Fay's magic had reached far, transforming most of the internal space in the Lodge and leaving nothing of the objects there before behind. Her computer, mercifully, was spared, but this was the only good news. Their bedroom was right through the wall, and was completely transformed by the effects.
The world that Fay created was fully enclosed, blocking off the open ceiling and the hidden cameras she had known were up there watching. Like the stables, the spaces Fay's magic carved out seemed to have a distinct purpose. The new additions were centered around a bedroom, one that was big enough to swallow several of the lodge's other spaces.
It looked like something right out of the richest royal estate, or maybe the palace of a dictator somewhere. Dark woods, elegant twisting spires of clear crystal, and gemstones set into the furniture. The new bedroom had an oversized crib in one corner, with blankets matching Fay's own colors. Vast front doors led to a hallway that melted awkwardly back into the faux wood barricades Edgar had used to divide the Lodge in sections.
"Everything's gone," Kara said, slumping down on the side of the oversized bed. She'd opened every gigantic dresser and cupboard. There were a handful of strange objects inside, but none of them were their belongings. No clothes, no pictures, no diary. Nothing had survived.
Kyle moved slowly, conscious of the shivering weight on her shoulders with every movement. Fay had cried for hours before she finally quieted down. Still, she refused to fall asleep, or be anywhere apart from Kyle anymore. There was no telling how long the baby would take to recover this time.
She can't think I wanted this to happen, can she? "I'm sorry, Kara. I didn't..." What could she even say? She had no more control over the baby than her grandfather or the wizard working for him.
Kara's eyes were bloodshot, and she looked on the edge of tears herself. But she didn't cry. For all they knew, her new biology might not even let her cry.
Is this where you turn against us too, Kara? You think this is Fay's fault? Kyle's mind raced through every potential defense she could think of, though needing to try felt absurd. Fay was a baby, she didn't know what she was doing! Just like with transforming Kara, it wasn't her fault. She'd been forced into it by one of Grandpa's people upsetting her.
Kyle needn't have bothered. "We can't let them keep doing this," Kara finally said. She flopped onto her back on the plush carpet, which was woven into the shape of a crystal-looking heart flanked with gold. Maybe that symbol meant something in the place Fay came from, but neither of them could know for sure. "You're tending to an atom bomb. While we're trying to carefully get to know her and ease her into accepting us, they're just throwing firecrackers into her face to see what happens."
She groaned, covering her face with one transparent hoof. "What the hell do we do now? Is everything Edgar does just gonna make things worse?"
Maybe. Kyle opened her wings, nudging gently at Fay with a hoof. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"
The little horse opened one eye, watching her. She closed it again a second later, her whole body shuddering. Maybe she was finally tired enough to get some sleep.
"I'm sorry," Kyle said again. She'd lost track of how many times she'd said anything like it. There was no telling if the foal even understood the concept.
Kyle walked around Kara to the crib. Like everything in the space made of sturdy rock, it was perfectly sized for a pony, with sides raised high enough to prevent her from rolling out accidentally. Unlike the practical model Fay had recreated in the stables, this one was wrapped with golden metal. Maybe it was the real thing. Given what that might mean, Kyle hoped very much it wasn't.
At first Fay continued to cling to her back—but she'd been there long enough that she was finally wearing out. With a little coaxing, Kyle levitated her up and off, settling her into bed as gently as she could. The baby instantly reeled, wrapping her forelegs around one of the blankets.
Kara kept her distance, her voice soft. "Do you think all this is from... where she's from?"
Kyle watched Fay for a few seconds in case she was about to start crying again. Only when her breathing shifted subtly into sleep did she finally turn for the door. The architecture wasn't all that different from Earth standard, all things considered. There was a light switch just like the stable, that covered some subtly glowing crystals with a metal shield.
She hesitated by the door, settling it shut only when her sister had followed her out. "I can't think of any other explanation. If it was wild and different every time she did it, then maybe it might be... her imagination or whatever. But that's not how this is."
She tapped one hoof against the wall, feeling the intricate molding, and the series of artistic cuts in the glass, so that light would shine partly through and made the wall seem to glow. "She's smart enough to make all this, makes me wish she was smart enough to change us back."
"Seems like things only go one way," Kara whispered. She walked out into the half-destroyed kitchen. The fridge was gone, but they still had a soda dispenser. The table had been sliced almost in half, and now lay on its side without most of its legs. "The more people poke Fay, the more of the world changes into the place she came from. She might be like... the beginning of the apocalypse."
"No." Kyle hesitated, her empty glass still under the fountain. Out here, the lights had been dimmed to simulate night—though she'd been underground for so long that she couldn't have said if it was night or not. The longer their grandfather kept them here, the more control over their perception of time he would have. "Not a chance. She just wanted to eat. Every time she does this, it's always because she's hurt somehow. Or she's scared, or just needs something. She could be blasting her magic out every day, and she doesn't."
Kara shrugged, sliding past Kyle to the glasses. She began adding sodas at random, until she'd produced a sugary mess.
"Do you think she's too dangerous to keep around, Kara?" She met her sister's eyes, feet away. "What if a magical genie showed up who would change us back, if we sacrificed the baby first?" The prospect wasn't as absurd as it sounded, given what had happened today. Despite all Grandpa's promises of gentleness with Fay, his people kept making things worse.
Kara took a long sip of the absurd concoction, draining it down her throat. Kyle half expected to see it trickling through her, but of course she couldn't. She wasn't being drained right now, so she wasn't transparent. She set the glass down a second later, banging it against the counter. "I want to say I'd do it," Kara said. "I should be able to say it. After everything she took from both of us."
She circled around to the empty hallway, looking back. "I flip that question backwards. What if we couldn't change back without killing her? Ultimately..." She held up her glassy, transparent leg, flexing it. It strained and squeaked under the pressure, obviously not meant to move. The more time passed the more of it seemed alive, though the effect hadn't yet made it to her knees.
"I had more to lose than you did," she went on. "I was going places. I was gonna do some amazing things. But I don't think I could get to any of those places if I killed a baby."
She advanced, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I'm not saying this is true, Kyle. But you might have to face the fact that Fay really is dangerous to the whole world. Hurting her so we can get our old bodies back is selfish, and I wouldn't do it. But what if it was her or the world?"
"It won't come to that," Kyle said. She couldn't meet Kara's eyes anymore, even so. Just because she didn't want that to happen didn't mean it wouldn't. I'll ask Monday. They’re the expert.
A ringing sound echoed through the intact half of the housing area—a phone. Kyle barely even recognized the sound at first. They didn't exactly get many calls down here. She followed it into the little office space, where a landline sat beside the laptop computer, with oversized buttons and handles suited for the elderly and other movement impaired.
She pressed the speakerphone button to answer, given Kara was right beside her. "Yes?"
She shouldn't have been surprised to hear her grandfather's voice. "Kyle, is that you?" He barely waited for a response. "I just heard about what happened. I just wanted to make sure everyone is alright. How are you doing? Is your sister okay?"
"I'm fine," Kara answered, before Kyle could open her mouth. "I'm not sure how many more bombs I can survive, though. The people who work for you really like to kick the anthill."
There was a brief silence on the other end. "Akiko assured me the process would be merely observational. There were not going to be any spells cast on the baby today. Was I lied to?"
"N-no," Kyle admitted. She wanted to throw Akiko under the bus after causing this. But nobody had been hurt, somehow. She probably didn't deserve that. "But she wasn't very good about taking the hint. Fay didn't like her magic, but she just kept going and going until she... exploded."
Edgar clicked his tongue, dissatisfied. "I'm told there were no injuries. The property was seriously damaged, but none of my people were harmed. Is the specimen unhurt as well?"
"Fay's fine," Kyle said. "Physically, anyway. If she keeps getting traumatized, I don't know if she'll tolerate being kept down here. I'm sure you have enough cameras to see what happened. I have no way of stopping her if she decides she wants to get out. I know we look the same, and I know I'm older—but her magic is so much more powerful than mine they're barely in the same zip code. I can't protect you."
"No one is asking you to," Grandpa said, not missing a beat. "You're children. You're enduring this process far better than most adults. Continue to cooperate with us, and we will maximize your chances of being returned to humanity. That is all we ask."
Cooperate. Kyle ground her teeth together, frustration building. "Fay isn't safe to test anymore," she said. "Please tell your wizard to run all her tests on me. The information might not be as good, but I'm not an atom bomb. I can control my magic. Leave the baby out of it."
There was another long pause, long enough that she began to wonder if Edgar had already hung up. Finally he said, "You're asking a lot from me, Kyle. Do I perform the dangerous magical experiments on the monster who attacked the people I care about, or my own grandson? I know your parents and I have never seen entirely eye-to-eye, but that doesn't change how much I care about all of you. I won't put you in danger."
"Blasting Fay puts us in even more danger," Kara added hastily. "This time she transformed your space into her space. What if she turned us into rocks? I'm already halfway there."
He was silent again—long enough that Kyle thought of something just as important. "Speaking of Mom and Dad, could you tell them to call us again tonight? It isn't great being stuck in here. I think we'd both feel better if we got the chance to see them. Even if... right after wild magic leveled the place isn't the best time to see them in person. A Skype chat would be great."
"I'll tell them," Grandpa said. "Promise. You two stay safe in there." The line went dead.
short, but good. Twilight's coming.
Edgar had better be prepared for... unforeseen consequences.
I actually think that I understand Edgar a bit better after reading that conversation.
This is one of the better chapters, in my opinion.
ha! they think this is bad, just wait until mommy arrives ! xD
after this conversation i truly think there grandfather is a good person. just akiko needs to get her shitt strait
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she's coming but i got a feeling twilight's timeline/scale is different.
the research to build the gate and go trough it to different worlds took much longer than the time that passed (seemed to me) on earth. and even then between when twilight first came to earth and the second time kyle, kara and flurry heart moved, making it seem to me at least that twilight a couple of days behind the curve in kyle's story.
but it could be just me being a derp
I wonder if the magic Fay is letting loose will ripple out with exponential effects, or if it will stay localized to only the places she affects with it...
This was a necessary chapter, if a bit short. It’s not a flaw of the story, not if read all at once. However, its certainly not released that way. Feel free to ignore me, but I think this story would benefit from staying on Patreon for as long as it takes to give you enough of a buffer to allow posting a chapter every two or three days.
No spells were cast on her? Flurry was glowing, and levitated into the air! By a stranger! Of course she wasn't going to like that.
Somehow the image of Super Mario come to my mind a little late, as we expect Twilight to help
Yes, Edgar, yes you were. Radiant levitation incantations do not count as purely observational.
In any case, we have a definitively confirmed trend: Poking the baby results in the baby lashing out and warping this reality into her own. Conclusion: Stop poking the baby. While it's interesting to see how much Edgar seems to value his family, the point stands. Flurry is not going to put up with these tests, and trying to force the issue will be disastrous. I can only hope the old man listens to Kyle.
He's lying! Nearly everything Edgar has done or said been two-faced and duplicitous!
Poor Akiko, not sure how much more she can do without personal injury. The next time they come together she might be better off breaking the contract...
Hey wonder if that little pulse of magic tickled the senses of our journeying party?
Keep going! ;)
Stop poking the bear
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Not it's funny.
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I mean, do you consider MRIs or CT scans (PET scans, etc.) to be observational? They do, after all, require that the observed lie down in a big, claustrophobic metal tube that makes lots of loud noises, and sometimes have to eat special foods or receive special injections ahead of time to make the scans work better. It looks to me like what was being done to Flurry Heart was basically a magical MRI. It's understandable that a baby wouldn't like that much, but from an adult perspective it's hardly worth getting worked up over...
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I certainly consider them a use of technical equipment. If Akiko doesn't define an incantation that locks supernatural patterns in her mind which channel arcane energies towards a given purpose to be "a spell," that is her problem. And, given Flurry, everyone else's.
Of course, this assumes she actually told Edgar that. Trusting anything that comes out of that man's mouth may be giving him too much credit.
Big boom
I'm really hoping the team won't consider "third time's the charm". We really will have a second Crystal Empire before too long. I can't really imagine what Cadence would think if that happened. Whether a "native" pony kingdom might calm her down by being something familiar or she'll go ballistic thinking it might be something like a changeling trap.
Technically, no? It was a spell but it seems to be more a scan than anything else. She didn't like being moved against her will, but it's certainly not needles.
It's less harming your own grandson and more you're playing with a very fickle bomb with a very fickle mama bear looking for her. Not something you want to mess around with.
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I completely agree with you. I can't wait to see if Akiko and Edgar get turned into ponies too.
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Good people don't call babies monsters.
Skype? What year is this? Who still uses Skype? (Besides "professionals" and news studios.)
Also, does anyone here know the last name of Kyle and Kara? Was it ever said?
I both regret and delight to inform you, Kyle, that it does, in fact, mean what you think.
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Edgar calls Flurry "specimen."
Clearly he views her as a test subject to learn things from.
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hes just xenophobic, the priority is on his own family.
aside from that they few flurry as just some alien or animal so surprise there
Scanning can be different .. for example x-ray - minimal damage for the opportunity to get a picture..
MRI - high quality images, but there is a limitation - no metal in/at the body - there will be damage to the body.
Who said their scanning is safe for Her?
"Good people don't call babies monsters." - say it about cockroaches, spiders, poisonous snakes, aliens ©, headcrabs, etc.
Oh, right, we were still mid-catastrophe.
Oh dang.
So far the science really isn't helping.
That is an important moral stance to be able to take at this point.
Unless mom and dad are living under a rock, surely they'll be aware of the most recent extradimensional visitors right outside their house. Assuming the Twilight side of the story isn't head of this side, at least.
While we wait for the next chapter to be posted, have some art of Kara! https://derpibooru.org/images/2440819
derpicdn.net/img/view/2020/9/8/2440819.png
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She’s super cute!
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Wow, that’s pretty good. What app do you use (if you use one?)
I can't wait until Cady shows up and starts hurling houses, cars and other things around with her magic. I really hope that Celestia or Luna gets involved in this and steps into the human world.
President: I have nukes.
Luna: *grabs Earth's moon with her magic and pulls it 50,000 miles closer causing tidal waves* We have full control of thine moon hairless ape.
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I would like to point out that we have no idea how the sun and moon in MLP work other than celestia and luna control them and that the elements can seal a threat inside the moon so Luna's connection to the moon might only be to her moon and not the lump of rock that orbits earth also same goes for celestia we don't know if she is turning the planet equestria is on or if she is actually moving the sun and considering the stars in our universe have their own energy that they constantly and chaotically release celestia might not even be able to touch the sun if her magic literally moves the sun
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One of my favorite more realistic theories (and I am somewhat paraphrasing this) is that Celestia and Luna's "control" is less about them being physical avatars of the heavenly bodies (although there are some really good stories where this is the case) and more about them guiding them as during Discord's reign of madness things like regular everyday physics broke down and if they hadn't intervened quickly, bad things like tidal lock could have happened. Nightmare Moon's eternal night in turn could possibly have had serious consequences for the world.
You know, this line almost humanizes him. I can't help but wonder if he actually does have a heart in there somewhere.