• Published 3rd Jul 2019
  • 1,447 Views, 101 Comments

SunLight Sliders: Infinite - Amber Spark



Accidentally whisked away from her home dimension by a mysterious Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle must join forces with the strange girl to survive a hostile and chaotic multiverse filled with both wonder and terror.

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Chapter 11 - FanOfMostEverything

Twilight bit her lip as she considered the bag. “So, uh, possibly dumb question, but how do I use this?”

Adagio rolled her eyes. “It couldn’t be simpler. You—“

“Okay, everypony!” chirped an otherTwi who emerged from the cafe. “The Rising of the Moon is in just a few…” She trailed off, tilting her head. ”…minutes?”

All three had scrambled when they heard the door open. Adagio threw her glamour back on, trying to look as Sparkly as possible. Sunset visibly tried to keep her composure, tears welling in her eyes. And Twilight did what she did best.

She thought fast.

Telekinetic stopper on the latte, careful positioning to obscure the bag, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!

The Void essence had a hint of burnt molasses, but for the most part, it tasted like nothing at all. Even the last muffin crumbs stuck in her teeth lost their flavor as Twilight choked down the ooze.

“Whoa, whoa, easy!” said the otherTwi, approaching slow enough that Twilight could toss the empty bag under the table. “There’ll be plenty more where that came from, sister! Now come on, we don’t want to keep the Lady waiting.”

“R—“ Twilight coughed a few times to clear her throat. “Right,” she croaked out. “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

The otherTwi giggled. “Don’t drag it out too long.” She glared at Sunset. “You’re better than that.”

Twilight just nodded, then looked at the others still at the table. Both had matching looks of utter shock, jaws slack as they stared at her. “I take it that isn’t how I was supposed to use that stuff?”

Adagio and Sunset shook their heads in eerie synchronicity.

Adagio half-watched the newbie Sparkle approach the Lady, most of her attention devoted to figuring out what the actual crap was happening.

Void essence wasn’t a toy. The stuff ate through most magic like Sonata after a three-day fast, especially the harmony magic that Sparkles loved so very much. And yet that bespectacled horse had chugged down enough to give a self-proclaimed goddess pause without even batting an eye.

“And so the fledgling nightingale returns,” cooed the Lady. “The time has come to put childish things aside, Twilight.” Power crawled across the Lady’s horn, and the heavens answered her call. Night fell across the amphitheater. “Childish comforts, childish ideas, even childish affectations.” She removed the newbie’s glasses almost tenderly. “Now, do you have anything to say to this Sunset in her final sunset?”

Adagio could feel the Lady’s mental tendrils crawl across the newbie’s skull, trying to find purchase. Once again, the newbie shuddered, scattering the probes. Then, to Adagio’s eye-widening amazement, that whimpering little mare’s psychic pressure kept pushing out.

You seem surprised.

We got rid of you at Camp Everfree!

I told you, Twilight. I’m a part of you. Your ambition. Your insatiable curiosity. Your… sensuality. You couldn’t get rid of that without lobotomizing yourself. But before you consumed that wonderful magic, all I could do was keep that mockery from controlling us. After all, I was in this brain first.

… I’m going to have to panic about this later. Could we please focus on the alicorn who’s about to kill Sunset?

Certainly.

Twilight blinked a few times, then took in the looks of shock staring at her from every angle. Her vision had gone teal around the edges, and along her peripheral vision, she could make out similar lines of light tracing the edges of wings that weren’t there.

“What…” The Lady shook her head, snarling at Twilight. The thousand otherTwis followed suit, a scant few doing so just slightly after the others. “What is this aberration!?”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Twilight strode forward, her confidence rising with every step. “I’m the aberration, just because I don’t fit in your little framework for how Twilights are supposed to work.” She looked around the arena, not seeing a single bun or pair of glasses among the audience. “You've really never met a Midnight Sparkle before, have you?”

Midnight Sparkle?” The Lady sneered. “An unfounded rumor. The inane nattering of skylarks begging for mercy they do not deserve.”

“Firsthand evidence, right here.” Firsthoof? Twilight dismissed the matter, stopping at the foot of the Lady’s throne. “But you’re probably too wrapped up in your bird imagery to notice anything outside your narrow worldview.”

Lady Twilight narrowed her eyes and gave a very equine snort. “Believe it or not, this is not the greatest folly of youth I have witnessed. I am a merciful goddess to the deserving, Twilight. Submit to my greater wisdom and I will forgive even this.”

Twilight hadn’t realized she had an inner Sour Sweet until she started channeling it. “Wow, so generous! I have a counteroffer.” The flavor was easy to recall. Almost laughably so. The beam of void magic went through the chain like it wasn’t even there. Twilight snatched it and spun the TPT about a hoof. “Let us go and the next one won’t go through that swelled head of—“

Enough.” A thousand horns glowed as one, and magic wrapped around Twilight so tightly that she couldn’t even blink. The TPT fell from her hoof—and how had she even been holding that thing?—the chain wrapping back around Lady Twilight’s neck. “You have exhausted my patience, child, and now—“

“Lady about to get suplexed says what?”

“Wha—?”

At first, Twilight thought she was looking at yet another otherTwi, but the missing horn and traces of green in her mane pegged her as a stranger. Also, she was pretty sure no version of herself would ever dare to deliver a Germane suplex to a physical goddess.

The spell ended once the Lady hit the ground. A familiar voice came from behind. “Get moving, Sparky!”

Twilight turned to look. “Sunset?” There she was, charging forward, the confident mare Twilight had so missed since they’d arrived in this world.

Getting the TPT away from the mockery for even that long was enough to break Sunset from her spell. You’re welcome.

“What Baconmane said,” said the suplexer, TPT in hoof. “The shock won’t last forever.”

“Key disadvantage of brainwashed masses,” said Adagio, carried by a blue pegasus as the latter glided to their position. “No initiative when the mind in charge can’t focus.”

“”Enough talk.” The earth pony grabbed the device with her teeth and leapt over everyone, touching each with a hoof.

The last thing Twilight heard as they left was her own voice, screaming with unfathomable rage.

The group materialized atop a low, grassy hill, a village visible in the distance. Probably some version of Ponyville, Sunset thought. She stumbled to her hooves as she took stock of herself. Unicorn. Current Twilight yet to get up after getting dumped in this universe. Mind free of alicorn mental magic. Mane currently in Aria-esque twintails. Sirens regrettably present.

Adagio glared at the scenery as though it had insulted her. “This isn’t the rendezvous point.”

“Sue me,” said Aria. “Some of us are more concerned about getting out alive than kicking one of the biggest hornet’s nests this side of Limbo.” She glared at the still prone Twilight. “Seems to be a lot of that kind of stupid going around these days.”

Sunset moved to face Aria. Ending up next to Twilight was purely coincidental. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”

“True,” said Adagio, “but even I know better than to mock someone that powerful to her face.” She sneered. “Of course, I also know better than to chug down Void essence like a smoothie.”

Sunset looked down at Twilight… who still wasn’t getting up. “Uh, Spar— Twilight? You okay there?”

“I’m sorry. Twilight isn’t available right now. You can leave a message after the kiss.”

“The wha—“

Several things happened in quick succession. Turquoise flames burst to life around Twilight’s horn and eyes. Translucent wings formed at her sides. She lunged for Sunset, lips puckered.

And Sonata Dusk eagerly clapped her hooves. “This is always my favorite part!”

Author's Note:

Chapter written by FanOfMostEverything!


Hex code for Midnight's mental dialogue is #a8e0b8, same as the outline for her horn.