Chapter 30: Gatecrash
Twilight prepared for two full days before making the first crossing herself.
It wasn’t just that the world on the other side might’ve defied the readings of her probe, though that was certainly possible.
“You’re one of the best spellcasters in Equestria, Twilight. Can’t you just go and adapt?”
Twilight crouched low over the complex mechanism she was soldering, a necklace of two interlocking pieces of gold. Less than a year ago, such a valuable piece of spellcasting hardware would have been entirely out of reach, no matter how necessary she might think it was.
But Twilight’s world was different now.
“It isn’t enough to know the spells myself. A single step into another world could bring dangers so quickly, you could never react. It might make magic more difficult, stranding you on the other side forever.”
She tapped the necklace with a hoof, grinning proudly. “This should equip its wearer and anyone she’s with for almost anything. Poison atmosphere, dangerous diseases, temperature fluctuations, hostile weather. Hostile creatures, plagues of locust…”
“Locust?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think that’s a little over prepared?”
She only shook her head. “There’s no such thing. Remember how much faster than any other ponies we’re already being here. We’re exploring a parallel universe within a few days of discovering it.”
“Maybe.” Spike backed away. “At least if you’d gone a little quicker, she might not be here.” He pointed towards the open window, tensing nervously. Twilight hadn’t even looked, but she turned just in time to see a familiar carriage touching down not far from the castle.
The poor pegasus driving it collapsed right where they stood, like they’d been flying nonstop all night.
Oh buck.
Cadance wasn’t as good with casual teleportation, but even so she had very little time to prepare. She’s here. How did she know?
“Twilight!” She burst into the lab a few minutes later, banging the door open against the wall.
Cadance barely even looked recognizable anymore. Her mane was cut short, trimmed away to the length of the military buns used by female guardsponies. Her eyes were perpetually bloodshot, and the smell of crystal perfumes was missing.
At least she hadn’t dragged Shining along for a scientific expedition where he could do nothing to help.
“You’ve found the place?”
Twilight settled the heat-crystal into its holster on the table, dropping the filament. “No. A probe brought back a sample from a compatible world space. But my tracking spell can’t establish a match conclusively. The recall spell… wasn’t finely tuned from the factory. The sample was badly burned by Equestrian magic, and the probe was lost.”
Cadance’s eyes twitched, her wings half-extending. It was a familiar posture, one she’d learned after years of friendship with Rainbow. It was the stance a pegasus used who was about to lunge at something. Cadance didn’t, though her eyes were wild enough that it was hard to say she wouldn’t. “So what did the next drone say?”
“There is no next drone. Manehattan is still scaling up production. The one we lost was a test of their process, and… clearly it wasn’t precise enough.”
Cadance advanced on her. “Yet you wouldn’t leave my daughter waiting if you had thought you found her. I’m sure you were about to write me.”
Twilight remained in her seat. Cadance’s mental health was terrifying enough, but she wasn’t going to start feeling afraid of family. It wasn’t her fault she was so upset. If Twilight had a foal, she’d probably be just as hurt. “I intended to go myself and verify what the probe found. If it was right, I would’ve told you to join me at Flurry’s Vigil. If not…” She shook her head. “Look at you, Cadance. I didn’t want to get your hopes up for nothing.”
Cadance kept glaring at her for a few moments more, puffing up her chest indignantly. But then the front dissolved, and she collapsed where she stood. “You haven’t found her.”
“Not yet.” Twilight rose from her seat, stretching a wing over Cadance’s shoulders. “I will tell you when I’m there. But I can’t imagine what it would be like to hope every time we make some slight breakthrough, only for it to be something else over and over. I’ll tell you the moment I get close. That was always my intention.”
Cadance sobbed for a few seconds, burying her face in Twilight’s wing. Her breakdown lasted only for a few moments, though. She pushed away, rising back to her full height. “You were going to go and check for yourself? How soon?”
Twilight’s cautious plans dissolved. How could she tell a mother with a face of smeared makeup and tears that she was waiting a few more days to concentrate the magic?
“Tomorrow morning, after a full night’s sleep. I can’t help Flurry if I get trapped beyond the Veil of Stars, or killed by some monster beyond time.”
“Tomorrow morning,” Cadance repeated, gritting her teeth. “Then I’ll be coming with you.”
On the surface, having another Alicorn to accompany her was beyond Twilight’s wildest dreams for mission preparation. Two of them could accomplish spells that a single one never could imagine.
But they weren’t traveling to take the Elements of Harmony and fight some unknown danger. There was an infinite expanse of worlds beyond Equestria, and no telling what waited in any of them.
All they really had to do was step across, bring a tracking spell, and learn whether they were in the right place. It might not even take ten minutes.
But Cadance hadn’t come to her position through the arcane, as Twilight had. To some extent, her ascension had been by birth, the long bloodline of the Crystal Empire resurfacing in the children of its ancient refugees.
Cadance had power, but nearly as little experience using it as Trixie had with the Alicorn Amulet. Making creatures fall in love was an incredible power, but also totally useless to their mission.
Still, she could come up with no tactful way to refuse her. Suggestions that there might be ponies better suited to the task went entirely ignored. Asking if Cadance would rather pick one of her magical experts, or even a soldier from the Crystal Guard, were similarly rejected.
Morning came, and Twilight stood at the threshold of her transport spell with nervous anticipation bubbling in her chest and spoiling her appetite.
The portal had been moved to a large enclosure behind the castle, a dome of glass held up by a thin spiderweb of crystal. A shield as powerful as the defenses around Canterlot during the changeling invasion glowed around the dome, and fences ten feet high were placed at another five hundred feet out. Twilight might have to do her experiments in Ponyville thanks to proximity, but that didn’t mean she was taking the safety of its residents casually. This was still her home.
The dome itself was relatively empty, with rings of decreasing safety marked in bright paint leading to where the portal would form in densely wrapped wire and little crystal studs.
The machines already hummed as Twilight finally stepped into the innermost ring. In addition to the necklace, Twilight wore heavy boots and a whole saddlebag of scientific equipment. She was the first pony since Clover to set hoof somewhere totally alien.
Or maybe the second, since Cadance was beside her. The other Alicorn had changed almost nothing since the day before, except that she’d borrowed a set of crystal armor from one of the pegasi who flew her here. It fit oddly, though she levitated the spear beside her through a series of skillful twists.
Did she learn that from Shining? Instead of studying more about magic, Cadance had spent the last month learning how to fight.
“Are you ready, Twilight?” she asked, smacking the butt of her spear against the cement. “I don’t want to keep Flurry waiting.”
Twilight nodded. It was a lie, but it didn’t feel like a longer delay was going to make much difference. She’d done everything she could with the time she had. Unless she developed the bravery to send Cadance away while she spun a glittering crystal spear beside her face, she should probably just get this over with.
“Spike, how do we read?” she asked, circling slowly around to face the controls.
There were half a dozen other creatures in here, though only two mattered to her. Starlight and Spike were the only ones she trusted to operate the portal when her own life was at stake, instead of a fancy bit of gold clockwork.
“Worldgate cohesion is green,” Spike said. “I think that’s what all these lights mean.”
Starlight glanced down over his shoulder. “Looks like we have safe temperature on the other side, plenty of air, and no physical obstructions within range of the portal. Ground level should be less than a hoof, so expect a drop.”
Twilight reached down, twisting her necklace until the little carved clock icon glowed in the selection window. “I’m preparing for a ten-minute trip. If we aren’t back by then, use a recall spell. But don’t send a recovery team. Anything that could kill two Alicorns might…”
Starlight raised a hoof to silence her. She understood the danger, even if Cadance obviously didn’t. “I understand, Twilight. We’ll keep Equestria safe.”
“I’m coming for you, Flurry,” Cadance whispered, mostly to herself. “Just a little longer.”
Twilight felt the spell take her a second later, and her stomach dropped abruptly out of her chest. It was a little like the Mirror Portal, without any of the careful engineering to transform the one stepping through. Twilight squinted her eyes shut, and tumbled blindly through the void.
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this could end poorly
I already see Cadence causing problems, seriously she is emotinoal very unstable and I think she will act to fast while trowing caution away.
If she learned to fight I hope she was clever enough to not only focus on non magical fight.
She doesn't know what dangers await her and I doubt that she is prepared enough.
Cadence should not be involved AT ALL, she is too close to this...well Twilight is too but she is thinking a bit more clearly.
10265680
I think the main point right now is how accurate is the tracking spell? Does it only point to the world Flurry ended up on? Or does it point to Flurry's current location? The latter would end up bad and quick.
10265692
flurry originaly turned up in the forrest so if she dissapered in the crystel empire and we assume that twilight is making this portal in her frendship castel then this could end up with as you said flurrys current lockation or close to it or in the area that is parrelel to the frendship castels location on earth. Imagin them poping out in a church during a service
Woop! Woop! Finally!!!!!
10265690
Agree, but she should be given something to do. Best option in my mind would be that Celestia would get her fluff out from the throne and dedicate her time to the project and have Cadence sit there instead, filling her time with paperwork, minor decisions while knowing she is being useful since Celestia likely would be extremely competent in this kind of things.
Would also bring the nations closer together and after all is said and done nobles would be all more grateful to get rid of anxious Alicorn mothers and get Celestia back.
But well that would be wholly different story.
The battle will be epic
I see Cadence attacking Kyle for saying to take her spot as mother.
10265680
Correction this WILL end poorly
10265761
then flurry defends her by turning cadence human
Cadence really shouldn't be allowed within ten miles of anything related to the project, but her being the Crystal Empress makes that impossible. Let's hope Kyle and family aren't the ones to pay the price for it.
10265775
Nah, she'll cry because first mommy is fighting with second mommy, sure, but not transform first mommy into something else.
10265799
pretty sure, alicorns can do whatever they want without any penalties in equestria.
This is going to make things a lot more interesting come next chapter for a variety of reasons.
10265805
Absolutely. She should, but no one can do Jack about it, so others will suffer.
10265799
maby she will try make her mommy's into a mommy?
10265818
its intresting that celestia and luna havent steped in
I can only imagine the tension that'll happen when Cadance sees Flurry with another "mommy". I wonder if Kyle's maternal instincts might add to that friction. Hopefully, Flurry will immediately recognize Cadance so communication can go smoothly.
Honestly Twilight, ya shoulda said “No”. As others here have said, bringing an emotionally unstable person near sensitive equipment with sensitive goals and sensitive details... sensitive anything, really, is asking for trouble.
Cadance should not be involved, and Twilight should not be allowing Cadance to affect things so much. Yes, she’s allowed to be worried. Yes, she’s allowed to know what’s happening. No, she should not be anywhere near the apparatus and should not be involved.
If this portal is leading to the correct location - that being the world Flurry’s in and more specifically the point Flurry entered the world in the forest - then Twilight is going to find controlling Cadance next to impossible. It will spiral out of control as Cadance makes a mad dash following Flurry all the way, leading to a possible fight that will end up with guilt, remorse, anger, and so many other emotions and it just will not end well for anyone involved.
I don’t think it’s the correct location, I will say that. The story would be ending soonish if it was the correct location, and it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.
But yeah just, a Cadance is a liability in this situation and it’s going to end up getting someone killed.
10265799
I agree in principle, but I won't be the one to stand in the way of an Alicorn mother and her lost baby.
I like the idea of continuing to live, thank you very much.
Hmmm, wondering now if they couldn't use Cadance as another factor in targeting Flurry. You'd think there would be a stronger connection...
10265970
Some kind of maternal instinct or magical familial attunement? I can see it.
That title makes me a bit concerned about the stability of the portal after they've gone through...
You know, if Grandpa is doing anything bad to Flurry and Cadance finds out in her current state... she is probably going to murderize him in some horrible way.
Oh well, curious to see what world they end up in!
Moment of truth, are they gonna end up in Marvel, or in the story?
10265867
Agreed. Twilight should have called Celestia and Luna to help calm (or restrain) Cadence before she has the chance to cause an interdimensional diplomatic incident. Specially considering Caddy seems one or two steps away from becoming her own version of NM and Daybreaker.
10266168
No, not restrain. Never restrain, that would just make things worse. And Celestia and Luna don't need to get involved. Shining Armour and others should be helping Cadance to calm down, to occupy herself. Keep herself busy so she's not hounding the people actually doing the work.
Because otherwise she's going to worry, and she's going to wind up in the state she is now - or worse.
Honestly, it's negligence, what's happening here. Twilight with her inability to say "no", Celestia and Luna with their seeming complete lack of care (Moreso Luna as she can dreamwalk while Celestia actually has a public image to uphold). Shining Armour's complete absence, none of them are truly managing Cadance and it's allowing her to spiral out of control.
10266500
Shining Armor is probably trying to run the Crystal Empire while Cadence here goes off the deep end.
10266500
... you know, now that I think of it... what are Celestia, Luna and Shining Armor doing, exactly? You'd expect that Shining at least would have a particular horse in this race.
... uh, no pun intended.
10266065
Just put his head on a pike to wave at
10266646
I mean, it's a fairly self-sufficient "empire". Plus, that's not really an excuse. If a loved one is having problems, you make time.
10267143
Very true
Hmm. Orzhov, Dimir, Gruul, Boros, and Simic...
Even if old money, deep secrets, an uncontrollable beast, a scarily passionate military presence, and wild mutations all factor into this story. Also planeswalking.
Wait, sorry, wrong Gatecrash.
In any case, I do not see this particular excursion into the void going well. I just hope it isn't fatal for someone. (And even if they do find the right universe, there's no guarantee that Cadence won't spit someone unfortunate enough to stand between her and her foal.
10266687
They are handling fort and holding fallout?
10267143
Says who beside you?
Cadence, with anger /fear/worry filling her heart mayyyyy attack Kyle or something. Not sure.
WELP! HERE WE GO I GUESS!
10268098
In canon, Celestia and Shining are never really called away to do anything. Hell, they spend time in Canterlot and other places too.
If a ruler is able to leave without getting called away or needing to put it on a schedule, than chances are they’ve either delegated to have free time, or the place they’re running is somewhat self-sufficient.
Given as well that Sombra was the previous ruler, and without Sombra the Crystal Ponies ran along their lives without problem (albeit afraid of his return) then obviously they’re not a needy population unlike humans or even ponies.
It’s evidence supporting the fact that neither Cadance of Shining need to always be there. They just need to be available in case they are needed.
I mean, compare it to Celestia and Luna. Depictions of Celestia have her spending a lot of time in the throne room, or in the castle in general. Luna is the same, albeit she doesn’t seem to have as much responsibility as Celestia, understandably.
There’s also the fact that Equestria - unlike the Crystal Empire - is numerous cities towns and villages, not just a single capital. Equestria also has a nobility that must be managed. Unlike the Crystal Empire, Equestria is not self-sufficient and requires either Celestia or Luna to be present else schedule free time.
10268515
Fair enough.
The suspense is palpable. They're only going to be there for 10 minutes to confirm it is the right world. If it is I'm hoping that seeing Kyle and Kara as ponies will help ease things upon first contact. Thanks for the update. I look forward to reading the next one.
10271651
Then of course there is the fact that Kyle looks exactly like Cadence, sans cutie mark. That could bring up memories of Chrysalis and there may be a language barrier since the "gate" lacks the transformation aspects of the Mirror.
10273178
Kyle's mane and tail are a different color too but I hadn't considered there could be a language barrier.
That's good planning.
Ugh, don't let her rush you. Rushing dimensioned exploration is asking for disaster.
That actually sounds pretty helpful.
I wonder if Cadance is going to be cooperative about coming back after just a few minutes.
Cadance is in need for a jojo reference.
Man, this feels like the setup for a rocket mission.
No, no you're not. This is a reconnaissance mission
You do a great job showing Candence's state of mind