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// Episode 25: Daring Adventurers Pt 2 
// Story: My Little Pony: Sparkling Harmony: Future Incursion 
// by Captain_Cosmos 
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WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SCENE DEALING WITH TOPICS OF DOWNWARD SPIRALING ENDING WITH AN IMPLICATION OF SUICIDE. PLEASE SKIP TO THE AUTHOR’S NOTE TO GET A RECAP IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE THE FULL CHAPTER!!!!!!!!

Sparkler continued to follow the Mechasus in the air. She was genuinely impressed that the machine managed well so far. Guess Night Shade built it to last. She mused. “Everypony alright in there?” She asked through her headset.

“We’re fine mom!” Light responded.

“Night Shade’s telling us about how this Mechasus works!” Dark said. “It’s awesome!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Well I have to hoof it to you Night Shade. You made this thing tough.” She commented.

“Of course I did.” Night Shade said. “I intend to use this for long flights. I’m surprised you don’t need a BREAK yet Sparkler. We’ve been flying for 23 hours now.” He commented.

“The good thing about magic, it can keep ponies awake.” Sparkler responded. It was true. She had used magic to keep herself awake so that she could ensure she could help if something went wrong. She also used it to fly like Starlight taught her when her wing joints got tired.

Night Shade nodded, before something came into his view from the clouds. “Hey! Look! We’re here!” He said excitedly.

The clouds parted to reveal a sight that impressed, terrified, and worried. There in front of them rested an ancient city that Sparkler immediately recognized as Detrot, but it was covered in greenery and honestly had seen better days, and true to Night Shade’s word, it seemed deserted. “Are you sure Night Mare’s lab is still here?” She asked.

“I’m certain of it.” Night Shade responded.

“Alright. Go over the city and find someplace to land.” She said.

“What? No. We gotta weave in and out of the buildings. To make it a spectacle for the readers.” Night Shade argued.

“What?” Sparkler asked.

“Just lead us in Sparkler.” Night Shade said.

Sparkler glanced at the Mechasus, before sighing and nodding. “Follow me guys.” She said as she took the lead in front of the Mechasus.

And so the flew into the city and weaved in and out of buildings. Eventually they turned a corner and Sparkler saw probably the FIRST familiar sight ever since she was catapulted into the future. Night Mare’s observatory. And surprisingly it was the most intact building. “There she blows boys!” She said.

“Just where I left it.” Night Shade said. “I’ll find a place to land and then we can explore.”

Several minutes later, Sparkler let Light, Dark, and Night Shade at the entrance to the building. Sparkler noticed Night Shade was carrying a saddlebag looking piece of equipment. “What’s that Night Shade?” She asked.

“It’s a POI scanner. Point of Interest. If there’s anything worth noting, this baby will pick it up.” Night Shade explained.

“Alright then. Light, Dark, stick close to me.” Sparkler said as she lit her horn and proceeded to buck open the door.

With that, the four walked inside. It was dark in there. Light smiled. “Good thing batponies have night vision.” He commented.

“Yeah. Good thing.” Dark said.

Night Shade was looking around, and pointed a hoof held device connected to his saddle at various things. “It truly amazes me how well this was built. It withstood the test of time.” He commented.

“Yeah.” Sparkler said as they walked up the stairs. I feel like we haven’t been here in years… She thought.

Soon, they reached the top of the stairs and they were within the very lab where the accident happened. The dome ceiling had holes in it and were letting lights through, and the telescope was busted.

“Whoa.” Light and Dark said.

“This is where you disappeared mom?” Dark asked.

“Yeah…” Sparkler said. “This is where the original portal was created…”

The four walked around the room for a bit, spreading out. Everywhere Sparkler looked, she was flooded with memories of the last time she was here. What happened here… She mused. She brushed her wing against a dusty console. “Twilight…” she whispered. Wondering what Twilight was doing back in their own time.

“I’ve never seen a telescope that big before.” She heard Light comment.

“I wish it wasn’t busted so we can take a look through.” Dark responded.

“If you guys want when we get back I’ll let you look through Canterlogic’s telescope.” Night Shade commented casually as he continued waving his scanner around.

Sparkler paid them no mind at the moment as she had found something. Plate screwed into the console with two words and arrows pointing to a button under it. Press me. the words said.

Curiosity overtaking her, Sparkler pressed the button. In an instant, the machine powered up. Sparkler jumped back as Light, Dark, and Night Shade all spun around to see what had happened. “Sparkler?!” Night Shade asked.

“I pressed a button and this thing lit up!” Sparkler called back.

The four ponies watched as the screen sprang to life. At first, there was static, and then the picture cleared up and somepony started talking. “Dr. Night Mare, April 23rd, 3:47PM, 1003.” Came a mare’s voice.

Sparkler gasped when the picture cleared. “Night Mare!” She exclaimed.

“It’s been a few moments since the accident that made Sparkler and the kids vanish.” Night Mare said.

Night Shade looked at the console, before realizing something. “It must be a recording. A video log…” He said.

“Twilight is currently trying to hold it together while I make this log. Her wing sprained so we have to get to the hospital. But this will mark the first of what will surely be a long project to try and get Sparkler and the kids back.” Night Mare said.

“Night Mare! Come on!” Said a familiar voice to Sparkler. The four saw Twilight Sparkle enter the frame. “If you’re done can we please go so that we can come back and start working?” Twilight asked.

“Yes Twily, we’re going.” Night Mare said.

“Whoa. Twilight? Is that the same Twilight we heard about?” Dark asked.

“Yeah…it is.” Sparkler said. Oh how I longed to hear that beautiful voice!

The picture returned to static for a few seconds before clearing back up.

“This is the first full day of project return. Our first step WOULD be to recreate the accident but most of our magical signature sources vanished…so I will admit I’m at a loss of where to start.” Night Mare said. “Twilight’s busy trying to rearrange her schedule to allow for as much time here as possible.”

At that, Sparkler had to chuckle. That was the Twilight she knew.

Another static screen for a few seconds before the picture cleared up again. “It’s been one month since Sparkler’s disappearance. Twilight has officially elected to remain here until we get our family back. Shirking off all her other duties.”

Sparkler frowned. Ok that didn’t sound like the Twilight she knew. She wouldn’t shirk off all her other duties…would she?

The image cleared up again. “It has been one full year since the accident. And our experiments are coming up with nothing.”

“Come on Night Mare!” The image showed Twilight, and she had a crazed look in her eyes. “We haven’t tried eggs and potatoes yet! We should try those.”

Night Mare gave Twilight a worried look before turning her attention back to the camera. “I’m genuinely worried about Twilight. I fear she might be losing it.”

Ok that is DEFINITELY not the Twilight I know. Sparkler thought.

After a few more logs, the screen cleared up again. “It’s now the Tenth anniversary of Sparkler’s disappearance and I’m extremely worried. The global political situation is destabilizing. Magic itself is slowly fading away. And Twilight, the Princess of Friendship, refuses to help deal with it. The only thing on her mind is getting Sparkler back.”

Sparkler gasped in horror as the recordings continued. Each recording, she noticed signs that Twilight was falling further and further into depression, desperation, and lunacy. Oh Faust…Twilight… She thought.

“Mom? What’s happening to Twilight?” Dark asked.

“I…I don’t know sweetie…” Sparkler responded.

Another picture cleared and Night Mare had a solemn look on her face. “It had to be done. We had to admit Twilight into a mental hospital. She became so destabilized that she became a danger to herself and others. I knew Sparkler and the kids were important to Twilight. But I never imagined they’d be so important that Twilight would slowly lose herself without them.”

Hearing that, Sparkler’s heart broke into a million pieces. She could feel tears coming. Twilight…what happened… She couldn’t believe this would be what would become of her marefriend if she didn’t return.

The last picture cleared up and Night Mare looked like she had been crying. “Twenty years ago today, Sparkler disappeared. It finally happened. The tribes are drifting apart, the world is going into disarray…the magic of friendship is in shambles. Today, we finally lost our connection to magic…and with it…we lost Twilight. They found her remains in the padded cell at the mental hospital…they say she held her breath until she…” Nightmare trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence.

Sparkler heard that and the tears finally started rolling down her cheeks. Twilight…no…

“We tried everything to get Sparkler back. Everything we possibly could…but without magic…we just can’t continue. This will be the last log of project Return…it’s over. I never should have collected those signatures. Because of me Twilight drove herself to…I’m sorry Sparkler…I’m so sorry…” Night Mare sniffled. “…End log.”

After that, the screen shut off. Sparkler, too shocked at what she just witnessed, fell onto her rump and squeezed her eyes shut to try and block the tears. She let out a sniffle. “Twilight…” She whispered. The mere thought that she had just witnessed what would become of her lover if she didn’t get back crushed her. There was a part of her that was happy Twilight loved her and the kids so much, but only a small part. Because the rest of her was devastated that her love for them caused her to go off the deep end.

Light and Dark noticed their future mothers’ distraught and hugged her. “That’s not Twilight is it?” Light asked.

Sparkler shook her head and sniffled. “No guys. That wasn’t the Twilight I know…” She said, her voice cracking. It’s a side of her I never could’ve imagined…

Night Shade, during all of this, just sigh sadly and sniffled. “I…I’m sorry Sparkler.” He said. That settles it. We CANNOT fail. He thought.

For the next few moments, nopony said a word. And Light and Dark continued to hug Sparkler. After those few minutes. Night Shade’s scanner started going off. He glanced at it, waved it around, and realized the beeping was most rapid when he pointed it down in the middle of the floor. “Guys. There’s something down under here.” He commented.

Sparkler wiped the tears away and stood back up. “Under the floor?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Night Shade said. “And whatever it is, it’s making the scanner go nuts.”

Dark noticed something off his peripheral vision. He turned to it and noticed a blinking light on the console. “Hey guys, there’s something blinking on the console.” He said as she raced over to it and gave it a better look. “It’s some kind of Hoof scanner.” He said.

Sparkler, Night Shade, and Light joined him. They all glanced at the scanner. Night Shade had an idea. “Hey Sparkler, try seeing if your hoof will work for the scanner.” He said.

Sparkler sighed and pressed a hoof against the scanner. “If it starts another round of logs like what we just watched I’m—whoa!” Sparkler was cut off when the floor started glowing with lights. The lights all converged in the middle before the floor LITERALLY started opening up.

The four adventurers watched as a big cylinder thing rose up from the floor. Night Shade’s scanner was going crazy now. He pointed it at the thing and gulped. “Whatever that point of Interest is. It’s in there.” He said.

“Hello Sparkler.” Came Night Mare’s voice. The ponies all turned to see the screen had lit up again with Night Mare. “If you are watching this, that means you found my contingency.” She said.

“What? Contingency?” Light asked.

“Experts have begun to detect that magic is slowly fading from the world. They predict ten years before it dissolves completely. Meaning I have to do this now before it’s too late.”

The cylinder walls Started sliding open as Night Mare continued. “The accident was created by 13 Alicorn Magical signatures. And I’ve deduced that it was some kind of time portal. I’m not sure which direction you and the kids were flung to. But if you are in the future…I left these for you.”

The vault fully opened, and revealed five jars, spaced far apart from each other. Each of them contained something that none of the ponies could believe, MAGICAL SIGNATURES!

“In the vault should be five Magical signatures. Probably the last ones in existence. These five magical signatures are from the five remaining Alicorns. Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadence…and me.”

Sparkler whirled around to see the screen and sure enough, Night Mare had been made an Alicorn. WHAT?! She thought.

Night Mare continued. “Sparkler, if you are watching this and you found the signatures, use them to try to find a way home. The fate of the Magic of Friendship could very well depend on your safe return to April 23rd 1003. Before Twilight’s fall.”

Sparkler was still reeling as the message finished. “Please do everything you can Sparkler, you are Twilight’s only hope.” With that, the message was cut off.

Sparkler looked between the screen and the five magical signatures. Trying to make sense of it. “What….when…how…” She was utterly speechless at this revelation.

Night Shade meanwhile approached the signatures carefully. His own mind reeling. “Sparkler…do you realize what we just found?” He asked.

“Five magical signatures that have been here for Faust knows how long?” Sparkler responded.

“Yes!” Night Shade responded. “Night Mare must have protected them somehow from fading away. They’re still in prime condition.”

“What does that mean?” Dark asked.

“It means…” Night Shade said as he started to carefully collect the jars and tucked them safely into individual pockets of his Saddle. “We can now recreate the accident exactly…and possibly even gain full control of it and allow us to make a stable time portal!” He announced.

Sparkler heard that. “We finally have the means to get home…” She realized. Night Mare you beautiful crazy Nutcase Doctor! Sparkler found it in herself to smile. “We did it…”

Night Shade smiled while Light and Dark cheered. “We did it!” They exclaimed.

Seeing no further reason to be there, the four quickly (and carefully) made their way back to the Mechasus and took off back to Maretime Bay. Sparkler flapped her wings hard and fast. Hang on Twilight. We’re almost home! She thought with renewed determination and hope. Determination to not let that future play out as she saw it. I will not let that future come to pass!

To be continued…