Starlight Glimmer's excellent plan

[Excerpted from Starlight's personal diary]

The spell is masterful, I'll tell you that!

It only has one caveat: it remembers its casters and doesn't allow them to use itself twice. What a bust!..

How do I remove this restriction?..

That was what Starlight was pondering. She expected failure and was prepared to deal with it multiple times. If she failed once, she'd have to retry -- so strong was her hunger for revenge! She would try, until she succeeded, and that meant being prepared to time-travel, well, multiple times. So that particular restriction was a bust indeed.

The problem was, Starlight couldn't find a way to remove it, no matter her smarts...

And that was when wind started to blow in her more-than humble abode. Where was it coming from? All questions disappeared, when a white sphere started growing in the middle of the room. Starlight watched in awe, until she remembered herself and prepared to fire a magic beam at potential danger. With her horn lit she was ready for whatever came...

...But she was not prepared to see...

"Huh?.."

That's right! In front of Starlight stood... another Starlight! No way... How was that even possible? Surely it had to be an impostor!

"Who are you?" -- demanded Starlight, her horn pointed at the newcomer.

"It's worked! -- the new Starlight replied. -- Hello!"

"I will not repeat that!" -- barked the old Starlight and true to her words promptly shot her new self.

A shield appeared, preventing the newcomer's certain death.

"Whoa! Easy!"

Starlight didn't listen. She kept trying to blast the certain impostor, who'd appeared out of nowhere. The shield, however, held fast.

"Stop it! -- the new Starlight attempted, backing away under the attacks. -- Don't shoot! It's me! Starlight!"

The onslaught stopped, but the horn remained charged.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"I'm you. Of course I know your name... er... my name!"

"Can't be!"

"It's the truth!"

The old Starlight didn't believe the new Starlight:

"How is that possible?"

"It's simple! The restriction is removed!"

"What restriction?"

"On the spell!.. Well, at least that's what I've heard my future self tell me... and now I'm telling you... So, it's uncertain and has to be tried..."

Starlight was a smart pony, but even she felt dumbfounded.

"I'll explain. But, please, don't shoot me! I am you! If you shoot me, past you will shoot present you... Or is it 'will have shot'?.. Whatever you do to me now will happen to you!"

That was unbelievable... Was Starlight really being visited by her future self?? But then...

"Will I time-travel?"

"I have. So will you".

"But the spell..."

"Has a restriction, I know. You will remove it and try to travel to the past to see, if it's worked".

"I... will?"

"Well, you have to".

"Humph! And if I refused?"

"Hm... Honestly, I would like to know what would happen, if you did, too... But I doubt you would".

"Why is that?!"

"You'll see for yourself, I promise! -- Future Starlight made a step forward. -- Look closer at the spell. It has the answer".

Hearing that, present Starlight cast her magic unwillingly and retrieved the scroll.

"Let me show you", -- future Starlight offered, making another step.

Present Starlight was cautious, just in case it was an elaborate scheme. After all, it seemed the newcomer was Starlight and thus could be very devious, if Starlight knew herself. The horn was still charged with an attack, just in case.

"Come on, you may trust me".

But Starlight still didn't believe herself:

"How can I know that? I'll need a definitive proof I'm talking to my future self, before you 'show me anything'", -- she quoted.

And so the future Starlight did the only logical thing: she blurted out Starlight's most deeply hidden secret.

"See? There is no way for me to know that -- unless I were you!"

Present Starlight stood in shock and embarrassment. There was no way!.. How?.. Unless!..

"Starlight, -- future Starlight said again. -- You will time-travel. I can guarantee: I am you... Oh, come ON, I didn't believe myself so stubbornly, really?.."

"I can't believe it, yes... But, apparently..." Starlight smiled, convinced. "Apparently, you ARE me! Incredible!.."

Future Starlight simply nodded. "Finally! Now..." She stepped yet closer. "Look here..." She pointed at the spell. "See? This is the restriction... or at least that's what future me told me... We both will have to try it. Oh! Also: look at this. The spell is wired to take you back to the present. Modify it, so it happens later: you don't want to be whisked away, before you can explain this to your past self".

Present Starlight listened carefully, examining the scroll. She wondered, how she would have made this breakthrough without her apparent future self telling her. That didn't seem right...

"Here". Future Starlight took some paper and a pencil and started scribbling something on it. When she finished, she was about to give it to her past self, but unexpectedly wind started blowing again, and white light started to engulf Starlight.

"Oh no! It's happening! Quickly!" She handed the piece of paper to present Starlight before disappearing in a flash of light.

The only remaining Starlight winced from the brightness, and when she opened her eyes, she was alone. Only the piece of paper reminded her of what had happened.

"Unbelievable", -- she murmured. Then she looked at the paper.

On it were corrections to the spell. Written by her own hoof, no less. Hm, interesting, she thought. Now she'd have to tell her past self everything. She took another piece of paper and started writing:

• Remove the restriction;
• Change timeout of spell;
• ~~Try to travel~~;
• Actually, prepare to travel:
• My past self will try... have tried?.. to blast me. Make a shield;
• She will not... have believed?.. Screw it! Won't believe me, so ~~tell her right away my secret~~;
• Actually tell her I'm her before that, otherwise I imagine she'll freak out and blast me even through the shield. Can't be too careful!
• Predict her future: tell her she'll time-travel;
• Explain myself;
• Anything else?..

With the list prepared Starlight proceeded to working on the spell.

"...Okay..."

Starlight was nervous. The spell had been modified, but would it work the intended way? Had her future self been correct about the change? Well, if she had, then... everything made sense. After learning Starlight would make the travel possible, ensuring she would teach her past self and... make time travel possible...

It would loop and loop. No start and no end. And it somehow made sense. Starlight felt dizzy. She shook herself:

"Alright! Here... we... go!"

She fired a beam at the scroll. White light engulfed her, and she time-travelled.

The room had not changed, but now another Starlight stood before her, horn charged.

"Who are you?" -- demanded past Starlight, her horn pointed at the newcomer.

"It's worked! -- future Starlight replied in awe. -- Hello!"

"I will not repeat that!" -- barked past Starlight and true to her word promptly shot her new self.

But future Starlight was ready. She raised a shield; however the attack was so strong Starlight had almost lost her footing.

"Whoa! Easy!"

Past Starlight didn't listen. She kept trying to blast the certain impostor, who'd appeared out of nowhere. The shield, however, held fast.

"Stop it! -- future Starlight attempted, backing away under the attacks. -- Don't shoot! It's me! Starlight!"

The onslaught stopped, but the horn remained charged.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?"

...Starlight didn't remember everything from their exchange, but it had gone word for word like it had...

"Here". Future Starlight took some paper and a pencil and started scribbling something on it. When she finished, she was about to give it to her past self, but unexpectedly wind started blowing again, and white light started to engulf Starlight.

"Oh no! It's happening! Quickly!" She handed the piece of paper to past Starlight before disappearing in a flash of light.

And just like that she was back in her time.

Starlight stood for some time to collect her bearings after the travel.

"Alright, -- she thought, -- it's worked. But to make sure this hasn't been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I'll have to try again".

Almost immediately after that the signs of time travel manifested again, and another Starlight appeared. Present Starlight hadn't expected that and yelped:

"What the heck?"

"Starlight, this isn't going to work".

Present Starlight stood for a second, then asked:

"I beg pardon?"

"Take a look at the spell. There's something I'll have to show to you".

Present Starlight felt suspicious:

"Are you trying to prevent some sort of disaster from happening? Is that why you are here?"

"No, -- future Starlight answered firmly. -- I'm here to ensure time stability".

"Huh?"

"You are about to cause a disaster. So... take a look at the spell. There's something you need to fix".

"But wait... I thought... future me's ensure my present and my future, so... what kind of a disaster can I make, if you are already here to prevent it?"

Future Starlight nodded:

"Precisely. If you cast this spell again and go to the past, you'll collide with your past selves. The spell has to transport one of them back before it can be used now. Otherwise a great calamity can occur".

"Hm... And how do you know that?"

"My future self told me".

"Right... OK, I believe you".

With that present Starlight turned around and took the scroll... and immediately felt her head hurt. She lost her consciousness...

...and when she regained it, future Starlight had already been gone.

Starlight panicked. She shot up off the floor -- and a note fell off her body. Starlight picked it up. It was her writing.

The note read:

Sorry, self, but I had to do it.

You see, this spell can only create stable loops -- my future self told me that. See line *** in the spell, if you don't believe me any more -- I know you wouldn't after I knocked you unconscious (with a spell, the recipe of which I'm leaving to you to use it on your past self to close the loop).

So... work has to be done to figure out, how to break out of the loop and to start changing the past -- the thing we both desire.

Please, take this note with you to the past to copy it.

See, there is an interesting thing going on here... By taking this note and leaving it in the past you can change the past, and this spell is wired against that. Again, see line ***. So take it and copy it.

Seriously, otherwise the events will conspire against you. Again, see that line in the spell.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES MESS WITH TIME, BEFORE YOU CAN CHANGE THE PAST!!!

Or, trust me, you won't get away with a simple knock on the head. For your own sake, Starlight, don't tell me, your future self, that I didn't warn you!

Signed,
Starlight Glimmer.

Starlight blinked a few times and processed the thing...

Then she got mad. Her future self was such a meanie, knocking her on her head like that! That had to be rectified!..

But wait... "See line ***"... Starlight grabbed the spell and looked through it.

...Surely enough, there was line ***. Translated to a common language, it read something like this: "Predict caster's behaviour between pt 1 and 2". There was more, but Starlight couldn't yet understand the spell perfectly. Heck, even that line seemed mysterious. But it surely talked about prediction.

Starlight thought: hm... must be responsible for conspiring against the caster... But how to remove this... conspiracy?.. She didn't yet know.

One thing for certain: it was not to be messed with time. That was what future Starlight had said. Until time travel were figured out.

Starlight sighed:

"Alright... It's time to fulfil my destiny". She chuckled: "Heh. 'Time'..."

She took the note from her future self and concentrated. She'd need:

• The knockout spell;
• (Remember to copy it too!)
• The note;
• To tell my past self it isn't going to work -- even though it should work now;
• To try to trick my past self;
• To explain my present self to my... Urgh!..
• Anything else?..

With everything prepared Starlight activated the spell again -- and was whisked away to the past...

"Right... OK, I believe you".

With that past Starlight turned around and took the scroll...

Future Starlight didn't want to do it, but she had to, otherwise... She would not dare mess with time!.. before she learnt to control it. She fired the spell, and her past self fell unconscious. Starlight caught herself and laid herself gently onto the floor. Then she rummaged through her possessions, found an empty sheet of paper, then another one and proceeded to copying the note and the spell carefully. After she finished, she couldn't help but compare the four notes.

It was uncanny. They looked identical! Starlight shivered at the thought of predestination. How would she overcome it? Maybe, with the help of her future selves? However... What, if predestination failed Starlight? If she were not to unravel the mystery of the spell?

Starlight frowned. Then scowled. No! She would succeed! If her future couldn't help her, well, then, she'd make her own future! And no amount of time would deter her from achieving that goal!

She left both notes upon her past body, so they would fall off later. Then she was ready.

As Starlight was watching her past self lying unconsciously, the time spell took her back to the future. Even in her own time Starlight kept thinking about herself. She hadn't even waited for her to wake up. Would she be OK?..

Ah, if predestination worked, she would be fine.

Yeah, but Starlight wanted the opposite. What, if she'd changed the past without knowing?

Uncertainty overtook Starlight. She didn't feel like messing with the time spell any more. But then the memory of Twilight Sparkle came back, and anger bubbled up. Oh, she would avenge... Oh, how she would avenge her broken past!

Starlight, determination plastered on her face, sat down and proceeded to cracking the cryptic.

Yeah! To crack the cryptic -- that would be the next step in her excellent plan!