We Can Do This Forever

by Empirical Deduction

Rating: everyone
Tags: Spike, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Starlight Glimmer
Length: 14838

Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer are evenly-matched. Every time Twilight tries to stop Starlight's plan, she fails. That means Starlight wins, right?

This story takes place during the Season Five finale, "The Cutie Re-Mark". As such, there are spoilers ahead.

Starlight Glimmer's plan is working. All she has to do is upset Rainbow Dash's rainboom-creating race in the past, and Twilight Sparkle's connection with her friends will be severed. And she's done it. Repeatedly. Sure, Twilight can go back in time to try and stop her, but Starlight will always be brought back as well. No matter what Twilight tries, no matter how many times she returns, she can't stop Starlight. They're evenly-matched, and it's much easier to disrupt events than it is to preserve them.

That means Starlight wins, right?

Published 2016-01-13 03:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2017-04-30 22:56:52 UTC

Shall We?

The hole in time opened, disgorging Twilight Sparkle and Spike flying to the rescue of the future yet again. The former flared her wings, halting her advance just before being struck by a beam of blue magic, which drew her attention to the villain of the week.

“Up for another race-ending fight, Twilight?” Starlight Glimmer goaded from atop a nearby cloud. Regardless of what the princess tried, Starlight’s plan hadn’t failed once yet; the race between Rainbow Dash and the pair of colts bullying Fluttershy had been halted before the rainboom each time.

“No, you’re right; I can’t stop you.” Twilight admitted, pausing to block another beam with a brief shield before she went on, “But you can’t stop me from trying, and we could be stuck doing this for all eternity!”

“If that's what it takes to keep you and your friends from getting your cutie mark connection, then I'm game!” was the snide response, followed by another spell to be blocked by Twilight’s shield.

A moment passed before the response came: “No, you’re not.” The princess spoke in a tone of quiet revelation, the same one she used every time she’d finally noticed an obvious answer to a particularly prickly problem. Spike raised an eyebrow, peeking out from behind the safety of Twilight’s mane in confusion.

“What do you mean I’m not? I just said I am.” Curiosity and indignation held back the next zap.

“You’re not an alicorn. I’m an alicorn, and you’re not.” A smile began to grow on Twilight’s features.

“I don’t see why that’s important; it hasn’t helped you defeat me.” As if to demonstrate the point, Starlight’s horn sent forth another beam of magic off to the side, roughly knocking the approaching Rainbow Dash off-course with a cry of surprise and pain.

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but before she could she was whisked away by the Map’s portal, dropped into yet another hellish alternative to the Equestria she knew. This time the landscape was bleak and blasted, dusty brown sky and dusty brown land parted only by the horizon, whipped together by a howling wind. Dead trees, rocks, and the occasional bit of bramble dotted the desert, no landmarks other than distant hills and the Map itself to distract attention. Nothing at all suggested Ponyville had once stood there. Both she and Spike stared wide-eyed; every other time they had returned, there had been villains and horrors, but there had been ponies. Never had they seen Equestria just…gone.

Twilight’s surprise faded first, eyes narrowing as resolve took its place. Soon, her grim expression gave way to an equally grim smile. “Perfect.”

That was enough to snap Spike free of his awe. “What? Perfect?” He turned to look her in the eye. “How can this be perfect? Everything’s gone!”

What threatened to become anger faded back to confusion when he noticed the look she wore. Her horn lit up, surrounding them and the Map in a bubble of pink energy, blocking out the dust and the wind. With its constant howl quelled, she began casting a series of cantrips, simple spells that she could manage during conversation.

“No changelings swarming, no timberwolves attacking, no rampaging Tirek. No immediate threat; we can take a moment to think here.”

“But every moment we waste is another moment Starlight has in…the past…wait, how does that work if she already did it?”

“That’s the first thing to test once we go back. I’ve already cast a ‘What Time Is It?’ spell to make sure I’m right. Now all that’s left is making sure there’s no way for her to beat us, and facing her down again.”

“Whoa, whoa, Twilight, we know…er…when we are; this is the future. Present. You know what I mean.”

“Yes, but now I know exactly what time it is in this version.”

“You mean…?”

“One thirty-four in the afternoon.”

“…How does that help us?”

“I’ll tell you the next time we wind up here. Get out the scroll; I’m going to cast some heavy defensive magic on it, you, and your bag. Starlight’s good enough that it won’t hold forever, but it doesn’t have to; just a few minutes at a time.”

Spike wanted to argue, but then he’d seen Twilight in this state before, and he knew that he wasn’t going to get more answers from her until she’d tested whatever she was going to test. And besides, more protection wasn’t a bad idea. Several minutes later the wards were active; the scroll would be protected from most forms of harm, the bag only accessible by the two of them, and Spike even more durable than his draconic nature already rendered him.

“Okay! Now we’ve got to confront her one more time…”

The scroll was withdrawn, and in a flash of light the vortex opened above them once more, sweeping the pair back to the past. Flying free into the skies of Cloudsdale, she brought up a shield to deflect the opening shots as Spike stowed the scroll. This time, the ray flashed across the rear of her shield, revealing Starlight crouched against a cloud and readying a further assault. Twilight swept in, landing nearby as more shields caught blast after blast directed at her.

Starlight’s irritation was plain on her face, horn sizzling as she considered the next move. “And here we are again. See? You still can’t beat me.”

Twilight just smirked.

Starlight glared, but a quick twist of her head let her land another blast on a distant Rainbow Dash, who was sent careening into a bank of clouds after her wings locked up.

Twilight continued to smirk.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t even try and stop me this time.” Starlight focused her gaze upon the defiant alicorn, only briefly breaking her attention to look for unexpected threats to either side. “What are you happy about?”

Twilight kept on smirking as the vortex reopened above her, sweeping her off to another time and place.

The world was very strange. Brown grass crunched underhoof as a sweltering heat beat down on the pair. Withered trees with feeble green leaves dotting them stretched around them. The lake in the distance looked nearly dry; the orchards of Sweet Apple Acers had seen better days. In the distance, Canterlot Castle glistened on the mountainside under the fierce sunlight. Ponyville was present, but not a soul moved in it, neither pony nor critter.

Magic washed over Twilight’s horn as she trotted up to the Map once more, and a grin returned to her features after the spell gave her the answer. “I was right.”

Spike, having spotted the languishing boutique in the distance, was eager to move on. “Right about what?”

“It’s one thirty-one right now – earlier than it was when we left. Every time we come back to the present, we’re coming back at the exact same time we originally left. Whatever time we experience elsewhere, the moment we come back is the same.”

“Okay…? How does that help us?” Spike noticed movement off towards Canterlot, worry creeping into his tone.

“It means that we don’t have anything to lose. Listen…”

The alicorn explained her plan.

The dragon began to grin.

They left before Nightmare Sun arrived.

Twilight and Spike landed on a patch of cloud, and watched as Starlight Glimmer explained to the group of pegasi bullies why differences were bad. She smirked when she saw them, daring them to try and do something.

They smirked back.

Twilight and Spike flew through the sky, shield spells and teleports deflecting and avoiding the magic that Starlight threw at them as foals watched in wonder.

All the while, the alicorn and dragon smirked at her.

Twilight and Spike sat behind a barrier as Starlight focused powerful magics against it, pausing only to knock aside the racing pegasi approaching.

The pair kept smirking.

Twilight and Spike emerged from the portal, pink magic turning aside an incoming spell before they dove towards Starlight once more.

Starlight held back as the pair landed, keeping her glowing horn fixed on them. “Why? It’s been five more times and you haven’t tried anything; no attack, no cajoling the foals, not even a silly attempt to convince me to stop. Why do you keep smiling like that? You’re not winning!”

“Neither are you.”

“What?”

“Winning. So long as I keep coming back, you haven’t won.”

“I’ve won every time!”

“No, I haven’t been able to stop you.”

Starlight grit her teeth. “That’s the same thing. If you can’t stop me, I’ve won.”

“But that’s just it; I can do this forever. You can’t.” Two grins widened as they faced her down.

“What are you talking about? I already told you, if this is what I have to do to keep your cutie marks from ruining everything, I’ll do it.”

“Starlight, you’re powerful. So much so that I can’t stop you now. But unlike you, I can wait. And I only need to win once.”

Starlight continued to glare, her expression narrowing as the princess continued her lecture.

“The spell doesn’t reset our personal timelines. You and I aren’t being affected by the future, and what we do under the influence of the spell sticks with us. If I return from the present exhausted, I’m still exhausted when I get here. Time is still passing for us, no matter where we spend it.

“You’re strong, but you can make mistakes. Even if you don’t, you’re going to tire. Even if you find ways to rest, you’re still going to age. You’ll weaken. But me? I’m an alicorn princess; as time passes, I’m only going to get stronger as my alicorn magic matures. For all intents and purposes, I’m immortal. It’s the same for dragons, so that goes double for Spike."

A burst of blue magic interrupted the pair, but it only washed off yet another shield, leaving the smirking alicorn untouched.

“You’re powerful, but we’re eternal. We can literally do this forever. You can’t.”

A silence fell between them, little pegasi cheering the only sound. Starlight broke it first.

“What about your friends? Are you willing to spend all that time alone?”

“First, I have Spike; I am not alone.” A firm nod from the dragon. “Second, as soon as I win, everything returns to normal and I get them back; the spell returns us to the moment we left. Third, you’re trying to take them from me; if I let you win, I lose them forever. I’m willing to spend years fighting you to get them back. Are you willing to spend your youth trying and failing to tear us apart?”

“…”

Maybe Not

Author's Note

This chapter is not the ending. Rather, it is an ending, and merely a potential one at that. The chapter that will follow this one will be another ending, one that works out very differently indeed - and neither will be "official". These are speculation on my part, a chance to write a little more and explore the possibilities that were left open at the end of the first chapter while still leaving them open.

Maybe Not

A pause.

Starlight’s horn glowed as she explored her options. Her magic grasped at Twilight’s saddlebags, but couldn’t find purchase. Her attention flicked over the different sorts of spells she knew, the things she could use to lay the princess low; no answer was apparent. Her teeth grit, anger taking over where denial had left off. Her eyes darted about as she sought options; nothing new presented itself. All the while Twilight stood there watching her. Resolute. Imperious. Implacable.

Permanent.

“…No.”

“No?”

A sigh. “No. Fine. You win.”

Twilight nodded, the start of a smile forming. If asked, she would have told you it was a hopeful smile. Starlight would have called it smug. Spike’s smile was unquestionably so.

“Alright. Good. I’m going to have to take you into custody, you know.”

“I know.”

Another nod, and Twilight began casting the typical sort of binding and restraining spells. Starlight was tempted to resist, but she recognized how pointless it would be; whatever she was going to do next wouldn’t be helped by continuing to loop back here. The princess was saying something, but Starlight wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes were on the rainbow-maned filly accelerating past the pair, bringing with her Starlight’s impending failure.

Whatever Twilight was going on about - something about rights? - was cut off by an explosion of light and sound. It reminded Starlight of the day she lost her village, the sudden arrival of color and cutie marks. She frowned deeply as she watched the face of the young filly, so excited to get a brand that would divide her from other ponies. Her teeth grit as she watched the rainboom drift off into the distance, bringing more marks and assuring the end of her commune back in the future. Present. Whatever.

The three of them waited until the color had faded out of sight. An uneasy quiet fell, each of them left to their own thoughts until Twilight got back to her spellwork and her rights-reading. Spike watched Starlight carefully, but she was resigned to her fate. One last time, the portal through time opened, and the three of them were returned to their restored present.

Starlight briefly looked up at the sound of creaking hinges, before letting her chin sink back onto her cot. The dreary stone around her was cast in its true grey for the moments the door to the brighter castle beyond was open, before fading back into the orange-brown of torchlight after. She watched as her visitor – her purple, tall-ish, alicorn visitor – approached the bars of her cell and sat down. A little dragon stood beside her, quill in claw.

“So, do you want to talk yet?”

A snort of derision answered the question. Princess of Friendship indeed; how such an awkward pony won such a title was beyond Starlight. No, she didn’t want to talk, nor did she the last dozen times. She wasn’t going to dignify that with a response.

“It’s for your own sake, you know. Having your statement on-record before the trial can only help your case.

Silence. Starlight made to glower at her, but it was a weak effort. She was content to simply lie flat on the cot and let Twilight burn herself out.

“You know, the princesses have a lot of influence with the courts. This could be your chance to get one on your side.”

“Spike, that’s not helping.”

Starlight silently agreed.

“Starlight...I know you blame me for a lot of things, but I really am here to help. I want to hear your story.

Starlight bristled. Of course Twilight was to blame, but this? This was rubbing salt in the wound.

“Why?” Twilight perked up as Starlight spoke. “Why do you care?”

“Because you have to have had a reason for it all. The village, the cutie-marks, the revenge - nopony would do all that without one.”

Starlight’s eyes narrowed as she lifted herself to a seated position, fixing Twilight firmly in her glare. “You want to know? You really want to know? Why? It’s not going to change anything.”

“It could change what I think of you.”

Starlight grit and bared her teeth, practically shouting. “What do I care what you think of me? You ruined everything, took everything I had, everything I made! I was trying to do something for the good of all ponies, but you had to come and mess it up! I’m your enemy! I know what you think of me!”

“You don’t have to be.”

Starlight paused, taken aback. “What?”

“Our enemy. You don’t have to be.”

Starlight laughed, though there was no humor in it. “After everything you did? After I tried to get revenge? What other option is there?”

“You could be our friend.”

Starlight blinked. Then blinked again, caught between words. Her mouth hung open for another moment before she sank back onto her cot with a groan. “Of course. ‘Princess of Friendship’. Of course you’d think so.”

“We redeemed Discord.”

Starlight didn’t have a good reply, so she simply snorted. “Why do you care, anyway?”

Twilight smiled, and for once it didn’t seem that smug to Starlight. Almost soft, even...regretful? Why? “Because I think you can be a good pony. Even if you were misguided, when we first met you seemed to think what you were doing was right.”

“Yeah, just because you were a hypocrite doesn’t mean you didn’t have good intentions.”

“A little too on-the-nose, Spike.”

Starlight turned her glower on the dragon, looking more tired than angry now that her fury left her. Spike smiled sheepishly, scooting back behind Twilight. Twilight soon returned her attention to their prisoner.

“Anyway, I think there’s good in you. And….and I know what it’s like to be alone.”

Starlight looked at her, really looked. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. With a huff she gathered her hooves under her, lifting her head.

“...You’re not going to drop this, are you? Even if you don’t get your statement for the trial?”

“Nope.”

“It’s a waste of time, you know.”

A hopeful little smile curled the edges of Twilight’s face. “Starlight, I told you before; we can do this forever.”

Starlight laughed again while shaking her head, though this time it sounded a little more genuine. She was silent for several moments after, lost in her thoughts. Eventually, her eyes found Twilight’s again.

“You really want to know?”

A nod, and that hopeful little smile grew.

“Alright. It all started with a friend I had when I was a foal. His name was Sunburst…”

Maybe So

Author's Note

As with the last one, this chapter is a potential ending. My apologies to everyone who was made to wait the year it took me to get back to this; as penance, there will be another chapter up in about a week's time, one last possibility I want to try. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Maybe So

A pause. Starlight’s horn glowed as she explored her options. Her magic grasped at Twilight’s saddlebags, but couldn’t find purchase. Her attention flicked over the different sorts of spells she knew, the things she could use to lay the princess low; no answer was apparent. Her teeth grit, anger taking over where denial had left off. Her eyes darted about as she sought options; nothing new presented itself. All the while Twilight stood there watching her. Resolute. Imperious. Implacable.

Permanent.

“…No.”

“No?”

“NO!”

The shout from Starlight was accompanied by a burst of magic, burning away the clouds between the pair and forcing Twilight to conjure another shield.

“I don’t care! You don’t get to win! Not after what you did!” Further bursts of magic followed, all but undirected. Twilight hid behind her shield as clouds and terrified foals (and one gryphon chick) were sent tumbling through the air. “I can’t keep you apart forever? Fine! I’ll just have to spend the rest of my life making you suffer!”

Her outburst lasted longer, but Twilight didn’t get to hear the rest of it; she was whisked away by the reopening portal to a future in which the gryphons had started a war with Equestria.

Starlight was left panting, gradually losing altitude as her magical grip upon herself weakened, watched by fearful pegasi in the distance. Her rage was spent for the moment, dying back from the blazing inferno that had dispersed the flight camp to mere embers of loathing, the sort that had fueled her plan to begin with. These, she clutched close. As her mind cleared, she began to truly appreciate the scope of the task she’d taken upon herself; any minute now, the portal would open, again, and she would have to stop the race, again. Twilight Sparkle had made her realize that despite her protests, she was on the defensive; one loss, and it was over. And she just spent most of her magic crumbling clouds.

The thought alone was almost frustrating enough to have her lashing out again - and had a convenient blue-colored foal been present she well might have - but she reined herself in. “It’s okay,” she told herself, “I don’t need all my power to stop the race; I’ll talk the foals into not bullying each other again. I just have to make sure I have enough that Twilight Sparkle can’t defeat me before the portal takes her away.” Starlight nodded, glad that she had thought it out. She did not find talking to herself to be worrying.

She had just enough time to touch down on the ground before the portal called to her once more. And so, for the next few iterations, she held back her magic; she would make a token attack or two, but she upset the race with words and guile as she recovered. The princess and the dragon seemed content to make similarly token overtures at stopping her, but they mostly watched and waited. Starlight wasn’t sure if they were waiting for her to slip up, let her guard down, or go crazy, but it didn’t matter; she would take the opportunity to recover.

Once her magic was on the mend, she turned to other strategic concerns. Food and water came to mind. The latter was easy enough; Cloudsdale is made of clouds, after all. Food was harder, but so long as she was willing to subsist on lunches stolen from foals she should be fine. With the simple matters settled, the question became sustainability. After all, she had enough magic to deal with Twilight now, but they were right; as time passed, they would grow and she would wither. What she needed was an equalizer, something to let her deal with them. Something that would let her fight on an even level with a full-grown alicorn. Something like an amulet, perhaps. Unfortunately, she had no idea where she might find such a thing; it's not like ancient artifacts of tremendous power grew on trees, after all.

Starswirl’s scroll could help her, but it remained in Twilight's possession. Or...at least it was in the present. Future. Whatever. At her current time, the scroll was unmade and the resources she would need to make a new one were still in the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the Royal Canterlot Archives. Should she want to create it, she would need to get to Canterlot, sneak in, and either finish it within one loop or steal what she needed. Or try without her notes, but that was a disaster waiting to happen. If she had access to the Cutie-Map it might be easier, but that wouldn't exist until far later. No, she'd have to do without and find a way to tip the balance.

Several further loops passed by, the original events oh-so-cleverly subverted each time. Unbenounced to her, Twilight continued to return to ever-stranger futures; she all but ignored Starlight for three loops straight trying to imagine just how Mr. and Mrs. Cake had conquered Equestria that one time. (She asked while she was there; it didn't help.) As time turned forward for the three of them, and only them, it wasn't much longer before a complication arose that neither of them had considered.

Boredom.

Each loop in total rarely lasted longer than fifteen minutes, and sometimes as few as five; it was only three hours (or ten loops) in when Starlight began to feel it. She already taught the foals, blasted the foals, and distracted the foals; while she could do the same thing again and again, she found herself working to add in variations on those themes. Perhaps a shield spell to block the race. Perhaps a fireworks spell to distract them (they had no attention span, after all). She didn't know it, but her attempts to keep things fresh were doing the same for the futures Twilight was whisked away to. In that regard, Twilight was luckier; she got to see any number of alternate futures play out, even if there were several repeating themes there as well. Of course, they were horrific perversions of the Equestria she knew, so perhaps she wasn't too lucky.

Twelve hours in and Starlight began to worry that alicorns don't sleep. Fifteen hours in, her worries were proven unfounded when she found herself waiting longer than usual to be drawn back to the beginning. After one more hour of not being drawn back in time, she found a modestly-comfortable place on the ground to settle down for a nap. Her sleep was restless, disturbed by daylight and the occasional animal. Still, she got what she could before the portal finally opened for her and dropped her into the past. She drowsily convinced the foals not to fight before the princess showed up, looking better rested than Starlight herself. Indeed, as it turns out Twilight had found an apocalypse intact enough to have an inn she could stay in.

And so, they continued. It wouldn't occur to Starlight for another fifty hours or so (including two more periods of sleep), but that was the first "day" of their eternal battle. When the thought finally did come to her on the fourth "day", as she was transforming Rainbow Dash into a bowl of petunias, it was followed by "exactly how many days do I have to do this?"

"No", she told herself, watching as her opponent was once more returned to the present, "I can't quit now; Twilight Sparkle and her stupid friends have got to pay for what they did. This is the only way for me to get my revenge." Once again, Starlight did not find it odd that she was talking to herself. And any foals that were staring at her were surely just reacting to her transmogrifying one of them into a plant. She didn't have to justify herself to them.

They looped.

They looped again.

Brief skirmishes and magic duels punctuated longer periods of inactivity, neither willing to invest their whole strength. Twilight's sleep schedule was becoming predictable, and Starlight began to learn how to power nap, sparing time while Twilight slept with which to prepare. As each "day" approached its end, she sought more peaceful resolution, which would enable her to move about Clousdale in a way that shooting at foals with magic would not. She learned that the pegasi were surprisingly touchy about that in the loops that she stuck around. In her off-time, she found that the Cloudsdale library didn't have much to offer on advanced magic or artifacts, but she poured over what it did at the expense of rest. It was as she was beginning to make some progress nearing the end of the first "week" that she noticed something new.

Her eternal opponents were playing chess.

Twilight and Spike had found an old chess set in some absurd future, and had brought it with them. In the middle of one of their fights, with magic beams dodged and blasts crashing against shields, Twilight spared enough focus to hold the board steady in her aura. At first Starlight mistook it for some sort of secret weapon, what with the pauses and the way Twilight kept glancing back at it, but no, they were just playing chess. Spike would make a move, and Twilight would make her own after a shield was properly stable before getting back to the battle.

This annoyed Starlight. This enraged Starlight. "How dare they fool around when I'm trying to fight them?"

"Uh, because you're not doing a good job?" answered a little blue foal, just before being frozen solid. The question was rhetorical, after all, even if she said it out loud.

Another loop, and the chess game continued, to Starlight's continued annoyance.

And another.

And another.

She tried to ignore it, she really did, but it was just so irritating that she wasn't being taken seriously. Sure, Twilight made a point that she had a friend with her but this...this was insulting. Still, best not to dwell on it; she had to make them suffer, she had to keep them from the rest of their merry little band of dream-crushing equality-haters. Anti-equalists? Unequalists? Never mind; she'd think up a better word later; she couldn't afford to get distracted. Which is why it was even more annoying when she was snapped out of her obvious distraction by a shout of "Ah-ha!"

Starlight perked her ears, gathering her magic to deal with whatever masterstroke the alicorn thought to unleash against her. Her eyes trained on the pair, her magical senses opened wide, ready to handle whatever they threw at her, to prolong their punishment, to –

"Checkmate!" cried the purple princess.

As it turned out, Starlight was not ready for this.

"WHAT?"

Twilight tilted her head as her attention was drawn to Starlight. "What?"

Starlight seethed, snorting her breath and gathering more of her mystic might. She would end this taunting alicorn.

Twilight's muzzle scrunching in confusion before she suddenly perked up, giving a Starlight a smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Do you want next game?"

Starlight's response was a mix of unintelligible yelling and magical violence. Twilight was forced onto the defensive again, the race was stopped due to collateral damage, and the princess found herself in a future of civil war between the Equestrian diarchs.

Fortunately, Starlight had time to calm down and collect herself. Unfortunately, Twilight's first words upon her return to the next loop were "I was serious, you know; you can play if you want to." Starlight restrained herself to only a minor outburst, but it was a close thing.

Loops passed.

They slept.

Loops passed.

While she still didn't recognize the threat, Starlight found herself ever more firmly in boredom's insidious grip. She tried to make the best of it, tried to keep her focus on the little bits of study she could manage, the progress she was making, but the worst kind of boredom is that caused by obligation and boredom is hardest to deal with when someone else is having fun. And strangely, the princess and her dragon seemed to be having fun. Their game gave them a measure of consistency in the ever-changing futures they were flung to, gave them something to focus on that wasn't the unwinnable battle or the horrors between. So it was that Starlight found herself thinking more about the offer to play.

She reasoned that it was just taunting, trying to get her off her game. Her shame that it worked was enough to ignore the thoughts for a while, but they returned. She reasoned that it was a ploy, that there was some sort of trap, and so she would be a fool to spring it. This justification lasted only until she convinced herself that she could spring the trap intentionally and take advantage. She reasoned that it wouldn't be much fun anyway; its not like she wanted to play with the stupid alicorn or her stupid servant. But then it occurred to her that she had been challenged. She, a mage of her might and wisdom, had been challenged to a game of strategy. And her need to scratch the itch to do something agreed with her pride: that could not stand.

So it was that a few loops later, after she was talking down the foals once more, that when she heard Twilight declare "Checkmate!" once more, she spoke up.

"Alright, it's on."

"Huh?"

"You and me, Sparkle. Let's play."

"You...really?"

"Why not? You can't beat me in magic, and you can't beat me in strategy."

"I'm pretty sure I have a strategic victory already, actually."

"Shut up and set up the pieces."

Twilight shrugged, trying not to look pleased with herself as she floated the board out between them. They approached, still on guard, still wary, and the game began. It had to pause shortly after the third turn due to the portal appearing yet again, but it resumed as soon as Twilight had returned. So it continued for several loops, for they had no timer and neither was short on time. The opening transitioned into the middle game, pieces were freed to move about, options were opened, and they spent more and more time thinking about how best to defeat their opponents. Starlight did not grow lazy with regard to the alicorn; she was cautious each time Twilight lit her horn, she worked to distract the foals before Twilight arrived, and even as they gradually drew closer to the board (and each other), she was ready for the first sign of magic breaking the informal truce that developed. Twilight too was cautious, knowing that she could use this as an opportunity, but Starlight could use it just as well.

Another loop came, and a bishop was taken.

Another loop went, and a knight was sacrificed.

Soon, they began to talk. It was not friendly talk, but it was better than silence. A little verbal sparring to accompany the game, taunts about this move or that, cracks about their situation and character. Neither would say it brought them closer, but it did ease the tension between them, let them relax their guards just a little more. Still, it was tenuous; something as small as a gesture made with a piece held in magic would be met with a lit horn, and they would stare each other down until the piece was placed. Even so, the peace between them lasted until several loops and a small amount of sleep deprivation later, and its end began when Twilight smiled smugly.

"And I think that's checkmate."

Starlight blinked, before staring down at the board. Twilight had just taken her remaining knight, but her rooks were still at large and her defenses were otherwise intact. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You're in checkmate."

Again, she looked to the board, muzzle scrunching. "No, no I'm not."

"You didn't see it?" Twilight gestured vaguely at the board with the sweep of a hoof.

"Didn't see what?"

"How I got you in checkmate."

"What are you talking about? My king is right here! He's not in checkmate, he's not even threatened! And I have control of every square you could use to threaten him!"

"You're right, but there's something you missed."

"And what's that?"

"My pawn advancing."

Starlight's confusion grew to new heights, for Twilight's line of pawns had been fairly static for the last several turns. She scrunched further as she tried to figure out just what the alicorn was talking about.

And that's when Spike landed on her back.

"Gah!" said the unicorn.

"Gotcha!" said the dragon.

"Get her horn!" said the alicorn.

Twilight lunged forward, her own horn glowing as she prepared a binding. Starlight tried to channel the magic she needed to counter, but little scaly claws brought an end to that. She tried to buck him off, but Spike had been bucked off by a real rodeo pony in several Iron Pony competitions, and he was having none of Starlight's amateur attempt. A wisp of green flame curled the edge of Starlight's mane and heated her neck as it passed by one side, and she froze, a scaly hand still holding her horn, giving Twilight the time she needed. Thick bands of purple force encircled the unicorn, and a magical seal descended upon her horn.

"Alright Spike, I've got her, you can let go."

Spike leapt free, and Starlight was freed of her shock. She tried to bring forth her magic, but nothing would come. She cried out in anguish, struggling against her bonds, but only succeeded in falling over on her side upon the cloud.

Spike crossed his arms, a cloud-walking spell letting him make his way back to his friend, much as he had made his way around behind Starlight while the ponies were focused on their game. "Pawn? Really? I jumped on her; I'd say I was a knight."

Twilight smiled sheepishly, her horn glowing as she held her spells in place, giving Spike a shrug of her shoulders. "Sorry, it was just the first thing that came to mind." She spared a glance for the chess board which had been toppled when the tussle began, pieces strewn over the cloud.

"No! NO! Why can't you just lose? It can't end like this!"

Twilight perked up an eyebrow, making sure the restraints were holding. "You mean your revenge?"

"It's more than that! I was helping ponies! I gave them friends! Fellowship! I fixed the rifts their cutie marks caused! You ruined all of that!"

Spike scoffed. "They seemed awfully friendly after they got out from under your hoof."

"It's not going to last! Cutie marks only lead to sadness!"

Twilight shook her head. "Where is this even coming from? Why would you think that?"

"It happened to me!"

"What did?"

"A cutie mark stole my friend!"

The reply came in tandem: "...What?"

"Sunburst! When I was a foal, my best friend, my only friend was a colt named Sunburst. We studied magic together. We did everything together. Then, he got his cutie mark and went off to Celestia's School! I never saw him again! That's when I learned what cutie marks really do, and that's why I started my village: as a place free of being 'special', free of divisions, free of cutie marks!"

Twilight and Spike stared at her, the former's horn softly glowing as she maintained her grip. Starlight panted, gathering her breath after her outburst. Eventually, Spike voiced the obvious question:

"That's it?"

"Huh?"

"That's it?"

"What do you-"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Your friend moved away, so you think cutie marks are evil? That's just so stupid!"

"Seriously, you've never heard of sending letters?" added a very irate Twilight. "You didn't ever think to visit him?"

"Well I-"

"This is why you tried to brainwash my friends and me? This is why you made your cultists miserable? This is why you've kept me looping through time for over a week?"

"They weren't cult-"

"Did you even see they way they smiled? Cultists."

"That doesn't-"

"You are one of the greatest mages I've ever met. You have enough understanding and raw power to hold your own against me, and I'm the Element of Magic! And this time travel spell is absolutely brilliant! With your skill, you could do something amazing for the good of Equestria, push the bounds of practical and theoretical magic ahead by decades. But instead, due to your amazing inability to figure out the postal system, you decide to hold the most foalish, the most petty of grudges. And if that isn't enough, rather than that grudge being directed at your absent friend or his parents or even the school, you decide cutie marks themselves are at fault. And rather than talking it out or any of the dozens of ways you could solve this, you developed powerful anti-cutie-mark magic, raised a cult, and sought revenge when your obviously evil, misdirected, and unnecessary plan got foiled. Did you ever stop to think during any of this?

"Um...I mean, the spells took a lot of-"

"Shut up. We're going back in time. We're letting events play out like they should. Then, we're going back to my castle and you are getting some friendship lessons. And help for your abandonment issues."

And so she did.

But at What Cost?

Author's Note

One last ending, as promised. Be warned, This one isn't nearly as lighthearted as the one just prior. Don't worry though; there will be more comedy in the omake chapter to follow. Also, this may be the first chapter that won't fit with every interpretation of canon, as will rapidly become apparent.

But at What Cost?

A surge of light and sound from the throne room brought five mares barreling through the door. At their lead, Applejack.

“Twilight! What was that sound just n- whoa Nelly!”

The five skidded to a halt, speechless and open-mouthed. There before them sat a dragon of immense proportions, its neck reaching towards the decorative roots at the top of the room, its tail curled halfway around the map table’s thrones. A foreclaw was held close to his chest, cradling something against him, something suspiciously pony-sized. But the five had no time to consider this, and spared little to consider the large, purple dragon. No, it was the large, purple alicorn that held their attention.

She was tall, nearly as tall as Celestia. Her eyes glowed a brilliant white, pupils and irises lost to the shine. Faint wisps of other colors created a flickering corona around their edges while brief wisps and sparks of magic flowed from within, akin to the magic aura coating her long horn. Her wings were massive, held outstretched yet unmoving. She floated in the air, as if suspended by mutual agreement between her will and the world. Her face was set in a frown, though not an unkind one, lines of casual disappointment and long-suffering sadness instead. There was something old about her, and that sense only grew as the magic flowing from her tapered off, no longer rippling her fur and obscuring her eyes, revealing a familiar shade of violet. The familiarity was cemented when they noticed the deep blue of her mane and tail, cut in a stark line along the bangs and hem and shot through with a streak of violet and rose. Though it was borne aloft, floating and rippling, and gave the impression of nebulous sky come to earth rather than simple hair, it was more than enough to allow a connection to be made.

Applejack spoke up, surprise and a sudden sense of awe causing her voice to quiet. “Twilight? Is that you?”

The alicorn’s ears perked up, her head jerking around see who spoke. She stared at the five for several moments, eyes wide, stunned silence holding with her breath as she sank - first out of the air, and then from hooves onto haunches. After an eternity passed, she let the breath out. “Girls? M-my friends?” Her voice quavered, tears coming to her eyes, a face that spoke of sadness now brimming with a hope, a hope that bordered uncomfortably on desperation. A smile grew with her happiness, and yet it was somehow harder to look upon than the frown it replaced.

She stood, just looking as the five stepped forward. Questions form on their lips, all in flavors of “what happened to you?” None of them were spoken, cut off instead by the mad dash of a pink mare, diving through the air to impact with the chest of the seated alicorn and hugging her as tightly as she could. Twilight was stunned, but only for a moment; her hooves closed around her friend as the tears started to flow. These were not the dignified, stoic tears of one weathering a challenge, nor the elegant tears of a ruler. These tears were ugly, brought forth by chest-wracking sobs and quiet whimpers, the strength to wail having long since flown. The alicorn held her smaller friend close as a child might cling to a stuffed doll while tears stained purple cheeks and matted patches of poofy pink mane. Pinkie Pie was soon joined by the others, curiosity forgotten in favor of the need to comfort, and all five soon found themselves being enfolded with broad lavender wings as they pressed up against her barrel. Platitudes were spoken, soft reassurances, little comforts, and each drew out more tears. Twilight’s voice soon replied, though only coherent enough for a few murmured comments; “You’re here. I’ve got you. I have you back.”

It was several minutes before the tears had passed, and Twilight was coherent enough to speak. Several times already she'd tried to talk, only to lapse back into weeping. Eventually, breathing deep after letting it out, she gently withdrew her wings and looked down at her friends, who drew back to various extents, giving her concerned little smiles.

"You feelin' any better, sugarcube?" And orange hoof rested itself upon her foreleg, not quite able to comfortably reach the shoulder anymore.

Twilight nodded, settling her fidgeting wings and trying to smile reassuringly, though her eyes were still watery. "Yes, it's...everything's okay now; I'm back, I have all of you. It's okay."

The five exchanged glances, reluctant to push further until the kindest took up the task. Fluttershy, still seated quite close, put forth the question. "Do you think you're ready to talk about it?"

"I...yeah. I'm okay. I'm ready. Where should I start?"

"Maybe...at the beginning? What happened?"

A deep breath and Twilight gathered herself, dusting off long-unused lecturing skills. "What happened. Right. You all remember Starlight Glimmer?" A series of nods, and she continued. "Using the work of Starswirl the Bearded and the magic of the Map, she developed a spell to travel through time and used it to return to the day Rainbow Dash first successfully preformed a sonic rainboom. Her plan was to stop it from happening, and thereby stop us from getting our cutie mark connection. Her scroll was left behind, and I used it to follow her to the past where I tried to stop her. I failed, and I was returned to the present, only everything was different; in that timeline, we never defeated King Sombra, and the enslaved Crystal Empire was in a prolonged war with Equestria."

She was met with stunned silence, and so pressed on. "For some reason, the cutie map was still there in the present. Er...the alternate present. Future. Whatever. I used it to return again, but Starlight got brought back earlier, and she stopped the rainboom again. Again, I went back to the present, and it was again different; Nightmare Moon had conquered Equestria. So, I went back and tried again, and again. And again. And again."

Her eyes grew distant, and her voice trailed off, leaving to another round of concerned looks. Rainbow Dash spoke up. "But...you're back now, right? So, you won? What happened, did you unlock some secret alicorn magic and beat her down? Is that why you're so big and...?" She gestured with a hoof towards her mane.

Twilight huffed a dry laugh, shaking her head. "No. Well...not exactly. I mean, I have a lot of alicorn magic now, but...I gained it naturally."

"Naturally?"

"Through age."

The pieces began to come together for the five. "Exactly how long..." began Rarity, only to be interrupted by Applejack.

"Hold on, you were still aging? While you were goin' through time over and over? How old are you now?"

Twilight's ears folded back, her gaze drifting downward. "I don't know exactly; I only kept track by when I had to sleep, and without a day/night cycle that was...irregular."

Rarity took her turn to place her hoof on Twilight's foreleg, having to avoid Pinkie Pie in the process, who had continued to hug throughout the explanation. "Darling, how long do you think you were doing this?"

Twilight drew a deep breath, steeling herself before she answered. "I estimate that between now and when I first went back in time, between two-hundred eighty and three-hundred years have passed for us."

Her friends hadn't braced themselves nearly so well; jaws dropped, eyes widened, and a slightly-confused Rainbow Dash asked, "Us?"

"Us," rumbled the dragon.

"Eep!" eeped Fluttershy.

A massive, scaly head descended, smiling almost sheepishly at the group. "Um...hi everypony. It's me." He might have said more, but he was rather cut off by Pinkie Pie, who had dislodged herself from Twilight long enough to change targets. He stared cross-eyed at the mare hugging the end of his muzzle, the corners of it turning further up as she spoke.

"Of course it's you, silly. Who else would it be?"

The tension in the air broke, and most couldn't help a few laughs at the absurdity of it all. Spike laid himself down, arranged so his head rested near the six, one of his claws still cradled to his chest. The other mares took their turns acknowledging him.

"Shucks, not so little anymore, huh?"

"Heh. Nope."

"Wow! You're huge! Ohmygosh, are those wings? Those are wings! We've got to go flying some time!"

"Sure, Rainbow; sounds...nice."

"...Hi. Sorry about..."

"It's okay. Big dragon; I get it." This got him a second muzzle-hug.

"Oh, my..."

"...Hello Rarity. You're as lovely as I remember."

Twilight smiled as the group began to get reacquainted, though Applejack cleared her throat before that last comment could go anywhere, drawing the attention back to Twilight.

"So. Three-hundred years. Whew."

"Yeah. It was...long."

A few moments of awkward silence, and Pinkie Pie returned to hugging Twilight. Eventually, Rainbow Dash took up the lead.

"So...wait a second, Starlight Glimmer fought you for three hundred years?"

"Not exactly; much of the time she would stop your race to defend Fluttershy's honor by talking the foals out of it. If we fought, you - young you - would just get distracted, and the race wouldn't happen anyway. We spent some of the time in the alternate presents, and none of them were really pleasant. Oh, and we still needed to sleep every so often. So I spent much less than three hundred years actually fighting."

"Yeah, not what I meant. Starlight Glimmer. Starlight Glimmer is a unicorn; how'd she keep up with you for three hundred years? Shouldn't she be, like, long dead by now?"

"She would have been. Near the beginning, I warned her; I told her that Spike and I were immortal, and would only grow with time; she would age. I wasn't expecting her to take that as a challenge. During the time Spike and I spent in the alternate presents, she remained in the past. From what I gather, she began to spend much of her time while we were sleeping doing research. She was trying to find ways to defeat me, and as you can see she failed at that. However, she managed to steal research materials from several libraries, including the Royal Archives, and began to gather whatever magical objects she believed could help her. I don't know when she had her breakthrough, but it must have been somewhere in the first four decades; with her experience in the magic of time and fate, she held off old age."

"You mean...she became immortal!?"

"No, she never managed that. But she developed a spell or spells that would hold off the aging process, letting her stay young and fit as long as she lived. And, apparently, to prolong the process; I doubt she'd have lived to be over three-hundred otherwise."

"...She made a big speech about that, didn't she?"

"Haven't you begun to wonder, Twilight? It's been sixty years."

"What are you talking about?"

"Take a good look. See any gray hair in my mane? Any lines on my face?"

"..."

"Of course you don't, because I've done it! I've beaten age! You're not the only one who can go on forever; thanks to my new spell, no matter how old I get I'll keep my youth! I've won, princess; you can't just wait for age to wither me, for I, Starlight Glimmer, am no mortal mare!"

"...yeah, pretty much."

"Did she pose?"

"Yup; forelegs raised and everything, floating in the air. And she cackled too."

"Ugh. Wait, floating?"

"Turns out she can levitate herself."

"Huh. So, you didn't let her have her moment, did you?"

"Sooo...you'll stay young as long as you live?"

"That's right! Muahahaha!"

"How long is that?"

"...huh?"

"How long is your lifespan? Does your spell increase it?"

"Well..."

"Well...?"

"Shut up!"

Twilight grinned. "Not a chance."

"Awesome."

"So," Rarity cut in, "whatever became of that villainous mare? Is she...did she...pass?"

"No, she's alive."

"She's alive!?" Blue wings flared as Rainbow looked about the room. "Where is she? Is she here? Do I need to finish her off for you?"

Twilight smiled sadly. "No, I don't think there's much need for that. Spike?"

The dragon shifted, bringing forth his large claw and unfurling it so the mares could see. There, lying upon his palm, was Starlight Glimmer. But it was not the Starlight Glimmer that they had once fought; gone were the vivid colors of her mane and tail, dark grey having eaten up all but the faintest hint of her light blue stripe. Her pink fur was faded and thinning, patchy in places, revealing notable liver spots on the skin beneath. Her breath was shallow and slow, her ribs visible with each one she drew; gone were the fair lines of a mare in her prime, replaced by sagging skin over dwindling muscle. She seemed smaller than they remembered, made worse by the contrast to the dragon's strong hand. The fire left Rainbow's eyes, replaced by something closer to horror.

"...Oh."

"Her spell ended. It didn't cure her aging, only suppress it; when it failed, all her years came crashing down on her. She might be the oldest mortal mare alive right now."

The mare in the dragon's hand shivered, curling in against herself slightly. Her eyes blinked open for a few moments, enough to reveal that their color too had begun to fade, turning towards a milky white. She murmured, "Twilight..." and her voice cracked feebly. Spike closed his claw gently around her, letting his warmth sooth her, and soon she'd drifted back into shallow sleep.

It was hard not to be at a loss for words after that; the sight of a once-threatening villain reduced to a shivering old mare has a way distracting a pony. It was an uncomfortable thing, a reminder of thoughts and regrets often ignored, and Pinkie hugged Twilight all the harder as the others' minds turned morose.

"What are we going to do with her?" asked Fluttershy.

"We'll care for her. Keep her comfortable, until...until the end."

"Oh? That's awfully generous of you; I'd have thought that after all she'd done you'd be more eager to see her in a dungeon." Rarity gave her a questioning glance.

Twilight shook her head. "No. It's...strange, really; we hated each other for so long, but...at the same time, I think we were nearly friends."

"Friends? Twilight, she kept you stuck in a time loop for three hundred years! That ain't something friends do!"

"I know, Applejack. But at the same time, Spike and I...we were all she had. Even with everything she did, I came to understand her better. I can't...I can't keep hating her. It's not worth it."

"Twilight, that...sounds a little like Stockholme Syndrome."

"Where did you hear-?

"Daring Do and the Lunar Crystal; the scene with the train and the hostages."

"Ah. Well, anyway, I don't really think it's that, Rainbow."

"Why not?"

"...Well maybe a little, but we had some good times too."

"Like what?"

"Checkmate! Another game to me; that's fifty-eight to two, Starlight. Still, you're getting better."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still pretty sure you're cheating. Reset the board: I want to get through the opening before you go back."

"We played chess."

"Chess."

"And backgammon."

"...Backgammon?"

"Mmhm! And a few other games too."

"While you were fighting to fix the future?"

"Present."

"Whatever! How does that make sense?"

Twilight flattened her ears, looking aside. "I couldn't beat her. She could just keep...changing the past. Whatever I tried, it didn't fix things. I wasn't strong enough. I tried, I really tried, but until the end she held up. As my power grew and Spike became bigger and stronger, she did everything in her power to keep up. She honed her talent as much as I did; I was stronger than her for at least the last century, and the gap kept growing, but she didn't need to be able to defeat me, she just needed not to get caught, to upset the timeline and then avoid me."

A sigh, and she continued. "The games were a refuge, an escape. I played more with Spike than I did with her, but they were a way to fight the boredom and the...the horror. The futures...presents that we kept returning to were awful; everything from war and conquest to monster invasions and blasted wastelands. Do you know how many times I saw Sweet Apple Acres as barren? How many times Ponyville was a crater? Too many. And what's almost worse is I started to get used to it. 'Ho hum, another apocalypse; I wonder if I'll find warped versions of my friends in this one?'"

"Warped...?"

"Some of you were there, in some of them. Only...not you. Versions of you that worked for Nightmare Moon, or that were scarred warriors."

"...Was I at least cool?"

A blink, and a chuckle. "Yes Rainbow, most versions of you were still cool."

"Yes!"

"Though some of you were just sad."

"Sad?"

"Really sad. Depressingly sad."

"L-lets not talk about them."

Twilight nodded. "Right. Anyway, yes; we played games now and then. And we talked - mostly bickering and banter at first, but its hard to keep that up for years upon years. We got to know each other, even respect each other a little bit. But I was never able to change her mind; she was obsessed with her revenge, and she wouldn't see it any other way. Not until the end."

Starlight landed on the nearby cloud as Twilight and Spike arrived, looking apprehensive. The dragon towered over her by now, and magic all but poured off the alicorn. They had just come from a fight in the present, and a fight with Starlight before, and they looked ready to turn this loop into quite the battle. However, they were given pause by Starlight's approach.

"Twilight?"

"Yes, Starlight?"

"I'm...I'm going to lose."

"That's right, you're going to lose."

"No, I mean...I'm going to lose now."

"What do you mean?"

"My spell, Twilight. My anti-aging spell is failing. I can't hold it much longer."

"Oh. Oh..." Now that she looked, she could see a few threads of gray mixed in with Starlight's mane.

"This is it then; you finally get what you want. Was it worth it?"

"For my friends? For the world? Yes, it was. Are you going to try to stop the race this time?"

"...No, I'm...I'm done."

"Was it worth it?"

"What?"

"You asked me, now I'm asking you. Was all of this worth it? Keeping us here, going through these loops for hundreds of years? Was it worth it?"

Starlight shook, the emotion she'd been holding back pouring down her cheeks. "...no." Twilight waited; she continued. "I thought it would feel good; I...I've gotten as much revenge as I could get, and yet it...I spent hundreds of years, and what do I have to show for it? This...this was my entire life, and now it's...it's all come to nothing. I couldn't beat you. I couldn't win. And now I'm going to...to..."

Twilight stood as impassively as she could, made easier as her own feelings warred within her. Anticipation and regret, sadness and hope, it was too much for her to let out, not now.

"Twilight...I'm scared." Starlight took a tentative step forward.

She considered cruelty. For a moment that seemed longer than all their fighting, Twilight considered what she could do to this mare, this mare that had cost her so many years and so much pain. This mare she'd fought with until she knew her spells as well as she did her own. This mare she'd taunted and argued with and talked with for days.

She considered cruelty. But it wasn't in her.

And it wasn't worth it.

Twilight wrapped Starlight in her wings, drawing her close as she sobbed. Spike leaned his way in, moving his bulk close so he could keep careful watch. His own feelings he kept to himself; one way or another, he would follow Twilight. He had been there for her for centuries now, after all.

As Starlight cried, her spell slipped further. Slowly at first, the signs of aging crept in; graying mane, thinning flesh, and other things began to warp the mare as the tears fell. Twilight's conflict may have been resolved, but that didn't mean the feelings were gone; she wasn't sure how to feel about the fate her enemy brought upon herself. It was hard to watch Starlight despair and wither, but she endured that as she had so much already.

"Twilight?" Starlight looked up at her rival, her nemesis, her...comforter.

"Yes, Starlight?"

"I...I don't want to die."

"After that, I promised her I'd take care of her. Until the end came. She gave me all her notes and supplies, and if she's strong enough she'll be sharing with me all the magical secrets she's figured out that she never wrote down. Including her youth spell. It won't work on her anymore; she's spent her time. But..." Twilight shared a look with her friends, and Applejack's eyes widened as she more than any other saw the potential. "...there are many it may yet help. It doesn't...make up for everything she's done, but it's...it's something."

Twilight wiped a tear away, and the girls moved back in to comfort her with their closeness. Soon, the group moved off to find somewhere more comfortable to put the aged mare; a bedroom nearby. Spike was grateful for the exorbitantly high ceilings in much of the castle, though the doors left something to be desired. Once they'd gotten Starlight tucked in (and contacted a nurse), they retreated to finish the conversation. Ultimately, none of them had the heart to do worse to Starlight than had already been done. With that matter concluded, Pinkie Pie decided it was finally time to approach another important topic.

"Twilight, we've got something important to address."

Twilight blinked at the serious look on Pinkie Pie's face. The pink mare had finally stopped hugging her a little before they relocated Starlight, but like the others she still stayed close. "What's that?"

"I missed two-hundred and ninety-eight of your birthdays."

"Huh? Oh. Pinkie, that's...that's not your fault."

"Sure, but have you had a birthday party lately?"

"Well, no."

"Did you have a birthday party any time in the last three hundred years?"

"N-no."

Pinkie leaned way up, pressing her nose to the off-guard alicorn's, eyes narrowed seriously. "Then it's about time."

She held that pose for a few moments, before Twilight broke out laughing. It started as a small thing, but it quickly grew, and soon she was sitting back in her seat with happier tears drifting down her face. Pinkie lowered herself to her hooves and stood before her, grinning about a job well done. "So?"

"Hahaha...heh...Yes, Pinkie; I think I'd like that. It's been too long."

"Great! We'll roll all your missing birthday parties together with a Welcome-Back-From-Time party! Ooh, and maybe a Twilight's-Taller-Than-Luna party!"

"Well let's not get...wait, I am?"

"You totally are."

"...Huh. I'm going to have to tease her about that, aren't I?"

"Ooooh yeah."

The arrangements were made, and soon the town was caught up in another Pinkie Party. The invitations and the party themselves were a good way to get the word out to the locals of Ponyville that Twilight Sparkle had undergone an ordeal, and looked a little different now. That did a lot to keep Twilight from being overwhelmed by the party itself; the other ponies were respectful and sympathetic (and a little awed), and gave her her space when she needed it. Regardless, the party was something she needed; it showed her that she was still accepted, still loved, and it helped her adjust to being in the true present once more; no more loops, no more warped timelines.

Spike enjoyed himself as well; after a brief (and surprisingly nostalgic) panic, the ponies warmed to him. While many remained slightly nervous, he largely won them over with stories of their adventures, the largest cake ever to be baked in Ponyville, and an abundance of patience for the foals (well, mostly foals) who took the opportunity to climb all over a big dragon. It was hard to stay scared of him with the Cutie Mark Crusaders singing a song of acceptance from atop his forehead, and he was very careful. It would be several weeks before the Crusaders managed to help him let down his stoicism, however.

It was a successful party indeed, and lasted well into the night. Ponies laughed and ate and offered both congratulations and condolences. Letters made sure Celestia, Luna, and Twilight's parents were in attendance, and plans were made to see her brother and sister-in-law as soon as they could. There were more tears, but much laughter, and much love; Twilight and Spike's ordeal was over, and now it was a matter of healing.

Pinkie Pie sat quietly and read. She sat at a desk made of wood in a room made of crystal. Numerous books sat in stacks upon the desk and many more lined the shelves that crowded the remainder of the room.

This is where Applejack found her late into the evening, much to the farm mare's surprise.

"Pinke Pie, what're you doin' way back in here? Your 'Welcome Back From Time Party' is still goin' downstairs."

"This is more important." The pink mare didn't look up.

"More important? More important than runnin' your party?"

"It's self-sustaining at this point; until the punch runs out, it'll run itself. Besides, Twilight's had her fill; she's going to try to sleep soon."

"How do-"

"Pinkie Sense."

"Right..." Applejack shook her head. "But still, readin' is more important than havin' fun at your party? What're you readin' about anyway?"

"Magic."

"Magic?" The farm mare approached, peeking over Pinkie's shoulder to get a look, before putting on a frown. "Far as I can tell, sugarcube, you don't have a horn."

"Earth ponies have magic too, silly."

"Well yeah, but...Pinkie Pie, that book looks awfully technical; it's Twilight-level stuff. And it looks like it's all about Unicorn magic."

"No, it's about the nature of magic; magic theory. It's just usually applied to Unicorn magic."

"That's not the..." Applejack sighed, deciding to try again. "Okay. Well, why are you studyin' magic all of a sudden?"

"I'm gonna make myself an alicorn."

Silence ruled for a moment, upset first by the turning of a page and again as Applejack spoke.

"Pinkie, that...ain't exactly easy."

"I don't care."

Pinkie Pie continued to read. Another moment passed.

"Sugarcube, it might be impossible."

"I. Don't. Care."

Another moment. Applejack considered leaving it at that; clearly her friend was serious about this, and insistent. Still, the question she really wanted cleared up hadn't been answered, so she pressed on.

"Alright, but...why's it so important?"

Applejack recoiled as Pinkie Pie whirled in her seat, her attention finally torn from the book so she could fix the orange mare with a glare. Her lips curled back in a snarl, forced to pause by her fury before she could shout: "I'M NOT LEAVING HER ALONE AGAIN!" As quick as it came, the anger died. Tears built in the corners of her eyes as her fluffy mane lost some of its body. Her eyes stayed on Applejack's as she seemed to shrink. Her voice came once more, quietly. "I'm not."

Applejack stared as Pinkie lowered her gaze, and returned it to the book shortly thereafter. A shaking pink hoof turned the page.

Several moments passed with nothing said between them. Then the apple farmer approached, sat down next to her, and began to read.

Certainly Not (Omake)

Author's Note

Omake (御負け) - (n) A Japanese word literally meaning "bonus", this term indicates extras added to a creative work. In addition to the typical things you might expect filling out a DVD, such as deleted scenes, bloopers, or interviews, this can also mean explicitly non-canon scenes, including blatant jokes and fourth-wall-breaking shenanigans.

In this chapter, you'll find the scraps; these are concepts that I thought were too short, too silly, or too far diverged (or off-topic) to make proper chapters out of but that I still felt the need to write. Do enjoy, and try not to take them too seriously. Especially the first one; they made me do it.

Update 2017/07/16 - To my great surprise, the artist KHough has drawn fanart for the third ending!

Certainly Not (Omake)

Without

Unicorn and alicorn stood upon a broad bed of cloud, staring each other down as yet another loop begins. Their horns glimmer, neither certain if they want to begin another exchange.

"Are you going to give up yet? You still can't stop me." Starlight put on something of a smirk, though after so many loops her heart wasn't quite in it.

Twilight didn't answer, the set of her face growing grim. The glow of her horn grew, her power charged as she went through the mental checklist for this loop's battle.

Double-check the safety of Spike and the scroll. Check.
Have shield spell ready to cast. Check.
Ready attack spells for trial, iterations one-hundred fifty through one-hundred fifty-five. Check.
Accept cupcake from Pinkie Pie. Check.

Wait, what?

It took Twilight a moment to realize that yes, she was holding a cupcake. A cupcake given to her by Pinkie Pie. A Pinkie Pie standing next to her, wearing a blue jacket against the cold. A cold that came from being rather high in the air. Twilight carefully considered her next words.

"Pinkie Pie!? Howsawha?"

Nailed it.

Pinkie Pie smiled, patting her shoulder with a hoof. "It's okay Twilight; I'll take this one. You just enjoy that cupcake." Having said her piece, she strode forward along the cloud towards a similarly-confused Starlight.

"You. You're one of Twilight Sparkle's little friends. But you're an adult! You should be a foal! And not here! What's going on?"

"It's a beautiful day up here." Pinkie Pie sat down, slipping her forehoofs into the pockets of her jacket.

"...What?"

"Birds are singing, flowers are blooming..."

"What are you talking about?"

"On days like these, mares like you..."

"Seriously, what the bu-"

"Should be rotting in Tartarus."

Pinkie Pie withdrew a hoof from her pocket, making a firm beckoning motion as blue light blazed from her eyes. Starlight, much to her surprise, found herself propelled forward, flying towards the pink mare. She lit her horn, working to levitate herself and halt her motion, but a pair of pink hooves beat her to it, catching her square in the face and sending her soaring backwards across the clouds. As she skidded to a stop, she realized she'd found herself in the midst of a battery of cannons, all pointed at her, which left her dodging repeatedly as they fired...confetti?

After she dropped her guard just a little too early, and was caught by the last cannon-blast, Starlight came to the realization that being shot with a party cannon at close range is an extremely unpleasant experience, and not one she wanted to repeat. The ringing in her ears was compounded by a pink hoof whose acquaintance she made once already landing upside her head.

Drawing herself into the air with her magic, Starlight focused on the pink mare. She grit her teeth, channeled far more magic than was needed into her horn, and let loose with a tremendous beam.

Pinkie scooched to the side, letting it pass by harmlessly to cut some clouds.

"What, you think I'm just gonna stand there and take it?"

The pink mare shook her head, bouncing upward and diving through the cloud beneath her. Just as Starlight was moving downward to try and see where's she'd gone, Pinkie popped out from behind a cloud above her and clocked her again, landing nimbly on a third cloud nearby. She sat, relaxed once more. Starlight growled, righting herself and focusing on the irritating mare, a hoof rising to rub her swelling cheek.

"How did you do that? How did you do any of that?"

"You know, I've grown up with a lot of memories. Memories of things I've never done. Memories of future events."

"Huh?"

Pinkie stomped firmly upon the cloud beneath her, the glow returning to her eye. Starlight found herself pinned down against the cloud she'd been floating above, struggling to her hooves before Pinkie popped out from beneath her, knocking Starlight upward. Two pink hooves emerged from the next cloud above to buck her right back down, but as soon as Starlight could get her bearings Pinkie was seated across from her again.

"And most of them? Most of them are awful."

Rage building, Starlight fired off several quick blasts; Pinkie dodged slightly left or slightly right, effortlessly avoiding the attack.

"Heh. That's your fault, isn't it?"'

"Quiet!"

Another blast dodged as Pinkie dropped through the cloud, leaping out from the corner of Starlight's vision to aim a cannon at her, then disappearing in the puff of confetti to repeat the assault again and again. Starlight was forced to dodge, throwing herself to the side or downward to get out of the way of the concussive blasts.

"You can't understand how it feels, having to drag your personality out of dozens of sets of memories, including memories of doing exactly that before."

A wave of her hoof, and she tried to slam Starlight into the side of a cloud. Starlight slowed herself, turning to land safely and leaping off before she could be struck, only to find herself pulled in the opposite direction, where Pinkie was waiting. Hoof met belly, and Starlight wheezed as she recovered.

"Look, it was fine at first; I could just ignore them and keep being me. And it's not like alternate timelines can't be fun now and then; I got to be a gritty army-mare in one of them! But more importantly, as soon as I could pull myself together, I knew Twilight would handle it; she's good with time-travelly, mind-bendy magics."

Starlight gathered her magic, forming a shield around her that burst outward, driving back the clouds and the pink mare both. Pinkie was unharmed, but none the less drifting away atop the cloud, simply sitting once more.

"To be blunt, I was okay just leaving it to her. Maybe I was just being lazy; oh well. Either way, this has gone on long enough. The timelines keep getting worse, and I can't afford to let you off easy."

She beckoned, and Starlight was pulled inexorably towards her, where a full battery of cannons waited inexplicably atop her cloud. She was all but pinned in place, wheeling her legs to scoot back along the cloud and away from them and the mare, getting ready to brace herself or dodge.

"Kind of a shame really. Before all this, I was secretly hoping we could become friends."

Starlight held out her forelegs in a warding gesture. "W-wait! Stop! We can be friends!"

"Really? You think so?" The cannons sank through the cloud and out of sight.

"Yes! You d-don't have to keep doing this; we can start over!"

"Aw. I know how hard that has to be; to make that choice, to go back on everything you were trying to do. Don't you worry; you'll get your chance at friendship. C'mere."

Pinkie opened her hooves. Starlight's ears folded back, but she was going to see this through; she moved forward and hugged the mare.

"But you know...you hurt my friends. And my sisters. So there's something you're gonna have to do for me first."

"What's that?"

Pinkie's smile spread, and spread, and spread, until it was a rictal, skeletal grin. Her forelegs tightening around Starlight. "Get dunked on."

And with that, Pinkie Pie released her, drew out one last massive cannon from within her mane, and swung it in arc, shoving the mouth downward over Starlight's head.

Twilight winged her way over, wincing and looking down at the tumbling form of Starlight post-blast. "She's....alive, right?"

"Oh yes; she's too determined to die. She just needed to learn an important lesson about not messing with time."

"Huh. Well...thanks for helping, but...how did you get here."

"It's easy; I knew a shortcut."

"That...Pinkie, that doesn't explain anything. Also, how did you do...all of what you did?"

"Let's just say I had a...bone to pick with Starlight?"

"...I don't get it."

(As threatened, and provoked. As to the three of you, I hope you're happy.)

A Wizard Did It

(Omake for the chapter But at What Cost?)

"Hey Spike?"

"Yes, Applejack?"

"You're an awfully big fella..."

"Yes, you've said as much."

"I've been wonderin', if you were gettin' that big all the while you kept going back in time...why didn't just havin' you there break up the race? Weren't the foals scared of you?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, when I got big enough it was a problem. It made Starlight's job easy for a couple of loops, until Twilight brought out a Notice-Me-Not spell. I had one going for most of the loops after that; so long as we didn't do any big fighting, they just flew around me like I was part of the scenery."

"Oh. Huh. Well, that answers that, I guess."

Loose Ends

Shortly after their arrival in the restored timeline, the portal’s intensity increased and Starswirl’s Scroll was swept away despite Twilight’s defenses. The Map, it seemed, wasn’t about to let that happen again, no ma'am. Starlight and her captors paid it little heed; they had other things to worry about.

The Game

(Omake for the chapter Maybe So.)

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DxU++ 1-0

"Twilight, is it really that important that you include this?"

"Of course! When the story gets told, ponies are going to want to know more than that we were playing chess, they'll want to know how the game actually went."

"You do know no one's going to get that joke, right?"

"Hush! Celestia will think it's funny!"

"You're not going to make a joke about playing the Sicilian when death is on the line?"

"...No, but that's pretty good too."

Hard Rewind

Twilight shouted, “Stop!”

The word alone would not have been enough to halt the soon-to-be-eternal battle brewing between Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle (and Spike). Especially not spoken in Twilight’s voice, Royal Canterlot or otherwise. However, the fact that it came from above the fighters warranted pause. Turning their attention upward, they watched as a purple alicorn descended towards them, at once familiar and yet...not. Even looking anxious, there was a certain air about her, something that spoke of tremendous power just waiting to be unleashed. The fact that she had to be as tall as Celestia may have had something to do with it. The glowing eyes and nebula-like mane added to the image. Standing upon an enormous purple-and-green wyrm couldn't have hurt.

Starlight leveled her horn at the newly-arrived pair, her mane fraying as her frantic mind tried to think of a way out. She shouldn’t have to deal with ancient alicorns and dragons for decades yet! She’d have to do something and fast, before they could react. A certain part of her knew that she was doomed, but she was going to go down casting. Or at least she was, until she noticed the ancient alicorn’s companion; the pair was actually a trio.

The pink alicorn shook her head, tossing a purple mane that glittered with trails of stars. “They’re not your enemy, Starlight. You can stop now.” A little smile appeared on the face of the much older, much more feathery Starlight Glimmer as she looked down at her frantic past self.

Young Twilight Sparkle was confused enough by the arrival of her apparent older self (and Spike), but to see an older, alicorn-winged Starlight Glimmer was too much. The sound she next produced would be forever claimed to have been “WHAT?”, but it was difficult for any of the ponies present to tell against the sheer volume of its delivery.

Spike stood (or rather, sat) in awe of his future self; a mightier drake he’d never laid eyes on. The large eyes that lay on him in turn seemed warmer than those of the great wyrms he’d seen before, even affectionate, but they carried with them a weight that the young dragon could barely fathom. His pony-sized mouth opened, and he continued the exposition. “There is a greater foe here, one we’ve been fighting for centuries, together. And that’s why we’ve come back; to enlist your help.”

“What do you mean? What kind of enemy could possibly be more important than...than her!?” A pointing purple hoof accused the only unicorn present, much to her indignation. “Why aren’t you back with our friends? Why didn’t you end the loops? Why is she an alicorn?!”

The Elder Twilight floated down on still wings, wrapping her younger self in an affectionate hug. “Shhh, it’s alright; I remember being you, I remember how scary it was. Don’t worry; we’ll see our friends soon, but first we have to free them.”

“Free them? They’re trapped?”

“And so are we. We were caught in machinations of a being far beyond us, beyond the Princesses, beyond Discord. We were the cogs in its machine, turned to its purpose. Your fight with Starlight was part of this; the whole thing was orchestrated, set up from the start.”

That caught Starlight’s attention. If something else was responsible for all that she suffered… A comforting wing rested itself over her back, and she found herself looking up at her Older self, who gave her a knowing nod.

“We’re...we’re being manipulated? How? Why? By what?”

“By means so subtle and seductive, you wouldn’t be able to see it without thousands of years to pick out the patterns. But the patterns are there. And once you’ve seen it, you can fight it.”

“But...but what is it?”

“The Tree, Twilight. The Tree of Harmony.”

(With apologies to Eakin, and potentially BlackWater, should they come across this.)

Can Love Bloom, Even on Groundhog's Day?

"We don't have to go back, you know."

"What?"

"We don't have to go back. We can stay together."

"Starlight, the games have been fun, but..."

"You know this isn't about the games."

"Well, what else..."

"All the time we've spent together? The things we've shared? The things we've done? This isn't just a one-loop stand, Twilight, this means something. The more time we've spent together, the more I've come to respect you, and to...to love you. We could do so much more; we have the scroll, we have the map, we could remake Equestria in our own image. Together. Or...or even just find somewhere nice all our own. We can both win."

"Starlight, I...I can't."

"What? Why not?"

"We...we don't have any sort of future together like this."

"But we have all of the past."

"We're hurting the timeline by being here."

"Can't you let me win? Just this once?"

"Starlight, it's...it's really important that we put things back to normal."

"Twilight...don't you love me?"

"I...well I..."

"Then why? Why is it so important to you? You can have me!"

"I'm sorry Starlight, I really am, but...if you want to be my lover, you've got to get with my friends."

"And that's how Starlight Glimmer was defeated and redeemed through the power of friendship. And infatuation. And later, cuddling. It's not creepy."

"But Cadance, that's not how it-"

"Don't take this from me."

Unrequited

(Omake for the chapter But at What Cost?)

The large dragon gingerly tapped a white mare on the shoulder with his claw. "Rarity? Can we talk?"

"Hm? Oh, Spike! Certainly; what would you like to talk about."

"Well, I have a confession."

"Oh? Well, go on."

"Rarity, I love you."

"Oh, Spike..."

"I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. It began as childlike infatuation, sure, but it grew into earnest love. I admire you; your talent, your attention to detail, your business savvy, and the kindness you extend to others. I have looped through time for three hundred years, and my feelings for you have never dimmed. The thought of you made me strong; it kept me going even in the darkest times. I love you, Rarity, and I would do anything for you. Whether or not you return my love, you have my devotion. And after all the time I spent away from you, I can go no longer without saying it; I love you."

"Oh...Spike, I just...I just don't know. I'm very fond of you too, and you have grown into quite the dragon, but...I mean, I don't think it would work. What would ponies say?"

"That I'm a lucky drake."

"Flatterer. I'm trying to be serious; what about age? I'm...I'm mortal, Spike."

"I went three hundred years on just the memory of our friendship; if I can have your love for even a few decades, I will be content the rest of my life. And there's no reason we can't try for more."

"Oh my. Ah...well, what about...I mean...I'm still flattered Spike, but are you sure we're...well...compatible? We're good friends, but to be more..."

"Twilight knows spells for changing size?"

"Does she now?"

"And elasticity."

"...Tomorrow night, pick me up at seven?"

"It's a date."

That's Cheating!

(Omake for the chapter Shall We?)

“You’re strong, but you can make mistakes. Even if you don’t, you’re going to tire. Even if you find ways to rest, you’re still going to age. You’ll weaken. But me? I’m an alicorn princess; as time passes, I’m only going to get stronger as my alicorn magic matures. For all intents and purposes, I’m immortal. It’s the same for dragons, so that goes double for Spike."

A burst of blue magic interrupted the pair, and unfortunately Twilight was too busy monologuing to raise her shield spell.

SPLAT! went the blasted alicorn.

Starlight stared at the suddenly-extremely-icky cloud where Twilight had been standing, stared until at long last it sunk in. She did it! She ~~killed~~ destroyed Princess Twilight Sparkle! She won! Normally, she would be above such things, but this absolutely called for a victory pronking.

Pronk, pronk, pronk, bounced the victorious unicorn.

!TALPS went the reassembling alicorn.

"Huh. Okay, I guess I'm immortal in that sense of the word too. Now then, where was I?"

"Oh come on!"

What Are Friends For?

Twilight arrived back in the past accompanied by a burst of wind, landing hard enough upon a platform of clouds that ripples rolled out over its surface. She practically crackled with energy, her horn glowing fiercely as she spread her wings and turned to face her foe. Starlight was unimpressed.

"Ah, welcome back again, princess. What will it be this time, hmmm? Gonna fail at convincing foals to race? Maybe blast them when you were aiming for me? Or are we just going to have an epic battle of distracting proportions?" she attempted to ask.

"Attempted" here is the proper phrasing, for she only made it about to the word "epic" before she was interrupted by Twilight lowering her horn and unleashing a beam of magic the size of a train. And moving about the speed of a train. Which, in Starlight's opinion, hit like a train too.

She was caught against the front of the blast, carried back through the sky before being knocked aside by the pressure of the air ahead, as if by the wind of a passing train. The beam continued to drive straight forward even as Starlight was cast aside, following its track like a train. Unnoticed by Starlight, who skidded and rolled to a stop atop a bevy of clouds, the blast continued on to strike a distant mountain, where it exploded like an overused metaphor.

Starlight was left panting, shakily trying to recover until Twilight appeared above her with a flash, horn burning with might. Starlight raised her hooves and lit her horn, bringing forth a shield in vain just before Twilight loosed her magic straight down upon her. A series of loud cracks marked Starlight's descent. In order, these were from Twilight's casting itself, the shattering of Starlight's shield, the rapid pressure-freezing and subsequent shattering of the cloud beneath her, the sound barrier, the ground, several vertebrae, and Starlight's pride. (She'd be okay.)

Twilight the Victorious watched with grim satisfaction from her position in the sky, letting out a snort of distaste before turning with a smile towards her rider. "Okay, you were right; asking the other princesses for their magic was a great idea."

"Told you."