sweetie smiled as a letter came back almost instantly. Opening it, Sweetie burst out laughing. Twilight leaned over curiously, and fell backwards as she began to laugh too. “Time for school.” Sweetie hummed cheerfully as Twilight began to cast the spell to give her wings. Sweetie flexed them for a moment, and nodded. Smiling, she waved goodbye to Twilight, and skipped out of the house. Sweetie strode purposely into class, acting as regal as she could. Sitting down, she tilted her nose upward. Soon enough, class was interrupted by the sounds of trumpets as a guard announced the arrival of Princess Celestia. Sweetie smiled warmly, and Celestia bowed toward her. “Apologies for the interruption, but Princess Sweetie Belle is late for her coronation.” Celestia smiled warmly at the students as all stared open mouthed. Sweetie stood up and strode slowly toward Celestia. Leaning down, Celestia whispered gently into the filly’s ear. “That’s good, slow and purposefully. Make sure to keep your wings open too.” Celestia raised her head, and Sweetie Belle levitated out the tickets, handing them to Cheerilee. “Here are the tickets to attend the event. These are front row seats, so you shall be able to see your friend receive her crown tomorrow. If that is all, we must take our leave I’m afraid.” Celestia bowed her head, and Cheerilee mutely nodded. Sweetie followed Celestia out, taking her advice while trying to keep up with the tall Alicorn. Sweetie looked from the corner of her eyes as she watched the many faces from the window. Stepping onto the chariot next to Princess Luna, who gave a warm, but confused, smile. Celestia sat down on Sweetie’s other side, and they took into the air, heading for Canterlot. “Tia, you didn’t get a young filly in on this charade of yours did you?” Luna narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Celestia who raised an eyebrow in response. “That is exactly what you said when Twilight ascended. Why must you be so skeptical of me sister?” Celestia was a master of acting, glancing down and letting her eyes close. Sweetie almost fell for it, but she quickly remembered who she was for this loop, and decided to glance toward Luna in annoyance. “Very well sister, I shall concede. But do not think me fooled.” Luna glanced down, meeting Sweetie's eyes knowingly. Sweetie blinked and felt a shiver pass through her. For a small moment, Sweetie wondered just what kind of fire she was playing with. With no clue what danger she was in, Sweetie decided to follow Celestia’s lead, and lapse into regal silence. “These are your chambers for now. We apologise for the plain garments, but we were not expecting another Alicorn to pop up.” The maid bowed, and Sweetie lowered her head slightly, bowing only barely. That was another lesson from Celestia. Bow, but never as low as others. “This is adequate, thank you.” Sweetie smiled warmly as the maid bowed, and left. Sweetie leapt onto her bed and squeed as quietly as she could. Wings buzzing, she lifted off the ground and twirled around her room. ‘THIS IS SO AWESOME! I am definitely doing this again one loop.’ Sweetie landed and bounced around the room, a bundle of energy. Sweetie only stopped when a knock at the door sounded, and she quickly prepared herself to act regally again. “You may enter,” she spoke. It was Celestia and Twilight, Sweetie relaxed. Giggling, she leapt toward them and bounced around them. “Thank you for this Princess Celestia, Twilight. This is so AWESOME!” Sweetie flew into the air and twirled around, enjoying every moment. Twilight and Celestia smiled warmly. “So, here’s our plan for Operation Coronation.” Twilight pulled out a blue piece of paper that held some blueprints. Sweetie landed and walked over, looking at it. “Oh, that is eeevil.” Sweetie smirked, feeling shivers of sadistic glee pass through her. These two were turning out to be great prank masters. Sweetie needed to use them to plan loop pranks one day, this was a perfect plan. “We knew you’d like it. But that’s only part one.” Twilight smirked as she brought out a second blueprint. Sweetie looked at it, and smiled in perverse pleasure. “Wow, you two are truly evil. I love it!” Sweetie smiled, and they began to nail down the specifics of the plan. After all, a plan this evil deserved perfection. Sweetie looked out the window, smirking evilly as she thought about the plan. It all hinged on Luna’s suspicions of this being a prank. Sweetie yawned and settled into bed. Sure enough, Celestia’s spell informed her Luna was indeed watching her dream. That meant it was time to set the plan into motion. ”Mwahahaha Burn!” Nightmare Bells flew over the town of Ponyville, deafening them with flaming bells that sung high pitched notes. Each one of the residents cried out in terror. Nightmare Bells smiled in pleasure. Raising a hoof, she called up a golden note, and smashed it into the town hall. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, this is a nightmare.” Nightmare Bells turned and looked sourly at Luna as she vanished back into a Unicorn filly with wings. “I’m sorry, I just.” Sweetie looked down, lip quivering as she pretended to be mortified by her actions. Curling into a ball, she shivered until two midnight wings curled around her. Being brought into a hug, Luna smiled softly at Sweetie. “It is fine, we understand your torment. For it was once ours. Rest assured you will never fall like we once did.” Luna smiled warmly, and Sweetie forced herself to cry, breaking into sobs. “But what if I’m a bad Princess? I mean why was I made a princess? I don’t understand what my Mark has to do with being an Alicorn.” Sweetie sobbed into Luna, who gently patted the filly’s back. “There there Sweetie Belle, thou were chosen for a reason. We do not know the reason, but assuredly fate will reveal it in time.” Luna sighed, looking toward the sun in the sky. As Sweetie cried into her, there was no doubting it. Obviously Celestia was not pulling a prank. Or if she was, she was going all out. Luna shook her head, remembering she was currently comforting somepony. However, it seemed Sweetie was already recovering. Wiping away her tears, she smiled warmly at Luna. “T-Thank you.” Sweetie waved goodbye as Luna politely excused herself, and turned toward her frozen dream. Pausing for a moment, she quickly changed it into a dream about being a dragon. Sweetie leapt back into her dream, losing her lucidity a moment later. Author's Note Spelling on letters is bad because I didn't spellcheck. Apologies.
L15.2 Operation Coronation“No no no! My Coronation dress is all wrong.” Sweetie moaned as her sister rolled her eyes. Rarity was having none of Sweetie’s attitude, she knew better than to listen to her sister when she was like this. Besides, Sweetie had no fashion sense. “There, finished.” Rarity nodded as she stepped away from Sweetie belle, who looked it over and shook her head. “I’ve told you Rarity, this is all wrong! Where are the balloons and streamers? Know what, I think I’ll just go bare. After all, best Princess should be seen in all her splendour.” Sweetie carefully took the dress off, memorising where she threw it so she could steal it for a future loop, and tilted her chin up as she stood proudly. “But Sweetie Belle…” Rarity bit her lip, unsure if she had the authority to order her sister to wear it. However, as Princess Celestia entered, it seemed she did not. “I agree, your form is too small to properly show your features off in that dress.” Celestia smiled softly, and Sweetie beamed even more. Sweetie bowed slightly to her sister, and ‘slowly’ followed after Celestia as she turned to leave. “Say Princess Celestia, why does your letter contain glowy symbols?” Sweetie tilted her head as Celestia paused for a moment. Both turned to look out the window as she replied. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know the decoder spell. You’ll find my sister uses a similar spell. I’ll write down both for you, so you can read them at a later date. But remember to get pictures, or I’ll never forgive you.” Celestia winked, and Sweetie giggled. “Also, please call me Celestia. Someone in your position should not be calling me Princess, as we are on equal footing after this.” Celestia smiled warmly and Sweetie shook her head. “I’m sorry but I don’t feel right calling you that.” Sweetie looked up at the unreadable expression on Celestia’s face. After a moment, she lowered her head, and looked Sweetie in the eyes. “Right or not, I must ask you a second time. Please, honor us with the knowledge somepony out there will call us not by our title, but by our name. Even my sister normally calls me simply sister, as I do. If you still insist, I will accept it. However I felt it was worth a second try.” Celestia bowed her head slightly, then raised it to look outside. “But, to call you so improperly, is that really okay?” Sweetie hesitated, biting her lip as she glanced to and fro. Celestia gently lowered a wing, and brought the filly closer with a gentle nudge of the wing. “Would you prefer I call you Sweetie Belle, or Sweetie?” Celestia smiled knowingly down at the filly. “Well, Sweetie,” she admitted. Celestia nodded once, and raised her head once move, saying nothing. “I’ll try...But no promises...Celestia.” Sweetie forced herself to not say the title, giving a shudder. It felt wrong doing so, but Celestia’s smile lessened the blow. “That is all I ask,” responded Celestia, smiling toward the sky. Sweetie sat down as a hair stylist fussed with her hair, trying to get her curls perfect. Pulling out the letter Celestia had written herself, Sweetie decided it was time to begin reading all the juicy secrets all the adults had. Sweetie smiled, she would need them for the next loop after all. First up, Sweetie cast the spell to translate Celestia’s letter, and watched as characters shifted around the page, forming words. Nodding once, much to the chagrin of the stylist, Sweetie began to read. ‘Again with the sanity thing.’ Sweetie sighed and folded the letter, putting it back in her saddlebags. Checking over the stylist's work, Sweetie realised she looked exactly the same. “Thank you, it looks lovely.” Sweetie stood up and left, leaving her irritated mumblings until she was out of earshot. An hour wasted just to look exactly the same. What a waste of time. “There you are Sweetie, there is one last thing we need to instruct you on.” Celestia walked over, Pinkie Pie bouncing behind her. Sweetie tilted her head, but said nothing. “Right! Princess here wanted me to teach you how to start a Heart Song.” Pinkie Pie giggled, leading both Celestia and Sweetie belle toward the throne room. “A Heart Song?” Sweetie tilted her head, seeing Celestia’s knowing smile. “Oh! Right, silly me. A Heart Song is a song that comes from in here, that causes everypony to spring into song.” Pinkie Pie touched her chest and beamed a grinning smile. Sweetie tilted her head, a Heart Song? It sounded useful, and related to her talents. Sweetie discarded her hesitation, and smiled. “Alright! How do I start one?” Sweetie’s ear flickered, sensing something in the air. Pinkie giggled and brought Sweetie into a hug as she pointed to Celestia, slowly bobbing up and down. “Now Sweetie listen closely, For the wisdom I implore. No party’s quite complete, Without a song I quite adore.” Pinkie Pie stood on two hooves, and began to danced around the room with Sweetie straining to keep up. However, Sweetie felt the throb of magic in the room, and activated the spell she had learned when getting her Cutie Mark. To her amazement, the magic was coming from Pinkie Pie’s heart, and being pumped straight to her mouth. “For a Heart Song is unique, From start until its finish. Not one song is similar, And they never seem to diminish.” Sweetie watched the notes swirl around her, and glanced down. The magic was slowly coursing through her body as well. Sweetie felt a smile on her face, and ceased her spell. So this was a Heart Song. Sweetie knew learning to create these would be an amazing help to her goal once she got out of this loop. The goal that was centered around the meaning of her Mark. Opening her mouth, Sweetie sung the next verse, not knowing how words were forming, but knowing where they came from. “I see this magic is quite fine, It swells through me now like fire. I wish I’d known of this Heart Song earlier, For it helps with what I aspire.” Sweetie flipped into the air, buzzing her wings as she let Pinkie Pie catch her and flip her into the air once more. “That’s it my dear Sweetie, A song without compare. A Heart Song helps ponies see, Their heart’s lonely prayer.” Sweetie felt the magic taking her over slowly wind to a close, and landed, beaming at Pinkie Pie. This would be something she would be using during her life after the loop, that was certain. Being able to help ponies hear the song in their hearts, it was her destiny. And Pinkie Pie had just given the tools to do so. “Thank you Pinkie Pie.” Sweetie smiled as the party pony saluted, and bounced away to get ready for the coronation. Celestia approached, and smiled softly. “You want me to perform a Heart Song at the coronation don’t you?” Sweetie smiled knowingly as Celestia’s smile transformed into the same. “Indeed, my little Alicorn.” Author's Note Than should be then. Leter should be letter. <_<
L15.4 Operation Coronation“Sweetie, it’s time to say a few words.” Celestia smiled warmly as the filly buzzed her wings to stand upon the railing, being too small to properly address the crowd otherwise. Beside her, Luna smiled, forgetting her suspicions to enjoy the moment. In between them sat the Mane6, all holding back tears of joy. “Attention everypony.” Sweetie raised a hoof, silencing the crowd like Celestia had shown her to. The crowd slowly stopped cheering, and Sweetie smiled down at them. Quickly locating her friends in the crowd, she began to speak. “Before I ascended, I was just a regular filly, trying to learn what my mark was. My school had two fillies that constantly bullied me and my friends about that fact. Their attacks made us miserable, and only hurt us more in the long run.” Sweetie closed her eyes and lowered her head, seeing the nervous glances of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “But!” Sweetie raised her head and smiled down at the ponies. All were looking at her with sympathy. Most knew her pain, having met ponies like that before. “When I got to know these ponies, whether they know I did or not, I realised something that granted me great insight and wisdom into bullies in general. For you see, bullies are ponies too. And what do ponies desire above all others?” Sweetie waited a moment, before smiling warmly. Twilight, who was standing behind her, smiled knowingly. Nodding her head, she approved of this lesson. “Friendship.” Sweetie closed her eyes, calling upon her magic to try and induce a Heart Song. Sweetie opened them, feeling the magic starting to respond. All around her, a tune began to rise up from nowhere. Sweetie smiled, there was time for one more statement before she was taken by song. “It reminded me that bullies are ponies too. Yes, there are mean ponies in the world. But, they are still ponies.” (Sweetie starts singing around the 30s mark) Listen closely all there below, I have something to tell, not show. Ponies have wronged me time before, But now I have wisdom I must implore. There will be times of sadness, But you must be strong, Sing your heart to the sky, For only you can truly fly Bullies will bring you down, that is true. But you can rise from it, into something new For we are all connected By pony hearts So stand strong Don’t let them bring you down For we are connected By pony hearts Sweetie looked down, seeing tearful smiled on everypony’s face. Beaming, she bowed her head, and stepped off the railing. Turning to Celestia, Sweetie smiled as she nodded her approval. It seemed her Heart Song was ok. Sweetie hoped it would at least help ponies for the last few days of the loop. After the Coronation there was a party. Sweetie dug into the sweets, trying to appear regal as she did so, and failing masterfully. Sweetie noticed Celestia take a single slice of cake and hide it somewhere. Giggling, she didn’t envy the princess, having to keep her love of sweet things under wraps. After all, Sweetie Belle was ‘Sweet’ie Belle. Slipping under the covers, Sweetie snuggled into her blankets and smiled. It had been a wonderful day. Sweetie was so full of pride and plain happiness her smile was beginning to hurt. Looking toward the ceiling, Sweetie turned her head as somepony knocked at the door. Sitting up, Sweetie levitated it open. “Princess Celestia.” Sweetie tilted her head, and stood up. Celestia pulled out a scroll from her mane, and held it out. Opening it, Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Shield spells? Are you sure I can even cast these?” Sweetie looked at the first one. It was made to keep her coat dry when splashed with water. It wouldn’t work to stop her getting wet when tossed in a lake, but would help her get dry once she got out. “The first one should be easy enough. The main reason I am bringing them up here is your unique magic situation. You said you have to levitate to stop a headache correct?” Celestia tilted her head, and nodded as Sweetie did the same. “Then you should switch to a shield spell. It requires magic constantly to maintain it, and is probably a better magic-sink than levitation.” Celestia smiled warmly as Sweetie looked at the spell and frowned. Closing her eyes, Sweetie clenched her teeth and cast the first spell. Her horn spluttered and groaned, but eventually she felt a shiver pass over her, and opened her eyes. “Your shield is still very weak, but it will grow in strength as your magic does. I must take my leave now. Goodbye Sweetie.” Celestia bowed her head, and left. Sweetie gently rolled up the scroll, and put it in her saddlebags. Smiling, Sweetie walked over to the tap, and turned it on. Sure enough, her fur was wet when under the water, but was dry almost instantly once she took it out. “I wonder if it works for tree sap,” she commented wistfully. Shrugging, Sweetie turned and headed back toward her bed. Either way, Celestia was right. While it was draining, the walk to the bed left Sweetie puffing, it did stop her headaches. Canceling the spell, Sweetie popped into bed and closed her eyes. Switching back to levitating the book, she stifled a yawn and snuggled into the blankets. 'It's too much for me right now, but it will definitely be a good option in the future.' Sweetie smiled, and slowly drifted off to sleep. If she was lucky, she and Luna could have some fun seeing other ponies dreams. If not, there was always the dinosaur dream. Sweetie giggled, wondering what others would say if they knew she liked dinosaurs. Would they tease her about it? Sweetie supposed it didn't matter, no one but Luna would ever know. Luna was very protective of others dreams around those who would exploit that knowledge. It was one of the reasons Sweetie had never seen her sister's dreams, except for that one time with Luna when she had to learn a lesson. Though, whose dream had that been anyhow? Sweetie shook her head, discarding the thoughts, sleep came before dinosaurs. Sweetie wondered if it was possible to bring dinosaurs back to life. Author's Note I kinda picture Sweetie as a 'best of both worlds' kinda kid. As in both a tomboy and a princess if you catch my meaning.
L15.5 Operation Coronation EndSweetie spent all of Wednesday being pampered by the castle, knowing tomorrow was the final step in Operation Coronation. Sweetie closed her eyes and sighed as she lounged. Sure, she loved being out and camping with her friends, but sometimes a pony just wants a nice relaxing day of nothing. And Sweetie got it. However, Thursday was the day she finally got to reveal the prank, and she was entirely prepared for it. Sweetie waited until she received a letter from Celestia. For this prank to be perfect, everypony had to be at breakfast. Sweetie smiled as the letter came, and opened the doors to the breakfast room. “Good Morning Pri-ncess?” The maid blinked at her wingless sides as Sweetie confidently walked toward her food, and began to eat. Everypony, excluding two, was staring wide-mouthed at her. Sweetie took the moment to snap a few more pictures for her scrapbook, which Celestia had insisted upon. “Sweetie Belle, where are your wings?” Rarity blinked, feeling faint as she tried to make sense of the situation. Sweetie paused to take a sip of her drink, and gave a shrug. “The spell only lasted three days Rarity. I’m not an Alicorn anymore.” Sweetie finished her food, hiding a smile behind a sandwich. Of course, Twilight was the one that broke the silence, and she fell off her chair laughing. Gasping for breath as her laughter caused her pain, Sweetie couldn’t hold in her smile anymore. Even Celestia was trying to hide her smile. “You...Pranked us!” Rarity blinked, and Twilight’s painful laughter doubled. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie quickly joined in, enjoying a good prank as much as the next pony. Applejack and Fluttershy said nothing, deciding to continue eating. Rarity glared at them, and began to pick at her food. “Sister, Twilight, Sweetie Belle, may we speak to you alone?” Luna stood up, and exited the room. Twilight, finally calming down, stood up and stumbled after Luna. Celestia and Sweetie were the last to leave, closing the door behind them. Luna closed her eyes, and folded her wings. “I’m disappointed in you Celestia, bringing all your subjects together for a prank, wasting money on a Coronation.” Luna saw the smile still on Celestia’s face as she opened her eyes, and narrowed them. Sweetie Belle pulled out the letter Luna had written herself, and Luna took it, looking it over as all three still wore a smile. “I see…” Luna folded the letter up and handed it back to Sweetie Belle, and slowly a sly smile fell on her face. “Did you get copies of the pictures?” Celestia nodded. “Then all is forgiven. But next time it’s my turn.” Luna smiled down at Sweetie Belle, who nodded enthusiastically. “Consider this revenge for Mr. Cake.” Celestia smirked, and Luna rolled her eyes. “Please sister, that was revenge for you dying my mane bright pink one time.” Luna smiled, and both leaned toward the other, listing pranks of varying extremes. Sweetie smiled, enjoying the show. Twilight coughed, getting the three’s attention. “Luna, I thought you told me you didn’t sleep with a Twilight toy anymore.” Twilight smirked as Luna blushed, and glared vehemently at Celestia. Celestia shrugged, smiling knowingly. “So Luna, what dost thou rate my prank?” Celestia folded her wings as Luna considered it. “8.5. You did well to play on my suspicions, and I never once found any signs this wasn’t real, but you didn’t remove my paranoia enough that I didn’t see it coming when it arrived.” Luna smiled warmly, and Celestia whistled. “That’s pretty high, I was expecting a 7 at the most.” Celestia winced as Luna smirked, and put a hoof to her chin. “You’re right, 8.5 is too generous. I shall go with a 4.2.” Luna chuckled, and all smiled. “Come Sweetie, let us plan my future prank.” Luna began to levitate the filly away, much to Sweetie’s annoyance. “Can’t I finish the food first?” Sweetie folded her arms, glaring at the two chuckling Alicorns slowly growing farther away. “Of course not! We’ll order room service and eat as we plan.” Luna flared her wings and took to the sky, carrying the filly in her magic to her loft. “Joy,” muttered Sweetie. Sweetie slumped in her bed, tired from a long trip home. Closing her eyes, she quickly double checked everything she needed was in her bags. The good thing about her being the only looper was that Luna’s prank could wait a few loops. Sweetie wanted to try something with a little more adrenaline than a prank next loop. Smiling, Sweetie went to sleep, dreaming of herself running through the Everfree at top speed. Author's Note I know it's really short, but I had to write this the same day as the last chapter cause I didn't want to leave youse waiting while I do real life. Also, here's fanfiction based on my fanfiction, props to the creator. Go and give him words of support. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/233939/2/ It might be a day or two until the next chapter, as I said, real life.
L16.1Sweetie opened her eyes, and smiled as Rarity called her downstairs. Leaping out of her bed, Sweetie concentrated, casting the shield spell, eliminating her headache. Wincing as she stumbled under the strain, Sweetie held it for five minutes, before canceling the spell and grabbing her two books. “Rarity, read this.” Sweetie pulled out the letter, waiting as Rarity read it. Weathering the reaction of her sister as she recovered, Sweetie quickly put the letter away. Forcing herself to remain still, Sweetie opened her mouth to speak. “I’m going to be gone for this loop, so don’t worry about where I am, okay?” Sweetie held up a hoof as her sister immediately objected, giving a scathing glare. “Come on Rarity, I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to go before Twilight leaves to go shopping today.” Sweetie waited as her sister bit her lip, and looked away. “Alright, but promise me somepony will know how to reach you in case you get into trouble.” Rarity hated the fact Sweetie was pressuring her right after that letter, but she supposed it was a side effect of what Sweetie was going through. “Of course, Twilight will know. Anyways, I gotta go, see ya Rarity.” Sweetie levitated the pancakes off the plate, and waved goodbye to her sister before dashing out the door. Pausing briefly, she quickly made an excuse to Apple Bloom, before dashing off. By luck; Twilight was only just leaving the castle. “Twilight! Wait!” Sweetie held out the letter as she ran, pausing to catch her breath once Twilight took it. Wiping off the sweat on her brow, Sweetie felt her thudding heart slowly return to normal. Twilight’s reaction was to be expected, and Sweetie waited patiently for Twilight to look over her data. “Twilight, I was wondering if you could teach me how to defend myself.” Sweetie nodded, narrowing her eyes as she squared her shoulders, determined. Twilight blinked and frowned, and put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Well I suppose I could teach you a few combat spells, but I don’t really know much about defending to be perfectly honest, excluding how to dodge that is. My big brother on the other hand…” Twilight trailed off, musing for a moment. Sweetie bit her lip, wondering if she would have to go to Canterlot for combat lessons. “Maybe Zecora or Applejack can help you. Applejack has battled the Everfree before, one time being when she saved Spike from Timberwolves. Zecora on the other hand really helped me when I was training against Trixie, despite the fact I used brains instead of magic-brawn to win.” Twilight glanced down as Sweetie nodded, thinking over the information. “Alright, I’ll try Applejack first. Thanks Twilight!” Sweetie turned and began to trot away. “Why do you want to learn how to defend yourself anyway?” Twilight waited as Sweetie glanced back and giggled. “I want to ride a dragon. A full grown dragon at that.” Sweetie watched as Twilight’s mouth slowly opened, and stayed like that. Smiling, Sweetie turned to leave. "Wait! What if you get yourself killed? Aren't you worried about you know, causing more..." Trailing off, Twilight looked away, causing Sweetie to cringe. "Twilight, I don't mean now. I mean when I can defeat a dragon. I'm not stupid you know." With that, Sweetie continued on her way. While she really wanted to ride a dinosaur, Sweetie was certain they were extinct, so that left them out as an option, at least for now. If Sweetie tried a time spell, Sweetie wondered just what would happen. Would it go back in time? Back in loops? No matter, it was too risky either way. So that left the dragons that were currently on migration. ’But first, I need to learn to defend myself. From what Spike told me one time when I was at Twilight’s, they’re proud creatures. If I best one in battle, it will either curse me or begrudgingly accept its defeat. Either way, I’ll get a ride out of it.’ Sweetie tilted her head, wondering how long dragons lived anyway. Did the time loop affect them? “Well howdy Sweetie Belle, shouldn’t you be at school with Apple Bloom?” Applejack greeted Sweetie with a tilt of her hat, blinking in confusion as Sweetie dug out a letter. Applejack quickly read it, and blinked. What this note said sounded absurd, Applejack held it back out to the filly. 'Ahm gonna have to hear ya say it, so Ah can see if you’re lyin’.” Applejack waited at Sweetie nodded. “I am stuck in a time loop.” Sweetie spoke quickly, seeing the hesitant acceptance on Applejack’s face. “Fair enough. Ah can tell you’re not lyin’, and the note here backs you up, so what can I help ya’ with?” Applejack didn’t like it, but there was no point in denying the truth. Why, that would be lying to herself now, wouldn’t it? “I want to learn how to defend myself if I get into a fight.” Sweetie wondered just how much of her plan she should reveal. Better to just say she wanted to know how to defend herself. “Well, Ah dun know much about it to be perfectly honest. But Ah guess I can help ya learn how to be stronger an better at dodging. Ya see’, I do rodeo shows occasionally, good way to earn some extra money for tha’ family. If Ah had to guess, that’s why Ahm a decent fighter. Ah could probably take you through the course, Ah normally run it once a day.” Applejack motioned toward a round circular track Sweetie recognised from the sister race. However, it looked a lot more advanced than just going over a puddle of mud. “Alright, I was hoping for some karate moves or something, but it couldn’t hurt to get stronger in both my body and my magic.” Sweetie nodded, it sounded solid. Her body wasn’t very strong, a by-product of being brought up by Rarity, but she wasn’t afraid of a little manual labor. In fact, if Sweetie was honest, it excited her. “Alright, follow me an’ we can go through the course before I go apple-bucking. Just remember, Canterlot wasn’t built in a day.” Applejack walked toward the starting line. Sweetie took place beside her, and they took off. Applejack slowed her speed to match Sweetie’s pace, and began to show her through the course. First up was the mud pit. Above it was a tarp, and Applejack dived underneath, crawling through it quickly. Sweetie did the same, knowing that while she was small enough to actually stand up underneath it, that would make the obstacle moot. Shaking some of the mud off after coming back up, Sweetie felt herself begin to sweat. Next up was the barrels. However this time they were arranged in a haphazard order. Applejack weaved through them, one almost toppling as she spun around it to get past an awkward barrel easier. Sweetie followed though slower, making sure to not miss any barrels. Third up was a bale of hay. Applejack tossed it forward, nodding as it landed on the target. Sweetie tried to lift it, but failed. Trying with her magic, she grunted under the weight and was able to toss it a very short distance. Despite her failure, Applejack only nodded encouragement. Sweetie felt her muscles burning as they rounded the corner to the final hurdle. Sweetie slowed down drastically as she approached the sharp incline to climb up. Using the rope, Applejack went from hoofhold to hoofhold, sometimes gripping the rope and tossing herself up the incline. Sweetie felt her strength leave her halfway up, and blinked as Applejack grabbed her hoof and carried her the rest of the way. “That*hah*. Was*huff*. Hard*Wheeze*.” Sweetie saw the sweat glistening on Applejack's face, the gasping breath coming from her as she calmed down. Sweetie could tell that while Applejack was tired, she was still going to recover quickly. Sweetie on the other hand, was exhausted. “Sorry hun, that course is designed for me an’ Big Mac. But yer free to use as much, or as little of it to get stronger. Just remember, it ain’t going to happen instantly. Took me five years to get strong enough to earn a bronze medal.” Applejack tilted her head, and brought over a cup of ice cold water, letting Sweetie guzzle it down. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Sweetie closed her eyes, too tired to move. So she could do almost the entire course, excluding the last one. If she worked at it, she’d be able to at least increase her endurance a lot. Sweetie sighed, getting stronger was hard. But fun, that was for sure. Author's Note Before I got the wonderful finished product that is now the story's picture, I got a sketch. This wittle Belle was made by: Piecee01.
L16.2“Hello my dear Sweetie Belle, please come in so you can tell.” Zecora let the filly into her hut, pouring them both a drink of something Sweetie didn’t recognize. Giving it a sip, it tasted wonderful, she closed her eyes to enjoy the taste. “Zecora, I was wondering if you might be able to help me learn how to defend myself. Only for emergencies, but I’d like to be able to rely on more than just my magic.” Sweetie waited as Zecora considered it, wondering if she would need to try and convince the zebra she was looping. “What you ask is quite a task, but if you desire I can teach you what you require.” Zecora stood up and walked over to Sweetie Belle, and waited. “Yes please, anything you can teach me would be great.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and Zecora opened the door, leading the filly outside. After a short walk down a crack in the forest, Sweetie emerged into a clearing with a pool of water. “Some tasks will be above your skill, but I can teach you about the power of will.” Zecora sat down, instructing Sweetie to do the same. Sweetie did as instructed, wondering what this ‘power of will’ was. “A clear mind in any fight, will help you discover what is right. Patience and wit are what you need, for that we need to let go of greed. Close your eyes and be still as a rock, do not worry about thoughts that flock. Find a way to clear your mind, enough that thoughts leave you well behind.” Zecora closed her eyes, folding her legs as she turned as still as a statue. Sweetie tried to copy the position, but found her legs didn’t bend that way. Sitting normally, Sweetie got comfortable and closed her eyes. So she wanted to be still, and not think. Sounded simple enough, all she had to do was stop thinking. Right, that’s still thinking, Sweetie shook her head rapidly, clearing her thoughts as she tried to clear her mind. After five minutes, she opened her eyes and cried out in annoyance. “I’m sorry Zecora, but I can’t do this. Thank you for the help anyway.” Sweetie stood up, watching as Zecora slowly opened her eyes, and stood up. Bowing her head, she smiled warmly. “Do not fear the results of today, I did not expect it to immediately hold you sway. Practice often and soon you’ll find, it comes as easy as breathing to clear your mind.” Zecora escorted Sweetie Belle back to her hut, and bid the filly farewell. Sweetie began heading back toward Ponyville. So she had a way to increase her endurance, agility, and magic. “So if I practice running, then Zecora’s thing, then my magic I shouldn’t be too tired. But I still don’t feel like that’s enough. But it’s not like anyone here knows Karate or anything” Sweetie grumbled loudly as she stopped once arriving in Ponyville. The question was, how much of each should she do each day? “Did you say Karate?” A blue blur landed in front of Sweetie, and she blinked as it cleared into a familiar pony. Rainbow Dash tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded. “I could probably teach you a few things if you want, though I don’t know why you didn’t just ask your sister.” Rainbow Dash motioned in the direction of the boutique. “Why would I ask my sister?” Sweetie tilted her head. This was great! Something she could use to fight! “Well, duh, she’s an even higher belt than I am. I’m only a Songham-er camo belt-er…” Rainbow Dash paused, tapping her chin as she thought of the best way to describe it. “Well let’s just say it’s the belt between yellow and green. Essentially it means I’m pretty awesome at it, but I still have a long way to go. My form’s too freeform, it keeps getting me disqualified during sparring matches.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. It didn’t overly matter, they all agreed she was awesome, even when disqualified. “What belt is my sister?” Sweetie tilted her head, this was the first time hearing that her sister knew Karate. This was great! Sweetie could get lessons from someone even better than Rainbow Dash. “Brown, close to getting the next belt from what I heard one time at the s-” Rainbow Dash cut herself off and smiled sheepishly. Sweetie rolled her eyes, as if she didn’t know Dash liked the spa. “That’s great, I’ll go ask her for help then, see you later Rainbow Dash.” Sweetie waved goodbye, and quickly trotted in the direction of her home. By luck, Rarity was home. Sweetie stepped in and smiled warmly at her sister. “Teach me Karate!” Sweetie saw her sister jolt, and slowly turn toward her. “Come again?” Rarity put her drink down as she regarded her sister. Was she serious? “Rainbow Dash told me you’re a brown belt, whatever that is, in Karate. Please teach me!” Sweetie waited as Rarity digested this, and sighed. “Very well, but It isn’t going to be easy. It requires constant diligence. And I’m a little bit rusty.” Rarity stood up and began to clear the main room of the boutique out. Rarity knew it would be best to get Sweetie a proper teacher, but the filly might not want more than one lesson. Rarity supposed she could at least help her sister get off a white belt. “Alright, let’s begin.” Sweetie slumped on her bed, and sighed. Karate was a lot different to what she expected. It wasn’t tiring like Applejack, nor boring like Zecora’s. It was like a routine. Sweetie closed her eyes and smiled. ‘It is going to be a long time before I can actually be strong enough for what I want, but I can make it. If my magic is growing with each loop, it should mean I can grow my strength in other areas too. Either way, it will only help in the long run.’ Sweetie yawned and settled into bed. Sure, she wanted to do more pranks, but she felt antsy. Her desire to find a way out of the loop was hindering her pranks. “Back to work next loop,” she sighed, knowing she couldn’t faff around any longer. Author's Note I used this for the karate thing. And before you say; Yes the show has Rd wearing a black belt. But it's close enough to the belt I gave her to pass it off as that. I don't see RD having a black belt, it goes against logic. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path To be still in the darkness, searching silently for the fleeting light. The cage may grow tighter, can you tell? Warmth may drain from each regain of the love blossoming through the hearts of the ponies left dynamic, presently unchanging. The creature of darkness plays their own game, by which rules do they play, do you suppose? That in this nightmare a hope remains undying; is it welcome in this land of darkness?
L17’Alright, skipping the attempt at Applejack’s course, I've done Zecora’s ‘being still’ class, and practicing the moves Rarity showed me. So that leaves casting the beginner spells again.’ Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated, going through the spells. It wasn’t much progress, but now her horn was letting out a very thin trickle of water. “Alright, time to head over to Twilight’s.” Sweetie turned, trotting downstairs. Pausing briefly at the kitchen, she held out the letter and waited as Rarity responded exactly the same as normal. After weathering the reactions, Sweetie motioned toward the door. “I’ll be at Twilight’s if you need me.” Sweetie inwardly sighed as Rarity objected once more, and narrowed her eyes. “Rarity, how is walking to Twilight’s any different from walking to school?” Sweetie waited, and finally Rarity begrudgingly agreed. Turning, Sweetie exited the house, and quickly apologised to Apple Bloom, before trotting away. ‘Darn, that way is actually slower than the other. I’m going to have to find the best way to get Rarity to let me go. Oh well, it can wait.’ Sweetie knew Twilight would have already left the house, but from the previous loop, she knew what direction she had been heading. Thankfully, Twilight was only about to turn the corner into a side street, so Sweetie was able to find her easily. “Twilight, wait!” Sweetie caught up and waited as Twilight read the letter. Once more, her reactions were exactly the same as all previous loops. Sweetie wondered if there would be a way to at least make this quicker, but supposed there wasn’t. “Can we head back to your castle Twilight? I need your help.” Sweetie’s ears flopped downward as she looked away. Sweetie hated to admit it, but she didn’t know everything. A lot of ideas spoke to her, but she was afraid to take a risk on the possibility they were bad. Following Twilight back to the castle, Sweetie handed Twilight’s notes off, and waited as Twilight slowly caught up with her old self. “I was thinking, what if something that has magic but lives a very long time loops with me. Maybe the magic cuts off at 12:01, and that’s why it drains everypony before that. But I…” Sweetie trailed off, and Twilight nodded once in understanding, musing for a moment. “What about a Phoenix? They technically don’t have an ‘old age’. When they get old, they simply burst into flames.” Twilight sat down, and motioned for Sweetie to do the same. “But, why did Spike get a baby if they live forever?” Sweetie tilted her head, why would something that can live forever need to make babies in the form of eggs? Sweetie briefly wondered if she would ever see a pony egg, but discarded it. There were more important things to think about. “Well, Phoenixes are hunted by Dragons. Teenagers break the eggs, and adults eat Phoenixes. With predators like that, they actually don’t live that long a life normally.” Twilight glanced toward a small photo of Spike and a baby Phoenix, and smiled sadly. “Oh, I see. But where are we gonna get a Phoenix before the loop ends? It’s a long trip to their nests.” Sweetie put a hoof to her chin, musing. “Oh that’s the easy part, Princess Celestia has a pet Phoenix named Philomena. If we inform her of the loop then she will probably lend Philomena to us.” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie nodded, pulling out the glowing letter and holding it out to Twilight. Sure enough, the reply agreed to send Philomena down. However, Celestia could not send Philomena down via the mail, and would send a guard to drop her off tomorrow. Sweetie nodded, shrugging. As long as it was before Friday. Thankfully, Celestia had also given back the glowing letter, which Sweetie quickly put away. “Alright, I’m gonna go to school now. See ya Twilight.” Sweetie stood up, waving goodbye to Twilight. Trotting out the door, Sweetie wondered if this had been a long enough time to get Diamond and Apple Bloom to become fast friends before her return. Entering the classroom, Sweetie inwardly sighed as both were obviously not on friendly terms yet. Maybe it took a day, no matter. Sweetie would have to try it a different loop. “Alright Philomena, you ready?” Sweetie saw the calm expression of the Phoenix sitting in a cage on the other side of the room. It was made out of metal, probably due to the fact Philomena was a fire bird, and had a door that was easy to open. Sweetie glanced toward her closed window and door, and nodded once. Turning, she watched the clock tick over. 11:59… 12:00 Instantly, Philomena burst into flames, and reformed in a blaze of fire. Sweetie looked away, rubbing afterimages from her eyes. Ears flicking, she heard the rapid sounds of two separate bursts of small flame. Sweetie scrunched her eyes, and forced herself to look over. Philomena seemed to not be in any pain, even as she rapidly resurrected. The clock ticked over to 12:01, and Philomena stopped. Sweetie gasped, looking toward the clock. For some reason she felt light headed, and frowned as her mind went foggy. Was it just her, or was she having trouble breathing? It took her oxygen starved brain a moment to realise something important. ‘Fire eats oxygen, and this is an enclosed room.’ Sweetie turned and weakly raised an arm toward the window, trying to open it as she shuddered for breath. But all her strength left her, and she tried instead with her magic. Failing that, she collapsed onto the bed and looked toward the Philomena. Would the Phoenix figure it out? No, Sweetie closed her eyes as she silently suffocated to death. The loop reset, sending Sweetie back to her room. But she was already in her room, so it’s contents followed her though. Sweetie gasped awake, unable to breathe. Diving for the window she found herself still unable to open it. Sweetie suffocated to death again. Stuck in an eternal loop of death, Sweetie knew, in the brief moment she was lucid enough to think, that there was no escape. There was no way to talk, all oxygen gone from her the moment it reset. Quickly, she lost count of the loops. Sweetie felt a tear escape her eye during one of those moments, seeing the Phoenix in the corner going through rapid rebirth as she died repeatedly. There was nothing she could do, she was stuck in a death loop. The door to Sweetie’s room opened, and fresh air rushed into the room. Sweetie gasped for breath, launching into a coughing fit as she barely registered the window opening too. As the clock finally clicked over to 12:01 while fresh air was in the room, Sweetie collapsed in relief. ’I’m ok, I got out of the death loop. I feel so weak.’ Sweetie looked toward the door, watching as Opalescence left Rarity’s room and headed downstairs. Sweetie knew the cat slept in Rarity’s room, so it wasn’t out of the question that she made midnight trips to the kitchen. Slowly sitting up, Sweetie forced herself to calm down. ’The question is, how did I escape?’ Author's Note Before you ask, yes Philomena eventually ran out of oxygen too and the fire would have stopped. Do you think Sweetie would have had the presence of mind to notice that? Also, Sweetie's loop start's with her asleep. So she dies, is asleep, wakes up to find herself suffocating, and dies. Also, I'm taking a day off.
L18.1“Dear god, this is my fault! I should have remembered to tell you to open a window. I didn’t think the flame would eat more air than what was casually flowing into the room via cracks.” Twilight was mortified, how could she had made such a stupid mistake? One simple oversight had almost cost Sweetie’s life, forever stuck in a death loop. “It’s fine Twilight, you didn’t know.” Sweetie sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back on her chair. It really wasn’t that big a deal, everything turned out ok in the end. Twilight blinked, eyes slowly turning toward Sweetie. “Are you...apathetic to your death?” Twilight bit her lip, concerned as the filly tilted her head. “As in, you feel nothing about the fact you just died. Not only died, but died repeatedly by suffocation!” Twilight forced herself not to fly off the handle. There was nothing to be afraid of. A little apathy was not the signs of a mad pony, merely one of the steps toward it. “Oh, yeah a little bit I guess. I mean, sure it was maddening while I was dying, but now I’m not I kinda feel it was one of the better ways to die. I mean, I wasn’t scratched all over by a cliff before splattering to piece-oops.” Sweetie remembered too late that this Twilight probably didn’t know too much about it. However, Twilight merely bit her lip and looked away. Sweetie supposed she had a whole section in Twilight’s notes dedicated to in depth details of her deaths. “I don’t like it, but we should move onto the next bit of news. What happened to Philomena?” Twilight sighed, knowing that passing this might end badly in the future. Writing herself a note about it, Twilight returned her attention to Sweetie as she levitated the cage back up, including the live Phoenix inside. “It’s weird. I remember during the last few times, at least when I was conscious enough to look over there, Philomena was just ash. However the moment the window and door opened she burst back to life.” Sweetie placed the cage down and scratched the back of her head. Twilight nodded, writing it down. Beside her was a spare piece of paper, a half written letter to Celestia. “Speaking of which, how did the window and door open?” Twilight watched as Sweetie sighed, and shook her head sadly. “I don’t know. All I know is if it wasn’t for them opening, I wouldn’t have escaped the death loop. What do you think it means?” Sweetie could tell the obvious, but maybe Twilight would figure something out she had missed. Twilight tapped the feather to her face as she sighed, folding her arms and musing. “Well, there must have been outside interference. The question is by whom? How were they not resetting with each loop? This is based on the assumption if they weren’t then they would have gotten you out the very first death loop. I can only assume they’re in the same situation you are, able to keep a pocket around them from resetting each loop. The real question however, is why did they save you? Then there’s the possibility it was you somehow, but that answer doesn’t feel right.” Twilight closed her eyes, and bit her lip. “Sorry Sweetie Belle, but I can only provide questions, not answers. I’ll send out findings to Princess Celestia, if you give me the looping letter, and we’ll see what she has to say.” Twilight took the letter, and carefully scribbled down their findings on a piece of paper. Calling for Spike, Twilight sent it off, and they both waited. Sure enough, the letter arrived quickly. Dear Sweetie Belle and Twilight Enclosed is the loop letter, returned to Sweetie as requested. Moving on, this is indeed news both grave and hopeful. However, there is something I must discuss with Sweetie Belle in person, so I will be flying down with my sister, Luna, on Thursday. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Sincerely, Princess Celestia P.S. Feel free to release Philomena or take her with you though loops. I can confirm my version of her is not harmed in any way. Please do take care of her. Do not worry about feeding Philomena, as she will feed herself if you let her out. I have already instructed her to stay with you, so she will always return to you at sunset. “Huh, I’ve got a pet Phoenix. Awesome.” Sweetie turned, opening the door to Philomena’s cage. Flying out of the cage, Philomena stretched her wings and came to land on Sweetie’s head, making a nest in her hair. Sweetie giggled, and Philomena chirped innocently. “Anyway, that’s that. I’ll see you on Thursday Sweetie.” Twilight smiled warmly as Sweetie trotted away, heading toward school. As soon as the filly was out of sight, Twilight scribed a letter and sent it to Celestia once more. “Dear Twilight, you worry too much. When death is no longer an option, you do gain a certain apathy to it.” Twilight growled, and scrunched up the letter, unconvinced. “I’m sorry Sweetie, but no pets on the school grounds.” Cheerilee felt guilty to be forcing Sweetie to let her Phoenix go, mostly due to the sad look on everyfilly and everycolt’s face. Sweetie sighed, and opened the window. “Alright Philomena, I’ll see you at home at sunset, ok?” Sweetie smiled, holding out a hoof near her head, which Philomena stepped onto. After a moment of nuzzling Sweetie, Philomena flared her wings and took off toward the Everfree. Sweetie sat down, and the class gave a sad sigh. “Alright, now let’s begin today’s class on how diamonds and sand are formed.” Cheerilee began the class, and Sweetie glanced over to Diamond. There had to be a better way to get the five of them together without skipping a day. Sweetie glanced over toward Snips and Snails, and discarded her thoughts. It would be nice to hang out with them today. Sweetie quickly checked she still had their loop notes. Nodding, she opened up her book and began to draw.
L18.2Sweetie yawned, eyes blinking open, and looked over to the open cage where her new pet Phoenix rested peacefully. Opening the window, Sweetie shivered as a cold breeze rushed into the room. Standing up, Sweetie carefully checked her bags, and trotted downstairs. And came face to face with Celestia. “Uh, Good morning Celestia.” Sweetie bowed lightly, seeing the amused look on Celestia’s face. Bowing in return, Celestia began to speak. Sweetie glanced behind her, seeing Luna holding something in her magic. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my version of Philomena. I need to know how stable our looping selves will be. There is a possibility it could end badly, but Philomena has agreed to take the risk.” Celestia looked toward the second Phoenix, who bowed her head slightly. “But, what if it does end badly?” Sweetie bit her lip and looked between the two. Surely they weren’t going to take such a big risk, right? Celestia bowed her head and smiled serenely. “We would never do it without your consent. We just wanted to present it as an option. Guard, take Philomena back to Canterlot.” Celestia turned, and Luna gave the cage to a guard, who saluted, and walked out of the door. Sweetie sighed, smiling. “Thank you, I really don’t want to see…” Trailing off, Sweetie shuddered. Surprisingly, Opal walked over and gently rubbed against Sweetie’s leg, before skulking away once more. Sweetie watched the cat go, wondering just where that small show of affection came from. “The reason we needed to speak to you in person is due to a request we have. Before that, can you confirm it stopped draining once a full minute had passed?” Celestia folded her wings as Sweetie nodded. “That is indeed news. For, while we may not be immortal, we are very long lived. It is possible we may be able to survive the drain. For how many loops, I do not know. It is possible the magic will not detect our link, and drain only my body of magic, rendering my 'immortality' useless. By that I mean my body will die, but my soul and mind will still be alive, now a part of the sun.” Celestia paused, and bowed her head. “Again, we will not go ahead without your consent.” Luna stepped forward, and the two looked at Sweetie. Gulping, Sweetie debated the problem, before once more shaking her head. “No, I just-I can’t it-just no. Sorry.” Sweetie’s ears flopped back and she looked toward the ground. Two sets of Alicorn wings enveloped her, and she smiled sadly. “Do not apologise, we are merely running the ideas by you. There is one more we must mention.” Luna and Celestia stepped back, and Sweetie raised her head. “If we cut off our magic, or give it to you, we may be able to fool the spell into thinking we aren’t alive. However, it might detect us like it did the tree due to the fact our bodies would still contain minute amounts of magic, which is why we present this third option.” Celestia flared her wings, and Luna continued. “If we use a spell to cause us to technically die for five minutes, we should be able to completely remove all magic from our systems. However, this poses a risk due to the fact that if you can’t power the spell to restart our hearts, we will die. Even if the spell drains the magic from our dead bodies, the moment we are back alive we will quickly regain our magic.” Luna looked toward Celestia, who nodded. “No,” replied Sweetie, shaking her head. "It’s too risky, I have very bad luck, and I’m not very good at magic.” Sweetie bit her lip and looked away. Relying on her skill would not end well. The fact she was terrible at cooking proved that. Still, at least she was making slow improvement with each dish and Rarity’s advice. “Then we will respect your decision.” Celestia bowed her head, and Luna smiled. Feeling relieved she wasn’t being forced into it, Sweetie smiled. “Here is a letter to ourselves about these results in case we bring it up again.” Celestia held out a note covered in golden moonlight. Sweetie tilted her head, this was new. It must be a combination of both translation magics. “Anyway, is there anything else you wanted?” Sweetie followed Celestia and Luna as they walked out the door. “Essentially yes. I also wished to ask if you have gone through the archives of Starswirl. I assume I have already shown them to you, yes?” Celestia looked down as Sweetie nodded. “Most of it yes, a few of them are pretty hard to understand, but Twilight translated them from book-smart into plain Equestrian for me. It’s the final pages that really confuse me. So I took a copy of them. I think once I know more about how this loop works, they’ll make more sense.” Sweetie smiled warmly as the two slowly walked over to the carriage where the cage had already been sat down. Sweetie turned and looked toward her window as her Philomena flew out of it, circled around in the air, and dived for the cage. Landing on it, both Phoenixes looked at each other, and touched beaks. Sweetie flinched and closed her eyes. However, nothing happened. “Well, at least we know that duplicates can meet and touch now.” Celestia raised a hoof, Sweetie’s Philomena hopping onto it and crooning happily. Thrusting her hoof upward, Philomena took into the air, and flew toward the Everfree. Celestia and Luna sat down in the carriage. “But-Shouldn’t there have been a paradox?” Sweetie tilted her head, and Luna chuckled. “Do not worry Sweetie, it’s just physics. Ask Twilight about it.” Luna chuckled as Sweetie winced. Waving goodbye, Sweetie watched the two princesses leave. Sweetie supposed she shouldn’t be surprised they were having some fun with their outing. But did they really have to show up in a banana carriage? Not only that, why did Celestia grant life to a dozen bananas, and give them wings? Sweetie shook her head, knowing if she knew the answer to that question, she’d be that much closer to getting out of the loop. After all, the meaning of life, the universe, of everything, was 42. And 42 divided by banana equaled Celestia. Sweetie shook her head, clearing whatever crazy cloud of thought had consumed it instantly. Boredom, she presumed. Author's Note This chapter was bought to you by the number: Here is another poem made by: Divine Path To still wander lost through the gloomy shade, surely you must find it now? The end of such lies, resting peacefully, ready to escape such a fantastically miserable nightmare.
L19.1“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie opened her eyes, and sighed as she stared at the ceiling. In a corner of her room, Philomena quietly preened herself, preparing to leave via the open window. Closing her eyes, Sweetie let her arms fall on her face, letting the feeling of her fur slowly bring back reality. “What’s the point,” she mumbled to herself, rolling onto her side to look out the window. Sighing again, Sweetie opened her eyes slightly, watching life pass by outside. It wouldn’t be long before Rarity came upstairs looking for her. Sweetie sat up and looked to her hoof. “The only way out of the loop is to end the source or find the correct spell to get me out of here. We can experiment all we like but it isn’t going to change anything. It’s time-It’s time to accept this is my life now.” Sweetie hugged herself and bit her lip. After a moment, she stood up, and walked over to her desk as she pulled out a piece of paper. Looking down at it, Sweetie lifted a pen up, and scratched a line through the fifth item. Objectives: 1: Deal with DT and SS. 2: Get CM, and get friends said CM. 3: Learn every question going to be asked during school so I don’t have to listen during class. 4: Win snowball fight. 5: Get out. 6: Get DT and SS to become CMC. 7: Regain friends “I should probably add a few more items when I get time, but it might be better to just make a list of things I want to do. Hrm…” Sweetie folded the piece of paper up, and put it in her bag. Pulling out a fresh piece, she mused for a moment, before shaking her head. “No, I’ll just end up needing to change it again. Alright! Time for something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.” Sweetie beamed a happy smile, and left her room. Philomena took that as her cue, and flew out the window. Sweetie trotted downstairs, and held the note out for Rarity once more. ’Alright, now I just wait for Rarity’s normal reaction...There! Now I can speak.’ Sweetie quickly cut off Rarity, and opened her mouth to speak. “At midday, somepony is going to come around and take you to Manehattan. I want you to bring me with you.” Sweetie saw the gut-rejection as Rarity denied that ‘even if it was true she would never’. After a moment, Rarity blinked and scratched the back of her head, remembering who she was talking to. “Well Sweetie Belle, if you really want to do so, it doesn’t hurt me to do so. Just remember to stay close and not go off by yourself.” Rarity smiled as Sweetie nodded enthusiastically, and both shared a quick moment of glee. Rarity upon realising she was going to be showing off her fashion in Manehattan, and Sweetie for finally seeing something new. Sure enough, the stallion appeared at midday, and the three were off without a second brush of the mane. Sweetie sat down next to Rarity on the train, both quietly discussing what they would be doing while in Manehattan. However, the stallion quickly cut them off. “I’m afraid Miss Rarity will be too busy organising the fashion shoot to spend time on such activities.” The stallion pulled out a noteboard and handed it to Rarity, who blinked open mouthed at the list on it. Sweetie sighed sadly, now she wouldn’t be able to spend time with her sister. Rarity mused for a moment, before smiling. “Sweetie Belle, how about we spend one more day in Manehattan so you and I can experience the city sights together?” Rarity winced as Sweetie hugged her tightly, and chuckled, returning the hug just as tightly. Rarity quickly went over the list, working out where there would be time to cut corners and spend a moment or two with Sweetie. Discarding such thoughts, Rarity realised Sweetie would just be happy to see her working as if she wasn’t with her sister. Rarity frowned, wondering how she knew that, but shrugged it off as intuition. Sweetie looked out the window as the scenery passed, thinking of how much she had been wanting to do this trip. Getting off the train, they followed the stallion to the hotel they had been assigned, and were given half an hour to settle in. Rarity ordered room service, and they both lounged on the beds for fifteen minutes before Rarity left to get ready. Sweetie smirked, and pulled out her coronation dress from her saddlebags, and quickly got dressed before Rarity was done in the bathroom. “Oh my!” Rarity fawned over Sweetie’s dress, her amazement only growing when Sweetie explained Rarity herself had made it. It was absolutely perfect for Sweetie in her opinion, the black bringing out the filly’s white vibrantly. Rarity looked to her sister’s hair, and quickly ferreted her into the bathroom so she could make the curls really stand out. Finished just in time, both bowed to the stallion as he looked at them, gulped, blushing as he turned away. Both sisters giggled, and followed the stallion to the cab, and off to the building the show would be at, so Rarity could get an idea of the scope of her work. As Rarity looked it over, she nodded, this was definitely workable. “Sweetie Belle, be a dear and help yourself to the hors d'oeuvres while I handle business.” Rarity watched as her sister went over to the table and began to eat delicately. Where had her sister learned how to act fancy, she would never know. Turning, Rarity began working over the details of the decor, designing the place so it would best complement the clothes being shown off. Sweetie ate slowly, feeling a sense of pride as Rarity sent her an approving glance. Sure, it wasn’t as fun as playing with her friends as doing extreme hang gliding was, but it included a lot less tree sap. In fact, the amount of tree sap was 0 exactly. Giggling at her silent joke, Sweetie took a seat so she could watch her sister work, wondering how she would tackle the decorations. Sweetie personally thought it needed pink. A lot of pink. In fact, paint the whole building pink. That would be perfect.
L19.2Sweetie jolted awake and looked around in a blind panic, not knowing where she was. Eyes finally catching sight of Rarity, Sweetie relaxed as her memories returned, and she breathed in sharply. Rarity had outdone herself yet again with the decorations. Sweetie was a little disappointed in the lack of pink, but it wasn’t her job to make the place look nice. And really, Rarity had done a very awesome job regardless. “Sweetie Belle, you’re awake! We’re just about done for today, so what do you say we go someplace of your choosing?” Rarity smiled warmly as Sweetie leapt up and hugged her sister, thinking on it. Going somewhere was nice, but she would really like something that would last more than a few hours. “Mind if we go to the bookstore?” Sweetie saw the disappointed look on her sister’s face and looked away, oops. That must have been a test, and Sweetie had failed. Rarity shook her head, putting on a winning smile. “Of course Sweetie, and how about we go out to dinner afterwards?” Rarity smiled warmly as Sweetie jumped at the idea, and led her sister to the cab. It took some time to hail, but Rarity looked down and realised Sweetie didn’t care. Thinking fondly of her for a moment, Rarity almost missed the taxi pulling up. Arriving at the bookstore, Sweetie immediately jumped toward the magic section, looking for any useful books that might help when she was better at magic. Sure, progress was being made, but it was slow going. Sweetie could hold the protection spell while walking now, but it still wasn’t at the level Sweetie needed it to be. ‘Tardis Syndrome? Sounds interesting. Doesn’t somepony in Ponyville call their telephone booth that?’ Sweetie placed the book in her ‘want’ pile, and turned to the next one. This one listed exercises for strengthening her ‘horn muscles’. Sweetie flipped it open to the first page. “Gyah!” Sweetie flipped backward, the book flying and hitting Rarity on the side of the face. Picking it up, Rarity raised an eyebrow and flipped to the first page, before her white body turned bright red, and she slammed it closed. Trotting over to the counter, she got the store clerk’s attention. “Uhm, excuse me darling but I think one of ‘those’ books got into the magic section.” Rarity held out the book, and the clerk blushed, quickly stowing it under the counter with a quick apology as he walked away. Rarity walked over to Sweetie, and leaned down. “Sweetie dear, forget what you saw in that book, it will make sense when you’re older.” Rarity saw the skepticism on Sweetie’s face, and held a serious look. Sweetie sighed, and returned to looking for magic books. Whatever that book was about, Sweetie knew it wasn’t magic. Sweetie eventually found one more magic book titled ‘increasing magic flow in fillies: A guide for parents.’ Levitating her books, Sweetie moved over to the fiction section and began to look for more fun things to read. Sweetie gasped, the new Human Pals was out. Sweetie quickly slipped it between her magic books, hoping no one saw her taking it. Lyra had gotten her onto the series one day when Sweetie had tried getting her Cutie Mark in using a lyre as a slingshot. Somehow, tree sap got involved, again. Sweetie plucked out a few thicker tomes, before looking at one sharing the same name as Twilight. Sweetie turned, and blinked as Rarity thrust it back on the shelf. “Trust me dear, that thing belongs in Opal’s kitty litter box.” Rarity lifted up Sweetie’s books and took them to the counter. Sweetie followed, finished. Proud of herself, she looked over the fifteen books she had managed to find. It was sad that only two were magic books, but it meant she wouldn’t be bored for now. Following Rarity out, they dropped by the inn to drop off the books, and headed for the restaurant. Sweetie changed into the dress she had worn when getting her Cutie Mark, Rarity changing into something equally fancy. Walking in, they quickly got a table, and looked over the menu. “I think I’ll have the Royal Crepe with a red wine, what about you Sweetie?” Rarity folded up the menu as Sweetie perused her own. “I’m thinking the Chef's Salad, I don’t know why but I really like salad. Who would have thought?” Sweetie raised her head and smiled as Rarity chuckled, and quickly ordered for them. As the meal came, Sweetie looked toward the wine. “Rarity, can I have a taste?” Sweetie pointed to the wine, and Rarity tilted her head and considered it. After a moment, she shrugged and held out her cup. Sweetie sniffed it, and took a sip. Wrinkling her face up, she swallowed and gave it back a moment later. Rarity chuckled, digging into her meal. “Blegh, how can you like that?” Sweetie shivered, and Rarity giggled once more. “It’s an acquired taste darling. You’ll love it when you’re older.” Rarity tried to hide her smile as Sweetie tried to get the taste out of her mouth. “Blegh, nope. I’m never having that gunk again.” Sweetie gulped down her drink, calling the waiter over and asking for some apple juice. If that was what adults drunk, Sweetie never wanted to be an adult. Gulping down the apple juice, Sweetie sighed as the taste finally left, and dug into her meal. “We’ll see,” remarked Rarity, a sly smile on her face as she looked over at the tables, eyeing the other guests. Sweetie finished her meal quickly, and eventually it was time for them to go. Sweetie frowned, seeing Rarity stumbling as they tried to ascend the stairs toward the room. If adult drinks did this, and they tasted that bad, why the hell did they drink it? It boggled Sweetie’s mind. Shaking her head, Sweetie helped Rarity into the bed, and slipped into her own. Giving a yawn, Sweetie vaguely noticed it was way past her bedtime. No matter, one late night wouldn’t do any harm. Just like one sip of Rarity’s wine hadn’t done any harm. “Ooooh Fancypants,” mumbled Rarity in her sleep. Sweetie’s eyes flared open, and she groaned. Standing up, she grabbed her pillow and blanket, and trumped into the bathroom to sleep on the floor. Stupid Rarity. Author's Note I actually don't mind the Twilight books. Excluding the last one, they're a decent read. A bit heavy on the draaaaaammaaaa, but a decent read none the less.
L19.3“Are you sure you’ll be fine to spend today in the inn? You’re free to come watch the show.” Rarity glanced to the clock that was ticking down the time to the shoot. For a Tuesday, they were starting the shoot very early, 3pm on the dot. Rarity silently cursed the fact she had slept in too long. “I’ll be fine.” Sweetie shrugged, and Rarity bit her lip, and finally left through the door. Pausing before she closed it, Rarity opened her mouth to speak. “Order what room service you want, don’t leave the room, and don’t let anypony but the ponies who bring up the room service in.” Rarity paused once more, unsure if she was really making a good decision, leaving Sweetie alone. Sweetie rolled her eyes and motioned Rarity away once more with a shooing gesture. “Goodbye!” Sweetie sighed as the door finally clicked shut, and yawned. Sleeping hadn’t been very easy to come by last night, so Sweetie was looking forward to an early night. However, she still had a few hours before she let herself sleep, and that meant room service. Sweetie grinned, and quickly scanned the menu, ordering as much candy as she could. Sweetie dug in the moment it was delivered, washing it down with some soda and milkshake, licking her hooves free of chocolate. Sighing, she laid on her bed and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of a candy-filled belly. Plucking out one of her books, Sweetie lazily read it, not even noticing the moment she fell asleep. Sweetie woke up slowly, feeling the buzz of a good nights sleep. However, the moment was quickly swallowed up by the intense need to go to the toilet. Sweetie leapt up, and dashed straight for it. Sighing, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and sniffed the air. Smelled like Rarity had already ordered breakfast. Stepping outside, Sweetie took a seat and ate her dry toast, drinking it down with orange juice. Rarity was quietly reading the newspaper. Sweetie rubbed her stomach, regretting the candy binge from last night. It would be hard to continue her exercise routine with a stomach ache. Sweetie finished her food just as Rarity placed the paper down. “So Sweetie Belle, we’ve got a few things we can do while we’re in Manehattan. We could go visit Applejack's cousin, Babs Seed. Or we could go to the museum and the water park. There’s also a spa I’ve been dying to go do, or we could do some traditional shopping. I’ll leave it up to you.” Rarity waited as Sweetie considered her options. She could always come back another loop after all. “You know, I could really use a day of relaxing. Let’s go shopping, and finish up with a spa trip.” Sweetie saw the giddy glee on Rarity’s face and smiled warmly. While Sweetie would love to dig into her books, or go to the water park, or even visit Babs, all three could wait. Sweetie closed her eyes and sipped her drink, wondering how many loops it would take before Manehattan no longer had anything new for her to see. Rarity decided to show Sweetie how to do proper clothes shopping. Sweetie didn’t entirely understand what went with what, and why. Rarity took her sister under her proverbial wing, and slowly led her toward a clothes rack. Plucking out a piece of clothing, Rarity began to speak. “Now Sweetie, Black goes with most things, however you have to be careful not to couple it with a dull color. Black needs something bright to contrast with it. Dull colors work well in a business setting, but otherwise you want to look good. Most ponies don’t wear pants, but if you do a pair of black pants or a skirt can help complement your flank.” Rarity brought the fabric up to her Mark so Sweetie could see what she was talking about. “Uh, I think I get it.” Sweetie was confused, but it was the good kind of confusion. While a lot of what Rarity was saying was going in one ear and out the other, it was still fun seeing her sister in her element. Sweetie wondered if she would ever look that happy doing her talent, which meant she would not be seen in the limelight. No matter, it wasn’t like Sweetie would ever get the chance to pursue her talent. Sweetie put a hoof to her heart, biting her lip as she felt a deep pain in her chest. Shaking it off, Sweetie quickly went back to listening to her sister. Maybe if she payed attention, she could learn to make her own dresses. After all, Rarity’s talent didn’t involve clothing, just her ability to bring out the diamond in the rough. Sweetie paused again, realising how similar their talents were. Except for the fact Sweetie helped people bring out their hearts, Rarity helped people shine no matter the occasion. Sweetie felt the pain sharp in her chest again, and decided she had done enough clothes shopping. Sweetie’s thoughts wouldn’t allow it. “Alright, let’s head to the spa, a wonderful end to a wonderful week.” Rarity and Sweetie took a taxi to the spa, and Sweetie’s thoughts faded as she began to let herself relax in the comfort of others pampering her. Sweetie vaguely thought about how this was similar to Zecora’s exercise, and finally realised why Zecora was teaching her it. Patience, Sweetie realised what she was teaching was patience. Closing her eyes, Sweetie smiled, and let her thoughts fade, focusing on the moment of pleasure as she was pampered. Eventually though, Sweetie was done, and she soon got out and washed herself off. Looking back, Sweetie realised Rarity was far from done, and sighed. “Rarity, come on, it’s time to go.” Sweetie waited as her sister begrudgingly removed herself from luxury, and followed her sister’s example. As they left, Sweetie saw her sister spend some more bits getting a hot towel for the road to wrap around her neck. As they exited into the street, Sweetie felt a smile plastered on her face. A nice day was its own reward. Author's Note Nows your chance to suggest what Sweetie should do next loop. I expect 500 comments. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Rest guiltless in this wonderful dream, yet to be spoiled by the inevitable darkness. May you retain your splendor through the night, and never lose sight of that light, even as you remain in bliss.
L20Author's Note 20th Loop anniversary edition. Thank you for the suggestions. I'll be sure to enact them if and when appropriate. L20 Sweetie opened her eyes, waking up early for once. Quickly checking her bags, she walked downstairs and quickly ate her pancakes. They were yummy as always, but Sweetie silently wished she could eat something else on a Monday for once, just to liven things up. Oh well, Sweetie stood up and headed for the door. “Apple Bloom, can you head to school without me? I’m going to be late.” Sweetie waved goodbye to Apple Bloom as she left, and turned, heading down a side street. Looking around, Sweetie spotted them and smiled. Taking off into a run, Sweetie ‘accidentally’ ran into them, causing them to tumble into a pile. “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry!” Sweetie quickly untangled herself from the pile, and Snips and Snails quickly dismissed her apology. Sweetie pretended to pause, and then narrow her eyes. “Wait, you’re Snips and Snails, two colts who sit in the back of the class.” Sweetie tilted her head as they shared a sheepsh glance, and nodded. “And you’re Sweetie Belle, the filly who sits at the front and is teased for not having...a…” Snips looked down at Sweetie’s flank, and both gasped. Sweetie blushed, taking a step back. “Congratulations on the-” spoke Snails. “Cutie Mark,” finished Snips. Both shared a glance and smirked. Sweetie giggled, and took a step closer. “Thank you, I actually got the day off because I got my Mark.” Sweetie raised her head proudly up, and the two colts breathed out in awe. A full day off for getting a Mark? Boy, they were envious. “Why don’t you join me?” Sweetie fluttered her eyes and smiled as both blinked, and shared a glance. “Uh, sorry but we can’t.” Snails looked down in disappointment, and Snips nodded solemnly. Sweetie shrugged, and gestured with a hoof. “Come on, what’s one day of skipping going to do. Let’s go look for bugs at the edge of the Everfree.” Sweetie beamed a brilliant smile, and both colts blinked at her, before looking away and scratching the back of their heads. “Mm-ookay,” spoke Snips. “Yeah, sure,” replied Snails. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school!” Sweetie beamed a dirt-caked smile at the two colts, and bounced her filthy flank home. Both colts waved her goodbye, and quietly skulked home. Sweetie snuck upstairs to the bath, and quickly ran it before Rarity got wise. Once she was sparkling clean, Sweetie nodded, brushing her hair as she headed downstairs. “How was your day Sweetie Belle?” Rarity ate her food quietly as Sweetie saw down to hers. “Oh you know, the usual. Everypony was exited about my Mark though.” Sweetie smiled warmly at her sister, and started eating. Soon enough, she was done, and it was time for bed. Heading upstairs, Sweetie closed her door, and finally let her smirk show, looking toward Philomena. Jumping into bed, she silently laughed as she hugged her pillow. Tomorrow was the day. Sweetie walked into class proudly, taking her seat. Glancing back, Sweetie was pleased to see it looked like Diamond and Apple Bloom were on familiar terms, quietly discussing her new Mark. Sweetie leaned down, getting into work as she waited for the class to end. After three aching hours, it was time for lunch. “Hey Scootaloo, Apple Bloom!” Sweetie greeted her friends, waiting for Snips and Snails to leave the classroom. Both of her friends shared a glance, before shaking their heads rapidly and smiling. “Hey Sweetie, guess what? We managed to convert Diamond and Silver into Crusaders.” Scootaloo pointed to the two as they walked out, and shared an uneasy smile. Sweetie waved eagerly, and the two walked over. “Uh, hey. Listen, we’re...sorry for calling you a blank flank.” Diamond scratched the back of her head, biting her lip as she awkwardly apologised to Sweetie, having already done so to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Sweetie smiled and brought Diamond into a very quick hug. “Don’t worry, I forgive you.” Sweetie felt Diamond flinch, and then relax. Releasing Diamond, Sweetie stepped back so all her friends could see her, and waved Snips and Snails over. “Girls, you know Snips and Snails. Can we please include them in our group? They’re very fun.” Sweetie motioned both colts forward as they hesitated, hearing her introduction. All four fillies shared a glance, and then rolled their eyes. “Of course they can Sweetie.” Scootaloo smiled warmly, and all four walked over and began talking to Snips and Snails. Sweetie smiled, pleased with the results. Now all her friends were together. There was just one last thing to do. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, I know how to get you your Marks. But we need Diamond and Rainbow Dash’s help.” Sweetie could tell Diamond wasn’t entirely comfortable around them yet. And that meant they needed a bonding moment. Sweetie looked toward Scootaloo, who nodded. “I’ll get Rainbow Dash for tomorrow.” Scootaloo then turned her gaze to Diamond, who sighed. “Alright, what do you need me to do?” Diamond walked over to Sweetie as the filly motioned, and frowned as Sweetie whispered into her ear. “Well, alright, but are you sure this will work?” Diamond watched as her new friend enthusiastically nodded, and sighed. Whatever Sweetie knew that she didn’t, she’d find out. “Alright, we’ll meet at my house tomorrow, and do the thing with Rainbow Dash in the afternoon. Does that sound good to everypony?” Diamond looked between them as they all nodded, and glanced to the sky. “Alright, is there anything else? We’ve still got fifteen minutes left of lunch.” Diamond saw everypony except Silver smirk. Sweetie stepped forward, and gently booped Diamond on the nose. “You’re it,” she whispered, and everypony scattered. Diamond blinked, and then smiled, chasing after one of them. “Oh come on! I’m always it!” “No no no! That spoon goes over here!” Silver Spoon glared at Scootaloo, who numbly put the spoon where it apparently went. Silver nodded once, and glanced over to the other four. Diamond Tiara was overseeing their ‘Fancy cutlery setting up’ over the other side of the table. They were using paper plates, so nothing had a chance of getting broken. “Ugh, you three are useless! You’re worse than blank flanks, you’re no-flanks!” Diamond pulled out the chair and leapt onto it, and then onto the table so she could look down at them. Apple Bloom met the glare, and opened her mouth to say something back. Sweetie put a hoof over the mouth, and shook her head. “Seriously, you three can’t even set up a table right, how are you expecting to master this? This is servant work.” Diamond thumped her hoof on the table three times, and then turned toward the chair and made to step off the table. However, it suddenly creaked, and snapped on one end, sending her careening toward a window. On the second floor, it would most certainly hurt. Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated, dragging Diamond to the ground, causing her to skid to a stop just before the window. Pretending it took a lot more out of her than it actually did, Sweetie wiped her brow. It was important she act as she did on Loop 7. “Are you ok?” All moved around to make sure Diamond was ok. Sweetie reached out a hoof, but stepped back as it was swiped away. Diamond turned, and glanced toward the table. “What was that noise up there?” It was Mr Rich, Diamond flinched and breathed in sharply. Sweetie looked to Apple Bloom, who was looking at the table, and tilting her head. “Think you can fix it?” Sweetie waited as her friend blinked, and gave a shrug. “Maybe, but Mr Rich isn’t going to just wait down there while I try to fix the table.” Apple Bloom turned as Scootaloo saluted, and dashed for the stairs. Sweetie moved toward the table and helped Apple Bloom lift it up, grunting. Feeling the weight slightly lessen, she saw Silver, Snips, and Snails were helping. All glanced to Diamond, who blinked and followed suit. “Ah need a hammer and some nails!” Apple Bloom raised her head and looked to Diamond, who quickly dashed away to get the tool kit. Sweetie bit her lip, and Apple Bloom pulled a chair over, bringing it to rest just under the lower end of the table. “Y’all can let go now.” Apple Bloom nodded as the chair kept the table from hitting the floor, leaving her enough room to examine it while she waited for Diamond to get back. Below, Scootaloo was stalling Mr Rich, but it wasn’t going very well and he was already at the stairs. If he got to the top, the table would be in clear view of the stairs. “Here!” Diamond came back with a large tool kit held in her mouth. Apple Bloom took it and nodded to Sweetie and the others, who lifted the table back up to more or less horizontal. Apple Bloom quickly got to work, sweat beading on her head as she forced herself not to rush, despite the noise as somepony slowly walked up the stairs. “Can I see your money collection? Tell me about stocks!” Scootaloo’s panicked cries were ringing through as Mr Rich ignored every one. Apple Bloom was sweating, hooves shaking. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and forced herself to work slowly, but quickly. As she hammered the last nail in with a loud thunk, Mr Rich saw them surrounding the table. “What is going on.” Mr Rich looked as Apple Bloom rolled out from under the table. Looking between her and the hammer clutched in her mouth, he turned to look to Diamond as she strained to hold the table upright. “You can let it go now,” whispered Apple Bloom through the hammer. All five gently lowered the table down, and let go. It was rock steady. Mr Rich walked over and tapped it, before putting some weight onto it and frowning, tilting his head. Turning to Diamond, he folded his arms. “You were standing on the table again weren’t you?” Mr Rich was proven right, as Diamond lowered her head and gave a nod. He sighed, and looked toward Apple Bloom. “Dun worry sir! Ah fixed it up all good an’ proper so ya dun have ta’ worry about it.” Apple Bloom put the hammer down and motioned toward the tools sheepishly, as he once more leaned onto the table. “I can see that, this table used to have a wonky leg.” Mr Rich let his frown drop as he leaned down and examined the fixed leg of the table. “Where did you put the nails? I can’t even tell what is your work and what was already there.” Mr Rich looked toward Apple Bloom and let his surprise show. Slowly, the filly smiled and began to point toward specific nails. “Ya’ see, the table leg was wonky ‘cause this piece of wood wasn’t ‘ammered in properly. So ah fixed up tha’ piece and added some nails for extra support.” Apple Bloom felt hopeful, maybe they weren’t going to get punished. Mr Rich stepped back, and chuckled, shaking his head. “Well I can’t exactly let a filly who just got her Cutie Mark be punished can I?” Sure enough, on Apple Bloom’s flank was a picture of two pieces of wood being hammered together with a nail. There was also a small clock burned into one of the planks. “Ah dun believe it! Ah got mah Cutie Mark!” Apple Bloom and her friends celebrated while Diamond and Spoon stood off to the side, feeling awkward. After a moment Apple Bloom turned to them and smiled warmly as she walked over. “But how did ya know Sweetie?” Apple Bloom tilted her head as Sweetie put an arm around Diamond’s neck. “This was all Diamond’s idea. I could have never done it without her.” Sweetie smiled, and Diamond frowned, confused. However, as the others crowded around to thank her, and congratulate Apple Bloom, she decided to forget about it. Diamond would never admit it, but she was a sucker for compliments. Sweetie watched this from the back, smiling warmly as she saw Snips and Snails join in. All in all, it had gone mostly to plan. Sweetie supposed it was lucky Snips and Snails didn’t change anything major. Either way, it was time for the next item. While it had happened on a separate day the last time, Sweetie was sure it would be possible to do it in one. Especially after her secret instructions to Rainbow Dash. All left the house, and met up with Rainbow Dash, who winked at Sweetie. Smiling innocently, she watched as Rainbow Dash explained she would be teaching Scootaloo how to ride a cloud down an obstacle course. Scootaloo buzzed her wings excitedly. “We have to clear the clouds for tomorrow anyway, I see no reason not to get an early start. I‘ll be right back.” Rainbow Dash quickly got to work constructing the clouds. Sweetie glanced toward the others, seeing their reactions. Stifling a yawn, Sweetie returned her attention to Rainbow Dash. "Hop on Scoots, I’ll show you how to make a board. Hang on a sec kid, something's wrong with the cloud.” Sweetie watched as Rainbow Dash showed Scootaloo how to make a board, and then realised Scootaloo was having trouble controlling her innate magic. “Could ya tone down the magic, sis? It’s interfering with the stuff I used to make the cloud stay in shape. Hold on a sec, lemme see your wings.” Sweetie tapped her foot, trying not to show her impatience. It wasn’t like she could bring out a book, she was supposed to be eager to see what Rainbow Dash was doing. “Scoots, have you ever used weather magic before? Are ya foster parents Earth or Unicorn?” Once more, Dash watched Scootaloo nod. Sweetie sighed, noticing the others had noticed her annoyance. Forcing herself to act like she was paying attention, the others quickly lost interest. “There’s the reason for it then, and with Cheerilee being an Earth Pony; no wonder it’s leaking out so much. Alright, listen carefully, I’m not much of a teacher so this’ll be very basic, but follow exactly what I say. Alright, now for the final test.” Sweetie mused over what Rainbow Dash spoke about, understanding slightly more. As Scootaloo flew around, she wondered if it would be possible to get a book about it. It sounded like an interesting subject. “Heh, I wonder if she’s gonna remember we’ve got stunts to pull.” Sweetie waited impaitently for Scootaloo to remember exactly what Dash had said. “Alright, time to surf those clouds, kid.” Sweetie watched as Scootaloo went through the course, keeping her expression the same as the crowd. “That...Was...AWE-SOME!” Dash and everyone began to crowd around Scootaloo, giving praise. Even Diamond, who was standing slightly to the side, sent a ‘good job’ her way. As Scootaloo felt everyone praising her, and the knowledge she would never be grounded again, tears sprung to her eyes, and she looked to her flank as a tingling distracted her. Sweetie watched as Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash shared a tearful hug, and nodded. There was just two more things to do. Sweetie dodged one snowball, tossing her own at Snips before getting hit in the head by one from Snails. Ducking, Sweetie nodded to Diamond and Silver, who were on her team, and they both rose, sending a flurry at the two colts, who were buried under the snow. A white flag popped out of the snow, and Sweetie turned her attention back to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Darn it, we took so long with Snips and Snails they made a flank-load of snowballs.” Sweetie smiled warmly at Diamond and Silver, and they all knew they were going to lose. Raising her final snowballs with magic, Sweetie charged the enemy base. “We fight to our last breath!” Sweetie gave a battle cry, Diamond and Silver right behind her. As they fell under the torrent, Sweetie saw Scootaloo get face planted with a snowball from Silver, and smiled as she fell backward. Next time, she would win Snips and Snails to her side and get those two out of the way, betraying the colts at the right moment. “Alright, I’ve gathered you here because I have something to tell you.” Sweetie had Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight standing behind her as she faced her friends. All gulped, but stood strong. Sweetie glanced toward the three adults behind her, and they nodded. “I am stuck in a time loop. That’s how I knew how to get Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s Marks. These three behind me will vouch for me if you don’t believe me. I can even get Princess Luna and Celestia if that is still not enough proof.” Sweetie looked at the skeptical faces, and all turned to Applejack. “She’s tellin the truth, Ah can vouch.” Applejack was not a liar, so they shared a glance and sighed. “Why are you telling us this? And why today?” Diamond spoke first, and Sweetie bit her lip. “Well, I want to get something to prove I am looping from each of you. And today is the last day so…” Sweetie trailed off, and the others paused. “Well, I guess we can do that. I mean if tomorrow comes we can always get you back for it.” Silver put a hoof to her chin, and Diamond nodded. The others gave them a glare, but relented quick enough. “Snips, Snails, I already have your proof.” Sweetie held up their letters, and the two colts took it, blinking in surprise. “Oh wow,” gasped Snails. “We believe you.” Snips nodded, and both handed back the letters. “Alright, so we jus’ need ta write something that only we would know?” Apple Bloom tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded, holding out paper. All four sighed, and wrote down the information as requested. “If it were anypony but mah sis, Ah wouldn’t be doin this.” Apple Bloom held out the piece of paper, and Sweetie took it, taking the others in her magic. Putting them in her bag, she gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, now I won’t have to handle…” Sweetie forced herself to stop talking, and shook her head rapidly. Smiling she turned toward Rarity. “Can we have the day off?” Sweetie waited as Rarity sighed, and shrugged. “Oh alright, but you owe me.” Rarity winked, and Sweetie giggled, running off to enjoy the final day with her friends all together.
L21.1“Hyah!” Sweetie sent out a small burst of water at the target, drenching it before switching to the next one. The water came out of her horn in short bursts, and Sweetie was obviously concentrating. Behind her, Twilight quickly levitated the targets in random patterns, making Sweetie’s job of hitting them much more difficult. “Next!” Twilight watched as Sweetie turned and bent her horn close to the fire, and cast the spell. A spark erupted from her horn as she leaned back, setting the wood on fire. After she stepped back, the flame died down, now feeding on the wood instead of her magic. Sweetie wiped a bead of sweat off her brow. “Next!” Twilight levitated up some pepper mixed with itching powder, and sniffed it up. Feeling the sneeze about to explode, she sighed in relief as the spell swept over her, followed by one to remove the itching powder’s itch a second later. Twilight shook her head, and then sat down. “Next!” Twilight felt the spell hit her in the head, and instantly blacked out, after a moment she was quickly roused by a spell. Shaking off the muggy feeling in her head, Twilight cast the wake-up spell on herself a second time, clearing the effects of the first spell. Twilight took a step, and felt her hoof lock up, causing her to trip forward on the grass. Spitting out some of the dirt, she stood up, and clapped Sweetie Belle. “Good job, I think you’re ready to move onto intermediate. Promise me you’ll be careful with them though. What do you say we take a half-hour break, and come back to test them after?” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie nodded, sitting down at the picnic beside the now-burning fire. Eating her sandwich, she felt pleased by her progress. Twilight had suggested they practice on a hill near Applejack’s farm, away from any trees that might catch on fire. While Twilight was sure she could contain any magic mishaps without worry, it didn’t hurt to have a little extra protection. Sweetie sipped her apple juice and tried to hide her glee. Finally she would learn some proper spells. “Alright, let’s start with stun and disarm.” Twilight stood up, and picked up her fork, pretending it was a weapon, and crouched low to the ground. Trying to look fierce, Twilight even growled, much to Sweetie’s entertainment. Picking up the book, Sweetie read how to cast both the spells, and concentrated. Sweetie first cast stun, watching the beam leave her horn and hit Twilight. Twilight blinked, and then returned to her fierce gaze. Sweetie bit her lip, and cast the disarm spell. Her magic hit the magic holding the fork, and flung it behind Twilight. Sweetie was annoyed because it was literally right behind Twilight, but at least it hadn’t hit her. “Both could use a bit more force, but that will come as you grow your magic with that force-field. How’s that going by the way?” Twilight picked up the fork and put it back down on the picnic, glancing to the fire and dousing it with a quick spell. It was too warm for a fire anyway. Sweetie shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay, I can hold it for half a day now, and talk with it on. But I still lose it if something unexpected happens.” Sweetie raised her head as Twilight nodded, and took to the sky. Bringing a cloud down, Twilight held it near the ground for Sweetie. Getting the hint, Sweetie cast a cloudwalking spell, and jumped onto the cloud. Standing on it, she slowly sunk through it and gently slipped out the bottom, landing on the grass with a soft thud. “So the same situation with cloudwalking. Alright, now try knockback and the smokebomb.” Twilight kicked the cloud, dispersing it, and stepped back. Crouching down, she prepared her ‘war’ face and growled once more. Sweetie forced herself not to smile, and concentrated. Casting the spell, it hit Twilight and sent her back very slightly, but didn’t break her concentration. Sweetie pointed her horn to the ground between them, and cast the second spell. A small explosion of dust appeared, and quickly dispersed. “Right, I think I know what the problem is, but let’s see the last two spells. Do teleportation last.” Twilight waited as Sweetie concentrated, groaning as she forced as much magic as she could into the spell. Pointing her horn in the air, Sweetie sent a bolt of magic into the air just above her. The spell exploded into a tiny, colorless, sparkles that fizzled out almost instantly. “Teleportation…” Sweetie concentrated, wondering if she would even have the magic to teleport. Feeling her headache building as she tried to hold more and more magic in her horn, she was not anticipating the sudden explosion right in front of her, and the immediate headache. Twilight was quick to help her back up once Sweetie confirmed she was ok. “Alright, so the problem I’m seeing is you’re not able to get enough magic out of your horn. Think of it like a water tap. While I can turn mine up to a torrent, yours can only go to a trickle. The problem with that is, there isn’t many techniques to increase the flow of magic. I had a similar problem, at least until the day I got my Mark. “My magic exploded outward, essentially opening the floodgates. It took me a long time to learn how to stop my magic from just flowing out, and by that time I’d lost a lot of my built-up magic that most ponies have. I had to basically refill my water supply, and that was impossible until I learned how to turn my ‘tap’ off. If it wasn’t for Celestia, I would have probably spent my life with very weak magic.” Twilight paused, and sat down, putting a hoof to her chin. “There’s two possible solutions to your problem. One is you do what you have been doing, slowly opening your tap though practice. The other is we purposely force a magic surge on you, which is not a fun experience. Hrm.” Twilight mused for a moment, and then looked toward Sweetie, who shrugged. “Let’s go with the magic surge.” Sweetie nodded determined. Even if it wasn’t fun, it would still be safe, Twilight would make sure of that. Sweetie was tired of always feeling like she had the weakest magic. Now there was a chance she could fix that problem. “Alright, I’ll get Celestia and Luna in on it too, just in case. Meet me at the castle tomorrow.” Twilight wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but it couldn’t end too terribly. Even with Sweetie being the center of the loop, her magic ‘tap’ being opened wouldn’t harm anything. Well, that’s what Twilight’s science said. And science was known for being proven wrong. Author's Note Edit: That was weird, published and yet not? A lot of people have asked if the CMC still experience the draining, why Rarity believes it so easily, etc etc. The answer is yes, they do. I just omit it so that I don't get comments like this: So if you see something missing from a chapter, and it's following a normal order of events, that's why they're not there all the time. It's a fact of life in a time loop that events can seem copypaste if you constantly say the same thing, even when they're not. So if you see me skipping the CMC apology, Rarity learning about the time loop, and other such events, that is why. Also, happy . Here's some more awesome fanart, this time by Sbloom85:
L21.2“So you’re saying I’ll be like a cup, and there’s a hole in the side near the bottom. But because it’s not at the bottom I’ll always have a small bit of magic?” Sweetie tilted her head, it made sense. Twilight nodded, glancing to Celestia for confirmation. “It would be too risky if you lost all your magic. Chances are extremely likely that would make the magic that is causing the loop to think you’re dead.” Celestia’s horn glowed yellow as she finished casting the final spells on the large room. They all knew what happened if the loop thought Sweetie was dead. “Are you sure this is safe?” Sweetie bit her lip, feeling unsure about her decision, now that it was time to actually go through with it. What if it turned out badly? After all, Sweetie had drained a lot of magic from ponies due to her reset outside, surely that might be more than Celestia can handle? “Do not worry. While I did not have the chance to take such measures when Twilight surged, there are many spells to reduce the damage it can do. One of these will funnel your magic into Luna, who has the highest tolerance for foreign magic. This way, once the surge is over, we can return what you lost, circumventing most of the problems Twilight had when she began to yearn for more complicated spells.” Celestia gently levitated Sweetie Belle’s bags off her back. “Hey, what are you doing?” Sweetie held out a hoof in objection, and Celestia quickly brought up a new pair of saddlebags. These ones appeared smaller, and was made of a black material with pink lines going down it, the same color as Sweetie’s mane. Sweetie glanced inside, and gasped, it was nearly twice as big as her old saddlebags inside. But, how? “During olden times, we often had to carry an army of paper with us. Saddlebags didn’t have enough room, even with how much we could carry. So we convinced Starswirl to invent a spell to help. So he made a spell to make the space inside saddlebags twice as large as the space outside, give or take a bit depending on the skill of the unicorn casting the spell.” Celestia paused, and put a hoof to her chin, glancing to Luna. “Come to think of it, didn’t Starswirl say he had gotten the idea from a colleague of his who was in town for the week?” Celestia waited as Luna shrugged, and waved the issue away, returning her attention to carefully repacking Sweetie’s new bag. Sweetie smiled, this was great news! Not only would she now not have to carry such bulky saddlebags, they were pretty too. “No matter, back on the the topic at hand. Even if Luna gets overwhelmed and is unable to handle the magic being sent her way, we have set it so it will instead be sent to the moon to be divided between the stars. I expect, depending on the amount we receive, the night sky will look vibrant for centuries to come. We have made every certainty in ensuring your safety.” Celestia bowed her head, Twilight looking over her notes. Sweetie breathed in, “Alright, let’s do this.” Sweetie stepped into the center of the room, feeling the magic vibrating in the air. Forcing herself to remain calm, she waited as the other three got into position, Luna and Celestia in front with Twilight behind her. They hadn’t told her what the test would require, so Sweetie was confused when they brought in a metal pole. “Using levitation, bend this pole.” Celestia and Luna looked seriously at Sweetie, so she picked up the pole in her magic. Maybe the test was to overcome her limits, and that would bring on the surge. Concentrating, Sweetie poured all her magic into trying to get it to bend. Grunting as the metal refused to budge, Sweetie glanced sheepishly at Celestia and Luna’s disappointed faces. Trying again, Sweetie gritted her teeth and concentrated so hard, she was giving herself a headache. KABLAM! Sweetie jumped, hearing something explode behind her. Giving a cry of fright, she glanced behind her to see Twilight holding a popped balloon, and quickly realised she no longer had control of her magic. The fright had removed a force she hadn’t been aware existed. Sweetie cried out, tears streaming from her eyes as a corona of energy burst out of her horn, surrounding her. Sweetie couldn’t see, there was magic in her eyes, and pain erupting from her horn. Sweetie felt no control over her own body, and she realised exactly what a foal she had been to think this was a good solution. Her horn felt like someone was tearing it off, and her body was spread out like she was on an operating table, her voice no longer working. Then all of a sudden, Sweetie felt something slide over her horn. It was done slowly, and Sweetie realised something she hadn’t been aware of in her head was there. It was like a-well it was as if there has been something blocking her horn that was currently locked in an upward position that was currently being forced back down. Sweetie supposed another way of explaining it was that it was as if someone was turning a handle she had only just become aware of, that was attached to her head, and limiting the flow of magic coming out of her horn. Sweetie realised, with shock, that as the force slowly closed it, she was gaining control of it. Almost like she was growing a second horn. As the force finally closed over her horn, and the handle clicked, telling her brain the flow was almost entirely sealed off, the magic holding her instantly faded. Sweetie felt her body slowly lower to the ground, feeling as if every nerve was alive with energy. Shivering like she had just gotten out of an ice cold shower, Sweetie looked to Celestia, whose horn was glowing. “Stay still, we’re almost done.” Celestia’s horn gained a second aura, and Sweetie felt the force holding her ‘handle’ vanish. For a brief moment, she was worried her ‘handle’ would immediately slam back to open, but it stayed inert. Very slowly, Sweetie felt the trickle of magic being returned to her body, and looked over to Luna to see a thin stream of magic connecting hers and Sweetie’s horns. After a moment, it faded, and Sweetie felt exhausted, but not, at the same time. “Alright, take as long as you need to recover. We can talk after.” Celestia’s words swept the breath out of Sweetie, and she fell into a sitting position. Her entire body ached, and she closed her eyes as the familiar headache returned. Sweetie didn’t want to risk casting magic just yet, so she decided to grin and bear it for now. As her head metaphorically cleared, she stood back on on shaky limbs, and nodded. “I was quite surprised, the amount of magic being expelled was quite a lot...less than what I was expecting.” Luna glanced toward Twilight, who nodded, joining them in front of Sweetie. “Yeah, it was less than my surge too. Uh! No offense intended.” Twilight sheepishly smiled at Sweetie who discarded it. Sweetie knew she was never going to be ‘magically talented’ like Twilight, but that was ok with Sweetie. Celestia was the only one who looked grave. “Twilight, didn’t you say Sweetie got out of a death loop somehow?” Celestia waited for Twilight’s reply. Pausing, Twilight tried to catch up with her mentor’s thoughts. After a moment of thought, she gasped. “Wait, are you saying that what got Sweetie out of the death loop might also be taking what energy is drained each loop?” Twilight bit her lip as Celestia nodded. “It is the first explanation that comes to mind when I consider the fact Sweetie does not have any of the magic she should contain from draining multiple ponies for...ten loops?” Celestia glanced toward Sweetie, who smiled sheepishly. “Uh, this is loop 21.” Sweetie saw their mild shock, and looked away. Now they probably wanted to know what she had been doing those twenty loops. Surprisingly, they simply moved on. “So, the real question is; what do we do about it?” Luna glanced between Twilight and Celestia, and both sighed. Shaking their heads, all looked toward Sweetie Belle. “I guess you could try to find who it is. I mean, that might even be the way out of the loop. Maybe your loop is different to Starswirl’s. Still, that presents the problem of finding them. Apparently they are also not affected by the time loop.” Twilight began to write down her notes. “We mustn’t forget there’s the chance this entity is not actually alive, and is just the spell’s design. I understand it’s difficult to not want to put the blame on somepony but…” Luna trailed off, and Twilight nodded, putting down Luna’s notes as well. “Either way, we are forgetting the most important aspect here; dear Sweetie had just gone through a surge and is likely worried about using magic.” Celestia had seen Sweetie holding her head, trying to ignore the headache. Smiling gratefully, Sweetie forced herself to listen despite the pain. “It is perfectly safe to use magic, just be aware you will have trouble managing how much to put into a spell while you learn how to control your magic. Be careful of putting too much in and getting a spell to explode in your face. The same goes for putting too little. As always, we will be here if you need us.” Celestia smiled, flaring her wings as she looked between Luna and Twilight. “Alright, thank you.” Sweetie cast the force field spell, wincing as her horn wanted to gush out all her magic. Thankfully, the spell soaked it up while Sweetie slowly reduced the amount to what the forcefield actually required. As her headache faded, Sweetie was able to fine tune it even more, relishing the control she had now. “Thank you,” she spoke to the three Alicorns, who smiled warmly in response. Author's Note Grunting as the metal refused the budget, Sweetie glanced sheepishly at Celestia and Luna’s disappointed faces. Pfff
SSL57I invented a spell to transfer my mind to a temporary host, the first test being a rat. However the loop merely thought me dead and reset me back to my old body. A pity, the one time I could have eaten all the cheese I wanted. Er-I mean, ever since I found out Celestia has a room filled with cakes, I spent three loops eating the entire room, and five working off the resulting stomach ache. I have a problem. As it is, I have incinerated the spell I mentioned above, as it is useless. It is probably a ‘crime against ponydom’ too now that I think of it. After all, I could easily use to it jump into another pony’s body. Sure it would meld our minds together into some freakish pish posh of both personalities, but it is possible. I think I’ll try making shield spells next. Maybe if I devise a ‘complete’ version based on the highest power one, I can invert it in such a way to, at the very least, limit the effect of the time loop. If it works, then only I will loop. Which means storing all my notes in a box and including it in the bubble. But I digress... In other news, I discovered that Alicorns have a unique reaction to ingesting rocks. Apparently it causes a euphoric feeling in their bodies. It is quite curious to see, and very entertaining. I wonder if I could create a spell designed to give a pony the same feeling. No, it is best I don’t. Heaven forbid what would happen if the youth of tomorrow got a hold of it. Speaking of tomorrow, I wonder if a time spell would work. It wouldn’t have to last long, just enough to quickly pop into the future, see if I get out. I better put limiters on the spell too if I leave it written down. Then again, maybe it would be better to go into the past and- Well that’s just great. My future self just visited me. There’s only bad news. Not only do I now have to create the spell, and go back in time to repeat what he just said to me to fulfill the paradox, it counts the loop time, AND I now have to keep track of time while I work so I know when to jump back to. Stupid future selves and their knowledge of the now. Ps. Why the hell did I think putting my Mark on each page was a good idea? I think I'll stop here. It's stupid, who doesn't know me? Nopony, that's who.
L22Sweetie was currently back practicing her spells, however this time she was getting a lot of magical explosions in her face, instead of just a weak spell. Sweetie’s water spell had blown Twilight sky high, and the fireworks were exploding right in front of Sweetie’s horn, earning her some very light burns. Thankfully, the spell was designed to prevent injury for the most part. Sweetie had spent the rest of the loop training with Twilight, and had decided to continue it in the mornings. Sweetie concentrated, trying to teleport again. Twilight watched as the filly blinked, coming out at the other side covered in soot. Wincing, Twilight thought back to her first tries, when she had used too much energy to teleport. Sweetie dusted herself off, and then smiled at Twilight. “I gotta go now. I’ve been secretly organising something for a few loops now.” Sweetie smirked as Twilight was instantly curious, and followed Sweetie into town toward a very poorly made stand. Twilight wondered if Sweetie was going to sell Lemonade, but as she looked toward the sign she narrowed her eyes. “Fortune teller?” Twilight watched as Sweetie sat down and flipped a sign to open. Slowly, people began to crowd around. Sweetie shrugged nonchalantly in response. “Granted I don’t have a lot of information about what they will be doing, I can learn it for the next loop using this sign right here.” Sweetie levitated up a sign saying ‘Accurate predictions or your money back!’ Twilight snorted, and took a seat beside Sweetie. Sure, she was going to read the new Daring Doo book that Rainbow Dash had lent her, personally signed too. But that could wait, this was much more interesting. The first customer was Lyra Heartstrings, ever the believer in strange and kooky things. Sweetie watched as the bit was dropped into her jar, and closed her eyes, pretending to concentrate. “Ask your question about the future,” she spoke, making her voice waver. Sweetie hoped she was doing a decent job of selling the ‘fortune teller’ look as well, despite her lack of clothing. Sweetie was silently hoping nopony would ask any questions she wouldn’t know for another loop, but it was always a possibility. “Is it going to snow tomorrow?” Lyra glanced to the crowd, deciding on a simple question. Lyra knew that the weather ponies were planning to bring snow, what with Winter coming soon, so it was a prediction she could actually use. After all, it was quite easy to bundle up. Lyra would return for some harder questions later. “No, but it will on Thursday.” Sweetie smiled warmly, closing her eyes and tilting her head. She was lucky Lyra had asked such a simple question. As she moved along, Sweetie looked to the next pony. It was Applejack. Tossing a bit into the jar, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “How many apples will I pick tomorrow?” Applejack smiled, knowing if Sweetie was going to try and guess, she would know instantly. Sure, being able to tell lies didn’t come in handy very often, but when it did it always payed off. “Alright, what I’m going to do is write a number on a piece of paper. Tomorrow after you finish, come here and I will show you the number. If it is wrong, you get your bit back.” Sweetie quickly scrawled a number, hiding it with her hooves as she quickly folded it up with magic. Silently, she wondered if it would be wise to learn to write horizontal while using magic. The next pony stepped forward, barging Applejack out of the way. “Can I take tomorrow off work without any repercussions?” As the bit flew into the jar, the pony was pushed out of the way. “Will my door be repaired in time for the bad weather?” Sweetie watched another bit fall into her jar. “Should I go to the hospital about my infection?” Shrinking back slightly as he leaned over her stall, Sweetie whimpered. “Should I do my job and repair a stallion’s door before this week?” Sweetie closed her ears, holding them down with her hooves. “I’m having trouble in bed, should I take some meds to help me sleep?” The sound carried into her ears despite them being held closed. Voices crying out for questions to be answered. Sweetie realised this was a very bad idea. She was regretting it immensely. “SILENCE!” Twilight raised her voice, flaring her wings. As she shouted, the crowd grew silent. Sweetie blinked her eyes open, and sat up properly again. Twilight sat down and stared sternly at every pony. “One at a time, no pushing. Anyone caught cutting will be moved to the back of the line.” Twilight looked toward Sweetie and bowed her head. Smiling gratefully, Sweetie looked to the crowd as they quickly got organised. “To answer the first five questions; no, yes, yes, yes, and no those won’t help what you need to do is flip the mattress upside down. Next!” Sweetie smiled sweetly, hiding her satisfied smirk behind an innocent smile. The ponies were asking stupid questions, questions she couldn’t get called out on. Really, this was going way too well for her liking. “Uhm, my mother has always had problems with losing her job. And she recently got fired again. I was wonderin’, does she get a job today? Cause I dun wanna go hungry…” It was Dinky, the daughter of Ditzy Doo, sometimes called Derpy. Sweetie bit her lip, and then smiled warmly, and tapped the jar. “Don’t worry, she’ll find a job. And if she doesn’t, all my earnings from today are yours.” Sweetie saw the tears as they left Dinky’s eyes, and felt her heart melt. Even if Derpy didn’t get a job, Sweetie would make sure her classmate didn’t go hungry. Sweetie wondered if she should feel guilty because she hadn’t realised this was happening in previous loops. After a long day, Sweetie greeted Dinky as she slowly approached. Looking down, there were heartbroken tears in the filly’s eyes. Sweetie quickly realised her prediction had come wrong. Levitating her jar of money up, she took out the majority, leaving a little in case some ponies came back, and quickly put it in Dinky’s saddlebags. “Don’t worry, somepony will give her the chance she needs. Ditzy just needs to find her place.” Sweetie gently lifted the chin of Dinky up, and looked her seriously in the eyes. Surprised, she fell backward as Dinky jumped at her, bringing her into a hug. Feeling the silents sobs Dinky was giving off, Sweetie gently patted her. “Th-Th-Thank you.” Dinky ignored her growling stomach, knowing it would soon be filled to the brim. Sweetie smiled sadly as she returned the hug, feeling a gnawing guilt slowly eating her up. How long had this been going on behind her? Why did she feel like it was her fault? Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie solemnly swore to make sure Dinky was cared for each loop from now on.
L23“To answer the first five questions; no, yes, yes, yes, and no those won’t help what you need to do is flip the mattress upside down. Next!” Sweetie smiled warmly as Dinky stepped up. Sweetie was prepared for Dinky this time, and she had her savings from the previous loop already gift wrapped and ready. “Uhm, my mother has always had problems with losing her job. And she recently got fired again. I was wondering’, does she get a job today? Cause I dun wanna go hungry…” Dinky looked down, and Sweetie closed her eyes, and began to humm. After a moment, she stopped, opening her arms wide, and spoke. “Your mother will unfortunately not find a job until Thursday when the weather team asks her to help move clouds. However I foresee a stranger leaving a package for you at 7:25 tonight that will prevent you from going hungry until then.” Sweetie shook her head, as if breaking out of a trance, and blinked curiously at Dinky. “I’m sorry, I must have zoned out there. What was your question?” Sweetie noticed the confused gaze on Dinky, and smiled warmly as the filly explained what had happened. Putting a hoof to her chin, she shrugged. “Must have been the spirits talking through me. Either way I wish you the best of luck. Here, take two bits for a snack on your way home.” Sweetie levitated two bits out and handed them to Dinky, who smiled in gratitude. Sweetie turned her attention to the next customer. “Hi, I was wondering if it is time to break out my latest batch. Is it?” Berry Punch glanced awkwardly around, wondering if the greedy stares were directed at her, and the thought of her skill over alcoholic drinks. Discarding it, she turned her attention to Sweetie. “Sorry, it won’t be ready for another week,” apologised Sweetie, shaking her head slowly. Berry pouted, and sighed, walking away mumbling about how brewing was boring work. Sweetie turned her attention to the next pony. A male Earth Pony with a light gray coat, dark gray mane, and light blue eyes. Sweetie reconised him by this three four-leaf-clovers Cutie Mark. “Will I be able to do it today?” Lucky Clover glanced left and right, and Sweetie nodded. As the colt left, she remembered how she had said the same thing last loop, and had turned out to be right. Sweetie wondered what exactly it was, but discarded such thoughts. The next pony was a female Pegasus Pony with a light yellow-brown coat, a pink mane and tail with a light pink streak, rose-red eyes, and a Cutie Mark of three tornadoes. “Will I be put on weather patrol on Thursday?” Orange Swirl was looking forward to her trip to Las Pegasus, however knew she wouldn’t be able to go if she was called in to work. Sweetie paused for a moment, and held her head, pretending to be ‘communing’ again. “Sadly yes, and if you skip it you will be fired.” Sweetie saw the annoyance on the pony’s face as she skulked away, and turned toward the next pony. This stallion had a light brown body with dark brown hair and an hourglass Cutie Mark. Sweetie easily reconised the pony as Time Turner, a pony who was in charge of keeping time on events that required as such. “Is the world going to end this week?” Time Turner wasn’t known as the sanest pony, but even Sweetie could see something strange about how he asked the question. Eye twitching, it was almost as if he was a bullet about to explode. Sweetie had answered yes last loop, and it hadn’t ended well. Stifling a shudder, she decided to give a more puzzling answer. “The world will end when the clock has come full circle, and-uh-reversed to what it once was.” Sweetie silently cursed the fact she had slipped mid-sentence, but Time Turner hadn’t noticed. In fact, he seemed to almost relax slightly. Sweetie heard a quiet chuckle escape his lips as his eyes twitched once more, and he walked away. ‘Man, I’m going to need to find out what’s wrong with him one loop. However, Dinky is going to have to come first.’ Sweetie supposed under normal circumstances, the fact Time Turner was asking about the end of the world would make her want to know more, but such thoughts had quickly been discarded when Nurse Redheart turned out to be the next pony in line. She was a white pony with a pink mane and a medical red cross as a Cutie Mark. “I’m sorry about Time Turner. He got a head injury on Sunday and won’t let me take him to the hospital. The idiot was reading Planet of the Sapiens too. No thanks to Lyra.” Nurse Redheart glared at the crowd. After a moment she sighed, deposited a bit into the jar. “Do I catch him before he hurts himself?” Nurse Redheart looked in the direction Time Turner was stumbling, chuckling about flying ponies in the air, remarking how he must be dreaming. Sweetie shrugged in response. “It’s not a question of if you catch him before he hurts himself, but if before he hurts others. I’d get the entire squad, when that bomb blows it won’t be pretty.” Sweetie nodded gravely as Nurse Redheart’s eyes widened, and she dashed away. Sweetie turned to the crowd. “Alright! Last customer for today! Everypony else can wait until tomorrow!” Sweetie watched as the crowd began to part, and looked to the final pony. It was Fluttershy. Looking down, Fluttershy whimpered, and whispered words in a voice more fragile than silence. “Uhm...Is-Is Angel-g-going to b-be okay a-after getting hurt by that mean Everfree monster?” Fluttershy shrunk back, and Sweetie smiled gently, and gave a small nod. Relieved, Fluttershy rose slightly, hiding a smile behind her hair. “T-Thank you.” Fluttershy left, and Sweetie turned the open sign to closed, and glanced toward Twilight. Twilight stood up and nodded once. “I’ll be off then, see you later Sweetie Belle.” Twilight turned and left, and Sweetie returned home as well. Watching the clock, she rose when it got close to 7, and quietly excused herself. Walking out, Sweetie held a neatly wrapped present covered in pink ribbons and poka-dot patterns. Hiding behind a corner, she waited. At exactly 7:25, Sweetie concentrated, closing her eyes as she forced herself to not use more magic than needed. It was very important the package didn’t teleport half-singed on the other side. Sweetie cast the spell, and watched from her hiding spot. The door opened, and Dinky watched as a present appeared before her, completely unharmed. Sweetie silently cheered, glad she was right about objects being easier to teleport. Dinky opened the present, revealing a large jar full of bits. Eyes brimming with tears, she breathed in sharply, and picked it up, calling out to her mother. Derpy walked over, and looked over the paper the jar had been in, looking for signs of who had given it. Finally, she too broke into tears and hugged Dinky, hovering in the air as both laughed and cried over their sudden good fortune. Sweetie slowly left, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her chest.
L24“Excuse me, Miss Ditzy?” Sweetie approached the sad looking mare, sitting down and looking at a pink piece of paper that signaled her termination as a mailmare. As Sweetie approached, Ditzy quickly hid it behind her back and smiled warmly, trying to hide her sadness. “Oh, hello. You’re uh, one of the kids in Dinky’s class. Uh… What was it…” Ditzy paused and frowned, eyes going cross eyed as she thought. Sweetie blinked in surprise. ‘Oh, so that’s why she’s called Derpy. Huh.’ Sweetie discarded it, realising Ditzy wasn’t going to get her name anytime soon. And they had a schedule to keep. Sweetie wanted to have it done under 24 hours this loop, and five seconds every other loop. “My name’s Sweetie. Listen, I heard about you losing your job…” Sweetie glanced downward and scuffed the ground, once again proud of her acting skills. They had only improved over the loops. Sweetie, in a moment of morbid curiosity, wondered if she could fake being dead for a loop. “Oh, you heard about that. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll find another job. O-Oh and don’t worry about Dinky! She’ll be at school, make no mistake.” Ditzy smiled, and then narrowed her eyes and nodded, determined. After a moment, her face fell and she sighed, looking toward the sky as she folded her wings. “Well you see Miss. I want to help you find a new job. See I...happen to know all the jobs that are available today, and I was hoping you’d at least try each of them.” Sweetie wasn’t sure if Ditzy would go for it. “But why?” Ditzy’s eyes focused directly on Sweetie, and then went in opposite directions. Sweetie smiled warmly, and curtsied. “My sister is the element of Generosity. It tends to rub off.” Sweetie winked and Ditzy snorted, a proper smile finally coming onto her face. Sweetie pulled Ditzy up and pulled out a long list. Sweetie had been saving it for a non-fortune teller loop. It was obvious a long-term solution was needed if she wanted Dinky to not go hungry. Sweetie’s plan was simple. Find the job Ditzy got, and then in future loops have a ‘stray breeze’ blow it into her face. It might take more than that, depending on how desperately Ditzy was looking for a job. Sweetie glanced to the first item on her list. “Alright, let’s go!” Ditzy nodded as Pinkie explained how to make the batter, watching as she demonstrated. Ditzy stepped up, copying the moves to the best of her ability. Ditzy put everything in, slotted the muffins into the oven, closed the door, and stepped back. It was exactly three seconds before the oven exploded “I’m sorry, you’re not what we’re looking for.” Mr Cake escorted Ditzy and Sweetie outside, and closed the door. Applejack blinked as every leaf on the trees was bucked off, leaving only the apples. “I’m sorry, you’re not what I'm looking for.” Fluttershy spun around in circles as she tried to calm down every single animal that had been startled when Ditzy had tried to say hello ‘quietly’. “I-I’m sorry, you’re not what I'm looking for, if that’s ok with you.” Rarity’s eyes twitched, looking to all her ruined fabrics, including the priceless ones. “I’m sorry, you’re not what I'm looking for.” Twilight watched from outside as somehow her crystal castle burned. It wasn’t being damaged, but it was burning. “Oh come on! We were just walking by it!” Sweetie glared vehemently at the castle. “Face it Sweetie, there’s just no job out there that’s fit for me.” Ditzy sat down at the park bench, and sighed. Sweetie pointed to the last place on her list, and cried out as Ditzy took it, and rolled it up, tossing it expertly into the bin. The bin spat it back out, and said something about washing its mouth out with droppings. “Please Ditzy, just one more, and then we can call it a day. Think about it. Do you really want to be the pony that causes you to stop one step away from what might be your job? It might not be, but isn't it worth a chance?” Sweetie was begging. If Ditzy didn’t come to this last one, then she would have to try again tomorrow. And each day that passed would only make it worse. “Ok,” she sighed, standing up. Ditzy followed Sweetie toward the final place, a construction site. It looked like the building had just been completed, and all were looking toward it. Ditzy wove carefully though the site as Sweetie went from pony to pony, trying to find the one who was in charge of the Ad. They were outside, in the backyard of the building. Nopony was allowed inside, and there were no construction-ponies inside either. Ditzy’s tail swiped the side of the building, and she cried out warning, knowing what was about to happen. Sweetie jumped back, and the building imploded inwards, leaving only wreckage. Ditzy saw the glares from the construction ponies. Sweetie finally found the pony in charge, however it was when he was walking up to them. “Did you do this?” The stallion pointed to the building, and looked at Derpy, who cowered on the ground, wings upright. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Ditzy was crying at this point. So it took her by surprise when the stallion leaned down, and grabbed her hoof, pulling her upright. The stallion smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it, you saved us the trouble of doing it ourselves! You here about the job?” Ditzy nodded at the stallion, sniffing back her tears and rubbing her eyes. “Well we’re a demolition company. And with what you pulled right there, I think we can safely give you the job. Heck, you did the job of ten ponies and some dynamite.” The stallion laughed. Ditzy felt tears spring to her eyes again, and shook the stallions hoof, earning herself the job. Turning to thank Sweetie, Ditzy realised Sweetie was gone. Sweetie walked home, a pleased smile on her face. Author's Note Here's some awesome fanart by WafflezofEquestria: Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Turn back the clock reverse the flow, swivel forward and drivel side! Let goodness be your light, let the dream never end for nightmares. Resist the looming fate.
L25Sweetie hid some distance away, and looked to the single slip of paper, the advertisement for the job Ditzy had gotten last loop. Sweetie had a copy in her saddlebags, so she could make a copy each loop. There was Ditzy, sitting on the park bench. Sweetie called up her magic, levitating the piece of paper, and waited for a breeze to pass by. Ditzy blinked as a piece of paper hit her in the face, and picked it up, looking it over. On it was a job request. Ditzy gasped, wings coming alive, and flew off in the direction of the job. Sweetie followed, just to make sure Ditzy got the job. Sure enough, Ditzy imploded the house again, and the manager offered her a job. Sweetie nodded, good, this was something she could do easily each loop. Sweetie turned, bumping into somepony. Blinking, she watched as the pony took her by the shoulders, and began to shout about the world ending. Sweetie blinked, it was Time Turner. Now that she was closer, Sweetie could see he had his head wrapped up, hidden under his mane. Sweetie gently excused herself from his grip. “Calm down Time Turner, the world isn't going to end. I was wondering if you’d let me ask some questions.” Sweetie watched as Time Turner stopped mumbling nonsense, and blinked at her. It was hard to tell if he was actually listening. “Listen, you said you have an uh ‘Tardis’ right? And it’s bigger on the inside?” Sweetie paused, and waited. After a moment Time Turner nodded, his eyes going cross eyed. “Indeed, it can travel through time too.” Time Turner shook his head, focusing on Sweetie. Sweetie opened her bags. “I’ve got the same thing with my saddlebags.” Sweetie watched Time Turner from the corner of her eyes. Was that shock, or was that narrowed eyes? “How?” Time Turner put his hoof into the bag and reached down to touch the bottom. It was indeed similar to the Tardis. “Princess Celestia gave me the spell, and I get Twilight to cast it each-mmph.” Sweetie quickly stopped talking, and smiled sheepishly at Time Turner. For once, there was a curious glint to his eyes. Time Turner glanced around, and then leaned forward. “Go to my house, I’ll meet you there once I lose Redheart.” Time Turner’s voice sounded different somehow to Sweetie. However it was gone a moment later as he jumped over her and ran away, mumbling about the end of the world once more. Sweetie turned, and headed toward Time Turner’s house. It was a small town, it wasn’t hard to remember where he lived. Sure enough, the door was open. Sweetie stepped inside, and glanced behind her as Time turner closed the door, and looked seriously at her. “Alright, talk. I have no doubt only Celestia herself could have taught you that spell, so why did she teach it to you?” Time Turner took off the bandages, tossing them to the side as he brushed his mane. “I’m stuck in a time loop, forced to repeat this week over and over. The two previous loops I ran a fortune telling service, and both times you asked me if the world is going to end.” Sweetie was sure that wouldn’t be much proof, however Turner simply nodded. “That is something I would ask...Can you prove it with something else?” Turning, Turner sat down on the couch, Sweetie sat opposite him. Reaching in, Sweetie pulled out Celestia’s note. Turner looked at it, and immediately handed it back. “Alright, I believe you, that’s definitely the sun’s own personal language.” Turner paused for a moment, putting his front hooves together as he mused. Sweetie watched, confused and curious. After a moment, a glow surrounded Turner, and he transformed into a Changeling. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” it spoke calmly just as Sweetie was about to panic. Forcing herself to relax, Sweetie quickly noticed the small crown atop his head. Sweetie didn’t know much about changelings, other than what they looked like. Forcing herself to calm down, Sweetie waited. “I assume you’ve heard of the attack on Canterlot. That was done by my hatchmate. Mother picked her to lead the hive, and I got cast out for being a pony-sympathiser. I assume you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them. And before you ask, no I am not immortal, Changelings live for about two thousand years, going through many stages. I’m in the last stage right now, and I have about 500 years left.” Time Turner shifted back to his pony self, and motioned for Sweetie to continue. It was a moment before Sweetie could make herself speak. “Were you alive when Starswirl was?” Sweetie watched as Turner nodded, and continued. “Were you there when he died?” Sweetie knew this would place Turner in the time that Starswirl’s loops were happening. Sadly, Turner simply shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I change disguises every 30 or so years, appearing as anypony who suddenly dies, taking their place until they reach a normal end to their life. I give their bodies a proper burial, and even go though being buried to help ease the families burden. At that time I was taking the place of a pony who was a scientist. Sadly, I ‘died’ five years before that, and moved onto the next life.” Turner closed his eyes, before opening them again. “Why were you acting crazy outside?” Sweetie was disappointed Turner wouldn’t be able to help her find answers to her questions about what happened to Stawswirl his last loop. For some reason, he had suddenly cut off with a short ‘I am no longer writing down these.’ Sweetie supposed it was still worth a shot asking. “Time Turner just suffered a head injury. It is giving him paranoid delusions that the world is ending. I’m planning to have him slightly injure a few ponies, and then jump off a cliff. It’s time for me to move on.” Turner shrugged nonchalantly. Sweetie plucked a few pieces of paper out of her bag. The last few entries of Starswirl’s journal. They looked like jibberish to her, full of hard to read terms. “If you knew Starswirl, maybe you can read these.” Sweetie waited patiently as Turner went over each of them, and narrowed his eyes. “I can, and I can cast a spell so you can translate them. But…” Turner paused, and glanced toward Sweetie, and smiled, closing his eyes. “Nevermind. I will cast the spell, and you can read them. But please be aware this spell will take a week to entirely translate them. Starswirl has outdone himself with his scrambler, he was trying very hard to hide the contents of these notes. I doubt even Celestia and Luna could break it. Lucky for you, I happen to live a life full of love this loop.” Turner concentrated, and a horn materialised on his head, glowing green. The parchment glowed. After a moment, the glow faded, and Turner handed back the notes, hiding his horn once more. “Is that five or seven days?” Sweetie tilted her head, unsure of what type of week he meant. Turner stood up, and both began to head for the door. “Seven. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way.” Turner bowed. “Thank you,” Sweetie waved goodbye, and blinked as Turner teleported away. Sweetie blinked away the afterimage, and exited the house. Putting the notes carefully back, Sweetie smiled. ‘Well, I now know a changeling. I wonder if I can use that for a loop.’ Sweetie walked for a moment longer, before blinking, and growling a silent curse in her head. ’Oh rats, I forgot to get looping proof from him. I’ll have to get it next loop.’ Sweetie nodded once, and continued on her way. Author's Note -Redherring.png- Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Curse though you may have wrought, sought unbelieving; perhaps a different time shall come, and with the fading dream, so too will you wither until the next, coming in the night, the complete darkness. Reincarnate, blossom again into a far more beautiful flower.
L26.1Sweetie waited as the clocked ticked over from midnight, and watched as Philomena went through rapid rebirth once more. Pulling out the piece of paper Time Turner had been translating, Sweetie was dismayed to see it was a jumbled mess. Sighing, she tried to read what was there. “If you are reading this-you probably ran into my old friend the Changeling-a cooky fellow by my count, but he means well-I'm 97% sure I'm quite-When consequen-longer exist, actions that normally seem barbaric are no longer the case-mi ox soom faxalfaxalic axalo je reckol zo casaso?” Sweetie tilted her head, recognising the last bit as being some of the untranslated text. However, it looked like, for whatever reason, the text didn’t match up correctly. “So you're probably reading-last entry-had-translate it. I-did myself with-coding.-Princesses couldn't-lbond, ovon zo plincossos ceurdniz claxang dit. So I will tell you the truth. There is a means to get out. I found it, and I plan to-However-The reason for that-I know why you are looping-” Sweetie bit her lip, there was a way out of the loops? Why did it have to be so garbled? “Loaxasen bel zaxat, Pum axam sulo ug wirr bict din timo. Abtol axarr, Pum gned hupp ug axalo reepick-time loop, relax, let go of your inhibitions, put on a good show. You're not getting out-Se, dib ug axalo din pit timo reep, loraxax, rot ke eb yeep dinhifitiens, put en pit-Trust me-Ug'lo jet kottick uk. Sluch Vo.” Folding up the piece up paper, Sweetie closed her eyes, maybe the translation spell could be cast again. Besides, she had to get looping proof from Time Turner regardless. Sweetie waited patiently for the stray wind, and sent the job notice to Ditzy, turning and watching Time Turner run toward her. Sweetie quickly began speaking, speaking the same words he spoke just as they came out of his mouth. After a second, Time Turner paused, and blinked. “I know what you are, and I know you have lived for over a thousand years. I am stuck in a time loop, and I can prove it further. Right now you are likely going to tell me to meet you at your house while you get rid of Nurse Redheart, so I’ll save you the trouble of doing that too.” Sweetie stopped speaking, and waited for Time Turner to digest this information. “Okay,” was all he said in response, turning and beginning to run away again. Sweetie walked casually to his place, and entered. Right on cue, Time Turner arrived. Sweetie watched as he closed the door, and turned his intelligent gaze on her. Sweetie pulled out Celestia’s note. “Is this proof enough for now?” Sweetie waited as Time Turner looked it over, handed it back, and sat down on the couch, and blinked. “And I thought my story was hard to swallow,” he commented. Sweetie felt a strange smile come on her face, and resisted the urge to giggle. Shaking it off, she pulled out the half-translated note. “Last loop, you cast a spell to translate this for me, however you said it would take seven days. My loop only lasts five, so it was only partially translated. Also, I need something to prove I’m looping, a letter normally does the job.” Sweetie put her arms between her legs, and rocked on the couch as she waited. “Hrm, I can cast it again, and it should finish translating. I should probably give you the spell while I’m at it. Only two ponie-er-creatures know the spell. One being Starswirl.” Time Turner closed his eyes, a horn appearing on his head, and cast the spell. Opening his eyes, he mused for a moment. “This should take about three days. If you had seven days this wouldn’t have taken an extra day, but that’s how these things go. As for the proof, the easiest thing to do is tell you my Changeling name.” Time Turner paused, and chuckled slightly, a nostalgic smile on his face. “Even Starswirl doesn’t know that one. Alright, let me write it down for you, it’s a bit tough to say.” Time Turner quickly wrote the name down, and handed the paper to Sweetie. Looking at it, she frowned, and tilted her head. “Listaxald Nixen?” Sweetie slowly pronounced the first name, unsure if she was saying it correctly. “Actually, it’s pronounced List-ald. The ax is silent.” Time Turner smiled, looking down at Sweetie. Both blinked as his stomach rumbled. Sweetie glanced toward the door, and bit her lip. “Nono! Don’t worry, that’s not because I’m hungry. It’s uh...Well okay it is because I’m hungry but I’d never do it without consent. Well I have sorta been slightly draining everypony but that’s slow and nopony would feel any adverse effects!” Time Turner smiled sheepishly, and Sweetie giggled. Starswirl was right, the guy was cooky, but that wasn’t a bad thing. “So, should I call you Listaxald, or Time Turner?” Sweetie smiled at Time Turner, who paused and considered it. After a moment, he shrugged, and bared his teeth, eyes glowing green for a moment. “Call me Time Turner. Until my disguise dies, that is who I am.” Time Turner blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. Sweetie nodded, musing for a moment. “Say, I was wondering. Where do baby Changelings come from. I mean I know ponies are brought by the stork as an egg to be hatched, but I don’t know what it’s like for Changelings.” Sweetie tilted her head, completely oblivious. Time Turner blinked, and scratched the back of his head. “Well, we’re born from very tiny eggs, and we grow up in this sort of sludge. After our lungs grow in, we join the ranks of the Changeling army, and fight the Queen’s battles. Eventually, if we survive long enough, we reach adulthood. If a female reaches adulthood, the hive army is split in two, but if a male does he is given uh…” Time Turner blushed, and glanced away. Putting his two hooves together, he looked down at them. “Let’s just say they become Special Someponies.” Time Turner glanced up, seeing Sweetie was paying attention, and looked back down again. “So why aren’t you with your Special Somepony?” Sweetie was curious, she had never heard this about Changelings. Sweetie wondered vaguely if Starswirl had asked similar questions. “Well, pony sympathisers are sentenced to death. As soon as the Queen realised I was one, she told me to leave, or die. In one way, that was the only mercy she could give me.” Time Turner glanced toward the ceiling, and sighed, folding his arms behind his back. “You know kid, you’re a lot like Starswirl, looking for answers to everything. The only difference is Starswirl was born with more magical talent.” Time Turner glanced down, feeling the shock as it rippled through Sweetie. Sweetie looked at her Cutie Mark, remembering how she had gotten it, and thinking of how it had been related to magic, and not a task like Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Sweetie shook her head, discarding it, and instead stood up, and gave a smile to Time Turner. “Thanks for answering my questions, but I better get going. I promised Rarity I would be there to see her leave.” Sweetie blinked as Time Turner held out a hoof, and she shook it with her own. “Ssssee ya!”
L26.2(If you can't read it, skip to the bottom where it will be shown as plain text) Sweetie didn’t understand. Was this all the note said? There was nothing more? No sudden clue to her escape? No realisation that would help her cope? Nothing. Sweetie shook her head, no, that couldn't be right. Sweetie had probably misread it. Yeah, that was it, Sweetie was sure of it. Sweetie read the note a second time, and a third, before scrunching it up and tossing it out her door. Gritting her teeth, she felt like pulling her hair out in frustration. Starswirl knew how to get out, but wasn't telling her. More to the point, he apparently knew why she was looping. Sighing, she flopped backward on her bed, and looked at the ceiling. “So, he knows why I’m looping. Somepony saved me from that death loop. Magic being lost that I should have access to. There’s no other possible conclusion, somehow Starswirl is behind this.” Sweetie bit her lip, and sighed another time as she relaxed. Closing her eyes, she levitated over her toy Opal, and hugged the doll closely. “Why me, why couldn’t he have chosen Twilight or somepony else? All I wanted to do was get a Cutie Mark and live out my destiny. And now I can’t. I’m never getting out.” Sweetie bit her lip, drawing blood as it mixed with the tears streaming down her face. Was this to be her life? Was this her punishment for deeds she had done while trying to get her Mark? “Please, somepony, anypony, help me. I don’t want to watch my friends glare at me anymore. I don’t want to see Ditzy lose her job. I don’t want Rarity to constantly go to Manehattan. I don’t want to know that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are nice behind their bullying. I don’t want pancakes. I want tomorrow.” Sweetie sobbed, hugging her Opal doll tighter. Suddenly, Opal walked in from the open door, and leapt onto the bed. Purring, she rubbed her body against Sweetie, who opened her tear-stained eyes and glanced to the cat. Opal rubbed her head against Sweetie, who giggled despite her sad mood. “Stooop Opal,” she whined. “I’m trying to be sad here.” Sweetie shook her head as Opal’s tail swished against her head, and felt a smile fall on her face. Reaching out, Sweetie went to pat Opal, who hissed, and swiped at her. The cat turned, and skulked out the door. Sweetie watched Opal go, the barest hint of a smile still on her face. “She’s right of course,” she told her Opal doll, looking at it as she rolled onto her back. Raising the doll above her, Sweetie looked at her doll, painstakingly made by her sister to help comfort her. Sweetie nodded, determined, and sat up. Walking over to the mirror, she looked at herself. “Okay Sweetie, crying isn’t going to solve anything. There’s nothing you can do in your current situation but learn more about what is happening, look for irregularities. But don’t forget to have a little fun. We don’t want ourselves going off the deep end.” Sweetie nodded at her reflection, and smiled. Turning, she placed her Opal doll on the bed, and removed her saddlebags. Going through her notes, she began to sort them, and then pulled out her very first note. Looking to one of the possible solutions out of the loop, Sweetie smiled, and turned to look toward Philomena's corner of the room, where a jar of money still stood, containing what little remained from her fortune teller loops. Sweetie began to make a list of materials she would need. First off, plenty of toothpaste. Secondly, she would require the help of at least one Princess. Twilight or Luna would be best. Sweetie was sure Celestia wasn’t one to get her mane dirty if she could help it. Sweetie nodded, toothbrushes as well. “Oh! I should also do a loop where Time Turner is right, and I help start of heart song about how the world is ending and everypony prepares for it and it turns out it’s a day wrong.” Sweetie giggled, rubbing her hooves together. Writing down her idea, she also mused on events in Ponyville that she hadn’t been a part of, but had heard about. “I wonder what happens if you Duplicate Parasprites…” Sweetie paused, and smiled. That was something she could even get Celestia in on, and not tell Twilight. Chuckling, Sweetie could imagine the look on Twilight’s face as Parasprites invaded Ponyville when Celestia was visiting for a second time. “I also have to do Luna’s Prank too now that I think of it.” Sweetie mused for a moment. Once she did it though, she would be obligated to do one for Celestia. It could end up being a multiple loop prank war, with only pictures to prove they had done something. Sweetie bit her lip, it didn’t sound too fun. “Oh! A Changeling attack! And a-And a Dragon invasion! Oh! I need to learn to fight a dragon! This is so exciting I can’t wait, I mean, eeee-” Sweetie couldn’t help but squee in glee. So many ideas, so much time to enact them. But first, Sweetie had to focus on the first idea. “Right, time to go shopping.” Sweetie levitated up her jar of bits, and turned, heading downstairs. Smiling, Sweetie wondered just how much toothpaste she could fit in her room. Not to mention she needed to leave enough room so she could breathe during the loop reset, considering Philomena would be there. “Maybe I should move into the main room…” Sweetie nodded, there was a lot more room there. Loop reset location decided, Sweetie turned, heading for the Toothpaste Emporium. Sweetie had always wondered why this shop existed. But, considering how many earth ponies lived in this town, a shop dedicated to tools to help brush teeth was not that strange. After all, they had a couch and quill shop. Author's Note In case you still can't read it: If you are reading this, then you probably ran into my old friend the Changeling Prince. Quite a cooky fellow by my count, but he means well. I don't think I can really talk at this point. After all, I'm 97% sure I'm quite insane right now. When consequences no longer exist, actions that normally seem barbaric are no longer the case. So, you're probably reading this due to it being my last entry, and probably had to go through a lot of trouble to translate it. I really outdid myself with the coding. It is absolutely perfect, even the princesses couldn't crack it. So, I will tell you the truth. There is a means to get out. I found it, and I plan to use it. However, I will not tell you it. The reason for that, I am sure you will find in time. After all, I know why you are looping, even if you do not. So, if you are in a time loop, relax, let go of your inhibitions, put on a good show. You're not getting out. Trust me.
L27 Prosperity Day“Uh, excuse me. Princess Twilight, Princess Luna, what are you doing?” Luna looked up from her task, and toward the pony who was asking the question. Raising her head even further, she showed her toothbrush, and gave a toothy smile. “We are cleaning up the world. It is a very dirty place, and thus we must clean it. Sweetie Belle! I require more toothpaste!” Luna shouted the last bit of her sentence as, brandishing her toothbrush, she glanced toward the white filly currently squirting toothpaste into buckets. Raising her head, she gave a toothy grin. “Of course, remember, we’re getting to the root of the problem.” Sweetie levitated over a bucket filled with toothpaste, and Luna smiled, getting back to work. Twilight scrubbed beside her. “Uh, should we help?” The civilian glanced to the crowd behind him, and they all shared aversive glances. Luna raised her head and looked at them, startling the crowd. “If you decide to leave, it's your floss, not mine.” Luna lent back down, and continued working. After a moment, the crowd decided to follow the lead of the Princesses. Walking over to Sweetie Belle, they asked to help. “Remember to be kind to Luna too, she has fillings too.” Sweetie smiled, giving each pony a bucket of toothpaste. Stepping back, she watched as every pony went to work, scrubbing the ground. ‘Darn it, I’ve run out of puns’ Sweetie silently cursed that fact, and quickly got back to work putting toothpaste into buckets. Grinning when she wasn’t being watched, Sweetie felt immense pleasure at the fact most of Ponyville was now helping. It was amazing, watching all those ponies just work away, ‘cleaning’ the dirt. “I’m out, this is the last bucket.” Sweetie levitated the bucket over, and Twilight stood up. Luna was quick to follow, and they both shared a glance, and then sighed, letting a sad look go over their eyes. “It looks like we failed our mission,” sighed Luna, and both hugged each other. Sweetie bit her lip, forcing herself not to laugh as everypony glanced toward them. Standing up, it was the first stallion who spoke. “Don’t worry! We’ll buy more toothpaste!” He spoke, raising his voice and looking to the crowd, daring them to deny him. “And bleach!” A mare spoke up, standing up as well. “And Soap!” The entire crowd stood up, now on a mission of great importance. Sweetie watched as the crowd dispersed the moment Luna smiled, and they quickly vacated to the inside of the castle, saying they needed to rest. Taking a spot on the balcony, all three broke out into quiet laughter. “How are things going in Canterlot?” Sweetie glanced to Luna, who snickered and let her horn glow, shimmering into some sort of mirror that began to reflect Canterlot. Sweetie blinked, and then fell to the floor, rolling in laughter. “I’ll be, pff, honest. I didn’t expect-haha- Celestia to be behind the idea-tehehee.” Sweetie chortled as quietly as she could as Luna and Twilight smiled to the crowd below. The entire town was beginning to mobilise, just as they were doing in Canterlot. It wouldn’t be long until the Pegasi got involved to a greater degree. “I will admit, I did not think this would take hold, but it’s spreading like wildfire. I am surprised by how much influence we have.” Luna waved to the crowd as she watched, and Twilight smiled warmly. Sweetie finally got control of her fit of giggled, and stood up, sneaking over to the edge. “How’s Rarity doing in Manehattan?” Sweetie glanced upward, and both smiled, trying to hold in their grins. Sweetie couldn’t help but rub her hooves together, this was going extremely well. When she had told the Princesses, they had literally jumped at the chance, and the result was what was happening right now. Sweetie was amazed by how much influence a Princess had. “Her influence is really helping. People are convinced she’s doing it to show of a line of fashion, and she is even making clothes for free to those who volunteer to help.” Twilight held up the letter from Rarity she had received, and Sweetie giggled. It had toothpaste stains all over it, some in the shape of hearts. Rarity was getting into the spirit of things. “And what about Rainbow Dash and Applejack?” Sweetie wondered if the Apple family had enough influence in Appleoosa to complete the task, but soon realised she was worried for nothing. Twilight held up a picture of the buffalo helping to scrub the apple trees. Twilight then pointed toward the sky, where a large group of Pegasi were flying toward Ponyville. “Rainbow Dash has a lot of influence there, especially with Celestia backing her. This is turning into an Equestrian-wide event. I heard Las Pegasus got wind of it and is doing the same thing.” Twilight couldn’t hold it in anymore, and she broke down into laughter. Sweetie couldn’t help it either, this was awesome. And so, it was henceforth known as Toothpaste Day. Every year, on this day, everypony must spend half the day scrubbing the ground with a cleaning utensil to show their devotion to a clean Equestria. Some will decorate their houses with floss and toilet paper, enlisting the help of young colts who are practicing for Nightmare Night. Celestia and Luna praised Equestria for proving their devotion to a clean society, and promised that Equestria was going to have another year of prosperity. This has led the event to also be known as Prosperity Day to the public. However, those who witnessed the events first moments still call it Toothpaste Day. Eventually, it was decided that the festivities for next year’s Prosperity Day wouldn’t start until three ponies has started the scrubbing. These three ponies would be one of each race, and a Princess would be required to oversee the beginning of the event. Everypony cheered, for a new holiday had been created, and set in stone. All before the Friday rolled around.
L28“Rarity, can I go with you to Manehattan? I’d like to go visit Babs Seed. You know, Apple Bloom’s cousin.” Sweetie waited as Rarity mused over this information, and gave a shrug. Sweetie shifted slightly, jostling her saddlebags as she waited. “Sure, we can even ask them if you are allowed to sleep over.” Rarity turned and headed upstairs to pack Sweetie’s bag. Sweetie smiled and waited patiently, and soon enough they were on their way. Following the stallion to the train car, it wasn’t long before they were in Manehattan. Rarity knocked on the door, and waited patiently. Soon enough Mr. and Mrs. Orange answered the door, smiling as they greeted them. Sweetie tilted slightly to the side, and saw Babs was glancing out at them from what appeared to be a living room. Upon meeting eyes, Sweetie saw a smile light on Babs’s face. “Hello Mr. Orange, good day to both of you. I’m Rarity, a friend of Applejack. My sister knows your daughter.” Rarity paused, seeing both adults share a quiet chuckle, and shake their heads. Mrs. Orange motioned Babs forward, and she walked toward the door in response, and quickly greeted Sweetie. “It’s great to see you again Babs, how’s your sister going?” Sweetie hadn’t heard much about Babs’s sister, but she did know the two were very close. “She’s doing okay. The kids in her class are starting to get Marks, but she doesn’t feel comfortable joining the CMC just yet.” Babs shrugged, and Sweetie nodded. Most kids didn’t want to join their club, it was why they only had three members after all. “Sweetie dear, Mr. and Mrs. Orange have agreed to let Babs come with us.” Rarity glanced down as Sweetie beamed a gleeful smile. “Come? Come where?” Babs tilted her head, and Sweetie began to drag the filly toward their taxi. “To the Water Park!” “Are you sure this is safe?” Babs looked at the ponies going down the long and windy slide as she ascended, Sweetie by her side. Sweetie nodded, and took the tube as it was handed to her by the stallion. “See you at the bottom.” Sweetie jumped onto the tube as it landed on the slide, and screamed in joy as she flew down it. A sudden drop, and she was speeding toward the end, spinning around on her tube. Standing up, Sweetie swayed as she felt her head continue to spin. “Aaah-hahaha wow!” Babs got off and beamed an excited smile at Sweetie, who giggled, glad to see Babs enjoying it. Sweetie gasped, catching sight of the wave pool, and dragged Babs over to it, levitating both their tubes with them. Leaping in, she waited for Babs to join her, and they both paddled over to the deeper end just as the waves started. “Whoooo!” Sweetie felt her gut go out from under her with each wave, feeling Babs gripping her tightly as the waves grew to twice their height. After a moment, they died down, and both fillies heard Rarity call lunch. Sweetie was pleased to see they had hayfries, and dug in. “I gotta admit, this is fun.” Babs looked down and blew her hair out of her eyes, and got into her own meal. Sweetie looked around, trying to plan their next water rides. However, something caught her attention instead. “I kinda wish Apple Bloom could be here.” Babs put her food down, and sighed, closing her eyes. Sweetie bit her lip, confused. Bringing Babs into a hug, she waited for her to continue. “The Manehattan branch isn’t going too well. All the kids my age already have one, so there’s no Crusaders for me to hang out with. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine. It’s just this new exchange student without a Mark reminds me of her. And I kinda miss my cous.” Babs rubbed her eyes, and smiled at Sweetie. “Don’t worry we’re supposed to be having fun right?” Babs blinked as Sweetie put a hoof on her shoulder, and looked her straight in the eyes. “Babs, this was going to be a surprise, but Apple Bloom is planning to bring you here next week.” Sweetie decided to omit the fact she had chosen to do it early due to the time loop, but Babs didn’t notice. “She is?” Babs felt her doubts ease as Sweetie nodded, and both stood up. Sweetie grabbed their tubes, and they took off to ride the bigger slides, provided they were tall enough. Over to one side, Rarity and Mrs. Orange were having a quiet conversation. "I mean personally I find wool to be a little bit 'Hivernal' for Ponyville during these months. But I could design Babs a few items if you so wish." Rarity smiled as Mrs. Orange considered it, and nodded once. "I will say though, I'm quite surprised. Babs is so different from you, I would have expected your daughter to be more fancy, but I guess it's unimportant." Rarity leaned her head back, taking a sip of her drink. “Oh no, Babs isn’t our daughter. Well not in the proper sense. We still treat her as one, and she knows we love her dearly.” Mrs. Orange smiled toward where Babs was playing. “I’m infertile, so we decided to adopt. When we saw those two huddled together, we just knew they were the fillies for us.” Mrs. Orange wanted to hug herself, remembering how adorable they looked. "I can imagine, Sweetie Belle might not be adopted, but she's just as adorable," commented Rarity. After their fun, Sweetie spent the night at Babs’s house. After playing a few board games, Sweetie spent an hour or so asking Babs about her life. It was then, Babs’s sister walked in. “Hey sis, see ya’ got yerself a friend.” Green Seed was an earth pony with dark green hair and a mud-brown body. Looking at them, Sweetie could instantly see the family resemblance. “Yeah, this is Sweetie Belle. She’s a Crusader like I am.” Babs smiled warmly, showing off Sweetie to her sister. “But she has a Cutie Mark,” Green pointed toward Sweetie’s flank, and both fillies giggled. “You don’t stop being a Crusader because you get a mark,” started Babs. “You just stop searching for your own, and instead help others,” finished Sweetie, and both shared a laugh. Green, the faintest smile on her face, sat down with them. “So how do you help others get their Mark?” Green glanced to Babs, who glanced to Sweetie. “Well, we do mainly the same thing we did to get our Mark, but with the knowledge only those who have one understand.” Sweetie smiled warmly, looking to the roof. “And what knowledge is that?” Both Green and Babs leaned forward. Sweetie lowered her head, closed her eyes, and smiled. “It’s not something you can really say in words, you’ll understand what I mean when you get it.” Sweetie glanced at their disappointed faces, and conversation quickly changed. Sweetie had to admit, talking like they were, she felt so normal, like she wasn’t different to them. Like she wasn’t stuck in a time loop. Author's Note Someone wrote a fanfiction for my story. You can read it here. I've also made a group so I can compile all the fan content and give it the proper recognition it deserves. You can find the group on the right side of the page, or click here.
L29Sweetie was on the final day, this was where she had messed up last time. This was the moment she would have to test her skills as an actor. Lying to somepony who can tell the truth would be difficult, because she would have to be sure she didn’t say a single thing that was a lie. “Where have you been?” Rarity’s eye twitched as she breathed heavily over Sweetie. Sweetie frowned, and pointed to her room. “I’ve been in my room all day, why?” Sweetie turned back to Rarity, and blinked, taking a step back as her face got even closer. “Why did you leave Cheerilee's side?” Rarity forced herself to step back. Behind her Cheerilee bit her lip. Sweetie forced herself to remain calm, this was the point where she showed off everything she had learned. “I’m sorry I ran off like that, there’s no real excuse.” Sweetie let her ears flop down as she looked to the floor, managing to muster up a single tear too. Applejack didn’t react, which meant Sweetie had finally done it. Sweetie saw Rarity glare, but she relented just enough for Sweetie. “Alright, but if I find out you skip again tomorrow, I will personally escort you to school in my magic for a month!” Rarity leaned forward, and Sweetie shrunk back from the gaze. Sweetie had forgotten how scary Rarity could be on a bad day. “Of course,” replied Sweetie, breathing a silent sigh of relief. She had done it! “As it stands, Twilight will escort you tomorrow.” Rarity loomed over Sweetie, and she nodded as if she wasn’t bothered. Mentally she chided herself, knowing that Twilight being the escort made things slightly more difficult. Heading upstairs, Sweetie mused for a moment. After dinner, Sweetie headed straight for bed. Tomorrow would require plenty of sleep. “Good morning Sweetie.” Twilight greeted the sleepy filly as she walked out of the house, and they began to make their way toward the school. Twilight kept an eye on Sweetie at all times, but relaxed as the School came into view. Twilight turned to look for Sweetie, and blinked, the filly had vanished. Twilight quickly cast a detection spell, and noticed a teleportation spell had been cast. Surprise mixed with unease rippled through her. Twilight hadn’t known Sweetie knew how to teleport. After a moment, Twilight quickly found out where the filly had teleported to, and took to the sky, looking for the filly. Finding the white form running, Twilight swooped down, flaring her wings and speeding up to catch up. As she began to close in, Sweetie glanced toward her. Twilight’s eyes widened, and time seemed to slow as she saw a feral smirk emerge on the filly’s face, just as she vanished into another teleport. Twilight landed and quickly turned, leaping back into the air and teleporting in short bursts, quickly catching back up with Sweetie. The filly didn’t react at first, and Twilight reached out a hoof to grab her. Suddenly, she was blown back, and forced to shake her head to clear some sort of muddle from it. “Was that...a stun spell!?” Twilight narrowed her eyes, and took off, this time flying into the air directly for a friend. Waking Rainbow Dash, Twilight informed her of the situation. Saluting, Dash took Twilight hoof, and her fast friend began to help Twilight reach higher speeds. It wasn’t long before they found Sweetie once more. The area exploded into smoke, and Twilight and Dash skidded to a halt. Telling Dash to wait just outside in case she made a run, Twilight entered the smoke, and lit her horn as she tried to clear away the smoke. Turning, she called up a shield, deflecting the spell she quickly identified as a knockout spell. “Give it up Sweetie, you are going to school!” Twilight shouted into the smoke, hearing a soft chuckle resound around her. Blocking another spell, Twilight fired in the direction, and bit her lip as she hit nothing. Where had this filly learned to fight!? “That’s where your’re wrong Twilight. And you know it. I’m only using a fraction of my power here. I know every spell you do, and I can easily cast them.” Sweetie’s voice almost sounded menacing, and Twilight suppressed a shudder. Where had this filly learned such magic? What was going on? “That doesn’t change the fact I will make you go to school!” Twilight wished she had Applejack here, so she could tell the truths from the lies. Regardless of that, Twilight knew she had to take Sweetie seriously. Anypony that could cast teleportation was on at least equal footing, and that meant forcing the filly to go to school was now a lot more difficult. Twilight concentrated, calling up a whirlwind and blowing away the smoke in one movement. Glancing around, she quickly saw the surprised filly, and fired a suppression field at her. Sweetie teleported, watching as a bubble of purple energy swallowed the place she had been standing a moment before. Rainbow Dash dived for her, and Sweetie gritted her teeth, and fired a spell upwards, knocking the pegasus out. Turning, Sweetie knocked Twilight away with a torrent of water, and leapt out of the way of a binding spell. Sweetie cried out as she charged up her horn, and a fire sprung up briefly on the gravel path. Twilight, distracted for a fraction of a second, nearly missed the filly firing another knockout spell, dodging by instinct alone. Sweetie gasped for breath, sweat coming off her forehead. This was a lot more difficult than she had thought it would be. Twilight was a lot more experienced, a lot more talented, and had access to a lot more spells. Sweetie dodged another bubble spell, and realised she was going to lose. “Wait! Time out!” Sweetie pulled out Twilight’s looping note, knowing there was no use continuing the fight when she was going to lose. Levitating it out, Sweetie waited as Twilight took it, and read it with one eye still on her. After a moment, Twilight handed the letter back, and narrowed her eyes. “I wanted to see if I could get out of school for an entire week this loop,” replied Sweetie, glancing toward the ground and scuffing it. Twilight relaxed slightly, coming out of a combat position and into a more neutral standing pose. Sweetie waited as Twilight digested this information, and then rubbed her temple. “Nng, fine, go. But if I see you tomorrow and this loop thing turns out to be untrue, you won’t get off so easy.” Twilight quickly cast a wake up spell on Dash as Sweetie turned and teleported away. Taking a seat in her clubhouse, she sighed and closed her eyes. “Just great, I can’t defeat Twilight, and I don’t want to, and the only way to naturally skip school a loop is to do so. Either I need a new plan, or I need to accept Rarity is going to have to be given the loop note each time.” Sweetie opened her eyes, and growled in irritation. What a pain. Author's Note From this day on, ALL will update every second day.
L30Sweetie opened her eyes, smiled, and teleported downstairs the moment the clock hit 12:01. Leaping out the door, she galloped toward Twilight’s castle, knowing she had roughly fifteen minutes before the Princess fell asleep. Knocking on the door, Sweetie waited, catching her breath. ‘This is going to be even better than my Coronation.’ Sweetie giggled, trying to hide her glee. If it wasn’t for the fact she was in a time loop, Sweetie would have burst into song over her plans. Moment soured by that thought, Sweetie glanced to her flank and pursed her lip. Singing songs from the heart was pointless with no one to remember them. “Sweetie? What are you-” Twilight cut herself off as a piece of paper was slapped into her face, frowning as she read it. Sweetie waited patiently for Twilight to finish reacting, and then held out Twilight’s notes. Interrupting the Alicorn before she started reading, Sweetie put a hoof on Twilight’s nose, and smiled. “I need your help to create a spell.” Sweetie walked downstairs and sat down at the table, digging into her pancakes. As delicious as they were, Sweetie was getting tired of having them every Monday. Silently, she made a mental note to find a way to change the menu on a Monday. Maybe waking up before Rarity started breakfast would do the trick. “Oh my! Sweetie what’s that on your body?” Rarity looked Sweetie Belle up and down, seeing her covered in red spots. Rarity had heard of many childhood illnesses, but never this one. Sweetie opened her mouth to respond, but they both turned as a knock sounded at the door. Opening it, Rarity was relieved to find out it was Twilight. “Twilight! Sweetie’s sick with something!” Rarity moved out of the way as Twilight leaned down, narrowed her eyes, and touched Sweetie. Where she touched Sweetie, a single red spot appeared. Twilight nodded once, carefully hiding the spot as she turned toward Rarity. Smiling, she reached out her hoof, and took her friend by the shoulder. “Oh don’t worry, it’s nothing contagious. It’s just cooties. Most fillies get them her age, I’m surprised you didn’t.” Twilight removed her hoof, leaving a red spot where Rarity couldn’t see. Relieved, Rarity put a hoof to her chest, and smiled. Sweetie tilted her head, pretending to be confused. “Oh, well as long as it isn’t serious.” Rarity had never believe cooties were real. The colts at her school had been right! Who could have known? Sweetie waved goodbye to Rarity as she quickly left the house. Rarity waved to her, and then blinked, and gasped. Sweetie was sick! She shouldn’t be going to school. “Hey Apple Bloom nice to see ya.” Sweetie brought Apple Bloom into a hug just as Rarity came out, and scolded her. Sweetie walked up to her bedroom, and smirked. Around midday, Rarity came up and mentioned she was leaving, and Twilight would be around soon. The moment Rarity left, Sweetie walked downstairs, meeting Twilight as she walked in. “How’s the spread?” Sweetie smiled as Twilight pulled out a mirror, and cast a spell on it. Soon enough, Sweetie and Twilight could watch other ponies go about their daily lives. Sitting down, Sweetie watched as Twilight placed down some drinks, and a bag of popcorn. “Let the show begin!” Apple Bloom blinked in shock as a sudden desire to brush up against everypony filled her, and she couldn’t stop herself from doing so. As soon as she did, the feeling passed. It wasn’t long before the teacher noticed she was covered in spots. Tilting her head, Apple Bloom widened her eyes, she was too. Cheerilee ordered the students home, looking to the dots rapidly spreading over her hoof. If they were unlucky, this would spread to everypony in Equestria. Cheerilee decided the best place to go first was the hospital, and so she cantered there, coming to a stop when she saw the line-up of ponies with the same condition. It was an epidemic! Rarity frowned when she realised she was covered in ‘cooties’, and bit her lip. Had she caught it due to missing out on it when she was younger? No, the stallion with her also had spots. They were rapidly spreading along the train and infecting other passengers too, some even on their way to Canterlot. Mr Rich greeted his marefriend with a hug as she hopped off the train, quickly noticing she was covered in red spots. In fact, everypony on the train was infected. Looking toward Canterlot, Mr Rich felt a chill enter his spine. Nopony would be safe, not even the Princesses. Gripping his marefriend, they both quailed in fear. Celestia and Luna glared as somepony barged into their once-a-day lunch break. Both were in no mood, especially for emergencies. “Your Highness-es! A sickness has broken out all over Equestria! It’s slowly infecting the castle!” As he spoke, the pony pointed to a single spot on his arm, and Celestia rubbed her forehead. “Is it fatal?” There was silence for a moment. “Pardon?” The pony blinked, and Celestia narrowed her eyes. “IS. IT. FATE-AL.” Celestia glanced to Luna, who rolled her eyes as she bit down on her meal. “Well, we don’t know. We know it originated from Ponyville, and nopony has died yet despite being infected since this morning, but…” Celestia returned to her meal, “Then it can be handled by my student.” Celestia watched as once more the pony fell into silence. “Just because nopony has died doesn’t mean they won’t! You could be risking lives right now! We don’t know if and when it starts hurting ponies.” The pony slammed a hoof down, and both gave him a scathing glare. “We get fifteen minutes a day to both eat and spend time with each other. We’re willing to take the risk. Besides, Twilight is capable, she’ll solve it.” Celestia gave a reassuring smile, and sipped her drink as a letter arrived. Nodding as if to say ‘I told you so’, she opened it. And proceeded to splurt her drink all over Luna. “I QUIT!?” Celestia, dove for a pen in panic, almost missing the fact that two more letters had arrived. Celestia quickly scanned the one with glowing gold letters, and instantly her composure returned, along with an irritated growl. Celestia held out the second letter for Luna, who immediately snorted, and broke into laughter. “I can’t believe it, we got pranked by Twilight. Waaaha-hah-hah-ha.” Luna flared her wings as Celestia let a small smile fall on her face, and glanced toward the half written letter she had been making. Burning it with a flick of her horn, Celestia sent the other two letters back, and flared her wings. “Come Luna, let’s go on vacation. It’s the only way to pay back Twilight. Oh, before I forget.” Celestia turned toward the pony, and quickly cast a memory forget spell, normally a forbidden dark art, and both Princesses teleported away. “Alright, that’s my cue to leave.” Twilight stood up, and bowed to Sweetie, who waved Twilight goodbye as she teleported away. Giggling, Sweetie wondered what Twilight was going to do with Cadance in the Crystal Empire, and wondered if she should visit it one loop. Then again, Sweetie had already seen the Empire. “Loop well spent,” she spoke, falling backward onto her bed just as the sun began to set.
L31Author's Note This chapter is terrible, but if I tried to make it better I'll never get past this writer's block. Sorry in advance. We have another fanfic, read it here! L31 Sweetie opened her eyes, and concentrated, biting her lip. With a grunt, she teleported right to the door of her home. Puffing, she smiled, that was two paces further than yesterday! Turning, Sweetie cantered straight to Twilight’s home once more, and knocked on the door. Slapping the letter in her face, again, Sweetie waited for her chance to interrupt. “Twilight, Could you send a letter to Celestia for me? I want to go visit her.” Sweetie pulled out her letter, and her looping letter, and waited as Twilight did what she asked. Sure enough, a letter quickly arrived, telling her she could. Sweetie nodded, and quietly thanked Twilight. “If Rarity comes looking for me, could you tell her what happened? Kay-thanks-bye!” Sweetie galloped away, quickly checking her saddlebags had everything important. Finished that, Sweetie turned up to the station just as the train rolled in. Pulling out a bit, she bought a train ticket and hopped on, waiting for the train to start to move. It wasn’t long before she arrived, and found the guard who was escorting her to Celestia. Sweetie Belle smiled as she was lead into the throne room. Her ride had been so boring. It wasn’t often in loops that she came to Canterlot but that fast moving gopher fight she kept seeing wasn’t enough to keep her attention. Even if she did sit in the caboose to catch more of it this time. “Hey Celestia.” Sweetie bowed her head slightly, and the Princess smiled, bowing hers also. Sweetie followed Celestia as she slowly walked back toward the throne, and took a seat. Sweetie smiled, and opened her mouth to speak. “Hey uh, I was wondering, do you have any secret spies? Like undercover agents?” Sweetie sat down on the ground, waiting as Celestia mused for a moment. Giving a shrug, she seemed to decide that there was no point in hiding it. “We have a few, most of them are trained to live a quiet life in the background. I can’t name names for security reasons, but I normally have one stationed in every town.” Celestia shrugged, sipping a drink as one of her servants entered the room. Sweetie took the drink offered to her and blinked, it was quite good. “Do they go on any secret special spy missions?” Sweetie’s eyes sparked, thoughts of undercover missions in the back of her brain. Undercover Belle. Secret Agent 00Sweet. Sweetie giggled, oh what fun it would be to do something spy related one loop. Sweetie had been hoping Celestia could help her brainstorm it. “Actually, they’re all a part of this single mission I’ve been trying to accomplish since me and Luna took over the kingdom. It’s classified, so I can’t tell you much about it. Why, you looking to live out some secret agent loop?” Celestia winked, and Sweetie blushed with embarrassment. Well, when Celestia said it, it sounded a lot more silly. “Alright, I can make you a spy. I’ve always wondered if children spies would have an edge. Like how no one suspects the orange.” Celestia sipped her drink again, ignoring the confusion on Sweetie’s face. “Oh uh, well that’s great!” Sweetie didn’t understand the last sentence, but something told her she didn’t really need to understand. Sweetie made a silent note to always be wary of oranges in the future. “Alright, here’s your mission. I need you to steal a cookie jar.” Celestia pulled out a diagram showing the cookie jar, Sweetie tilted her head. Celestia glanced to the window, and pouted. “Our mother gave it to Luna and forbade me from ever looking inside. Since we’re stuck in a time loop, it’s a perfect chance to find out what’s inside.” Celestia nodded, and Sweetie shrugged, it sounded like fun anyway. Celestia pressed a button, and the wall popped open, revealing a dozen or so gadgets. Sweetie picked them up as Celestia quickly spoke. “These are your tools. There’s toothpaste, a ponyboy, and all the usual kid spy gadgets. I will teleport you right to the Night Ninja’s lair, where you will then steal the jar and bring it here.” Celestia’s horn began to glow as she turned toward Sweetie. “Alright,” Sweetie spoke, and blinked as she appeared in front of a castle. Sweetie could see many bat ponies patrolling the area. Using her many tools, Sweetie made her way silently through the building, snatching the cookie jar and leaving without being spotted. However, the moment she entered the throne room where she was meeting Celestia, Luna appeared. Boss fight activated Sweetie struggled to defeat the boss, and eventually managed to pull out her Luna note, waiting as Luna read it. Eventually they all crowded around the jar, and Celestia took the lid in her magic. Opening it, she poked an eye inside. “Oh my-” “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!”
L32Author's Note There has been some confusion over this so here: Philomena died last loop. Second note: Yes I'm aware I messed up with the seasons by making it snow in July. And before you say 'but it's december' yes that is what my math was BEFORE someone smart pointed out the flaw in that. If it is a snow day near the end of the week, and it was a snow day 32 loops ago, when is Hearts warming? If it's loop 32, then that means it was snowing 32 weeks earlier. If it's Loop 0, then that means Hearts warming would have fallen in the loop. I am aware of this huge plot hole, but I'm leaving it in because it's easier to just call it a stupid mistake then go through 30 odd loops to try and fix it. L32 Sweetie Belle looked to where Philomena’s cage had been, and sighed. Closing her eyes, she took a few moments to mourn the loss of her pet. Opening her eyes, Sweetie walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Approaching a calendar hanging on the wall, Sweetie counted the days, watching as she passed months by, and eventually landed on a day she would normally look forward to. “It’s Hearth's Warming Eve. But I don’t know how to celebrate by myself.” Sweetie glanced toward Rarity, who was looking at her in confusion. Sweetie pulled out Rarity’s looping note, and waited. Weathering the reaction, Sweetie pointed to the calendar. “Rarity, please help me celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve.” Sweetie waited patiently as Rarity bit her lip, and sighed, nodding once before dissolving into a smile. Sweetie grinned, and turned to head for the door. “Great! I’ll go get Twilight and everypony else.” Sweetie made a quick note to invite Mr. Turner and Ditzy as well. Giggling, she trotted quickly to Twilight's, and quickly informed Twilight of the news. “Hearth's Warming Eve? Well I guess we can organise something. It’ll have to be small though. Need a hoof telling everypony?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded, holding up the two letters she wanted sent. One for each Princess. Twilight sent them off, and soon enough Sweetie was ready to leave. Next up was Applejack, who was at the farm. Shortly after, Sweetie found Rainbow Dash, and had her tell Fluttershy. Walking toward Sugarcube Corner, Sweetie also informed Pinkie Pie. Naturally, once Pinkie knew, there was no turning back. Sweetie managed to find Time Turner easily enough while delivering Ditzy’s job advert. After handing him the 'I am a looper' note, Sweetie waited a moment, and then spoke. “Hearth's Warming Eve? Oh, do you mind if I come as a Changeling? No, maybe a pear. Yes, I can sense the irony right there.” Time Turner smirked, and Sweetie tilted her head, but they were interrupted by Nurse Redheart, and Time Turner dashed away. Sweetie turned toward Ditzy, and breathed in, walking toward the hopeful mare as she gazed over the advert. “Miss Ditzy, Pinkie Pie is hosting a private party tonight at Twilight’s, and I’d be grateful if you brought Dinky along.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and Ditzy nodded. After all, it would be a free meal for both of them. “Oh sure, just let me do something first. I just lost my job and I have a feeling this might just be the one for me. Call it fate.” Ditzy laughed, scratching the back of her head as she took to the air, and flew away. Sweetie turned, and made her way back to Twilight’s. “So are we ready?” Sweetie looked to the group of ponies as they shared a glance, and gave a toothy grin. Sweetie beamed a smile, and looked around, seeing a seat for herself. Sweetie knew there would be a party later tonight, but before that, there was a time honored tradition to keep. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, I present to you: Farts Warming EVE!” Rainbow Dash smirked, and Sweetie blinked, sensing instantly this was going to be a very strange telling. Rainbow Dash coughed, and began her tale as the others moved into position. “Once upon a time, the three pony races lived apart, and none farted, for it was very rude to do so.” As Dash spoke, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy made a show of trying to hold something in, while looking at their flanks. “So eventually, someone did it.” As if to make a point, Dash smirked, and let off a large poof of gas. Everyone else cringed away, Twilight diving for the window, forgetting about her magic. “Eventually, everypony realised the one who did it had the right idea, and so everypony let it go. And thus, they decided to found a new nation, one where everypony farts, and they called it Fartlestia.” Dash bowed, and Celestia appeared on stage, wearing a mask depicting a pony farting. “Pfff-bwuhahhaha.” Sweetie fell off the chair, rolling with laughter, the others bowed, sharing a quiet smirk. Pinkie Pie moved around them, setting up for the party just in time for the other’s arrival. Sweetie smiled, looking to everypony and beaming a smile. This was so much fun! “Time for presents.” Sweetie dove for the first one, and opened it to reveal a cupcake. Her second one was a muffin. Sweetie realised the third one was a snowflake pattern scarf, and threw it around her neck. Twilight naturally gave her a book. Rainbow Dash made an excuse about her being present enough. Fluttershy had a basket of flowers, which Sweetie could enjoy later. Applejack gave a basket of apples. Time Turner gave her a list of Changeling spells, such as detect emotions. “Thank you, this is great!” Sweetie beamed a smile, and all smiled warmly in response. Pinkie Pie turned, and layed a random polka-dot pattern on the floor. “Enough presents, it’s time for Twister!” Pinkie giggled and everyone took a place beside the pattern. Sweetie bounced up and down excitedly, this was going to be fun. Sadly, it turned out Sweetie was not good at Twister. Apparently being a child with smaller arms was a handicap. No matter, Sweetie still enjoyed it, feeling worn out as Rarity carried her home. Closing her eyes, smile plastered on her face, Sweetie knew that Hearth's Warming Eve had been done right. Being slipped into the bed, Sweetie stifled a yawn and blinked her eyes open, noticing a curious present on her vanity table. Standing up, she sluggishly walked over, and opened it. Instantly alert, her eyes widened. Sweetie had been expecting a surprise present from Rarity, but this was not something Rarity would ever get her. It was a clock that told the date and time. Not only that, it had the correct day. Sweetie instantly knew that this clock would even work with time looping, keeping an accurate count of the days as the loops began to count up. Sweetie strapped it around her wrist, and sat down on the bed. “Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, and thank you for the present.” Sweetie spoke to the room, knowing whomever had given the present was likely to be listening. Laying back down, Sweetie gave a yawn and decided to try beating the Crusaders at a snowball fight again. After all, she was getting better at remembering their movements. With that thought fading from her mind, Sweetie drifted into sleep.
L33.1Sweetie stared at the ceiling, and sighed. Boredom was one of those things she had been trying to avoid, but she really didn’t know what she could do. A part of her silently wondered what would change if she did nothing? Closing her eyes, she knew it wouldn’t. There was nothing she could do, there was no escape. “So, what do I do about it?” Sweetie glanced toward the window, watching as a pegasus flew by at exactly 5:15 in the morning, as he did every other loop. Sighing, Sweetie counted down the seconds, her ear flickering as a rooster began to caw in the distance. Sitting up, Sweetie rummaged around her bags, and pulled out one of the looping books she knew off by heart. “Tch,” gritting her teeth, Sweetie tossed it into the air, and set it on fire, quickly dousing it the moment it was turned to ash, preventing the fire from spreading. Glancing toward it, Sweetie tried to force herself not to think about the friend she had lost before even getting to know her. “Right, I think it’s time I asked Twilight for help.” Sweetie nodded, standing up and quickly checking her bags were in order. Most of the stuff was piled in her room, due to the spell to make the bags twice as big not working until she got Twilight to recast it. Only the most important items were in her saddlebags. Walking downstairs, Sweetie quickly wrote a note to Rarity, explaining she had gone to see Twilight, leaving a copy of Rarity’s looping note beside it. Placing it on the table, Sweetie turned and trotted out the door. Knocking on the castle door, Twilight was quick to answer. Sweetie barged past her, entering the castle. Levitating the note into Twilight’s face, Sweetie closed the door, and took a seat. “Bla bla okay listen Twilight.” Sweetie quickly cut off Twilight, motioning for her to sit down as she waited impatiently. Eventually, Sweetie was obeyed, and she began to speak, eyes narrowing as she discussed the serious subject. “I’m bored. I don’t think I need to tell you why I need to avoid that.” Sweetie knew Twilight would be thinking about the many looping books, and what happened to the main character if they grew bored, or too pressured. Sweetie closed her eyes, and waited for Twilight to think on the matter. “Well, I’m going to need some time to think of better ideas, but...Oh! I got it, this!” Twilight beamed a smile as she held up a diary of some sort. Sweetie raised an eyebrow, taking it in her magic. Opening it, she realised it was the diary of Celestia and Luna. Sweetie’s eyebrow raised further, and she slowly closed the book. “Well, not that exactly, but that’s what brought the idea into my head. You see, I got that from the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree. There’s plenty to do there. I’d be happy to escort you, but you probably don’t need me to escort you ehe…” Scratching the back of her head, Twilight tried to laugh away what she felt was turning into an awkward moment. Sweetie shook her head, giving an endearing smile. “I’d love you to come. Who knows what we might find together?” “As you can see, there’s plenty of ancient books. Lore, even a section dedicated to Celestia’s Fanfictions. I would not advise reading them.” Twilight winced as she glanced to them, and Sweetie wondered how bad they could be. Maybe it would give her an idea of what heroes Celestia had seen while growing up. “There’s a lot to read here, sounds like fun, but is there anything else?” Sweetie plucked a few of the books out, and placed them in her saddlebags for later. Turning, Sweetie followed Twilight out of the library, and into the ruined halls of the castle. “To be honest, I don’t really know. Last time we properly explored the castle we all got horribly lost and frightened only to find out it was Pinkie Pie. I’ve never really properly ‘explored’ it per se.” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie mused, both pausing as they entered the throne room. Looking around, Sweetie supposed this would be fun. “Alright, I’ll see if I can make a map.” Sweetie nodded, that sounded like the most fun. Twilight giggled, and waved a wing as she turned and headed for a door. “Alright, I’ll be in the library if you need me. Try not to get stuck in a death loop or something. See ya.” As soon as Twilight left, Sweetie opened her saddlebags and pulled out a large piece of paper, and scribbled down the bit of the castle she already knew about. Listing it up, she nodded, and slipped it back into the saddlebag. “Alright, so I’ll stick to the left, and once that’s done try tracing my way backward.” Sweetie nodded, taking a step to head for the first door. Opening it, Sweetie saw a long hallway with a lot of armor being displayed on stands. Stifling a shudder, Sweetie was struck by how creepy they were. “Nonsense,” she scoffed, shaking her head rapidly and beginning to walk down the path. Sweetie noticed signs amiss, one armor set being in disarray. Sweetie supposed this was from Twilight’s last exploration. Nodding, Sweetie marked the corridor on the map, and continued. Of course, that was when a giant gaping hole opened up underneath her, and she fell down a slide into a dark dungeon room with rusted bars. Rubbing her sore flank, she turned and kicked a few out, and exited the cell. Looking around, Sweetie flipped the piece of paper over, beginning her map again. “Right, let’s uh...try...right…” Sweetie turned, and headed down the hall, ears flopping back as a grating sounded from right above her. Visions of the ceiling crumbling around her made her worry she might get caught in a death loop again. Sweetie shuddered, highly doubting her savior would be able to find her out here. Ignoring her qualms, Sweetie pushed forward. Author's Note Hey, I'm looking to shamelessly advertise a fic I'm working on for a contest. You can find it here if you are interested. It's roughly 5k, so it's not very long. I would love any feedback you care to give. Also ^that, because devils number and whatnot.
L33.2Sweetie was hopelessly lost. Her map had become squiggles that meant nothing. Going left had never ended in a dead end, and she had made four lefts! Why hadn’t she found any intersections that led her back to the jail? It wasn’t going up, nor was it going down. It was like this was designed as a maze. Sweetie shivered as a drip of water landed on her back, making her jump and give a tiny squeal. After calming down, she took a moment to look around, and realised she had no idea which way she had come. Sweetie bit her lip, feeling a headache coming on. What was the best action to take? “Wait, of course!” Sweetie chided herself for being an idiot, and dug into her saddlebags, pulling out a slip of paper. Recalling the moment Twilight had given her the spell to send letters via magic, Sweetie couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to try using it yet. Twilight said the distance to Canterlot was too far, even for her. But maybe… “Dear Twilight, fell down hole. Please help, can’t find exit. Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie spoke out the words as she quickly scribbled down her note, and folded up the letter. Placing it on the ground, she poked her horn into it, and concentrated. Gritting her teeth, she winced as her magic exploded in her face, incinerating the letter. “Attempt number two…” Sweetie placed down the letter a second time, and concentrated. Casting the spell, she gritted her teeth in disappointment as the spell simply fizzled out, the letter flopping back to the floor. This spell required so much control, Sweetie wasn’t sure she could cast it yet. “One last try.” Sweetie concentrated, taking care to make the spell as strong as she could, while ensuring it didn’t blow up in her face. Pausing, she made extra sure the spell had enough juice to cast it, and then let it rip. Sweetie watched as the letter hovered in the air for a moment. Leaning forward, Sweetie felt hope brimming in her chest. With a disappointing view as the spell ripped the letter to pieces, and then exploded in a small burst of flame, Sweetie knew no one would be able to read it even if it did make it to the other side. Kicking the ground, Sweetie watched as a stone came loose, and cracked into the wall. Sweetie watched as the stone rolled for a moment, and fell still. Rumble... Sweetie pivoted, and ran. The roof behind her came crashing down, and she looked straight ahead, ignoring the thudding heart and the fear eating at her hooves. Turning a corner, Sweetie saw a second cascade of rubble coming toward her, and paused. Surrounded, Sweetie crouched, closing her eyes and cowering under her hooves. Sobbing, Sweetie heard the collapse tear through her eardrums, and felt dust and debris hit her body, sending her flying toward the wall. Gasping for breath, Sweetie felt her lungs clog with dust, and tried to blink her eyes open, pain throbbing through her body. Looking around, Sweetie noticed she had somehow made it to a small section where the two collapsing forces had met. Looming over her were two large pieces of rubble, creaking and groaning. Sweetie looked at her injuries, a few scrapes and bruises. “Okay, *cough* I’m alive. Now what?” Sweetie looked around, quickly working out that air would become a problem sooner rather than later, and scowled. Ears flicking back, she silently hoped somepony came to save her before she suffocated, falling into a death loop. Closing her eyes, Sweetie leaned against the wall, and sighed. Opening her eyes as a strange tinking sound reached her ears, Sweetie realised half of her prison had turned into crystal. Looking through the transparent material, a pony figure was visible. Sweetie leapt to her feet and waved, beaming a smile. The pony’s horn glowed, and Sweetie found herself slowly levitated through the crystal, coming to stand beside Twilight. Sweetie leapt at Twilight, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. Sweetie didn’t understand why her body was moving all on it’s own, and felt her mind slightly detached from the situation as Twilight comforted her. Why was she still afraid of death? Why had Twilight’s rescue moved her to tears? “I think that’s enough exploration for today,” Chuckling, Twilight slowly carried Sweetie outside. As they walked, Sweetie rubbed her body over, still feeling detached. And yet, this was her body. The pain from the cuts and bruises still hurt. But the feeling lingered. Sweetie shook her head, and instead focused on Twilight. “How did you know I was alive?” Sweetie watched as Twilight teleported up the hole Sweetie had fallen down, and began to head out of the castle. Sweetie silently cursed her inability to teleport such distances. Maybe in the future, she supposed. “Well, when I heard the collapse, there was only two possibilities. Either you were alive down there, or you had...been killed and we were out of the loop. I uh...took the risk of it being the former, and tried to find you anyway.” Twilight scratched the back of her head, ears flopping down as the morbid option that was tied to her deduction hung in the air. “No more ruined castles,” mumbled Sweetie, closing her eyes and shuddering. Twilight gently hugged the filly, taking to the sky and slowly beginning the fly back to Ponyville. Twilight normally conserved her energy, as the air currents were a lot more punishing over the Everfree, but was willing to put of with wingache for Sweetie. “I can imagine why.” Twilight smiled, and winked at Sweetie, who let a small chuckle escape her lips. Sweetie looked ahead, and let her smile fall. The feeling still clung to her, like a flea from Winona, Apple Bloom’s dog. Shaking her head, Sweetie instead focused her thoughts on what she should do next loop. Thoughts focused on that, her mind finally let go of the feeling.
L34“Actually Rarity, do you mind if we go to a museum?” Sweetie waited as the emotions rolled over her sister, before settling on defeat. Rubbing her forehead, Rarity let out a sigh, and smiled gently down at her sister. Sweetie smiled, the good news was rolling in today. “If that is what you want to do Sweetie, let me go grab my things.” Rarity trotted over to her bedside table and grabbed her saddlebags, slotting them on her back with careful precision. Turning, she flicked her tail to motion for Sweetie to follow, and let via the door. Locking it behind her, Rarity nodded once, and began the trip to the exit. “What brought this on, if I may ask?” Rarity called for a cab, and they hopped in as Sweetie removed a small 3-fold flyer from her saddlebags. Taking it in her magic, Rarity immediately saw the wide array of magical artifacts being shown off. Rarity handed it back as Sweetie began to speak. “Some of those items are Starswirl’s. I’m hoping there might be something I can use.” Sweetie smiled as she watched people pass by, and saw the museum come into view. Hopping off the cab, Sweetie waited as Rarity paid the driver. Turning, they headed for the building. “I suppose, but don’t get your hopes up.” Rarity bit her lip, inwardly sighing at her excited sister. Rarity didn’t want her to get set on one possible solution, the chances of something useful being inside were slim. Yes, the artifacts might be powerful, but what use would any of them have to someone in a time loop? “I know, but it’s kinda hard not to.” Sweetie knew Rarity was right, but it was so hard not to let hope guide her actions. Would there be something she could use? Sweetie sure hoped so. Regardless, it was something she hadn’t done yet, and thus was a new experience. “You’re just in time for the next tour, join the group over there.” The ticket master pointed with a hoof toward the group of shuffling ponies, and they quickly joined the herd. As they waited, Sweetie noticed an old dinosaur skeleton laying in one room not related to the current exhibit. For a brief moment, she toyed with the idea of bringing it back to life, before eventually deciding it was too cliche. “Starswirl the Bearded was known as a heretic, and was constantly ostracised when he was younger. This led him to dive into his studies, and create his first item of magi-tech; a lightbulb.” As the pony spoke, Sweetie glanced toward the very poorly constructed lightbulb, and wondered what they had used prior to this invention. “This got the attention of Princess Celestia, who ferreted him into the castle where he could conduct his experiments without the hassle of those who called him a fool. It was during this time, he created the first magi-circuit. This circuit would turn a light on or off by flicking a switch.” As if to show it off, the pony flicked a switch on an open version of the circuit. Sweetie had to admit, this was amazing. “However, as this science became more accepted, Starswirl grew bored. Leaving the magi-tech to other scientists, Starswirl began to delve into the pure magical nature of the world. While he did so, scientists took his ideas, and implemented them to make the appliances we know today.” Pausing, the pony motioned toward a fridge, toaster, and other such kitchen appliances. Sweetie rubbed her hooves together, now they were finally getting somewhere. “Starswirl eventually went crazy, and died alone. But his knowledge of magic and magi-tech still helps society to this day.” The pony finished by showing a poster of Starswirl when he was obviously ancient by pony standards. Everypony began to separate, and Sweetie stared at the poster for a few moments longer. “Are you ok Sweetie?” Rarity put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, who nodded in response. “I’m fine, just a little disappointed. They only spoke of what he did in one field of study, completely ignoring the other.” Sweetie’s ears flopped down and she sighed. Walking up to the poster, she put a hoof on it, and sighed. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head, mourning the loss of one of the few unicorns who might have been able to help her. “Woah!” Sweetie blinked as her hoof went right through the poster, and fell forward. Rarity tried to follow, but found the poster was solid again, and reared back in fright. Pacing for a moment, she didn’t know what else to do but wait. If Sweetie wasn’t back in five minutes, she would get the staff involved. Sweetie rubbed the back of her neck where she had hit it on something. Opening her eyes, she looked around and realised she was in a very tiny room filled with sketches of various machines. As Sweetie walked forward more, she realised they were quickly becoming more and more about magic, and spell creation. Eventually, Sweetie noticed a final trend begin, one where Starswirl was constantly trying to find a way to become immortal. Sweetie looked to the final picture, one showing Celestia and Luna collapsed on the ground, Cutie Mark’s gone, with Starswirl standing over them. Surrounding Starswirl were what she recognised as drawings of the Elements. Looking down a bit more, Sweetie saw an unfinished spell that would swap the Cutie Marks of anypony connected to the Elements. “Oh Starswirl,” she sighed, closing her eyes as she looked away. Sweetie couldn’t deny it any longer, Starswirl had, by the point of the time loop, already been insane. Sweetie supposed Starswirl had been so consumed with his desire, he would do anything to accomplish it. Turning, Sweetie let her eyes fall on a picture of Starswirl when he was a colt, showing off his invention to Celestia. Sweetie turned, and headed back for the painting. Stepping through it, she met the worried look of Rarity, who quickly became consumed with relief. Gasping for breath as she was hugged, Sweetie glanced back to the poster. “So you really couldn’t follow me?” Sweetie took that information and digested it as she thought. A secret area of Starswirl’s, one she had been able to access but nopony else had. That final spell to switch Cutie Marks. All of it was related, and yet Sweetie couldn’t help but frown. Related yes, but how?
L35Sweetie stuck her hoof into the jar as the substance got cupped in her hoof, and dragged it out, plopping it into her mouth as she layed on grass. Watching ponies pass by, she dragged her grubby hoof along her white body, feeling pleased as passerby’s looked away in disgust. Sweetie licked her hoof again, and spat out the hairs as she sighed and reached into the jar again. When the Crusaders had suggested this as a joke loop, she had been expecting it to be a lot more fun. Glancing to her left and right, she could see Diamond watching them with disgust. Surprisingly, Silver Spoon was getting really into it, having a small bath tub dedicated to their chosen substance. “Sorry Sweetie, I really thought Nutella would be a lot more fun than this.” Scootaloo slapped a hoof on the puddle of Nutella she was sitting in, and Applebloom nodded agreement. Sweetie sighed, standing up, and began casting her spell into the air, causing water to shower onto them. Sweetie bit her lip as she tried to change the flow, and smiled as it went from a single torrent to a spray. Looking at everypony, she watched as they began to clean themselves off. “Well, there are worse ways to spend a loop,” commented Sweetie as she scrubbed the gunk out of her fur. The others nodded, and lapsed into a casual silence. Finishing up, they tossed the empty jars in a bin, and trotted toward the park. If they were lucky, they might be able to get some serious playtime in before they got called away. “By the way, why were you scared about those rocks fallin’ on ya in the castle? Wouldn’t ya have just popped back in your room?” Applebloom tilted her head, and winced as Sweetie cringed, falling behind the group as they came to a stop. Sighing, Sweetie closed her eyes, ears flopping back, and opened her mouth. “Stuff follows me though. When I died the first time off that cliff, the rocks surrounding me when I died appeared in my bedroom. Meaning it would just smoosh the rocks that had smooshed me into the room, leaving me stuck in a death loop.” Sweetie shuddered, remembering her first death loop, glad it was the only one she had experienced. “Oh,” was all that was said in response. Falling silent once more, everypony’s thoughts were dark and morbid, knowing that what had saved Sweetie wasn’t likely going to ever get out of that like she had the first time. Sweetie suspected there might be a chance it wasn’t a fluke, but did she really want to tempt fate? “Alright, everypony, let’s form a circle.” Scootaloo ordered everypony to the grass, and they all obeyed with curiosity. Sitting down, Sweetie smiled awkwardly at Diamond, who scratched the back of her head. While they had read their looping notes, Sweetie knew it was always going to be awkward for Diamond to just start being friendly. “So, tell us, what are the secrets in the looping notes?” Scootaloo beamed a mischievous smile, and Sweetie chuckled, fishing out the notes. It wasn’t like they’d remember it next loop. Besides, Sweetie had been meaning to look through them for a while now. So why not with her friends? Sweetie picked up the first one, and smiled. “Alright, so before I begin, Celestia’s note speaks about her liking to eat rocks. I don’t know what Luna’s says, so let’s start with Twilight's. ‘To prove this is not a joke, I will say one single item that reminds you of the worst moment of your childhood. Bright pink polka-dot pajamas.” Sweetie blinked, and they all gave a nervous chuckle. “Alright, now Rarity. ‘I once designed a hat when I was younger that is still making me money today, and I am embarrassed because it uses double stitch instead of triple. But no one went after my redesigned hats.’ That’s Rarity for you.” Sweetie rolled her eyes, and the others bit her lips. Where were all the funny secrets? “Pinkie Pie, this should be funny. ‘I once killed a pony by making them laugh. I still send flowers to the widow once a year, who has two colts to look after.’ Oh…” Sweetie’s ears flopped back, poor Pinkie, that would have terribly hurt somepony who only wanted to make people smile. Scootaloo dug a hoof around in the ground, saying nothing. “Rainbow Dash suffers from an anxiety disorder. Fluttershy sometimes has to kill animals to end their misery. Applejack regrets the night she told Applebloom the truth about their parents. Jeez, they’re all so morbid…” Sweetie folded up the letters, and put them back in her saddlebags. Sweetie had a feeling Mr Turner would have a similar note. “I guess when faced with the reality of what you’re going through, the only thoughts that you can think of are bad ones.” Scootaloo glanced to the others, and they all nodded. Sweetie glanced to their notes, and immediately put them away. All sad, all depressing. Sweetie wished she hadn’t read them now. “But why was Celestia’s so mundane?” Sweetie was grasping at one odd straw in the bunch, and the others quickly dived onto it as she explained how Celestia had taught her to read it. Sweetie watched as all the other’s considered it, and let her thoughts wander. Was it to do with the age? “Well, it’s likely she’s desensitized to all the terrible things due to her age.” Silver Spoon held out a hoof as she spoke, offering her solution. Sweetie nodded slowly, it was the most likely. Diamond Tiara looked away, possibly in the direction of her home. “Or maybe she has seen so much she understood that leaving a depressing note would only make you sad.” Diamond kept her eyes trained on the distance, and Sweetie realised it was toward Canterlot Castle. Sweetie liked Diamond’s suggestion. Not only did it provide a valid excuse, but it showed off Celestia as being wise, which Sweetie knew was true. “Sweetie Belle!” It was Rarity, time to go home. Sweetie stood up, and waved goodbye to the others as she turned and followed Rarity home. Musing on today’s events, Sweetie supposed it was something she would never really be able to share out of this loop. “So, did you have fun today?” Rarity smiled warmly at her sister, completely unaware of the loop. Sweetie raised her head and smiled in response, giving a nod. Rarity returned to looking forward, and blinked. Was it just her imagination, but did Sweetie seem more...adult compared to last week? “I did,” replied Sweetie.
L36“So, how am I doing?” Sweetie puffed as she caught her breath, looking toward Twilight as she mused for a moment. Practicing her magic had become routine, and Sweetie felt she was starting to make progress. Certainly there was a lack of explosions, and she was getting faster at it with each passing day. But still, Sweetie could sense a disappointment from Twilight. “Very good, but you’re not ready for the next level of spells yet. I know this is selfish of me, but I was hoping you’d be talented at magic and take to this a lot quicker than this. Like I was.” Twilight bit her lip and looked toward the ground. Sweetie weathered the insult, knowing that hating Twilight for it wouldn’t help. What’s the point in holding a grudge if the pony responsible didn’t remember why? “It’s alright, I understand.” Sweetie lied smoothly, knowing only Applejack would see through it. A part of her was disappointed when Twilight didn’t even notice the lie, smiling warmly and thanking her. Sweetie glanced toward the sky, a bored expression falling on her face. It was just too easy these days. “I fear there may be no means out of this loop, despite Starswirl’s claims and proof to the contrary,” she commented as she closed her eyes, and let her head fall. Sweetie felt a hoof touch her shoulder, and shrugged it off, taking a few steps to distance herself. Right now, Sweetie didn’t want comfort from a non-looper. “Well...what if we contacted a god?” Twilight rolled the idea off her tongue before she even registered whom she was referring to. Quickly catching up, she mentally face-hoofed, realising she should have done this loops ago. Sweetie turned, opening her eyes, alert and listening. “Discord, he’s a God of Chaos right?” Twilight supposed he was more a ‘lord’, but there was no denying he was a powerful force of chaos. If it hadn’t been for Fluttershy taming him, he would likely still be encased in stone. Sweetie blinked, and a bright beaming smile emerged on her face. “Of course! And even if he can’t he still presents a perfect pranking opportunity!” Sweetie jumped into the air with glee, this was something she could use! Something new, that was the main cincher in this plan. Sweetie savored the feeling of newness coming from the idea, glad Twilight had finally produced a golden nugget of opportunity. “So how do we find him?” Sweetie waited patiently as Twilight looked around, and put a hoof to her chin. Sweetie wondered what was behind the first action, but supposed it could be because of the subject. Sweetie wondered what prank Discord would come up with, how crazy would it get? “Well, considering he didn’t just appear when we called his name, I dunno. I guess try searching for him?” Twilight shrugged, unsure how one summoned a chaos god in a world of harmony. Sweetie mused for a moment, and nodded. It might take a few tries, but she was nothing if not patient. “Alright, I’ll try looking for him.” Sweetie waved goodbye to Twilight, and started looking around. After finding nothing, she remembered that Fluttershy was the closest to Discord, and pivoted, heading toward her cottage. Sweetie hadn’t had much chance to speak to Fluttershy during the loops, and she mentally chided herself for it now. “Hey Fluttershy.” Sweetie waited patiently for the Pegasus to finish feeding the animals. There were quite a few strange one’s, but nothing Sweetie hadn’t seen before. Sighing, she wondered what she would find if she went exploring in the Everfree. Finally, Fluttershy nodded once, indicating she could continue. “I was wondering if you knew how to contact Discord.” Sweetie’s response was so unexpected, Fluttershy took three steps back and glanced around rapidly. After a moment of nothing happening, she breathed out in relief, and approached once more. “W-Well you could t-try a-asking him nicely.” Fluttershy shrunk slightly as she crouched low, and Sweetie sighed, giving a nod. It looked like Fluttershy wasn’t going to be any help whatsoever. Sweetie turned, and began walking away. It wasn’t like she had rudeness to worry about, it was nearing the end of the week. “Thanks Fluttershy.” Sweetie trotted back toward the town as she mused. Asking Discord nicely, it might work, but doing so would require a little bit of preparation. Sweetie knew convincing Discord this was a time loop would be immensely harder compared to that of Twilight. “Let’s see, I’ll need chocolate milk, and probably a book or two for him to snack on. At least, from what Twilight said. Alright, Ill get that ready, and contact him next loop.” Sweetie smiled, and began to skip down the path. Author's Note Sorry it's so short.
L37“Oh no, it’s raining chocolate milk, it must be another Discord prank.” Sweetie pretended, badly, that she was actually frightened and angry at the chocolate raining on her. After a while, she sighed, and stood still, narrowing her eyes. Great, making fun of him hadn’t drawn him out. Kicking a bucket, she watched as it banged against the ground. “Just great. He won’t come when called OR when made fun of. How the hell does one summon this freaking Chaos God?” Sweetie growled in irritation, wincing as a spike of pain laced through her head. Sweetie reconised the pain instantly, and sighed. Great, another chore she would have to do. “You could always try asking politely you know. I do have feelings.” Turning, Discord’s pouting face swam into view, and Sweetie smiled sheepishly. Whoops, looks like Fluttershy was right. Sweetie quickly composed herself, and pulled out the two books she had ‘borrowed’ from Twilight during the previous loop. “Fancy some light eating?” Sweetie smiled innocently as Discord mused, glancing the books over. Tossing them aside, he snapped his fingers and transformed them into flying doughnuts. Sweetie watched them fly around a few times, before breathing in, and getting to business. Discord was currently eyeing her saddlebags, full of paper. It would be best to not let him get any ideas. “Discord, I am-” Sweetie blinked as she was cut off, her mouth zipping up like a pair of pants. Unzipping it, she tilted her head as Discord regarded her, and gave a yawn. “Stuck in a time loop, forced to repeat the same time over and over again, I’ve heard it before. You remind me so much of the grizzled old goat, no sense of fun left in you. Blegh.” Discord shuddered, his arms falling off and beginning to bounce along the ground. Discord watching them begin to dance to a tune coming out of thin air. “Wait, so you know about it?” Sweetie leaned forward, eyes sparkling with hope. Discord narrowed his own eyes, and snapped his fingers in between a backflip and split as the dance continued. Sweetie found herself wearing a pair of sunglasses, covering her eyes. Pulling them up, she realised Discord was no longer looking at her. “Of course I do, you don’t think I’d notice the magic slamming through the air with little care for any magic in its way? Anyone with some sense of Chaos could detect it. It slides along my back like someone stroking a cat the wrong way.” Discord shuddered again, and snapped his fingers. Hands back on his body, he flew over to a house, and turned it into a bubble. Blowing on it, Discord watched as it flew away. “I imagine your tiny head is exploding with questions, so let me answer them quickly for you so I can get back to ignoring the elephant standing right next to you.” Discord glanced scathingly toward Sweetie’s right, and she blinked, there was an elephant right there. Sweetie glanced upward as it suddenly began to rain elephants, causing untold panic. Sweetie couldn’t resist the slight upturn of a smile. “Yes I can survive the loop reset, no I don’t want to, no I don’t have memories from previous loops, yes I used to know Starswirl, no I don’t know how you cast the spell, and yes English Literature is my favorite.” Discord snapped his fingers, and a piece of paper appeared in front of Sweetie. Taking it, she saw it was covered in a crude drawing of Discord. Folding it up, she wondered how Discord had guessed her last question. “If that is all, I’d like to go cause some lovely chaos in New Griffonia. Those Gryphons served me bad cheese last time I was there.” Discord paused just long enough to snap his fingers, and return everything to normal. Fluttershy would scold him if he didn’t clean up his mess. Well, Discord had only sworn not to cause Chaos in Equestria. The Gryphon Kingdoms on the other hand… “Uh, see ya…” Sweetie watched as Discord vanished, and realised she hadn’t actually gotten a chance to properly talk to him. Sitting down, Sweetie sighed as she wrote down everything Discord had said, cataloging it as she mused on her notes. Looking over them, she bit her lip and scratched her head. “Alright, so Discord can survive a loop reset, but doesn’t want to. He doesn’t keep memories from previous loops. He knew Starswirl, and called him a ‘grizzled old goat’ I think. Okay, so what does that tell me. Come on Sweetie, think.” Sweetie leaned back, and pursed her lip. “Discord likes chaos and disharmony, something like time looping would make any chaos he did become boring or similar if he did it too many times. So maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to come with me to a loop reset? I guess that makes sense.” Sweetie glanced to the sky, and winced as another slice of pain hit her head. “Right, priorities.” Sweetie stood up, and headed toward Twilight’s. Knocking on the door, she quickly wrote the letter as she waited for Twilight to answer. Holding it out to Twilight, Sweetie opened her mouth to speak. “Twilight, can you send this to Celestia? I need a new shield spell.” Sweetie winced, the pain was starting to occur more often. Twilight nodded, but levitated over a scroll instead of allowing Sweetie inside. Opening it, Sweetie saw a complicated spell, and tried to understand what it did. Thankfully, Twilight came to her rescue. “This is a shield spell that will create a bubble in a sphere around you. It will take some time before you can control it enough to make it skintight, but it should do you for quite a while.” Twilight tilted her head and gave a smile. Sweetie nodded, and tried to cast it. A tiny bubble flickered to life around her, and her headache cleared. “Thanks Twilight,” she spoke, giving a warm smile as she put the scroll in her saddlebags. Sweetie waved goodbye, and turned, heading home to where Rarity would be waiting. The strain was immense, and she had to stop a few times. Sweetie was also positive it wasn’t very strong either. Both things that gave her something to work on. “I’ll try talking to Discord again next loop.” Sweetie still had questions she wanted to ask.
L38“Excuse me Discord, but do you mind if I have a word with you?” Sweetie waited patiently as a sigh echoed around her, and the Draconequus in question materialised. Sweetie showed him the picture, and he rolled his eyes, folding them in irritation. “How do you know Starswirl?” Sweetie waited as Discord snapped his fingers, transforming a cloud into a stone chair. Sitting down on it, he growled. Sweetie could tell Discord obviously did not want to be here. And yet, he was making the effort to remain, to which Sweetie was grateful. “I was created when he escaped from his time loop. The energies of the spell coalesced into a discordic center that created me. I was incredibly handsome and already older than time by that point, he merely gave me form.” Discord waved his hand in a circle, creating a tornado on his fingers. Rolling it around his hand, he snapped his fingers and sent it toward Griffonia. “Do you know if there’s a way for me to escape the time loop?” Sweetie was surprised to find out Discord was born the day Starswirl died. Well, according to him it was the day he gained form. Sweetie supposed that explained the lack of, well, morals. “Yes, the same way Starswirl escaped. Harnessing the energy to create an immortal creature. You could always create another Draconequus.” Discord snapped his finger again, summoning a chicken that squawked the alphabet. “Wait, immortal?” Sweetie blinked, eyes widening as Discord raised an eyebrow. “Well what did you expect the way out was? A spell made to make someone immortal can only be completed when this occurs. Starswirl couldn’t make himself immortal after realising this due to being the epicenter of the loop, so he instead focused the energies into a center point, and added a spark of life.” Discord flicked the chicken into the air, watching in boredom as it began to dance, strobing disco lights coming out from it’s primary feathers. “A-And how does one create a spark of life?” Sweetie didn’t really like the idea of her being the source behind another Chaos God, but if it was the way out, then she would take it. “All the necromancer books I’ve eaten on the subject say it’s a spell that is only conceived, and has never been created. You’d have to be as smart as Twilight to ever attempt it. Which, sorry to say, you are not.” Discord snapped his fingers, exploding the chicken into a thousand tiny, strobing, dancing chickens. Chuckling, he materialised sunglasses on both himself and Sweetie. “And before you ask, no Twilight couldn’t do it. She’d need more than a week.” Discord cracked his fingers and leaned forward, regarding Sweetie. Snapping his fingers, he began to mess with her appearance by first turning her a sickly green. “What about you? Could you do it?” Sweetie silently hoped Discord reverted her to normal at the end of the conversation, wincing as a tiny chicken landed on her head, still singing the alphabet. Sweetie didn’t entirely like the fact Discord was messing with her appearance, but it was keeping him somewhat entertained while she got answers. “Hardly, my magic is so unpredictable it would more than likely create a spark of light. But I digress; your efforts are futile. There is no escape.” Discord sighed, leaning back as his chair shattered into diamonds. Looking up, he folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes as chickens began to land on his body, still dancing. “Alright, thanks.” Sweetie bit her lip and sighed, disappointed that another lead had turned up dry. At the very least she could use Discord for a prank later on in another loop. Sweetie paused for a moment, and shook her head rapidly. No sense dwelling on the dead end. She had to think what she could do that would be new. “Are you gonna eat that?” Discord pointed to the tiny chicken on her head, and Sweetie blanched as she shook her head. Discord grabbed the chicken and swallowed it without chewing. Sweetie covered her mouth, trying not to barf. “Thanks for your time Discord, but you can go now. Unless you want to discuss a looping prank.” Sweetie forced herself to a smile, and waited as Discord quickly returned everything to normal. Discord snapped his fingers, causing a Hawaiian shirt and suitcase to appear. “I’ll pass, that sounds dreadfully mundane. Try not to be too picky with what you decide to do, I hold no responsibility for changing the prank if it’s boring. Ta Taa~” Discord vanished, and Sweetie breathed out. “That does reveal an interesting idea though.” Sweetie mused on the chickens for a moment, remembering how Twilight had mentioned burgers during Twilight Time once.
L39Sweetie ignored the disgusted looks as she bit down into her fruit bat, enjoying the delicious taste of illusion. Looking up, she smiled warmly at Twilight, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Twilight gently levitated utensils as she ate, disguising her horn magic as something a lot less intensive. “So how’s the strawberry Sweetie? Is it mixing with the meat well?” Twilight waited patiently as Sweetie pretended to finish the food in her mouth. Really, the filly had become extremely gifted at subterfuge. Twilight would never admit it, but she worried Sweetie was too gifted. “Oh yes! When you suggested eating fruit bats, I never thought the meat would compliment the fruity taste that comes from their peculiar diet.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and Twilight chuckled. After a few moments of pretending to eat, Twilight wiped her mouth again, and regarded Sweetie. “Why did you want to do this anyway? It’s quite a strange prank, don’t you think?” Twilight watched Sweetie put down her fork, and took the cue to behind ‘cleaning up’. “I was talking to Discord last loop, and he asked me if I was gonna eat one of the chickens he made. I said no and he ate it. It was probably only a ball of magic, but I thought it might be fun to try it one loop, even if pretend." “I’ll have to have a talk to Discord when the loops end,” spoke Twilight, writing down a note in her looping journal. “So Sweetie, how are you doing?” Twilight leaned forward, regarding Sweetie with wide eyes. Sweetie blinked, and tilted her head. “Uh okay?” Sweetie didn’t entirely understand why Twilight was asking. Twilight sighed, recognising the confusion. “Sweetie, you’ve been stuck in a Time Loop for probably months now. That doesn’t come without some problems. I’ll ask again, are you ok?” Twilight watched as Sweetie looked away, ears flopping down and up quickly. After a moment, she sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “I’m okay for now. There’s plenty of stuff for me to do. I gotta grow my magic, go through a few pranks, see a few things. Maybe one of them will give me a clue to get out of this. As long as there’s something new I can do, I’ll be fine.” Sweetie gave a sad smile, and watched as Twilight lent even further over the table. “And what if there isn’t anything new?” Twilight watched warily, keeping her eyes trained for any slight change in Sweetie’s face. Sweetie looked at Twilight, bit her lip, and turned away. “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully, lowering her head and looking at the ground. Ears flopping back, she rubbed her shoulder with a hoof. “I could travel, maybe. But I don’t know what to do when everything I could do has been done, I just don’t. A-And it scares me okay? I don’t want to think about it. It’s a dark pit I don’t want to look down. So please Twilight, don’t ask me what I’ll do. Because I fear the answer.” Sweetie closed her eyes, face scrunching up as tears began to leak down her face. Twilight instantly brought the filly into a hug, letting her sob as she stroked Sweetie’s hair. “I promise, I’ll never mention it again. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight closed her eyes, magic quickly writing a note in her journal. Sweetie could always read it, but Twilight had a feeling the filly hadn’t looked inside yet. Sweetie sighed, stepping back and wiping her eyes. “I’ll be okay,” whispered Sweetie, giving a shaky smile as she watched Twilight stand up. Twilight smiled, and they both began making their way back toward the castle in silence. Passing Sugarcube corner, Twilight motioned to Sweetie, and they entered. Mrs Cake was currently serving the counter. “Pick what you want from the menu.” Twilight stepped aside and let Sweetie order, levitating out her bag of bits. Twilight knew Sweetie probably had money of her own, but it was one of the few things she could do in her short timeframe with the filly that might at least be somewhat meaningful. “Thanks Twilight.” Sweetie ordered, and they left the store, heading back toward the castle. Sweetie bit into her treat, allowing the taste to encompass her. Living in the moment, she savored the thoughtful gift, ignoring everything else as the taste traveled along her tastebuds. “Come on, let’s go see if there’s anything hidden in Spike’s secret room.” Twilight winked, and Sweetie grinned, leaping toward the task with gusto. It turned out the fluffy toys masked a gem hoard, which Twilight immediately scolded Spike for. Was he trying to get fat? Sweetie watched this with a sad smile, and looked away. Author's Note This is by far the longest fic I've ever made.
L40“Impressive Sweetie, did you teleport all the way here?” Twilight was quite shocked at the gasping Sweetie Belle before her. The filly held up a hoof, taking a moment to catch her breath again. Finally able to speak, Sweetie shook her head. “Not yet, it took me two teleports in quick succession, but I’m getting closer.” Sweetie beamed a smile as Twilight nodded, surprised by the amount of progress that Sweetie was making. At the rate she was going, according to her notes from previous loops, Sweetie would soon be able to move onto advanced spells. “Say Twilight, have you ever eaten meat?” Sweetie tilted her head. It was a leftover curiosity from the last loop. How had Twilight known what meat tasted like. Sweetie hadn’t tasted anything, but it left a nagging feeling in her mind. Twilight gave a sheepish grin, and escorted Sweetie inside. “Once, and it was in a different universe, as a creature called a ‘Human’.” Twilight waited as Sweetie digested this, once more surprised how quickly the filly came to terms with this information. “So humans are both real, and carnivores?” Sweetie brought out her notepad, writing this down. Maybe she could use it to prank Lyra in a future loop. Maybe not, Lyra was crazy enough as it is. “Actually, they’re omnivores. They eat both plant matter and meat. Just don’t ask me about the morality of it because it’s not something I really want to discuss.” Twilight winced at the thought. It was something she prefered to ignore. Sure, she hadn’t known it was meat when she first tried it, but it was still something she prefered to leave in the ‘do not discuss’ pile. “Can I visit this world? Maybe leaving Equestria will stop the spell.” Sweetie doubted it would, likely the spell followed her. Mainly she just wanted the chance to explore a new world. Twilight considered it for a moment, and shook her head. “Sorry Sweetie, your week doesn’t fall on a full moon, so you can’t.” Twilight gave a sympathetic smile, and blinked, flaring her wings as Pinkie leapt through a window. The problem with her Castle was the lack of glass. “But Twilight, didn’t you cast some spell dohickey when Sunset needed your help?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head, giggled, and leapt back out the window. Sweetie watched this, savoring the feeling of utter confusion. Twilight sighed, and rubbed her forehead. “Alright, you found me out. Now, listen very carefully Sweetie.” Twilight crouched down, and looked straight into Sweetie’s eyes. “Repeat after me; I do not want to go to their universe.” Twilight called upon her magic, keeping Sweetie from reeling back. “But-” Sweetie glared as she was cut off, and sent her magic to slice through Twilight’s, releasing her from the telekinetic hold. “Trust me, it is not worth it. And you will never get me to tell you the spell. If you go through 200 loops, and can prove it, I will consider it. But not before then.” Twilight narrowed her eyes and waited as Sweetie growled in irritation. “Fine, Fine! I do not want to go to their universe.” Sweetie rolled her eyes, annoyed she was being barred from something interesting. No matter, Sweetie was sure if she got to 200 loops, the new world would provide a treasure bounty of new. Which, would be the best present she could get after so many loops. “Alright, that’s all.” Twilight stood up, and smiled warmly at Sweetie, glad to see the filly had actually thought to break her hold. Without a doubt, the filly was growing stronger. Twilight turned away for a moment, letting a flash of concern fall on her face. The stronger Sweetie got, the more she lost time better spent on a childhood. “Twilight?” Sweetie slowly walked around Twilight, before whining as she was brought into a wing-hug. After a moment, she allowed herself to be hugged, and rolled her eyes. Twilight had been getting really sentimental lately. Sweetie supposed a few loops of not telling Twilight would be great. But that meant she wouldn’t be able to prove that loop existed. “I’m sorry, I’m just feeling sad for the fact you are missing out on a normal childhood. Like I did…” Twilight closed her eyes, feeling Sweetie stiffen in response. Slowly, small arms wrapped around Twilight. “I’m fine Twilight, really. If I ever feel like it, I can do an activity with the Crusaders. Last week we tried out fishing with my levitation magic. It was loads of fun. So...don’t be sad, I have plenty of time to have a childhood too.” Sweetie didn’t entirely understand why Twilight was suddenly sentimental not once, but twice in separate loops. Not to mention one after another. A lace of fear swept through Sweetie, wondering if she would one day not even feel the sadness coming off Twilight. Would Twilight’s sadness just turn into another chore? Sweetie shuddered, discarding the issue as quickly as possible. Author's Note I know they've been short lately. But darn it you will like those words! It's not my fault I'm on a budget! No you're not getting that candy bar near the checkout! Here is another poem made by: Divine Path A wonderland of absence, resting within the breath of wind circling time. Before the light flickers, and you remain in darkness, hold true the feelings of love and warmth, before such blackness pulls you tight in embrace, and you welcome the coldness of apathy.
L41.1 Operation Eternal Night “Is everypony here?” Sweetie looked at the round table of ponies. To one side sat the Crusaders, quietly coming to terms with the news she had just told them. Luna and Twilight shared excited smirks, eyes glowing with mischief. The other five were less enthused, but Sweetie could tell they were behind the plan as long as Twilight was. “Yes, now tell us; did your test work out as planned?” Twilight smiled, flicking through her notes as she skimmed the ones relating to the day in question. Sweetie nodded, pulling out a piece of paper revealing a notice of a new holiday. Everypony shared a laugh at the photo used for the notice, showing two Princesses scrubbing the ground with toothbrushes. “Indeed, Toothpaste Day was a huge success, showing that if we involve Twilight and Luna, we should get immense support. However, this also means you’re going to have to be in multiple places at once Luna.” Sweetie paused as Luna nodded, and teleported to a different seat at the table. “So, is everypony clear on the plan?” Sweetie smiled as she rubbed her hooves together. All ponies nodded, giving a salute, and Sweetie stood up. Everypony watched as she unfurled a charter, dividing up Equestria into different sections. Sweetie motioned to the different cities. “Now, we want to finish this by tomorrow, so everypony is going to be teleported to their locations to begin. At midday, we all start at the same time. Twilight has prepared the speeches so that Luna has roughly ten minutes between them, giving her enough time to teleport to each of the locations and make a quick appearance. “Remember, this is going to be much harder than Toothpaste Day, we’re trying to convince a nation of something serious. So make sure to choose your words carefully.” Sweetie waited as all nodded, and smiled, slicing up the map and hoofing a section to the ponies. Sweetie saluted them, and stepped back. “Good luck, and goodbye.” Sweetie and the Crusaders were first, Sweetie charged with their safety. After all, it wasn’t as if they could get any permanent damage. Sweetie picked a spot in the middle of Ponyville, and levitated over the pieces as Apple Bloom got to work building it. This, of course, earned her a Cutie Mark. Scootaloo was next. “Alright, so we need something we can march to. I’m thinking something along the lines of ‘No more fright, we want night’.” Sweetie waited as Scootaloo nodded, and began to help Apple Bloom design the big signs for the picketing line. Sweetie watched this, and noticed onlookers beginning to see their work. Finally, it was time. Sweetie wrote up the final touches on the banner, levitating it up high in her magic. Turning, she pulled out a piece of paper, reading the spell Twilight had given her. Casting it, her voice was now amplified greatly. Sweetie also cast it on the other Crusaders, and they all smirked. “Citizens of Ponyville! It is time we rise up against the one who oppresses us with her light. For too long we have slaved away under her, and now it is time to rise up, and accept a new sovereign to take her place. May I introduce, Princess Luna!” Sweetie stepped to the side just as Luna appeared. Luna looked down, and gently smiled to everypony. “My subjects,” she spoke, keeping her voice loud, but not screeching. “My wonderful subjects, for too long has my sister been on the throne. For too long has she toiled. So long, that she has been corrupted by time. No longer does she represent three races. My sister does not fly with Pegasi, does not run with the Earth Ponies, and she does not glow with the unicorns.” Luna lowered her head, letting a tear fall. Nearly all of Ponyville was already at the edge, willing to go along with Luna if she gave the right push. “But fear not! For I shall free us from this oppression. Too long has my sister hoarded the sun, using it as her means of keeping power! I will free us from the chain. I will create a world without the sun! Earth Ponies will still be able to grow if they so wish. The cold will not come! I implore you; trust me! For the longer we wait, the closer we get to…” Luna trailed off, her horn sparking and an image of Sombra over Crystal Ponies in chains was revealed. Luna stepped back, and the Crusaders stepped forward. “No more fright! We want night!” Sweetie held the banner, while Scootaloo and Apple holding up signs with their logo on it. Ponyville blinked en masse, and then dive bombed the stage, grabbing the signs they had made up prior. Sweetie and the Crusaders leapt off the stage, joining Silver and Diamond. Waiting, they watched Luna teleport away, and began to organise the mob. “For Equestria!” From the buffalo of Appleloosa, to the high class of Manehattan. All ponies heard the Princess cry, and all responded with outrage. As all marched on Canterlot, where another uprising occurred just before all would meet up, led by Rarity as she showed off her best fashion design, one she had been saving. All the groups lined up around the castle, and Celestia leant out the window, looking down. Seeing not only her sister but the mane 6 leading the strike, she knew there was no chance she could beat them. Celestia glanced to the stacks of paperwork near her desk, watching as three more stacks were levitated in. Making a decision, she glided down from the window, meeting the crowd with grace only she could pull off. “Sister, Twilight, why are you doing this?” Celestia decided to go with the pleading option, knowing it was the best chance at winning back sympathy. A few faces in the crowd swayed, but most stayed resolute. Celestia was amazed at the strength of a mob. “Sister, is it time to step down. The populace hath spoken. They wish for Eternal Night.” Luna looked seriously as Celestia, who flared her wings in surprise. How had Luna organised this? Celestia glanced upward to the window, and sighed. If it was just a small group, she might have been able to talk them down. But with Twilight backing Luna, and the elements following suit, there was no chance she could even raise an objection. “Well played Luna, I concede.” Celestia smiled, and gently took the sign off one of the crowd. Clearing the paint with her magic, she saw one filly holding a can of paint and a brush, and levitated the brush out. Writing on it, she gave an amused wink to Luna. ‘No more paperwork, no more sun.’ Celestia hoisted her sign, and joined the front of the mob. Marching toward the castle entrance, Luna turned around at the top of the stands, and silenced the mob with a simple hoof. “We are victorious! The night shall last forever!” Cheers rang out, reaching a crescendo as Luna preened from the praise. Celestia watched this, eyes holding a cheerful mirth.
L41.2 Operation Eternal NightLuna sat down on the throne as ponies began to leave, leaving only the elements, one filly, and Celestia in the room. Celestia glanced toward the filly, curious as to why she was still in the room. Twilight motioned with a wing, bringing the filly over. Celestia left it at that, Twilight obviously wanted the filly here for some reason. “Luna, I think this joke had gone on long enough now. You know as well as I that the world can’t survive eternal night. Not to mention the fact your moon cannot cover the other half of the world. We might be rulers of Equestria, but we have duties to the entire world and you know it.” Celestia flared her wings, looming over her sister. “Sister, let me level with you.” Luna raised a hoof, meeting Celestia’s eyes equally. Twilight and everypony else walked over, standing beside Luna. Celestia took a step back, not used to being the one without allies. Twilight glanced toward Sweetie, who quietly snapped a picture from her saddlebag. “If I can prove the world could survive under eternal night before the weekend, you allow me to modify your sun so it becomes a second moon. The moon will stay up during this time.” Luna saw the insult on her sister’s face, and was tempted for a moment to blow the prank, and just let her sister in on entire ordeal. Celestia folded her wings, leaning forward as fire burned in her eyes. “You forget sister, not only do I have the elements under my command, all of Equestria is behind me.” Luna gave her sister nothing, letting Celestia realise the folly of fighting back. Luna had her trapped, and Celestia knew it. Growling, she glanced toward the windows and clenched her teeth. If it was just Luna, she had a chance. But without the elements, she had no real pushing power. “Very well sister, one week. But if at any time Equestria starts to suffer, you allow me to raise the sun, and end this silly bet.” Celestia glared at Luna, who bowed her head. The deal had been made, so Celestia stormed off. Luna waited for the doors to close, before slumping, letting her fear finally show. “Great job lasting the entire time Luna.” Twilight patted Luna’s shoulder, who gave a begrudging smile. Sweetie took another secret picture of this. If this continued, she’d have to get a new album soon. “I do not know how my sister do it. Er- does it.” Luna straightened up, and wiped her brow. It had been tough, but finally her goal was complete. Twilight levitated up the plan details, showing stage two. Sweetie beamed a smile, knowing that they had already won the bet, but Luna would likely make an act of fumbling for a day or two. “I want you seven to pretend to be searching while I run the kingdom. It is going to be difficult to handle the paperwork mine sister hath left me. Er-my sister has left me. Maybe your research can turn up an unconsidered point we missed.” Luna watched them bow, and leave. Calling in her servants, she realised the sun was still in the sky. Luna, feeling like a kid taking a cookie without telling their parent, slowly reached out her control to the sun. Celestia’s presence was there, but not blocking. Luna slowly began to grasp the sun, and lower it. It was a lot harder than the moon, but still within her power. Raising the moon, she forced herself to remain composed. “Admit it Luna, you have no idea how to prevent the problems that come with having only the moon and sun idle!” Celestia pressed her sister, seeing uncertainty falling on Luna’s face. It had taken two days, but Celestia was finally getting through Luna’s stubbornness, or so she thought. “Nonsense, the elements won’t fail us-er me.” Luna carefully let a slip into her sentence, knowing she was actually fooling Celestia masterfully. Sweetie had been right, if they believe you are being manipulated by them, it is a lot easier to fool them. The door opened, and the two turned as Twilight and Sweetie walked in, holding a stack of paper. “Princess! We’ve done it!” Twilight smiled, and Sweetie took a picture of Celestia’s shocked expression. Luna forced herself to show a bit of shock, and then flare her wings, standing up as she smiled in relief. “Excellent, come! Tell us two what you have done to solve the problems relating to eternal night.” Luna smiled warmly, completely ignoring Celestia. Sweetie held the papers for Twilight as she began to read the charter. “First off, we turn the sun into a second moon. It will still be much brighter than a normal moon, but this way it will be eternal night everywhere. Your theory was right on the money in that regard. However, the two main problems of heating the planet and feeding the planet are a lot more difficult to solve. Which is why I suggest the following. “First off, the creation of a mutation that will infect all plant life and make them able to grow under less light. The Everfree has already converted itself, having many plants that do just that, according to Zecora. We can also create a magic spell to help the more fussy plants adapt quicker to this change. Soon enough, all life will only require the light from the moon to grow. “As for the other side of the planet, we convert the sun into a moon by a simple spell. Essentially, we enclose the sun inside a moon. For the other half of the planet, it is much easier to simply induce a day/night cycle with the new moonsun, thus allowing those who want both day and night to live over there. “As for the heating problem, Celestia here is the perfect source of heating magic. All we do is have a heating spell cast over the entire half that is always under the moon, thus keeping the planet warm despite the lack of proper sun. Of course, this task could easily be done by yourself. I am merely using Celestia as an example due to her talent being powerful heating and lifting the sun. “So yeah, that solves the main two problems. As for ponies, who can’t see well in the night. A simple night vision spell cast across the moonside will prevent that problem too.” Twilight smiled, and Celestia’s jaw dropped. After a moment, she straightened up, and breathed in. “I am a mare of my word, Luna.” Celestia turned and gave a gentle smile to her sister. There was no doubt she had lost. Luna stood up, and they both shook hooves. Regardless of the outcome, Celestia was proud of her sister for taking the initiative, and not becoming corrupted in the process. “Celestia, would you please sign this agreement then?” Twilight held up a piece of paper with glowing, golden words. Celestia frowned, wondering how her student learned that private language. Looking at it, Celestia quietly read it, eyes widening as she went down it. Handing it back, she looked toward Luna. And laughed. Everypony joined in, sharing a good natured laugh at the expense of Celestia. As it finally cleared, Celestia wiped a tear away with her wing, and chuckled once more. “You got me,” she spoke, a sly grin on her face. Luna nodded. “I see no reason not to continue your plan however. But I will not deny you got me.” Celestia nodded once, and Luna beamed a smile. Yes! Her hard work would still pay off, at least until the end of the week. “We’ll be heading back to Ponyville then.” Twilight bowed, Sweetie doing the same. Celestia watched them go, and then turned toward Luna. “I expect no less than 3 events named after me.” Celestia smile, and Luna chuckled. “How does Solar Night sound? Wherein we bring back the sun for precisely 7 hours.” Luna stepped aside as Celestia took a seat on the throne. “Why seven?” Celestia tilted her head. “Because rocks.” Luna smirked, and Celestia winced. “You are never going to let me live that down are you.” Celestia glared at Luna as she chuckled. “Eenope,” she replied. Both smiled warmly at the other. Celestia stood back up, and both quietly embraced in a hug. “I love you sister.” “As I love you.” Author's Note Happy early chapter people! Please note: There are many things to consider before making eternal night. I am bound to have forgotten some.
L42Sweetie watched the clock tick over to 12:01, and sighed. It was a very important day, her birthday, and nopony would know without her telling them. A part of Sweetie didn’t want to tell them. Closing her eyes, she hugged herself on the bed. Why was she here? Why did Starswirl refuse to share the exit? Discord’s words blended together, and Sweetie knew that even if Discord was telling the truth, it changed nothing. She was trapped in this new reality, and there was no escape. Sweetie knew she could not get out under her own power, so she was at the mercy of the spell. But there was another thought that was dragging her down. Apple Boom, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, four names that would avoid her unless she provided proof she was looping, or convinced them to ignore the feeling. Sweetie supposed when she got strong enough, she could simply cast the same spell Twilight used except on them. But what was the point, it didn’t change the fact of what she’d done. Sweetie hugged herself tighter, trying to push the dark thoughts in her head aside. But they refused to leave, only growing stronger as she remembered the feeling of suffocating. Sweetie stood up on her bed, and sighed. Leaping down onto the floor, she felt something familiar stir in her heart. Sweetie was tempted to ignore it, ignore her innermost desires. After all, there was no point to it, her voice would be erased in five days. Sweetie looked around her room, toward the empty bird cage, and made her decision. Letting her inner song take her, Sweetie approached the window, and opened it. Letting the notes weave through the air, the song strummed the air around her. “I have changed, I have changed“ Sweetie closed her eyes. “Just like you, just like you“ Sweetie opened them once more. “For how long? For how long, must I wait? I know there's something wrong“ Sweetie leaned further out the window. “Your concrete heart isn't beating. And you've tried to, make it come alive“ Sweetie stepped back. “No shadows. Just red lights.“ Sweetie jumped. “Now I'm here to rescue you.” Sweetie landed masterfully, taking care to roll as she came to a stop. Turning, she lit her horn, casting light on the area around her. “Ooh I'm still alive, I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie began to walk down the street, looking at the dark houses. “Ooh I'm still alive, I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.“ Sweetie closed her eyes. “So silent, No violence.” Opening her eyes, she looked to the sky. “But inside my head, So loud and clear.” Sweetie stopped walking, letting a tear roll down her cheek. “You're screaming, you're screaming! Covered up with a smile I've learned to fear.” Sweetie lowered her head. “Just sunshine, and blue sky.” Sweetie started walking again. “Is this all we get for living here?“ Sweetie closed her eyes. “Come fire, Come fire. Let it burn and love come racing through.” Sweetie opened her eyes, looking toward the ground as rain began to fall. “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no -oh ooh.” Sweetie gritted her teeth, holding back her own tears. “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie stopped walking, and sat down on the wet ground. “I've learned to lose. I've learned to win.” Sweetie slowly opened her eyes. “I've turned my face against the wind.’ Sweetie looked up as the wind blew through her mane. “I will move fast, I will move slow.” Sweetie stood up. “Take me where I have to go.” Breaking into a run, houses blurred as Sweetie passed. “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie tripped, falling to the ground, sliding along it. “Still alive.” “Ooh I'm still alive. I'm still alive I cannot apologize, no.” Sweetie hugged herself in the rain. “Still alive.” Sweetie sobbed.
L43.1“Good morning Twilight, read this.” Sweetie waited patiently, and then stepped into the Castle. Twilight numbly followed her, going over the notes Sweetie had handed her. Putting everything away, Sweetie pulled out her ransom note. It was done in the traditional newspaper-cutout format. Confused, Twilight read it aloud. “Attention, we have your sister!? Pay us a fee of bits before Sunday or else? Leave your money at the stairs of the Town Center on Saturday at 5pm.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, noticing Sweetie was hovering numbers and some glue. “I don’t know what a proper amount would be. It needs to be large enough that it looks real, but small enough it’s possible.” Sweetie put the ransom note on a table and waited for Twilight to speak. “Well I can help you work that out but-uh-why?” Twilight narrowed her eyes, wondering if Sweetie had gone off the deep end. Sweetie blinked, and then mentally scolded herself for not mentioning the why. “Oh right, well. Okay, see I can’t go an entire loop without needing to see either you or Rarity, and it is draining. So I’m thinking, I pretend to be kidnapped, then I can just vanish for an entire loop, maybe even two.” Sweetie beamed a bright smile, and Twilight looked away, scratching the back of her head. “What about food, water?” Twilight wasn’t entirely behind the idea of Sweetie kidnapping herself, but it wasn’t as if it was going to harm anypony. At least, directly. “I can take most of the stuff I need before leaving Rarity’s. And if I need something I can always teleport back.” Sweetie smiled, knowing Twilight wasn’t going to say no. “What about the end of a loop?” Twilight wanted to make sure Sweetie had thought it out properly. Sweetie smiled, and levitated out a camping tent. “Last loop, I had a bit of time left at the end, so I moved most of my stuff into a tent, and got Rarity to set it up in my room. She was amused, but she did it. Turns out, a camping tent also counts as an ‘inside’. Cool huh?” Sweetie put the tent away, and waited. “Alright, as long as you’re prepared, I see no reason not to. Do you want me to use a memory wipe spell so I don’t remember this meeting?” Twilight saw the surprise on Sweetie’s face. “You can do that? I was just gonna ask you to pretend we never met this loop. That would be great. I have to test whether it works for an entire loop, you see.” Sweetie was planning on camping out in the Everfree. If an animal killed her, she’d revive in her room with her saddlebags. So nothing of importance would be lost. “Alright, as for the fee I think this would be a good amount. It’s half what’s in the royal treasury, and I’m sure Celestia will be more than happy to part with it to help us.” Twilight arranged the numbers into an amount, and Sweetie glued them onto her ransom note. Concentrating, she made two copies, and clenched her teeth. One note teleported, appearing on her bed. Folding up the other two, Sweetie wiped off the sweat, gasping for breath. The good news was she could teleport smaller objects the distance from her home and the castle. Soon enough, hopefully, she’d be able to do the same with her body. “Alright, it’s time for me to go then, see ya Twi.” Sweetie smiled, allowing herself to be brought into a quick hug. Stepping back, she watched as Twilight saluted, and galloped away. Twilight concentrated, and cast the spell, wiping her memories of the conversation. Blinking, she noticed the time, and hurried off to do her morning shopping. Sweetie set up camp in the Everfree, on the edges near Applejack’s farm. It was one of the safer sections, due to Applejack and Big Mac having to fight Everfree constantly for their land to grow apples on. It was still unsafe, but Sweetie wasn’t worried. What were they going to do, kill her? Sweetie chuckled, checking her tent was set up properly, and waited. After a few moment, she pouted as she realised she had no means of seeing what was happening. Thinking for a moment, she remembered Luna’s scrying spell, and considered if she’d be a high enough level to cast it. Fumbling for a moment, her horn sparked as she tried to create a makeshift scrying spell off what she had seen Luna do. “Therewego,” commented Sweetie as a hazy image appeared in the puddle of water she had substituted for a mirror-like surface. As Sweetie continued the spell, she began to tweak the magic, eventually getting it clear enough she could see what was going on. Sitting down, Sweetie watched as her sister entered her room. “Oh no!” Rarity’s blind panic made a slice of guilt slide through Sweetie, but she ignored it. As Rarity cantered toward Twilight, Sweetie noticed the slight increase in magic strain. Sweetie supposed her limit was likely the very edge of Ponyville. Shrugging, she continued watching. Panic, a letter to Celestia, all in all like she had predicted. Sweetie watched the events unfold, watching as Twilight tried to detect her location with a spell. Sweetie tried to block it with her magic, and noticed the surprise on Twilight’s face. As it was cast a second time, Sweetie blocked it much better, knowing what to expect. Twilight’s concern only grew, and Sweetie could guess why. Somepony able to block locating spells, that meant they were on the same level as pre-Alicorn Twilight. Rarity was distraught, but all faces cleared as Celestia entered. Sweetie could see the edge of a large cart full of bits behind Celestia. It looked like Celestia was discussing something. Sweetie tilted her head, frowning. Concentrating, Sweetie blocked another detection spell from Twilight. Celestia frowned, and her horn began to glow. Sweetie gritted her teeth, calling upon her magic to block it, and felt Celestia’s spell slice through her protection like butter. Sweetie growled and turned her attention to the picture, noticing Celestia was now examining Rarity. Sweetie felt someone snap her magic tendril, and the puddle cleared. Growling, Sweetie cast the spell out, this time to Spike’s perspective. Due to his natural resistance, Sweetie was now struggling to even keep the image clear. However, it made her spell harder to detect. Celestia was shaking her head, holding up a spell Sweetie didn’t recognize. After weeks with Twilight, however, she recognised it as being designed to travel through protection spells, and check the target was breathing. Sweetie felt a slice of guilt, Celestia had only been checking she was still alive. “Okay, so they can detect I’m alive, but as long as I keep the *huff* shield spell up they won’t be able to find me. Whew this is hard.” Sweetie canceled the scrying spell, putting up a shield spell instead. At the very least, it would protect her from Twilight’s attacks. Sweetie grabbed a drink of water, and tried to regain some of her breath. “I’ll haveta...think of something for the night...to stop Twilight’s detection spell.” Sweetie felt her eyelids droop, and stifled a yawn. It had been a rough week, Sweetie hadn’t been sleeping well. Sweetie began to lean forward, drifting off. “Blurgh!” Sweetie splashed in the muddy pool, sitting up and grimacing at her coat. “Well, that’s one way to stay awake. At least it’s not tree sap.”
L43.2, 44.1Sweetie was exhausted. When she wasn’t trying to stay awake long enough to eat something, she was being woken up by an alarm spell she had put in place. Sweetie didn’t understand any of the science behind it, that was Twilight’s thing. What Sweetie did know was that if she put a thin circle of magic around her, she’d notice something passing through it. “If I was better at magic, I’d know how to automate my horn blocking Twilight’s spell.” Sweetie’s eyes drooped as she sat in her tent, and shook her head rapidly. Gobbling down her cereal, she vaguely wondered if she should try cooking again. Eyelids drooping again, her thoughts scattered like the breeze. “Wargh!” Sweetie jolted awake, pulling up her shield just before Twilight’s spell slammed into her own. Rubbing her weary eyes, she unzipped the tent, and walked over to her puddle of water, casting the spell to quickly check on Rarity. As she suspected, they were working hard to find a means of tracking her down. Sweetie ended the spell, and dragged herself back to bed. Closing her eyes, she slowly drifted back into darkness. What seemed like minutes to Sweetie turned out to be an hour, and she quickly defended herself against Twilight again. Exhausted, she fell instantly back to sleep. Another hour passed, and once more she was woken. By the time Friday rolled around, Sweetie could barely muster the energy to eat, let alone stop Twilight from finding her. Her horn reacted automatically whenever the spell happened, reactions built from a week of blocking it. Sweetie forced her horn to life, and spoon fed herself, unable to even open her eyes. Sweetie was only vaguely aware of the sun setting, and forced herself to turn her eyes to her alarm clock. Watching time tick over to midnight, and then to 12:01, she laughed, and collapsed. Regardless of anything, Sweetie only understood she could now sleep. And her mind rejoiced in that fact. Right before it lost all cohesion, and dreams consumed her. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Sweetie groaned, opening her eyes and rubbing her eyes. She was still exhausted, dizzy, and feeling slightly queasy too. Slowly sitting up, she blinked as she watched Opal, who had been sitting on her bed, hiss. Leaping off her bed, Opal slinked out of the room. “Okay, I am way too tired for any actions right now, so all I have to do is walk down and tell Rarity I’m sick.” Sweetie gulped, and slowly dragged herself to the edge of the bed. Falling down with a thump, she dragged herself to the stairs, and called out to Rarity. Sweetie was fighting to keep her eyes open. “Can...stay...home...sick...please…” Sweetie slumped, eyes closing, and Rarity gasped, levitating her sister back into the bed. Rubbing Sweetie’s forehead, she frowned, and went downstairs to get a wet rag to put on Sweetie’s head. The filly was heating up, maybe she had come down with something? “Don’t worry my sister, I will nurse you through this trying time.” Sweetie woke up, and felt refreshed and revitalised. Honestly, she felt like jumping up and running a marathon. Debating the wiseness of that, she opted to just sit up. Sweetie looked toward her saddlebags in one corner, and to her sister sleeping in a chair, and smiled softly. Rarity must have looked after her while she recovered. ‘So camping out for an entire Loop is possible, but not feasible with my current level of speciality. I lack the proper spells. Maybe I was too close as well. I’ll try deeper into the Everfree next time.’ Sweetie nodded to herself, standing up and biting her lip. Carefully, she levitated her heavy sister onto her bed, and pulled the covers over. Leaving a quick note, Sweetie put her saddlebags back on. ’Come to think of it, how did I get here?’ Sweetie frowned, looking toward her bed. Not to mention, her saddlebags had had the enchantment that made them bigger on the inside had been replaced, as it had to each Loop. Sweetie tilted her head, and shook it. Regardless of the who, she had no doubts that she would never know. “Oh Blueblood, eat those blueberries. Slower…” Rarity drooled in her sleep, and Sweetie shuddered. Walking out of the room, she went downstairs. Using her spell, she quickly detected it was Wednesday. “Two days of full sleep, wow I must have been tired.” Sweetie looked to the descending sun, and shook her head. “Regardless, it does present the problem of-Oh no! Ditzy!” Sweetie quickly wrote a note and left it on the counter, and dashed out the door. If she was lucky, they weren’t too hurt. Oh she hoped they were ok. Author's Note Alright! Alright! I get it already! No more random experiments like pictures, poems, songs, videos, etc etc. I was just having a little fun. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Sinking the ever-pained enshrouding darkness, and pondering the cause. Soon the ever-night shall reach, and soon might you linger, soon might you rest a wanton rest without bliss.
L44.2Sweetie knocked on the door, and waited. As Ditzy answered, she glanced inside and saw Dinky eating, a good sign. Smiling pleasantly, Sweetie quickly bowed her head. Ditzy tilted hers, but said nothing. “Hi, my name’s Sweetie Belle. I’m-uh-I heard about your money problems, and wanted to make sure my classmate Dinky was getting enough food. Cause I-uh- could probably let you come over for dinner. Rarity said it’s ok.” Sweetie lied about that last bit, but she had no doubts Rarity would agree. Ditzy smiled warmly, touched by the filly’s concern. Pulling out the very same flier Sweetie normally used, she pointed to it with a hoof. “That’s very kind of you, but a gust of wind blew this onto my face on Monday. I’m not sure how, but apparently I’m perfect for the job. They keep telling me to hammer in a piece of board into a condemned house, and praise me when it falls over. Confusing, but good money. And stable too.” Ditzy giggled, putting the flier down. “Oh…” Sweetie’s blood turned ice cold for a moment, before she shook her head rapidly, and beamed a smile, jumping around as she giggled. “That sounds like a silly job, telling you to do one thing and watching you do the other.” Sweetie stopped bouncing, and gave a giggle. “Either way, I’m glad Dinky’s ok. I better get going now, you’re obviously eating.” Sweetie waved goodbye, and frowned as Ditzy shook her head. “Nonsense, come and join us. I’d love to hear about how you know my daughter.” Ditzy slowly nudged Sweetie into the house, and Sweetie didn’t have the heart to resist. Taking a seat at the table, Sweetie silently cursed her bad luck. ‘Great, now I have to pretend to be a happy foal instead of thinking about the elephant just shoved into my room.' Discarding her irritation, Sweetie smiled warmly at the two, and waited for them to begin the conversation. “I’m sorry, but you said you know me?” Dinky tilted her head, frowning as Sweetie blinked. Putting a hoof to her chin, she pretended to consider it. “Well, I wouldn’t say know. I see you in class occasionally, but we’ve never talked. I just overheard some grownups talking about how Ditzy wasn’t doing well and I wanted to make sure you were ok.” Sweetie let her concern show, and Dinky blinked, touched. “Well thank you for being concerned for us,” spoke Ditzy, giving a motherly smile as she brought Dinky into a hug with her wing. Dinky whined, and Ditzy chuckled as she let her daughter go. Sweetie exchanged small talk with them while they ate, and wondered how long she had before Rarity woke. To her surprise, and gratitude, Rarity knocked on the door at that moment. “Hello, I’ve come to pick up Sweetie-Ah there you are.” Rarity’s face was full of concern and evident relief. Sweetie walked over and gave her sister a hug. “Sorry for worrying you sis. See ya Dinky, goodbye Miss Doo.” Sweetie waved goodbye like the good little filly she was, and followed her sister home. “I’m proud of you,” commented Rarity, noticing her sister’s sudden confusion. Bringing Sweetie into a hug, she smiled. “You showed concern for your filly friend, despite the fact she was only a classmate. That kindness is one of the most important traits you could ever have. Of course Generosity is one of those.” Rarity chuckled, and brought Sweetie around so they could see eye-to-eye. “You are growing up so fast.” Rarity began to tear up, and Sweetie brought her sister into a hug. “There there,” she spoke, letting emotion creep into her voice. ‘Alright, so somepony must have sent that ‘gust of wind’ for Ditzy. Likely the same person who got me out of the death spiral. I have no idea who it could be. Either they’re somepony I don’t know, or a very good actor.’ Sweetie mentally sighed as she followed her sister home. ‘This is too much for me. Solutions where there are none. I just don’t know what else I can do! I guess the only thing I can do is have a little fun. Maybe play a few pranks. Hrm...Speaking of pranks…’ Sweetie smiled, and began designing the pranks for her next loop the moment she entered her room. ‘I’m thinking, catapult, tar, and chicken feathers. That should entice Pinkie Pie. Now as for Dash, maybe a weight to make her fly slower. No, that wouldn’t work. Hrm. Maybe a bucket of water. Yeah, she should be able to get the idea from that.’ Sweetie nodded to herself, writing down her notes. ‘Cheese, yes that is a great idea. And some frosting. Party Balloons? No, too Pinkie Pie. How about… argh I dunno! So many to chose from.’ Sweetie growled, grabbing her head and falling off her chair. Laying on the floor, she bemoaned the amount of choices she had.
(L45)L46Rainbow Dash walked out of her cloud house, wings flaring as a bucket of ice cold water hit her. Looking up, she saw the string it had been attached to, and narrowed her eyes. Turning her gaze groundward, she noticed Sweetie Belle, snickering quietly. Rainbow Dash considered it, and decided Pinkie Pie was the likely cause. “Speak of the pony.” Rainbow Dash glided down to Pinkie Pie, who had an amused smile on her face. For some reason, she was covered in feathers. If Rainbow Dash had of considered it for a moment longer, she might have thought it strange. “I’ll admit Dashie, it isn’t normally you who starts the prank war.” Pinkie Pie smirked, and Rainbow Dash met it with her own. “Me? What about you. Surely the water-above-the-door is too cliche for you.” Both laughed, fully convinced the other was lying to get the upper hand on their next prank. However, such thoughts got rapidly discarded as pastry splattered on their faces. “I’m disappointed in you two. Not only have I gotten you both once, I have now gotten you twice.” Sweetie winked, tossing a third pie up and down in her magic. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shared a glance, and than rubbed their hooves together. Moving in close, they made a quiet agreement to work together. Of course, Sweetie threw her third pie then, hitting them both. “Oh it is ON.” Rainbow Dash flew up to her house as Pinkie vanished to her own. Sweetie smiled, and turned, humming a tune as she headed for the park. ‘I’m glad the pie part went as planned. From what I learned the previous Loop, I should expect Water Balloons from Dash, and muffins with hot spices in them. After that, they will try to pull some elaborate mouse trap kind of device.’ Sweetie nodded to herself. This loop, Loop 46, she was going to get both of them to bow down and call her the prank master. After waiting the exact amount of time she had the previous loop, Sweetie stood up, and began to head home. While she was sure she wouldn’t be able to avoid all of them, any that hit her wouldn’t wet anything she was carrying. So, stepping into the street where her home was, she stepped lightly to the left, avoiding the first water balloon. “What the?” Rainbow Dash blinked from above, watching as Sweetie dodge the water balloon, and yet seemed completely oblivious to it. Tossing another one, Rainbow Dash growled as it once more missed. Finished with being messed around with, she tossed all remaining down in quick succession. Smirking, she watched as they all hit. Sweetie was completely dry, and oblivious. “Maan, she’s good.” Rainbow Dash was all for proclaiming her pride, but it did her no harm to admire a pro in action. Shaking her head, she burrowed into a cloud to wait for Pinkie’s prank. “Sweetie Belle, want a cupcake?” Pinkie Pie darted into Sweetie’s personal space, and shoved a cupcake into her mouth while the filly was still recovering. Sweetie gulped, swallowing it and coughing out a few crumbs. Pinkie watched eagerly, and frowned when Sweetie showed no signs of panic. “Of course I want a cupcake, but could you not force feed me it next time? I coulda died.” Sweetie glared at Pinkie for a moment, before heading into her house. The moment she got up to her room, she closed the window and curtain, and dived for the 2L bottle of water she had left up here for one single purpose. ‘HOT, HOT, HOT ,HOT.’ Sweetie dug at her tongue with a hoof, feeling as if it was dead. Sighing she pulled out a candy bar, sucking on it until her taste-buds returned. Finished that, she pulled out her two pranks, and slipped them into her bag. Finally she went downstairs to have dinner, and prepare for bed. Sweetie opened the door, and felt herself be pushed into some sort of cart. The moment she pulled her head up, she was catapulted into the air, and sent on a roller coaster ride through Ponyville from catapults and party cannons alike. Sweetie saw the end coming up, and prepared her spell. “Here she comes!” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash waited eagerly as the cart landed, and a giant pie fell on top of it. Giggling with glee, they used the device to remove the pie lid, and began to eat their way through to the cart. “It’s empty!?” Both turned to the completely pie-free filly that was standing behind them. “Yeah, I was gonna say something, but I didn’t want to ruin your fun.” Sweetie smiled innocently, and the two shared a glance. Sweetie blinked, watching them both bow to the ground. “We concede, you are obviously better at pranking then us.” Rainbow Dash raised her head slightly, and Sweetie smirked. “Please teach us your ways.” Pinkie Pie stood up, slowly followed by Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie pulled out the two items from her bag. Smiling, she held them out. Both were book-sized boxes. “Very well, here’s lesson one,” she spoke, turning away as they opened the boxes. Hearing the pleasing sound of two splat’s, Sweetie’s grin reached new heights. “Don’t.” Leaving it at that, Sweetie made her way home. As the days passed, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash gave up trying to prank her, and instead asked for advice on pranking the other. Sweetie was more than willing to give them it, watching as their pranks got even more elaborate. Sweetie smiled, closing her curtain and heading off to bed. Within moments, her smile vanished, and she stared up at the ceiling.
L48After nearly two weeks of constant practicing, Sweetie was only slightly better at casting the advanced spells. When casting the flight spell, she managed to spawn a single feather. The fire spell on the other hand, exploded out of her, and had to always be aimed at the sky so it didn’t start a fire. The levitate self option she was excelling at. Sweetie was already mastering it by jumping out of her window and using it to land safely. However the change gravity and transform spells just slipped through her magic. Thankfully they didn’t explode, but Sweetie wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to master them. Given enough time, she supposed. That of course left the final spell, a might higher level shield. Sweetie had tried it out, but left it alone for the moment. It wouldn’t do to use a high level shield spell to drain her magic, and keep the headaches away BEFORE she needed to. “Sorry Sweetie, there’s no shortcuts at this point, you’ll just have to keep practicing.” Twilight sympathised with Sweetie, wanting to get to the more exciting spells. Sadly, training one’s magic took time and conscious effort. Even two weeks wouldn’t be enough for Sweetie to learn how to do these spells. Before Twilight was an Alicorn, she had struggled with them, even under pressure. “I know Twilight. It’s just so...boring!” Sweetie leaned backward, falling to the floor as she groaned. Why did learning magic have to be so boring. Sweetie was starting to despise her daily training regimen. It was boring beyond compare. Sweetie was horribly tempted to just abandon the advanced spells. “Well, you’re welcome to stop whenever. No one is forcing you to.” Twilight tilted her head. Sure, she LOVED learning magic. But Sweetie wasn’t Twilight, and she knew that. Sweetie glanced to Twilight, and sighed, shaking her head. “Well yes, but it’s something for me to do.” Sweetie sighed, closing her eyes as she layed there. Twilight bit her lip, and looked away. “It opens new stuff to me. No matter how boring it is.” Sweetie stood up, and quietly mumbled a goodbye. Twilight waved, and watched Sweetie leave. Looking at Sweetie walked away, Twilight could see just how much Sweetie had matured during the time loop. And it was not a good thing. A filly should be allowed to enjoy her childhood, not forced to do increasingly hard stuff to keep herself from being bored. Twilight sighed, and returned to her tasks, despite the fact she had apparently done them for weeks now. Author's Note There has been some confusion over this, so let me clarify: Sweetie got the news spells monday last week. This chapter takes place on friday the week after. Ignoring the weekends, that's more or less 2 weeks.
L49 Operation Disc-ordered“Discord, what are you doing here?” Celestia stood up from the throne as the Draconequus walked over. The strangest thing was he was wearing a suit, business glasses, holding a briefcase, and had a small filly following him dressed in similar attire. Discord pushed his glasses up slightly, and held out a stack of papers. “This is a list of reforms and changes which will effectively half the amount of paperwork you have to do, and quarter the amount Luna will have to do. I could have offered you the quarter, but considering how jealous Luna can get, I opted to give it to her.” Discord waited as Celestia scanned the documents, and her wings went limp with shock. “B-B-But, you’re Discord!” Celestia blinked, feathers poofing, and fell to the floor like a statue. Hearing her slam, Luna opened the door, diving toward her and defending her from Discord. Discord sighed, and explained the situation calmly and logically, holding out a set of papers for Luna. Same reaction. “So, my dear assistant, what do you suppose we do now?” Discord raised an eyebrow at Sweetie, who pushed her fake glasses up and smiled. Pulling out a set of documents of her own, she handed them over, and Discord smiled. “Oh I do love when things work in my favor. Er, I mean. Ah yes, this is most adequate. Good work Miss Belle.” Discord coughed, and glanced to the side. Snapping his fingers, he levitated the princesses back up off the ground, and gently woke them from their shock. “Alternatively, if you do not wish to do any paperwork, sign these papers that will make me the ruling monarch of Equestria.” Discord waited as they blinked, and Celestia burned them quickly, pulling up her set of notes. Coughing, she glanced to Luna. “No uh, we think your reforms are most welcome, we are just shocked that they are coming from you Discord.” Celestia glanced to Luna, who gave a confused shrug. No, none of them had any clue what Discord was doing. Discord bowed, took Celestia’s hoof, and gently kissed it. “Please, call me Order. I have reformed, after all.” Discord glowed brightly, and transformed into a less jumbled looking dragon. He was still sporting a beard, of course. Celestia and Luna shared a glance, blinked, and fainted. “Oh dear, I ponder if this might be too much for them.” Discord poofed back into his normal form, and folded his arms, pursuing his lip. Sweetie giggled, and Discord let a small smile fall on his face. Sure, this filly reminded him of an old wizard that had tried to use him to power a spell, but he could see she was still a kind soul. If only she was just a little more chaotic, then he could show her how to use chaos magic. Sure, being this filly’s object of entertainment for a loop was far from a fitting role in his opinion. And not to mention the disgusting magic swaggering around her sickened him. But it wasn’t like it hurt him to allow this filly to live out her pranks, especially when they were very good ones. Now if only he could murder that wizard.
L50“I’m sorry Sweetie, but I can’t pass you on that.” Twilight looked to the wing Sweetie had spawned, white in color, that was flapping around in her magic. Twilight was tempted to tell the filly she had to point her horn at her body while casting the spell, but decided that would be a lesson she’d need to learn the hard way. “Oh fine,” she responded irritably. The wing soon stopped flapping, and hung limp in her magic. After a moment, it vanished in a puff of magic. Sweetie sighed, and looked toward the window, watching the pegasi moving clouds. “Why are you so insistent of rushing this anyway?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie made no move to answer. Twilight was just about to reply, eyes narrowing in irritation, when Sweetie finally spoke. “I want to ride a dragon. I’m not going to be able to do that if I can’t master advanced spells.” Sweetie doubted these spells would give her the ability to ride a dragon, but it was all she had. Turning, she noticed Twilight's blank stare. Growling, she flicked back to a section near the beginning of her notes, and frowned. “My notes say nothing about giving you that book. Did my old self forget to write it down?” Twilight scoured the notes, and Sweetie quickly snatched them off Twilight. Waiting for her to calm down, Sweetie shook her head. “Celestia gave it to me. It makes sense you wouldn’t have it written down.” Sweetie smiled, and Twilight growled, making a note at the end of the notebook. “Still, if you were serious, my older self should have done more than she did. Honestly,” scolded Twilight, opening to the section showing Sweetie mentioning her desire to ride a dragon. Apparently Twilight had written it off as something she would hopefully forget. Sweetie growled, annoyed that she couldn’t punish that version of Twilight. “Well, if you are serious, that shield spell will do you for protection if you master it. But really, you need a proper Battlemagi spellbook. Let me grab you one from my ultra private library.” Twilight turned and walked toward her room. Sweetie paused, and then followed. After watching Twilight’s horn glow a section of the wall vanished, revealing some very weird posters of ponies laying in strange positions. Sweetie snuck back before Twilight noticed her. “Alright, here.” Twilight held out a small book, and Sweetie opened to the first page. After a moment of confusion, her brain slowly began to translate the complicated spells into Equestrian. Sweetie sighed, and looked down the contents, the only page readable instantly. Battlemagi Battletastic Battlespells 1: Lightning Bolt 2: Inferno shield 3: Icestorm 4: Magic Missile 5: Supermegaultrachicken(Aka, death) Sweetie blinked, and re-read the last name. Disregarding it as an eccentric pony being eccentric, she put it in her saddlebags and smiled at Twilight. Twilight was currently looking at her legs. Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for the book, but-uh-what are you doing?” Sweetie waited as Twilight jolted out of her daze, and shook her head rapidly. “I’m sorry, I was just so caught up examining your muscles. Uh,” she stuttered, and shook her head rapidly. Sweetie slowly took a single step back. “What I mean is, your body has the same strength I see in earth ponies. It’s strange, shouldn’t your body be resetting?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie considered it. So her exercise regimen with Applejack had been paying off. However, it also brought to the front the issue she hadn’t considered. “Wait, Starswirl stated his loop was resetting his body every time. One of his notes even showed various experiments he had done.” Sweetie and Twilight shared a concerned glance. Something was different. “And not only that, what happens when you grow too old?” Twilight bit her lip, and Sweetie shuddered. “Regardless, there’s nothing that can be done about it.” Sweetie nodded to herself. Whatever the reason she was growing older, but Starswirl hadn’t been, Sweetie was sure something would turn up eventually. “Sweetie Belle,” said Twilight, looking carefully at the filly. Sweetie turned, raising an eyebrow. Twilight shook her head rapidly, and brought the filly into a hug. “Nevermind.”
L51Author's Note Please note; This chapter features a heartsong. If you hate songs, then don't read this chapter. Any complains about said chapter containing a heartsong will go to my intern, Mr Iddle Finger. Addendum: Come on guys, do you really expect Twilight NOT to sugarcoat it for Sweetie? L51 Sweetie watched Ponyville from her room, and sighed. There was Mr. Hooves running from Redheart. Derpy bouncing through town, pleased about her new job. Twilight ordering her groceries. The Manehattan pony getting off the train. Schoolponies going on their way to school. Suddenly, a morbid thought passed through her mind. ‘Twilight used a memory spell that loop I tried to go camping. A spell to forget.’ Sweetie considered it, knowing how terribly tempting it was to use it, and forget. No more memories of the loops, no more worries. At least, for this version of herself. “Tsss,” she winced, strengthening her shield. The headaches had gotten more noticeable recently, and Sweetie was still learning the best shield spell, so she couldn’t use that yet. Soon though, she’d be able to cast it and remove the headache again. “Yeah, even if I did that, it wouldn’t reduce my magic. And what good would it do? I doubt I could stand the pain of this without any shielding now that it’s this strong for very long.” Sweetie looked down, closing her eyes as she clenched her teeth. They were getting stronger, and she feared what would happen when she could no longer keep up with it. It was already a struggle as it was. “What I would give if the entire town could just know. What would they do if they had a week to live?” Sweetie sighed, leaning her head against the windowsill, and smiled at the fantasy. Blinking her eyes open, she glanced to her Cutie Mark, and frowned. Leaning closer, she could have sworn it looked...different. “Some talent, can’t even live my life and use it properly. What sort of pony has a talent for bringing out other’s heartsongs anyway? I meant, why couldn’t I have gotten some stinkin singing mark. At least then I’d have some sort of thing I could focus on. Starswirl had his Twilightness! Or would it be Twilight has Starswirlness…” Sweetie closed her eyes, and sighed loudly again. Something soft brushed against her leg, and she looked down. It was Opal, coming to comfort her. Sweetie leapt out of the way just as Opal went to scratch, and chuckled, waving a hoof as she scolded the cat. “Oh Opal, you never change do you? You mean old cat.” Sweetie cooed her words as she moved back to the window. Opal hissed, and skulked away. Sweetie watched the scenery for a moment longer, and then blinked. Slamming a hoof between her eyes, she kid-swore. “Sweetie, you are the biggest moron this side of Captain Obvious’s boat.” Sweetie turned, tossing her saddlebags on, and left her room. Meeting Rarity in the Boutique, talking to the Manehattan Stallion, she pulled out the Looping letter, and waited as Rarity did the same reaction she always did. “Get Everypony, I’ll meet you at Twilight’s.” Sweete turned, and headed out the door with another word. “Are you sure you want to do this Sweetie?” Twilight stood backstage with Sweetie as her friends quickly gathered up literally every single pony in Ponyville. Sweetie peeked out the stage, gulping as she saw the many ponies. Shaking off her stagefright, she nodded. “Alright, I’ll go introduce you.” Twilight walked onto the stage, displaying what she hoped was coming off as regal confidence. Looking at the crowd, she bowed her head slightly, and began. “Citizens of Ponyville, something of grave importance has come to my attention, and you must all be informed immediately. To do so; I introduce our expert; Sweetie Belle.” Twilight motioned to one side of the stage, and took three steps in the other direction. Slowly, Sweetie emerged, followed closely by the Elements. Once they were all on stage, the six made a V formation with Sweetie at the tip. Looking at the crowd, she forced down her stage fright once more, and called upon her instinctual understanding of heartsongs, and Pinkie’s lessons. “Ponies, now hear me, For on this very day. Time is repeating, but not in the same way.” Sweetie felt her horn spark for a moment, and music began to fill the air. The crowd stood rapt at attention, caught in the heartsong the moment she started to speak. “For you see I remember, In every horrible way, Just what goes wrong for all of you, For these coming days.” Sweetie’s ear flickered, and she heard the mane six begin to sing, the heartsong’s magic lending them the lyrics. A spotlight appeared around Sweetie, and she stood proud upon it. “One will lose a loved one, One will die of shame, One will do a naughty deed, With nopony but himself to blame. “You see my dear town, While you live in ignorant bliss, I am forced to watch everything, Including those regrets I remissed.” Sweetie closed her eyes, and used her magic to levitate her higher into the air, hair billowing in a phantom breeze. “She is forced, with little recourse, while we dine on our own ignoraaance.” Rarity and Twilight joined to sing the high note, voiced weaving together in the perfect harmony of the heartsong. “We play and party, but she can’t crack a smile, because we play in happiness.” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sung the line together, leaning heads together as they sung, closing their eyes. “Work is meaningless, ponies get hurt, things that could be avoided if we were all aware.” Fluttershy’s voice was mostly overpowered by Applejack’s, but her voice added a weight to the words that would have been absent otherwise. “So hear me now, And please believe me, Because this is your last week, And only I will see.” Sweetie felt the song end, and slowly lowered herself back to the stage. Everything was silent. And slowly the crowd began to clap. Sweetie bowed, and left the stage. Twilight quickly answered the main questions, and eventually everypony left to reassess their lives. Sweetie was not told any of the details beyond the fact her words had caused great sadness, but Twilight knew them well. Over the course of the week, crime grew to astounding levels, suicide increased, and Twilight saw a new side to ponies she hadn’t known existed. Sweetie would never know this, but it didn’t make the effects any less depressing.
L52Sweetie stepped off the train to Canterlot, and turned her gaze toward the castle.Watching ponies go by, she began to make her way up to it, having told Celestia not to bother with an escort. As she walked up, her thoughts turned to Twilight, whom she had not told the reason behind her visit to Canterlot. Sweetie walked up to a guard, and explained her reason for being here. As another guard left to confirm this, she also thought to her sister. Sweetie had waited until Rarity had left for Manehattan. It meant she wouldn’t have to drag either one along. Sure, Twilight might be fine with it, but Rarity wasn’t going to miss the chance. “Hello Sweetie Belle. Ah, sorry. You prefer Sweetie, correct?” Celestia bowed her head as Luna teleported some papers away. As Sweetie approached, she gave a nod, and motioned toward a balcony overlooking Canterlot. Sweetie leaned on the railing, looking down as everypony went about their daily lives. “I know I was vague in my letter, but it’s something I really want to talk about in person. And, well, as the longest lived ponies I know, you are the best to go with this question.” Sweetie turned her head toward them. Celestia and Luna both looked to the other for a moment, and motioned for Sweetie to continue. “I’m losing my ability to care.” Sweetie leaned her head on the cool, marble railing, and sighed. Celestia and Luna frowned for a moment. After their minds caught up, they quickly surrounded the filly, embracing her in a hug. Celestia glanced to Luna, and she bowed her head. “Sweetie, you must be more detailed in your explanation, for it is hard for us to entirely understand the situation. Therefore, we cannot help until that is solved.” Luna waited as Sweetie raised her head, looking toward Canterlot again. “All those ponies, their faces, their lives. I know they don’t know it, but every action they do is meaningless. Even if they knew, nothing would change the next week. I know I should see them as ponies, but they feel like...Puppets, going through the motions without knowing I could be the one pulling their strings, changing their show. I know that’s not true, but the fact of the matter is I-” Sweetie lowered her head to the railing again. “I just don’t care anymore.” Sweetie knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t change her feelings. Ditzy losing her job, Dinky starving. What was the point? Sweetie was so tired of it. Sometimes, she almost forgot to do it, it had become a routine by now. “In that case, we must implore you to reconsider our offer.” Celestia stepped back, and Luna did the same. Sweetie slapped her head to one side, watching them wearily. “Please allow us to try and come through the loop with you. If we die, it is not like we will be gone forever. If you really are starting to lose empathy, then time is slowly running out for you.” Celestia did not go into further detail. If Sweetie wasn’t ready for it, then she would not push it. If she did not push it, to be honest, Celestia would actually be relieved. “I’ll,” started Sweetie, pausing and turning her head to look at Canterlot. Sweetie desperately wanted something new to do. As she considered Celestia’s proposal again, part of her mind brought a suggestion to go spend time with Babs. Sweetie liked the idea, she could go to the Zoo or something this time. “I’ll consider it.” Sweetie didn’t want to make a hasty decision based on her current emotional state. While she knew they would not remember it, she still cared about the Princesses. Sure, even that was starting to ebb, and Sweetie knew she was in a position where their plan was looking more and more appealing. But if there was one thing she had plenty of, it was time. “Thank you for the talk, I’ll take the train back home now.” Sweetie turned, dismissing their offers for a carriage, and walked out of the Castle. Heading toward the train station, she used her magic to pick the pocket of an Earth Pony. Using the money, she bought herself a ticket, and waited for the train. It wasn’t like the stallion would notice he was missing five bits.
L53“Alright, have fun Sweetie Belle, I’ll pick you up at 1.” Rarity bid them farewell, and left to go do her job. Sweetie smiled, and noted the confused stare from the filly standing next to her. Babs turned slowly, and opened her mouth to ask a question. “Hey Babs, did you know Apple Bloom is planning to come to Manehattan for a surprise event next week? Oh I hate to spoil it, but it involves that water park this city has.” Sweetie knew Babs was likely confused as to why Rarity had left them alone, and the best way to get past that was to blindside her with some news. “Uh, really?” Babs blinked, a hopeful smile appearing on her face, before vanishing as she looked away. Sweetie giggled, and both turned to look toward the place in front of them. Filled with many vibrant animals, most staying there for the cheap rent, the Zoo was the perfect place for ponies to gawk at wonderful creatures normally hidden in the wilder parts of Equestria. Sweetie and Babs went through the park, pausing to stop at a vending machine and buy something to snack on, taking a seat, they began to discuss what animals they had seen, and Sweetie felt herself beginning to relax. Suddenly, she realised Rarity was standing at the entrance. “Oh jeez, I forgot her present. Babs, go stall for time while I go get it.” Sweetie stood up, Babs nodding, and dashed back into the far reaches of the Zoo. Most of the food court was near the exit, but there was a souvenir stand located in the deepest part of the Zoo. Sweetie slammed her money onto the counter, ordering some animal feathers and down. It wasn’t much, but Sweetie was sure Rarity would find a use for the exotic feathers. Sweetie stepped out of the store and blinked. Suddenly, she had no clue where she was. Sure, she had used the map to find this store when she had been at the food court, but Sweetie had no idea the way back. Turning, Sweetie opened her mouth to ask the stall. With a slam, the stall closed up, and lights began to dim. ‘Oh horseapples.' Sweetie picked a path based on her vague memory, and set off. Walking in silence, her mind thought over stuff she had been trying to ignore, and she sighed, coming to a stop at where two Tigers were sleeping. Sweetie looked at them, and sighed quietly, closing her eyes. ‘What am I going to do?’ Sweetie looked to her hoof, knowing she was going to have to make the difficult choice eventually. Sweetie knew it was her best chance at getting someone with her. Escape? Well she highly doubted that, but it was always possible. ‘I know my decision, I just don’t feel right making it. My mind is saying yes, and my emotions are saying yes and no. Here I am, lost in a Zoo. And the experience is actually wonderful. It’s new, it’s not something I’d be able to repeat. I know what my decision is.’ Sweetie closed her eyes. “But I hate myself for choosing it.” Sweetie knew deep down that if anything even minor went wrong, it would be her fault. This wasn’t like with the Crusaders, or when she had fallen off the cliff. No, this time she had been aware of the risk, and was going ahead with it. Was she really ok with possibly being the cause of murder? “You know the answer.” Sweetie opened her eyes, and sighed loudly. Sweetie knew the answer, as much as it pained her to admit it. Sweetie wanted to get out of this week. Sweetie wanted a Saturday. Closing her eyes, a bittersweet smile fell on her face. Saturday, she was starting to forget what a weekend was. “Sweetie, there you are.” Rarity’s relief was palpable, and Sweetie allowed her sister to ogle her, looking her over. As they left, Sweetie allowed herself to be scolded, acting like the younger sister who had been caught doing something stupid. In truth, however, Sweetie was starting to resent her sister. Why couldn’t she see Sweetie wasn’t just a young filly anymore?
L54Sweetie dashed home quickly, diving into her saddlebags. Pulling out the spellbook Celestia gave her, Sweetie turned to the shield spell, and cast it. After a moment, she sighed, melting into her bed. “Sweet release from headaches, hello.” Sweetie was still having trouble maintaining the spell, and she had been using the lower level one to this point. Sweetie slowly lowered the power of the shield, making sure she could maintain it from now on. Looking to the ceiling, Sweetie folded her arms behind her head, and pursed her lip. ‘Twilight said this spell is infinitely powerful, able to continue to grow well into Alicorn level, possibly even beyond. I hope she’s right.’ Sweetie sat up as a letter appeared above her, and opened it with her magic. Reading it, she smiled. Good, the Princesses were on their way. Sweetie had made sure not to tell Twilight or Rarity she was looping this time. Sweetie had even attended class. “Alrighty, so now I just wait for midnight. Which is in...six hours.” Sweetie groaned, and flopped back on her bed. Silently, she wondered if there was a time-speed-up spell. Scratching her flank, she used her magic to pull out one of her books, already read, and opened it to read. Soon enough, she began to lose track of time, and it was ‘time for bed’. “Goodnight Rarity.” Sweetie allowed herself to be tucked in, smiling pleasantly until Rarity closed the door. Flipping open her book, she closed her curtains, and waited. Soon enough, both Celestia and Luna appeared in the room. They were followed by a confused looking Cadance and Twilight. “Good Evening Sweetie Belle.” Celestia bowed her head, and Sweetie pulled out Twilight’s looping note, handing it to the Alicorn. Soon enough, Cadance was caught more up to speed, thanks to Twilight’s notes. Sweetie looked to the four, and breathed in. There was a building hope in her chest. Would this be it? “You know the spell right?” Twilight tilted her head, and Sweetie nodded, pulling it out. Spark, a small spell that jolted someone. It could be used to restart hearts. Of course, it would take the four a while to fully recover, but it was the best option they had. Sweetie politely talked with them, watching the clock slowly tick down. “It is time.” Sweetie opened her window and door, cautious even without Philomena in the room. Watching the four, she gulped as their horns began to glow. After a moment, they all slumped, and the clocked ticked over. Sweetie watched their bodies like a hawk. 12.00 12.01 Sweetie pumped the air, the bodies were still there. Sweetie called upon her magic and cast the spell. Slowly, the four gasped to life, coughing as their bodies slowly uncurled, spasming as they recovered from their brief death. Luna was the first to stand, and she quickly cast a spell, checking to see if there was another version of her. “There is indeed a second version of me at Canterlot. We are in the next week.” Luna helped Celestia and the others up, and Sweetie felt herself feel something she had been trying to quell. Hope had come true! Sweetie felt tears fall down her face, and didn’t care. She was so happy, now she wouldn’t have to loop alone. So alone. “I don’t feel too good,” Cadance groaned, holding a hoof to her forehead. All turned toward her, and Celestia smiled warmly. “I am sure it will pass. I too feel slightly ill.” Celestia glanced to Twilight, who was looking at them strangely. “That’s strange, I don’t feel-” Cutting herself off, Twilight’s eyes widened as a bright purple shield materialised around her, paper thin, and shattered. Pivoting, she pointed a hoof at Sweetie, and screamed as she tried to call upon her magic, and failed. “Sweetie! Get out of the room!” Twilight’s voice called Sweetie into action, and she dived toward the door. One step, Cadance was starting to gray. Two steps, Twilight collapsed to the ground beside Celestia and Luna. Three, all four began to gasp for breath. And five, just one step from the door, they all stopped breathing. Sweetie stopped, and closed her eyes, bowing her head as she heard them collapse into ash. Collapsing, she covered her head with her hooves, and began to sob. “What was different?” Sobbing, she repeated it over and over again. Eventually, her cries quieted, and she heard a sound in the hallway. Standing up, Sweetie stepped into the hallway, and looked right. Blinking, she immediately recognised Opal but the mouse was something that filled her with instant disgust and revulsion. Opal was tossing it around with her paws as the poor thing squeaked, fear in it’s black eyes. “Hey!” Sweetie shouted loudly, running forward to try and stop Opal. Opal glanced toward her, and grabbed the mouse in her mouth, biting down and snapping it’s neck. Sweetie stopped, and bit back her words, shocked by the action. Opal dropped the mouse, licked her paws, and walked away. Sweetie walked back into her room, closed the door, and broke down crying again.
L55“So I thought it might be best to try this first. You know, since it doesn’t involve me having to try and revive you.” Sweetie lied masterfully, glad to see that the four Alicorns believe her immediately. Moving on, Sweetie watched them all stand close to the door. While they waited for the clock to tick over, Sweetie was allowed to dwell on her thoughts. Sweetie had decided not to tell them the results of the test, glad she hadn’t told Twilight until right before it, not leaving her enough time to write notes. After a week, Sweetie had only grown more determined to keep trying. If she was going to dig herself a grave and fill it with ponies, she might as well be thorough. Sweetie hid her convulsion as best she could, glancing around as no one noticed it. Good, Sweetie didn’t want them knowing what she really felt, especially not right now. Sweetie needed someone to get through the Loop. That was her current goal, she had to stay focused. Don’t focus on what terrible thing you caused a few days ago, nope, don’t focus on- “Sweetie are you ok?” Twilight turned, noticing Sweetie curled around herself, shaking occasionally. The filly jumped, and Sweetie gave a shaky smile. “I’m fine, just nervous,” she spoke, trying to clear her head of the dark thoughts clouding it. It wasn’t like their comfort would help. No, the next day their words would vanish, their meaning wiped away by the Loop around her. Sweetie shook her head rapidly, trying to focus on what she would do once they were also Looping. Yes, that was a safe thought. Twilight would likely use the time to try and work out how Starswirl escaped his Loop. Celestia and Luna might help her learn magic, maybe even teach a few awesome magic tricks just for pranks. Plus, their years of experience would provide countless hours of stories. Cadance might not be useful in regards to getting out on staying entertained, but Sweetie was sure she could use a compassionate heart on occasion. Sweetie smiled softly, letting herself imagine what she would do with the four Looping. Sweetie would start small, but eventually she might be able to grow the group into an even larger one. Rarity would of course be first on the list. Followed by the Crusaders, and the Elements… “Sweetie, it’s time.” Jolting at Luna’s words, Sweetie quickly smiled, and nodded as she began to watch the clock. Raising a hoof, she held it up as all four prepared to run out the door the moment her clock reached midnight. 11:59… 12:00! “Now!” Sweetie turned her head, watching as the four leapt into the hallway, startling Opal, making her lose the mouse for a moment. Opal quickly caught it, and quickly dashed away. Gasping for breath, the four waited, hopeful that this would be it. Sweetie closed her eyes and hugged herself. Any moment now they were going to fade into dust. 12:01 Sweetie opened one eye, looking at the clock. Looking to the four as they slowly began to stand up, Sweetie watched as they all patted themselves down. Sweetie watched for signs of sickness in Cadance, but they just stood there, smiling. Sweetie stood up, tears streaming down her face. The clocked ticked, minutes passed, the four smiled warmly. Sweetie slowly stepped toward them, tears now streaming down her face. Suddenly, they vanished. Blinking, Sweetie glanced toward her clock. 12:00 “B-But…” Sweetie gritted her teeth, and walked out into the corridor, where Opal was playing with the same mouse. Slapping the mouse, she watched it run away, and glared at Opal. “Stupid cat,” she spoke, and walked back into her room, closing the door with a slam. Walking over to her bed, she climbed under it, and curled into a ball. Sweetie didn’t understand, why had the Loop reset? Had it reset? Time had definitely gone backward. Sweetie was certain of it now, whatever force was keeping her in the Loop, it wanted her alone. Sweetie gritted her teeth, bitter tears leaking into her mouth. Schrich, schrich, schrich. Blinking, Sweetie opened the door with a casual flick of her magic. Seeing Opal at the door, she growled and turned away, slamming the door closed. However, she hadn’t been quick enough, for a moment later a bundle of fur curled up next to her. Sweetie clenched her teeth and curled up into a tighter ball. After a moment, she turned around and hugged Opal. “I’m sorry.” Sweetie cried into the soft fur. “I’m sorry.”
L56“-And I’m not sure if it’d be wise to try something else, but I want to keep trying.” Sweetie confessed the last two Loops to Twilight, who bit her lip, digesting this information. While she wasn’t sure she agreed with Sweetie keeping it a secret, she was starting to really have concerns for her sanity. “While I’m disappointed you lied about it, I agree with the fact you need to get out of this Loop. It’s starting to affect you, and I don’t know what I can do to stop it.” Twilight brought Sweetie into a hug, and both glanced toward the floor. “I know, I’m scared Twilight. Part of me doesn’t want to go through more pain, and part of me wants to get out so badly I’m starting to be torn in two.” Sweetie stepped back, unsure how to deal with her current set of circumstances. What was she supposed to do? There was two options available to her, and neither one was a good decision. “If I continue to try and get somepony Looping, I murder more ponies, and let more of my hope die. But if I don’t, I risk becoming like...Discord pre-reform.” Sweetie wasn’t entirely comfortable using Discord’s name, but it was the best description she had for it. Sweetie was frightened that when, not if, she got to that point, she wouldn’t even notice the difference. “I’m sorry Sweetie, I don’t have the answers.” Twilight bowed her head, racking her brains for a third solution, a means to solve both problems. But she turned up no answers. Any risk Sweetie made might only hurt the filly more. And yet, doing nothing would lead to the same outcome. Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, and sighed. “There is something that might work, but the chances of it doing so are slim, considering what you’ve told me.” Twilight seriously disliked the knowledge of something behind the scenes pulling the strings, especially since it filled her with burning anger. How dare something put a poor innocent filly through all of this! “If we try transferring all your magic to me, I might be able to absorb the timeloop spell, and thus free you from it. It doesn’t entirely fix the problem, but it means we can transfer it between people, share the burden. Plus, it doesn’t have to wait until Friday.” Twilight offered her plan, and Sweetie bowed her head, eyes hidden under her hair. “Yeah, okay.” Sweetie closed her eyes, knowing that everything she did was likely going to fail. But the other option just wasn’t an option. Giving up? Rarity was one of the most stubborn sisters Sweetie knew, and she would have never just ‘given up’ in Sweetie’s position. Or at least, that’s what Sweetie was choosing to believe. “Let’s do it at your house.” Twilight put some things into her saddlebags, and turned to Sweetie. Sweetie concentrated, horn glowing, and they both appeared in her room. Twilight’s eyes widened, surprised. “Wow Sweetie, you can teleport this far in one go?” Twilight was impressed, and a little nervous. If Sweetie had the magic capacity to teleport such a distance, would she even be able to contain it? Shaking her head rapidly, Twilight discarded her thoughts on the matter. “Are you ready?” Twilight gulped, and Sweetie nodded slowly. Breathing in, Twilight concentrated, pulling on her knowledge of spells and magic to make the spell the other Princesses had cast on her. With a casual flick of her horn, she reversed the flow, and touched it to Sweetie’s. Sweetie felt herself freeze, unable to move. It was as if something was slathering her with a terrible, ice cold ooze. Her horn felt like fire, and she was barely able to maintain consciousness. Twilight pulled at the last sliver of Sweetie’s magic, watching her Cutie Mark begin to vanish, and pulled it to the tip of her horn. Sweetie blinked, thudding to the floor as she glanced around her. Twilight was ash, quickly blowing away, and she had full control of her magic once more. Rubbing her forehead, she tried to form a coherent thought, but decided to just teleport onto her bed, and fall instantly to sleep. Sweetie felt exhausted, for no reason she could conceive in her current state. So she slept. A few hours later, she awoke with a fresher mind and sighed, ears flopping down. “Well, that didn’t work.”
L57Sweetie blinked as she hovered in her sister's magic. Rarity was currently running toward a train filled to the brim with screaming ponies. Behind them, skeletons and flesh-eaten ponies shambled toward them. Sweetie casually placed the Necronomicon in her saddlebags, glad she had had the foresight to pack everything she needed to Loop with her. ‘Well, I’ll admit I’m confused as to how that happened. I thought for sure It was going to fail.’ Sweetie, still held in Rarity’s magic, watched the train door close just before they reached it, and the train begin to slide forward. Rarity, beginning to panic, followed the group of ponies as they tried to climb onto the train. Sweetie rolled her eyes, breaking Rarity’s magic, and teleported herself and her sister to stand on the top of the train. “Nng,” she grunted, pulling more and more ponies onto the train. Sweetie filled the top with ponies, using her magic to help them stick to the top of the train, at least until they got their bearing and held on. Collapsing in a heap, she gasped for breath, spell flickering on her horn. Rarity touched her horn to her sister, slowly followed by a couple of other unicorns, and the strain eased. “Sweetie, how on earth did you manage to accomplish that?” Rarity blinked as a letter was shoved into her face, and read it. Confusion consuming all thought, she numbly handed it back as Sweetie began to stand up, recovered from her recent exertion. Thanking the eager unicorns, she noticed their strained faces, feeling guilty for using so much of their magic. “Sweetie.” Rarity’s tone spoke volumes of the conclusion she was coming to, and Sweetie looked away. Nodding once, she confirmed Rarity’s suspicions, and the older sibling sighed. Bringing Sweetie into a hug, Rarity considered with silent fear what levels her sister was willing to go to to be free. Sadly, she could understand Sweetie’s reasoning. “So what’s the plan?” Rarity stepped back, and Sweetie smiled sadly. Glancing to the scenery rushing by them, a bitter smile fell on Sweetie’s face. Rarity, thinking the worst, latched her magic tightly around Sweetie, who blinked and then growled in annoyance. “No, not that! I plan to teleport back to Ponyville and wait out the week sealed in my room. I can teleport around for supplies, and once the week is up I can just spend it like I normally do.” Sweetie saw the relief on Rarity’s face, and felt insulted that her sister would assume she’d take that option. Did Rarity not realise that meant literally killing thousands of ponies? “Are you sure?” Rarity looked carefully at Sweetie, noticing the bored expression on the filly’s face. Sweetie nodded, and Rarity finally caved. As much as she hated to admit it, Sweetie could obviously take care of herself now. Even better than Rarity could. As proof by the teleport to get onto the train. “Just be careful sister.” Rarity brought Sweetie into a hug, and stepped back. Sweetie smiled, and concentrated, teleporting away. However, what she hadn’t considered was her forward momentum, and so as she teleported to the side of the tracks, she began to tumble through the grass. While she survived, she was badly cut up. Wincing, Sweetie stood up and checked herself over. Seeing nothing was too terribly injured, she decided to walk some of the distance back. After all, she would eventually run into the zombies. Sweetie shuddered, remembering the first one. “I mean, how was I supposed to know bringing ponies back from the dead didn’t bring back their brains?!” Sweetie complained to the sky, loudly, for the remainder of her trip back.
L58“Twilight?” Sweetie waited patiently as Twilight looked up from her book. Pulling out the Looping note, Sweetie waited as Twilight read it. After a moment, she pulled out Twilight’s notes, and then pulled out a picture Sweetie drew of herself. Finally, Sweetie pulled out a blank piece of paper. “I was wondering, is it possible to make two of me?” As if to demonstrate, Sweetie duplicated her drawing onto the blank piece of paper. Twilight put a hoof to her chin, considering it. “Sweetie, no offense, but your artistic skill is worse than your magic.” Twilight nodded once to herself, confirming it. Sweetie blinked, flapping the piece of paper as she motioned irritably. “How exactly am I not supposed to take offense to that?” Sweetie watched, ear twitching, as Twilight opened her mouth to reply, and closed it again. Once more putting a hoof to her chin, she sheepishly smiled. “Point made. As for the duplication, while I would normally never bring this up, there is the Mirror Pool. Pinkie Pie once used it to make duplicates of herself. I don’t really think it will work. Buut…” Twilight trailed off, pulling out a book and flipping through the pages. Sweetie glanced to the window, opening her mouth to finish the sentence. “We don’t have many options left at this point.” Sweetie sighed, closing her eyes as she rubbed a hoof on her drawing. Sweetie had thought she was pretty good at arts and crafts. Another thing, she supposed, she was apparently not very good at. At the very least, Twilight’s lessons proved that even if she wasn’t any good at it, she could overcome it with practice. “Alright, I can take you to the pool now. I was just getting the coordinates.” Twilight gently closed the book, placing it down as she smiled at Sweetie. Turning, they both began to make their way out of the town. Twilight, wanting to make smalltalk, decided to ask Sweetie how she was doing. “To be honest? You don’t want to know. Another strange thing popped up when I awoke after the previous experiment. I’m not sure what it means, but-well.” Sweetie lowered her head, glancing to her Cutie Mark. Twilight followed her gaze, and blinked, according to her notes, there was something new to the Mark. It was still notes shaped in a heart. But now, for no discernible reason, it almost looked like it was more rounded than her diagram. “I-Uh,” stuttered Twilight, scanning her memories for anything she could say on the matter. Twilight didn’t understand, and a part of her secretly wondered if she wanted to. Closing her eyes, she took a calming breath, and opened them once more. Giving Sweetie her full attention, she looked the filly seriously in the eyes. “I can’t say I know what’s going on with your Cutie Mark. But I do know that it is likely an effect of this forsaken Loop.” Twilight gritted her teeth, wings flaring as she thought of the thing doing this to poor Sweetie. When Twilight got her hooves on the perp, she would make the damage done to her Treehouse look like child's play in comparison. “We’re here.” Twilight smiled, glad at the chance to change the conversation. Levitating out Tom, she dumped him to the side, and led Sweetie down to the pool. After a brief discussion, they agreed to only make a single clone. Sweetie breathed in, and approached the pool. Opening her mouth, she repeated the words, and dived into the pool. However, at the same time, she also pulled herself out. “Hello,” they both spoke in unison. After a moment, one began scuttering about the place, looking for its Cutie Mark. Sweetie raised an eyebrow, looking to the flank, and rubbed her forehead. Was that really how she and the Crusaders sounded? Shaking her head, she caught the clone, and the three left the pool. Twilight dumped Tom back on top, and Sweetie began teaching her clone how to act like a pony. “Alright, we’re gonna go Twilight. I’ve got a lot of work to do if I want Sweetwo to be more than just a ‘fun’ clone.” Sweetie saw the shudder from Twilight, and smirked. Oh how nice it was to have some blackmail. Disregarding it, she entered her home. Sweetwo close behind. Rarity was currently not home. Twilight had agreed to babysit, but because they both knew Sweetie could take care of herself, she had the house to her lonesome. “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders~” Sung Sweetwo, and Sweetie growled in irritation. Just great, she had to get the Crusader clone. Why couldn’t it have been a Twilight clone instead? At least then she might learn something from the exchange, even if it would end in failure. Bringing her clone in, she sat Sweetwo down, and began to give her a crash course in being a pony. ’This is going to be a long week…’ Sweetie felt a headache coming on, and she knew that a shield spell was not going to keep this one away. “Okay, after a long, long, so very very long week, we have arrived at Friday night.” Sweetie closed her door, but left the window open. Sweetwo was currently playing with the teddy bears in the corner. Sweetie had managed to at least teach the clone how not to be stupid around others, but sadly the clone persisted with it when alone. “And then they kissed,” hummed Sweetwo, making the two bears kiss. Sweetie’s ears flicked back in anger. Not only that, Sweetwo was getting the pairings completely wrong. Mr Frufflewuzzy went with Miss Snickerdoodle, not Madam Grumphrey. Sweetie turned her attention to the clock, and waited. 11:59… 12:00! Sweetie watched as Sweetwo blinked, and exploded into a puff, leaving a thin mist in Sweetie’s room. As it escaped through her window, Sweetie reflected on the nature of Mirror Pools and what magic had been at play with her clone. Finally, Sweetie walked over to her chest, and put her teddy bears back in their rightful pairs.
L59“No no no!” Sweetie cried out in outrage, swiping at her desk and sending the papers flying. As they fluttered to the ground, Sweetie glared at the Cutie Mark on all except a few. The accursed Mark of Starswirl. Sweetie growled, stepping down and rubbing one piece of paper into her carpet. “There has to be something I missed, but there is nothing. Just useless INFORMATION!” Sweetie screamed loudly, and then slumped to the floor. Sighing, she covered her face and closed her eyes. Sweetie breathed in, and out, standing up to look out the window. Looking at Ponyville, she forced herself to remain focused. ’Okay Sweetie,’ she mumbled to herself. ’Think around the problem. What have you yet to explore?’ Sweetie scoured Ponyville for something she could use, racking her brains for any way she could use the town that might help her get free. Gritting her teeth, her eyes finally found Mr Turner was currently running away like a madman. ‘Wait, if he knew Starswirl…’ Watching Mr Turner as he dashed through the streets, Sweetie concentrated with her magic. At the exact moment Nurse Redheart broke eye contact, she teleported the pony into her room, waiting as he came skidding to a stop. Turning around, Mr Turner wasted no time in beginning to pretend that he was insane. “Relax, Changeling, I know who you are.” Pulling out Mr Turner’s Looping note, Sweetie waited as the stallion read it, and closed his eyes. After a moment, the window’s curtains were shut by a green magic, and he shuddered, transforming into a Changeling for a small moment. Changing back, he stifled a yawn, and approached Sweetie, handing back the note. “So, what is the problem, fair filly who apparently knows quite a lot about me.” Looking at the papers on the ground, Turner approached them as Sweetie began to group them up. Shoving them into his magic, he looked them over, raising an eyebrow as he noticed the strained expression on Sweetie’s face. “Okay, so I’ve been looking over Starswirl’s notes, trying to find a way to get out of this Loop. The thing is, I’m positive there is someone in this Loop that is not being reset other than me, but I have no way of finding out who they are. Therefore, there must be some clue in these notes as to how he got out, because I am at my wit’s end and I NEED to get out.” Eye twitching, her thoughts continued to spiral after this one thread she had. Time Turner watched the filly, and his expression softened, looking toward the door, he sighed softly, letting a sad expression fall on his face. Turning, he lent down, looking Sweetie in the eyes, and put a hoof on her shoulder. Sweetie met his gaze, curious and confused. “Listen kid, even if I did know how to get out of the Loop-and I’m not saying I do, because I honestly don’t. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to help you. Because if this other Looper is whom I think he is, and everything written here leads me to believe it is, there is no way you are getting out until he wants you out.” Pausing, he saw the anger on Sweetie’s face. Putting a hoof on her mouth, he continued. “And that’s not even counting the fact he is an old friend of mine. So I’m sorry, but I can’t try to help you more than I already have. For I have no doubts that if I tried, it would only force this power you speak of to play its hand. I can help you find things to do, but I can’t help you escape. I’m sorry.” Standing up, Time Turner stepped back, letting Sweetie absorb this information. “What could you possibly suggest, that I haven’t already tried?” Laughing, Sweetie motioned to the paper still laying on the floor. Looking at it, Time Turner closed his eyes for a moment, and then transformed back into his Changeling self. Walking forward, he levitated up a piece of paper with a detailed map of Equestria. “Only one; and her name is Chrysalis.” Looking over the information Time Turner had given her, Sweetie let a sad smile fall on her face. Turning, she levitated over a pile of things she could do, some of them she had thought too much for her. Now though, Sweetie could cross some of the items off the list. Allowing a strained smile to fall on her face, she tried to sound happy. “Alright Sweetie, you’re in for the long haul, so let’s try to make the most of it.” Sliding Time Turner’s information into the stack, Sweetie began sorting them. One by one, she began to lay them out. Looking them over, Sweetie decided she would need to make them last. ’I don’t know how long I’ll be in here, so I need this list to last as long as possible. That means I have to limit myself. One a week sounds good.’ Nodding once, Sweetie sorted them into a decent list. While most of them wouldn’t be done until the very end, there was one last lead Sweetie wanted to pursue. ’And that lead goes by the name of Harmony.’ Determined, Sweetie looked out the window in the direction of the Everfree. Camping out would give her time to properly see what she could do with the Elements. If Sweetie was lucky, they might even be the way out. But Time Turner was right about one thing; any possible escape had likely been blocked by whomever was also in this Loop. “Regardless, there are some things that might not be under his control yet.” Glancing over to the corner, where her camping stuff was located, Sweetie nodded to herself. This was it, finally she would test if she could spend a Loop away from her room. Sure, the last test had technically worked, but it hadn’t been easy. “Next Loop then,” she spoke, nodding to herself.
L60Sweetie stepped onto the path leading into the Everfree, following the forest to the old Castle. While it was still barely a path at all and more a break in the treeline that was thick around her, Sweetie could see the signs of recent trips. Twilight had said they had been coming here more often recently. Of course, that was before the Loops had begun. Walking along the path, Sweetie wondered what she would find once she arrived. Sure, she could go down to the Elements immediately, but this was a chance to explore the Castle. Besides, most of the experiments she wanted to do couldn’t happen until Friday. Logically, considering her failed attempt to explore last time, she should be less inclined to explore. “And yet,” she sighed, “I want to at least try to explore it. I’ll try to stay away from the hallway I went down last time.” Not only that, Sweetie was certain she could teleport out. So it was a lot safer in general. There was also the fact that there was someone in the Loop with her. If she did get stuck in a room, and then get stuck in a Death Loop, it was likely this thing would bail her out. Considering the fact- Sweetie jumped as a bird caww’ed from a tree, and she whimpered, cowering in fear for a moment. Breathing out in relief as nothing appeared, Sweetie shook herself over. Starting to walk again, she glanced toward the edges of the path nervously. “Relax Sweetie, it’s nothing. This is just a forest oversaturated with magic. Yes, just like Twilight said.” Trying desperately to believe her lie, she continued mumbling to herself as she finally reached the bridge. Looking down, she saw the path leading to the elements. Debating her choice, she slowly leaned her head back toward the castle, and continued over the bridge. “No,” she spoke, pausing and closing her eyes. Turning around, she decided to just head directly for the Elements. Sweetie had been trying to resist going there first, leave a little mystery for the end of the Loop, and had failed to do so. Walking down the path, she entered the cave, and looked up at the glowing tree. The Tree of Harmony was beautiful, crystal leaves growing around it and the glow of the Elements shining brightly. Sweetie slowly stepped forward, awed by them. Reaching out, she stood on the tip of her hooves, and touched the lowest one. Nothing happened. “Well, I guess that was asking for a little too much.” Smiling, Sweetie chuckled and shook her head as she found a place to set up camp nearby. Settling into her tent, she snuggled up in a blanket, and looked upon the tree. After trying for a few days, Sweetie was certain she couldn’t get them out. Hindsight told her Twilight might have been able to, but Sweetie doubted that would affect her experiment at all. After all, in the tree or outside of it, the Elements would react the same. ’I hope everypony will be ok.’ Glancing toward the exit, Sweetie couldn’t deny what she was doing might very well kill ponies. But at this point, it was her final option. Stepping out of her tent, Sweetie left everything but the essentials inside it, ensuring her saddlebags could hold it all. Sweetie was sure the tent would Loop, but it didn’t hurt to be sure. Watching her clock tick down, Sweetie breathed in, turning her attention to the Tree. Time ticked down, closer and closer, and finally, it was time. Leaning forward, Sweetie watched the tree intently, everything fading out of view around her. 11.59… Sweetie’s eyes widened as magic curled around her, and she was slammed into her tent, it zipping up just as her clock ticked over. 12.00! “No!” Strained, she thrust her tent open and looked around frantically. But she was alone. There was nothing out of place, no change, nada. Collapsing to the floor, she allowed her gaze to follow the cave wall, rising up to look at the roof. Blank faced, without emotion, she let a single tear fall. “If you won’t let me do this either, just what will you let me do?” A roar sounded in the distance, and Sweetie turned. Watching without care, Sweetie followed the trail of destruction as it began to head in her direction. After a moment a Chimera appeared, breathing fire on a pack of fleeing Timberwolves. All were heading in her general direction. The Chimera had a snake tail, a goat head, and a panther body. Considering her current location, and her knowledge of magic, even while learned through hard practice, Sweetie was certain she could flee before they spotted her. But some part of her wanted to placate a part of her that was...curious. Filly vs Everfree, who would win? Standing up, Sweetie called upon her magic to begin channeling the spells she had been practicing, taken from a book that was so complicated, Sweetie hadn’t even begun to understand the very last spell about summoning a chicken. And yet, Sweetie felt a smile fall on her face as she took a battle stance. Bring it on Everfree, her body spoke. And the Everfree answered. Author's Note 40
L61Sweetie leapt, dodging the bite aimed directly at her, sending a torrent of water in front of her into the mouth of the Chimera. Teleporting, she appeared behind the pack of Timberwolves as they dived for her, and right into the path of a furious Chimera. Roaring, the Chimera tried to breathe fire again, but only manage to breathe out smoke. The Timberwolves turned, and once more tried to attack Sweetie. Sweetie turned and ran, teleporting up a tree and breathing in. The Timberwolves growled, unaware of the spell she was casting. Lowering her horn, she also prepared herself to immediately cast a water spell immediately after. Her horn began to glow red, and some of the smarter wolves leapt out of the way. A torrent of fire blasted out of her horn, followed by a torrent of water. Those caught in it got badly burned, before the cooling water used their new injuries to instil a sense of panic. Realising their prey was not prey, the Timberwolves quickly scattered, leaving just one angry Chimera for Sweetie to deal with. Teleporting down, she called upon her magic to summon a white bolt of magic energy. It was shaky, and close to dissipating, but as it sped toward the Chimera, whom leapt out of the way, it curved and hit the beast in the side. The attack did little to no damage, but the Chimera now knew his opponent was not a simple Timberwolf. Sweetie breathed out, closing her eyes and squaring her shoulders as she poured all her magic into her horn. Breathing in, an icy light glowed around her, and the Chimera took a step back. Temperature dropping, the Chimera began to run forward, trying to stop Sweetie’s spell. But it was too late, and Sweetie opened her eyes, glowing with energy, and cast the spell. Ice formed around her in large sheets, and began to dive toward the Chimera in spikes, splitting up into thousands of tiny ones in the span of a second. The Chimera called upon its breath, and flame burst out of its mouth, protecting it from the brunt of the attack. However one leg was not protected, and the Chimera roared in pain. Sweetie forced herself to stay standing, everything spinning around her. Three Chimeras roared softly in her direction, all limping toward her. As her vision began to clear, the three slowly formed into one, and she noticed it lean back. Mind still dazed, she wondered if it was going to breathe fire. A phantom image of her roasting on a spit appeared in her head. ’Wait a second. Chimeras breathe fire!’ Sweetie’s mind snapped back into focus just as her body was bathed in flame. Cringing, she sighed in relief as her shield spell absorbed it, and quickly leapt out of the flames. Magic flickering, she reinforced the shield quickly, watching her vision swim slightly. ‘I need to work more on my endurance. My magic feels like it’s all spent.’ Sweetie looked to the Chimera, and forced her brain to buzz back to life, considering her array of spells. Sweetie had just about enough magic for one, maybe two more spells, and then she would need to rest. Calling once more upon her magic, Sweetie formed the spell on her head, and began to run toward the Chimera. The Chimera breathed in, and fire formed around her. Leaping up, Sweetie spun in the air, landing on top of the Chimera. Pointing her horn directly at its head, she cast the spell twice in quick succession, and leapt off the Chimera. One knockout spell might have done it, but two definitely did the trick. The Chimera flinched, and slumped, unconscious. Sweetie collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath as her vision danced across her. After a moment, a feral grin appeared on her face. She had done it! Not only had she defeated Timberwolves, but a fire-breathing Manticore too! After she took a few loops to recover her magic, Sweetie was feeling confident in her ability to finally do her dream. Sweetie was going to take on a dragon. ’Well, after I get a bit more practice in,’ she thought to herself scathingly. Author's Note 39
L62The First National Bank of Equestria was the only bank company in Equestria. A few competitors had tried during its early inception, but had not been able to compete with their established market. After all, why would ponies change to their bank when not only could they not provide cheaper loans, but they only had one main city you could borrow from. So when a filly walked into the bank, saddlebags in tow, humming a merry tune, nopony looked twice as she moved up the line. It was only when she pulled out what looked to be a bomb at the counter that she got every single pony’s undivided attention. Sweetie smiled pleasantly to the mare behind the counter, and held out the bomb, sliding it across to her. “Hello, I’d like to take out all the money from my account.” Smiling, Sweetie waited patiently as the mare tried to appear normal, and asked her what account she was trying to access. Pursing her lip for a moment, Sweetie pretended to think about it. “Oh I don’t know. I seem to have forgotten, so how about I rob all of them instead?” A cheerful sing-song tune entered her voice as she beamed an innocent smile, and the mare glanced toward the guards slowly advancing on the filly. Spotting her glance, the filly turned and rolled her eyes, shrugging as if everything was only a minor annoyance. “Honestly, your service is terrible.” As her horn lit up, the four stallions charged. Each one was knocked out with a simple spell, and fell to the floor instantly. Sweetie once more approached the counter. Smiling, she tapped her hoof against it. “A-And uh, who should I make it out to?” The mare pushed a button underneath her desk, listening to her training and doing everything the robber asked her to do. While she hadn’t been expecting one so young, the bomb ticking down on her side of the bench confirmed it was indeed the case. Handing back the bomb, she motioned to another server to go get the money. “Sweetie,” she spoke, giving a ‘sweet’ smile. Nopony would believe it was her name. So when Rarity came forward with her picture, that would be such a funny scene to watch. A part of her did feel guilty for putting Rarity through this. But, well, it wasn’t like she’d remember it in a week. “Here you go.” Holding out a bag of bits, the mare pushed it through to Sweetie’s side. Smiling, she sat it on her back, and picked up her ‘bomb’. In fact, it was just her clock with a few wires and stuff attached to make it look like a bomb. Sweetie had pretended it was a fun game for Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and her to play. The rest was cake. Sweetie stepped out of the bank, and looked casually at all the guards surrounding her. To her surprise, Rarity and Twilight were also pointing their horns at her. Pegasi were watching the sky, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and a small group of Earth Ponies was approaching her from an emergency exit one pony had opened from inside the bank. “Sweetie Belle!?” Rarity, overcome with surprise, was struck speechless. Sweetie lowered her ‘innocent’ mask, and looked seriously at the crowd. Horn glowing, she watched as they all dived for her, and smiled. Vanishing in a teleport to her max range, she began to rapidly teleport over town, before entering the Everfree and teleporting the distance back to her tent. Puffing, she collapsed and gasped for breath. After her exertion the other Loop, Sweetie wasn’t surprised teleporting had taken it out of her, but she still scolded herself for it. ’Regardless, I have now robbed a bank.’ Sweetie proudly counted the bits in her bit bag, nodding in satisfaction. So no pony could stop her now, and she could take on a Chimera and win. Now she just had to grow strong enough to take on Twilight. “Bit-opia. That’s what I’ll call it.” Sweetie smiled, and began using her magic to melt the gold into shapes, slowly transforming her money into a city. It was badly made, but Sweetie took her time, knowing that her artistic talent would come with time. ‘After all, I’m Rarity’s sister.’ Author's Note 38 Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Secrets laying wildly across the stream, time disillusioned for the cursed shade, simpler than the wondrous lies, obvious like the clearest sky yet painful terror and unknown, sinking deeper into the blackness. Sending for another day in which to rest, warding off the coldness of the night.
L63Sweetie Belle stepped into the bank, and smiled. Breathing in, she listened intently to the world around her, waiting for the right time. Starting a heartsong, she now knew, was more about timing than singing. Sweetie had to wait for the time when everything lined up. This could be influenced, but only so much. ‘Now!’ Taking a step forward, notes danced around her and the Heartsong began at her call. Pulling out the notes, she began to sing, weaving the heartsong quickly and efficiently. After a moment, it was time for her to begin to sing. Glancing around as she opened her eyes, Sweetie saw everypony was under the heartsong’s power. Perfect. “I am going to steal from you,” she sung, spinning towards the counter. Ponies stepped out of her way. “And there is nothing you can dooo.” Smiling, Sweetie put her bomb down on the counter, and the mare quickly dashed away to get the money. Turning, Sweetie smiled as the crowd began to sing along. “Nothing we can do.” Humming for a moment, Sweetie touched a hoof to her chest, bowing slightly. “For I am in charge of this song, and it is this song that controls you.” Picking up her bomb, Sweetie grabbed the bag of bits, and began to slowly walk toward the exit. “Sweetie Belle, why do you do this? I thought you were a good girl.” Rarity’s voice spoke loudly, the crowd backing her up. Looking at them from the door, Sweetie took a step outside, and smiled. “Oh my Sister, I do this for fun. You should give it a whirl.” Reaching a high note, Sweetie winced as her voice cracked, almost breaking the heartsong. “Oh Sweetie dear Sweetie, please stop this at once. The punishment for stealing paints you like a dunce.” Rarity’s expression showed she was referring more to the outfit than the punishment, and Sweetie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Time to wrap this up. “I will not my sister, for on this day: You will watch me act, and then fade.” Calling upon her magic, Sweetie tried to teleport in time with the end of the heartsong. However, she slammed into something, and fell to the ground. Twilight approached, and smiled wickedly. “Anti teleportation field. Your little routine gave me plenty of time to set it up.” Twilight looked to the guards as they slapped a limiter on Sweetie’s horn, and she was dressed in a bright orange outfit. “Oh Treesap,” she swore loudly, watching as she was tossed into a carriage to be carted off to Canterlot. Rolling her eyes, she could just imagine the conversation waiting for her there. At the very least, she could blame it on Time Turner. After all, not many ponies knew what he did, and he spent most of this week pretending he was insane. Arriving in Canterlot, she was soon brought in front of the princesses. As her crime was spoken, Sweetie could tell the two Alicorns were trying to hide their amusement. They were doing it very well too, but Sweetie was better. Looking like a scared and fearful filly, she waited as the guards went through her saddlebags. “The bomb appears to be fake, but it’s these two notes that have us the most confused.” Pulling out the Princess's looping notes, he held them out as they blinked. Reading it, their faces creased, and they shared a look. “These notes are nothing short of treason. We will have to give her the highest level crime we are allowed to sentence.” Celestia walked over, and leaned down, smile finally showing on her face. “To the Moooon~,” she sung softly. Sweetie couldn’t stand it any longer, and she broke into hysterical laughter. Luna joined in shortly after, much to the guard’s confusion. “So what were you planning on doing with the bits anyway?” Celestia raised an eyebrow as she released Sweetie, earning jaw-drops from the guards. Shrugging, Sweetie concentrated, and managed to make a very faint image of Bit-opia with her magic. “I call it, Bit-opia. I am Best Princess in it, and you are all my willing slaves. Opal is there for some reason too.” Sweetie chuckled, pulling out her Opal doll and beaming a mischievous smile at the two. Celestia and Luna bowed, no doubt agreeing completely with Best Princess over her title being Best Princess. “I need a bit more to finish the top, so I decided to have a little fun and rob it in song this time. I was planning on blaming it on the local insane pony.” While Changeling Time Turner was a very sane and very smart individual, Pony Time Turner was not. Sweetie doubted the two would know the difference. “Hrm,” mumbled Luna, glancing toward Celestia. Both were silent for a moment, before breaking out into smiles once more. “We are both glad to see you are having fun,” the spoke in unison. Sweetie beamed a smile, and accepted their offer for a chariot home. Of course, five ponies would need a proper explanation of her actions, but Sweetie wasn’t worried. ’Come to think of it…’ Sweetie looked to the two princesses standing together, and pulled out her ‘list of things to do’ looking to the next item on her list. Oh yes, next loop would be even more fun. Author's Note 37 Have a look at this made by Liam King. You guys just continue to amaze me. Oh! And be aware it's not a full game, just a menu and an image of Sweetie's room.
L64Sweetie glanced to her Cutie Mark, pursing her lip. Over the past few Loops, its pattern had kept changing and changing. And now? Sweetie looked to the five notes surrounding a single note in the center. For some reason, the notes were forming the same pattern of a Cutie Mark she recognized despite the difference. ‘Okay, my Mark kinda looks like Twilight’s now. That’s freaky, and scary, but there’s not much I can do about it. Moving on.’ Packing her saddlebags, Sweetie wrote a small letter and attached it to Twilight’s Looping note, informing her of the plan for this Loop. Breathing in, Sweetie descended the stairs, and shoved Rarity’s Looping note into her face as well. Informing her sister of the plan, Sweetie easily smoothed it over enough for Rarity to accept, despite the task. Blinking, a note appeared from Twilight, informing Sweetie that Applejack had begrudgingly agreed to her plan. Smiling, she rubbed her hooves together, and set to work constructing a quick Lemonade stand. “You know Celestia, I’ve been considering going down to see Princess Twilight and her friends in Ponyville.” Luna took a bite of her lunch, looking to her sister with sparkling eyes. Really, despite her misgivings over Nightmare Night, Luna would love an opportunity to properly get to know the town. “I think that is a wonderful idea. I shall join you, granted I manage to finish the paperwork early that day. What day should we-Oh, speak of the Princess.” Celestia blinked as a scroll appeared in front of her, and opened it. Taking a bit of her own food, she skimmed it, and gulped. Choking for a moment, she swallowed it down, guzzling water as she coughed. Recovered, she held it out to her curious sister. “Dear Princess Celestia. Today me and my friends learned that we can take our destiny into our own hooves.-Oh that is wonderful for them- We have done so by trusting the services of a Matchmaker? -that has moved to our village? -What the- So we are all very happy, and are considering marriage within the month to our new special someponies!?-Sister, what do we do?” Celestia stood up, and looked evenly at her sister. “Pack your saddlebags Luna, you’re getting to visit Ponyville right now. We leave first thing Wednesday.” Turning, Celestia dived toward the throne, beginning to tackle her duties so she could spare the visit. If she was lucky, what she didn’t do today, Tuesday, she could leave till her return. “I really must thank you Matchmaker. Not only have you given me a wonderful evening for the both of us, you did so out of your own pocket. I’ll admit, I actually had fun.” The mare glanced lovingly toward the sheepish stallion, and the hooded pony nodded. The two held out a bag of bits, and the pony shook her head. Money was no use to her when she could just rob a bank. A Chariot landed in the distance, and five ponies went out to greet the two arriving. Sweetie watched from underneath her cloak, a feral grin masterfully hidden under her clothes. Rarity was a master, making Sweetie not only adult-sized, but snug too. Sweetie waited as the group chatted excitedly to the Princesses. “I’m telling you, I have never been happier since I left my fate to the Matchmaker. Did you know she does fortunes too? She can accurately predict any problems you will have for the future. She said her radar only affect the current town or residence though, so it probably won’t help you. But even-” Twilight talked vividly as the five led the two to Sweetie. “So I hear you are pairing up my little ponies, and they are...happy?” Celestia tilted her head, having mixed feelings about this entire case. If it was true, then she couldn’t just deny her ponies a service that would help them. If it was false, she could reveal it as so, leaving the ponies to solve their own problems instead of trusting somepony else. “Indeed I am,” spoke a high pitched voice. Celestia frowned, it almost sounded like a filly. Shaking her thoughts away, she glanced to Luna, whom shrugged. Well, the best way to prove it was via testing. “If you are indeed what you say you are, then you will have no objections to us testing that theory?” Celestia watched the hooded stranger nod, and she turned around. Picking out a random couple, she quietly asked them about their relationship. “I honestly was skeptical, but with Twilight and the other Elements backing it, I thought it worth a shot. And I have never been happier.” The stallion nuzzled his mare, and the two walked away. Celestia frowned, and sighed. It did indeed look like her ponies were happy. What right did she have to forbid them from it? “Sister, if I may…?” Luna stepped forward, and Celestia stepped back. Leaning down, Luna narrowed her eyes. “If thou are-you are as good as you say. Provide me with a special somepony.” Luna knew this was impossible. After all, she wasn’t going to date somepony who would die in a century. It would only lead to her heartbreak in the end. “Well your options are Twilight and Celestia,” the Matchmaker spoke softly. Blinking, Luna reared back, wings flaring. For a moment, she considered herself being mocked, but when Twilight stepped between them, the voice explained. “You’re long lived right? And you need somepony whom will give you the attention you deserve. Twilight has always been an avid stargazer, and she might turn out to be as long lived as you, considering her talent is magic. As for Celestia, you two may have had problems in the past, but now you two are closer than ever. And don’t worry about the sister thing, you can always abolish that later.” Sweating slightly, Sweetie wondered if they would buy it. Pulling out a bag of bits, she placed it on the table. “As I am a giving pony, I will even pay for the first date. If you are dissatisfied, come to me and prove me to be a fraud. But I think my track record speaks for itself.” Nodding once, she saw Luna considering it. Glancing to her sister, she bit her lip. Celestia glared, and Luna knew her sister wasn’t willing to ever go there. So that left Twilight. “Very well, I shall test your ability.” Luna turned to Twilight, who had pulled out a large list. “Great, shall I pencil us in for seven tomorrow?” Twilight smiled at her note, before noticing Luna’s shocked gaze. Shrugging, she smiled sheepishly. “Uh, as the Elements of Magic, I understand friendship very well. That means a lot of ponies are...compatible with me.” Twilight glanced to her friends, all of whom were casually glancing away. “Urg,” growled Luna, gritting her teeth. “Fine, see you then.” Luna stormed toward Twilight’s castle, where they had already agreed to be staying. Celestia followed, and Sweetie smiled. The next day went exactly as planned. “So, how did it go?” Raising her hood slightly, she looked to Luna and Celestia. Both were sharing surprised glances. “Uh, good. We have chosen to have a followup meeting within a month.” Luna had to admit, this service was good. Glancing to her sister, she wondered if Celestia would pluck up the courage to ask. But, after a moment, they both said goodbye, and went to meet with the chariot. Stepping up, they waved goodbye to the Elements. Taking into the sky, Luna watched as a small filly crawled out of the Matchmaker, watching the clothes slump to the floor. ’Huh,’ was all she could think in response. Author's Note 36 What the- Hi Uh, I think I need an adult. I am an adult Heh, funny thing, so am I. And uh, I have to go uh...write the next chapt- -er ~And the author was never seen nor heard from again~
L65“Excuse me Miss Fluttershy, I was wondering if you had anything that could help me attract animals.” Sweetie looked down, scuffing the dirt in front of the cottage with one hoof. Today she was playing the timid filly. Fluttershy was instantly beckoning her inside, pulling out some bitter smelling liquid. “This is made out of some of the flowers growing around my home. It should attract most creatures with a keen nose if you only use a little. I assume this is for a dog or cat?” Fluttershy smiled gently, and for a moment a slice of guilt laced through Sweetie. Quickly shaking it off, she took the bottle, dabbing it on her fur lightly. “Yeah, thanks Fluttershy.” Sweetie smiled warmly, and began to skip toward the door. Fluttershy watched with a shy smile. It was so adorable that Rarity’s sister had come to her for advice on Opal. Sweetie smiled as she took the path into Ponyville, and turned once she was out of sight of Fluttershy. Stepping into the Everfree, Sweetie rapidly teleported to the clearing she had battled the Chimera in. Pulling out the small bottle of yucky smelling stuff, she poured it on a piece of tofu she had borrowed from town. Animals ate Tofu right? Sweetie wasn’t entirely sure what carnivores ate beside herself and meat. And, according to what she knew, tofu was not-meat meat. So, pouring the entire bottle onto the tofu, she tossed it toward the edge of the forest, and waited for something to show. After five minutes, she scowled and pulled out something to read. Honestly, animals were so late sometimes. A shadow appeared, and she glanced upward, noticing a large beast had blocked out the sun, and was currently standing over her. “What do you know, Cerberus. What are you doing out of Tartarus?” Sweetie smiled sheepishly as the three headed dog towered over her. Timberwolves and other such creatures, that would have been expected. But could she even defeat this guy? Standing up, Sweetie leapt out of the way as a paw swiped toward her. Sweetie called upon her magic, protecting herself as heat sprung up around her. Looking toward one head, she saw its drool was actually lava. Blinking, she wondered what their teeth were made out of. Distracted, she was slammed into by the third head, and blinked as teeth crunched down, splintering her shield. Wincing, Sweetie felt all her magic go toward her shield, glad she had updated that feature. Gritting her teeth, she pushed at the molar barring her freedom. Seeing no change, even when exposed to a fire spell, a stray spark brought her an idea. Making a spell out of her ice storm spell, Sweetie cast it at the tooth. A single ice spear emerged from her horn and hit the tooth. As the head reared back and howled in pain, Sweetie saw the pit of madness that would lead to its bowels, and quickly levitated herself out of the mouth. Teleporting back down to the ground, she puffed, taking a moment to recover from her sudden ordeal. Would being swallowed alive count as ‘indoors’? Cerberus howled for a while longer, and then turned tail, vanishing into a portal that appeard from nothing. Grinning, Sweetie savored her victory. Turning as something once more covered her in shadow, Sweetie’s eyes bulged out of her head. For there was a creature eating her tofu, but also looking directly at her. Sweetie had entirely forgotten this had been sighted close to the edge of the Everfree once. Three of its heads were facing her while one swallowed the tofu. A Hydra. A freaking Hydra. It gave a roar the moment it finished the tofu, and charged right for Sweetie. Gulping, she crouched and prepared for a fight. Three heads dived for her, the fourth watching carefully. Great, this one had an intelligent head. Sweetie teleported, standing on the Hydra’s back, and began to cast her ice storm spell as the four heads turned toward her. “Woah!” Standing on one leg, the Hydra balanced with its tail, sending Sweetie tumbling down to the grass. Softening her fall with a levitation spell, Sweetie stopped casting, knowing she wouldn’t have time to cast it. Concentrating, she sent out a torrent of flame, the Hydra shrugged it off, and two heads dived for her. Teleporting, Sweetie began to run around the Hydra, calling upon her makeshift spell to send ice spikes at the Hydra. They cracked against its tough scales, and Sweetie growled in annoyance. Turning, she levitated herself up high into the air just as the third head dived toward her. Roaring flames sprouted from its mouth, heading straight for her. Sweetie let her shield handle the flames, calling upon her magic to send lightning toward the fourth head. The fourth head howled in pain, and the other three glanced toward it. Teleporting back toward the ground, Sweetie saw she had now pissed off the beast. Knowing that was bad, she racked her brains quickly in the brief moment she had. ’Blade, blade, need to make a blade. Aha!’ Sweetie, in a stroke of genius, turned and ran toward the castle. Reaching the bridge, the Hydra close behind, she teleported inside and looked for a smashed window. Finding one, she pulled out a piece of the broken glass, inspecting the edge. ’Perfect.’ Hearing the roar, Sweetie turned just as the Hydra leapt over the gap, tail smashing the bridge as it vaulted over. Heads smashing through the castle, Sweetie protected herself with a weaker shield, avoiding the broken rubble. Breathing in, she dove toward the exit, the Hydra roaring at her. Leaping off the cliff, Sweetie watched the Hydra follow her back up the mountain and to the clearing. Panting heavily, Sweetie turned, and glared at the Hydra. Levitating up the piece of glass, Sweetie swore to herself to make her goal not to kill it. Sure, it would be back next loop, but Sweetie didn’t want to add another life to her body count. Teleporting past three of the heads, she sliced at its weak underside with the blade of glass. It howled in pain with each cut, despite the damage being comparable to thin cuts. The Hydra, whom Sweetie was currently under, stopped supporting its own weight, and slammed down on Sweetie. Sweetie woke up in her room, ash surrounding her. There was also blood on her walls and ceiling, as if something had been sliced off to fit into her room. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead, and cast the shield spell to eliminate her headache. ‘Darn, I was sure I had it that time.' Sweetie pulled out her spellbook, and placed a hoof on it. Regardless, she was ready. And she had learned a valuable lesson about not standing under beasts.
L66.1 Operation FlyDaDragonSweetie walked down the dust caked ground, a stray gust sending it in the direction she was heading. Everything had an orange quality to it, and she coughed as her dry throat reminded her she was out of water. Trees were completely dead, and any signs of life were long gone. Sweetie pulled out her map, calling upon her magic to start charging up her water spell. Due to the lack of moisture in the air, it would take more out of her than normal, but it was necessary. Sweetie considered herself lucky her magic water was drinkable. Pulling out her bottles, she cast the spell, quickly filling them up. Sipping her drink, she continued up the sharp incline, her destination bound to be in sight once she reached the top. Glancing to her map as she walked, Sweetie nodded, putting the map away. Eventually, she couldn’t pull herself up the side without resorting to climbing, so she concentrated, levitating herself up to the rim, landing on the edge. Dragons, and all of them looking toward her. Most of the adults quickly looked away, giving a yawn and settling back to sleep. It was only a group of teenagers that approached her as she descended into the bowl. None of the adults moved, waiting to see what her reasoning for coming was. “Well well well, a namby pamby pony. Who’s hungry boys?” The leader, a crimson dragon standing on two legs with a yellow underside, approached. Sweetie looked evenly, despite the shaking slowly trying to escape. Even with many Loops of experience, instinct prevailed. Standing proud, a bead of sweat slid down her face. The two other dragons, one a pale blue and the other a dark purple, approached, licking their mouths as they punched a fist into their hands. Sweetie breathed in, closing her eyes as she calmed herself. This was her time, her chance. Yes, she had put a protection spell on her saddlebags to ensure they didn’t get burned for as long as the magic lasted, so it was time to brave her goal. Two dragons leaned back, and fire enveloped her. Horn sparking, Sweetie easily kept her shield up. After a moment, the two ceased, and all three leaned back in shock. Sweetie inspected her hoof, and looked at them with a bored expression. Challenge accepted, the leader pointed at her. “Grrr! Get her! She’s just using some pansy magic!” Folding his arms, he smirked at Sweetie. Surprisingly, the pony merely smiled sweetly in response. Mind slow to absorb this fact, it wasn’t until his lackeys were already diving forward that he realised this pony was different. But by then, it was too late. Teleporting, Sweetie avoided the two dragons, standing on her back hooves and giving a twirl. Turning, she fired a bolt of water, sending them crashing into the side of the bowl, leaving an indent in the wall. The two rose, and roared. The leader knew there was no way they could defeat the strange pony, and glanced toward the adults watching. Sweetie teleported behind the two dragons, and then teleported once more as they anticipated her action. Calling upon her magic, she pulled out her blade of glass, and swung it at their weak undersides, aiming for non-serious spots in case she went too deep. The two howled in pain, and dived for her again. A huge thud sounded, and the three teenagers immediately ran behind it, cowering in confusion and fear. Sweetie turned, inspecting the dragon in front of her. He was coal-black in color, with his underside being a light gray. Eyes of molten fire glared her down, and Sweetie nearly gave into her instinct to run right there and then. But, forcing that feeling down, she breathed in and out, and met the dragon right in the eyes. Sweetie bowed low, showing respect in a way she hoped would transcend any language barriers. The dragon made no move for a moment, and Sweetie slowly raised her head to meet his gaze again. The teenagers were smirking, expecting her to be killed. All the other dragons watched on, curiosity nearly all-consuming. “You, pony whose blade pierces teenage flesh. You show us humility, and yet see yourself as our equal. I will overlook your transgression against the hatchlings, but choose your next words carefully.” The dragon’s voice rumbled around Sweetie, nearly deafening her. Thinking for a moment, she stood up straight, and raised her voice to speak as loud as she could without shouting. “I am Sweetie Belle, a filly who is stuck in a Time Loop.” As Sweetie paused, a few of the adults shared a glance, but the black dragon didn’t even flinch. “II know not why or how I got trapped in such, but it has granted me the ability to slowly grow my battle abilities to the point you saw just now.” Pointing toward the teenagers, Sweetie closed her eyes, breathed in, and continued. “I do not know if you believe me, but that is unimportant. My reason for being here is simple, and I understand the ramifications of such a request requires combat. I wish to ride a dragon. I would be honored if you would consider my request.” Sweetie bowed once more, opening her eyes, as the majority of the dragons reared back, roaring at the insult. The black dragon leaned back slightly, looking at the adult dragons, quickly silencing all the commotion. “We are aware of this time loop you are in. Our magic resistance affords us considerable resistance to most of your magic. This spell, while powerful, is nothing that we can be affected by.” The dragon paused, watching Sweetie’s reaction. As her eyes widened, he saw the questions appearing on her face, and leaned in closer. “While we cannot detect the source of the spell, it does not affect us. We do not care for ‘weeks’, ‘months’, or even ‘years’. Our lives go on, and your Loop does not change anything for us.” Satisfied he had answered the majority of the questions, he waited for the pony to speak. “But my town has a baby dragon, and he’s not aware of it. And what about those three?” Sweetie didn’t understand. Was this something she could use to get out? “A dragon’s age is directly proportional to how much magic resistance they have. While those hatchlings can absorb most of the damage incoming from low level spells, their scales are weak, their minds unclear. At most, your baby dragon would suffer from a minor case of deja vu, I believe that is what you call it?” Pausing, the dragon watched Sweetie nod. “One last question. What would you do if it was affecting you?” Sweetie tilted her head, and the dragon leaned down, one huge eye covering most of her vision. “Raze Equestria to the ground,” he spoke seriously. Gulping, Sweetie nodded as he leaned back. That was fair, considering what their race was like. Sweetie was certain if it had of been the case, she would already be gone. The dragon shifted, flaring his humongous wings. All the adults roared at once, and Sweetie winced, covering her ears. After a moment, it was silent again. “We have discussed your request, and have agreed to grant you the chance, granted you defeat the dragon in combat first. I trust that is to your liking?” The dragon tilted his head, and Sweetie nodded, gulping as sweat began to fall down her face. This was it, finally. The dragon made a sweeping motion with his wing, motioning toward the adults looking at her. “Choose your opponent. Sweetie of the Glass Blade.” While she didn’t entirely care for the dragon’s nickname for her, she wasn’t going to say that. Turning, Sweetie looked over the many dragons, noticing one’s that looked sickly, and some that were sleeping. If she was smart, she should go for one of those. And yet… “I choose you.” Sweetie turned, and smirked at the black dragon. Blinking, he reared back, and laughed. Sweetie noticed dragons begin to carry gems around. If she had to guess, it was likely they were taking bets. On the other side, she noticed the teenagers run toward a female dragon with rose-red scales. “Oh, it has been a while since someone has dared to challenge me. Please be aware I won’t go easy on you.” The black dragon moved, taking his place at the other edge of the clearing. Sweetie gritted her teeth, nerves quickly consuming her. What the hell was she doing!? ’Calm down, you can do this. Death is only temporary. Just make sure you don’t get swallowed up by the magic-shield. Also called dragon.’ Lowering herself down to the ground, she began to shake in fright. All around her dragons began to laugh, all except the coal-black dragon. After a moment, his voice rang out from the other side of the bowl. “It is not too late to back out, young one.” The dragon’s voice carried a tone of concern, and that touched Sweetie greatly. Here in the middle of nowhere, a dragon was caring about her, even slightly. All at once, her fear faded, and she stood back up. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the dragon, and he gave his own dragon smile in return. “Very well,” he spoke, cracking his joints as he prepared to to battle. Sweetie stretched out, breathing in as she took a battle stance. This was going to be one of the hardest things she ever did. And yet, Sweetie had never felt more alive. Author's Note 34 I have really gotta stop staying up so late... .... ... Ah screw it. Too lazy for that.
L66.2 Operation FlyDaDragonThe huge opponent in front of Sweetie was fearsome in every sense of the word. Sharp teeth that would crush her in an instant. Thick scales that would resist every magic attack she had to offer. Sharp claws that could slice her in half. And a blazing ball of death that would erupt from his mouth. The black dragon roared, flaring his wings, challenging her. Sweetie breathed in, and crouched. Glass blade at her side, she began to approach. Slowly, and then breaking out into a run, her voice exploded in her own cry of challenge. The dragon’s eyes approved, and time seem to pause for a moment as she sprinted for her opponent. Sweetie dodged a claw swipe, backflipping over it and trying to cut her blade into the underside of the dragon’s palm. A drop of red blood splurted out from her shallow cut. Sweetie didn’t have time to dwell on it, teleporting out of the way of the second hand. A large mouth opened in front of her and she sent a torrent of water toward it, creating a shield of steam that obscured her from view. Levitating herself, she flew high into the air, dodging something swiping toward her. Upside down, she used her tail to turn herself downward, and raised her head, casting her ice storm spell. A few spikes formed, splitting up and raining down on the dragon. Sweetie watched the steam blow away as he flapped his wings once. Position given away, Sweetie teleported out of the way of the teeth, further into the sky. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated and fired another round of spikes. Then, releasing the magic holding her up, she dived toward the dragon. Using her magic to direct her fall, she dodged the hands and aimed for the dragon’s chest, slicing down it. Glancing back as she spun, and landed, cushioned by her magic, she saw no mark upon the scales. What’s more, her glass shard had shattered into a million pieces. Sweetie glanced upward at the claw coming toward her, and teleported out of the way just as it slammed down. The second hand came for her, and she dodged, taking a quick moment to consider her options. Unable to think of anything, she dived forward, avoiding the flame as she moved in close. This was a dangerous place to be, but it afforded her precious seconds to glance around for another blade. However, that time ticked up, and she teleported into the air, avoiding the body crushing down upon her. Looking up, she watched the dragon below her roar, and leap toward her. Seeing no escape below, she opted to teleport rapidly into the air. Wings flaring, the dragon took into the sky, and Sweetie teleported out of the way as it came to hover. Looking around, Sweetie concentrated, making a platform under her with her magic. Sweetie needed to be able to stand, she couldn’t fight upside down. Only now was she realising the usefulness of flight. Flame erupted toward her, and she called upon her ice spell to freeze it before it made it to her, filling the air with steam for but a moment. A wingbeat later, and she was staring down a dragon’s mouth. Stopping her magic, she fell down just as the dragon passed toward her, pulling a shield of ice around her as fire followed her. Ground rapidly approaching, and dragon close behind, Sweetie’s mind caught the sparkle of the ice melting around her, and an idea struck. The dragon fire ceased, and claws reached out for her. Sweetie turned herself upside down, magic gaining a second glow around her horn as she formed a long shard of ice, sharpened as much as she could. Using her magic, she pushed herself backward slightly, and slowed her fall. Dragon rushing past her, she swung the shard at the belly, watching it shatter against the scales once more. Gritting her teeth, she released the magic slowing her fall, staying in line with the dragon. Pulling on her magic, her eyes began to glow white, and a large, thin shard formed, icy white. Sweetie swung just as the dragon flared his wings, slowing his fall. Sweetie pivoted, using her spell to completely negate gravity for a moment, and levitated herself right at the dragon. Crying out in desperation, she swung the shard. For a moment it seemed to shudder against the scales, and Sweetie gritted her teeth, teleporting away as it shattered in her magic. The dragon landed, inspecting his chest. There was a small mark on it, the ice shard hadn’t been strong enough to do more than leave a mark. Sweetie gasped for breath, vision fading for a moment before she shook it back into focus. No! She couldn’t lose now! Just one more try! A spear, to pierce it this time. Slicing wasn’t going to do anything. “I don’t know who you are, monster who is using me for his own ends,” she spoke quietly between gasps for air. The dragon was quickly coming toward her, victory shining in his eyes. “But please, give me this one victory. Give me one fight I can win.” Sweetie closed her eyes for a moment, the dragon raising a claw to crush her. Magic collapsing on her forehead, Sweetie began to slightly hover in the air, time slowing down as the claw came toward her. Sweetie’s horn glowed brighter than ever before, and her eyes were pure white as she opened them. The claw touched the magical aura surrounding her, and Sweetie vanished, exploding outward with energy as she appeared above the dragon. Looking up, he roared, flame erupting. Sweetie parted it using her magic, and called upon her ice magic once more. A long shiver began to form, the point so sharp she couldn’t even see it. Taking it in her magic, the glow faded from her, and she held herself still with levitation. “ARRRGH!” Sweetie swung it with all her remaining magic energy, and it flew true, slamming into the dragon’s belly, piercing the scales and causing minor damage. The dragon roared in pain, pulling out the spear and melting it with flame. The wound began to bleed lightly. The dragon turned his attention toward Sweetie, and blinked. Sweetie closed her eyes, and began to fall. As she was above the dragon at that time, such a fall would easily kill her. However, the dragon extended a paw, saving her swiftly. Folding his wings, he looked to the tiny form, and then to the wound he had received. It had been enough, in his opinion. This pony had shown greater strength than he had ever seen in his millennia of life. The dragon gently placed Sweetie down, and turned to the other dragons, giving a nod. An awe struck the dragons, and they all stared at the tiny form. The tiny little pony that had managed to score a minor injury against the Dragon King. Not once, but twice. The teenagers looked to each other, thinking for once that maybe ponies weren’t as ‘namby pamby’ as they had once believed. “Rest young one, you fought well.” Author's Note Sorry for the wait.
L66.3 Operation FlyDaDragonSweetie groaned, her head on fire as she slowly opened her eyes. For some reason, she felt very warm and comfy, despite the hard abrasive material. Rubbing her eyes, she heard something beating from inside the material around her. She was so warm, like she was snug inside her blankets. Wait, inside? “Wargh!” Sweetie began to panic, kicking as she tried to escape the bowels of the dragon. However, as the lid of her box was lifted up, she realised she was being curled around by a dragon, not inside it. Giving a sheepish smile, she apologised to the light gray female. The female chuckled, and raised her head as the black dragon came over. “I lost,” spoke Sweetie, ears flopping down as she realised. The two dragons chuckled, rumbling the earth underneath her. Both could recognize the signs of a hatchling, and it both invigorated them, and made them fearful for the egg. The black dragon leaned closer. “Yes, but you won something far greater in the pursuit.” The black dragon paused, and folded his wings, revealing the group of dragons behind him watching Sweetie with curiosity and wonder. After all, it was incredibly rare for a dragon to be so surprised by something so small. “Uh, what?” Sweetie tilted her head, and she felt the female she was currently still on shake slightly. Leaping off, she quickly apologised for overstaying her welcome. The female shook her head, and Sweetie quickly turned her attention back to the male. Something about that female dragon made her uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to pursue it. “What, she asks.” The black dragon laughed, glancing to the dragons behind him. Most were chuckling, enjoy the novelty of the experience more than anything. “You have earned our interest, young one. And I have not been so interested in something since I was on the cusp of adulthood, many thousands of years ago.” The black dragon smiled, lost in his own memories. Sweetie considered this for a moment, and nodded. Interest, something new. It seemed she and the dragons had something common in that regard. “Well, thank you for not killing me. I appreciate it.” Sweetie smiled, feeling a little better about the whole experience. It had been a challenge, and it had been eye-opening too. But in the end, she had lost. That meant no dragon ride. But Sweetie wasn’t bothered that much. She had learned so much more in return. Once more, the black dragon chuckled. “Oh my young one, I am going to do much more than that. First off, I believe you have a dream to fulfill?” The dragon turned, exposing one side to Sweetie, opening a wing to create a ramp up to his shoulder. Sweetie breathed in sharply, unsure if she was actually awake. “Oh darling, I think you broke the poor thing.” It was the gray dragon behind Sweetie, humor ripe in her voice. The dragons behind the black one shared sniggers, all of which sounded incredibly loud to Sweetie. Blushing, she pouted slightly, and stepped onto the wing, walking up it. As she reached the top, the black dragon lowered his head, and Sweetie slowly walked up it to the head. “I apologise for the embarrassment, but I am sure you understand how rare...novelty is to us.” The black dragon looked up to the pony on his head. Sweetie did understand, so she nodded once. Horn still incredibly sore, she managed to pull off a small spell to keep her held onto the top of the dragon. Most of her magic kept slipping off though, so she was grateful when the horn appeared to be much more willing to co-operate. “Are you ready young one?” The dragon’s voice caused her to jump, and she gave a fearful nod. This was it, finally the time to get her dream fulfilled. Would it be what she dreamed it would be? Gulping, she knew there was only one way to find out. Glancing to the right, she noticed the dragons all watching her eagerly, and gave a small wave. “Very well, let us go for a quick fly around your nation, shall we?” The black dragon flared his wings, head lowering as he crouched. Leaping into the air, Sweetie was slammed with a huge amount of gravity, and she had no idea how she even managed to keep her magic gripped on the horn. They rapidly ascended until soon the bowl was barely a pea’s length in size. Looking down, Sweetie was struck by awe at how small everything was. Sweetie could see Canterlot, The Everfree, and the Crystal Empire too. But everything else was much too hard to make out. And then she looked to the side. Before her stretched an eternity of blue. Clouds danced below her, and the sun blazed far above. Everything was silent except for the wind whistling by and the flap of the dragon’s wings. Sweetie had never seen something so huge before. In it, the dragon was the small creature, and she was barely even an ant. “So what do you think, young one?” The dragon’s voice spoke from seemingly far away, and Sweetie was scared to even reply in a whisper, for fear of breaking the scene around her. “It’s...amazing. Big, scary, and yet amazing. I felt small next to you, but up here I feel like a speck of dust.” Sweetie winced slightly at the image of dust, but quickly discarded it so she could admire the scene before her. The dragon seemed to approve of her answer, as he grumbled a sound that was pleasing to Sweetie’s ears. “Yes, young one. That is one lesson even we learn when growing up. There is always something bigger than you, an opponent you can’t defeat. We are strong, with few enemies, but we do have them, and the weakest of us do fear them.” The black dragon settled into a glide, and Sweetie watched as time seemed to slow below them. It looked like the world was moving slowly beneath her, and yet they were moving so fast. “Even you?” Sweetie glanced down to one of the dragon’s eyes, and he chuckled, bumping her slightly. “Yes young one, even I have a wariness to them. But as the king of my flock; my job is to be their shield against that fear, disregarding my own feelings about it.” The dragon looked off into the distance ahead of them. Sweetie couldn’t read the look, it didn’t seem neither happy nor sad. “Wait, KING!?” Sweetie nearly fell off as she realised she was riding the KING DRAGON. Not only that, she had CHALLENGED him to a FIGHT. Sweetie really hated ignorance, especially when it almost cost her her life. “Do not fear young one, I was aware of your ignorance the moment you challenged me.” The black dragon chuckled, and Sweetie gave a sheepish smile in response. Well, as long as the big scary dragon said it was ok. Sweetie didn’t want to anger him by ignoring his advice. “Come to think of it, what is your name?” Sweetie tilted her head, wondering if she had heard it yet. The black dragon raised an eyebrow. Names were sacred to dragons, to be shared between only the closest of friends. Hatchlings were not told their real name, they learned it the moment they unlocked their true flame. To speak a dragon’s name granted the creature speaking it a great sway within the dragon’s mind. In the wrong hands, such knowledge could easily be abused. “Tho̱rakisména ouranós. Or in the pony tongue; Armoured Sky. But do not repeat my full name ever.” Deciding to take a risk, he allowed her to hear his true name. Sweetie blinked as the name rung around her head, some sort of magic in the words. Sweetie didn’t entirely understand what the magic did, but she understand that when he meant ‘don’t repeat my full name’, he meant it. “How about I call you Thorak?” Sweetie smiled sweetly, and he laughed in response. Thorak, that was as good a name as any. And it did not invoke dragontongue when speaking. “Very well young one, call me Thorak.” Smiling, Thorak couldn’t help but admire this young pony. Maybe it was her admiration of both his kind and the sky, but he felt dragon inside of her. There were very few creatures he had met that had a ghost of a dragon inside them, but here was a filly that made him feel comfortable enough to tell his true name to. “As long as you call me Sweetie,” she teased, before slapping her hooves over her mouth. Teasing a dragon, was she asking to be killed!? Surprisingly, Thorak merely chuckled, and began to angle downward, heading back toward the bowl. Sweetie watched the world grow smaller around her, and felt an itching on her back. Sweetie desperately wanted to stay in the big blue. “~~You told her your true name, are you sure that’s wise? You can feel the thing following her right?~~” The gray dragon whispered in dragontongue to Thorak, and he nodded in response. “~~Even if he hears the name, words spoken without power are useless. Without a dragon gifting the name, overhearing it does nothing.~~” Lowering his head, he allowed Sweetie to step onto a ledge about eye-height for a dragon. Sweetie turned and regarded the two. Somehow, she felt different, as if the flight had changed her. “Thank you for the ride, it was a great honor.” Not one to forget her manners, Sweetie bowed low to Thorak. The dragon bowed slightly in response, and Sweetie straightened up. Glancing to the gray dragon, Thorak watched as she shuffled something further into the nest, a guilty look on her face. “Azure, you were the one that suggested it.” Thorak would not force his lifemate to do it, but he didn’t like it when she went back on her decision. Especially when it had been decided before the young-Sweetie...-before Sweetie had woken up. “I know, I just…” The gray dragon glanced toward Sweetie, who looked between them, having no clue what was going on. After a moment, Azure sighed, and curled her tail around something, pulling the item out. “This is our son. I birthed him shortly before that spell around you began. He is unable to grow past this stage. As our only egg at this point, with most already at the hatchling stage, there is no rush to find a solution to the foul magic. At least, not yet. “However, as a mother, I want my son to live. So I ask you, beg you even. Please take my son with you, allow him to hatch. And then, bring him back to me.” Once more hesitating, she hugged her egg for a moment. Holding it out to Thorak, he also took the egg, breathing a strange flame on it for a moment, before holding it out to Sweetie. Sweetie took it in her hooves, not trusting her magic to carry it just yet. This was a huge responsibility she was taking on. Glancing to the two, she frowned, was she really ready to accept such a responsibility. Sure, she wanted to help, but what would she do once it did hatch? “Uh, what do I do when it does hatch? How fragile is it?” Sweetie glanced between them, and Thorak shook his head once. “We will know when it hatches and come retrieve him. We will also come if the magic ends. As for fragility; do not worry, dragon eggs won’t shatter from normal force. You would have to throw it off a mountain to break it.” Thorak bowed his head, and Sweetie bit her lip. Could she really deny them this? “How do you know he won’t die from being in the same room with me? Anything with magic get’s drained and dies of old age when I’m in the same room.” Sweetie was concerned about this. It was such a big risk, did they realise what they were asking her to do? “For one, the egg is not resetting to the same place at the start of these ‘loops’. Secondly, this egg will not be assisting you to escape, so the force working to oppose you won’t object to it. And he knows not to mess with a dragon egg.” Thorak raised his head, narrowing his eyes as he looked in the direction of the Everfree. “Yes, he would not dare harm our egg.” Azure nodded once, eyes glowing fiercely for a moment. Sweetie debated it, and sighed. Really, she couldn’t say no, not after the generosity she had been shown by these dragons. “I’ll do what I can, but please don’t burn down Equestria if this accidentally turns out bad.” Sweetie’s ears flopped down, and the two dragons shared a glance. “No promises,” they replied, “but we will try.” Sweetie sighed, that was about as good as she was going to get it. “Okay, I’ll take your egg with me.” Sweetie saw the relief on both faces, and let a sad smile fall on her face. Oh she really hoped this didn’t end badly. “Come, let me fly you home.” Thorak held out a wing, and Sweetie was immensely grateful. “Thank you,” she spoke, and Thorak regarded her seriously. “No, thank you.” “I promise this won’t take long Spike, just a test.” Sweetie led Spike into her room, watching him walk over to her dragon egg. “Woah,” he spoke, rubbing a claw over it. “Yeah, I promise if this works I’ll tell you about it. Take a seat on the cushion.” Sweetie grabbed a cushion, and set it next to her makeshift nest for the egg. While Spike sat down, Sweetie closed her windows and doors. That way, if the monster interfered, she’d know where from. 11:59… “What the-hey!” Spike was suddenly levitated in the air by a magic aura Sweetie didn’t recognize, the same one that had thrown her inside the tent at the Tree of Harmony, and it threw him through the window. As glass shattered, the clock ticked over. 12:00! Sweetie glanced to the egg, noticing it hadn’t even so much as flinched. Sweetie put a hoof to it, it was still warm. Sweetie watched the clock tick over for a few minutes, and then sighed, sitting down on her bed. Whatever the monster was keeping her here, it was growing more bold. Author's Note I'm making a comment-driven story here. If you've ever wanted to have input in a chapter before it was written, nows your chance. Shameless advertising aside, it came with a free chapter, so you win either way. Here is another poem made by: Divine Path Tick, tock, the scarlet cloth; a fabric so vain and clear, time frequents, spawned legends, and presently you have fallen to sleep. Silk must dye, this all-seeing eye, a vivid shade of blue, then impart with wisdom and with good will, before the dark may fall on Sweetie. With respect for old, with restless adoration for the timeless wonder; let the night bring you peace. let the cold be led astray in a heart as complex as a heart with still youthful love.
L67.1“Are you sure about this?” Looking down at the filly, Celestia wasn’t sure this was a very good idea. Considering the pressures that she bore on a daily basis, would she risk entrusting them to a filly? Sweetie nodded enthusiastically, and Celestia glanced to Luna, who nodded once. Pulling off her crown, she gently took her sister’s as well, and placed them on Sweetie’s head. “Alright then, thank you for this.” Celestia lowered her horn, and magic swirled around Sweetie. After a few moments, her body grew in size so she was eye-to-eye with the princesses. Sweetie wobbled for a moment, crown clinking on top of her head, before finally getting the hang of her new height. Sweetie pulled out a mirror from her saddlebags and looked to her mane. Instead of its normal bouncy nature, it was billowing behind her, and was almost a combination of Luna and Celestia’s manes. If she had to describe it, she was looking at the dawn, stars flickering out as it rose. Luna and Celestia shared a glance. “Now, the mane is an illusion, but the body is not. If you can’t recast the spell to transform your hair, send us a letter. One last thing.” Lowering her horn once more, and two large wings sprouted out of Sweetie’s back. Folding them, Sweetie had to admit; she looked quite the princess. Turning, she narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her. “So wait, your mane’s are illusions?” Sweetie watched both share a glance, and then nod. “When we first began to rule, we quickly realised our subjects didn’t think our mane’s ‘holy’ enough for our position.” Pausing, Celestia let Luna finish. “They would constantly want to make our hair as large and flowery as possible. So we decided to solve the matter by faking an explosion that ‘revealed’ our true Alicorn manes.” Luna’s horn glowed for a moment, and her hair returned to its short, crescent shaped hairstyle. Nodding, Sweetie understood their decision. “Alright, that should be everything. Now for the reveal.” Smiling, Sweetie saw the two share an amused glance, and their horns began to glow. A large bang sounded, and smoke filled the room before being chased out by a bright light. Guards rushed into the room as it faded, and Celestia and Luna breathed in sharply as it dimmed to reveal Sweetie. “Sister, a new Alicorn has been born!” While not the most convincing of stories, all three knew how easy it was to lie about matters concerning Alicorns. Sweetie from her experience with the coronation, and the other two from their hair stint. More ponies began to charge in as Sweetie opened her eyes, keeping her wings outstretched. “Celestia, Luna,” she spoke, amazed by how different she could make her voice by speaking in a low tone. It was getting to the point she didn’t even recognize herself. The two Princesses bowed, and Sweetie smiled gently down at them. “Rise, we have much to discuss.” As they did so, the ponies began to stare wide-eyed in wonder. Sweetie had no doubts they would brag about having been there when an Alicorn was ‘born’. “Who are you,” began Luna. Raising a hoof, Sweetie easily silenced Celestia, and gave them both a serene smile. “I am Dawn, here to give you both a much needed break. I shall take care of your kingdom for a single week, giving you time to relax, and be the two sisters you wish to be.” Bowing her head slightly, Sweetie finally folded her wings. It was strange how tired she felt. It was likely the spell eating away at her endurance. After all, Sweetie wasn’t meant to be this big. “We understand, but you must let us make proper preparations first.” Bowing, Celestia and Luna turned to the ponies, announcing a ceremony to celebrate the arrival of Princess Dawn. After a ceremony took place, the mane 6’s letter arrived, talking about a filly going missing. “I’ll handle this, Luna you take care of everything here.” Flaring her wings, Celestia teleported away, and Luna dug into the paperwork for their signing over. Sweetie sat carefully on a chair, keeping a serene smile on her face. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can hold this. This entire change is making me queasy.’ While excited to see what it was like being an actual Princess, in comparison to just a fake one, Sweetie knew it would be good practice for her skills as a liar. Hopefully she could get good enough to fool Applejack. “That should do it. All that is left is to attend the ceremony tonight, and the rest of the week is yours. Minus the weekend.” Luna levitated the papers over to a maid, and she dashed away to deliver them. Luna picked a seat of her own, and slumped, giving a sigh as she closed her eyes. Sweetie glanced around, seeing nopony but guards looking away from them, and relaxed her expression as well. “Good luck dearest Sweetie, you’re going to need it.” Luna rubbed her forehead, and Sweetie grimaced. Just great, make her feel even more nervous. Good job Luna. “We appreciate everything you are doing for us, Princess Dawn.” Giving a soft smile, Celestia bowed her head directly in tune with Luna. Bowing in return, Sweetie felt the butterflies fluttering around her stomach. All she knew so far was that there would be paperwork. Like, a lot. “Have a relaxing week,” she replied, smiling in a decent impression of Celestia’s smile. Hopefully this would be decent enough for now. Both Princesses flared their wings, and took off. Around Canterlot, ponies were cheering for them, congratulating them and sending their farewells. Breathing in silently, Sweetie stepped onto the balcony, and smiled down at Canterlot. “It’s time, Princess Dawn.” The pony spoke, and Sweetie nodded. Turning, she slowly followed him inside. It was time to knuckle down and do Princess duties. The things she went through out of curiosity. Author's Note 33 We finally hit 1k likes. Let me just say what a honor it is to have made something so many people enjoy. I never aimed to get this story that big, and I hope the ending lives up to everyone's expectations. Enjoy the final chapters, and stay sane. Someone in this universe has to after all.
L67.2“I’m just not sure the ponies will support this reform if it means they lose money in the end.” Sweetie frowned as she discussed the subject with various ponies around the table. A few at the table disagreed with her, but were trying to hide it. Most were considering her view, and consider the best way to broach the subject. “It isn’t a matter of the money in this case. This research could put us fifty years into the future! Klein Stein swears his ‘electricity’ can do things that magic cannot.” Opposite Sweetie was a purple pony, and she was having a hard time not comparing him to a beetroot. Pursing her lip, she considered his words. “Let me think for a moment,” she spoke, and small conversation began around the room. While she doubted this electricity would go anywhere, it did sound promising. Especially since Klein had shown an example of it. A part of her wanted to not make the decision in case the Princesses told her she had made the wrong one last. Raising her head, silence descended almost instantly. “How soon can he start his research?” Seeing their pleased and excited faces, Sweetie felt a swell of pride. It was strange, feeling pride for ponies like she was their superior. It left her with a disconnect, but she absorbed the experience with gusto. These were her ponies, and they were her responsibility. Was this what Rarity felt when Sweetie came to her and showed off her artistic skill? “Onto the next subject, a Mr Hydealyn Jackl’ has reported that his research has resulted in giving him a split personality. At first both were at each other’s necks, but have now come to an agreement to split the time between them.” As a report was handed to her, Sweetie noticed that the first personality had been given slightly more time than the other, barely an hour on some days. “That is relieving to hear. Tell him to start research into duplication. It is likely he can split his personalities into two bodies if he succeeds.” Sweetie watched as the pony nodded, and wrote down her notes. Inwardly sighing, she wondered what idiot had thought making that was a good idea. “How goes our Envoy in Griphonia?” Glancing to one pony beside her, Sweetie watched him pull out a document, and open it. Skimming through it, he began to talk. “Her presence has met with mixed results, but the Gryphons are starting to accept her. It helps you picked one of our strongest Pegasi.” The stallion’s words lined up with her impression of Gilda. Sweetie was glad she had gotten that right. “Announcing the return of Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna!” As trumpets sounded, Sweetie glanced to the ponies, one inch away from leaping out of their seats, and chuckled softly. Standing up, she folded up her notes, placing them in her saddlebags. “Let’s call it a day.” No sooner had she spoken, Sweetie was alone in the room. Stepping outside, she walked over, greeting the two. Looking at them, she could feel their refreshed nature. “Swee-Dawn! We had so much fun! Thank you!” Luna, who seemed to be drunk, leapt at Sweetie, tackling her to the floor, and hugged her. Celestia, who seemed slightly more sober, chuckled as she lifted Luna off. “Oh Luna, you were never good at holding in alcohol.” Motioning with her head, Celestia turned and headed down the corridor. Sweetie took the hint, and followed closely behind. Pulling out a stack of papers, she quickly went over her work. “You’ve done well. There are a few things that show your maturity, but nothing I wouldn’t expect from Luna.” Opening the door, Celestia (Did the Dinosaur) gently placed Luna into her bed, and crept out of the room, joining Sweetie outside. “Hrm,” said Sweetie as she pursed her lip. What did Celestia mean by ‘maturity?’ Regardless, she handed over her list, watching as Celestia went over it. Walking once more, Sweetie saw Celestia’s intent before the mouth even opened. “It’s a pity we can’t re-use this information every Loop. It would save us much time.” Smiling, Celestia glanced to a window as they passed it. Sweetie growled in annoyance. “Tch, Fine! I’ll send a copy of the information to you via magic every Loop. Happy?” The satisfaction in those eyes irked Sweetie. Regardless, she couldn’t exactly say no now, could she? Besides, she could always not do it anyway. Not like Celestia would remember. “My thanks,” replied Celestia, satisfaction hidden behind grateful eyes. Sweetie smiled warmly in response. Seeing Celestia turn away, she was disappointed that Celestia had neither picked up on her lie nor noticed her annoyance at her obvious satisfaction. ’Such a chore, they give me all these jobs, but never give me something I can use. Discord and the Dragon gave me something. I know they helped me learn magic spells, but what have they done for me recently? Well, they did allow me to experience this, but I just...ARGH!’ Words escaped Sweetie, and she realised she didn’t know what she wanted to say. A feeling she couldn’t describe. After a flashy exit, Sweetie said goodbye to Canterlot, and took the train back to Ponyville. She would arrive late, and it wouldn’t be long before she could return to her room. Musing on her thoughts as she took a seat, she sighed. Closing her eyes, she tried to understand what she felt. It wasn’t that she disliked Celestia, but something had changed. Was it like her boredom? Loss of sympathy? No, none of those were correct. Why did she want to snap at Celestia, shout and scream about how much she hates her? But Sweetie didn’t hate Celestia. So why? Why did she want to do such things? A headache began to form, and she rubbed her temple. ‘They’re getting stronger. I’m going to have to find something stronger to do with my magic. And there’s also the problem with my Mark.’ Glancing down, Sweetie watched as her Mark slowly transformed before her eyes, reverting from her normal Mark back to one similar to Twilight’s. A third pattern had formed, but it wasn’t recognisable. “The world is getting more pale,” she muttered, opening her eyes to look out at the scenery. Mouth down-turned, she decided it was time to see somepony new. Author's Note Sorry for the delay. Been a rough few days.
L68It had taken Sweetie two days of walking, but she had finally arrived at the location on Mr Turner’s map. This meant she had roughly a day to explore the area, and find Chrysalis if she wanted to return home in time for the next Loop. Sweetie didn’t think she’d need it though. Especially considering she was surrounded by five Changelings. “Take me to your leader,” she spoke with authority. The Changelings shared a glance, and then one flew off, diving into a hole hidden in the grass. After a moment, he returned, and gave a slow nod. Being escorted, Sweetie stuck her nose up, using her ‘regal’ abilities. Soon enough, she jumped into the hole, using her magic to slow her descent to match the Changelings. After a few twists and turns, there was the Queen. “You have 30 seconds to explain why you’re here before I have you turned into a first course meal.” Chrysalis was sitting on what could be considered a throne, if you looked at it right. For Sweetie, it looked like a chair carved out of the wall. The real thing that caught her attention, however, was Chrysalis. Crysalis looked beaten. There was a weariness to her eyes, a slight slump to her body, and one of her wings was crooked. In addition, Sweetie hadn’t noticed it at first, most Changelings were covered in a lot more holes than Sweetie knew them having. There was no doubt, the hive was in dire straits. “I met your brother. I can’t pronounce his name, and I can’t prove it, but that is the truth.” Pausing, Sweetie saw the slightest hint of surprise on Chrysalis’s face. It was nice to find someone better at masking their emotions. Regardless, the Queen leaned forward, putting her two hooves together as she narrowed her eyes. “Continue.” While Chrysalis had kept it hidden, she did indeed have a brother. The only way a pony could have known that is by meeting him. So it meant she should at least heed what this filly had to say. “I am stuck in a time loop. That was how I found your brother, who was disguised as a pony in my town. Believe me or don’t, you will find me a tougher opponent than my appearance lets on. But I am not here for a fight. I am here to learn about your race.” Closing her eyes for a moment, Sweetie looked toward the Changelings. “I can see you are all hungry. And while I can’t help you right now, if I ever escape my cage, I will do what I can to help you. I don’t know how much I will be able to provide, but I will do my best to provide it.” Bowing low to the ground, Sweetie let Chrysalis consider it. “On one condition.” It was futile thinking on how ridiculous the story sounded, as she could sense the magic swirling inside the filly. While she hated to admit it, they were starving to death. As much pride as she had, she wouldn’t kill her hive just to hold onto it. Standing back up, Sweetie nodded. “Tell my brother I’m sorry,” she spoke, closing her eyes as she stood up. Blinking, Sweetie nodded in response. There was obviously some family conflict, but it wasn’t really her place to pry. The Changelings around her stepped back, and soon only two remained. “Come, let me show you what a Changeling hive is like.” Chrysalis began walking. After glancing to the Changelings waiting patiently for her to follow, Sweetie trotted after her. Looking at the crooked wing, Sweetie pursed her lip. “There is no need to feel sympathy for me. I brought it upon myself.” Chrysalis was cold, but she held herself just like the Princesses. Sweetie glanced away and nodded once. Regardless of her feelings, there was nothing permanent she could do. “This is the feeding area. This is where we keep creatures, harvesting their love before returning them home.” In the various strange sleeping-bag-like structures in the roof, Sweetie could see animals inside, none being ponies. Looking away, she nodded, and they continued. “This is where the young are tended to. There are none currently.” Chrysalis pointed to a large area with many different sections. There was a hollow tone to her voice, and another pang of sympathy passed through Sweetie. “And finally, this is where we rest.” Chrysalis had ended the tour in a small room that looked like a honeycomb beehive. In each of the holes was a Changeling resting. At some unbidden signal, they all woke up, and were replaced by another group. Slowly, Sweetie followed Chrysalis back to the throne room. “Thank you, that’s all I wanted.” Bowing, Sweetie knew there was one way she could show her gratitude. Looking to Chrysalis, she smiled warmly, and walked over. Chrysalis, caught unprepared, blinked as sudden waves of friendship and compassion passed toward her. before she knew it, the filly was hugging her, increasing the amount being passively absorbed. “That’s about all I can do for now, sorry.” Stepping back, Sweetie tilted her head. Chrysalis paused, quickly dividing up the meal evenly between her and her subjects. Looking at the filly, she had a new respect for her. “Thank you,” was all she said in response. Turning, Sweetie followed the guards back outside. After they gave her a quick salute, she was once more alone. Looking toward the sky, Sweetie was surprised to find it was already midday. “Time to head home,” she spoke to herself, shifting her saddlebags and concentrating for a moment. After a solid ten minutes of concentrating, two wings sprouted from her back. Flapping them, Sweetie began to hover, and nodded once. Taking off, she began to head back the way she had come. ‘They only last a day at the moment, but it helps with travel greatly. I can’t just teleport all the time, and levitating makes it hard to keep myself pointed in a direction.’ Smiling, Sweetie held her bags closed with some magic, and began to corkscrew as she flew. Really, there was nothing as amazing as flight sometimes. ‘I’m glad I was right about it being close enough to get there before the reset. If it hadn’t, not only would I have had to return for the Dragon egg, but lug it with me.’ Closing her eyes for a moment, she settled into a glide, enjoying the cool breeze blowing against her. Sweetie had a new dream, now that she had ridden a dragon. Sweetie wanted to return to the great ocean in the sky. By her own power.
L70In a decrepit old bar in Las Pegasus, a mare walked in. “Just give me something light, bartender.” A white mare with curly pink hair took a seat on one of the stools, noticing that a few stallions were glancing to her with greedy eyes. As her drink was placed down, she put some bits on the table, and picked up her drink. Taking a sip, she paid attention to the taste this time. ’Strange, it actually tastes a little better. Is it an acquired taste?’ Taking another sip, Sweetie still didn’t think she’d ever fully enjoy it, but it was drinkable, that much she knew. When she had come up with the idea to turn into an adult after learning how Celestia did it, she was expecting to have something more exciting to do. ’Alas, anything I could have done, has already been done for the most part.’ Sweetie took another sip of her drink, blinking as a stallion sauntered over to sit next to her. “Hey, are you an angel? If so, what are you doing in such a run down cheap bar?” The stallion smiled, and Sweetie blushed. Wait, why did she blush? Sweetie hadn’t meant to blush! Looking down at her drink, she felt her mouth go squiggly. “I’m not an angel,” she mumbled. “Just somepony here to try alcohol for the first time.” Celestia dammit why had she said that? What was wrong with her? Sweetie took another sip of her alcohol. “Then, my dear, you have much to learn. Would you like a recommendation on where to start?” The stallion pulled a drink that was bubbling out from behind him, smiling like an idiot. Sweetie took it, giving a grateful smile. “Thanks, but I’d rather just take it slow for now.” Placing the drink down, Sweetie caught the scowl, but it was gone so quick she had trouble remembering it. Her mind felt...buzzy. “Come on, trust me. This drink is slow, but it will rock your world.” The stallion leaned closer, touching Sweetie on the back and smiling. Sweetie found him absolutely charming, and blushed again. “Well, one more drink couldn’t hurt,” she spoke. Taking a sip, her head exploded into a wonderland of flavour. A lot of it was bad, but there was a small part of her that wanted more. And so, Sweetie drunk more. Soon enough, the cup was empty. Turning, Sweetie tried to open her mouth to thank the stallion, only to find something had magically transformed him. “Come, let us dance.” The beautiful stallion before her held out a hoof, and, blushing, she took it and was led to the stage. As they danced, her head swum with colors and sounds, and everything was incredibly bright. More drinks arrived, and she faintly saw the stallion put some sort of dissolving pain pill into her drink. “Here, have a drink.” The stallion was like the gospel to Sweetie right now. All she wanted to do was do everything he said. So, she gulped down the drink with no regard, her head spinning as the music thumped around her. The stallion twirled her around to the music, and she squealed with glee. Time had lost all meaning, and so had the amount of drinks she had ingested. Sweetie had no idea what she was doing, and only had eyes for the stallion. Eventually, he leaned in close, caressing her neck. “Come, let’s go somewhere private for the real show.” Following the stallion to a side alleyway, Sweetie vomited on the pavement as he unlocked a door, leading her into a decrepit room. It was really strange, there was only a bed in it. “Lay down,” he ordered, but Sweetie hesitated. Maybe it was the change of location, but something in her mind was warning her. Brain completely burned out, all she could do was look to the bed in confusion. The stallion quickly grew impatient, and pulled her to the bed, forcing her to lay down on it. “Easy now, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” The stallion smiled, and Sweetie tried to concentrate through the haze around her. Surprisingly, the headache beating against her head was actually helping in that regard, helping her focus. Sweetie took a moment longer to slowly battle through the haze, and then widened her eyes. Slap! “Let me go!” Sweetie began to struggle, but she was so weak. It was as if all her energy had been drained away. The stallion smiled, ignoring her weak slap, slowly getting closer to Sweetie. Closing her eyes, Sweetie began to cry. “No, please.” CRASH! Something crashed into the room, but Sweetie couldn’t see it from her view. The stallion glared at it, before suddenly being knocked into the wall to Sweetie’s right so hard, he flew straight through it. And the next one, and the one after that. Sweetie tried to lift herself to see whom had saved her, but suddenly felt a spell hit her. It was a weak spell, but one she reconised as the knockout spell from her book. Going unconscious, she wondered vaguely what was next for her. Sweetie jolted awake, noticing she was once more a filly. Head pounding, and not because of the normal reason, she groaned and glanced toward her bedside. There was a box of tablets labelled ‘hangover pills’ on it. Was that what this was? Sweetie used her magic, groaning as her headache intensified, and took one pill with some water before curling into a ball. What felt like hours passed as the pain slowly lessened over time. Sitting up, Sweetie looked around her room, noticing a note had been placed next to where the hangover pills had been set. Picking it up, Sweetie only saw a single cutie mark drawn on the page. It was one she recognised as Starswirl’s. “So, it is you.” Sighing, Sweetie placed it back down on the table. Laying back down on her bed, she shuddered. Sweetie had very little memory past accepting the drink from that stallion, but she had no doubts it had ended badly, but not for her even thought it had been close to doing so. “Thank you.” Author's Note 30 This is all coming from someone who doesn't drink. Please note: A lot of comments have told me this isn't how being drunk and slipped a pill is like. Regardless, I will leave it like this because I am too lazy to rewrite it.
L71.1‘And three, two, one...there!’ Watching the two from her hiding place, Sweetie felt the thumping of her heart. Sweetie didn’t understand why she wanted to see them, why they reminded her of that stallion from the night she couldn’t remember. There was some unspoken connection, and she wanted to find out what it was. “Cheese? On a taco? Now you’re just being silly Snails.” Snips glared at Snails, who returned it with a glare of his own. Stopping in their tracks, they began to argue about it, all within earshot of Sweetie. Frowning, she regarded the two, feeling the strange fluttering in her body. What did it mean? ’They’re far from smart, and there’s no chance we’d have enough in common to hit it off to be more than just...just what? What is it you are thinking of Sweetie? RRrg.’ Sighing internally, Sweetie quietly backed away. Turning, she headed toward home. There was only one pony should could ask on the subject. For better or for worse. “Rarity? Can you help me with something?” Sweetie had opted to tell Rarity about her looping status this loop. Mainly because she wanted to sleep with her for a few nights. Sweetie missed being able to be comforted, even if it was meaningless. There was a strange nightmare haunting her, and Rarity helped chase it away. “Of course Sweetie Belle, what seems to be the problem?” Rarity put down her pencil, leaving the patterns on the table. Taking a seat on a cushion, she was now eye level with Sweetie. Pausing, Sweetie wondered if she was making the right choice asking about it. Well, it didn’t hurt to ask regardless. Wasn’t like she’d remember it next week. “Well, there’s these two colts at school. And when I look at them, I get this...funny feeling in my chest. Like I’m nervous, but in a good way. It’s strange, because they’re fun to be around, but it’s hard to have fun with them because it’s just been getting stronger and-why are you looking at me like that?” Noticing the knowing look on her sister’s face, Sweetie stopped her sentence. “Don’t worry Sweetie, that’s just your old run-of-the-mill crush.” Crush, what did Rarity mean crush? Like being smooshed? Rarity noticed her confusion, and brought her sister into a hug. “Sweetie, do you love me?” The question Rarity was asking was ridiculous. Of course she loved her, they were sisters! Wisely, Sweetie opted to nod, trying to keep her incredulous feelings off her face. She failed to do so, if Rarity’s amusement was to be believed. “Now imagine if you felt that way to someone that wasn’t family. And it was much, much stronger.” Watching her sister consider it, Rarity closed her eyes, smiling. Pursing her lip, Sweetie compared the feeling she was getting to her love for Rarity. They didn’t seem very alike, but it was true one was stronger. “Why is it called a crush?” Hearing the sad chuckle, Sweetie knew there was something her sister wasn’t telling her. “Poor, dear Sweetie; that is something you’ll have to figure out on your own.” A bittersweet smile on her face, Rarity stood up, and gently pushed Sweetie toward the door. “But what do I do about this crush then?” Confusion about what was being hidden aside, Sweetie didn’t understand why she was being pushed toward the door. What reason could Rarity have behind forcing her to go outside? “You go spend time with them, and see if they share the same feeling. See if it is more than a crush.” Rarity’s words filled Sweetie with fear for some reason. Tell them about her weird feeling? That sounded like the worst idea in history. “But what if-” Getting cut off, Sweetie turned to look at Rarity standing at the door. “No sister of mine is going to play the what if game. I won’t let you back inside until you go and ask one of them out.” Winking, Rarity closed the door. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie could hear her sister’s excited squee-ing from the other side of the door. Turning, she growled in irritation. There was no way around it. Sure, she could teleport inside, but Rarity would just find out. Pulling out a bit from her bag, Sweetie marked one side. Flipping it, it landed on the unmarked side, and she sighed. Snails it was then. Teleporting, she made a beeline for the path they would be at. Thankfully the talk with Rarity had been short, she should be able to catch them just before- Crash! “Ow,” winced Sweetie as she rubbed her shoulder. Well, she had found them, and they looked very embarrassed. The feeling passed over Sweetie, and she glanced away, feeling blood rush to her cheeks. As they apologised profusely, she tried to find her voice. “..S’okay…” What was wrong with her? Why was she having trouble speaking? Sweetie noticed both blink, and then blush as well. Maybe they did feel the same. Gulping, Sweetie forced herself to look at Snails. “S-Say Snails. I-I was wondering if y-you would like to come out a-and have milkshakes after s-school…” Looking away, the blood rose further on her face, and she couldn’t bear looking at them. Sweetie knew what a fool she looked like. An absolute and utter- “S-Sure Sweetie Belle! That s-sound like fun.” Raising her head, Sweetie widened her eyes as Snails looked away. Disbelief on her face, she stood there for a solid minute, before shaking her head an stuttering an answer. “O-Okay! Let’s head there t-together after school!” Giving a laugh, Sweetie didn’t understand why she felt like laughing. Snails joined in on it, and the silence stretched for a moment longer. Thankfully, the bell rang, and they all began to focus on other things. “Oh no! We’re late!” Snips dashed off, and both Snails and Sweetie were quick to follow. Peeking glances at each other, the blush never left the other's face.
L71.2Sweetie Belle blushed uncontrollably as she tried to hide behind her milkshake. Glancing from the corner of her eyes at Snails, she saw he was also blushing. Unsure how to feel about that, her blush deepened. Sipping her drink, she didn’t even notice when she reached the bottom. Snails scratched the back of his head, and gave an unsure smile. “Uh, want another milkshake?” Snails looked around, not sure how he was supposed to treat this. He knew it was a date, but what exactly was he expected to do on a date? All Snails knew was that he had had be polite, and pay for everything. At least, that’s what Snips said you did, he had told Snails how to act during lunch. “Oh, uh, no ‘mfine.” Sweetie stopped hiding behind her milkshake, and forced herself to smile at Snails. Glancing away, she wondered if she should suggest an activity. Her hair itched as she gave another shaky smile. Snails looked toward the window, eyes picking out the sign that indicated their bowling alley. “Oh! That’s right.” Snails turned, a cheerful idea bursting on his face. Tilting her head, Sweetie forgot her nervousness for a moment, following his hoof as he pointed out the window. The bowling alley? Watching it, she saw groups going in and out of it. Despite its centralised location, it wasn’t a common hangout for younger ponies. “Snips and I often get free games there because my parents run the place. I could get us a free game, I mean if you want.” Looking at the table, Snails bit his lip. As he reached over to finish off his milkshake, Sweetie was struck by how awkward Snails was. Without the eager hoof of Snips to guide him, the more easygoing personality of Snails was given time to shine. “Sure, sounds like fun. But my Cutie Mark isn’t a bowling mark, so uh,” she trailed off as she looks out the window. Blinking, Snails looked to Sweetie, widening his eyes as he realised she looked almost excited at the prospect. Gulping, he took a breath, and smiled, standing up and holding out a hoof, hoping Sweetie would take it. “Uh...-D-don’t worry, they have these little railing things so that people who aren’t good can still have some fun. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Snails was awkwardly smiling as he held out his hoof. Giggling, Sweetie was struck by how silly he was standing. Taking his hoof, she slid out of the seat, and gave an eager smile. “Sure! Let’s go!” Humming cheerfully, she was slowly escorted toward the bowling alley. Closing her eyes, she began to skip along too. Snails watched this closely, the blush not leaving his face as he gulped. Thoughts trying to ignore the feeling in his chest, he wondered why Sweetie had picked him over Snips, considering he was more in the background compared to Snips. “Oh hey Snailsy, what are you doing here at work? Where’s your little Snips friend?” Blinking back to reality, Snails realised they were already at the counter. Sweetie rocked back and forth eagerly on her hooves. Looking to his mother, he tried to hide his blush as he looked to Sweetie. “Uh, well, you see, uhm. This is SwEE-tie Belle, a friend at my s-school. And I decided to hang out with her today. But we ah, don’t have bowling cutie marks so uh if you could do the thing that makes it so we can…” Speaking rapidly, Snails tried to explain in a constant mumble what he wanted. The mother chuckled, looking to Sweetie with a wink. Blinking, Sweetie tilted her head, and then blushed and looked away herself. “No problem dear, you have fun. I’ve cleared lane 7 for you, mmkay~?” Cheerfully, the mother began to bounce around the small area behind the counter, humming a merry tune. Turning, Sweetie gasped, seeing these small mini-railings hide the drains at the sides of lane 7. That’s what they were called, right? “T-Thanks,” muttered Snails in response, following Sweetie meekly toward the lane. The mother quickly popped by to provide a ramp device, explaining that they could use it if they wanted. Sweetie declined, knowing she wasn’t going to be as destructive as Apple Bloom. Picking out a light bowling ball, she watched as Snails did the same. “L-Ladies first,” he spoke, hiding behind his bowling ball. Giggling, Sweetie approached the lane, furrowing her brow. Gripping the ball in her magic, she rolled it forward with a decent amount of strength. It jumped slightly, and rolled forward in the lane, hitting the railings before taking out half the pins. “Oh my gosh! Did you see that?” Turning, Sweetie gripped Snails eagerly, excited by the fact she had managed to hit some. Mumbling, he quietly congratulated her, and she sniggered, picking up her ball for the second shot. Or at least, she thought that was how it worked. Taking out a few more pins, she was proud of her score, and moved aside to let Snails have a turn. Gripping the ball in his mouth instead of his magic, Snails tossed it, watching it head toward one side. Ping ponging down the lane, it hit right in the center, taking out nearly all the pins. Glancing back, his ear flickered as Sweetie clapped him, giving a bright smile. Turning away, he gulped, and got ready for his second shot. Unsurprisingly, he missed. Time passed quickly, and soon both's awkwardness gave way to pure fun.The score was close for most of the game, with Sweetie even scoring a lucky strike once! As the final ball rolled down the lane, Snails won by merely 3 pins. Looking around, both realised they were the only two remaining. “Here, I cooked you some tea, and I called your sister Sweetie to tell her where you are. She said it’s fine to stay over tonight if you want.” Giving a warm smile, the mother led the two over to a table, and placed some hayfries down. Retreating with mentions of dessert to follow, the two quickly dug in. “So what does your Mark mean Sweetie Belle?” Taking a bite of his food, Snails used his weak magic to pick them up. His mother had told him to practice his magic at every meal, it was almost habit by now. Pausing in her own food, Sweetie tilted her head, frowning. “Well, it’s sorta hard to explain. I got it by helping a mare with a music Cutie Mark realise her full potential. As I listened, my horn suddenly came to life, and I learned this spell that allowed me to sorta see the notes? I don’t think it’s simply relating to just music though. I guess the best way to describe it is my talent is uh, bringing out the best in others?” Shrugging, she returned to eating. “Have you tried using it on somepony who doesn’t have a music Cutie Mark?” Curious, he leaned forward and motioned with one hoof. Shaking her head, Sweetie sighed, taking another bite of her food. No, she hadn’t. Really, it was something she should have tried, but for some reason she hadn’t wanted to really explore her talent. After all, what was the point? “Well if you want, you could try it on me tomorrow. I’ve gotta go help out Fluttershy, and it isn’t that far out of our way after school.” Giving a cheerful smile, Snails waited for Sweetie’s response. However, her reaction caught him by surprise, was that...trepidation? “Oh, sure, sounds like fun,” she replied, giving a beaming smile after a moment. Finishing their food, they gasped as dessert came out, ice cream, and dug in. Conversation quickly dissolved into small talk. All the while, Sweetie couldn’t help but shake the fear that her mark really was only for music. Only for helping one specific type of pony, and never herself or others. “Hey Fluttershy, I hope you don’t mind me bringing Sweetie with me.” Walking close beside each other, they greeted Fluttershy with bright smiles. Looking between them, she gave a loving smile and shook her head, leading the way along a dirt path around her cottage. “Not at all Snails. Just remember to be careful with the snakes, they’re a bit testy because it’s getting close to winter.” As they walked around, Sweetie noticed a medium sized cave covered in moss behind Fluttershy’s house. Pulling the moss to one side, she let them in, and flew off to tend to the other animals. “Snakes?” Looking around, Sweetie realised the entire cave was infested with many creepy crawlies. Rapidly backpedaling, it was only Snails grabbing her by the hoof that stopped her from fleeing instantly. Looking at Sweetie calmly, he held a hoof to his mouth. “Don’t worry Sweetie, they won’t hurt you. Just be quiet or you’ll startle them.” After a moment, he blushed and rapidly let go. Breathing in, Sweetie forced herself to remain standing in the cave, and watched Snails make his way through it. “This is my talent Sweetie. I’m not so good at the bigger creatures, but bugs, snakes, and snails are creatures I can talk to. This is what my Mark means.” Glancing to her, Snails waited as Sweetie gulped once more, shaking as she imagined the thousands of creatures on the roof falling on her. “Sorry, I should have warned you first.” Turning, Snails began to help Sweetie out of the cave slowly. Once outside, she hugged herself and shook. Muttering uncontrollably, she couldn’t help but wish she was all the way in Canterlot and far far away from this cave. Pausing, she noticed how sad Snails looked, and breathed in. “Just...give me a moment here. I-I’ll try again.” No, there was no way Sweetie was going to give up at such a simple hurdle. It was unexpected yes, but she needed to at least tolerate this. If she really did like Snails, she needed to be able to accept every part of what he really was, even it it involved bugs. “You don’t have to if you…” Trailing off, Snails noticed the look of determination on Sweetie. Waiting, he watched as she stood up, breathed in, and looked him straight in the eyes. Nodding once, he once more led her inside the cave. Looking around, Sweetie forced herself to remain in the cave, and focused on Snails instead of the bugs around her. “I won’t be long, I just need to check on some of the more temperamental bugs.” Walking slowly through the cave, Snails avoided stepping on anything with ease. Watching this, Sweetie bit her lip, concentrating as she tried to recast the spell she had learned upon getting her Mark. It took a few tries of it fizzling out, but eventually her horn glowed softly, and she looked to Snails. Blinking, Sweetie was struck by the calming aura Snails was giving off as he interacted with the insects. As he radiated it, they flocked to him. The more that flocked, the stronger the sensation grew. Snails was subconsciously maintaining a field of positive emotion that both soothed and invited. Canceling the spell, Sweetie looked to the insects around her, realising she wasn’t as frightened of them as she had been a few moments ago. Was that the effect of those like Fluttershy and Snails? Did they simply have a calming presence that ponies needed? Kindness, Sweetie realised, they both radiated Kindness. ‘Snails said he can’t handle the larger creatures. Does that mean Fluttershy has an even stronger field?’ It made sense, she supposed, considering Fluttershy was an Element bearer. Blinking, she realised she had been so absorbed in her observations, that Snails was looking at her with worry. Leaving the cave, Sweetie smiled warmly, understanding Snails a little better than before. Glancing to the setting sun, they begin to head back to town. “So, did your spell reveal anything?” Curious as ever, Snails was rewarded by a nod, and Sweetie turned, giving him a warm smile. Struck by impulse, she gave him a light peck on the cheek before skipping ahead to cover the bright red blush covering her face. After it had calmed down, she glanced back to see Snails hadn’t even moved. ‘My Celestia, what do I even describe him with?’ As Snails began to follow meekly, Sweetie resumed walking, examining her feelings. Beating as it was, her heart was causing her no small measure of worry. It was almost like it was sinking in her chest, she glanced toward Snails, feeling it ease slightly. “See ya Snails,” she spoke as it was finally time to go their separate ways. Snails chuckled, waving goodbye as she skipped merrily away. “See you tomorrow Sweetie!” “-tomorrow-” Sweetie froze in her tracks, and looked back as Snails walked away. “...Don’t go,” she whispered, tears starting to fall down her face. Sweetie couldn’t bear to see Snails, so she hid in her room. Thursday passed quickly, and as Friday ticked by all she could do was cry. Why had she thought this was a good idea? She was going to lose them for a second time now. The pain in her heart as she constantly remembered over and over again seeing them all turn to dust was crushing. And so, Sweetie’s time ticked by as she huddled in her blankets, unwilling to face the reality that Snails would not remember in a few hours. Why had she thought this would be a good idea? Not only was she still alone, she now had more heartache. Clenching her eyes shut, she heard the clock tick, and cried herself to sleep. Author's Note 29 We're back! Every 2nd day for now, I need to get back into the swing of things.
L72“Everything is a circle,” she muttered to herself. Closing her eyes, Sweetie was struck once more by her situation. Every day was a circle of hours, every hour was a circle of minutes, and seconds coming inside that. Maybe she had been fooling herself from the beginning, thinking that time had been passing normally. “I mean, was there any point in my life even when I wasn’t stuck in this loop?” Slumping back on her bed, looking to the ceiling, she blew some air on her hair, watching it flop slightly. Glancing to the window, she watched the clouds roll by. In roughly five minutes, one shaped like a dinosaur was going to be bucked out of existence. “I wake up, I sleep, I searched for my Mark, I never got my Mark, I die, I come back to life. Everything circles like it’s some sick joke.” Laughing, Sweetie placed her arm over her eyes, a bittersweet smile on her face. “But wasn’t it always that way? Maybe I’ve just been fooling myself. Would I have gotten bored with life eventually too?” The question lingered, and she scowled. The reason being with the Crusaders had been fun was because they rarely did the same thing twice. It was exciting, fun, new. “Who knows, it’s not like I can change my fate now.” Rolling onto her side, she lowered her arm and looked back toward the window. The cloud was gone without any warning. Covering her head with her pillow, her ears flickered down and she gritted her teeth. “He’s the same. They circle just as he does, these thoughts. I want to see him, even if he won’t remember that we were getting really close. His feelings won’t change, but mine will. It hurts, seeing his cheerful smile, why does he smile? I don’t want to look at it, it hurts to see him so peaceful.” For some reason, her pillow was feeling slightly damp on her face. “I want to, but I don’t, but I want to, but I don’t-” ’-but I want to, but I don’t-’ Circling around as they were, she curled into a ball and hugged herself tight. Magic grabbing her blanket, she pulled it over herself, feeling its slight warmth. Eventually, she stood up on her bed, and looked out the window, placing a hoof on the glass as she leaned toward it. It was closed, no reason to leave it open without Philomena. “Please,” she pleaded, leaning her forehead against the cool glass, tears streaming down her face. As her horn touched the glass, she gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep back sobs as her shoulders shuddered. “Please, give me something. One thing that I can use to prove to myself that this isn’t futile. One pony who looks at me and knows what is happening to this place. One look at the future to prove that this isn’t all life is. Please, just give me this. Please!” Sweetie was shouting now. There was a knocking at her door. Ponies outside were looking up at her. “Help me,” she sobbed, opening her eyes to look to the sky. “Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Rarity, please help.” Shaking as she was, she was having trouble keeping her hoof on the glass. Clenching down hard on her teeth, she glared to the sky, voice raising to new heights. “Don’t go! Don’t say tomorrow! Don’t, please!” Closing her eyes, she sobbed onto the window. Slumping, she heard the banging as someone tried to break down the door. They’d find it impossible, Sweetie was holding it closed. “But you will,” she whispered, opening her eyes and looking down into the small space between her bed and the wall. Tears slowly dripped from her face, and she watched them fall down it. “Cause tomorrow still exists for you.” Pulling the blanket around herself again, Sweetie huddled in its semi-darkness. “And I’m going to have to accept that,” she spoke after a moment, eyes half closing. Sighing, she turned over, and wiped her nose. “I think it’s time I leave. At least for a while.” Standing up, Sweetie looked to her discarded saddlebag, and the various items that had exploded out of it at the start of the loop. Sweetie hadn’t had the presence of mind to unpack it after-Sweetie cringed away from the thought. “Alright, I’ll change myself to an adult so I can carry more. Rarity won’t mind me borrowing her saddlebags. That, plus the ‘increase bag size’ spell means I should have plenty of room for both the camping equipment and my notes. I’ll take the Battle-tastic Spellbook so I can practice that last one, and the rest I’ll just say goodbye to.” Glancing to the pile of books she was leaving behind, Sweetie nodded. “After all, if I need them I can just grab them another loop.” Smiling, Sweetie nodded to herself, looking to her list of things she could still do for fun. Up first was a trip to the Canterlot Archives. While she had a nice array of spells, Sweetie wanted to grab some more battle spells, along with possibly an even stronger shield spell. “After that, I’ll see if I can figure out what’s going on with my Cutie Mark.” Glancing down to it, it was somewhat normal for once. But Sweetie could still see the strange star shape almost visible underneath. Breathing in, Sweetie glanced toward her bed, and turned toward the door. There was the sound of even harder banging. It was time to go, Sweetie didn’t want to stick around and face her panicked sister. Concentrating, she teleported out just as her magic faded on the door, causing it to explode inward. Rarity looked around frantically, and her worry only got worse as she saw the kidnapping note left on the bed. Meanwhile, Rarity's saddlebags casually vanished from her room, and a tall pony with bobbing curls headed for the train to Canterlot. With it being Thursday, and Rarity leaving her alone for some reason, she hadn't bothered to ask why, Sweetie needed to get there before sundown so she could find a hotel to spend the night. ‘I think I’ll spend Friday 'earning' some spending money so I can go shopping once I’m done in Canterlot.’ Cheered by the thought, she swished her tail, humming a single note. Author's Note 28 Twelve
L73‘Come on Sweetie, you can do this.’ Biting her lip, she concentrated, the letter in her magic as she concentrated the location. According to Twilight, long-distance mail required knowing a specific magical signature or location. While she couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, Sweetie hoped she had enough concentration to send this to Rarity. With a flash, her letter sent, and a beaming smile emerged on her face. Grinning, she packed up the items, and turned toward her bag. Now for the real test. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated, her horn gaining a second aura as she weaved the spell into the bag. Slowly, but surely, the spell weaved through the fibres, and she felt the spell complete. “I did it!” Giving a giddy squeal, she stuck her head right in the bag. Now she no longer needed Twilight or the Princesses to cast the spell to make her bag bigger. Plus, with her current adult form, she could carry nearly double the amount. Meaning; more books! Her mouth watered, what knowledge would she unlock from the Royal Canterlot Library? Looking toward the windows, her ear flickered as bits shook around her bag. Time ticked by slowly, but eventually she grinned. There went the chariot to Ponyville carrying Celestia. That left only one Princess in Canterlot. Smiling, Sweetie concentrated, teleporting to the garden that led to the archives. “Halt, you’re not allowed to teleport this close to the Canterlot Arc-” Cut off by Sweetie’s knockout spell, she quickly stole his keys, and pushed the guard into a bush. Turning, she trotted calmly into the archives like she belonged there. She did, after all. Walking around, she found the section she had been looking for, and smiled. Just past the Starswirl the Bearded wing was a section dedicated to the old wars between Unicorn races. It was kept strictly locked for reasons relating to the fact it housed spells that only Alicorn-level magic could even conceive, let alone cast. As Sweetie unlocked the door, and entered, she glanced to a mural depicting a circle of unicorns raining fire down upon their enemies. Turning away from it, she approached the single item in the section. ‘Only Twilight and those directly under Celestia are allowed to even see the spells, let alone try to cast them.’ Giddy from excitement, she placed a hoof carefully on the book, and opened it. Cautious magic opening the weathered pages carefully, Sweetie could see the amount of painstaking work. The entire book had four spells, and it was thicker than a dictionary! ‘What’s more, it requires a link to this ‘aetheric plane’. Apparently the better their connection to it, the stronger the magic? Rrrg, this magic theory is gobbldeygook!’ Stuffing the book into her saddlebag, she sighed, ears flopping down. If only she had Twilight’s talent for magic. Exiting the ward, she headed for Starswirl's’ next. Entering, Sweetie looked around the books, skimming them for anything useful. Other than a few notes on time spells, there wasn’t much else that she didn’t already know. Spells to help out with everyday, tactics on irrigation, something about an anthropomorphic spell. Starswirl was absolutely boring! “Excuse me, what the hell do you think you are doing to our priceless collection of books? You tripped over five thousand alarms.” That voice belonged to the Princess of the Night, and Sweetie turned, regarding her. There was a lot of power inside Luna, powered by her connection to the night. While she was strong, Sweetie knew her limits, and she wasn’t sure she’d win a fight with Luna. At least, not until she could lift the same planetary body. “I’m reading it,” she answered simply. For now, she need to buy time and come up with a plan. Luna was still wary of her, and she was an adult. So her cute looks wouldn’t work. Luna’s horn began to glow, and Sweetie carefully put the book back, appearing to not consider Luna a threat. Looking around the books, Sweetie got a spark of inspiration. Besides, what did she have to lose? After all, she had been told she reminded Discord of him. And it would be so funny if it worked. “I’m disappointed Luna, I thought you at least would recognise me irregardless of my beardless status.” From what Sweetie had read, Starswirl was one who spoke slightly above people, but always meant well. It was likely his way of speaking was because of the era he grew up in. Therefore, it she acted similarly, it might just work. “You are joking, right?” Apparently, Luna was not convinced. Sweetie gave a warm smile that did not reach her eyes, and chuckled, shaking her head as if she had been expecting it. “I guess my death would make this seem a little far fetched, but I assure you, I am the genuine article.” Looking toward the shelves, she tried to pull off a pleased look. Luna’s silence was good, that meant she was considering her words. Sweetie was having trouble keeping herself from cracking into a fit of giggles. “Prove it, tell me something only you would know.” Smiling, Luna was convinced this would prove it once and for all. Raising an eyebrow, Sweetie sighed and began to slowly walk past Luna. As eyes followed her, it took all Sweetie’s will to not break character. “Well, I will be on my way then.” Heart beating rapidly, Sweetie wondered if she was actually going to get away with this. There was no way Luna would just let her walk away, right? “Wait,” came the voice, and Sweetie paused. Looking back, she saw the horn still pointed toward her, suspicion mixed with confusion. ‘This isn’t working, time to bail.’ Looks like Discord didn’t know Starswirl like Luna did, and that was working against Sweetie. Breathing in, she prepared her escape plan. Luna was speaking, demanding proof, nearly shouting it. Anger? They hadn’t seemed angry to Sweetie when they’d been discussing it. Obviously this had been a bad idea. “Alright, your proof is there.” Pointing behind Luna, Sweetie was rewarded when the Princess glanced back. Horn glowing, Sweetie concentrated, pulling upon her magic quicker than she normally did. Luna looked back, and dove to intercept. Sweetie cast the spell, risking backlash, and exploded through the archive wall, into the garden. Wincing, Sweetie rose to one arm, looking around her as her horn burned. Standing up, she shook herself off. Sticking around was not a good idea. Concentrating, she winced through the pain, preparing to teleport a second time. However, an explosion of dust knocked her up into the air, halting the spell. “INTRUDER!” Luna’s voice cracked with raw power and undiluted rage. Giving a shaky laugh, Sweetie quickly forgot her pain. Concentrating, she covered herself in magic just as the first spell shattered her barrier. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie flipped her gravity, rocketing into the sky as she concentrated, reforming the barrier. Looking around, Sweetie could see Guards coming out of the city like animals out of Fluttershy’s cottage. This was really bad, she needed to get out of here. There was no way she’d take on an entire army. Breathing in, Sweetie ended her spell, dodging a bolt of dark lightning aimed at her. Biting her lip, she forced herself to ignore the fact Luna had just tried to kill her. Wings forming on her back, Sweetie curved upward, and corkscrewed out of the way of another arc of magic. Unicorns were beginning to cast spells to limit her magic, she could taste them in the air as they came toward her. It felt sickening, she grunted, using a series of rapid teleports to dodge them while distancing herself from Luna. Diving toward Canterlot Castle, she smashed through a window and out the other side, diving down as she tried once more to teleport long range. Luna exploded above her, a ball of darkness coming straight for Sweetie. Knowing she wouldn’t make it, Sweetie teleported a short distance once more, diving down to the streets in the hopes Luna would avoid hurting civilians. Glancing back, she smiled, she was right! Sweetie looked where she was going, seeing the road block. Teleporting through it, Sweetie finally found the precious time to lock onto her hotel room. Holding the spell on her horn, she ensured she wasn’t going to take anypony with her, and teleported. Closing her curtains, Sweetie gasped on the floor, door locked, and used the last bit of her magic to change her mane color and coat color. Magic spent, her wings vanished too. ’I look like Pinkie Pie, but it’ll do. I need to get out of here and on a train though.’ Catching her breath, Sweetie stood up, and looked to her Mark. Concentrating, she tried to will it to the different shape. To her pleasant surprise, it transformed like she wanted, only slightly however. With that done, it was time to go. ‘Note to self; just because the Princesses don’t seem angry does not mean they aren’t. Also, Luna shoots black lightning.’ Rubbing her horn, Sweetie could feel the exertion starting to take over. In hindsight, she should have expected a fight. “My bad,” she chuckled, shaking her head before wincing. “Ow. Least I got the book.” Author's Note 27 Eleven ht
L74Finally arriving home, Sweetie sealed her room to everypony once more. After spending days camped out reading the book, Sweetie had figured out four things specifically. Those four things were; Swords Dance, Flare, Terravolt, and Ultimate Seeker. The names of the four spells. The names told her very little, but she was able to get some basic idea of the spells from the name. “So Swords Dance has something to do with swords, no duh there. Flare sounds fiery, so it might be a fire spell. Terravolt has volt in it, and that’s an electric word? As for Ultimate Seeker, it finds things?” Really, the names told her very little about the spells. Sighing, she closed the book, and decided to get to work on her task for this loop. Crossing out the item on her list, she looked to her mark and thought. ‘So changing it seems possible by thought, but I guess it only works for Marks I’ve seen it do?’ Shaking her head, she decided to concentrate on one she knew she could make. Closing her eyes, she pictured Twilight. There was Twilight, opening a book on magic theory, seeming to read it as if it was Equestrian. ‘There she is trying to put it into practice, and there she is finally succeeding at it.’ Smiling, Sweetie felt a connection to Twilight, remembering how the mare had first gotten her Mark. Given a task she had no book knowledge of how to do. Formulas ran through her head, the theory behind hatching an egg, half formed by hasty thoughts. And then...flash! A surge of magic erupting onto her horn, clutching her makeshift spell and fueling it with the magic needed. It cracked, raw talent meeting book smarts to create a miracle. The feeling when your dream became a reality. Sweetie smiled, her head raising slightly. So excited by the news, the quiet flash of a Mark signifying her dream was now possible. “I’m proud of you Twilight,” she spoke softly, giving a nod. Twilight had known what she wanted to do, but wasn’t sure she had the ability. But when her efforts were rewarded with her dream becoming true, her Mark had appeared. Twilight’s expertise was in the theory, rather than the application. If she hadn’t been born with the raw power she had been, Twilight would have become a professor at the very least. “Remember Twilight, take it one sentence at a time. Magic is not meant to be skimmed.” Opening her eyes, Sweetie watched her room flash for a moment, and looked to her flank. There is was, an almost perfect image of Twilight’s Mark composed of musical notes. Trotting to the mirror, Sweetie saw her eyes were now a violet color. Opening the book once more, she read it once more. “Before the words were blurring together, but now it’s like a cloudy sky. It’s still complicated, but I’m able to make sense of it. Am I talking to myself?” Pausing, Sweetie considered it for a moment, rapidly shaking her head as she continued to read. Before long, she blinked at the darkness in her room. Somehow, the entire day had vanished! “This feels kinda like cheating,” pouted Sweetie, blinking her eyes back to normal as she snapped out of her trance. Regardless of her intent, she now knew how to cast the first spell, Swords Dance. It was a higher level ice spell. From the reading, she made icy swords float around her like a shield, and imbued them with her thoughts. ‘So essentially, if I go to block, the swords would move at the speed of my brain.’ However, it required a link to this ‘aetheric plane’. Supposedly, an enlightened unicorn could act as the focal point for the spell. Standing up, Sweetie stifled a yawn, glancing toward the window. There was no way Sweetie would have the patience to do that, so she supposed that was the reason why only Alicorns could do it. “Not to mention, the amount of concentration needed for this is just...How am I supposed to cast ten spells at once?” Scowling, Sweetie sighed, flopping onto her bed. That was the way of it, she supposed. Giving a small smile, she wondered if the Alicorns might be able to reduce the number to five. Four possibly, because of Twilight’s abilities. “Still, why am I able to ‘Twilight Mode’? I can assume it’s because of the loops, but what would cause it? It’s true that Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance along with possibly Rarity have…” Wincing, Sweetie continued her sentence. “Maybe them... in the same room with me makes them sorta give me a portion of their talent? Twilight said the spell switched the Element’s destinies, and the one Starswirl made was meant to switch Celestia’s and his so...some sort of bleed? Guh, maybe I should re-Twilight Mode so I can figure this out.” Grabbing her pillow, Sweetie placed it on top of her head, blocking out the remaining light. “So what would happen if I went ‘Celestia Mode’ or ‘Luna Mode’? Would I gain control of the Sun or Moon? Weird. And not useful to me either. Rarity might though, would be nice to be able to make clothes.” Chuckling, Sweetie sat up, and looked toward the Moon, remembering the previous loop. “Doesn’t hurt to learn the spells I suppose, might come in handy. It’s gonna take a while. Let me see...One day per spell, plus sleeping. Roughly four days. Ugh, this would be so boring if I wasn’t going to enter ‘Twilight Mode’ I bet. I don’t know how she finds studying ‘fun’. Weird.” Shrugging, Sweetie put her pillow under her head, and slipped into the blankets. She was exhausted, and she’d need to have a large breakfast tomorrow. Sweetie had a feeling she was going to be skipping Lunch and Dinner for a while. Following that thought, she wondered if she even needed to eat anymore. After all, if she died it would just reset her. Then again, dying of hunger probably sucked more than falling off a cliff or suffocating. Nodding to herself, she yawned, and went to sleep. Author's Note 26 Ten tp Here is another poem made by: Divine Path More resources spent, more time taken to nothingness. Further into the trap, sinking, blinking out to nothingness. Less light coming, lessened hope flickering, standing tall, falling far, soon swallowed in darkness. Princesses giving, might they grant peace and calm, together you break.
L75Opening her eyes, Sweetie stretched, licking her lips as the calming sun came through the window. It was a Monday, which meant she’d have to block out Rarity again. Sighing, she wished they’d leave her alone. Hugging her pillow, she tried to discard her suddenly morbid mood, and focus on more exciting things. “So what do I have on this Loop?” Looking at her list, Sweetie was disappointed at the single item she had for this week. Sweetie was running out of things to do. But even this wasn’t even a lot of effort. Sweetie was certain she could do it. Wincing as a spark of pain went through her, she quickly put her shield on, removing the headache. “Well, since that’s the only item, and it could end in a reset, I might as well spend the rest of the week trying to activate Rarity. I’m pretty sure she only...once or twice so...If it works then it means it works on people who I’ve...at least once.” There was the chance she could do it to ponies she hadn’t...but if that was the case, why had Twilight’s Mark been the first to show? “Alright, let’s see…” Closing her eyes, Sweetie imagined she was a super fashionista, and knew everything about clothes. Sweetie imagined being a little stuck up, and forgetful of things pertaining to her sister. Keeping what she knew of Rarity in mind, Sweetie tried to copy the feeling of going ‘Twilight Mode’. “Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Had two hours passed already? Glancing to her Mark, no change had happened either. Pursing her lip, Sweetie decided she needed a smart pony’s opinion. While going Twilight Mode might work, Sweetie decided visiting the proper Twilight would be best. “Read this,” she started, holding out the note for Rarity. As her sister read it, she visibly paled, and sat down in the chair meant for Sweetie. Waiting, Sweetie counted off the ten seconds in her head, giving her sister time to get her thoughts together. “I’ll…need some time to-” cut off, Rarity blinked as her sister headed for the door. “To come to terms, yada blada, I’ll be at Twilight’s.” Exiting, Sweetie made a beeline for Twilight's. Scowling, she hated having to inform Rarity. However, if she wanted to talk to Twilight, she had to inform her sister, or cost more time later in the week. Knocking on the door, she gave Twilight the note, going through the motions with ease. “And you’re saying I wrote all this?” As Twilight eyed the note as Sweetie snatched it back, and moved inside. Breathing in, Sweetie turned to face Twilight as she went over the looping notes. “So we’re up to Loop 60? Alright, remember to get me every Loop, so I can update my notes.” Glancing to Sweetie, Twilight was worried by how unaffected she seemed by the events of 58. There wasn’t much on Loop 59 except a brief message from Sweetie saying she spent it recovering from the string of failures. “Ok Twilight, I’ve found out that for some reason I can sorta copy your abilities. However, I can’t do it with Rarity, so I’m pretty sure it’s because of well...So I was wondering if you had any ideas about it.” Getting Twilight off the book was important. Sweetie still hadn’t managed to copy Twilight’s handwriting perfectly. “Well, it kinda sounds like you’ve already got it figured out. I don’t really have anything to add. If I had to guess, it likely has something to do with the draining effect that I feel without that shield on.” Holding out the book, Twilight watched as it was put away, and her ears flopped down as she looked to the window. “I’m sorry Sweetie, but I honestly don’t have any leads. My special talent only goes so far.” As she spoke, Twilight sparked an idea in Sweetie’s head. Concentrating, she began the spell she used to see pony’s talents. As her vision blurred, she took a look at Twilight’s talent, and sighed, ending the spell. “Sweetie Belle?” Turning, Twilight noticed the sad look on the filly’s face, and waited as she began to explain. “I thought if I saw your talent, I might be able to bring it to its full potential, but your talent already is. I don’t know if it’s because of you being an Alicorn, or because of the Elements, but there’s nothing I could do to increase your talent.” Ears flopping down, she was incredibly disappointed at that. Someone like Twilight would have been perfect. “Cheer up Sweetie, you’ve still got plenty to keep you occupied while I figure this out. You haven’t ridden a dragon yet, right?” Giving a smile as she closed her eyes, Twilight missed the flicker of emotion that passed over Sweetie. It was quickly brushed aside, and she pulled out an excited mask. “You’re right! I better go practice!” Bidding goodbye, Sweetie trotted towards her home, scowling the moment she was out of sight. Useless, this entire morning had been useless! Nothing had come of it, and she couldn’t use anything but Twilight Mode and maybe the other Princesses. Closing her eyes, Sweetie supposed she could try using Twilight Mode to solve the problem of escape, but if Twilight herself couldn’t do it, what hope did she have for a fake Twilight? And now she was bored again. It was finally Friday. Pulling out the spell, Sweetie smirked. This was the spell Twilight used to shield herself from the draining sensation. The spell wasn’t likely going to work, which was why Sweetie had her stuff in a rough circle around her. If she focused, she should be able to include her items in the spell. Casting the spell, Sweetie let her magic flow outward, capturing her items and causing a bubble to form around her. As she pushed more and more energy into the spell, she felt it become ready, and finished casting. Looking around, she- Author's Note 25 Nine ://
L76“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Opening her eyes, Sweetie sat up, quickly checking she still had her items. Luckily, she did. However, they were semi-fused to her bed and blankets. Twilight would likely have a spell to fix that. Standing up, her ears flickered at the sound of birds outside, and she pulled out her list. “So, that’s that one down. Moving onto the next one, okay.” Reading it, Sweetie tapped a hoof on her chin, considering how she could get the most fun out of it. While her first attempt at Necromancy hadn’t been...well received, Sweetie was sure if she started with a more basic spell she should be fine. Placing down the note, Sweetie concentrated on herself, looking to her bed to check her height. Slowly, she shrunk down so her height was more or less her size before the Loops happened. Shaking, she waited as the magic finished putting everything into place. Closing her door, Sweetie teleported to the fringes of the Everfree, heading directly for the Graveyard. ‘You know, this is surprisingly less creepy than it used to be.’ Looking around, Sweetie was struck by a strange calm, and she pulled out her Necromancer book. Naturally, this hadn’t been given to her by Twilight. Flipping in a few pages, she raised the book high, and began to draw the symbol decrypted on the ground. Standing in the middle, Sweetie lowered her horn to the ground, and concentrated. “Send some energy into the bones, make them not sentient, zombies. So I uh, focus my intent...right. Then I…” Frowning, Sweetie brought the book closer once more, reading it, she scowled. Returning to her half finished spell, she tried to, according to the book, ‘request to borrow the departed’s bodies’. “Ah!” Stepping back, she glanced around as graves erupted around her. Slowly, skeletons emerged, bones clattering as magic forced them back into a pony-like form. Rubbing her horn, Sweetie felt the drain on her magic, and estimated she’d be able to maintain the spell for an hour. Thinking quickly, she smiled, turning toward Ponyville. “Come on boys, time for a little...Chaos,” she smiled, glancing upward just as Discord appeared, giving her a thumbs up. Pulling out a device that was playing a strange song, Sweetie glanced back, seeing the skeletons begin to clatter to the tune. Smirking, she felt the stirrings of a Heart Song, and winked at Discord. Marching into town, head held high, she soon gathered a shocked crowd as she made her way to the Town Hall. The Mane 6 were already there as she ordered her army to stand on the stage just outside Town Hall(Some called it the Balcony). Waiting as they all got into place, her tail swished to the beat, and she looked to the crowd. “Spooky, scary skeletons, Send shivers down your spine. Shrieking skulls will shock your soul, Seal your doom tonight.” Naturally, Ponyville joined in. “Bwuhahhaha!” Laughing uncontrollably on her bed, Discord merely floated above her, an amused smile on his face. There was no doubt, he could see it in this filly, the spark that she had been missing from his memory. Discord couldn’t remember what had happened previously, but he knew the signs of...fun. ‘I’ll need to make myself a Chaotic note so the sickly magic can’t touch it.’ Discord snapped his fingers, preparing for an eventuality. Finished that, he spawned a small cotton candy cloud for the filly, teleported the items fused to her bed onto the floor, and vanished. Finally calming down, Sweetie dove into the cotton candy, instantly in love with Discord. “Oh mai god! It tastes like chocolate too!” Squeeing in glee, she was overcome by how fun today had been. Levitating the Necromancy book, she flicked through the items with a smile. While it had taken time to rebury the bones, if she could make golems this time, she might be able to use them for some sort of sport. “Discord’ll have ideas.” Giggling, she hugged the book, and sighed happily. This loop was turning out great! The magic threaded through the discordic dimension with purpose, heading directly for a black box surrounded by strong chaotic magic. As it hit it, sparks flew, and Discord raised his head, glancing toward it. Narrowing his eyes, he watched as the magic link exploded with energy, shattering the defenses and destroying what was inside. Reaching out, Discord grabbed the strand of magic, looking down at it as it flinched, and then struggled to escape his grip. Leaning down, he looked at it as his hand clenched. Writhing, the magic sparked wildly, strength trying to flee back down and end the spell. Holding it, he looked in the direction it came, before leaning down, and speaking quietly to it. “Pum axam chleckol zaxan ug. Dinkolbolo axagaxain, pi wo wirr whaxavo pit plefrom,” he spoke, gibberish seemingly leaving his lip with fluency. The magic stopped sparking, and then hissed. Discord clenched down harder, before leaning close once more. “I can’t hear you.” Once more, he narrowed his eyes, and the magic seemed to deflate. “Molupp worr, wo wirr sottro zis hon sko nud lipo.” As the words echoed in the air, Discord released the magic, and watched it scurry away. Snapping his fingers, his black box reformed, and he reopened his newspaper, flicking the page. “Oh dear, chocolate rain prices are on the rise again,” he sighed, sipping his glass and throwing away the chocolate milk Author's Note 24 Eight ti We've finally got a fanfic about the Loops if they continue on after Sweetie Loops back. Check it out: A Little Loopy: Divergence Theory
L77.1“Rarity, could you teach me cooking?” It was a Tuesday, having had to give all of the main 6 time to come to terms with the fact she was Looping. As Rarity turned, Sweetie could see the trepidation, and sighed, opening her Looping notes again. Specifically, the one where she made Coffee. “Come on Rarity, I’m not going to make it blow up, even if it turns out bad.” Convincing Rarity would likely be the hardest, which was why she had chosen to do her first. Looking at it, Rarity sighed, and began levitating out pots and pans. Smiling, Sweetie realised what the answer was. “Alright Sweetie Belle, just this once. We’ll be making pancakes.” Giving a small smile, Rarity noticed the slightest cringe come from Sweetie. Did she not like pancakes anymore? That was unusual. Shaking it off, she pulled out a piece of paper, beginning to write down the instructions. “Alright, follow this recipe. I’ll be here to help guide you.” Smiling, Rarity forced herself to stand back and let Sweetie try. As her sister followed it, Rarity was surprised by the ease at which she did it. Once more, the nagging feeling passed through her. Shaking it off, she nodded when Sweetie looked over for confirmation. “Alright, now the batter’s made, I...set the stove to medium, put a pan on top, and measure out-” Repeating the recipe to herself as she did the actions with her magic, Sweetie was entirely focused on her actions. She needed to get this right, she had to prove to herself she could do this. “Alright, done.” Taking the pancake out of the pan, she placed it on a plate, and turned the heat down as she served it to Rarity. Looking at it, Rarity noticed how normal it looked, and risked a bite. Cringing, she swallowed it, and shuddered. Ears flopping down, Sweetie realised she had failed. “It’s a bit lumpy, you didn’t stir the mixture enough to get the ingredients together. But it’s edible, which is a big step up.” Turning toward her sister, Rarity winced at the disappointment, and put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Cheer up Sweetie, you can’t learn to cook in a day.” As Rarity spoke, Sweetie noticed a strange look in her eyes. Sure enough, Rarity glanced away, and pursed her lip. “Say Sweetie Belle?” Turning, Rarity looked to Sweetie, who waited for the question. After a moment, she shook her head, faking a smile. “Nevermind, it’s not important.” Before Sweetie could comment on it, she suggested she go to Applejack and see what Sweetie could learn to make there. As the front door closed, Sweetie frowned, eyes going serious for a moment. Pretending to walk away, she hid in a bush and waited. Sure enough, Rarity soon left, heading for Twilight’s. ‘Ten loops ago from their perspective, Twilight said the same thing.’ Suspicious, she trotted toward the river running through town, and levitated out some of the water. Finding a secure location, a back alleyway, she scooped out a shallow puddle with her magic, and placed the water in it. Concentrating, she cleared it slowly, and used a second spell to allow her to hear them. ‘I can do this for about five minutes. Good practice though.’ Steadying her breath, she tried to pace herself as the conversation began. “I’m telling you Twilight, something is seriously wrong with Sweetie Belle, tell me you haven’t seen it.” Rarity was looking at Twilight, so Sweetie couldn’t see her expression, but Twilight’s was in full view. Looking away, Twilight’s ears flopped down, and she sighed. “I know Rarity, she’s changed. I can see her trying to pretend she hasn’t, but it’s painfully obvious how untrue that is. But what do we do?” Twilight’s voice was strained as she looked to Rarity with desperation. Looking on, Sweetie couldn’t stop watching. “Listen Twilight, I think I’ve figured out why. What if that isn’t Sweetie Belle?” Both Twilight and Sweetie were taken aback by Rarity, and unable to respond. “Listen to me, what if this Loop thing is so she can get to know us better before she fully assumes Sweetie’s identity? Don’t you see, she’s trying to find weakness in the Elements of Harmony!” Rarity at this point was breathing so loud it was coming through the link. Twilight took a few moments to allow Rarity to calm down, and then spoke calmly. “Nonsense, if that was the case there would be proof. Sweetie’s just a little emotionally unbalanced from the-” Cut off, Twilight didn’t forgot her annoyance. “No! Twilight, this Sweetie can cook! The old Sweetie could never cook, even with a recipe!” Come on Rarity, just because she had burnt everything with a recipe one time doesn’t mean she couldn’t learn from her mistakes. Sweetie pursed her lip, feeling annoyed and uneasy. Twilight opened her mouth, but was once again cut off. “Twilight, there’s a huge dragon egg in her room! We both know Sweetie would never be able to beat a dragon, let alone steal an egg.” Oh darn, Rarity was right. Sweetie inwardly swore. Why hadn’t she hid the egg? ‘Mainly because I wanted to make sure it didn’t move while I Looped somewhere else,’ she admitted. Shaking her head, strain reminding her of the conversation, she returned to her peeping. “I’ll admit, that is strange, but didn’t you learn from Zecora not to draw conclusions? I am sure if we ask Sweetie she can clear up any-” Once again, Twilight was cut off. “Queen Chrysalis,” was all Rarity said, and Twilight narrowed her eyes. Looking away, Twilight sighed, ears flinging back as she remembered how no one had believed her, even when she had been one of the few to really know Cadance. “Alright, you’ve made your point. I’ll go get everyone together so we can apprehend her, and get this sorted out. I just hope you’re aware of what you’re going to be doing to her if this turns out to be wrong.” Looking Rarity straight in the eyes, Sweetie could see the pool ripple as Rarity flinched. Striking at the pool, she cancelled the spell and scowled. ‘So this is how it is. I can’t rely on them any more.’ Teleporting back to her room, Sweetie quietly packed her things. Looking to the dragon egg, she began to levitate it, struggling to keep a grip on it with her magic. Puffing, she began to carry it downstairs. Finally outside, she rested for a moment, looking toward Twilight’s castle. ‘Where do I go though? I can’t take this everywhere...I guess my best bet is asking the Dragons to hold onto it until I find a place.’ As she considered this, she was levitating food and water out of the pantry for the long trip. Taking the egg with her, she was expecting it to take most of next loop, as well as this one. Beginning to roll the egg toward the end of town, she wasn’t surprised when the Elements found her. “Stop right there Sweetie Belle!” Twilight was at the front, a binding spell on her horn. Bringing the egg to a stop, she turned and faced them, not even bothering to hide her contempt as they looked to her with anger. “Where are you going.” Twilight narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and the others prepared for a fight. “To a place where I’m not bothered by ponies constantly second guessing me.” Sweetie did not bother telling them she had been listening in, Twilight would be able to guess. “Sweetie, hand yourself in or we’ll be forced to fight you. There’s a simple test we can use to prove you are who you say you are, please stand down.” Twilight pleaded honestly with Sweetie, and she narrowed her eyes, looking to Applejack. “Ah know ya are telling tha’ truth, but ah want ta’ be sure too hun.” Applejack looked away, and Sweetie turned to her sister. No love was in those eyes, only anger. So Rarity had already made up her mind. Sighing, Sweetie closed her eyes. “I have nothing I need to prove to you.” Opening her eyes, her horn sparked to life, and she placed her saddlebags beside the egg. Shield forming around her, she approached them. Wings formed on her back, much to Twilight’s surprise. Lowing her horn, she took a battle stance, and concentrated. Sweetie cast five missiles, watching them home in on all but Twilight. All were deflected by Twilight’s shield, even as lightning struck it with surprising force, sending her sliding back slightly. Concentrating, Sweetie made a blade out of ice, releasing the spell holding her height. Growing slightly, she was now only slightly shorter than them. Charging forward, Sweetie sent her blade slicing through the shield, knocking Twilight back even as a stun spell impacted on Sweetie’s shield. Rainbow Dash dived forward as Fluttershy cowered, and Sweetie used the broad side of her sword to knock Dash out without too many problems. Rarity began picking up rocks and throwing them at her with top speed, Sweetie ignored it. Charging forward, Sweetie and Twilight’s horns met, sparks flying as a powerful wave blasted Applejack and Pinkie Pie away. A ball of energy surrounded them, and they both exploded backwards, hovering in the air and glaring at the other. Raising their horns, raw magic met with Sweetie’s flame shield, and was easily deflected. Forming spears of ice, Sweetie rained them down at Twilight as she dove high into the sky. Twirling around, she formed a flame shield once more, and dove down, forming a spike of fire. Both attacks met Twilight’s shield head on, and Sweetie was deflected, crashing into the ground. Back-flipping out of her crater, she looked up at Twilight, and changed gravity around herself, rocking upwards with great speed. Reversing gravity once more, Sweetie fired lightning down at Twilight, who was rocketing upward at Sweetie. Once more, the shield deflected everything, and she was knocked away by the pachinko ball. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie felt her strength wane, and hovered for a moment. It was then that Twilight went on the offensive. Raw magic being fired at Sweetie, she deflected it with her own shield, and wiped the sweat off her brow. As the magic met her shield, Sweetie began to see the main difference between her and Twilight, and a twinge of fear passed through her. The shield she was using took time and magic to cast, but the one Twilight used was just raw magic given shape. Sweetie knew she could never work magic like that, and she gulped as a crack formed in her shield. As they flew higher and higher into the air, Sweetie focused all her energy on trying to keep the shield up. Twilight was unrelenting, even copying the attacks Sweetie had showed off. Sweating, Sweetie began to wish she had just done what they asked. Sure, it would have meant giving in to their demands, but this was nearing her limits. ‘And here I thought I was ready to take on a dragon, how naive.’ Flying higher and higher, Sweetie neared the cloud barrier, and for a small moment, she was distracted by memories. Twilight took the moment, shattering her shield and slamming her with the full force of a magic blast, gasping for breath. As Sweetie began to fall, she tried to muster the magic for wings, as they had vanished the moment she’d lost. Falling as she was, she saw Twilight diving to catch her. Sweetie felt her horn spark, and sighed, giving a laugh as she closed her eyes. Twilight would get to her in time, and then she’d have to explain herself. Suddenly, something large swooped down through the cloud layer, scooping her up with a large claw as it landed on the ground. Picking up the egg, the Dragon grabbed Sweetie’s saddlebags as an afterthought, and flared his wings. Taking off, They were above the cloud layer in an instant. Glancing down through the hole they had made, Sweetie saw Twilight, half frozen, before the cloud closed around the hole, sealing them from the surface. Settling into a glide, the Dragon brought his hands together in front of him, and looked down upon the filly. Sweetie took one look at him, and broke into a smile. “Thorak!” Author's Note 23 Seven ny Real life caused this chapter to be a few hours late than I was planning because my nan can't use a computer. And yes, it would have been late even then, but yeah.
L77.2As they landed in the bowl, Sweetie wasn’t surprised by the recognition on all but three Dragon’s faces. What she was surprised by was their eagerness to greet her. Surrounded by the rumbling of a hundred voices, her head spun, even as she was gently lowered to the ground. Picking up her saddlebags, she watched as the egg was placed down, and looked up to Thorak. “Tell me young one, why did your kin attack you?” Cutting straight to the point, Thorak curled slightly as he sat down, folding his wings. Scowling, Sweetie looked away, ears flopping down as she sighed, and began to explain. As the Dragons began to sit, the listened intently to her story. “Okay, so essentially they think I’m not me, and they wanted to capture me and put me through tests to prove it. The catalyst for this was, if you’d believe it, cooking and your Dragon egg. Uh, not cooking the egg! I mean I was trying to cook pancakes an uh…” Trailing off, Sweetie realised the dragons hadn’t reacted. Was it strange they seemed more understanding compared to Rarity? “And why did you not go with them for these tests, young one?” Thorak leaned his head forward, looking Sweetie in the eyes. As they met, he saw her anger flare, before quickly abating as she turned away. Leaning back once more, Thorak closed his eyes, listening silently. “Because I shouldn't have to prove myself!” Bitter tears beginning to flow down her face, she kicked at the ground, trying to keep herself from shouting in misplaced anger. Thorak opened his eyes, and nodded to her to continue. “Why should I have to prove I’m myself! Why am I going to have to do this every Loop from now on if I want them aware? Why did Rarity lie about my cooking! Why don’t they trust me to be able to know! Why do they write me off as insane!” Visibly shaking, Sweetie was unable to keep her anger out, and her voice only grew. “I see,” was all Thorak said in response, glancing over the other dragons as they watched on. Taking the hint, they all returned to their work, which was sleeping. Only one dragon beside Thorak remained, a gray female sitting some distance from them. As Sweetie cried, staring at the ground in anger, Thorak simply watched. After a few moments, he lowered his head, and simply watched her. “What are you looking at?” Glaring at Thorak, Sweetie’s glare met his emotionless gaze. After a moment, her anger died and she looked away, not wanting to anger the Dragons. Thorak didn’t answer, and she turned around, sitting down with her back to his gaze. Annoyance growing, the hairs on her back stood on ends. “Tell me young one, do you believe this moment to be important?” Thorak’s rumbling voice caused Sweetie to jump, and she sighed, turning around and sitting back down. “Well yeah, every moment is important.” Tilting her head, Sweetie wondered what Thorak was talking about. “Even with a chance to redo events come the sunset two or four suns from now?” Thodak didn’t know specifically when, he hadn’t been paying too close attention. “Well, yeah,” she admitted, ears flopping back. Even with the Loop Reset, this Loop had been important, even if it had been disaster. “And why is that?” Thorak watched the filly blink, and actually consider it. “Because I’ll remember it?” It wasn’t exactly the answer she was looking for, but it summed up her best translation. “Would it still be important, if no one remembered it?” Thorak’s calm eyes bore into Sweetie’s, and she shuddered, wondering where this was going. “Well yeah, but no one would remember it.” Shrugging, Sweetie didn’t really see how to get around that problem. “Which is more important to you young one. All memory of happiness at the cost of forgetting the bad memories, or to remember everything, at the cost of possible happiness?” Blinking his eyes, Thorak wondered what the answer would be. “All my memories of course,” eyes open, Sweetie answered without hesitation. “Memories are precious, I’d never want a happy life at the cost of losing them. It’d be like blank moments in my life. This is my life, for better or for worse.” It was true, at least to her. Despite her anger at what Rarity and Twilight had done today, it didn’t outdo what good they had done. “Very well said young one.” Thorak yawned, and stood up. Watching this, Sweetie followed his actions as he brought the egg to the gray Dragon. After that, he leaned toward Sweetie. “It seems young one, that you require more stamina if you wish to defeat your opponents. Feel free to spar with the hatchlings. Just do not harm them, that is my one request if you are to stay here.” Bowing his head slightly, Thorak turned, following the gray Dragon to the nest. Watching them go, Sweetie looked toward the hatchlings, and breathed in. ‘Alright, I’ll start working on that in a little bit, as it is, I’m still tired.’ Sitting down, Sweetie watched the Dragons curiously, enjoying the act of watching. Author's Note 23 Seven ur
L78Sweetie ducked under the fireball, sweat beading down her face as she maintained her balance on the rock in the middle of the pool of lava. The Dragon teenagers hovered around her, trying to find the chance to attack her. Biting her lip, she resisted the temptation to use her magic, keeping the wings on her back poised to take off. The rules for her training were simple; she was allowed wings and a shield, but no attack magic. Sweetie leapt upward as one of them dived toward her, and dove down, avoiding another as she landed on top of the first. The third one, a Dragon named Garble, had guessed her action, and sent a fireball. ‘Oh manure-’ Reacting off instinct, she slipped behind the Dragon she was standing on, watching the fireball pass by. But now she had a face of Dragon to deal with, and the teeth opened wide. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie flared her wings and back-flipped away. Below her, the lava pool began to creep closer. Using her wings precisely, Sweetie managed to steer herself back to the rock, her back slamming into it and knocking all her breath out. As she tried to catch her breath back, all she could do was widen her eyes as the Dragons flew toward her, claws outstretched, victory on their faces. “Stop,” spoke Thorak, and the three veered away. Catching her breath finally, she sat up, and gave Thorak a grateful smile. Grunting, she tried to stand up, and fell back on her flank as her bruises kept her grounded. Casually, she ended the spell keeping her wings. Thorak extended a talon, carefully picking her up in the palm of his hand. “You have done well, these past few days and nights. After nine days, you are able to last nearly an hour before you succumb.” Thorak’s voice had no tone, but Sweetie still looked away in irritation. An hour was not good enough, she had trained super hard for a measly hour? Sighing, ears flopping down, she discarded it, and gave a grateful smile to Thorak. “Thank you for the help, and thank you for rescuing me.” Giving a bigger smile, Sweetie knew if Thorak hadn’t come for her, she would have likely spent days just waiting around in boredom. Levitating out some food from her saddlebag, she began to munch on it, hungry after her exertion. “What will you do now?” Thorak had no doubt that Sweetie was planning on moving on after this Loop. He could see her itch, even as she expended most of her energy to grow her endurance. Looking toward the sky, he breathed in, checking that there had been no changes to the flock while he had been distracted. There hadn’t, which was unsurprising. “Well, I really want to explore Equestria. I’m planning on going to The Crystal Empire next Loop, and then maybe spend the Loop after just flying around and seeing everything.” Smiling, Sweetie marveled at her chance to finally get a good look at The Crystal Empire. Sure, she’d been there before, but not with a week to just explore every nook and cranny. “Very well, I shall give you a lift there tonight, so as to prevent any panic ruining your experience. I do have one request, if you may.” Bowing his head slightly, Thorak motioned over the red teenager Dragon. Sweetie had learned his name was Garble, and he seemed surprised to be called over. “Garble had reached the age where he is immune to the spell, roughly three of your pony weeks prior. I want you to take him with you.” Thorak watched as both glanced to the other, and then looked to him. “What?” “Hell no! I’m not hanging out with a Namby Pamby Pony, even if she’s a pretty good fighter.” Thorak said nothing, merely looking to the two. Glancing toward Garble, Sweetie sighed, ears flicking back as she considered her choices. Either she walked/flew all the way to the Empire, or took a quick Dragon flight. On the others mind, Garble was considering what punishment he might receive if he didn’t respect Thorak’s request. “Alright,” they responded in union, and both shared a glance. Neither was looking forward to the others company. However, Sweetie didn’t mind as much as Garble, considering it would be a new experience. And new was something she thrived on. Wincing slightly, she felt a pulse of pain from her headache. ‘I’m gonna have to strengthen that.’ Concentrating, she did so, and smiled as the pain faded. Thorak gently placed her down, and traced a path to the gray Dragon. Watching them, Sweetie looked toward the Dragon egg, knowing it wouldn’t be coming. While she knew Thorak was disappointed about this, he had agreed she couldn’t carry it across Equestria. “So what is this ‘Crystal Empire’ anyway?” Glaring at her, Garble was in no mood for jokes. Deciding to answer honestly for now, she to gave the Dragon a big bone. “It’s just a city made out of crystal.” Seeing the Dragon’s mouth begin to water, Sweetie giggled, smiling as she watched the sun set. Author's Note 22 Six l.
L79There were a few things Sweetie could stand. Occasional pangs of pain? Manageable. Working out what to do for that Loop? Well, as long as she had her list...But a Dragon telling her exactly what he hated about ponies for an hour straight? Well, there was only so much patience she had. “Could you shut up!” Sweetie gave Garble one of the most glaringest glares she could muster, watching him blink, and look to her glowing horn. Gulping, he looked away, and mumbled a quick apology. Sighing, Sweetie finally enjoyed the silence, watching the Crystal Empire from her tent as midnight finally ticked over. Stepping out, she began packing it up, casting the spell to make her bags bigger, and increasing her size slightly to match normal adult pony size. “Here we are, without having caused mass panic too.” Smiling, Sweetie trotted toward the town, Garble slinking after her with a grumble. Looking around, Sweetie saw that while most of the city was asleep, a few places were still awake. If Sweetie had to guess, those were night clubs. She shuddered for some reason, and continued toward the only inn open at this time. Opening the door with her magic, she waited for Garble to get inside, and approached the Stallion who was reading a book behind the counter. Approaching it, she took out the money for the room. The Stallion looked between them, doing a double take on Garble. “And here’s a little extra to cover my friend.” Smiling sweetly, Sweetie put a few extra bits on the table. The Stallion smiled, knowing the language of money well. Writing down their reservation, he held out a key, and escorted them to their room. Opening the door, Sweetie waved goodbye to the Stallion, and closed the door behind Garble. Sitting down on the bed, she yawned. “You weren’t kidding about this place being mostly Crystal.” Garble was looking out the window with narrowed eyes. the glowing structures glittered in the moonlight. Smiling, Sweetie levitated out a gem for Garble, who took it and munched on it as he looked out. On his back was a saddlebag hanging off his wings. They were both filled to the brim with gems. “I’m gonna get some sleep, wake me up when the sun is higher than the houses.” Lifting up the blanket, Sweetie slipped into her bed, nodding once to Garble. Glancing to her, Garble gave a nod, returning to watching the city. He seemed almost entranced by it. Closing her eyes, Sweetie focused on getting some sleep. “Hey, wake up.” As she was shaken awake, Garble’s voice rang through. Groaning, she sat up and saw the sun was where she had asked him to wake her at. Stretching, a few of her joints cracked, and she smiled, unpacking her bag of most of her belongings to leave room for her to shop. “Thanks Garble, what do you want to see first?” Locking the door behind them, Sweetie noticed Garble hadn’t unpacked his bags, and shrugged mentally. The Dragon seemed to eat a lot regardless, Sweetie wasn’t sure that they would last the week with that amount. “I don’t know, you said you have some sort of book?” Looking to the Pony, Garble watched as she fished out a tourist guide book. Flicking through it as they headed for the desk, he frowned. Pulling out some bits, Sweetie paid for the remaining week, and turned to watch Garble as he stopped on a page, and turned it toward Sweetie. “You want to see the tiny sheep? Well okay, you know you can’t eat them right?” Raising an eyebrow, Sweetie met Garble's glare of annoyance, and shrugged, leading them outside of the inn. As they walked, Sweetie looked at the various Crystal ponies, admiring their appearance as Garble and her walked. “Wow, a Dragon.” Soon enough, ponies began to notice Garble, and he looked to Sweetie. Musing for a moment, she simply smiled, and stood tall and proud as they walked. Garble watched this for a moment, and then looked toward the small petting Zoo they were heading towards. “Oh wow, look at them, they’re so cuuute.” Fawning over the multicolored sheep, Sweetie patted a bright pink one, giggling as it baa’ed at her. Garble watched this, and smirked. “Look at them, so stupid, how could you find something so weak cute? I could kill one of these without breaking a sweat.” Smirking, Garble laughs as he picked one up, watching it baa in fright. Blowing fire slightly, he lit a tiny bit of the wool alight, causing it to smoke. “Garble!” Glaring at the Dragon, Sweetie snatched the poor sheep, dousing the smoking wool with a small bit of water. Glaring at the Dragon, she watched as he looked toward the horrified expressions of the ponies, and rubbed his hands together. As they saw this, they screamed, and scattered. Garble said nothing as he once more looked to Sweetie, who rolled her eyes and sighed, placing the poor sheep down and watching all remaining run away. Pulling out the tourist book, she flipped through it, and looked for something to do with no animals or flammable materials. Pausing on a page about a sprinting event they practiced for, Sweetie looked to Garble, showing it to him. “Sounds like fun,” he smirked. Turning, they began to walk toward the large open area near the Stadium. Looking at it, Garble’s wings twinged for a moment, and he grabbed a gem out to munch on. Walking over to a Stallion with blue hair and a white body, Sweetie politely asked about the sprinting event. “Oh hey, yeah if you want I can grab a few guards to race you. If you win, we give you a grand tour of the Palace. You in?” Smiling, he winked at Garble, who bristled under the challenge, and smirked, giving a nod. The Stallion whistled, calling forth five Stallions in armor. Saluting him, the Stallion grinned and turned toward the Dragon. “Alright, a few ground rules. No flying, and stay on the track. Sound alright to you?” Winking, The Stallion once more watched as Garble removed the saddlebags being carried on his wings, and marched onto the track. The five guards took their places, and the Stallion thought of a final point. “Oh! And no knocking out the other competitors, this is a nice, fair game. Got it?” Once more, The Stallion watched Garble, who nodded, preparing for the run. chuckling, the Stallion winked at Sweetie, who finally got a good look at his Cutie Mark. It was a shield with the same pattern as Twilight’s Mark. “On your marks, get set, go!” Garble rocketed forward, running as fast as he could. Blinking in surprise, he watched as the ponies easily outpaced him, and he frowned, putting all his energy on running. Sadly, even while he got second place, he didn’t win the race. Growling, he leered at the first place soldier. Glancing to his commander, the guard used all of his training to stay in place. “Rotten luck, you can try again if you want.” The Stallion smiled warmly at Garble, who turned his attention on him, clenching his fist as smoke left his nostrils. Sweetie stepped between them, narrowing her eyes at the Stallion. “Are you by any chance related to Twilight?” As Sweetie watched, the Stallion's eyes widened, she knew she was right on the money. Thinking back to her faint memory of Cadance's wedding, her mind clicked, and she remembered the name. Smiling, she realised she should have recognised him earlier. “You’re Shining Armor! I remember now. I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie saw Shining do the same, giving a chuckle as they both reconciled. Sure, they hadn’t really spent much time knowing the other, but it was amusing to realise they had forgotten the other. “Well in that case, let me give you a tour of the Castle regardless, Cadance will be thrilled to see you, I’m sure.” Shining smiled, and then frowned, looking Sweetie over. “Why are you...older than I remember?” Frowning, he watched as Sweetie concentrated, shrinking to her old age. Blinking away the magic, he turned, and began leading them to the Castle. Garble followed, glaring at the both of them. “Sweetie Belle, it is so nice to see you again. And you’ve got your Cutie Mark, congratulations!” Cadance smiled at Sweetie, who stayed small for the purposes of the visit. Giving each a beaming smile, she looked to Garble, noticing him trying to sneak looks at the rooms. “Mind if we get a tour?” Giving a smile, Sweetie watched as the two adults jumped to action. As they were escorted around, Sweetie was interested, hearing about the various history, even on how it came to be. Garble listened to this quietly, a permanent frown on his face. “And we’re back at the entrance, which brings me to a question, if you don’t mind Sweetie. Why are you here alone?” Cadance frowned, and Sweetie begrudgingly gave Cadance her Looping note. Returning to an adult size, Sweetie waited as the two read it, and blushed deeply. Folding the note back up, they coughed as Sweetie retrieved the note. “Well, you have fun exploring The Crystal Empire...Sweetie.” Giving an embarrassed farewell, Sweetie followed Garble back to the inn just as it become dinnertime. Dropping by a fast food place, Sweetie grabbed herself a meal, and followed Garble up to the room, where they ate quietly. “Garble, can I ask you a question?” Raising her head, Sweetie looked to Garble, who gave a nod. “Why do you insist that you hate Ponies?” Looking him honestly in the eyes, she watched him visibly cringe, dropping various gems on the floor. Glaring at her, he growled. “Garble,” she said simply, no opinion in her voice. Pausing, Garble growled once more, picking up the gems quietly. After finishing that, he walked over to the window, and looked out it. “Because I’m the oldest Dragon of the hatchlings. They expect me to hate them.” After speaking, Garble sat back down on the bed, continuing to eat. Sweetie did the same, silence between them. “What do you really think?” Their eyes met, and Sweetie simply looked at Garble. Giving another sigh, he looked to the window. “I think you are interesting creatures, capable of so much, and yet so weak. How can something so weak create an Empire as strong as you have? Just don’t repeat this, okay?” Looking toward Sweetie, Garble blinked as she gave a smile, and nodded. Taking a bite of their food, the silence turned into a warmer atmosphere, and the two decided to enjoy the week, and nothing more. “You’re still namby pamby though,” he commented, and Sweetie snorted, covering her amusement with another bite of her food. Author's Note 21 Five com
L80“So how long is this going to take exactly?” Garble looked toward Sweetie as she glided beside him, his own wings flapping occasionally to keep him in the air. Smiling, Sweetie looked at the landscape below them, looking for anything interesting. At the moment they were going over the plains part of Equestria, where there was not much to see beyond the occasional pool of water, and the large lake going south-west. “A couple days. I want to spend time seeing everything in Equestria while we’re on our way back.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie saw the annoyance on Garble’s face, and she pulled out another gem. Tossing it to him, he stopped grumping and lapsed into miffed silence. Looking back at the land as they flew, Sweetie smiled, seeing a large crevice. “Oooh!” Gliding down, they flew into it and looked around the inside. There was a strong downdraft, but Sweetie blocked it with a makeshift spell, bursting with pride when it worked. Looking around, she saw all the many caves in the sides, and noticed Garble gravitating to one. Following his lead, Sweetie soon saw why. “Woah,” she said in awe, watching as the cave opened up to a dark pool, lit by the thousands of glowworms on the ceiling. Flipping onto her back, Sweetie marveled at how it was almost like a personal double sky. Garble looked at this for a moment, and then crouched near a wall, digging at it. Soon enough, he unearthed a large gem, and smiled. “Ready to continue?” Smiling, Sweetie waited as Garble once more rose, and they flew out of the crevice. Loving their quiet little find, Sweetie wondered if she could ever take one of her friends here if she ever got out. Shaking her head, Sweetie quickly focused on other things, looking for anything else that was interesting. “Geronimo!” Diving into the water, Sweetie giggled as she was tossed around by the raging waterfall. With the spell on to shield her from being hurt, it was actually quite fun. Garble hovered above, watching this. Poking her head back above the water, Sweetie approached land, and shook herself dry, sighing in bliss. “Alright, we can go.” Flaring her wings, Sweetie took to the air and hovered next to Garble as she pulled out the map. Tracing their path east, she found the waterfall, and then traced a path south. Nodding, she folded up the map, and they flew off. Garble glanced back toward the waterfall for a moment, and then followed Sweetie. “Uh, do ponies normally come with bat-wings?” Garble landed beside Sweetie as they entered a town with a tree canopy so thick, it was like night inside. Looking around, Sweetie dimmed her horn so they could just see, giving a smile in apology to the Bat-Ponies who lived here. Shaking her head, she turned to Garble. “No, Batponies are very rare. This is the only town I know of where they live actually.” Looking around, Sweetie noticed how normal it seemed despite their appearance, and was reminded what Cheerilee had told her about Bat-Ponies. ‘They are ponies, just like us. Their difference is only skin deep.’ “Huh,” was all Garble said in response, looking around curiously. Eventually, Sweetie felt her wings twitch once more, knowing it was time to continue on. Opening up her map, Sweetie traced a path past Canterlot, toward the next place of interest. Smiling, she flared her wings, watching Garble do the same, and they took into the air. “I gotta say, Pegasi have great food.” Munching down the wonderful food of Cloudsdale, she looked to Garble, and returned her eyes to the map in her magic. Looking to their next destination, Sweetie wondered if she’d be able to find a woodworker in Cloudsdale. Garble munched on his gems, noticing that his bags were now empty. “Don’t worry Garble, I packed gems for you.” Smiling, Sweetie levitated out two handfuls of gems, holding them out to Garble. Muttering a quick thanks, he placed them in his saddlebags. Finishing her meal, Sweetie and Garble took to the sky, continuing on their path. Both ignored the stares they got, having quickly gotten used to it in The Crystal Empire. “I don’t know if this is safe…” Garble looked down the gorge, biting his lip as the cliff stretched before them. Cantering broke him out of this, and he watched Sweetie do a backflip off the top of the cliff, and pull out her wooden board. As she angled herself with her wings, the cliffside rapidly approached, curving downward. “Well, here goes nothing.” Garble jumped off, holding his own board with an iron grip. As the cliff hit the wood, he smacked his nose against the wood, and watched one of his teeth be knocked out by the force. Focus quickly diverted to the next hit coming, he leaned back, and rode the hit as they bounced down the cliff. “Whooo! Oh jeez, are you ok Garble?” Immediately noticing his mouth was bleeding, Sweetie was waved away by Garble. Opening his mouth, he showed off where the tooth had come out, and Sweetie’s ears flopped down. Garble picked up the board, and glanced to the top of the cliff. “I’ll race you?” Looking back at Sweetie, Garble flinched as two arms wrapped around him, before a white blue dove to the top of the cliff. Looking up, he sighed, rubbing his mouth where it was sore. Flaring his wings, he joined Sweetie at the top of the cliff. “Alright, one race, but then we’ve gotta head past the Unicorn Range to Tall Tale.” “How exactly did ponies make these?” Looking at the huge buildings, Garble couldn’t believe his eyes. Ponies were moving around in them, doing their daily lives as if this was normal. Giggling, Sweetie directed his eyes to a construction half-built. Looking at it, Garble saw that every pony down there was a Unicorn. “Unicorn magic helps reinforce it so it’s really strong.” Pointing at it, Sweetie smiled, watching them work from their perch on top of one of the higher buildings. Sure, she couldn’t pick out details from this distance, but if she ever thought of it, she’d like to come back and explore this town. “So why aren’t we going to that town?” Looking down, Garble pointed toward a cloud city that had a mountain with the word ‘Applewood’ on it. Flipping onto her back, Sweetie opened her mouth to explain. “I’m not here to explore pony cities, I can save them for a different loop. I’m here to see everything in Equestria. That’s why we’re heading straight for the desert.” Giving a smile, Sweetie flipped back right-side up, and they continued on. Garble felt a cramp starting in his wings, and bit his lip. “There, an oasis!” Gliding down to land, they both dived into the water as steam rose off it. Surprisingly, it was cool despite the blistering heat around them. Creating an air bubble underneath the water’s surface, they looked around, and broke out laughing. “Alright, I’ll admit, we should have brought some water,” commented Sweetie, and Garble raised an eyebrow in response, before folding his arms and snorting. “Leave it to a pony to forget something needed to live.” They both shared a glare, and then broke out laughing once more. “Alright, we’ll wait for nightfall, and head back to the bowl then.” Thorak looked toward the horizon as two forms appeared from the west. The sun behind him, he soon recognised them, and roared in greeting. The Dragons quickly joined in, continuing until the two landed. Both were obviously exhausted, but full of energy at the same time. Garble quickly said goodbye, and went to brag to the other Dragons. “Some things never change,” she commented, watching Garble quickly resume his place on top. Thorak rumbled in amusement, and they sat in silence for a moment. “Why did you ask me to take him with me?” Looking to Thorak, Sweetie watched as his large mouth opened. “Perspective is important for a leader.” Thorak pointed toward Garble, and Sweetie flicked her ear, turning into the conversation. “-I bet it sucked being stuck with a whimpy little pony, right Garble?” A stout Dragon smirked, poking Garble in the ribs. Turning to the dragon, Garble growled, voice growing low as he spoke. “Now listen here, just because something is small, doesn’t mean it is weak. Ponies might be namby as all pamby, but I have never seen the pony behind me be anything but steel.” Looking the Dragon evenly in the eyes, Garble straightened up, towering over the Dragon. They all shared a glance, and then mumbled quick apologies. Glancing to Sweetie, Garble and her shared a glance. “...I wonder if turning myself into a swamp monster would earn their respect,” she muttered quietly. Musing on this, Sweetie shrugged it off. “Nah, Garble’s got this.” Smiling, Sweetie gave him a wave, and watched him turn back to the other Dragon’s. As he spoke, he spoke of his experiences, skipping the part where he has burned a sheep. Chuckling, Sweetie was silently glad of that. After all, it was hard to maintain her status as a strong, but small, race when most ponies had run at the sight of Garble burning a sheep slightly. “Have you found a place of residence?” Looking down to Sweetie, Thorak waited as she formed a response. “I’m thinking of Canterlot. There’s this inn I stayed at. I think I’ve got it down pat enough that I should be able to stay there without any problems. Plus, with the train it makes transporting your egg easier.” Smiling, Sweetie looked to Thorak, who bowed his head in gratitude. With the plans sorted of where Sweetie would be staying, she gave a yawn, settling in for a calm rest after a long and arduous Loop. Author's Note 20 Four /who
L81Opalescence played with the mouse. It was one of the things she did on a weekly basis, right after the reset. Finished playing, she ate it without a second thought, and stalked past Sweetie Belle’s room, sneaking a look inside. Sure enough, there was a flash of light as a note appeared on the bed. Yawning, Opal skulked downstairs, eating her food and drinking her water. Finished that, she paced in a circle a few times in one corner of the room, and then curled into a ball. Closing her eyes, her ears flickered once, and she was soon asleep. After a moment, a spark seemed to rise out of her head, and pass through the wall of the house, becoming invisible. Rising into the sky, the magic spark rocketed toward Canterlot, heading purposely toward an Inn. Arriving at it, it went through the wall, and found a spider in one corner of the room. The spider didn’t react, however it did slowly turn toward the one heat signature in the room. Its web vibrated as it spoke. Slowly, the vibrations formed specific patterns, and the spider translated them into words. “Okay, let’s try this again, hrrrg!” Sweetie concentrated, focusing on the spell she had used Twilight Mode to create. Slowly, her hoof began to dissipate slightly, becoming almost a shadowy outline. Two more followed, before the spell fizzled, and she sighed. Pulling out some fabric from her bag, she smiled to it. “Oh well, if I can’t do Sombra, I can pretend to be Mare-Do-Well.” Giggling, Sweetie changed her height, and got dressed. Concentrating, she also grew wings, ensuring they were hid expertly under the cape. Nodding, she opened the window, glancing toward all her items. The chances of her accidentally causing a reset were low, so she took the chance and left them in her room. As Sweetie flew out of the room, the spark also left the Spider, once more passing through the ceiling and making a beeline for a bird high in the sky. There was a brief moment where the bird faltered mid-flap, before steadying out and settling into a glide above the flying pony. As Sweetie flew, she began to sing a merry tune to herself. Gliding to land, the bird picked a spot on top of a house, watching as Sweetie used her knowledge of events to both cause and stop events. Preening, the bird merely watched, doing nothing. Eventually, the Elements confronted Sweetie, who never gave away her disguise. Eventually, it became night time, and the bird closed its eyes, the spark leaving and following Sweetie once more into the inn room. “Glad the Ponyville inn is cheap,” she spoke, taking off her disguise as she closed the door, and closed the curtains. Looking out at everything from a crack, she smiled at today, and then turned toward the desk. Writing on it, she began to plan out her actions for tomorrow. Giggling, she wondered just how much mischief she could get away with before being caught. As the light turned off, the spark once more rose out of the spider, and dissipated. Opal opened her eyes, stretching casually as Rarity came in the door, giving her a weak smile, quickly going back to worry about her sister. Stalking upstairs, Opal swished her tail, heading for her bed. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep in her cat bed. ’She is growing stronger, that much is certain. We’re nearing the end, finally.’ ‘I was lucky, in some aspects, to gain such a strong resourceful filly, no matter. When this is over, I will gain what I want, and she will return to her life, unharmed, unknowing.’ ‘There are two rogue elements in my spell, I must prepare for the case that they might interfere. Both are powerful, maybe too powerful. Hopefully my safety measures hold. The Dragons shouldn’t be able to gain access, and Discord would need to go against his very nature.’ ‘Still, I must prepare. As the images blur together, she will soon descend to the most destructive part of this process. The Dragons might resist now, but I must include them in the spell before that happens.’ ‘Or at the very least, I must prepare to limit the damage she can do. As her power grows, her chains must grow tighter.’ He laughs ‘The years of waiting, finally I will succeed where I failed.’ ‘And no one can stop me.’ Author's Note 19 Three is You asked for Seriousness, here ya go.
L83‘Finally, the serum is complete.’ The scientist hugged the phial with a giddy glee, looking toward his notes as he corked the fluid, and placed it in a beaker. Locking his door, he trotted down toward the Scientific discovery office. Once they saw his invention, they would have to give him a meeting with the Princess. ‘There’s a lot of Pegasi around today…’ Glancing up, the scientist adjusted his glasses, and then widened his eyes. There were no wings on the back of the ponies. Turning, he saw a poster about the exact same serum he had just created, and the free taste testing going on in the square he had been going to announce it. “Tonic! Tonic! Get yer tonic! Guaranteed to make you fly!” There she was, a white pony with pink bobbing curls and a music Cutie Mark. Growling, he marched over and thrust a hoof at her, face beetroot red and scrunched up. Blinking, he coughed, took a step back, and began his rant. “What are you doing with MY tonic! I just created this!” Breathing through his nose, his glare sent children crying. The mare looked him over, and then pulled out a notebook titled ‘research notes’. It was in a different hoofwriting too. Snatching it, the scientist could only widen his eyes as his notes, perfectly scripted in a different hoof, opened before him. What was more, the dates were different. “But, it, I-” The scientist’s mind failed to compute the situation before him, and he fainted. Taking the note back, Sweetie casually burned them, looking down as a twinge of guilt passed through her before getting swiftly squashed. Levitating the pony, she placed him on the stand, and wrote out a note. ’You will find the proper notes under the desk.’ Slipping it under his hoof, Sweetie teleported away as a spell weaved through the air, quickly rousing him. Snorting awake, the scientist read the note, and pulled out exact duplicates of the notes he had just created, ink dry and writing formalised. “Mister, may I have a potion?” A young white filly with curled hair approached, and the scientist rubbed his eyes, seeing the Cutie Mark. Confused as he was, he numbly hoofed over a potion, and rubbed his temple. Smiling sweetly, Sweetie turned, trotting away with her potion. Turning around a corner, she glanced back. The scientist hoofed out another potion, and sighed, unable to comprehend the events of today. According to the documentation, he had submitted the potion on Monday, despite it being Wednesday. What’s more, he had an appointment with Princess Celestia on Friday. While he should be happy, his brain kept trying to work out how this was feasibly possible. ‘I wonder how he’ll handle this,’ mused Sweetie, turning and heading toward her inn. Arriving, she rummaged through her saddlebags, and gave the egg a gentle pat, smiling as she looked out the window. Finished that, she drunk down the potion, and dove out the window, flying toward the castle entrance. ’It shouldn’t be too hard for Celestia to pass me off as an Alicorn again.’ Author's Note 17 one Note: To make things a little suspenseful, I'll leave the final word secret.
L84“Please?” “No.” “Please?” “No, I said no!” “Please?” “I SAID NO!” “Please?” “You’ve been doing this for an hour no and the answer is still no!” “...” “...” “Pleeee-” “Oh for Changeling’s sake! FINE!” “Yaay~” Sweetie hugged Chrissy and rubbed her face against the chest. Using her adorable child form, she giggled as Chrissy simply looked away, blushing as the love from Sweetie went to her head. Standing up, Sweetie trotted a few steps away, and turned, giving a wicked smile. Chrissy sighed, standing up herself and looking to her hungry Changelings. “Alright, what’s your plan?” Knowing she was gonna regret asking, Chrissy could only watch as the filly scrunched her face up, and transformed into a Changeling. Examining the magic, Chrissy saw it only changed the surface, due to the fact she couldn’t detect the sensory gland. Looking it over, Chrissy began to scowl. “You fool, our holes are Annulus, not round! And your ears are slightly too high on the-” As Chrissy spoke, Sweetie obeyed, changing everything to her disguise. Soon enough, even Chrissy was satisfied with the level of detail. Finally, Sweetie pulled out a slip of paper, holding it out to Chrissy. “Is this a spell to...stop that green spell that disrupts our disguise?” Seeing the nod, Chrissy smiled, quickly focusing the magic into her horn. Using the energy harvested only moment ago from the filly, she sent out a pulse, covering her Changeling army in a thin coat. Only good enough for one blast. “This...might actually work.” Turning toward Sweetie, Chrissy was taken aback by the snort the filly gave as she turned to leave. “Might? Pff, there is no might about it.” “Twilight?” Walking into the castle, Sweetie looked at Twilight as she closed her book. Walking over, she let a gleeful smile fall on her face. Bemused, Twilight waited for the influx of words. “I just learned an awesome spell! Let me show it to you!” Concentrating, Sweetie pretended to make it a hard challenge. Watching this, Twilight smiled warmly, waiting to see what Sweetie had learned. Of course, that was the last thought she had as the spell hit her, and she was knocked out cold. “You can come out now,” spoke Sweetie as she tied up Twilight. Chrissy came out, and ordered the hive to begin creating the containers for the ponies. Watching this, Sweetie wondered what it was like being inside one, before shaking it off. Chrissy placed Twilight inside, and Sweetie roused the Princess, letter her ‘disguise’ fall. Twilight gasped, “Chrysalis!” Scowling, she grunted, trying to struggle and get unbound. Failing that, she tried to cast magic, but found it being drained the moment she brought it to her horn. Chrissy smiled, and gave an evil laugh. You had to admire an expert in action. “My Queen, the beds are prepared.” A Changeling approached, bowing before stepping back. Chrysalis smirked, and everything turned into their disguises. Looking to Sweetie, Chrissy watches as her horn began to teleport small groups around town. Each group had a unicorn, just in case someone questioned them. “Whew,” she spoke, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Teleporting so many really played off her endurance. Sure, she was getting better, but Sweetie still wasn't satisfied. Following Chrissy outside, Sweetie watched her don a Twilight disguise. As they stood out the front, they both shared a nod, and perked their ears. Sure enough, sounds of fear and cries of panic rose. Soon enough, the entire town was covered in a black cloud that was rapidly shifting, shrinking, and moving. Slowly at first, but quickly increasing in speed, the Changelings began to bring the ponies into the castle, sealing them in cocoons. “-estia .... -it.” That voice, Sweetie slammed the door open and looked to Twilight, who was talking to Spike. Firing off a flame spell at the scroll in his hand, Sweetie scowled as her flame didn’t reach it in time, and it was sent. Glancing to Chrissy, they narrowed their eyes, and the Changelings began to work even faster. Soon enough, the entire town was deadly silent. Both flew up to a roof to await their arrival. “I’ve gathered as much love as I can,” spoke Chrissy, glancing to Sweetie, who was currently covering them in strong shields. There was no doubt a fight would ensue. Gulping, her mind quailed. They would be battling the Princesses. Could they do it? What if they- “Relax, Sweetie Belle. Their strengths are in endurance, not power.” Bringing a wing around Sweetie, they watched as two glowing specks, one brighter than a star and one as bright as the sun. With a flash, they were in front. Then Chrissy dropped her disguise, there was no need for it. “Release our little ponies.” Commanding an overpowering presence, Celestia’s eyes burned with fire, and the two took a small step back, before starting directly at the sun. Luna hovered beside, glowing brightly while an aura of darkness swirled around her. Glancing to Chrysalis, Sweetie gave an unsure glance. “Never.” Chrysalis was anything if not graceful. Standing tall and proud, without anything hiding her, she presented a powerful presence by merely being as she was. In awe of this, Sweetie almost missed the que. Turning, she locked onto Luna, glancing to Chrissy. Lowering their horns, trusting Sweetie’s shield, they fired their bolts of raw magic power at Luna. “What!?” Caught off guard, Celestia’s attack halted just as the shield shattered, earning Chrissy only minor burns. Luna struggled with all her might against it, but was quickly overwhelmed. Turning, the two spared no time to let Celestia recover, and managed to get a quick upper hand in the power struggle. Wings flaring, the sun rose behind Celestia, blinding them and empowering her. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie poured as much as she could into the link, closing her eyes as she tried to not lose this fight. All three cried out as they used all their power. Celestia felt herself being pushed back, and opened one eye, widening it as she saw the beam pick up speed, and knock her down. Both collapsed, Chrissy glancing to the castle, calling the Changelings out to place the two Princesses in a bed before they woke. While they did that, the two shared a laugh. Collapsing, Sweetie closed her eyes, exhausted beyond compare. Looking at this, Chrissy smiled, slowly moving a hoof down the fur on the filly’s back. “You’re such a child sometimes.” “So, what do we do now?” Looking around, Sweetie watched as the Changelings ensured all the ponies were fed, bathed, and kept in top condition while they dreamt. Thin green lines were being sent around the castle, showing just how quickly the Changelings were regaining strength. In fact, Chrissy was slowly losing her holes. “Well, I don’t know about you Sweetie Belle, but I plan to regain my nation's strength, and then discuss some sort of agreement with Celestia so we may feed occasionally.” The annoyed tone in her voice suggested how smoothly that would go. Sighing, Sweetie stood up, stretching her aching joints. It was strange how magic made the entire body ache. “Well, it’s been fun Chrissy, see you if I see you.” Waving goodbye, Sweetie grew wings and flew out the front door. Watching this, Chrysalis wondered if she would ever see that filly again. Well, would she remember it? Author's Note 16 Poaxal Plincopt Corochiaxa Ug axalo pit chupid lurol. Do to popular complaint, I have changed Chrysalis's nickname to Chrissy
L85The dark blue pony with a Cutie Mark consisting of two double quavers opened his eyes. Shaking his slightly darker blue mane, he smiled, sitting up and looking towards the piano resting in the corner of the room. Rising, he walked over to the window, opening it and smiling as the sun warmed him. “Good mooorning world,” he whispered to himself, closing his eyes as a fresh breeze washed over him. Chuckling, he turned, heading for his piano. Sitting down, he brushed his hoof along the smooth surface. After a moment, he flipped open the lid, and pressed a single key. As the single note rang out, his ears flickered. In the distance, a violin began to play, joined by the sound of a bass beat, likely coming from the unlikely duo down the street. If he really perked his ears, he could also hear a lyre being played. Hovering his hooves over the piano, he closed his eyes, and breathed out, letting the music wash through him. “Good morning world,” he sung, playing the notes that melded his voice with the song already outside. Wordlessly, the song changed, welcoming his presence, and they began to play. Key presses soon transformed into a more complex beat, and his quiet voice slowly faded. Mouth still moving, his mind was focused completely on his task. “-Giving way to the dawn of this new day.” Playing a few notes, all sound slowly faded, and the sounds of Ponyville waking began to fill the silence. Sitting there for a few moments, he merely listened to it, a smile on his face. Finally, the smells of breakfast blew in through the window, and he rose to make some toast. Eating his breakfast, Noteworthy looked out the window, planning his day. Wiping his mouth, he stood up, and left his home. Looking around, he noticed one of the local kids glance toward him as she passed. Flashing a smile, he turned to lock his door, and headed toward the markets for shopping. “Half a dozen cherries please,” he spoke, holding out the money. Putting the cherries in his bag, he turned, heading for Applejack’s stall. Placing his order, he turned to his final location, Sugarcube Corner, and entered. Sure enough, Pinkie Pie was watching the register. Giving a warm smile, they both nodded in greeting. “Could I get some pie crust? Gonna bake myself a pie for dinner. Oh, and one cupcake as well.” Taking his items, Noteworthy bid farewell, and left the building. Heading towards home, he noticed Lyra playing on a bench, and tossed her three bits. The two exchanged a musician's knowing look, and he moved on. Dropping his items off at his house, Noteworthy moved the basket of apples Applejack had delivered inside, and once more locked the house. Turning, he trotted cheerfully toward the local restaurant. Heading inside, he punched himself into work, and put on his apron. Turning, he began to serve customers. The moment the sun hit the horizon, he punched out, hanging up the apron. A bag of bits was tossed toward him, and he waved goodbye to his employer. Walking home, Noteworthy yawned, entering his house. Looking around, he flicked on the light, and moved to make dinner. Eating it, his eyes closed, a smile on his face. The sun finally set, and the moon rose. Rising, Noteworthy headed to his bedroom just as the sounds of music began once more. Joining in, his voice managed to muster the energy to sing, despite his exhausted state. As their song went over Ponyville, lights began to turn off. Even the electronic sounds of the DJ was smooth, easing ponies into their night. “Day is done, gone the sun, From the lake, from the hills, from the sky; All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.” Yawning, Sweetie Belle looked to her notes, and began her flight back to Canterlot. There was no rush, and she could sleep all day now her task was done. Watching a pony's day was exhausting, but it would be worth it. Putting the notebook in her saddlebag, she glided over the town, humming the song to herself. Smiling, she sighed, looking toward the stars. As they twinkled, she almost hesitated. “No, he won’t remember it after a few days anyway.” Author's Note 15 Ug rot vo spoct wheuls, daxays, wooks welkick en sporrs zaxat ug wisk bel. Sporrs te whorp, sporrs te poboct, axarr ‘suggochow’ fupp ug axas Pum klod an. Pum waxas pleud te solvo ug, fut hon Pum waxas baxacow um zo staxanco te focemo dimmeltaxar? Hon vupp losoaxalstow tulnow an pit roaxad? It's a little short, sorry bout that.
L86Noteworthy opened his eyes. Shaking his mane, he smiled, sitting up and looking towards the piano resting in the corner of the room. Rising, he walked over to the window, opening it and smiling as the sun warmed him. “Good mooorning wo-” A pie implanted itself into his face, and he reared, falling backward as his mouth opened, crying out in alarm. As he thudded into the ground, he groaned, wiping the pie off his face and standing back up. Looking around, he saw someone had made a swinging device that activated upon him opening the window. ‘Strange…’ Musing on it, he frowned for a moment, before turning and heading toward his piano. For some reason, there was a cushion on the seat. Picking it up, Noteworthy recognised it as a whoopee cushion. Tossing it aside, he scanned the room for a moment, and sat down. Flipping open the lid, he pressed a single key. As the single note rang out, his ears flickered. In the distance, a violin began to play, joined by the sound of a bass beat, likely coming from the unlikely duo down the street. If he really perked his ears, he could also hear a lyre being played. Hovering his hooves over the piano, he closed his eyes, and breathed out, letting the music wash through him. “-Giving way to the dawn of this new day.” Playing a few notes, all sound slowly faded, and the sounds of Ponyville waking began to fill the silence. Sitting there for a few moments, he merely listened to it, a smile on his face. Finally, the smells of breakfast blew in through the window, and he rose to make some toast. Taking a bite of his breakfast, Noteworthy paused. Spitting it out, he dove for the sink, getting cold water on his tongue, eyes watering from the burn in his mouth. Sobbing slightly, he waited as the sting slowly lessened. Tossing the rest of his food in a bin, he decided to head out for today, grimacing as his stomach growled. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll spoil ourselves to pie tonight.’ Smiling at the thought, he noticed one of the local kids glance toward him as she passed. Flashing a smile, he turned to lock his door, and blinked. Somehow, the lock, along with the door handle, had vanished in the small time he hadn’t been watching. “Uhh, okay…” Turning, he began to trot toward the shopping district. While he preferred to lock his home, Ponyville was a safe district, so he wasn’t worried about being robbed. Turning the corner, he headed toward the cherry cart. Giving a warm smile, he reached into his bit bag. “Half a dozen cherries please,” he spoke, holding out the money. As the clerk began to pour the berries, they began to float. Small arms seemed to grow out of them, and a moaning began to sound. Looking at this, Noteworthy almost believed his cherries had come to life, and then he did a double-take. “Hold on, those ‘arms’ are just the skin slightly peeled off, and the moaning is just the cart. Not to mention, someone is levitating them.” Looking around, Noteworthy was unable to spot the pony doing it, and growled. The clerk packed him a new batch of cherries, and he began on his way. It was definite, someone was trying to screw with him. Quickly ordering his apples, he hastened to Sugarcube Corner, having a suspicion about who might be behind it. “Uh Pinkie Pie, are you pranking me?” Looking her deep in the eyes, Noteworthy only saw confusion as she shook her head. Sighing, he rubbed a hoof over his face, and placed his order. Not bothering to look at his order, he turned, heading for home. Glancing at the apples he had gotten delivered, he wasn’t surprised to find them all rotten. Tossing his items inside, he headed for work. Punching in, he forced himself to put on a smile. “Sir! This soup is already cold!” Oh it was one of those days. Sure, there were customers like this on good days, but sometimes there were just days when you could feel the storm rising up inside you. It took all his patience to make it through the shift. The moment the sun hit the horizon, he punched out, hanging up the apron. A bag of bits was tossed toward him, and he waved goodbye to his employer. Walking home, Noteworthy yawned, entering his house. Looking around, he flicked on the light, and moved to make dinner. Glancing inside his bag of bits on a hunch, he gritted his teeth and tossed them at the wall. Chocolate coins. As Noteworthy went to put the crust on the pie, he blinked, noting the strange color. Dumping the entire pie in the bin, he pulled out some noodles, and munched them angrily. The sun finally set, and the moon rose. Rising, Noteworthy headed to his bedroom just as the sounds of music began once more. ‘My throat still stings from the morning, but I can still play.’ Pressing down a key, a farting sound was heard, and Noteworthy screamed loudly, slamming the lid down on his piano. Turning, he slammed the window shut, and glanced toward the bed. Sitting down on the carpet, he curled into a ball. ‘Knowing my luck, there’s pins in the bed. Hopefully things are better tomorrow…’ Closing his eyes, Noteworthy prepared for a very uncomfortable sleep. Halfway through the night, he rose, and climbed into bed. Leaping out of it as pain registered, he brushed the pins out of the bed, and layed down. Noteworthy whimpered quietly as he finally got to sleep. “Right, so a few didn’t trigger.” Writing down her notes, Sweetie prepared to fix any pranks that hadn’t triggered, or had been detected. Leaving her scrying puddle, she turned. Flaring her wings, she began to fly back to Canterlot. Mind focused, she wondered what she could get away with while Noteworthy was asleep. Sweetie knew the whoopee cushion gag was necessary. Author's Note 14 “Chaxalswilr, zaxat’s unnaxatulaxar, pen’t cectund bulthol losoaxalst dinke dit.” Act riko zo beer Pum waxas, Pum axagloow.
L87Noteworthy opened his eyes. Shaking his mane, he smiled, sitting up and looking towards the piano resting in the corner of the room. Rising, he walked over to the window, opening it and smiling as the sun warmed him. “Good mooorning wo-” A pie implanted itself into his face, and he reared, falling backward as his mouth opened, crying out in alarm. As he thudded into the ground, he groaned, wiping the pie off his face and standing back up. Looking around, he saw someone had made a swinging device that activated upon him opening the window. ‘Strange…’ Musing on it, he frowned for a moment, before turning and heading toward his piano. As he sat down, the sound of farting filled his room, and he blinked, glancing to the seat. Standing up, he lightly pressed down on it, hearing the sound begin again. Pursing his lip, he examined the seat, and found a hole in the stitching. In the distance, a violin began to play, joined by the sound of a bass beat, likely coming from the unlikely duo down the street. If he really perked his ears, he could also hear a lyre being played. Sadly, Noteworthy was too busy trying to remove a whoopie cushion from his seat to stop and join in. Finally, he pulled out the whoopie cushion, and his eyes narrowed as the song ended. ‘Just great, the one good thing we do as street neighbors, and I missed it.’ If he had of been more confident, Noteworthy might have approached them, possibly become closer friends. But even thinking about it made him shudder with fear. Heading downstairs, he prepared breakfast. Taking a bite of his breakfast, Noteworthy paused. Spitting it out, he dove for the sink, getting cold water on his tongue, eyes watering from the burn in his mouth. Sobbing slightly, he waited as the sting slowly lessened. Tossing the rest of his food in a bin, he decided to head out for today, grimacing as his stomach growled. ‘This day is going swimmingly. Hopefully nothing else happens today.’ Mouth downturned, he noticed one of the local kids glance toward him as she passed. Flashing a smile, he turned to lock his door, and blinked. Somehow, the lock, along with the door handle, had vanished in the small time he hadn’t been watching. ‘Of course,’ Scowling, he simply turned and continued on his way. His shopping venture didn’t go better either. What’s worse, Pinkie Pie wasn’t behind it. Who was pranking him? Why? Could it be Vinyl? Sighing, Noteworthy punched into work, already exhausted from his day. Breathing in, he managed to put a smile on his face. “Sir! This soup is already cold!” Oh it was one of those days. Sure, there were customers like this on good days, but sometimes there were just days when you could feel the storm rising up inside you. However, with each customer Noteworthy served, his mood only got worse. It took everything he had to not say anything. In the end, it wasn’t good enough. “Would you shut up for Celestia’s sake!?” Shouting at the customer, Noteworthy backpedaled, and glanced to his boss, who was serving the drinks at the counter. Beckoned over, Noteworthy had no choice but to follow orders, and his ears flopped back as the boss simple told him this was his final week here. ‘I’m fired.’ After such a terrible day, Noteworthy was ready to cry. In fact, upon arriving home, and finding that his pie was inedible, he couldn’t even bring himself to make noodles. Sobbing into the counter, he only rose when the sounds of music echoed down the street. Rising, he clung to the hope he could have one moment of happiness. As the fart sound rang out at the press of a key, and his voice still sore from breakfast, Noteworthy collapsed on the carpet and cried. Looking to his bed, he pulled off the sheet to expose the pins, but didn’t factor in the fact some would get flung at him. Pulling them out, he slumped in bed, and sobbed. “Right, so all the pranks went off without a hitch. It resulted in him crying though, might need to tone it down for regular ponies in the future.” Finishing her notes, Sweetie ended the magic on the puddle that allowed her to see Noteworthy's day. Pocketing her notes, she took a seat on a roof, and looked along the town. “Alright, so who’s next.” Concentrating, Sweetie twirled herself around rapidly in her magic, and stuck a hoof out, stopping herself. the moment her eyes stopped spinning, she looked to the house she had chosen, and made note of its location. Pulling out a list of ponies and where they live, she was surprised to find out Cheerilee lived there. Musing on this, Sweetie considered the best way to prank her. “Maybe turning her into a filly? That might be amusing to watch. I should make a list of pranks for specific ponies, now my list of things to do has run out.” Thinking aloud, Sweetie soon noticed a lone pony walking down the street. Blinking, she breathed in sharply, realising it was Noteworthy. Flaring her wings, she dove for her scrying puddle, and cast the spell. “Right, here we are.” Coming to a stop, Noteworthy looked out upon the cliff, and sighed, sitting down. Hugging himself he sobbed quietly. Pursing her lip, Sweetie flared her wings, going to apologise, when he began to speak. Turning, she paused, listening in. “Uh hey Celestia, or whatever force governs this place. Listen, I know you’ve never liked me a-and you proved it when my p-parents disowned me. I m-mean, I understand you wanted me to go through trials, but I w-was finally happy with my life.” Closing his eyes, Noteworthy’s tears continued to flow. “But please, why did you give me such a terrible day? Without my job I can’t repair my piano. And I’m so hungry right now. Please, if this is because you are testing me, why? I don’t want more, I was happy. WHY!” Shouting out across the cliff face, Noteworthy shrunk as many grumpy pony voices told him to shut up. “I get it.” Standing up, his legs wobbled as he gulped, looking at the cliff. Sweetie’s eyes widened, and she flew off, going as fast as she can, teleporting most of the distance. “I’ll shut up then…” Closing his eyes, Noteworthy fell forward right off the cliff just as a hoof tried to grab him, missing him by an inch. Sweetie jumped, buzzing her wings as she tried to fly faster than terminal velocity. However, she wasn’t exactly a born flier, and she lacked true Pegasi magic. “Nooo!” Crying out, she watched as Noteworthy merely looked at her, eyes gray. What’s more, his Cutie Mark seemed to fade, as if he no longer believed in his destiny. Sweetie cast a shield over Noteworthy, along with a one over herself, and teleported to the ground. However, she had forgotten about her speed carrying over, and tumbled over, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to catch him. Bloodied, with one leg possibly broken, she blinked the pain away. There was a thud, and Sweetie turned, hope staining her face. Looking at the body, she waited for the dust to clear, slowly crawling over. As she got close, gasping breaths, gurgling coughs, reached her ears. Standing up, Sweetie approached, and looked down at Noteworthy, something impaling his chest. Their eyes met, before he closed his, and took his final breath. Sweetie blinked. Followed by another. And another. And another. Author's Note 13 Jed zeugh, Pum axam belcow te laxaco axagaxainch zo creng axas vupp timo tings pewn te dits binaxar socects. Arr focaxauso ug lobusow pit yeuck konius whis staxanco te vaxako ovolyeno rivo belovol. Ug axalo pit baxairulo axas pit lurol, Pum soo zaxat jed. If you think this is out of character, I have one thing to say: Party of one. Have another poem: Your taint grows blacker with this silent unbroken night, left with cold so sharp and painful. Soon you may forget, these feelings of despair, the light flickering to reveal this darkness. Soon, your love may fade away.
L88 “And so, I went to his house on Monday, and he didn’t even remember? Isn’t that super funny? Not a single memory, a single pippity peep you know? But that’s how it is you know, no one ever remembers. No one ever will.” Giggling to herself, Sweetie flinched, dragging her item through the dirt. For once, she was her normal height. Only those who knew her would recognise her. “Sweetie Belle.” That was Diamond Tiara, one of her bestest best friends in the world. “So it got me thinking, I mean really what punishment do I receive for all the crimes I cause? What is my karma? And then I realised it, this loop is my karma! I am already paying for my crimes, and no good deeds will ever right it enough to let me escape!” Tossing the object into the air, Sweetie began to juggle it with her magic, beginning to trot cheerfully to her destination. “Sweetie Belle!” Once more, the other voice rang out. “No one remembers! No one knows! No one ever will! And it’s boring! Would you believe my biggest problem isn’t the fact of what I did, nor the fact I got away with it, but the boredom? I mean, of course A and B are important, but you gotta have priorities when you’re gonna more or less live forever.” Coming to a stop, Sweetie put her package down. “What are you doing? Why are we here? What do you mean!?” Of course Sweetie ignored the voice, it was rude to interrupt monologuing. “So yeah, that’s that in my book. No point in really talking myself out of it after what I’ve done. Might as weeelll go all the way. Whooo! I mean, it’s not like it will have any lasting effect, and it’ll be fun to see what happens. Thank you for being here, you’re a great listener. Really it’s just nice to talk this out before I go through with it.” Looking around, Sweetie smiled as a breeze washed over the night. “No wait! What are you doing! Please, what’s going on!?” Not even compliments were working? Darn, Diamond was being really stubborn. “But you see, I’ve got to test my convictions, no point doing anything really fun until I’m sure I can, you know? I’ve been playing the nice little filly for so long I’m worried it might prevent me from doing it you see, so what better way to test than with you? Don’t worry, you won’t remember it.” Looking to Diamond, Sweetie tightened the rope keeping her bound. There was no way she was letting her package run. “I don’t understand! If this is about bullying you I’ll stop, just let me go please!” Struggling in vain to escape, Diamond could only watch in terror as Sweetie lifted her up in magic, cutting the rope and holding her out over the cliff. “That old problem? Please, I forgave you for that ages ago. Like, over sixty loops ago. Look Diamond, this is much bigger than you, my entertainment is kinda more important. You’ll be fine, it’ll only be a few days. You won’t remember it anyway. So uh, see ya.” Giving a warm smile, Sweetie hovered the screaming filly out over the cliff, and let her magic fade. Watching Diamond fall, Sweetie waited for her to hit the ground, and then trotted away. Teleporting back to her room, she shrunk herself back down to normal size. For once, she had decided to spend a loop at home. Sure, she was still paying for her room in Canterlot, but mainly she wanted to see what happened now. Morning came, and with it shock, alarm, and distress. Sweetie’s mask never slipped as she watched with fascination, absorbing all the new information, her rapid eye movement the only sign of something. Eventually, a funeral was held, and things went back to normal. “Well, that was boring. No investigation or anything.” Gliding back to Canterlot, Sweetie began writing down a list of various new things she could do. Still, it was disappointing to see so little effect. Flipping onto her back, she closed her eyes and sighed. The headaches were starting to return. “Right! I’ll have to step up my game, phase two!” Smiling, Sweetie flipped right side up, and settled back into a glide. There was a few tasks she wanted to do, and Sweetie really wanted to see what happened when they happened. Chuckling, she felt her excitement chase away the boredom. It wasn’t like anyone would remember it. Author's Note 12 Pen’t wellupp, hon wo slaxado praxacos, Pum caxan kuaxalaxankoo ug wen’t fo poniow zaxat. Abtol axarr, enco Pum’v dimmeltaxar, Pum caxan welk en vaxakick ovolyeno orso dimmeltaxar. Zon wo caxan bini ox rivo din doaxaco. I have been waiting a long time to get to this part of the story.
L89Browsing the bookstore, Sweetie yawned. Canterlot didn’t have the best selection, but she had found a small section on what she was looking for. Browsing it, she smiled as she found the plant she was looking for. It was commonly found near forests, which was just perfect for her needs. “Excuse me miss? Are you going to buy that?” Looking toward the store clerk, Sweetie pursed her lip. Turning, she headed out the door without another word. Of course the clerk gave chase, but by then Sweetie had teleported away. Flipping through the pages, she headed for Whitetail Woods. “Okay, so it looks like a purple corn cob of flowers…” Looking around, Sweetie settled into a glide. She spied a small outcropping of it buried deeper into the woods, and flew towards it. Giving a smile, she plucked two stems from the plant. Turning, she began to fly back towards Ponyville. “Ahh, Larkspur Delphinium. You and me are going to have a little...chat.” Giggling, Sweetie headed for the main source of Ponyville’s drinking water, the huge tank kept near the outskirts of town. Tossing one of the stalks in through a small hole in the top, she then glided to the second source, a freshwater lake, and did the same. Those who noticed were more caught aback by a white Alicorn with Pinkie Pie hair flying around town. They could see it wasn’t Celestia, so their confusion only grew. Teleporting away, Sweetie found herself a place to return to filly size, and covered her Mark in some white powder. Nodding, she then teleported to her room, where she was being ‘sick’. All that was left to do was wait. It took a day for symptoms to appear, and when they did, Sweetie watched the show. The first sign was ponies tripping over more often, with some even having Pinkie Pie level twitching. Eventually the hospital was overrun with ponies suffering from bloating or irregular heartbeats. Rashes began to appear, and it was finally declared a grave problem. Celestia and Luna brought down their best doctors, and began to look for the problem. They quickly found the half-rotted plants in the water sources, and went to Zecora, who brought some sort of potion. Listening in via her scrying pool, Sweetie tilted her head. “This potion may help save them, but the substance may also bring an end.” Eventually, the Princesses were forced to make a difficult decision. To use the substance, or hope the ponies could fight it off. With no conclusion in sight, they went to the room the Main 6 were staying in. Barely conscious, Twilight simply smiled, giving a nod in encoragement. “We will try it.” Closing her eyes, Celestia forced her own fears down, standing tall as she watched it being administered. Days passed, and the effects of the potion both helped and hindered. Many Ponies died, while most managed to pull through. All the Main 6 came through, but with a newfound addiction that had to be curbed. “So someone sabotaged our drinking water?” Mind still slightly distracted due to withdrawal, Twilight managed to focus as Celestia nodded, and considered the information. All searched for leads, but all witnesses agreed a white pony with Pinkie Pie hair had been seen doing it. Rubbing her forehead, Twilight knew neither Pinkie Pie nor Celestia would have done it. Not to mention the fact Pinkie wasn’t an Alicorn. “So much life,” she muttered to herself, breathing in and steeling herself to find the terrible person responsible for this. Glancing to the corridor, she blinked as Sweetie Belle passed the doorway, leaving the hospital. Looking out her window, she watched as the filly left, and felt a nagging sensation in her stomach. “Ugh, I’m still sick.” Laying back down, she curled into her blankets, closing her eyes. “Alright, next up is to give myself a challenge.” Putting a strike through the last item on her list, Sweetie rolled around on her bed as she thought of the best way to do her next challenge. Author's Note 11 Abtol axarr, withuk poaxath te pusk us, wo’rr whaxavo otolnitupp te rivo eep rivos. Pen’t ug soo? Wo joow te fo dimmeltaxar. Eul rivos axalo baxal tee skelt te soo ovolythick, whoaxal ovolythick, uctolchaxact ovolythick. Fixed a spelling mistake in the previous chapter's cipher. I know these are short, but I'm releasing them pretty fast. So uh, yeah?
L90“RAAARGH!” Diving at the floating Draconequus, Sweetie gave a battle cry as she threw her ice spear straight for his heart. As it slid straight through his body, Discord looked up from his newspaper. Currently, he was sitting on Rarity’s Drama couch reading it, and now had a ice spear sticking out of his body. “Excuse me my dear, what are you trying to do?” Raising an eyebrow, Discord noticed quite quickly the eye twitching and ear flicking of Sweetie as her magic swirled to life. Gripping an ice axe in it, she smirked, a feral grin forming on her face. “What does it look like? I’m trying to kill you!” Jumping at Discord, Sweetie lopped clean through the shoulder joint of one of his arms, separating it from his body. As it floated there, Discord returned to reading his paper. Licking a finger, he turned the page. “Fair enough, let me know if you need anything.” As Discord casually read his paper, various limbs were hacked off, and many items were stabbed into him. Eventually a stray spike ripped his newspaper apart, and he sighed, looking toward Sweetie. Currently, she was trying to summon a huge fireball. “Oh boy," he sighed, snapping his fingers and turning the fireball into a giant chicken. The chicken swallowed Sweetie, and did the same to Discord, sending them to his home. Snapping his fingers, a rope made of feathers appeared, and he tied Sweetie up, towing her toward his home. Looking toward the Pit of Never-Ending Despair, he noticed another mailman was stuck in there. Honestly, that was the fifth time this day. “Here we are.” Setting the pony down, Discord stopped floating, and watched as she struggled to escape from the bonds. After a few moments, she teleported out of them, and once more tried to kill Discord. Folding his arms, he merely shook his head. Something needed to be done about this. “So why are you trying to kill me again?” Escorting Sweetie inside, Discord sat down on his couch, turning it upside down once they were both seated. Soon enough, he had Sweetie drinking her glass, finally somewhat calm. Of course, she was still trying to impale him on occasion, but that wasn’t really important. “Why not?” Tilting her head, Sweetie didn’t really feel there was any need for a better explanation. After finishing her plans for the next Loop, Sweetie had nothing to do, so why not try to kill Discord? Sipping her glass, she tossed the tea outside. From a quick glance, it looked like it was heading toward the Ham Kingdom. “Hrm. I see, I see…” Musing on this, Discord considered his options, spinning his finger in a circle, the chair began to slowly spin. Neither of them seemed to mind this action. Standing up(side down), Discord headed into his bedroom, wondering if he still had the item. Looking around in what appeared to be a frog’s mouth, he smiled, pulling out some sort of brick. “Say Sweetie Belle, would you like to learn chaos magic?” Floating the brick around his head with a twirl of his finger, Discord looked up to Sweetie, who was still sitting on the couch. Standing up, she flipped rightside up, and gave a delighted gasp. Eagerly nodding, Sweetie’s excitement only made Discord smile. Snapping his fingers, the brick decided to give Sweetie Belle a kiss right on the forehead. Naturally, she fell onto her back. “Alright, you now know chaos magic.” Floating on his back, Discord popped Rarity’s couch back into existence, and stole another residents newspaper to replace the one he’d lost. Blinking, Sweetie looked herself over, and frowned. Sighing, Discord glanced to her, giving a bored expression. “What did you expect? It’s chaos magic.” Flipping the page, Discord watched as Sweetie began trying to exercise her new powers. Snapping his fingers, he transported them both back into Ponyville. Biting her lip, Sweetie looked around, and growled in annoyance. Just how did she do chaos? “You’ll figure it out,” replied Discord, once more turning the page. Looking around, Sweetie swished her tail, and blinked as a chicken appeared out of thin air. Smirking, she did it again. And again. Shouting a quick thanks, she dashed off to go cause chaos, spawning chickens in a mad frenzy. Chuckling, Discord shook his head. “Never ceases to amuse me how giving somepony the ability to summon chickens can convince them they have chaos powers.” Shaking his head, Discord flipped the page, and blinked. Somehow, his newspaper was now entirely made up of the word chicken. Looking at every page, he chuckled. “What do you know, she’s a natural.” Author's Note 10 Je, fut zon axagaxain, zaxat’s hupp Pum’v zo eno ug caxamo te bel zeso gicts eb wiskos, pi jet yeulsorb. Zis wisk wirr bini ox cemo sluo, pen’t ug wellupp. Chicken chicken chicken. Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken, chicken chicken chicken chicken.
L91 Thud. Thud. Thud. “BUCKAW!” The giant chicken walked through Canterlot, knocking over buildings occasionally with its tail. Atop it was Sweetie, who couldn’t help her uncontrollable laughter as they made their way to the castle. Teleporting them both straight into the throne room, where the chicken could fit, she slid off it, and looked toward the shocked Princesses. “I am Tulip Song, and I am the translator for her highness, Princess Supermegaultrachicken.” Bowing to her chicken, Sweetie turned and beckoned their ‘armed forces’ into the room. In truth, they were chickens with spears taped to their wings. There had been...quite a few casualties while making the trip to the castle. “As you can see Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, we have fully armed troops here to fight the inequality that non-hooved creatures experience in this land.-” “BUCKAW” ”-Yes I’ll ask them. Do you surrender?” Turning to the Princesses, Sweetie looked at them seriously, taking note of their mixed reaction. Luna was trying to hide her laughter, while Celestia was deciding if it was serious or not. After a glance, both stood up, and Celestia cleared her throat. “I am sorry, but we refuse to recognise your right to challenge our rule. If you wish to discuss inequality, you will have to go through the proper Equestrian channels. Please leave, or I will be forced to call the guards.” Certain that the strange pony in front of them was either insane or their sister’s joke, they gave nothing away. “BUCKAW” “Very well then. TO WAR!” As her cry rang out, the chickens did nothing. Sweetie glanced back at them, and scrunched up her face. Honestly, it was so hard to get good help these days. Rolling her eyes, she turned toward Celestia and Luna, and shrugged. Climbing back onto Princess SMUC, she patted her. “I’m sorry to make you do the hard work your highness, but the civilians are struck by fear. We have to make the first strike.” Standing atop SMUC, Sweetie howled out a cry of rage, and SMUC began to move. One huge leg rose, and slammed down. Celestia and Luna survived between the toes of the bird, and shared a look. “Alright sister, this prank has gone far enough,” they said in perfect sync. Blinking, their eyes widened, and they looked between each other, and the rising leg of the chicken rapidly. Turning, both attempted to dive out of the way, but got their tails caught under the hoof, effectively pinning them. Both teleported back to a standing position, and prepared to fight. Firing two bolts of magic at SMUC, they watched as two chickens were levitated between the blast, exploding into balls of feathers. SMUC turned her head, and pecked at Celestia, who blocked it with a shield, crying out in shock as her shield shattered under the force. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw her sister get a large gash on her arm, and get picked up by SMUC. “RARRGH!” Firing her strongest bolt, she was furious as once more it was blocked by one of the smaller chickens. Looking up to the pony sitting atop SMUC, she dove forward, trying to attack her in close quarters. A feathered object was tossed at her, flapping wildly. The spear caused a few cuts before Luna could teleport past. “Cluck.” SMUC opened her mouth, and ate Celestia whole. Luna got distracted by this, and her head turned. Smiling, Sweetie pivoted, and kicked Luna down with her hind legs. As Luna hit the floor, the chicken leg rose once more, finally slamming down on her. Sweetie jumped off SMUC, and ordered Celestia to be spat out. Both were now unconscious, and very seriously injured. “Wow, they’re still alive. Gotta admit, they’re pretty tough.” Shrugging, Sweetie bound them and pulled out some Changeling goo, a present from Chrysalis, and slipped it over their horns. Wincing, she touched her head as a large wave a pain washed over her. Concentrating, she focused her magic on levitating SMUC. The pain faded slightly, but continued to throb painfully. “Urrgh,” she groaned, falling down as she began levitating everything she could get her magic on, and casting spell after spell. With each item she levitated, the throbbing grew fainter, until finally she was able to think clearly. Standing up, she rubbed her forehead, and glanced around the room. There were now two giant chickens. Both currently being levitated as they flapped wildly. Sweetie was also levitating all remaining chickens, and the Princesses. Sighing, she pursed her lip. Gripping her chest, she cowered slightly, clenching her eyes shut. Breathing slowly, she managed to calm down, and rose once more. Concentrating, Sweetie slowly lowered all the chickens to the ground, but kept them barely levitating. Looking around the room, Sweetie focused her magic on trying to lift the throne. Using the room, she soon began to release the chickens and Princesses. Soon enough, the only creatures still in her spell were the two summons she was maintaining, and levitating. Sitting down on the throne, she closed her eyes. The two Princesses woke up, and Sweetie considered her options. “There’s been a change of plans. Give me access to all of the Canterlot archives, and you can have the kingdom back.” Looking at them, Sweetie removed the Changeling goo, slicing the rope. The two almost prepared to fight, but then noticed the glowing horn, and the fact there were now two giant chickens in the room. “...We will do as you ask,” replied Celestia diplomatically. Turning, Sweetie teleported herself and the two SMUC out of the room. Leaving them outside the archives, being held still by her magic, she gripped every single book inside, and began to stack them outside it. Sitting down in a seat of her own magic, she began to scan for any about spells. Partway through, the Princesses launched an attack, but Sweetie ignored it, letting her two SMUC deal with it. Author's Note 9 Pum wen’t axafuso vupp dewol oithol. Pum’rr skaxalo dit um ovolyeno, unriko ug he waxankow zo bod te loign evol axarr. Pum pen’t fraxamo ug. Abtol axarr, ug klod an din pit timo holo sust zintick waxas jelmaxar. One day, I'd like to have a video of Sweetie singing Get Jinxed. This chapter was slightly delayed for a very valid reason. I only realised the picture was 100% necessary just as I was going to write it, and had to wait for an awesome person to complete a rush order.
L92Sweetie skimmed the book, and tossed it away. Growling, she winced as another throb of pain passed through her. The four SMUC around her constantly drained her magic from having them summoned, but even four wasn’t enough. Concentrating, Sweetie managed to muster enough concentration for a fifth. “Come on, I need to find something before the reset. I don’t know if I’ll survive another magic wipe.” Biting her lip, Sweetie rubbed her head as another throb caused her pain. There was only a few hours before the next Loop, and she had already gone through nearly every book in the Canterlot archives. Whimpering, she pulled out the next book, skimming it. There were utility spells, but nothing that would be powerful enough to help. Flipping through the pages, she gritted her teeth, and tossed one at the wall. Howling, she turned her horn toward it, and fired her magic, watching it disintegrate with ease. “I need something,” she spoke, looking past the blockade, past the soldiers trying to contain the situation. Eyes scanning everything, Sweetie found nothing. Falling to her knees, she looked toward the sky, where the moon hung. Slowly, her mind sparked off a desperate idea, and she stood up. Concentrating, Sweetie cast her magic out toward it, dismissing all SMUC as she did so. As her magic reached the moon, it hit a presence, and was blocked. Focusing, Sweetie curled her magic around the presence, feeling it squirm. Her magic slipped off the moon as she tried to move it, and she tried again. For a small moment, she considered going Luna Mode, or Celestia Mode, but decided against it. Making this task easy would defeat the purpose of the task. Tilting her head, as she tried to push it, her magic continued to slip off it. There was a thud behind her, and Sweetie turned. Sure enough, Luna was charging a blast of magic directly at her. “So clear,” remarked Sweetie, jumping high into the air as she charged up a bolt of magic, firing it at Luna. Keeping most of her magic focused on moving the moon, Sweetie used what remained to place a shield on herself. Blocking the magic, Luna’s own beam was quick to arc up and hit Sweetie. Growing wings, Sweetie flew high into the air, drawing more of her magic into a blast. Teleporting, Luna narrowly dodged an attack that left a large crater in the ground. Screams of civilians rang out as they fled, and the guards marched into action, firing their own bolts of magic. The few pegasi flared their wings to assist in the fight, but were halted by Luna. “Do not interfere! This villain is beyond your capabilities.” Dodging another blast, Luna tried to get above Sweetie, attempting to avoid casualties. But for every flap, every teleport she did; Sweetie seemed to be one step ahead. Every spell was deflected, every attack brutal. Luna was losing, and that left her only one option. Firing a flare into the sky, Luna backed up, fleeing toward the castle as a flash of light appeared just outside it. Meeting up with her sister, both turned to face the threat, and combined their magic. Dodging it, Sweetie teleported out of the way of their boomerang attack, and sent her own beam of energy, knocking them both back. Forgetting the moon for a moment, Sweetie concentrated all her energy into an orb of magic, holding it steady with all her concentration. “Mother of-” “Oh my.” Both princesses nearly forgot they were flying from the sheer size and enormity of it. Holding steady, Sweetie looked down at the two, and narrowed her eyes. “Now listen up. I have a very bad headache, and I need to have control of the moon, or I will be very very very angry. And unless you like huge magical blasts that could take out Canterlot, you won’t like me when I’m angry.” Hovering there for a moment, Sweetie watched the two share a look. Landing, Luna’s horn pulsed for a moment, and Sweetie probed the moon, sensing the resistance she had been feeling was now gone. “That’s better,” she spoke, diverting her orb of magic upward, creating a thin beam of magic that connected with the moon. Landing, Sweetie allowed her magic to envelop the moon, and tested giving it a push. Looking up, she was rewarded with the moon sliding slightly in either direction. Mind finally clear, she sat down and sighed. “Well poop, I’m going to have to give them the Looping note from now on." Author's Note 8 Dit’s timo bel staxacko, pi Pum wirr fo zo eno te staxacko dit. denios axalo loaxadupp te baxaco otolnitupp, Pum axam coltaxain eb zis. Wo axalo axarr loaxadupp te skaxako zo skaxangros eb poaxath.
L93Sweetie nearly punched Celestia with the force she put behind her hoof. The note in it was crumpled, but as Celestia lifted it up, and read it, any objections she had were quickly washed away. Beside her, Luna was caught between anger and shock. Lifting a hoof, Celestia gently shook Luna, snapping her out of it. “Look, I’m sorry for stealing control ofthemoonbutthisheadacheisgettingreallybad.” Holding her head, Sweetie whimpered as another throb of pain passed through her. The moon wasn’t enough anymore, and it was growing worse. What should she do? The notes Starswirl left mentioned levitating the world, did she dare? “Very well, I will also allow you to levitate the sun.” Bowing her head, Celestia’s horn pulsed for a moment, and Sweetie nearly leapt for joy. Instead, she sent her magic out like a lasso, gripping the sun without a moment’s hesitation. As her mind became crystal clear, she sighed, falling onto her back with a smile. “And you say only levitating my moon was enough the previous Loop?” Tilting her head, Luna absorbed this information. Nodding once, Sweetie stood back up. Looking between them, she merely sighed, rubbing her temple. Motioning with her hoof, Celestia slowly led them out of the throne room, heading for a very special room. “Sister, you are serious?” Blinking, Luna could only watch as Sweetie dive bombed Celestia’s cake room. Looking to her sister, Celestia bowed her head. While Sweetie was occupied, it afforded them both precious moments to think on the problem. It was painfully obvious how thin the veil of sanity was dressed over that pony. “Sweetie Belle, right? Have you ever tried transferring the magic?” Thinking aloud, Luna looked to the roof, remembering transferring her magic to Twilight. Stopping in her cake enjoyment, Sweetie considered it, and shrugged. “No, I didn’t even consider it. You think it’s possible?” Licking her hoof clean of cake crumbs, she cast a quick spell to clean herself up, and walked over to them. Silently mourning her cakes, Celestia let Luna talk. “I would not advise it for this Loop, as you are sufficiently occupied. Perhaps next Loop?” Leaning forward, Luna met Sweetie’s eyes, and waited for a response. Awkwardly, Sweetie looked away and gave a nod. Personal space was something Luna still had problems with it seemed. “For now, shall we show you how to make the cakes our sister so shamefully hoards?” Giving a mirthful gaze, Luna glanced to Celestia. Narrowing her eyes, Celestia sulked out of the room. “No no, how about we go make some special rock candy Sweetie Belle? It’s Luna’s favorite.” Glancing back, Celestia and Luna both shared a competitive look. Looking between them, Sweetie shrugged. “Why not both?” As they both looked to her, Sweetie pulled out a coin, and flipped it. It landed on heads, so Luna was first. Narrowing her eyes as she left to prepare, Celestia swore revenge. However, as her mind moved on, she remembered their situation, and began to pace. Author's Note 7 Dit dis timo, fut Pum whepo ug wirr belgivo vo hon Pum lochelo yeep vomelupp enco zis dis evol. Pum praxacow pit socectaxalupp sporr te chelo yeep vomelios din pit vaxagic belm pi gour zom saxabo unkir dit dis timo bel vo te loroaxaso zom. Zo reng dis vupp posign, ovon Pum ceurdn’t floaxak dit withuk zo goupp. Next chapter's already out.
L94“Are you ready?” Holding most of her magic in an orb as she was, Sweetie was having trouble keeping her voice from shaking. The two Princesses nodded, flaring their wings as they prepared for the sudden influx of power. Breathing in, Sweetie drained from her orb to power the spell, watching it quickly shrink in size. Casting it, Sweetie felt her magic begin to be sucked away. It felt as if she was suffocating, and it took all her concentration to not cancel the spell. Both Celestia and Luna began to cry out in pain, and Sweetie turned. Without warning, all sound ceased from them, and they collapsed. With an explosion of blood, Sweetie’s coat was dyed red. “ARRRGH!” Casting her magic to both the sun and the moon, Sweetie focused what remained on creating another orb of magic. As her mind cleared, she was dismayed as the orb she had created seemed to slowly grow in size. If Sweetie had to judge how long she had before it was the same size as the old one, she’d judge less than a week. “Okay, think.” Cleaning herself off, Sweetie wondered if she had enough raw magic to brute-force a transformation spell. Sure, being able to grow her own wings was nice, but what if she could simple give herself a permanent pair? Or, even better, become an actual dragon? Why not go all out and become a huge chicken? “Right, time to get to work on that.” Teleporting back to her hotel, Sweetie tried, and failed, to activate Twilight Mode so she could work on the theory. Failing that, she decided to simply try it her own way. That of course, meant explosions. Grimacing, Sweetie wondered how long this would take. Author's Note 6 Zo goupp foick dimmeltaxaritupp din zis caxaso. Zoelotici ox Pum ceurd floaxak dit um pit raxalgo oneugh cenconklaxatien eb vaxagic, fut hupp weurd Pum joow te? Dib Pum’v dimmeltaxar, dit wirr unreng oaxasirupp. Pum’mo ovon lomevow zo socect whaxarb eb vupp sporr se zaxat je eno caxan cepupp vo. And again, next chapter's up.
L95Looking to her claw, Sweetie changed it into a wing, before changing it back into a hoof. Standing up, she switched her wings between dragon and Pegasus wings, before deciding on none. Swishing her tail, she decided on a pony tail as well, before discarding all her changes, and blowing a hole straight through the hotel. “Sure, this is keeping the headaches away, but it’s extremely boring.” Sighing, Sweetie transformed her foreleg into a snake, watching it hiss at her. Turning it into a chicken, she grimaced at where it was connected to her. Tossing her arm, she made it super stretchy, watching it sail out the hole and flop down. “I’ll ask Celestia for help, I have a feeling this isn’t going to work for very l-AUGH!” Turning her foreleg back to normal, Sweetie held her head as another wave a pain hit her. Falling to the floor, she turned the bottom half of her body into a fin, tears streaming down her eyes as the headache continued to throb. Casting her magic out to the moon, Sweetie slowly uncurled herself, and transformed into a dragon for a moment. Horns glowing, she looked up at the moon, and bit her lip. Already, she was having to rely on the moon again. Sweetie had no doubts the sun would soon follow. Growling, she blew another hole in the building, and transformed back into a pony. “Must stop the headaches,” she spoke to herself, mind completely focused on the task. Author's Note 5 Dib pit denupp caxachs dit withuk pit rint te zo oromonks, jethick wirr whaxappon. Whewovol, dib eno eb us caxachs dit, zo ethols wirr switst Vaxalks. Saxadrupp, enrupp zo Oromonk eb Vaxagic caxan caxach dit. Sinco feth vo pi ug caxan oqui ox wiord dit, fut Runaxa caxan’t, dit voaxans wo whaxavo te loselt te slingick zo Oromonks. Last chapter for today. There is a reason why they're so short. I wonder who will guess. Also:
L96Sweetie slammed the door open. She was in pain. Shouting, she demanded the two Princesses give over the sun and moon. She diverted the remaining magic into an orb. Finally, as her mind cleared once more, her expression softened and her mind provided her with plans beyond simple orders, shouted above the throbbing pain that consumed her. “Need levitate, pain,” she spoke, pointing to her head as another throb of pain brought her to her knees. She yelled in pain, screaming as it hurt her head. Her horn lit up with magic. The orb above her grew bigger. Crying in pain, she could not hear anything the two Princesses said. She opened one eye, looking at them. Thoughts occurred, and she pulled out Changeling goo. Placing it on her horn, the magic she was casting became slightly harder. But because she was too strong, the goo quickly blew apart. Rolling on the floor, she gritted her teeth in pain. She was desperate. She couldn’t think, she was too in pain. “Try the planet! Move the planet!” Words came through, and in desperation, she did as they ordered. She cast her magic at the planet, and her mind began to clear. Slowly, the pain began to fade, and she shuddered. Standing up, her eyes went to the two in front of her, and a weak smile fell on her face. “No moon or sun, yet. Good.” Magic fully focused on covering the planet, Sweetie noticed how she barely had enough to cover half, even with all her magic focused on it. That was good, it would satisfy her for at least a Loop or two. But what after? Crossing her eyes, Sweetie couldn’t focus enough to think. Author's Note 4 Simprupp put, Pum cloaxato pit zild denupp um zo axafiritupp te cenkler dit. Zis teet venkhs eb plocieus losoaxalst, fut Pum beuct uk Pum caxan sprit vupp dolsenaxaritupp. Se Pum put zo paxalt eb vo zaxat vech loplosonks zo Oromonk dinke zis paxalt eb vupp vict, whaxavo dit cenkler zo sporr hiro Pum caxach dit, pi feem!
L97Sweetie levitated the world, and it was good. Sweetie levitated the world and moon, and it was good. Sweetie levitated the world, moon, and sun, and it was good. Until it wasn’t enough. Author's Note 3 Vo pi ug wirr switst pochinios, praxacick vo din yeep desitien um vupp vomelios whighton dinsido zo socect vo. Zo sporr wirr oct, zo faxalliol fotwoon vo pi whix wirr baxarr, pi Pum wirr logaxain axarr vupp vomelios.
L98“ARRRGH!” A enormous blast of magical energy smashed directly into the sun, sending it spinning. A second one followed almost immediately after, followed by another. Each one contained enough power to raze Canterlot to the ground, and each one was quickly growing in strength. “HURTS!” She shouted, tears streaming down her eyes in pain. Her pain was strong. It was overwhelming. She couldn’t expend it fast enough, the pain grew stronger. It was as if the world was tearing her apart, starting with her skin, and she was being ground into a thousand flaky pieces. Unable to explode the sun, Sweetie instead began to try and push it together. Her mind instantly clearing, she focused entirely on her task. Slowly, the sun began to shrink, and it required more and more of her magic to continue. Soon enough, Sweetie had no need to levitate the earth, or even the moon. She continued. Author's Note 2 Reet axat vo, laxamfrick en, dit’s timo te ke. Pum waxachow tee vust timo oxpraxainick zis te semothick Pum’v praxacick pit cedo en. Zis cedo dis se axadvaxancow jet ovon vupp erd blioct zo Staxackorick Plinco ceurd claxang. At roaxach, who ceurdn’t claxang feth cedos.
LOllelAuthor's Note Dear Princess Celestia, What have I done? LOllel A ghostly image of Sweetie Belle walked by, entering a hotel. Watching this, the real Sweetie Belle found herself able to float, and glided up to the room. Looking in the window, she watched as multiple versions of her worked on certain stuff in the bedroom. The window opened, and one sailed right through Sweetie, giving her a shudder, despite the lack of sensation. Looking around, Sweetie followed the ghost as it began its path back to Ponyville. There were multiple versions heading in this direction, and all scattered upon arrival. Watching three in particular, she realised they were from sixteen or so Loops ago. Turning, Sweetie flew toward her room, looking inside. One version of her was choking, another was watching a teddybear vanish, another was sobbing over some ash piles. Going through the wall, Sweetie entered the hallway, looking toward Opal. For some reason, there were ghostly versions of Opal as well. One ghost in particular, drew her attention. Glancing between this one, and the version of her that was choking, she noticed their outlines seemed more solid. Was this due to the number of times she went through that death Loop? Opal’s paw rose, and a thread of magic sailed out of it. Watching it, Sweetie looked as it shattered the invisible wall, sailing past her, and re-entered at the window. The window was flung open, seemingly slow from wherever Sweetie was, and the door opened. The magic dissipated, and the shattered reality quickly returned to normal. Turning, Sweetie continued on her way. Flying out of the house, Sweetie hovered over the town, before heading into the Everfree. Going to the cave containing the Tree of Harmony, Sweetie saw a version of herself she didn’t recognise. The strangest thing was that she was following Opal. Landing, Sweetie followed them into the cave. They seemed to be speaking about something, but Sweetie couldn’t hear them. After a moment, the ghost Sweetie concentrated, getting her horn to spark. Opal placed a paw on it, and began to glow. Unable to hear anything, Sweetie watched as both rose into the air, magic crackling around them. And then the ghost version of her vanished. “Welcome,” a voice spoke behind her. Turning, Sweetie took in the fact that this Opal wasn’t ghostly in the slightest. The eyes betrayed a measure of intelligence, and the position Opal was sitting in was anything but cat-like. At least, until the moment Opal began cleaning herself. Watching this, Sweetie still couldn’t form words. “Take your time my dear, we have plenty.” Rubbing her face with a paw, Opal began to slowly change into a more equine shape. Soon enough, there was no doubt at who was behind this, and who he had been disguised as. White beard reaching nearly to the ground, Cutie Mark of stars on a swirl, it was enough to break Sweetie out of her stupor. “Starswirl,” she spoke, taking a step back. The stallion gave a slow nod, and didn’t move from where he was standing. Looking left and right, Sweetie noticed a version of herself running toward the forest to battle a Chimera. Looking back to Starswirl, she noticed him turn, and walk away. Following, their hoofsteps was the only sound for a long while. “I applaud you for surviving as long as you did. Dealing with that much concentration of magic is quite a feat.” As they walked, Sweetie noticed how much wildlife they passed, ghostly images that tendrils of magic weaved around. Still unable to find the words, she remained silent. Something was rising up inside her, it only required a little more baiting. “Don’t rush it, it will come. I am sure the many questions about the brilliance of my plan will be at the forefront of your mind.” Tilting his head, Starswirl led them to Twilight’s Castle, and walked over to a specific ghost version of Sweetie. “Uh, no, my first question is about-” As Sweetie was cut off, her eyes narrowed. “About what these ghosts are, yes? They’re the previous Loops, as you've probably deduced. I can even show you what other ponies were doing when you weren’t around. You might be the centre of the Time Loop, but you’re not the center of their world. But let’s move onto my plan, shall we, I mean even you will be blown away by it, I’m sure.” Chuckling, Starswirl gave an eager smile. “No I-” Once more, Sweetie was cut off. “Alright, I’ll show you. You pushed me into it though, remember.” Lowering his horn, he touched it to the ghost, and the entire scene lit up. Sweetie found herself the ghostly form this time. “So how are we going to stop that filly from going insane? All loop stories show that it is only a matter of time.” Watching the conversation, it took Sweetie a few moments to remember this Loop. It was the one Rarity had given her the Opal doll in. Sighing, she closed her eyes, disappointed to find out they had been planning for it so early. “No, I want to know-” Getting cut off again, Sweetie’s eye began to twitch. “Know what? Spit it out already, we’re wasting time that could be better spent explaining my plan. I mean yes, we have a lot of it my dear, and yes this place doesn’t exactly have a sense of time, but you really-” he continued speaking, and Sweetie slammed a hoof down, cutting him off. “Why?” Sweetie spoke, turning toward Starswirl. The scene faded back to a ghostly version, and silence returned. Tilting his head, Starswirl seemed confused as to what Sweetie was talking about. Lowering her horn, she slammed her hooves down, and repeated her question. “Why? Why! WHY! Why did you do this to me!” Anger finally burning, Sweetie approached Starswirl, features twisted by anger. Taking a single step back, he regarded her evenly for a moment, and then opened his mouth to respond. However, when no sound came from his mouth, and a simple shrug followed, Sweetie snapped. Diving at him, she shouted bloody murder, magic coming to her horn like air. However, the moment she tried to use it, pain exploded inside her head, and she fell to the floor, sliding to a stop in front of Starswirl. Leaning over her, he raises an eyebrow. “I would not advise using magic in your current state. I may be suppressing it for the moment, but it is still trapped inside you. At least, for now.” Stepping back, Starswirl avoided a hoof aimed at his head, and watched as Sweetie leapt to her feet, diving toward him. As her hoof sailed right through him, she thudded onto the ground, sliding slightly from the force of her own swing. “You can’t hurt me here either my dear, time doesn’t exist in this plane. It is only through my own genius that we even come to stand here.” Motioning to the ghosts around them Starswirl seemed smug about it. Growling, Sweetie cried out in frustration, and tried to punch Starswirl regardless. After a solid five minutes, Starswirl sighed. “I was hoping you would be more agreeable than this, I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part.” With a swish of his tail, Starswirl levitated Sweetie into the air, where she was unable to do anything. Struggling still, she howled in anger, eventually settling into a glare. Folding her arms, she focused on trying to find a way out of her predicament. “Much better. Now you are somewhat complacent, do you have any questions? I mean, beyond the very concept as to why I have truncated your week.” Raising an eyebrow, Starswirl let Sweetie down, and once more began to walk. With no real way to hurt him, Sweetie begrudgingly followed. “How,” was the first question she decided upon. As they walked, various ghost forms of her passed by, and Sweetie got a good look at the differences between a younger version of herself, and a recent version of herself. The contrast was striking; how contracted her irises were, the small ear twitch her later version had. “In the first instance, my instance, I planned on becoming immortal, as I know you know. However, instead of becoming immortal, it is the world that became immortal around me. That is the danger with creating your own magic spell, you see. Shall I repeat my finished spell?” Glancing to Sweetie, he didn’t even pause long enough for her to nod. “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled. Transference of power to one more fitting, bring me time eternal, permitting.” Voice almost singsong as he spoke, Starswirl seemed to smile, and an ethereal breeze ruffled his hair. Tilting her head, Sweetie tried to decipher the spell. Starswirl chuckled, continuing on his walk. “Of course, with magic you have to be more specific. Oh the spell transferred magic to me alright, and I was given time eternal. But alas, I was forced into the situation you see yourself in.” Motioning to a ghostly image of Sweetie talking to the CMC, Sweetie considered this, and followed. “I won’t bore you with the details, let me simply say there was someone in the position I am currently in. We had a delightful chat, discussed the finer points of our goal, and decided our current iteration was not satisfactory enough to perform it. “So that left us with the course of action whereupon we discovered that by using the power I had obtained during the iterations to create a hole in the magic to escape through. Thus, we began the search for a suitable unicorn by transferring to-” As Starswirl spoke, Sweetie found herself managing to understand nothing, and yet everything. It was hurting her head, and not in the regular way. “-It wasn’t too bad being a rat for that lifetime. We got plenty of cheese, even if we lost quite a few brain cells because of it. After that we became a-” Was Starswirl really going into detail about all his lives now? Groaning, Sweetie’s ears flicked backward, alerting Starswirl to the fact his audience wasn’t entertained. “-And that uh, eventually brought us to the present life, where we took over a young feline called Opalescence. Upon seeing your poor skill in magic, we knew you were whom we were looking for, close enough to be usable with the Elements active, so we engaged plan Delta, and waited for the time you were of sufficient age. Does that answer how sufficiently enough for you?” Looking to Sweetie, Starswirl came to a stop as she did so. “Operation Delta?” The name sent chills down Sweetie’s spine, and she couldn’t fathom why. Her head throbbed again, and she put of hoof to it, frowning. Why was her head all foggy? For some reason, Starswirl smiled at this. “Well, how do you think we made you into a potential Element bearer my dear?” The smile on Starswirl’s face faded, and he tilted his head in question. Absorbing this information, Sweetie gripped her head, the fog growing stronger inside it. What was going on? Why did he keep saying ‘we’ like Luna? “Split personalities…” Realisation dawning, Sweetie cried out as the fog cleared, and she felt it. Something, a part of her she had never known existed. The drive for new, the drive for fun, was it all because of that? Shuddering, she felt a disconnect, and slumped, unable to comprehend reality. “Correct, my dear. We are...a lot more alike than you know.” Flashes came to her at Starswirl’s words. Discord mentioning Starswirl, being able to pretend to be him just from reading a few letters. Was it? Could it? No, no she couldn’t believe it. There was no possible way. “I don’t believe you! I am Sweetie Belle!” Standing up, she took a battle stance, and shouted at Starswirl. Watching her, he shrugged, as if her words made little impact. Taken aback, she took a more neutral stance. Turning, Starswirl began to head out of Ponyville, following the train tracks. “I am me,” she spoke softly, letting the doubt creep into her words. Trotting after Starswirl, she shook her head rapidly, discarding it. An identity crisis would have to wait, she had more important things to worry about. As they walked, Sweetie considered her next question carefully. “What exactly is it you plan to do?” As they walked, Sweetie noticed Starswirl looking toward the sun, where it shimmered in a ghostly light. Making surprising time, they were already in Canterlot. Looking around, Sweetie realised they were heading towards where she had exited the Loop. “I plan to bring everypony into their own immortality by using the black hole you created as the epicenter of the Loop. This means, since black holes cannot feel pain, that it will be able to both absorb and maintain the spell so long as we provide it fuel.” Beaming proudly, Starswirl smiled, expecting Sweetie to understand and marvel at his genius. Naturally, this didn’t happen. “You’re doing WHAT?!” Standing in front of Starswirl’s path, Sweetie’s eye twitched. This entire plan was insane, and he expected her to congratulate him for it? Just what in Equestria was wrong with this pony? Slowly, Starswirl’s smile faded. “You want to put everypony into this torture? Do you realise how insane that sounds?” Glaring at him, Sweetie had no idea which part she should criticise first. Chuckling, Starswirl merely shook his head. “No, it’s not insane my dear. You see, if I dip a thin rope of magic into the black hole, I can-” As Starswirl went on, Sweetie’s eye twitch got worse and worse. Eventually, she could take it no more, and she screamed loudly out of frustration. “Do you even realise what you’re going to be putting them through, what I went through? Don’t you remember YOUR Loop? Wake up Starswirl! How is this a solution?” Screaming at him might not have had much effect, but it did make Sweetie feel slightly better. What would have really made her feel better, however, would be to really knock some sense into him. “I assumed you knew this already, but very well. If you haven’t had enough, I suppose I can explain a small measure more.” Clearing his throat, Starswirl tapped his foot a few times, and then smiled. “Well, I made a promise to share eternity with everypony. And not just simply being able to live forever, but being able to see everything, hear everything. While I was in my Loop, I came to the realisation that even if we lived forever, outside factors would prevent us from seeing and hearing everything.” Looking to the sky, Starswirl put a hoof to his beard, beginning to stroke it. “So in reality, my promise was realised, I did discover the true immortality. Once everypony is in their own personalised Loop, with access to the archive of the Loop, we will have achieved both parts of the promise. And with everyone aware of it, I won’t have to worry about policing the Loops like I did with yours.” Nodding twice, Starswirl regarded Sweetie, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, policing?” A cold chill passed through Sweetie as Starswirl teleported them back to Ponyville, and pointed to the room. Magic on his horn, time rewound to a minute after midnight, and Sweetie blinked, seeing the thread of magic weaving around all her friends that she had brought into the room. “You were behind that?” Tears stinging her eyes, she turned toward Starswirl. Giving a nod, Sweetie tried to grab him, and found her hooves pass through him. Anguish in her voice, she sobbed into the ground. “Why, why would you do that? Why did you put me through all this!” Unable to do anything, Sweetie found herself even unable to cry, tears unable to leave. Still, she sobbed, and for a moment, Starswirl hesitated. Looking around, he pursed his lip, and crouched down, putting a hoof under Sweetie’s chin. Using his magic, he slowly lifted her head up so their eyes met. “Come now, you won’t remember it once all this is over, what use is there crying over it?” Giving an encouraging smile, Starswirl stepped back as Sweetie tried to break free. Standing up, she narrowed her eyes. “What?” Eye twitching, Sweetie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You won’t remember it. Once everypony is inside, I’ll wipe your memory, meaning none of this ever happened.” Smiling warmly, Starswirl motioned to the room, and walked outside. Following, Sweetie stood in front of him, unable to really do anything to stop him. Thankfully, Starswirl paused. “You think wiping it away erases the amount of pain you’ve caused me!?” Glaring at him, Sweetie wished she had some way to expel the volcano erupting inside her. Calmly, Starswirl pointed toward a house Sweetie recognised, raising an eyebrow. “Like how the Loops erased the pain you caused that music pony?” Shaking his head, Starswirl walked around Sweetie, continuing on his way. Frozen, Sweetie realised he was right. Looking at the town, her mind scanned her memories, remembering everything she had done, and went blank. “I-but…” Unable to make a counter argument, Sweetie watched as Starswirl walked away. “Hypocrisy paints us all a terrible color, my dear. Please take your high horse elsewhere when trying to rationalise what you believe in.” As he walked away, Starswirl failed to see Sweetie’s eyes widen. “He was preparing me for this…” Speaking softly to herself, Sweetie gave a short laugh, catching Starswirl’s attention. Glancing back, he raised an eyebrow. Looking at him, Sweetie stood proud, and declared her words. “Even if I won’t remember it, you will! And even if you don’t, that doesn’t change the importance of those memories. I may have done terrible things in the Loops, I won’t deny that. But wiping my memory of them does not make that time vanish, even in an immortal space. This is my life, for better or for worse.” Smiling, Sweetie sent out a silent thanks to her Dragon friend. Thorak had come through for her. “Hrm,” muttered Starswirl, considering this as he stroked his beard. After a few moments, he shrugged, and turned his back to Sweetie once more, beginning to walk once more. “Very well, you can keep your memories when this is over. Regardless, the pain I caused is vastly outweighed by the final result. If that is everything, we really should begin.” Horn lighting up, Starswirl lifted up Sweetie, leading them to the center of Ponyville. Unable to get out of his magic, Sweetie struggled vainly. “No! You can’t do this! No one wants this!” Crying out, Sweetie risked magic, and shuddered as pain once more hit her. Ignoring it, she tried to cast a spell, and only managed sparks. Glancing back, Starswirl seemed mildly surprised by this display, but quickly shook it off. “No one wants immortality? I suppose you are right, no one would consider it possible, so no one would wish for it.” Nodding to himself, Starswirl placed Sweetie down in front of the Tree of Harmony, and drew a star in the space with his magic. Struggling, Sweetie cried out for help, knowing no one could. “Paxagick Foaxaldow Chaxalswilr, ug whaxavo pit signibicaxank faxaraxanco eb he'ep-axapt ewick.” There was a shattering sound, and the Draconequus flew in, knocking Starswirl away with his tail as he plucked Sweetie up in his claws. As they flew away, a bolt of magic curled around his tail, bringing Starswirl along for the ride. Discord brought Sweetie close to his face. “Sadly I can’t do much in the current circumstances, but I wish you the best of luck.” Kissing Sweetie on the horn, Discord tossed her away, and flipped onto his back, raising a fist to try and hit Starswirl. Starswirl’s magic crushed Discord, and he flew out the hole he had created, which Starswirl repaired without another word. “Right, let’s get this done before he has a chance to barge in again.” Gripping Sweetie, Starswirl slammed her back onto the star, and sent a beam of magic straight at the Elements. They glowed brightly, and a rainbow began to swirl around the star. Stepping inside the rainbow, Starswirl smiled mockingly. “And we’re off!” “Welcome to the aetherial plane my dear.” Bowing his head, Starswirl released Sweetie from his magic. Looking around Sweetie could see various star-like twinkles floating around them. There seemed to be a glowing light that kept the blue around them a shimmering aqua color. There seemed to be floating screens casually floating around as well. “If where we were is considered a place where time doesn’t exist, this is where time converges. It is also where we will be casting the final spell to complete my dream. Well ‘we’ being more you in this case.” Chuckling to himself, Starswirl turned toward Sweetie. Trying to take a step back, Sweetie yelped as a sharp pain travelled down her side. “I’m not doing anything for you!” Glaring, Sweetie tried to move again, and felt another spike of pain. Looking herself over, there was a glowing line in the color of her eyes traveling down her neck and into the ground. Narrowing her eyes at Starswirl, Sweetie saw the magic enveloping his horn. “Well, it’s a very good thing you don’t have to do anything.” Giving a gentle smile, Starswirl closed his eyes as he approached. Biting her lip, Sweetie leaned back as far as she could without moving, looking around desperately for something she could use. Lowering his horn, Starswirl tried to touch it to Sweetie’s, who instinctively dodged it, bring up a hoof to try and knock him away, Surprisingly, her hoof connected, sending Starswirl falling to the floor. Blinking in surprise, Sweetie watched as Starswirl got up, and narrowed his eyes. Charging at Sweetie, he held her down with his magic. Struggling, Sweetie found her body phased through it with little resistance, and she got another solid hit off on Starswirl. “How could somepony so inadvertently insane have the sense to counter the magic of time with chaos!? That old fashioned, ill brained, insane, ludicrous, two-bit brain of a monster!” Shouting in anger, Starswirl shattered one of the screens, snorting as he faced Sweetie. Magic powering to a second level, he fired a binding spell at Sweetie. “Now, I won’t claim to be as smart as you or Twilight, and I have no clue what time and chaos have in common, but there is one thing I know well. And that simple fact is this: I can hit you now.” Blocking the binding spell, Sweetie winced as pain throbbed for a moment. Smiling, she looked Starswirl in the eyes, and prepared for a fight. “You’re gonna fight me? While experiencing excruciating pain from the forced transfer?” Snorting, Starswirl nearly broke into laughter. However, instinct prevailed enough that he had the good sense to move his head as a beam of magic sailed past. A sharp stab of pain came, and Sweetie winced, and broke into a big smile. “This is barely even Loop 15 level of pain. If this is all the magic is going to hurt, then I will gladly ignore it for the chance to really punch you in the face. Because sometimes, somepony really deserves a punch in the face.” Charging her horn, Sweetie fired off another bolt of energy, and Starswirl narrowed his eyes. “Very well, if it is a fight you want, you shall have it.” Waving his horn in a circle, a star shape appeared in the air. Beneath them, earth began to appear, followed by tall winding trees. Around them, the landscape vanished into mountains, and the stars became further away. Standing atop a hill, Starswirl bowed his head. Ladies first. Rising slightly into the air, Sweetie’s connection to the ground ended, causing a sharp jab of pain that quickly faded. Learning this fact, Sweetie switched her magic to creating wings and placing a shield over herself. Rising further into the air, she closed her eyes, spreading her wings wide as she called upon an instinctive link to the aetheric plane. “Rise for me on winds of ice, dancing swords for a fight, you must. Calling upon the ancient powers, protect us while you also empower.” Voice layered with magic, she felt it swirl around her, magic draining from her horn and forming a whirlwind of snow around her. “Arise!” Flapping her wings once, the snow seemed to shatter around her, revealing ten blades of ice swirling around her. Looking to them, Sweetie turned her attention to Starswirl, ready. Raising an eyebrow, he shrugged, and touched his horn to the earth. Without warning, a large root lifted him up into the air, level with Sweetie. A tree grew around him, leaving only small holes where he could be seen through. Magic flaring, the fight began. Sweetie forced off fire from her horn, gliding around the tree as her swords remained poised, but out of the fire. Magic drained from her horn constantly, powering both her shield and a spell to maintain the swords. As the tree began to burn, a large glow came from inside, and Starswirl teleported out of it. Turning, Sweetie deflected the blade of wood, backflipping out of the way of Starswirl’s second attack. Flaring her wings, she dove into the sky as a ball of fire came for her. Raising her horn, she fired off ten bolts of gray magic that curled around, aiming for Starswirl. Dodging most, Starswirl deflected the remaining with a shield conjured from his horn. The magic impacted on his back, having homed in on him once he’d dodged. Falling forward, Starswirl landed on the ground, and dove into the air, another root springing from the ground. Landing on it, more and more platforms rose around him. Breathing in, Starswirl leaned back. A large sound crashed into Sweetie’s ears, and she turned to look behind her. Rising into the air, Sweetie watched as the tsunami rose with her, and scowled. Magic curling around her horn, the air froze, her swords spreading out to form a bubble of water around her. Freezing, the ice shield was complete, and Sweetie let herself fall, backflipping into a dive and aiming for Starswirl. The wave hit, and demolished most of the trees, leaving the branch Starswirl was standing on. Gritting his teeth, he conjured a shield of fire, and exploded it outward, demolishing both the wave and Sweetie’s shield. A single sword of ice appearing, Sweetie aimed it at Starswirl, aiming for serious injury. Pure magic formed around Starswirl, and erupted outward, knocking Sweetie to the ground. Eyes glowing with power, Starswirl’s horn gained a third layer of magic, and the earth beneath Sweetie began to shake. Leaping to her feet, she teleported into the air just as a large crevice formed where she had been, and slammed closed a moment later. "Earth crumble before me! Bow to power and obliterate my enemies!" The mountain rose into the air as Starswirl vibrated with a crackling energy. For a brief moment, Sweetie’s mouth opened in shock. That moment was interrupted when the mountain began to sail toward her, and Sweetie teleported higher into the air. Eyes widening, Sweetie had time to see the mountain switch directions immediately, heading for her. Slamming into it, Sweetie heard something crack, and cried out in pain as her shield also fizzled out. Gasping, she felt gravity begin to take effect, and noticed she was on the bottom, with the ground racing toward them. If she didn’t move, she would be crushed. “Arrgh!” Charging her horn, Sweetie’s eyes glowed with power, and a lance of pure magic came from her horn. Doing a flip with her wings, Sweetie sliced straight through the mountain, causing it to separate. Flaring her wings, she flew through it. Narrowing her eyes, she flew as fast as she could, growing a cone as the mountain tried to close her inside it. Slipping through the top, Sweetie felt her tail lose a few hairs, and caught her breath for a moment, checking her injuries. Magic quickly examining her body, she was cut off from determining what had caused it as the mountain rose around her once more. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie teleported to Starswirl, swords forming around her, and aimed for his neck. Starswirl teleported away, discarding the mountain. It crashed into the ground, raining debris around them. Sweetie growled, teleporting just as Starswirl teleported away, and got fed up with it. Magic charging, she gained another aura on her horn, and screamed the words of power. "Shatter the millions and shock the world! Find the slippery and stop their heart!" There were crackling sounds, and bolts of lightning exploded outward. Starswirl teleported rapidly, avoiding the bolts as they trailed him like dogs on a trail. Throwing up a shield, Starswirl cried out in pain as the lightning sliced through it like butter, shocking him. Most of the shock went into the tree he was standing on, but he was still damaged by it. “"Blazing wings of molten fire, eyes of malice intelligent pyre. ARISE!"” Fire bursting out of his horn, the trees around him exploded into ash. Flying higher, Sweetie’s eyes widened as she watched a dragon form out of fire. Roaring, the entire plane seemed to heat up. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie reformed her ice blades, preparing for a fight. Starswirl stood absolutely still inside the foot of the dragon, horn glowing with incredible power. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie dived at the dragon, avoiding a claw, and sliced directly through it. It roared, turning to breathe fire on her. Freezing temperatures folding around her, Sweetie dove through the fire, rising above the dragon. Wings flaring, her horn erupted in a torrent of water, causing steam to obscure her location as she turned the dragon into steam. Whittling it down, Sweetie dived for Starswirl, swords aiming directly for him. Grabbed in his magic, Sweetie was tossed to the ground as the earth around them vanished. “Enough! This is a pointless fight! We are too evenly matched.” Raising a hoof, Starswirl looked Sweetie seriously in the eyes. Standing up, her horn buzzed with energy, but she didn’t attack. Breathing out, Starswirl sat down, closing his eyes and rubbing his chest. Sweetie didn’t let her guard down. “Right, we need to figure out a conclusion to this. Do you agree?” Raising an eyebrow, Starswirl seemed completely at ease. Slowly, Sweetie returned to a more neutral standing position, magic still hovering on her horn. Rolling his eyes, Starswirl tended to his injury. Begrudgingly, Sweetie took the chance to do the same. “Right, here is what I propose; you provide one valid reason why ponies should not be given eternal life, and I shall concede.” Shrugging, Starswirl levitated up one of the glass screens, one decrypting Sweetie reading his note. Pulling it out of the screen, he concentrated, blasting it with a bolt of magic. “Here, the truth hidden behind the cipher.” Levitating it out, Starswirl waited patiently as Sweetie read it. Folding it up, she rubbed her temple, and sighed. Folding her arms, she considered this information, and discarded it. Starswirl’s reasons did not change her opinion. she just had to justify it. “Well…” Raising her head, Sweetie racked her brain for an answer, one that wouldn’t be disputed. Thinking back on her Loops, Sweetie came up with a single word; boredom. Pursing her lip, she looked to Starswirl. A hint of uncertainty in her voice, she tried to string along a reasonable objection. “Well, in my Loop it got really boring after a while. The problem with everything being the same is well, what’s left once you’ve done everything?” Nodding to herself, Sweetie considered her argument valid. Hopefully it held up to Starswirl’s scrutiny. “That’s simple my dear, there will be no end to things to do. With the way the Time Loops will be set up, to bring somepony into the same Loop, all you would have to do is restart the Loop with them in the same room. Thus, the amount of things that can be done increases insurmountably by each pony who does this.” Shrugging, Starswirl beckoned for Sweetie to continue. “And they’ll have access to that ghost world you showed me?” Tilting her head, Sweetie sighed as Starswirl nodded, giving a cheerful smile. Truly, she didn’t know what was worse; the fact this was the pony responsible for so much pain done to her, or the fact she couldn’t find anything wrong with his plan. ‘Okay, other than boredom, there must be something.’ Closing her eyes, Sweetie rubbed her temple as she tried to think of something. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie begged her brain to bring up something, anything, that could justify the wrongness she felt from Starswirl’s plan. Before anything came, however, she was gripped with magic, and slammed into the floor. “You see, I am far smarter than you my dear. Experience and all that. Do you not think I considered this myself?” Raising an eyebrow, Starswirl once more began to inscribe the star pattern into the floor. Struggling, Sweetie felt tears sting her eyes. Why couldn’t she think of anything? Why was there always ponies who were smarter than her? “Why…” Why had Twilight and her friends assumed she was going to go insane? Why had Twilight done that spell to clear out a blockage in her magic? Why was Starswirl’s plan so understandable, and yet left a gut feeling in her chest that is was the wrong idea? Why had she been chosen, above all others? Sweetie knew of one other unicorn who had skills that were as bad as her own. “Calm down, it will be over soon, and everyone will be facing eternity.” Smiling gently, there seemed to be a note of tenderness to Starswirl that sent shudders deep down Sweetie’s back. Facing eternity? Were they even ready for that? Both she and Starswirl had struggled to face it. Sure, they’d had a painful handicap, but even without that there was the- “Facing eternity!” Gasping in shock, Sweetie lit her horn, knocking Starswirl back and leaping out of the star. Looking at Starswirl, things fell into place in her mind. And some of her dread ebbed. Starswirl sighed, rolling his eyes as he motioned for Sweetie to continue. “Ponies aren’t ready to face eternity, Starswirl, you know this.” Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie pointed at Starswirl, who blinked in surprise. Taking a step back, he glared, opening his mouth, about to speak. Sweetie cut him off, standing tall as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. “You’re smarter than me, just as Twilight is. You know this, you just choose to ignore it. We are very alike, and I understand where now. We both couldn’t take the pressure of eternity. Don’t you see? Even without the pain, we would have eventually gotten bored and began to delve into the darker parts of our mind. Our minds are not made to handle eternity, to know everything. And you know this.” Sweetie regarded Starswirl calmly. “No! You’re wrong! Th-The pain was the problem! I-If we remove the pain then there will be no problem with-” As Starswirl spluttered an excuse, Sweetie merely smiled sadly, and walked over. Looking him directly in the eyes, she spoke softly, and sadly. “Yes, there will.” Silence followed Sweetie’s words, and Starswirl looked everywhere but at Sweetie. Waiting patiently, Sweetie still had the sad smile on her face. Starswirl eventually grabbed the sides of her head, and began to shout into her face. “But all the pain I felt! All the pain I caused! You’re telling me to just give up on that? I can’t! I won’t!” Starswirl’s magic flared once more, and he slammed Sweetie down. However, Sweetie didn’t bother resisting, merely opening her mouth to reply. “Bad things happen, and most people don’t have the option to reverse or forget. Sometimes, the best of intentions can lead to the worst of results. But yours wasn’t even the best of intentions now was it?” Sweetie regarded Starswirl calmly as he cried out loudly to the heavens, and shouted once more in her face. “It is the best! The world needs me! THE WORLD NEEDS ME!” Shooting, Starswirl’s transformation flickered, and for a brief moment, Opalescent was glaring at Sweetie, claws digging into her fur. Smiling sadly, Sweetie closed her eyes. “They didn’t need you during the time you were animal hopping now did they?” For once, silence was all that remained after Sweetie spoke. Opening her eyes, Sweetie watched as Opal got off her, and transformed back into Starswirl. Looking to the ground, he sat down. “Is it wrong to not want to die?” Clenching his eyes closed, a single tear fell from Starswirl’s eye. Walking over, Sweetie put an arm around Starswirl, bring him half into a hug. “No, but we all have to face it someday. You can’t run forever, you need to accept this is the fate of every pony.” Stepping back, Sweetie watched Starswirl, feelingly only pity for the pony, despite what harm he had put her in. Closing her eyes, she waited. “I’m afraid,” he spoke, barely above a whisper. Looking to Sweetie, their eyes met, and she gave a sad smile. “We all are. But sometimes you have to face your fears.” As they looked to each other, silence was the only sound between them. It was a long time before either one made a move, but eventually Starswirl stood up, walking over. “Forgive me,” he spoke, and Sweetie shook her head. Lowering his, Starswirl looked toward the star he had engraved on the floor, and walked toward it. Closing his eyes, his horn toughed it, and tears began to fall from his eyes. “Goodbye Starswirl,” she spoke. “Goodbye, Sweetie Belle.”
--“So he’s truly dead now…” Closing her eyes, Twilight considered this information. Opening them, she looked to her friends, their trust in her, and was glad she had discovered them. Otherwise, she might have come out like Starswirl. Looking to the sky, giving a sad smile, she couldn’t imagine her life without her friends. “Ah’m glad ta see you're alright.” Applejack gave Sweetie an encouraging smile. Truly, to survive as long as the filly did was nothing short of remarkable. Well, she wasn’t exactly a filly anymore, but it was hard to admit the maturity hidden behind those eyes. Really, it made her proud to know Applebloom’s friend was such a strong individual, regardless of blood. “The amount of parties, my hair is twitching in excitement!” So many parties the poor pony had missed. Pinkie Pie could feel the pain that must have been caused from the lack of fun. Had she become boring at one point? No! Never! Pinkie Pie refused to believe she too could become boring! “Y-You said something about a d-Dragon egg?” Hiding behind her hair, Fluttershy was concerned the Dragons would come to retrieve the egg. While it was true they would mean no harm, it was a very real concern. Looking to her, Twilight quickly wrote a note, sending it off in a puff of magic. “I’ll ask Celestia to send it down with some Guards. I’ve also invited her to come down herself with Luna. I imagine they want to talk to Sweetie as well.” Giving a smile, Twilight noticed Fluttershy’s worries ebb slightly, and looked to Rainbow Dash as she began to speak. “I uh, don’t really have much to say, but it’s great to see you back here safe and sound Sweetie. Both Rarity and Scootaloo woulda been heartbroken to find you gone.” Rubbing the back of her head, Rainbow Dash managed a smile, before looking away and biting her lip. “Thank you, to be honest it’s just nice to hear something new for once,” giving a nervous laugh, Sweetie noticed all six faces fall, and looked away, ears flopping down. Standing up, she looked to her sister, and gave a weary expression. Blinking, Rarity turned toward the others. “So yes, that’s everything done here. If that’s all, I’d like to take my sister home, and spend time with her.” Voice soft, Rarity gave them all a sad gaze, and the five rushed goodbye’s. Turning, she and Sweetie began to head home, Sweetie leaning on Rarity. At the moment, all they wanted was to be together. Arriving home, Rarity entered the kitchen to begin preparing food. After sitting at the table for a while, Sweetie couldn’t stand her own thoughts, and stood up to help. Showing her sister, Rarity carefully instructed her so as to avoid any of it getting ruined. Finally, they sat down, eating in silence. “Rarity, is it normal to wanna say stuff, but not wanna?” Pushing her meal away, Sweetie looked her sister in the eyes. Gulping, Rarity put down her fork, and stood up, walking around the table to put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. Breathing in, she let go of her desire to protect her sister, knowing it was too late. “Sometimes, there are secrets we take to our graves. Lies we tell ourselves, places where even generosity can turn to greed. I won’t lie, there are times when you’ll want to share, but know what harm it will cause. Often, there is no right answer.” Closing her eyes, Rarity allowed a sad smile to fall on her face. “But that’s what family is for. Sometimes there will be things you can’t even tell them, but it doesn’t matter who, or what, as long as you have somepony to confide in, the pain eases slightly. So when I say this, don’t ever forget it Sweetie. I am here for you, if you ever need to talk. And I will never judge your actions, and will never speak of them.” Bringing her sister into a hug, Rarity opened her eyes, looking at the wall behind her. “I’ve killed ponies,” was the whisper from her sister’s lips. Being pushed away, Rarity noticed the strained expression on Sweetie’s face. For a moment, a slice of fear passed through her. Scolding herself mentally, she composed herself, reminding her who was behind such a frightful gaze. “A-And I’m not talking about the times you all turned into dust. I threw Diamond Tiara off a cliff, I poisoned Ponyville, I tried to kill Celestia and Luna, I drove a pony to suicide. What am I supposed to do?” Tears streaming down her face, Sweetie looked to her front hooves, and bit her lip. “I’ve done so much, so many terrible things. And I did them knowing full well what I was doing. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel, but I know it isn’t what I do feel. I feel nothing, and that’s the worst part sister!” Looking up, Sweetie’s tears flowed freely, mixing with some blood coming from her lip. “Why? Why can’t I feel guilty? Why does thinking about it fill me with guilt over the fact I feel nothing? Why do their faces torture me? I just want to go back to a normal life.” Sobbing into her hooves, Sweetie shook. Watching this, Rarity looked around the room, as if searching for inspiration. Gritting her teeth, she gave a strained sound, and then brought her sister into another hug, stroking her hair. “I wish I knew the answer, I truly do. But I will tell you one thing.” Breaking the hug, Rarity held her sister's head, and forced their eyes to meet. “You are the most kind-hearted sister in the world. You care about others, so much that the very fact you don’t care about those...incidents bothers your very core. I don’t know the answers but I know a smart little sister who will figure it out for herself. All I can say is this: Don’t focus on what you can’t change, focus on what you can.” Bringing her sister back into a hug, Rarity closed her eyes. “You’re right.” Eyes widening, Sweetie’s tears finally stopped. Separating from Rarity, she pulled out a list from her saddlebags, looking at it. Slowly, a warm smile fell on her face, and she looked to Rarity. “Hey sister, do you think you could help me with a few final things to take care of? I’ll need the help of the Elements, and probably the Princesses.” Looking, Sweetie felt the stirrings of passion in her chest. This, this was something she could change. Rarity, glad to see some of her sister’s determination return, saluted. “Say no more Sweetie, I have no doubts they will help you. And if not, I will do everything in my power to bribe them into helping you.” Giving a wink, Rarity watched as Sweetie went upstairs to prepare a few things. Following her up, Rarity leaned on the door frame, and looked at Sweetie’s room, letting a bittersweet smile fall on her face. A year, Sweetie had grown up so fast.
---There was a knock at the door, and Dinky opened it, surprised to see one of her schoolmates in the doorway. What’s more, it was Sweetie Belle, the friend of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom that had gone missing for a week. Having no idea why she would be visited, Dinky waited as Sweetie smiled in greeting. “Hello Dinky. I know you have many questions, but if you could ask Ditzy to come outside so we can chat together, that’d be great. I have a few things I need to discuss.” Smile still firmly planted on her face, Sweetie waited as Dinky gave a slow nod, and called to Ditzy. As the mare approached, curiosity in both’s eyes. "Do you mind talking with me for a moment? It's very important." Glancing between them, Sweetie was all business. “Well uh, sure.” Giggling, Ditzy closed her eyes, tilting her head as she gave a smile. Nodding once, she pointed toward the park. Following it, Sweetie noticed a very familiar seat, and felt a pang of pain in her chest. As they walked over to it, Sweetie could feel their stares. Once both were seated, Sweetie breathed in, and out. “I know you lost your job last Monday, and you got a job on Thursday again, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. I had visions while I...was away. And those showed Dinky worrying she would go hungry. So I just…” Looking down, Sweetie bit her lip. Ditzy stood up, crouching and and lifted Sweetie’s muzzle up, giving a gentle smile. “Sweetie, do you really think the town would let us starve?” Bringing Dinky into a hug, Ditzy chuckled as a small whine came from her daughter. Looking at this, Sweetie felt a huge weight on her heart lift. In retrospect, she should have known Ponyville was too kind to let Ditzy and Dinky starve. Looking toward the sky, Ditzy’s smile became sad. “When we first moved here, there was a day we ran out of money. My poor Dinky here was forced to go hungry, so I swore to make sure she never had to suffer it again. I worked hard, but time and time again I couldn’t do the simplest of jobs. Eventually, ponies found out. My poor Dinky had confided in one of the fillies at school. I think her name’s Silver Spoon?” Tears began to leak from Ditzy’s eyes, hidden by her blonde hair. “Regardless, ponies came to us and offered their help. So whenever money get’s a little tight, we normally go over to one of their houses and have a wonderful meal. Even my parents send money sometimes. I am trying desperately to raise my daughter, I only wish I could give her more.” Wiping away the tears, Ditzy hugged her daughter tighter than before, and the two were silent. Wiping some moisture from her own eye, Sweetie gently placed a hoof on Ditzy’s shoulder. “How did this happen? I mean surely there’s something you’re good at. Why can’t you earn a living doing that?” Eyes meeting, Sweetie wanted to know, knowing how much pain she would be bringing up just for asking. But there had to be a reason, surely? “When I was freshly born, I came down with an illness that would have killed me,” she spoke, looking back toward the sky. “The chances of me surviving were, according to the doctors, 0.000069%. Desperate, my parents sought the aid of the Princesses, who gave them a single hope. A spell that would give me incredible luck. Of course, this spell had a very large downside. Facing the odds, my parents agreed, knowing what they were dooming me for. “It raised my luck to absurd levels, and I managed to pull through. I gained my Cutie Mark the moment I was completely healed. It represents my fragility, and serves to remind me how lucky I am to be alive. Little Dinky here would not have been born if it weren’t for its effect either, so I can’t hate it.” Giving a scornful look to the sky, Ditzy quickly washed it away, gently brushing Dinky’s hair. “I’m sorry,” whispered Sweetie, looking down. Ditzy merely shook her head, chuckling. “Don’t be, it’s no one’s fault. It was simply fate, pure circumstance.” Releasing Dinky, Ditzy watched her run off to play. The two watched for a time, before the three began to head home. Pulling out a piece of paper, Sweetie held it out to Ditzy as they paused in front of the door. “While I was away, I looked into the future and saw me giving you this Ad. I foresaw you getting this job, and keeping it.” Watching the paper being taken, Sweetie let a smile fall on her face, pulling out a second slip. “And Dinky? Here’s a job delivering newspapers. It’s very easy, and wouldn’t be much work. You can earn money so that if ever your mother runs into problems, you can rely on what you’ve saved.” Looking to them, Sweetie’s smile turned almost motherly. “And you are always welcome over for dinner at our house too. Rarity loves company.” Finished speaking, Sweetie looked to Ditzy. Tears stinging her eyes, Ditzy put the job Ad away, and brought Sweetie into a bear hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Author's Note
----Walking through the Asylum corridor, Sweetie waited as Twilight explained a few things. The entire place was silent, almost eerie. Coming to a stop outside a door, Twilight levitated Sweetie a key, and gave her a hug. “As requested, everypony in this wing has been asked to leave, except for Mr Turner. You’ve got roughly half an hour to talk, and then we’ll come get you both. And don’t worry about any paperwork.” Winking as she turned, Twilight teleported out of the corridor, leaving Sweetie in silence. Unlocking the door, she saw Mr Turner watching her. “Hello? Hello? Does the click of silence foretell your coming? Heee Hoo!” Beginning to honk, Time Turner’s eyes went in different directions. There was a moment when the straight jacket bulged slightly, but held. Silent and watching, Sweetie waited to see if he would calm down. He didn’t. “Listaxald Nixen,” she spoke, watching as Time Turner became deadly silent. Frowning, his head lip up where a horn would have been, and a spell passed over Sweetie. Eyes widening, he leaned back. Closing the door as she approached, Sweetie could see a twinge of fear. “Don’t worry, your sister didn’t send me. Well not exactly. Let me explain.” And explain Sweetie did. Even the Loops she hadn’t opted to tell anyone excluding Rarity about. Time Turner absorbed this information quickly, asking questions on occasion, but staying mostly silent. Finally, Sweetie came to her last point. “So, that’s everything. Excluding one item that is. You see, in the Loop I visited Chrysalis, she told me to tell you she’s sorry.” Falling silent, Sweetie watched the shock on Time Turner’s face. After a moment, his not-horn lit up, pulling the jacket off him. Standing up, he walked over, and gave a small smile. “Bless your soul, you’re absolutely adorable. Er-And thank you.” Cluckling, Time Turner stepped back, and bowed his head slightly. Opening the door, Sweetie led Time Turner out of the building, to where Twilight was waiting. Smirking, she held out the papers to a dumbstruck nurse, and the three of them left. Looking away, Twilight whistled for a bit, before turning toward Sweetie. “So...why did we need Time Turner?” Raising an eyebrow, Twilight was confused as Sweetie gave a quick giggle. Pausing, she nodded to Time Turner. Glancing between them, he rubbed the back of his neck, and let his disguise fall. Gasps of shock sounded around them, and Twilight fell to her rump. “We’re gonna need him if we’re going to make peace with the Changelings,” replied Sweetie, sniggering as an embarrassed Time Turner changed back. Walking together, questions began to stream from Twilight’s mouth. Another weight lifted off her chest, Sweetie looked up as the royal chariot came down to land. “Are you sure you don’t need us?” Raising an eyebrow, Twilight glanced back toward the others. Celestia and Luna were standing beside her. Stepping onto the chariot, Sweetie nodded, thankful Celestia had agreed to leave their personal matters for another day. “If we come in with too many people we’ll seem like an army. This really can’t wait, sorry.” Looking forward toward the one pony pulling the chariot, Sweetie nodded. Flaring his wings, Time Turner, now a Pegasus, took to the air, settling into a glide as they headed for Chrysalis’s home. “So, why aren’t you simply flying?” Glancing back, Time Turner kept his disguise on simply due to habit, knowing that it was more easy on the eyes. Cringing, Sweetie gave a short laugh, scratching the back of her head. Sighing, she leaned over the railing, looking toward the ground below them. “Honestly? I’m afraid. I don’t really know my own limits anymore. The pain is no longer there to force me to use magic, so I have no real need to test it. What if instead of casting the spell, I cause some untold disaster, and this time a reset won’t be able to save it.” Sighing, she held out her hoof, imagining it was touching the ground below them and creating a line like it was sand. “Being afraid is not something that’s inherently wrong you know Sweetie Belle. You’ve just come out of a stressful situation where knowing your limits was constantly weighing on you. There’s no rush to use magic, just like there’s no rush of a clock ticking down. The thing about time my dear, is that you’ll never have enough of it.” Chuckling, Turner curved slightly, angling downward as he prepared to decent. “Uh, I’m sorry, you lost me with that last sentence, isn’t that exactly the opposite of what you just said?” Tilting her head, Sweetie was inherently confused. Discarding it for a moment, she watched as a bird flew past them. It was the smallest of things, but it eased her mind just watching it. “Precisely my dear. You’ll never have enough time, but that’s why what we have must be spent without remorse. If you want to relax, relax, don’t worry about what time you have to do so. That’s the only way to really enjoy the fullness of life. You don’t have to live life to love life.” Glancing back, Time Turner gave another wink, and came to land outside Chrysalis’s hive. Hopping off the chariot, Sweetie still had zero clue what Time Turner meant. Somehow, despite that, it did make her feel better. “I’m here to see my sister,” spoke Time Turner, eyes pointed at a random bush. Transforming into a Changeling, it hissed, baring fangs as it flew away. Time Turner moved his head, looking to Sweetie. “Do you want a lift?” Giving a smile, Turner watched as Sweetie shook her head, gulping down her fear as she levitated herself down the entrance. Following her down, Turner allowed a nostalgic smile to fall on his face. ’Just as prideful as he ever was.’ Shaking his head, Turner focused on the situation at hand as Sweetie led him toward the throne room, and he transformed into his Changeling self. There was Chrysalis, his sister. Biting his lip, he could see the starvation in her very eyes, where the glow had all but faded. “Oh sister…” Time Turner took a step toward Chrysalis, but was halted as her arm rose, and a wall of Changelings rose to block him. Standing up slowly, Chrysalis walked over, eyes narrowing. “Don’t ‘oh sister’ me. Not now. You know very well the state we have been in. The state you caused when you abandoned my mother because you disagreed with our feeding habits.” Glowering slightly, Chrysalis could barely muster the energy to sound angry. It came out just...tired. “But...I-uh.” Taken aback, Turner looked to Sweetie, who chuckled slightly, shaking her head as she approached the wall of changelings. Giving them a warm smile, she simply let out her open compassion, stunning them long enough for her to bring one into a hug. The wall crumpled, and she approached Chrysalis. “Come on, I know how you truly feel. This is your chance to tell him. We’re here to save you.” Warmly smiling, she walked toward a rapidly backing-away Chrysalis. Finally backed into her throne, Chrysalis was unable to resist as Sweetie also gave her a hug. Of course, the hug to Chrysalis was much stronger, having spent some time with Chrysalis. “N-no…” Feeble cries withstanding, Chrysalis couldn’t help but lick up the love this filly was freely giving off. This effect was further sped up when Turner lowered his head, horn lighting up and a pink stand of magic connecting to Chrysalis’s own horn. Slowly, her holes began to close, and the Changeling's eyes began to glow more bright. “That’s enough,” she spoke, cutting off the thread and pushing Sweetie off her. Standing up, she regarded the two, and sighed, looking away as her ears flicked down. Nuisances, all ponies were nuisances. And yet...a small smile fell on her face, it was those very nuisances that had just saved her hive. “I’m sorry for ratting you out brother,” she spoke finally, looking to Time Turner. All shimmered, transforming into various ponies. Chrysalis had opted for a unicorn with forest green hair. Walking over, she looked between them. “So what’s this about saving the hive?” “Here they come,” spoke Celestia as the Chariot came to land. Two ponies came off it, with Time Turner driving it. Chrysalis walked over slowly, and transformed into her usual self just as Time Turner did the same. Both stood in front of the Princesses. Looking between them, Celestia gave a compassionate smile, and turned to her side, opening a wing toward them. On the other side, Luna mirrored the action. “Welcome home, my little ponies.” Author's Note And there's your 10k, as promised. I've still got quite a bit to write, but they're mainly standalone chapters, so I'll have them happen every 2nd day or so.
-----Rolling the egg onto the Chariot, Sweetie levitated some rope over, securing it. The two Royal Guards stood at the ready. Pulling the ropes tight, she looked to Celestia and Luna, giving a grateful smile. Both shared a glance. “I know you stated they know you, but are you sure this is safe?” Concern on her face, Twilight approached, concentrating as she placed fire protection spells over both the Chariot and the ponies. Nodding, Sweetie avoided the pang of doubt in her chest. “I’m sure, I have to return the egg. I know we need to talk, and you have royal duties, but this kinda has to take precedence.” Biting her lip, Sweetie looked toward the egg, and the two chuckled. “Sweetie Belle, we understand having duties that must come first. Do not fear, once this task is done we will have time to talk.” Bowing her head, Celestia gave a bemused smile. Nodding once, Sweetie looked toward the Royal Guards, giving a second nod. Flaring their wings, they took off. Glancing back, Sweetie gave them all a wave. Sighing, Sweetie closed her eyes for a moment. Feeling the breeze on her as they flew by, she wondered what would happen if she could mold that into a blade. If paper could cut, could wind? Chuckling, she supposed Twilight would know. It would be an interesting conversation, at least. Opening her eyes, Sweetie frowned. “God, I’m making myself sick,” she scowled, looking off the edge of the chariot. Stifling a shudder, Sweetie wondered if dropping something from this height would cause any damage. Chiding herself, she knew it would, but her morbid fascination continued. What items could she drop? What shape would they make? “Stop iiit!” Rubbing her head, Sweetie groaned, giving it a rapid shake. It was hard accepting the fact she wasn’t in a Loop anymore, that the things she did had permanent effects. Part of her accepted it, the other part wanted to do it anyway. Sighing, she slouched as the Dragon Nesting Grounds came into view. “Stop, land just outside the top of the bowl. I don’t want to be barbecued.” Turning, Sweetie began to untie the egg as the Chariot came into to land. Pushing it off the Chariot, Sweetie began to roll it up the mountain, pausing once they were at the top. Looking around, she wondered where Thorak was. Carefully, she began to roll the egg into the bowl, looking around for the female Dragon. Seeing her, Sweetie began to make her way over. As Dragons began to take notice, she saw Garble poke his head out of the treasure pile. Giving a quick wave, Sweetie continued on her way. “Oh, my baby,” spoke the she-Dragon, walking over and plucking the egg up, cradling it for a few moments. Stepping back, she returned to the nest, leaving Sweetie alone. “My mate is catching food. He will be back at sunhigh.” At those words from the she-Dragon, Sweetie glanced to the sun. Frowning, she thought it was already midday. Shrugging, she turned, heading toward Garble. Crawling out of the treasure pile, he slid down it and gave Sweetie a tooth-filled smile. “Well well well, the namby pamby pony got out of her Time Loop.” Smirking, he leaned down and picked up Sweetie, bringing her into a quick hug. Putting her down a moment later, he motioned toward the gem pile. “Wanna go a round of King of the Hoard while you wait?” Of course Garble’s request was about the gem pile. Of course Sweetie agreed, letting go of her fear about using magic to place a stronger shield spell on herself. Feeling slightly relieved when it worked without problems, she watched as Garble roared the challenge to the other teenage Dragons. “Come on, this all you got,” she remarked, standing proudly atop the gem pile as the teenagers tried to take her down. To her surprise, she was tackled by Garble, who had opted for a sneaky route. Pinning her down, he declared himself the king, and let her go. Shaking claw and hoof, the two shared a good natured laugh. A roar shook the sky. “Looks like he’s back,” remarked Garble, following Sweetie down toward the middle of the bowl. A black Dragon plummeted out of the sky, flapping his wings inches from impact to stop his fall. Looking around, he noticed Sweetie, and glanced toward the she-Dragon, eyes softening. Tossing something toward a sick Dragon, he approached Sweetie. “Welcome back, young one.” Bowing his head slightly, Thorak blinked as Sweetie hugged his snout. Stepping back, she bowed slightly, suddenly all business. “Your liege! I apologise for the delay in returning your egg. It was selfish of me to do so, but I felt stopping an entire race from starvation had to come first.” Saluting, Sweetie scrunched her face up, and Thorak gave a hearty laugh. “I am glad to see you escaped intact. Do not fear, I anticipated you would be more focused on recovering at first to deliver our egg.” Rising, Thorak led the way over to the she-Dragon, and both curled around the egg together. Approaching, Sweetie felt a bit more of her guilt ease, watching the egg with a warmth in her heart. “Come Sweetie, get closer.” Using the palm of his hand, Thorak gently nudged Sweetie closer to the egg. Glancing between them, Sweetie raised an eyebrow, but obliged. As they breathed in, Sweetie felt a split second of fear, but discarded it. There was no need to fear, she trusted Thorak. Flame erupted around her, Thorak and the she-Dragon’s wings rising to close off the rest of the bowl. Flinching, Sweetie tried to cower as the flame hit her, but blinked as it merely licked at her fur, warm but causing no damage. Glancing between the two dragons, Sweetie watched as they began to fade from view, the fire obscuring everything but the egg in front of her. Without warning, the flame turned emerald green, and Sweetie shuddered as a spark raced over her skin. Looking toward the egg, she watched as it shuddered, and began to crack. The flame turned red and orange again for a moment, before once more turning emerald. A second jolt passed through Sweetie, and she suddenly felt very hot in her own skin. The egg gave another jolt. Finally, the flame turned a striking blue, and Sweetie felt it. Gasping for breath, she glanced toward the egg as it began to shudder and shake. Cracks began to form, and finally it shattered, revealing a tiny baby dragon, smaller than even Spike. The flames died to a soft red, and Sweetie sighed in relief as the heat went down. Soon enough, that fire died, and the two Dragons revealed the outside world once more. Standing, the she-Dragon walked away from the nest, and curled into a tight ball. With a sigh, her entire body began to harden, turning to stone. The edges began to smooth, and soon enough Sweetie couldn’t even tell it was a Dragon. Glancing to Thorak, her mouth opened and closed, unable to speak. “When our race tire of life, we become female, and produce an egg. This egg hatches upon our death, where our life force becomes the new life. You are the first pony in our known history to witness this.” Thorak gently pushed the baby Dragon toward Sweetie. Looking to it, and then to Thorak, Sweetie noticed there was a new dullness to his eyes. “Do not fear, I still have life in me. The transference merely exhausts me. I must sleep for a year, maybe ten, to recover. Because of this, I have a final request from me to you. My mate wanted our son to grow up in a loving environment. This has happened in the past only once, and we entrusted that egg to your leader. “This was also to secure our peaceful relations for the foreseeable future. And now, I do the same to my son by bequeathing him to you.” Thorak bowed his head, and Sweetie took a step back as the baby Dragon gripped her hoof, dragging him slightly. Biting her lip, she tried levitating him, finding that he was almost too easy to levitate. “I-I don’t know. I don’t think I’m old enough to even consider-” Pausing, Sweetie noticed Thorak had fallen asleep, and was sending out a wisp of smoke. Silence stretching, Sweetie looked once more to the baby, taking note of the gray scales. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie blinked as she saw speckles of white upon closer inspection. ’What do I do…’ Sighing, Sweetie stepped away from Thorak, carefully balancing the baby on her back. It gripped her, and she winced as the claws dug in. Looking toward Garble, Sweetie approached, concern on her face. Garble did a double take, looking deep in her eyes. “Wow, he gave you the flame of a Dragon. I didn’t even know you could give a portion of that.” Looking her over, Garble soon noticed the baby, and fawned slightly at its sleeping position. “Flame?” Sweetie was getting tired of dragons, and their half-answers. “Yeah, your eyes have that ‘glow’ they were missing when we first met. It’s like an uh-oh what’s the word. You know those things some ponies hang up that say they’re a part of that family? Like a, uh…” Garble went cross eyed, glancing toward the sky as he thought about it. “A coat of arms?” Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie mentally sighed, overcome with everything that had just transpired. “Yeah! It’s like our coat of arms. Only a dragon would notice it though. It’s like an occasional flicker of green in your eyes. Not very obvious seeing as yours are already green.” Shrugging, Garble considered that a good thing, and began filling Sweetie’s bags with smaller gems for the baby. “I guess I better go,” she replied, simply weary. When Thorak woke up, Sweetie was going to give him one hell of a talking to. Part of her suspected he just didn’t want to raise a baby. Waving goodbye to Garble, Sweetie walked up the bowl’s edge, heading for the Chariot. The Royals Guards said nothing, taking off when she ordered it. Back in the bowl, Thorak rose, walking over to the rock that had once been the she-Dragon. Sitting down, he touched his forehead to it. Closing his eyes, he began to quietly mourn her. The other Dragons paid no attention, seemingly all occupied with other things. Only one dragon, Garble, flew over and stood vigil with Thorak. Author's Note Removed the questionnaire since it's no longer relevant.
------As the Chariot came to land, Sweetie’s package was quickly spotted. Stepping off, Sweetie carefully pried the baby off her, wincing as he began to cry. Sighing, she placed him back on her back, watching as he became quiet once more. Sweetie supposed she would have to give him a name sometime. “Long story short, I now have a baby dragon,” she spoke, giving a weary look to Twilight. Walking over, Celestia seemed to run some magic over the baby, before nodding and pulling out a piece of paper. “I’ll order the guards to place some items you’ll need to raise him on the next train, unless you want us to care for him until he is of age?” Pausing in her writing, Celestia raised an eyebrow, waiting for Sweetie to respond. Sighing, she looked to the baby, and knew she wasn’t ready to take care of a child. If she didn’t have Rarity, Sweetie would have taken Celestia’s offer. “I’ll raise him. Rarity raised me well, and she’ll be with me if I run into any problems. I don’t think I’m ready for it, but I know giving him to you would disappoint Thorak.” Whom, Sweetie bitterly thought, has a lot of explaining to do when he woke. Finishing the letter, Celestia sent it off, and bowed her head. “They will arrive first thing tomorrow, and we shall be leaving late tonight. For now, I suggest finding him a small gem to suckle on. It should keep him sated for now at least.” Finished speaking, Celestia watched as Sweetie pulled out some perfect sized gems. Placing one near the mouth of the dragon, Sweetie blinked as he pounced on it, suckling as he curled into a ball. “Okay, now uh Theodore? No….Thanos? No, not that… Now that this baby Dragon is taken care of, can we talk? Just us three?” Sweetie sent Twilight a apologetic look, and Twilight shook her head in response, bowing as she turned away. Following the two into Twilight’s castle, they all took a seat. “Well,” she began. “I want to ask your permission to try lifting the sun and moon. See, in the time Loops I always had a pretty good idea of my limits because I had to be constantly using my magic. But out here I don’t have that. So I want to try something that, well…” Trailing off, Sweetie looked to her hooves, swishing her tail on reflex. A Chicken spawned, flying out the window. Celestia watched this, and then cleared her throat. “Say no more Sweetie Belle. We will make the exception for you.” Both Celestia and Luna had heard the details from Twilight, and knew that this wasn’t some filly any more. In addition, Sweetie Belle had a baby dragon to take care of. Knowing her limits would be very...wise. Horns glowing, the nodded to Sweetie, who breathed in. Sending her magic out, Sweetie felt it easily grip the moon. After moving it around for a bit, she also picked up the sun. Canceling the spell, she sighed, rubbing her temple. It seemed so easy...Levitated up, Sweetie blinked as Luna brought her into a hug. Celestia blinked, but did not join in. “I’m fine.” Smiling, Sweetie untangled herself from Luna. Looking between them, Sweetie watched both share a glance, and her mood soured instantly. “You’re thinking about vacation, aren’t you.” Shocked that Sweetie had guessed correctly, they both had trouble recovering. Approaching, Celestia put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Yes, but you need to understand, we were not expecting you to do anything. I am sorry, it was selfish of us to think such thoughts, but we did.” Glancing back toward Luna, Celestia’s sister gave a nod. Sighing, Sweetie pushed the hoof off her shoulder, turning around to take a seat once more. “I know,” was her response. Silence followed, and the two sisters shared a look. Giving a bow, they spoke together. “If there is nothing else, we must begin the journey home.” Both turned, beginning to leave. Watching them, Sweetie waited until the door had closed before letting her annoyance manifest. Celestia and Luna were... It made her blood boil. The worst part in her mind? Of course she’d do it. Growling, she stood up, beginning to walk home. “SURPRISE!” Walking in, Sweetie was assaulted with confetti. Chuckling, she cleared her eyes and saw the bright smiling faces of everyone she knew. Even Ditzy and Dinky were there. Glancing to the baby on her back, Sweetie noticed he hadn’t even moved an inch. ’Thashen. A combination of Thorak and ash, as you are gray in color. I think it’s perfect, don’t you?’ Looking at the baby, she noticed it curl slightly tighter into the ball. Taking that as a yes, Sweetie entered her home, letting go of her worries so she could enjoy it. As always, Pinkie Pie had perfect timing. Author's Note Lil short today, sorry bout that. Removing this bit also.
-----It all went perfectly to plan, almost too perfectly. Applebloom and Scootaloo agreed to blindly trust her as she managed to pull off the ‘Diamond Tiara teaches them about ritzy stuff, and Scootaloo learns about Cloud-boarding’ scenario. Too easily, they both gained their Marks, Diamond and Silver became their friends, and it was time for Sweetie to head home. “See ya Scoots, bye Bloom.” Waving her two friends goodbye as she stood outside Diamond’s house, she watched them leave, and sighed. Diamond looked at this, and coughed, gaining Sweetie’s attention. Sitting down on the step, she motioned with her head to Silver, who stepped inside, and closed the door. “So, why were you bored? Did you not like my games?” Watching Sweetie visibly cringe, Diamond knew she had hit the nail on the head. Watching Sweetie squirm slightly, there was a small moment when Diamond considered making a smart remark, and teasing Sweetie. Shaking her head, she discarded it quickly. When Sweetie didn’t answer, head bowed and mouth downturned, Diamond sighed. “Too easy? Or was it not easy enough?” Raising an eyebrow, Diamond tried to pry the issue out. Rubbing the back of her neck, Sweetie glanced to Diamond, and looked away. Gazing upward, Diamond considered what words she could say to make Sweetie open up. There had to be something. Her father always said there were some. “It scares me how close it mirrored the last time. It reminds me too much of how bad it got in there.” Sitting on her rump, Sweetie hugged her legs, and closed her eyes. Blinking, Diamond was confused as to what Sweetie meant by ‘last time’ but shook it off. Those were questions for another time. “Jeez, that’s really rough. I can sympathise, my daddy likes to make me repeat every smart thing he says. ‘Repetition is the key to remembering,’ so he says.” Scowling, Diamond glared at the setting sun, before letting her expression relax. Glancing to Sweetie, she realised she now had Sweetie’s undivided attention. “What do you do? How do you stop those feelings?” There was a hint of despair in Sweetie’s tone, and Diamond saw the hint of strong emotions threatening to break the dam, and scanned her memories. Biting her lip, she considered it seriously, frowning as she tried to pin down just why it didn’t bother her. “I guess I just try not to think about it. I mean, if I let it get to me, I’d never be able to have any fun, as rare as that is.” Shrugging, Diamond didn’t think that was the whole truth, but it was the best she could come up with. Glancing to Sweetie, Diamond was pulled into a hug, and she blinked, eyes widening. “...I can try. Maybe that’s the only way to handle some situations.” It didn’t sound very good for most problems, but ones that didn’t go away and didn’t cause any problems in the future? It might be best, at least in Sweetie’s view. As much as she wanted to let go of her past though, it continued to throb in the forefront of her mind. “As much as I love hugs, could you let go of me?” After being released, Diamond stood, and gave Sweetie an encouraging smile, rubbing her leg as she looked away. This didn’t feel right, Sweetie should be confiding in her old friends, not her ex-enemy. Regardless, there wasn’t much Diamond could do about it, considering she had been the one to pry. So she tried to hide her grimace behind a smile. “I’ll be going now, sorry for being such a bother.” Waving goodbye, Sweetie began to trot home, still preferring not to use magic unless necessary. Waving herself, Diamond waited until she was around the corner, and hugged herself. “You weren’t a bother, no bother at all.” Smiling, she let her glee show, and shivered at both the cold and her emotions. Opening the door, she walked over to Silver, bringing her into a hug. “Diamond? What’s wrong?” Concern painting her words, Silver was surprised as Diamond merely looked at her, and began to laugh. “Nothing, nothing is wrong.” Once more bringing her friend into a hug, Diamond tried, and failed, to keep moisture from coming out her eyes. “Everything is golden.” Author's Note Another short chapter, sorry. Was in a bit of a writing funk today. I am going ahead with the books. But, this will take some time after this story is complete. Therefore, so those interested can stay updated: I have made a book-update doc. Any further updates there will be about the book. Secondly, I've decided the updated story will also be available here, and not a physical book exclusive. I WILL, however be including a bonus chapter. What will this chapter be? Nothing too groundbreaking, just another little addition that won't affect the story. It WILL be interesting though.
----Walking down the street to head toward one of the items on her list, Sweetie halted in her tracks, putting a hoof on her chest as pain flared up in it. Chatting casually, Snips and Snails hadn’t noticed her yet, and she was tempted to hide. Cringing, she felt her breath go ragged as she fought that desire, and gave a small whine as they noticed her. “Hey Sweetie, not often we see you these days. Glad to see you were found safe.” Snails gave an eager smile, and was pushed aside as Snips beamed proudly, striking a pose. “Yeah, I was searching the forest for you painstakingly. Snails here looked after Fluttershy’s animals.” Glancing to his friend, there was a hint of arrogance in Snip’s words. Wincing, Snail looked away from both, and his ears flopped down. “Fluttershy couldn’t search for Sweetie and take care of them, and she’s much more comfortable around the Everfree monsters thanks to her talent. The chances of finding Sweetie were better when she didn’t have-” Cut off, Snail's head only got lower. “Whatever, admit it. You were just afraid of the Everfree. Don’t worry, I picked up the slack because you weren’t there.” Snips smiled, and Snails gave a hesitant smile in response. Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie took a step forward, but stopped when Snails responded. “Thanks Snips, you’re a great friend, helping me all the time.” That answer, it made her blood boil. “Alright, that’s it!” Turning to Snails, Sweetie poked her hoof right in his face. “You, you are a kind and gentle pony that shouldn’t feel pressured by others to act like Snips just because he treats you better for it. And you,” she spoke, turning to Snips. “You need to stop forcing your beliefs on Snails, and start trying to get proper friendships. As such, I am officially interfering in your lives, and becoming your friend from now on. My first order of business is to introduce you to my friends, and hopefully get you inducted into the CMC.” Turning her back to them, Sweetie rolled her head toward the sky. “And yeah, I know this sounds hypocritical since I was just calling you out on it, Snips. But so help me, I refuse to let anyone I like be doormats. I get enough of it from Rarity overworking herself, I don’t need others doing it too.” Glancing back at them, Sweetie blinked, and took a step back. ’Oh jeez, I didn’t mean to get so angry… I gotta watch my temper in the future, it certainly didn’t get any better during my time in the Loops.’ Feeling a little sorry for taking out her frustrations on them, Sweetie opened her mouth, about to apologise. “But we can’t be Crusaders, we already have our Cutie Marks.” Snails surprised both Snips and Sweetie, speaking out of turn as he looked sadly to his Mark. Eyes widening, Sweetie smiled softly, feeling a pang in her chest. Coughing to hide the beginnings of a blush, she looked away for a moment. “Weeeeel, all of us have our Marks now. So that point is kinda moot.” Chuckling, Sweetie closed her eyes, rubbing the back of her head. Snips raised an eyebrow, stepping forward. “If yas have your Marks, why are you still the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Folding his arms, Snips frowned. Turning, Sweetie giggled, amused that they hadn’t figured it out. “That’s simple, it’s no longer about our Marks. I’ll admit, I haven’t discussed it yet with this version of my friends, but I’m pretty sure they’ll all be behind the idea of turning the CMC not into a crusade for our Marks, but for every Mark.” Narrowing her eyes, Sweetie smirked, raising a hoof slightly and pointing it to the sky. “There are fillies and colts out there, worried about never getting their Mark, worries we shared with them. I want to bring out their true potential. That’s what my mark means, after all. And I’m going to make it happen.” Looked to them, she put her hoof down, and stood proudly. “It may take years, maybe even decades, to bring the CMC around Equestria, to grow into a recognised group. But when we do, we will bring both happy memories, and cherished joy to all Markless ponies. For it's not only the Mark that counts, but the journey to get there.” Wiping her eye, Sweetie felt an open joy in her heart. Her dream, it could happen now she was outside the Loops. Both colts were open jawed at her, a hint of pink on their cheeks. “Wait, version?” Tilting his head, Snips was confused by this word choice. Winking, Sweetie chuckled, turning and walking away. Swishing her tail once, she spawned a chicken, giggling as they watched it pass them. “Oh no, that’s a story I’m saving. All my friends will hear it together, or not at all." Author's Note
---Stopping outside Noteworthy’s house, Sweetie waited patiently as the smells of dinner wafted through the street. Taking a seat on some grass by the road, she pulled out a book to read. It was one that had recently been released. It was about a young filly trying to make her way in a zombie apocalypse, with only an ex-murderer as company. Slowly, the sounds of music began to echo, and Sweetie gently closed the book, it was time. Noteworthy played the note, and sighed. There was something weighing on his mind, something he couldn’t quite place. Shaking his head, he noticed the sounds of his fellow musicians begin, and moved his hooves to join in, forgetting his worries almost instantly. Closing his eyes, he let the music speak. The song weaved and swirled, easing the minds of everypony listening. It softened anger, it soothed heartache, and helped children drift to sleep. It did all this, until a new tune entered the air. Swirling around it, the music hesitated, detecting the inexperience behind the magically infused notes. The tune began to swirl, singing a new song, one that disturbed the old rhythm as it spoke. The song tried to resist it, wanting to keep the soothing melody, but soon found the tune mixing to make it more haunting. The song faltered, and the tune rose up in panic, trying to continue the song. The song paused, and decided to listen, shifting to allow the tune, the voice, to lead. It began joyfully, bouncing around with a playful air, transforming into a mischievous undertone. The voice changed, while the melody continued the undertone, jumping into the calm beat of the old song. Transforming the song, the voice seemed to falter occasionally, but purposely in tune with the song, before finally coming to a stop. The voice resumed, and the song transformed into a sad song, emotion given a voice. The voice began to return to the calming melody of before, and the song resumed once more, sensing the message was finished. Finishing, the final notes ended as normal, and all was calm. Only a few ponies noticed the difference, and even fewer knew what was the cause. As all musicians poked their heads out, they saw Sweetie Belle in the street, looking directly at Noteworthy, and simply knew. Vinyl and Octavia both vacated inside, knowing it was none of their business. Lyra simply walked away, glancing back only once on her way home. Looking down at Sweetie, Noteworthy walked downstairs, and opened the door. “Come in,” he spoke, turning and walking toward the table, where he took a seat. Stepping inside, Sweetie shut the door behind her, and joined him at the table. Breathing in, she opened her mouth, and began to tell him her tale. At first, Noteworthy had been going to laugh, but his disbelief was removed when Sweetie transformed herself into an Alicorn for a moment. Hours passed quickly as Sweetie spoke, and Noteworthy’s expression grew more and more serious. Levitating over both of them some coffee, Sweetie took a sip, and continued. After finishing her tale, Sweetie waited patiently as Noteworthy looked down. Closing his eyes for a moment, he sighed, standing up and walking over. “I can’t exactly forgive you for what you put that version of me through, but I can’t hate you for it either. I don’t really know what my feelings are on the situation to be honest. I’m sorry I can’t give you more or a final answer on that.” Biting his lip, Noteworthy put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder, looking her in the eyes. “It’s late, you should head home.” Turning, Noteworthy led the way back to the front door. Stepping outside, Sweetie and Noteworthy shared a strained smile, and the door was closed. Noteworthy headed upstairs, slumping in his bed and heaving a sigh. Meanwhile, Sweetie went home, getting a quick hug from Rarity, and went straight to bed, where dreamless sleep met her. Author's Note Sorry about the short chapter.
--Looking at the sunset over the cliff, Sweetie simply let her mind go blank. Nothing remained that weighed on her heart, her friends were all together, and the feeling of sameness had worn off quickly. Beside her sat Thrashen, suckling his thumb as he rested. Occasionally a burst of fire would erupt from his mouth, but Sweetie had come prepared with a fire-resistance spell. “I know you’re there.” Not even looking behind her, Sweetie could feel Discord’s hovering presence. While she wasn’t sure how or when she’d gained this ability, she certainly could feel the waves coming off him. Sure enough, Discord sat down at the cliff face beside her, and they were quiet for some time. “So, do you remember the Time Loops?” Watching a stray leaf get sucked downward by the wind, Sweetie had to constantly remind herself she could grow wings and levitate herself. This cliff had been the sight of many horrible encounters in the Loops, but Sweetie had to move past that eventually. “Hrm? Sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about.” Discord snapped his fingers, turning the leaf into a bird with three heads. Watching it for a moment, Sweetie concentrated, and swished her tail, turning it into a chicken. As it began to descend, Discord snapped his fingers a third time, returning it to a leaf. “You’re lying,” she spoke, finally turning to look at him. Raising an eyebrow, Discord regarded her, and then chuckled, giving a shrug. “Alright, you got me. I purposely allowed myself to forget the Time Loops, but I do remember the final one.” Leaning back, Discord looked toward the sky, a casual smile on his face. “I’ve got two questions then. My first one is simple; why did you kiss me? And no jokes please.” Giving a small smile, Sweetie tried to infuse a little energy into it. Failing that, she returned to watching the cliff, mouth downturned. “I’m disappointed, but veeery well. I basically made you my successor. I mean, I can’t let Celestia have all the fun now, can I?” Chuckling, Discord glanced toward the setting sun, and snapped his fingers, turning it into a triangle. Sniggering, he glanced to Sweetie, who was trying to not laugh. Rolling her eyes, she opened her mouth to ask her next question. “Oh right, right, of course yes. You see Sweetie, Chaos and Time are two sides of the same coin. Starswirl was essentially controlling Time, so while you were under Time's rules, you couldn’t fight back.” Pointing to the sun, Discord winked at Sweetie, who frowned, concentrating as she swished her tail. “No, you’ve got to add a little more math and a little less cluck. Come now, it’s not rocket surgery.” Looking to the chicken sun, Discord snapped his fingers, returning it to a triangle. Growling, Sweetie tried again, swishing her tail to a 90 degree angle. Surprisingly, it worked, and the sun was now a circle again. “Okay, so my second question. You mentioned one Loop that Starswirl created you?” Levitating Thrashen back onto her back, Sweetie stood up. Both began to head for Sweetie’s home. Passing a street filled with music, both paused for a moment to listen. “Did I say that? I was likely lying then.” Shrugging, Discord followed her as they finally arrived at the house. “So did you making me your uh, sucessor, do anything to my life expectancy?” After the time Loops, Sweetie didn’t even want to face that sort of problem. It scared her down to her very core, and she shuddered. A claw was placed on her shoulder, and Discord gave her an encouraging smile. “Of course not. You’ll live a chaotically normal life.” Chuckling, Discord snapped his fingers, vanishing. Opening the door, Sweetie entered her home, and smiled warmly as Rarity poked her head out and greeted her. “Hey Sweetie, how was your day?” Walking out with a tray of cookies, Rarity levitated one over. Taking it in her magic, Sweetie took a bite, and smiled as the warm cookie crumbled in her mouth, with chocolate chips melting between it. “A little bit chaotic, what about you?” Taking another bite, Sweetie followed Rarity into the kitchen to hear about her sister's day. “Celestia, why was your sun-” “Not NOW Luna! I’m trying to summon Discord.” “Did thou remember the chocolate rain?”
- “And that, my little fillies, is how I got my Cutie Mark.” Smiling, Sweetie looked down at the three fillies, looking at her with amazement. The two girls were sporting red bows, a gift from their mother. The colt on the other hand, was dressed in a backwards cap, and his wings buzzed with excitement. “But Miss Belle...If this happened when my mum wasn’t even born yet, how are you still alive?” The buttercup filly scrunched up her face, confused. Chuckling, Sweetie used her magic to gently push them closer as she leaned down. “In truth,” she admitted. “I should have realised Discord was lying. I guess the news was so much a relief I didn’t detect it.” Shrugging, Sweetie straightened up once more, giving the three an amused smile. Outside, screams of enjoyment could be heard as the flying pig races exited the Discordic Portal. “Wait, if you got your Mark during that one Loop, why’d you tell us the entire thing?” The colt frowned, and the bright orange filly pointed a hoof in accusation. “Yeah! We coulda been flyin in Discord’s race if ya hada left it ta one Loop!” Sharing nods, the three folded their arms, annoyed with Sweetie. Shaking her head, she slouched slightly on her throne, swishing her tail and sending the three spinning around in the air. “Come now, do you realise how boring that would have been?” Smirking as they both cried out in annoyance, Sweetie swished her tail, letting them plop gently back to the floor. Their glares full of mirth, she launched into a full fledged laugh. Sighing, the three turned, skulking away. “She’s useless, let’s go bother Lightyear. I hear Princess Twilight finally let him off his studies.” After the three turned the corner, Sweetie pulled out a list, and began looking it over. Each page had a picture of a filly or colt, a background, and what their personality was like. Musing over the current page, she looked to the list of activities the pony had tried, before writing down a few ideas they had yet to. If none of those worked, she’d have to make a personal trip down and see the pony. “Excuse me, Miss Belle?” Glancing away from the papers, Sweetie was surprised to see the colt from earlier, drawing a circle in the ground “Call me Sweetie, our families are friends after all, Clipwing.” Giving the nervous colt a gentle smile, Sweetie watched as he mustered the courage to ask his question. “Umm, well, I was, well, wondering if you-You see I uh. H-How did you put up with it?” Glancing to her, the colt looked to the floor and bit his lip. Placing the paper down, Sweetie got low to the ground, placing a hoof under the colt’s chin, and forcing their eyes to meet. “What’s wrong,” she spoke sternly, but softly. Clipwing’s eyes clenched closed, and a single tear escaped. Without a second thought, Sweetie brought him into a hug. “I-It’s just. What if these exercises never work, and I’m flightless just like-And what if I get a mark that represents it, how do I-” Dissolving into sobs, Sweetie gently brushed Clipwing’s mane, letting him calm down. Finally, Sweetie released him, and brought his chin up once more. “You are such a kind and caring colt Clipwing. Don’t ever think that one single thing defines you. A Cutie Mark won’t change you, it simply completes you. It won’t appear until you realise what that very thing is. Take my story to heart, and remember that as long as you continue to put one hoof in front of the other, you’ll find it.” Bringing the colt into a hug, Sweetie smiled sadly. “I know you think you might be flightless, and I can’t say for certain if you are or not. But don’t let it be the focus of your life. Find a new goal. I can’t tell you what to find, because that would be cheating, but I can give you a nudge in the right direction.” Releasing the colt, Sweetie used a spell to dry his eyes, and made sure there was no sign he had been crying. “Close your eyes,” she spoke, and began nudging him along with her magic as he did so. Following him out, Sweetie slowly led him toward the finish line of the flying pig races, where a filly was currently being cared for by a nurse. “Open your eyes.” Sweetie stepped back as Clipwing did so, and noticed the hurt filly before anything else. Rushing over, he tried to help out without thinking about it. Walking away, Sweetie smiled, closing her eyes and letting a breath out. All it took was a careful nudge in some cases, she smiled. “Discord?” As she spoke, the Draconequus slowly swam over, hoving beside her as she walked. “Yes, Chickenlord?” Sniggering, both shared a good natured smile, enjoying each others company. Looking to Discord, Sweetie’s smile grew slightly malicious. “Let’s go eat Lightyear’s homework. In front of Twilight.” Author's Note And thus, we reach the final poem by Divine Path. A tale of time and shadow past has come to an end, now alive with splendour. Forever in peace, in this pleasant warmth of friendship.
Authors Final WordsThis fic has been, above all, a test of endurance. It has taught me my limits as a writer, and as such suffered from some pacing issues. I had to take breaks, sometimes for 6 months, and because of that a lot of readers were left clawing for more. But it was necessary. Without those pauses, the final product would have suffered immensely. I could not be more proud of you, my readers, for finishing this story. It is no easy feat to read 100k words, especially when it’s just a fanfiction. What’s more, you even were inspired to make fanfiction of my work. Artwork, poems, even a game! All of this just fills me with immense pride for you. I could never have made it without your nagging, hungry voices clawing at my arms for more. I could never have made it as good as it was without the army of proofreaders whom continue to notice my errors, as vast as they are. I could never have done it without each and every comment, good or bad, liking or disliking. I couldn’t have done it without you. So, as we finally mark this story closed, there are a few closing comments I wish to make. For those interested, I am working on finally proofreading the entire story, and turning it from good into great, like you readers deserve. If you’re interested in contributing, click here to be taken to the proofread doc. And finally, there will be hard copies of the finished product, once the proofreaders are done making this story as great as you all are, with a bonus chapter. What will this chapter be? That’s a secret. I have to make the hard copy a little bit juicy don’t I? ;) Don’t worry, it’s nothing game-breaking. Probably. If you want updates on that, click here to be taken to the book update doc. That’s where any updates on how that’s going will be posted. So, with everything said and done, I want to remind everyone to stay A Little Loopy.
Sequence of events-Read this if you get confuzzled.Author's Note Spoilers-Not advised to read this before the other chapters. Note: Rarity is said to be in Manehattan on Tue, but she leaves on Mon. To find a specific loop, press ctrl+f and type in the loop number. Be sure to check out our group: A Little Fan Content. Sequence of events-Read this if you get confuzzled. Normal loop: Mon Sweetie wakes up in bed, pancakes, she is late. Cherilee is teaching about how diamonds are formed. Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manehattan. Sweetie goes to school. Homework on family history due. Wed Sweetie goes to school, information on how Pegasi buck clouds. Sweetie and everyone try to get hole digger CM, get grounded. Rarity returns. Thur Snow day, allowed to go out and play in the snow until the arvo, when they have to go attend school. Math class. Fri Cherilee does presentation on tides, organises event to spend some of the night stargazing on Monday, when the slips will be given to give to the students. Loop 1 and 2: Exactly the same as Loop 3 excluding the Luna event. Loop 3(Chapter 1): Mon Sweetie wakes up in bed, pancakes, she is late. Cherilee is teaching about how diamonds are formed, Sweetie calls in sick due to headache and goes home early. Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manehattan, long day of tests to determine the cause. Sweetie has to levitate objects to stop the headaches. Wed Sweetie and everyone try to get hole digger CM, get grounded. Rarity returns. Thur Snow day, allowed to go out and play in the snow until the arvo, when they have to go attend school. Math class. Sweetie talks to Cherilee, convinces her to send the slips on Fri and organise it for that night. Says she will get Luna. Fri Lesson on tides, slips handed out and stargazing. Luna greets them and organises a comet shower in the sky for them. Loop 4: Mon Sweetie wakes up, pancakes, she is on time. Cherilee is teaching how diamonds are formed, Diamond Tiara is shown her place. Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manhattan, Sweetie gains list of books from Twilight about 'time loops'. Wed Scoots tries to get speed CM, scooter is broken, Sweetie feels guilt because it was her suggestion. Thur Snow day, allowed to go out and play in the snow until the arvo, when they have to go attend school. Math class. Fri Cherilee does presentation on tides, organises event to spend some of the night stargasing on Monday, when the slips will be given to give to the students. Sweetie stays up all night to try and catch the loop resetting. Loop 5: Mon Sweetie gives Rarity book list to take to Manehattan and buy books. Tue Sweetie goes to school. Homework on family history due. Wed Sweetie goes to school, information on how Pegasi buck clouds. CMC try to get building CM's. Rarity returns with books. Thur Sweetie stays home to read. Fri: Sweetie tries leaving a toy outside, borrows Rarity's clock. Loop 6: Mon Cherilee is teaching about how diamonds are formed. Sweetie convinces Diamond Tiara she wants to be part of her passe’ Tue Twilight greets Sweetie, Rarity to Manehattan. Sweetie fakes sick. Wed Sweetie joins DT at her house to be inducted in ‘how great she is’ Thur Sweetie manages to get 'dirt' on DT. Fri Sweetie goes to school. Loop 7: Mon Sweetie convinces Silver and Diamond to teach them fancy in return for autograph Tue Lessons begin Applebloom get’s CM Wed Lessons continue Scootaloo get’s CM Thur Sleepover at Diamonds Fri Sleepover at Sweetie’s Loop 8 Mon: Rarity comforts Sweetie. Twilight teaches Sweetie how to copy notes. Tue: Rarity in Manehattan. Sweetie practices spell to copy notes. Wed: Rarity returns. Sweetie is forced to go to school. CMC say they’re no longer friends. Thur: Snow day. Sweetie and Rarity prepare for trip to Canterlot. Fri: Sweetie and Rarity prepare for Canterlot trip. Loop 9: Mon Sweetie skips school to go over her plan. Tue Sweetie copies over notes Wed Sweetie is forced to go to school, she sneaks away. Thur Sweetie vanishes, get’s caught. Fri Sweetie goes to school. Watches the reset from the hallway. Loop 10 Mon Sweetie goes to school, makes friends with Snips and Snails. Sweetie get’s fabric from Rarity to prove she’s looping. Tue Hanging out with S&S Rarity to Manehattan Sweetie get’s book from Twilight to prove she’s looping. Wed Sweetie hangs out with S&S Thur Sweetie decides to do something different, and hang out with S&S Fri Sweetie goes to bed at the normal time. Loop 11 Mon Sweetie convinces mane6 she is looping. Tue Twilight and the others devise ways to make Sweetie convincing them easier. Wed Twilight runs tests Twilight writes down her notes into a book, gives it to Sweetie. Thur Rarity gives Opal doll. Twilight gives plant and milk. Fri Sweetie watches the stuff Twilight brought on Thur. Loop 12: Mon Rarity tries to deal with the new ‘skylight’ Twilight learns of results Message to Celestia CMC make up Tue Royal Carriage to see Celestia/Luna with Rarity and Twilight Find out about past loopers Wed Sweetie and Rarity have fun in Canterlot Sweetie get’s CM Thur Celestia provides list of low-power spells that might be of use. Back to Ponyville Fri SB restarts loop in clubhouse. Loop 13 Note: From now on I’m only going to mention days if something different happened on them Tue Sweetie asks Twilight why her CM stayed Wed Sweetie dies Loop 14 Mon Sweetie Wakes up, Twilight forbids anyone going outside due to reset. Tue Sweetie and Twilight talk Loop 15 Mon Sweetie talks to Twilight and Celestia to become best princess. Tue-Fri Operation Coronation Loop 16 Mon-Fri Sweetie learns where she can train each loop. Loop 17 Mon After working out, Sweetie goes to Twilight to discuss plans. Fri Sweetie tries restarting a loop with Philomena Loop 18 Mon-Wed Sweetie attends school as normal. Philomena becomes a looper. Thur Celestia arrives Fri Normal loop reset Loop 19 Mon Sweetie gives up Sweetie convinces Rarity to take her to Manehattan. Tue Sweetie and Rarity in Manehattan Wed Sweetie and Rarity in Manehattan Thur They return home Fri Normal loop reset Loop 20 Mon Sweetie hangs out with S&S Tue Sweetie introduces S&S to CMC+DT&SS Wed Sweetie get’s Applebloom and Scootaloo their CM’s. Thur Snow day Fri Sweetie asks for loop proof. Loop 21 Mon Sweetie moves on to intermediate spells. Tue Sweetie tries to increase her magic power. Loop 22 Mon Sweetie pretends to be a fortune teller. Loop 23 Mon Sweetie does fortune telling. Loop 22 Mon Sweetie tries to find Derpy a job. Loop 25 Mon When dealing with Ditzy, Sweetie runs into Time Turner Loop 27 Mon Sweetie goes to visit Time Turner again. Thur Sweetie reads Starswirl’s final diary entry Loop 27 Tue Sweetie ‘cleans up the world’ Loop 28: Please note, from now on I will just say what happened differently that loop. Sweetie goes to Manehattan to hang out with Babs, they go to the water park. Loop 29: Sweetie tries to skip school for an entire loop. Loop 30: Sweetie masterminds an epidemic of cooties. Loop 31: Undercover Agent Sweetie Belle Philomena is lost to a Loop reset. Loop 32 Farts Warming Eve Loop 33: Sweetie explores the old sister's castle Loop 34: Sweetie goes to a Museum Loop 35: Nutella, Sweetie reads looping notes. Loop 36: Sweetie learns about Discord Loop 37: Sweetie talks to Discord Loop 38: Sweetie talks to Discord again Loop 39: Sweetie pretends to eat meat Loop 40: Sweetie asks about the EQG universe, told her week doesn’t fall on a full moon. Loop 41: Operation Eternal Night Aka Luna prank Loop 42: Sweetie has her birthday. Loop 43: Try getting ‘kidnapped’ (So as to determine if it’s possible to just isolate for a loop.) Loop 44: Spend time with Ditzy Loop 45: Challenge PP and RD to a prank war. Loop 46: Challenge them for a second time. Loop 47: Showing Sweetie's proficiency in spells. Loop 48: Sweetie moves onto advanced spells. Loop 49: Operation Discorded Discord pranks Loop 50: Sweetie asks Twilight if she’s strong enough to take on a dragon yet. Finds out her exercise is affecting her body. Loop 51: Sweetie convinces ponyville she is looping via heartsong. Loop 52: Sweetie goes to Celestia and Luna for advice. Loop 53: Sweetie goes to Manehattan to see the zoo, and get’s lost. Self inflection. Sweetie uses the highest level shield spell to keep the headache away. Loop 54: Sweetie decides to try the Princesses plan to fake their death. It doesn’t work. Loop 55: Sweetie tries having one of the Princesses step out of the room just after midnight. It doesn’t work. Loop 56: Sweetie tries transferring her magic to Twilight. It doesn’t work. Loop 57: Sweetie tries using necromancy, but only spawns zombies. Zombie pony apocalypse. Loop 58: Sweetie talks Twilight into telling her how Sweetie made copies, they try it with two Sweetie Bell’s in one room. Only the real one survives. Loop 59: Sweetie, getting desperate, goes over Starswirl’s notes once more, asking Time Turner about stuff. He tells her how to find Chrysalis. Loop 60: Sweetie leaves ponyville with camping supplies. Seeing the EOH tree, is stopped from looping in the cave with it. Loop 61: Sweetie battles monsters from the Everfree. Loop 62: Sweetie returns, and robs the only bank in Ponyville, before going back into hiding. Loop 63 Sweetie does it in song. Loop 64 Sweetie plays matchmaker. Loop 65: Battle the monsters in the Everfree. Loop 66: Sweetie travels to the badlands and finally rides a dragon. Is given a dragon egg as a reward. Loop 67: Sweetie runs Equestria for a week. Surprisingly doesn't burn it down. Loop 68: Sweetie goes and visits Chrysalis. After defeating the hive, she asks questions. Loop 69: Creates a spell to make Pudding, makes it rain it. Loop 70: Sweetie tries alcohol in Las Pegasus after learning how to alter her age. Loop 71: Sweetie spends time 'getting to know' Snails. Loop 72: Sweetie wallows Loop 73: Sweetie delves into the canterlot archives for ‘new’ magic. Loop 74: Sweetie realises she can ‘steal’ a pony’s Cutie Mark if they have been drained in her room, gaining a portion of their talent. Loop 75: Sweetie tries casting the shielding spell Twilight uses, it causes a reset. Loop 76: Sweetie practices necromancy. Loop 77: Sweetie practices cooking. Loop 78: Sweetie trains with Dragons. Loop 79: Sweetie goes to the crystal empire. Loop 80: Sweetie spends time seeing everything. Loop 81: Sweetie pretends to be Mare-Do-Well Loop 82: Sweetie finds an inventor. Loop 83: Sweetie passes off his invention as her own. Loop 84: Convince Chrysalis to invade Ponyville. Loop 85: Sweetie follows a pony around. Loop 86: Sweetie plays pranks on that pony. Learns what changes. Loop 87: Plays pranks a second time, accidentally force the pony to suicide. Loop 88: Reflection on actions, Sweetie drags Diamond to a cliff, and throws her off it. Loop 89: Sweetie poisons Ponyville's water source. Loop 90: Sweetie gains chicken summoning powers. Loop 91: Sweetie uses SMUC to take over Equestria. Headaches return. Loop 92: Sweetie tries to find more powerful spells to cast. Loop 93: Sweetie takes over raising the sun and moon. Loop 94: Sweetie tries giving her magic to Celestia and Luna. They explode. Loop 95: Sweetie learns transformation spells, uses them to help clear her head. Loop 96: No longer works, Sweetie asks Celestia what she can lift next. Loop 97: Sweetie tries to levitate the earth to stop the headaches. Loop 98: Sweetie tries to destroy the sun. Loop 99: Sweetie tries to implode the sun and create a black hole. Spell list Beginner: 1: Water 2: Spark(For fire(ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED)) 3: Stop-Sneeze 4: Wake-me-up 5: Knockout 6: Trip 7: Itch-be-gone Intermediate 8: Stun 9: Telekinetic force(Knock-back) 10: Disarm 11: Teleport 12: Fireworks 13: Smokebomb 14: Cloudwalking Advanced 15: Flight Spell(Wings) 16: Fire 17: Levitate self 18: Change gravity 19: Transform 20: Shield Battlemagi Battletastic Battlespells 1: Lightning Bolt 2: Inferno shield 3: Icestorm 4: Magic Missile 5: Supermegaultrachicken(Aka, death) Ancient Unicorn Battle Magic 1: Swords Dance 2: Flare 3: Terravolt 4: Ultimite Seeker
L82“So this potion will make the user fly?” Looking at the flask, Sweetie tilted her head as the inventor nodded. After some persuading, she gave it a sip, and blinked as she suddenly began to float. Looking at the potion, Sweetie burped, the effect fading, and returned to standing. “So any way to stop the side effect?” Holding out the flask with her magic, Sweetie watched as the scientist shook his head sadly. Walking over to his notes, Sweetie listened in as he explained in great detail just how his potion worked. “So, we magically infuse this soda water with-” Listening to the scientist, Sweetie quietly took notes. If her plan was to succeed, she had to make note of every detail. Especially since this was Thursday, and the inventor was publishing his invention tomorrow. It would fail, as people wouldn’t risk trying it, but Sweetie had the means to change that. “So why did you use an age changing spell on it?” The scientist seemed shocked at Sweetie’s answer. “Wow, you’ve actually been listening. Well you see, by the time the magic has finished working on the soda water, it would be flat and lose fifty percent of its productivity-” As the scientist spoke, Sweetie made note of every detail. Thinking on everything, she had to make sure she understood his invention just as well as he did. “-And that’s essentially how I make it, any questions?” The scientist was thrilled to have one so young interested. He was so thrilled, he even let her take a copy of his notes. After all, he was releasing it tomorrow. Of course, he kept some notes sealed away, it wasn’t like the filly would steal them. “Thank you so much, that’s everything.” Giving a smile, Sweetie trotted away without another word. The next morning, the inventor would find his notes stolen, but nothing else touched. Author's Note 18 Two best Next chapter is already out to make up for this being so short.
L99The sun finally could not compress any further, and exploded outward in a blast of massive energy, before collapsing in on itself. The moment it did so, all the magic focused on it was absorbed, and Sweetie found herself being sucked toward it. As her hooves lifted off the ground, she found herself unable to move, and her mind crystal clear. Smiling, she sighed, allowing her magic to be drained into the black hole. Thud There was a large sound, and everything halted. Sweetie looked around, seeing things held mid air, and found herself unable to move either. Something enveloped her in a magic aura, and she felt herself be moved. It felt like she was being dragged through mud. After a while, it stopped, and she was moved backward. There was a pause. With a rapid movement, Sweetie watched as she was sent flying down a street, where she hit some sort of invisible wall. As she hit it, it seemed to shatter like glass, sending her spinning toward the ground. Looking up, Sweetie watched as the wall seemingly repaired itself, and looked around. Widening her eyes, she had no response. Author's Note 1 Loi ox, zis welrd joods vo te rivo. Dit quich peosn’t gned dit yot. -Chaxalswilr Have another poem: Fleeting light of warmth, bless this shell before you go, it is all shattered
L15.3 Operation CoronationL15.3 Operation Coronation Author's Note I'm using this as my 'get out of writing free' pass. I will pass go, I will collect $200. One or two more sections to OpC left.
L1&L2“Sweetie Belle, wake up, it’s time for school!” Groaning as Rarity’s voice called through the door, Sweetie reluctantly rose. Giving a yawn, she rubbed her eyes as her light grey fur bristled from the morning chill. It was going to be another cold week, it seemed. Her mind briefly turned to her dreams, but before she could focus, they vanished like her weekend from her memory. “I’m up!” Rising, Sweetie looked around her room. Her room was neatly furnished, and it had everything she needed; a soft bed, a vanity unit, and a mat in one corner with some toys on it, most being teddy bears. Truthfully she didn’t play with Mr. Snuggles or Miss Poofsy anymore, but they still held a special place in her heart. Brushing her hair, she breathed in, suddenly smelling something in the air; fluffy, yummy, tummy, pancakes! Not even stopping to check her hair was in its right place, she instantly dashed downstairs, at the table so quick, you’d swear she had teleported. “I’m off! See you Rarity.” Bounding over, she gave her sister a quick hug, and then trotted outside. Looking around, it took a few moments before Apple Bloom appeared, rounding a corner, and she smiled. Waving a hoof, they both clothed the distance, and began to make the long trek toward school. “..., ..., ..., diamonds..., sand..., formed.” as Cheerilee spoke, Sweetie tuned out for a moment, going cross-eyed as a pressure began to appear in her head. What was with this headache, had it been something she’d ate? Had Rarity poisoned her!? WAS SHE GOING TO-No, even she knew that was ridiculous. Still, it was thoughts like that that made the day go a little faster. “Why not get Sweetie Belle to answer, since her sister has a Cutie Mark of diamonds.” Sweetie turned, and glared at Diamond, opening her mouth to make a quip. Cheerilee was, sadly, too quick to interject. "That's a perfect suggestion, Diamond Tiara. Oh, since your name has diamond in it, why don't I give you the first question instead?" Cheerilee’s words caused Diamond to glare, and Sweetie couldn’t help the smug grin on her face. However, all too soon that faded as her headache began to become more distracting, and Sweetie raised her hoof. "Miss Cheerilee? Can I go to the nurse, I don't feel so good." After Sweetie spoke, Cheerilee put her hoof on her forehead, it was warm to the touch. Biting her lip, Cheerilee nodded. "Yes dear, make sure to tell her what the problem is when you get there.” Upon arriving, Sweetie managed to get herself sent home early, on the promise she headed right for bed. Doing so, her mind drifted off the moment she hit the pillow. “I say we try getting our cutie marks in hole digging!” Scootaloo nodded as Apple Bloom spoke, and both beamed at Sweetie Belle as she played with her paper plane using magic. Even now, Sweetie couldn’t believe how far her magic had come in just a few short days. “Sure! Let’s go!” Following the two into town, they grabbed shovels, and began to dig a hole. It was dirty work, but soon enough they were quite far done. Taking a break, they checked their flanks, only to be disappointed as they remained mark less. “WOAH!” A form fell atop of them, causing them to scream in panic, and try to flee. After a few moments, they realised it was just Noteworthy, and relaxed. Two heads peeked into the hole, and Sweetie shrunk down as Rarity’s voice called out. “You are so grounded.” “Today's lesson, is on Tides. You see, the moon in the night sky is also responsible for the tides of the ocean. Too close or too far, and we would not be the Equestria you see today. One of Celestia’s greatest fears during the birth of Nightmare Moon was of this. Now can anyone tell me why Princess Luna may have not done so, even if it would have been to her advantage?” Cheerilee regarded the class. “Uhm, because deep down she was a nice pony after all?” Snails shrunk slightly as the entire class laughed at him, but such behavior was quickly halted. “Actually, that is what most Ponies believe. According to Princess Twilight herself, Luna only wanted her subject's admiration. Perhaps, deep down, she still cared for life, even in the depths of despair.” Cheerilee began to draw white dots on the chalkboard. “Which is why, I want to ask you children if you would be interested in a School Excursion to see the stars one evening. You would need to sign permission slips of course, but it would be a good experience for all of you.” Turning, Cheerilee waited, and all the kids began to nod enthusiastically. Staying up late, on a school night? This was going to be awesome! “Goodnight Rarity,” whispered Sweetie, hugging her sister as she slowly climbed the stairs to her bed. The weekend promised to be a good one, full of fun and adventure, and Cutie Marks! Maybe, that is. Snuggling into her covers, a soft sigh escaped her lips. What a good week, she almost wished it wasn’t over. Without another thought, her mind sunk into dreams. Author's Note It was a long time coming! For new people to the series, welcome! See the Sequel to ALL here!
SSL15Loop 15. Or at least, I think that is correct. It is hard to tell when losing track of time could take one or two loops without warning. I have completed the tests confirming my hypothesis. The real question is how do I test the correct order of events. From my chair, I can see three possible routes out. Two are fundamentally improbable as of this moment due to the nature of this loop. The first is to find the correct sequence of events. I am confident if I spend my time wisely, I can accomplish this. I fear what awaits me on the other side however. What will become of me once this loop ends? No matter, I must escape. Living forever in the same time is not in any way productive. My spells and experiments can never leave a singular room. The second is to kill myself. While I hate to admit it, I fear that may be the only means of escape. But I must prevail in my search. If it turns out to be true, I will have to learn to face it. I will have to learn to let go of this fear that is consuming me at the knowledge of my imminent demise. For it is imminent. Spells I cast to increase my life expectancy fail around me just as the loop resets. I have no doubt if it weren’t for the loop, I would die at the sixth hour. The final one is to break the connection my horn has to the spell. This in itself is a huge undertaking, and very well may end my life. Either way I move forward, death is there to greet me. I fear it so, and yet I know I have no choice but to accept it. The alternative is to stay in this loop, and I know monotony would eventually eat at me. Do not mistake my mastery over magic as a hindrance when I say this, but I fear the alarming growth in my magical power with each tick of the loop. What if it continues to grow? What will happen to me? So much uncertainty is hard to keep under tabs as I strive to see if option one is viable as a solution. But I must try.
SSL27Loop 27 My god, he’s gone. My assistant is gone. My poor assistant, putting up with the draining sensation while diligently working as I asked. I never expected that being in the same place as him when the loop resets would end in this. I crept into his room at the end of a loop, knowing this was where he had been six hours ago. I anticipated him to appear in front of me, like he had when I had watched from the hallway. He didn’t. It’s been two loops and he still hasn’t returned. I fear I might have removed him from the loop. Whether that means he has just moved on to after the loop, or been removed completely, I cannot tell, but I must be absolutely sure to avoid looping in wide open areas from now on. What if someone happens to have a starting position in those areas? I fear what this might mean for the future. My magic continues to grow, the headaches growing harder to ignore. I’m running out of spells to maintain to keep the headaches down. I might have to create a new spell to do so. Maybe something that will allow me to levitate the moon. But I couldn’t do that to Luna. Maybe the world would suffice, but am I at the stage where I could even attempt such feats? That thought both excites me, and chills me to the bone. Either way, I am working on creating a spell to seal off my magic for a few moments. If I time it right, I can cut off my magic as the loop ends. It is possible that is the means for escape. Either way, I must ensure my body can survive without my spells that currently maintain my life. It is risky, death might come before I can reapply them. So much unknown, and yet I feel time slowly ticking down.
L21.AddendumAuthor's Note Almost forgot to add this to the end of the loop. L21.Addendum “Oh, Sweetie Belle, one last thing before you go.” Celestia called out to Sweetie, who had her hoof out the door, ready to leave. Twilight glanced between the two as a piece of paper was levitated toward Sweetie. Looking over it, Sweetie realised it was a complicated spell, one that would increase the size of her bags. “That’s the spell we used on your bags. You will have to get Twilight to cast it each loop start, due to the fact the loops drains magic from the room. That’s what your experiments concluded right?” Celestia glanced toward Twilight, who bit her lip. “Well, when I gave Sweetie some magic-in-a-jar that was essentially my memories for a loop, it was completely drained the next loop. As least, that’s what my notes say.” Twilight tried to keep the doubt out of her voice. Could she trust her past self to run proper tests? “What would happen if the spell was drained of all magic?” Sweetie made herself a mental note to remember to remove the contents of her saddlebag when she went to bed on Fridays, or when she stayed up for a loop’s end. “Probably split apart, both ruining your bag and sending all the items everywhere.” Celestia nodded once, satisfied with that hypothesis. “Alright, thanks for the warning, see ya!” Sweetie smiled warmly as she waved goodbye to the three, and ran off to find her friends. If she was lucky, she might be able to get some fun out of this loop with her newfound magic abilities. Which is to say, her new ability to explode on a whim, but Sweetie ignored that fact.
L41.3 Operation Eternal Night Dancing fireflies, coming from below, shroud me in a halo, light us in a golden glow. Dancing fireflies, listen to their cries, hear their pleased crescendo, over my midnight sky. Dancing fireflies, do you know the truth, that daylight is no longer, like it was in my youth. Dancing fireflies, let us fly away, to a new horizon, full of midnight's day. Dancing fireflies, please welcome all below, as they look toward you yellow lights and snow. Dancing fireflies, listen to my song, as it rings forth, hoping they join along. Dancing fireflies, come look my friend, let us watch and see, as the world ends. And yet the fireflies dance.
L47“Alright Sweetie, are you ready for your test?” Twilight lowered her clipboard, pushing her glasses up slightly. Because they weren’t proper glasses, they had a tendency to slip down. Besides, Twilight found the action comforting. Sweetie stood in the field, and nodded. Bracing herself, she watched as Twilight fired a bolt of magic off, hitting Sweetie. Sweetie was pushed back slightly, but suffered no damage. “Your ability to hold it after a hit could use some work, but it definitely stood up to my attack. Very good. Ok, next up is the Beginner tests.” Twilight motioned toward Applejack, who had begrudgingly agreed to be the test subject. Sweetie smiled, and walked over to the fire pit. Using Spark, she lit it with ease. Moving on, she doused it with a gush of water from her horn, expertly controlled so Applejack didn’t get wet. Sweetie threw some pepper at Applejack, who began to prepare a sneeze. Sweetie cast the spell, and followed up with a itch-removal, before finally knocking Applejack out. Waking her up, Sweetie allowed Applejack to stand, before tripping her over with telekinesis. Finished showing off her mastery, she bowed to Twilight. Nodding, she put a tick into the first box. “Alright, intermediate now.” Twilight went up and grabbed a cloud, which Sweetie leapt onto with only the barest spark of her horn. Standing there, she created an explosion of smoke, and teleported directly next to Applejack. Applejack picked up a stick as Sweetie fired a few fireworks into the air. They were nowhere near the level of Trixie’s, but they had some color to them. Turning, Sweetie stunned Applejack, and moved instantly into the disarm spell, knocking the stick away. Finally, she reared up, and then knocked Applejack back with her spell as she slammed her front hooves into the ground. Applejack didn’t go too far, and Sweetie was puffing. Gasping for breath, she turned toward Twilight. “Not bad. They could all use a little more work of course, but that’s a pass.” Twilight smiled warmly, and ticked the second box on her check-board, and deposited it into her saddlebags as she walked over. Sweetie pulled out the book with the spells, a hopeful look on her face. Twilight nodded, and Sweetie beamed a jubilant smile. “That’s right Sweetie, it’s time to move onto the advanced spells. Now, these are going to take weeks to learn to cast, let alone master. But I have no doubt you can learn them without my tutelage by now.” Twilight smiled, bowed, and both she and Applejack began to back away quickly. Sweetie looked to the first spell, the one that Twilight used to give her wings. Horn glowing, she followed the book closely, and tried to cast it. Naturally, it exploded.
L69Sweetie hummed a merry tune, using her magic to hold her umbrella as rain poured down on her. It was another normal day in Ponyville, but she was enjoying every moment of it. Sweetie had even used the illusion spell she learned from Celestia to hide her Cutie Mark. There was, of course, a reason for this. But Sweetie was enjoying Twilight’s reaction far too much to explain. “This is impossible! This can’t be happening!” Twilight ran around in a circle, fur darkened by the rain. Sweetie watched her friends crowd around. Pinkie Pie and Discord were both enjoying it for what it was. Sweetie had no doubts Discord knew it was her. Taking a seat, she pulled out her bowl, and filled it up with the rain. Taking out a spoon, she began to eat it. “Sweetie Belle, no pudding until after dinner!” Rarity took the bowl from Sweetie, who pouted in response. Just great, she created magic rain, and she couldn’t even eat it. It had been pretty hard too. A lot of bits had gone into bribing the weather team excluding Rainbow Dash. “Just let the filly have her fun, it’s not like this is going to happen again,” muttered Discord, gaining glares from the majority of the others. Shrugging, he returned to eating his bowl. Sweetie appreciated his sentiment, but knew it was futile. Besides, seeing Twilight about to blow a fuse was more than enough payment. “I know you’re behind this Discord, don’t lie.” Twilight turned, another hair twitching out of her mane, glaring at Discord. Raising an eyebrow, he put the pudding down, and leaned forward. “Of course you would blame me. It’s not like anyone else could cause chaos.” Rolling his eyes, he glanced toward Sweetie. Shivering, she wondered if he would rat her out. No, even if he did, they’d never believe him. “What’s that supposed to mean? Discord!” Shouting as he vanished, Twilight gritted her teeth. Sweetie sighed, standing up and trotting away. Maybe the Crusaders would be having fun. Finding Applebloom first, Sweetie found her running apple baskets to the barn and back in a blind panic. “Sorry Sweetie, don’t have time righ’ now. Gotta grab apples before tha’ pudding rots em.” Sweetie watched this for a moment, feeling a quick slice of guilt. After a moment, Scootaloo also appeared, helping carry the baskets in. Sweetie scowled, and turned to head back home. Maybe she could find something interesting to read until it blew over. Suddenly, she was pinned by Rainbow Dash, quickly flanked by the other five. There was also a pony she reconised as one she had paid to make it rain pudding. Immediately, she knew she had been caught, and enacted plan ‘sorry.’ “What’s going on?” Raising her voice, she held it with a measure of confusion, but also aversion. This was important, as Sweetie wanted them to know she knew what it was probably about. Applejack stepped forward, pointing toward the weather pony. “Ah can tell when somepony is lyin’, so Ah know it’s the truth when somepony tells me you paid him to make it rain pudding.” The others watched her seriously, looking for any signs that would validate this claim. “W-What are you talking about? I never did that.” Lying was something Sweetie had long since mastered, pretending to lie was a little different. Looking away, shaky smile, nervous sweat, all signs she was trying to avoid them seeing the truth. “Ah know yer’re lyin’.” Applejack watched as Sweetie turned, and gulped. Yes, the filly had just trapped herself, and knew it. Drawing on her own knowledge, Sweetie began to ‘tell the truth’. “I-I’m sorry! It was meant to be a surprise that everyone could enjoy. I thought it might get me a weather Cutie Mark. I didn’t know it was going to cause so much trouble.” Sweetie let tears leak down her face, scrunching up her eyes as she spoke. This was the key to her attempt to lie to Applejack. Her theory hinged that Applejack used her Element’s magic through the eyes “I-I saved up the money b-because I thought it would make everyone happy. I-I’m s-so-sorry.” Sniveling, Sweetie wiped her nose, and felt Rarity pull her into a hug. Applejack watched her for a moment longer, and then nodded to the others. There was no possible way Sweetie could lie good enough to be faking that. “There there Sweetie, now you know.” Rarity glanced toward Twilight, who nodded, giving a warm smile. Yes, damage had been done, but she wasn’t going to punish the filly, especially considering her good intentions. “Just never do it again,” she scolded the filly, who nodded rapidly, wiping the tears from her eyes. Rainbow Dash ordered the weather team to clear the clouds, watching them salute before flying off to do so. Now that she knew why they hadn’t been listening to orders, it was a lot easier to convince them enough was enough. “I-I w-will, s-sorry.” Wiping her eyes, Sweetie blinked them open, looking at Rarity’s warm smile and giving her own. A smug satisfaction crawled through her. Sweetie could lie to the Element of Honesty. That was both good and bad news. For if Sweetie could lie to Honesty, what said she couldn’t lie to herself?
L492,363,977Rarity opens the door to Sweetie Belle's room. There is a skeleton. "It's not Nightmare Night," she scolds her sister. Sweetie poofs back to her normal self, and pouts. "You never let me have any fun." Author's Note If I'm going to be pestered for the next few days about april fools, I'm at least going to have some fun.
-Friday Rarity cried on Twilight’s shoulder as they both waited for news about Sweetie Belle. Sometime on Monday, Sweetie had gone missing. Apparently, she was seen going into the Everfree with Opalescence by Vinyl, who had been up late preparing for a party that had been going to happen tomorrow. With the filly missing, nopony felt like really celebrating anything, and instead helped with the search effort. Glancing to the clock, Twilight noticed it was getting close to midnight, and gently helped Rarity to her room. Tucking her friend in, Twilight found herself being held with an iron grip, and pulled up a chair. Levitating out a Daring Do book, she began to read as she waited for Rarity to fall asleep. Time ticked forward, and the moment it hit midnight, a violent earthquake shook Ponyville. Rarity leapt to her feet, and Twilight bolted to the window. Looking up, Twilight watched as a bright light seemed to shatter the sky like a window, and it hurtled directly for Sweetie’s room. Turning, both bolted toward the door as another quake shook the house. Slamming the door open, both watched as the bright light dimmed, and a familiar face became visible. “S-S-Swe-Swee-” Unable to speak, Rarity dived for her sister, crying tears of open joy as Sweetie cried out in pain. Releasing her, Rarity looked horrified as she noticed the bruised state of Sweetie, along with the saddlebags that were badly burnt. Looking to Twilight, Sweetie spoke, pointing to her chest. Magic flaring, Twilight used a common healing spell to heal the broken bone. After a moment, she wiped her brow, and nodded to Rarity, who once more plucked her sister up, crying as she embraced her. Hugging her sister, Sweetie began to tear up as well. Seeing commotion outside, Twilight opened the window, and shouted to the crowd the good news. Cheers erupted, and two fillies raced up the stairs, diving for Sweetie to join in with the hug. Tears flowing freely, it was a long time before any of them could even form a sentence. Once Rarity was able to speak, the question of where came up all too soon. Looking to them, Sweetie asked what day it was. “Well, it’s just after midnight on a Saturday, Sweetie, why?” Twilight tilted her head as fresh tears emerged on Sweetie’s face, and she merely shook her head. Rarity and Twilight shared a glance, and Twilight gave a nod. Stepping out of the room, she left to go deal with the crowd. After all, explanations could wait. They had all the time in the world. Author's Note
