Day 741
I woke up.
The routine had become a curse etched into my soul, a rhythm I could no longer escape. The bed was too soft, too familiar, and the sunlight streaming through the window was an enemy. The clock read 7:23 AM, just as it always did, taunting me with its unchanging certainty.
I had long since stopped trying to change anything. My spells, my studies, my desperate pleas—they had all crumbled into dust. There was no hope, no future. Just the endless loop. I no longer knew if I was alive or dead, or something in between. Even my journal, the one thing that had tied me to reality, had become a painful reminder of the days that had slipped through my hooves.
But today, something was different. It was subtle at first, a strange feeling creeping at the edges of my consciousness. I couldn’t place it, but there was a new presence, a shift in the oppressive sameness of the loop.
As I got out of bed, I noticed something unusual—no, someone unusual. There, standing, or growing rather, in the middle of my bedroom, was a small yellow flower. Its petals were bright, too bright for this nightmare, and its face was twisted into a wide, unnervingly cheerful grin.
"Howdy!" the flower chirped, its voice gratingly sweet. "I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"
For a moment, I just stared. My mind, dulled by the endless repetition, struggled to comprehend this new anomaly. Was this another cruel trick of the loop? Some manifestation of my deteriorating mind?
"Who… what are you?" I finally managed to croak out.
Flowey chuckled, "That's funny. The little dragon asked me the same questioms when he first saw me. Boy, would he not let up with the endless questions! He really should have learned to keep his mouth shut. Because now. . ."
Flowey mouth got bigger, and he flashed a huge wicked toothy smile, "He's dead."
"Wha-what!?" I gasped.
"Oh come on, it wouldn't be the first time, now would it?" Flowey said.
I froze as the implications of what Flowey had same came through to her. "You. . . You're caught in the time-loop too?"
"Not exactly," Flowey said, "It's more like we travel in similar circles. Circles similar enough and close enough for me to slip out of mine and into yours! And I must say, Twilight, I've been watching you for a while now, and you’re handling this whole time loop thing better than most would!"
The way it said my name felt wrong, like it had pried into my most intimate thoughts. It was as if this flower knew more about me than I knew about myself.
"How do you know my name?" I demanded, trying to summon the authority I once had. But my voice trembled, betraying how far gone I was.
"Like I said, I've been watching you," Flowey responded with a casual shrug, if a flower could shrug.
I felt a shiver run down my spine. "Do you… know how to stop the loop?"
Flowey’s grin widened, and something dark flickered behind its beady eyes. "Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. But where’s the fun in just telling you? No, no, no, that wouldn’t be any fun at all!" The flower leaned closer, as if it could, though it had no legs to walk on. "Or maybe I'd like to see how far you can go before you break."
I recoiled, my stomach twisting. This wasn’t just a flower. It was something much worse, something that thrived on suffering. I could see it now, the malevolence that lingered just beneath its playful facade.
"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice small and defeated.
"Why, to help you, of course!" Flowey’s voice dripped with mock sincerity. "You’re getting awfully close to the edge, aren’t you? I thought you could use a little push. I mean, you've already done it twice."
I recoiled, confusion and horror swirling inside me. "What… what are you talking about?"
Flowey’s eyes gleamed with twisted delight. "Pinkie Pie and Spike! You really gave it to them, huh? You didn’t even hesitate when you… well, you know." His toothy massive smile retutned, "I knew you had it in you, Twilight! All that bottled-up frustration, all that anger… you just needed a little push."
My stomach twisted into knots as his words hit me like a physical blow. I wanted to scream at him, to deny it all, but the memories were still too fresh. The blood, the panic, the uncontrollable surge of magic—it all came rushing back, choking me with guilt.
"I didn’t want to do it," I whispered, my voice shaking. "It just… happened."
Flowey’s grin never faltered. "Oh, don’t be so modest! You’ve been holding all that rage inside for so long, it was bound to come out eventually. And hey, you’ve got plenty of time to work on it. Maybe next time, you’ll even enjoy it!"
"Shut up!" I snapped, my voice rising in desperation. "I didn’t mean to… I would never—"
Flowey cut me off with a laugh that was more of a cackle. "Oh, Twilight, don’t kid yourself! Deep down, you wanted to do it. I mean, how many times have you heard the same lines from your friends? How many times have you tasted that overly sweet coffee from Spike? Over and over, day after day… it’s enough to drive anypony mad!"
I clenched my teeth, my body trembling with a mix of rage and despair. "I’m not a monster," I hissed, more to convince myself than him.
Flowey’s smile turned sickly sweet, his voice dropping to a mockingly sympathetic tone. "Of course you’re not, Twilight. Your SOUL is way too strong to be a monster's SOUL. But don’t worry! I’m here to help. I've been there! I've killed myself, just like you. I came back, just like you. I've experimented, just like you. So, it won't be long before you learn what I've learned."
"And what's that?" I questioned, even as I dreaded the answer.
"In this world, and all worlds, it's kill or be killed!" Flowey said with malicious glee.
"No!" I shouted in horror.
"Just you wait, Twilight," Flowey said smugly, "Eventually, you'll run out of things to do. You'll read every book, you'll burn every book. Sets of numbers. . . Lines of dialogue. . . You'll see it all. And once you've appeased everyone and endured their spouting of their same lines, you'll get tired of their companionship and wonder 'what would happen if I killed them? It'll all be RESET anyway? I just want to see what happens.'"
"No!" I shouted, my voice shaking with anger and fear. "I won’t do it! I won’t become a monster like you!"
Flowey rolled his eyes and said, "You really need to stop using 'monster' as an insult. But anyway, once you realize how predictable other people are, you'll have to find some way to make things more interesting. And then you'll finally see how liberating it is to kill just to see how the world can change!"
The smug certainty of his words made me sick to my stomach. I had been teetering on a knife's edge for so long now, so close to giving up entirely. But now, I had something to fight for, or against.
"I don’t need your advice, you soulless little psychopath," I whispered, trying to muster what little strength I had left.
"Got it in one," he said with a wink.
"Maybe I can't break out of the time-loop, but I refuse to kill anypony or anycreature else!" I said with growing conviction, "I'll focus on other things. Talk to more ponies. Travel as far around Equestria as I can in the 24 hours I have. Learn everything I can about every pony and creature in Equestria. Take turns giving them perfect days. I'll have all the time in the world! I'll never run out of things to do, and I won't be killing anybody ever again!"
Flowey’s laugh was sharp, cutting through the stale air of my bedroom. "Ha! Not killing anybody? Ha! That's a wonderful idea!" he shouted as if it were a novel concept. Then he smirked, and I was suddenly surrounded by a ring of spinning floating seeds.
"Good luck with that. . ."
And then he killed me.
Genocide Route (GRIMDARK! DON'T CLICK!)
Twilight Sparkle stood in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, her breath coming in slow, steady exhalations. The once magnificent chamber was now a tomb, draped in shadows that clung to the walls like cobwebs. The air was thick with the scent of blood, and her hooves left dark prints on the crimson-stained marble floor as she approached the bodies.
Celestia lay slumped over her throne, her ethereal mane now still and lifeless, a deep gash running across her chest. Luna was sprawled on the floor nearby, her wings bent at unnatural angles, her dark blue coat marred by scorch marks from Twilight's magic. Cadence, who had tried so desperately to reason with her, now lay crumpled against the base of the throne, her eyes wide open in shock, her last breath frozen in her throat.
The sight that should have horrified her, that should have broken her completely, now brought only a twisted sense of satisfaction. They had all tried to stop her, tried to save her, but in the end, they had all fallen. One by one, every single pony in Equestria had succumbed to her power. Her friends, her family, even the rulers of the land—they were nothing more than obstacles, barriers between her and the truth she had come to embrace.
It was kill or be killed.
The silence that followed was almost suffocating, broken only by the distant echoes of her last spell still reverberating through the castle's empty halls. Twilight stood there, her eyes fixed on the corpses, her mind numb to the horrors she had wrought. There was nothing left. No more ponies to fight. No more friends to betray. No more worlds to conquer.
"Well, well, well! Look at what we have here!"
Flowey’s voice cut through the stillness like a knife, shrill and gleeful. Twilight didn’t flinch as the grinning flower emerged from a crack in the floor, his expression one of unbridled delight.
"Twilight, you’ve really outdone yourself this time! I mean, I knew you had potential, but this? You’ve really embraced the whole ‘kill or be killed’ thing, huh? Just look at you! Standing in the midst of all your hard work… it’s beautiful, really. Almost brings a tear to my eyes."
Twilight’s gaze shifted slowly to the flower, her expression blank, unreadable. She said nothing, her silence speaking volumes.
Flowey continued, unfazed by her lack of response. "And now, with Equestria out of the way, we can move on to even bigger things! Who knows? Maybe we’ll find another world to conquer, another set of heroes to crush under our hooves—or roots, in my case!" He chuckled, a harsh, grating sound that echoed in the empty room.
But then he paused, his smile faltering as he looked closer at Twilight. His expression shifted, from smug to something more akin to concern. His eyes darted to her, then to the bodies at her hooves, and back again. "You know, your LOVE is really high now…"
Twilight still said nothing, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The silence between them grew heavier, more oppressive.
Flowey’s grin wavered. "Hey, Twilight… no hard feelings, right? I mean, we’re the same, you and I. We don’t let anything—or anypony—stand in our way. We just… do what needs to be done, right? Right?"
Twilight’s stare bored into him, cold and unyielding. There was no trace of the Twilight he once knew, no hesitation, no mercy. Just an empty, hollow shell filled with an unfathomable darkness.
Flowey’s smile cracked, his expression twisting into something more desperate. "Stop making that creepy face!" he snapped, though his voice quivered with fear. "Stop it, Twilight! You’re starting to look like Chara! I—"
Before he could finish, Twilight’s horn flared with a dark, twisted magic. Flowey’s eyes widened in terror as he felt the power wrap around him, lifting him off the ground, tendrils of magic tightening like a vice around his fragile form.
"Wait! Wait, please! I didn’t mean it! We’re friends, remember? We’re in this together! Your save file—" Flowey’s voice turned into a high-pitched scream as Twilight’s magic began to tear him apart, his petals wilting and tearing, his face contorting in agony. "Your SAVE FILE IS GONE! YOU CAN’T RESET! YOU CAN’T—"
With a final, merciless burst of magic, Twilight shredded Flowey into nothingness. His final scream echoed in the vast emptiness of the throne room, and then there was silence.
Twilight stood there, panting heavily, her eyes wide, her horn still sparking with the residual energy of her spell. The emptiness she had felt before was now consuming her, a gaping void where her heart used to be. The room was quiet again, but something was wrong. The time loop… it wasn’t resetting.
She looked around, her eyes darting from the bodies to the door, to the clock on the wall. She waited, counted the seconds, the minutes—but nothing happened. Panic began to set in, her breathing growing more erratic as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
"No… no, no, no, no!" Twilight’s voice trembled as she began pacing the room, her heart pounding in her chest. "This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! It’s supposed to reset! Everything should go back to the beginning!"
But it didn’t. The clock kept ticking, moving forward, unyielding. Her mind reeled, spiraling into chaos as the reality of what she’d done, of what she had become, sank in.
"It has to reset! It has to!" Twilight screamed, her magic flaring uncontrollably, sending bolts of energy crashing into the walls, shattering windows, and toppling the thrones. "I can’t stay here! I can’t live with this! Please, please, just RESET!"
But the loop didn’t come. The bodies remained. The silence grew heavier, pressing down on her until she felt like she was suffocating under its weight. She collapsed onto the cold floor, her body trembling, her vision blurring with tears she didn’t know she still had.
"I… I didn’t mean for this to happen… I just… I just wanted to escape… I didn’t want to feel anymore…"
Her sobs echoed through the empty castle, her voice small and broken, a far cry from the powerful mare she once was. But there was no one left to hear her. No one left to save her from herself.
And then, just as the darkness began to close in, she felt it. A presence. . .
"Twilight Sparkle…"
The voice was soft, yet it sliced through her like a knife, chilling her to the bone. She looked up, her tear-streaked face twisting in fear and disbelief as she saw a figure emerging from the shadows.
The figure smiled, a cold, cruel smile that made Twilight’s blood run cold. "You’ve done well, Twilight. So much LOVE… so many Exceution Points… but it seems you’ve reached your limit. There is nothing left for either of us here. Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next."
"No… no, this isn’t right. . . I didn't want this!" Twilight stammered, trying to back away, but her body wouldn’t move.
Chara’s smile widened, "You must have misunderstood." in an instant, they were upon her, their hand clamping down on her throat, cutting off her air. "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?!"
Twilight struggled, her hooves clawing at the hand around her throat, but it was no use. The pressure grew, the darkness closing in until all she could see was Chara’s smiling face, and void eyes leaking darkness. All she could hear was her own heartbeat, pounding louder and louder in her ears.
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The sun filtered through the curtains, painting the walls in warm shades of gold. Birds chirped outside, their morning song a familiar refrain that Twilight had heard more times than she could count.
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, but there was no dread in her heart, no gnawing emptiness in her chest. The weight of the loops, the endless repetition, had become something she’d learned to bear, something she’d even found peace within. After decades of reliving the same day, she had made a life for herself in this loop, a purpose that kept her moving forward.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her movements fluid and practiced. Today, like every other day, she had a plan—a plan to give as many ponies as possible the perfect day, to help them in ways that only she, with her boundless time and knowledge, could.
Twilight Sparkle’s approach to mastering the time loop had become almost methodical, a blend of science and friendship that reflected her innate nature. With each reset, she began to treat the loop as a grand experiment—one in which every pony in Equestria was a subject worthy of careful study and care. It was a week that could stretch into years within her own perception, but to Twilight, it was a challenge she embraced wholeheartedly.
She would pick a random pony, chosen without bias. Like Caramel for instance, a pony known for his clumsiness and chronic self-doubt.
She would spend several loops gathering information, watching Caramel as he went about his day. She followed him from a distance, taking notes on his interactions with others, his body language, and his habits. He fumbled at the market, tripping over a basket of apples and apologizing profusely to everypony around him. Twilight noted the way his ears drooped, the way his tail tucked in, how he avoided eye contact after his mistakes.
Then, after enough data was gathered, Twilight would begin the day with a direct approach. She made sure to “bump into” Caramel at the market. When he tripped over an apple cart again, she was right there to catch him with her magic before he hit the ground.
"Are you okay, Caramel?" she asked, offering him a warm smile as she set him back on his hooves.
Caramel blushed, stammering out an apology. "I’m sorry, Twilight! I’m such a klutz…"
Twilight shook her head. "It’s okay! Everypony makes mistakes. How about we take a walk? I’ve been meaning to talk to you."
She spent the day with him, subtly guiding their conversation to focus on his strengths. She encouraged him to talk about the things he was passionate about—he had a real knack for fixing things, even though he never saw it that way. Twilight made sure to praise him genuinely, pointing out the little things he did well, hoping to boost his confidence.
At the end of the day, she left Caramel with a little more pep in his step. He wasn’t completely transformed, but Twilight noted the small improvements—he didn’t trip as often, he smiled more, and his ears didn’t droop as much.
Then the loop would reset again, and Twilight would refine her approach. She took note of what worked and what didn’t. This time, she didn’t wait for Caramel to trip; she set up a small project for him, something simple that played to his strengths. She asked him to help fix a broken wagon wheel outside the library.
"Caramel, I could really use your help with this," she said, handing him the tools. "I’ve seen the way you fix things—you’re really good at it."
Caramel hesitated, but the genuine need in her voice pushed him forward. As he worked, Twilight stood by, offering encouragement at key moments, but mostly letting him figure things out on his own. She watched as his confidence grew with each turn of the wrench, as he began to trust his own abilities.
By the end of the day, the wagon wheel was as good as new, and Caramel was beaming. "I did it!" he exclaimed, more to himself than to her.
"You did," Twilight affirmed, smiling. "And you did it well. You should be proud of yourself, Caramel."
In her journal, she noted the importance of allowing Caramel to solve problems independently while still providing moral support.
Then, after a few more loops, Twilight would feel ready to see how far she could push the subject's transformation. She set up a situation where Caramel had to take charge—organizing a small repair project with a few other ponies in town. It was something he’d never dream of doing on his own, but Twilight was there to give him the gentle nudge he needed.
She subtly influenced the situation, making sure the other ponies looked to Caramel for guidance. At first, he was flustered, but as the day wore on, he began to step into the role, directing others, making decisions, and even solving a few tricky problems on the fly.
Twilight watched with pride as Caramel gained the respect of his peers. When the project was finished, he was practically glowing with pride.
The next few loops were spent refining the process, running through the loop several times to tweak the variables. She tried different approaches, observing the slight differences in Caramel’s responses each time. By the end of the week, she had a comprehensive understanding of what made Caramel tick, of how to bring out the best in him.
Her journal was filled with detailed notes on his personality, the specific words that encouraged him most, the situations that allowed him to shine. She had, in essence, become an expert on Caramel.
But more than that, Twilight had found joy in the process. Every loop was an opportunity to learn, to grow, to make somepony’s life a little bit better—even if they wouldn’t remember it the next day.
As the week came to a close, Twilight felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Caramel was just one pony, but she knew that everypony in Equestria had their own struggles, their own potential waiting to be unlocked. She was ready to move on to the next pony, to start the process all over again, with the same care and dedication.
Reforming a criminal or unscrupulous pony through the time loops was one of Twilight's greatest challenges. Unlike the more straightforward task of boosting someone’s confidence or brightening their day, changing a heart steeped in wrongdoing required patience, strategy, and, above all, an unwavering belief in the potential for redemption. Twilight had encountered such ponies before—those who operated on the fringes of society, seeking only to benefit themselves, often at the expense of others. In this loop, she set her sights on Rough Diamond, a notorious jewel thief known for her cunning and lack of remorse.
Twilight followed Rough Diamond through the streets of Manehattan, careful to stay out of sight. She watched as the mare slipped through crowds unnoticed, her hooves light and quick, her eyes always scanning for opportunities. Rough Diamond was a master of her craft, stealing jewels from under the noses of their owners without a second thought. She moved with a confidence that bordered on arrogance, clearly enjoying the thrill of the chase.Twilight took notes on her mannerisms, her patterns, and most importantly, her interactions—or lack thereof—with others. Rough Diamond was a loner, trusting no one and keeping everyone at arm’s length. It was clear to Twilight that breaking through her defenses would be the key to any kind of reform.
That evening, back in the library, Twilight pondered her approach. She knew she couldn’t just confront Rough Diamond directly; that would only make her defensive. Instead, she decided to start by planting small seeds of doubt in the thief’s mind—subtle hints that her actions had consequences she hadn’t considered.
The loop reset, and Twilight put her plan into motion. She created a scenario where Rough Diamond’s theft would inadvertently cause harm to an innocent pony. Twilight arranged for the thief to steal a precious necklace, one that was secretly the only remaining keepsake of a recently deceased loved one. As Rough Diamond made her escape, Twilight ensured that she overheard the heartbroken cries of the pony who lost the necklace.
Rough Diamond paused, just for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she listened. It was the first crack in her armor that Twilight had been hoping for. But the thief quickly shook it off, her expression hardening as she continued on her way.That evening, Twilight noted the subtle shift in Rough Diamond’s demeanor. The thief was a little less cocky, a little more thoughtful. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. However, Twilight knew where her next theft would be thanks to the time loops. So, Twilight enchanted the gemstone fated to be stolen with a spell that would create an illusion—a vision of what Rough Diamond’s life could be if she continued down her current path.
When Rough Diamond inevitably stole the enchanted gem, Twilight was waiting. As the thief held the gem in her hooves, the illusion sprang to life. Rough Diamond saw herself in a dark future—alone, hunted by the law, surrounded by riches but utterly empty inside. The vision was bleak, a stark contrast to the thrill she currently felt from her lifestyle.
Twilight appeared beside her in the vision, her voice soft but firm. "Is this really what you want, Rough Diamond? A life of loneliness and fear? There’s another way, you know. You’re so talented—imagine what you could achieve if you used your skills for good."
Rough Diamond’s expression was unreadable as the vision faded, leaving her alone with Twilight in the moonlit streets. For a long moment, she said nothing, just stared at the gem in her hooves. Then, without a word, she put it back in it's case and left. An hour later, she would return discreetly return the heirloom necklace as well.
This was how Twilight spent the decades, funneling all of her focus into pony after pony. But today was different because she was taking it up a notch. Today, she wasn’t just going to help a single pony; she was going to weave together the lives of multiple ponies, creating a day so perfect it would resonate across the whole of Equestria.
"You, idiot!"
Flowey’s voice was like a razor cutting through the air, sharp and grating. Twilight turned slowly, already knowing what she’d see.
"You’re still at this, huh?" Flowey sneered, his eyes narrowing. "Still playing the good little pony, trying to make everypony’s day just perfect. What a joke."
Twilight’s expression remained calm, almost serene. She had expected this. Flowey had been showing up more frequently as of late, his tone growing more frustrated with each visit.
"Hello, Flowey," Twilight said, her voice steady. "You’re wasting your time. I’ve found peace here. I’m not interested in playing your game."
Flowey’s grin faltered for a split second, and then his face twisted into a mask of anger. "Peace? Peace?! You’re stuck in this loop, reliving the same day over and over, and you think you’ve found peace?! You really are an idiot! You haven’t learned a thing!"
Twilight sighed softly, her gaze softening with a mix of pity and resolve. "I’ve learned more than you could ever understand, Flowey. I’ve spent decades getting to know everypony, helping them, understanding them. I’m not angry or frustrated anymore. I’ve accepted this."
Flowey’s anger seemed to reach a boiling point, and for a moment, it looked like he might lash out at her with words—or worse. But then, as quickly as it had come, his anger melted away, replaced by something darker, more insidious. His grin returned, wider than before, and his eyes gleamed with a malicious glee.
"Oh, Twilight, you really don’t get it, do you?" Flowey cooed, his voice sickly sweet. "You’re so busy playing Miss Perfect that you forgot one tiny little detail." His smile grew even more sinister. "Your LOVE is still at 1."
"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.
"Levels Of ViolencE of course!" Flowey said, "Not killing anybody makes you weak enough to get killed yourself!"
Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, her calm demeanor cracking just slightly. "What… what are you getting at, Flowey?"
Flowey’s vines began to writhe and twist around him, growing thicker and more menacing by the second. "It means that I can just take your SOUL for myself!"
Before Twilight could react, Flowey’s vines shot out like lightning, wrapping around her and pulling her into a crushing grip. The world around her warped and twisted as she was dragged into a dark, swirling void—a place that felt like it existed outside of time and space, a meta purgatory where reality itself was fluid and chaotic.
Twilight’s breath caught in her throat as she looked around, seeing nothing but a vast, endless void stretching out in all directions. And then, before her eyes, Flowey began to grow. His form expanded, becoming a towering giant grinning down at her with twisted glee.
"Welcome to my world, Twilight!" Flowey’s voice boomed from every direction at once, echoing through the void. "Here, I’m the master! And you… you’re just a little pony trying to play nice!"
Twilight gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she tried to gather her magic. But before she could cast a single spell, Flowey launched his attack. Vines lashed out at her from all sides, some tipped with thorns, others bursting into flames. Giant mouths appeared in the void, snapping at her with razor-sharp teeth, while Flowey’s laughter echoed all around.
"My little pony, my little pony
You really think friendship is magic?
My little pony, my little pony
Your death is so tragic!"
Twilight dodged and weaved, using every bit of her magical prowess to shield herself and counter the attacks. She summoned barriers of light, deflected the flaming vines with gusts of wind, and fired back with beams of concentrated magic. But no matter how hard she fought, Flowey’s attacks were relentless, chaotic, and ever-changing. One moment he was a towering flower, the next he was a writhing mass of eyes and teeth.
"Come on, Twilight!" Flowey taunted, his voice a cacophony of twisted glee. "Is this really the best you can do? You’re supposed to be the Element of Magic, the savior of Equestria! But here you are, flailing around like a foal in the dark!"
Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest, her body aching from the constant barrage of glowing white seeds that shot out of Flowey’s many eyes. But she refused to give up. She couldn’t. Not now. Not after everything she’d been through.
"It's kill or be killed, it's kill or be killed
Grinding for Levels Of ViolencE!
It's kill or be killed, it's kill or be killed
Your SOUL will be silenced!"
Flowey shifted form again, becoming a horrifying, pulsating mass of red raw flesh, with petals made of meat. A goat like tongue hung out of his maw, and a pair of goat like horns stuck out of his head. He vomited out glowing stars that exploded into a barage of smaller stars. Twilight did her best to dodge and deflect them with a shield spell, but several stars made it past and scratched and cut her sides.
"No happy ending, no happy ending
I'll be there to tear it away!
No happy ending, no happy ending
I'm the god of this world!"
With a determined cry, she poured all her magic into a single, focused blast, aiming it straight at Flowey’s central form. A the beam of magic shot forward, the six Elements of Harmony appeared, forming a ring around the beam and turning it into a brilliant rainbow. The rainbow of light cut through the void, and with a deafening roar, Flowey was blasted back, his form splintering and shattering like glass.
When the light faded, Twilight found herself back in her library, gasping for breath. Her body was trembling from the exertion, but she was alive. She had survived.
Flowey was lying on the floor in front of her, his form much smaller now, crumpled and weakened. His eyes were wide with shock and anger, his mouth twisted in a furious snarl.
"You… you…you just want to see me suffer," he hissed, his voice weak and trembling. "You’re just a boring waste of time!"
Twilight's breathing was still heavy, but her gaze was steady and resolute. "Give it up, Flowey," she said, her voice firm. "You can’t win. I’m not playing your game anymore."
Flowey glared at her, his anger palpable, but there was something else in his eyes too—something that almost looked like fear. "Fine!" he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You win, okay? I destroyed your SAVE FILE. You’re free from the time loop. Happy now?"
Twilight blinked, her heart skipping a beat. "What… what did you say?"
Flowey grinned, though it was a bitter, spiteful grin. "You heard me. You’re free. No more loops, no more resets. You’re back to your one, pathetic life. And good riddance! You’re no fun at all!"
Twilight’s mind raced, her thoughts spinning as she tried to process what Flowey had just said. Free. She was free. No more loops, no more endless days. She was… free.
Flowey began to sink into the floor, his form dissolving into the shadows. "I’m going back home," he muttered, his voice filled with frustration. "At least there, I can have some real fun… Maybe I’ll go torment that Smiley Trashbag again. At least he knows how to put up a fight."
And with that, Flowey was gone, leaving Twilight standing alone in the library.
For a moment, she just stood there, her mind reeling. Could it really be true? After all this time, was she finally free?
"Twilight?"
Spike’s voice broke through her thoughts, and she turned to see him standing in the doorway, holding a steaming cup of coffee. His eyes were wide with concern as he took in her disheveled appearance. "Are you okay? You look like you’ve been through a storm!"
Twilight’s eyes filled with tears—tears of relief, of joy, of overwhelming emotion. She rushed forward, wrapping Spike in a tight hug, holding him as if she’d never let go.
Spike stiffened in surprise, nearly dropping the coffee cup, but quickly relaxed into the embrace. "Twilight? What’s wrong? Did something happen?"
Twilight buried her face in his shoulder, the warmth of his scales grounding her, reminding her that this was real. After so many loops, so many days of sameness, the reality of this moment hit her like a tidal wave. She was free. Truly, finally free.
She pulled back slightly, looking into Spike’s concerned eyes. "Spike… I’m just… I’m so happy to see you. I missed you."
Spike blinked, his confusion deepening. "Missed me? But we’ve been together this whole time."
Twilight shook her head, a small, tearful laugh escaping her. "It’s hard to explain, but… everything’s going to be okay now." She reached out and took the cup of coffee from him, feeling its warmth seep into her hooves. It was too sweet—just the way Spike always made it—but she didn’t mind. She took a sip, letting the sugary liquid flood her senses, reminding her that she was really, truly here.
Spike watched her with a mix of relief and bafflement, but he didn’t press her for answers. Instead, he just smiled. "Well, I’m glad you’re okay, Twilight. You had me worried there for a second."
Twilight set the cup down on the table, then pulled Spike into another hug, gentler this time, but no less heartfelt. She held him close, her mind still spinning with the implications of what had just happened, but her heart calm and steady for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Thank you, Spike," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with all the love she had for him. "Thank you for everything."
Spike blushed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Aw, it’s nothing, Twilight. Just doing my job, right?"
Twilight smiled, a genuine, warm smile that reached her eyes. "Yeah, Spike. Just doing your job."
As she held him, the last traces of the nightmare she’d just endured began to fade, replaced by a newfound resolve. She had spent so long in that loop, trying to make the perfect day for everypony else, that she had forgotten something crucial—herself. But now, with the loop broken, she had a chance to live again, to truly live, and she wasn’t going to waste it.
The weight of the past decades didn’t disappear, but it no longer felt like a burden. It was a part of her now, a part that had shaped her into who she was. And who she was, was a pony who had survived, who had endured, and who had come out the other side stronger.
Flowey’s words echoed in her mind, but she pushed them aside. He was wrong. He had always been wrong. She wasn’t weak because her LOVE was at 1. She was strong because she had chosen to hold onto her love anc to hold onto herself, even when everything else tried to take it away.
As she released Spike and looked around the library, she felt a deep sense of peace settle over her. She was back, and she was free. Free to live, free to love, free to be Twilight Sparkle again.
And she would.
Starting with a perfectly sweet cup of coffee and a hug from her number one assistant.
THE END
