Incarnate

by Revel Montaro

Chapter 14

Twilight Sparkle sat at her work bench with her head on the table next to her tools and the smoking remains of her third failed attempt to access the elusive, “in between,” that the other Twilight had talked about. Her glasses were askew, her finger tips raw and singed, and more tears would have fallen had she any more left in her to shed. With her left hand, she reached out and touched the red and gold guitar pick with a small yin yang sun symbol painted on it that had been custom ordered by Sunset because they were her favorite colors. Sunset had several and one had been left behind in Twilight’s tool kit. Now it felt like a memorial piece rather than a music tool.

Sunset Shimmer.

The woman who had changed everything in her life without even trying to. Twilight had had a plan, a plan for her future as a scientist and then later down the road as a wife. And then, a unicorn of all things, walked into her life and changed everything. As Twilight sat there at her desk, most of her friends still asleep in various positions and locations around the lab, she wondered if she had, in fact, made a series of terrible mistakes.

What is the point of it all? Why do we make friends with people when they will always go away? Why do we fall in love when it always ends in heart break? It would have been better to have never met her. It would have been better to never feel this, because now all I feel is pain. I’m so tired of hurting. Twilight sniffled again, trying desperately to not wake the other girls with her sobbing.

The girls had stayed with her all night and while she knew they had been supervising to make sure Twilight did not go overboard they truly did try to help offer ideas, but none of them were anywhere close to Twilight’s level when it came to astrophysics, electrical engineering, and certainly not quantum theory of parallel dimensions. The only person who could go toe to toe with her was the one they were trying to save.

Save… What is left of her to save? If a magical pony princess who is supposed to be as smart as me and the inventor of the cross-dimensional mirror to begin with couldn’t come up with a timely way to save her what kind of chance did I have? Sunset Shimmer is dead… Oh God, she’s DEAD! She died in some God forsaken hellscape probably gasping for breath or… or… calling for… me… Sunny… I…” Twilight shook as she tried to choke down the sob, but couldn’t hold it in.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder and Twilight jumped, nearly falling out of her chair. She turned her blurry eyes up to see Pinkie Pie standing there with tears in her eyes and a sympathetic smile on her face.

“It’s okay to cry, Twilight,” Pinkie said, “I’m scared too, but I know she’s okay.”

“How can you be so sure? Her own mother, who is some sort of goddess has all but given up on her. How can you possibly still have hope?”

Pinkie smiled again, “Because she made a Pinkie Promise. No one breaks a Pinkie Promise, especially not someone as amazing as Sunset Shimmer.”

Twilight’s face fell back to the work bench and she stared at the pick again, blurry without her glasses on. It didn’t matter, she did not want to see anything clearly. How, how does she have so much faith? The odds and science are so badly stacked against her. Is it just hopefulness or blind naïve?

Before Twilight could comment or slip further into herself the lab door opened and in walked Rainbow Dash, who was wearing warmup clothes. When did she step out for a run? Twilight pondered, but soon did not care. Following the athlete, however was a warm and familiar face.

“Hey Twily,” said Cadence, Principal of Crystal Prep Academy and her future sister-in-law since her goofy brother, Shining Armor, had finally gotten up the courage to propose. Twilight looked up at her former babysitter and then laid her head back down. “I heard it from reliable sources, Spike and Shinny, that you were down in the dumps so I thought I’d drop by to help.”

Twilight gestured without raising her head. “As you can see, plenty of help, yep, soooooo helpful.” The rest of her friends had awakened when the door had opened earlier, but none dared to call out Twilight’s justifiable bitterness.

Cadence closed the door and gestured for the group of girls to come in closer. “I’ve seen Twilight on all night science benders before, but this is distinctly different.”

“Well,” Applejack said, rubbing her stiff neck from a night on the floor, “Don’t think she got around to tellin’ you, but Twilight just recently started dating our friend, Sunset Shimmer, remember her?”

“Twilight is dating a girl? I didn’t even know she had broken up with Timber,” said Cadence with wide eyes.

“A lot’s happened in the last few days. But anyhow, Sunset is in a mighty heap of trouble and we all stayed up as late as we could to try and come up with ways to help. But if I had to hazard a guess, I don’t think Twi slept a wink last night.”

“Tired, angry, heartbroken, and trying to science the shit out of a problem, got it,” said Cadence with a nod. She approached the bench and set down a small bag with a cream cheese on everything bagel and a chocolate milk. “Hey, ladybug.”

“Hey.”

“So, I clearly don’t know everything that’s going on right now, but I know the face of a girl who is hurting. Want to talk about it?”

“What is the point of talking about it? My best friend, the most amazing person I have ever met is trapped in a place I can’t get to and I am powerless, fucking USELESS to do anything about it!”

You don’t have to be useless. You just have to be willing to take what you need to accomplish your task.

Twilight’s eyes opened wide for a moment before she closed them, focusing on the voice in her head. Oh great, you.

I can help you, Twily, I can help save Sunset. You just have to listen to me and stop trying to bury you true potential in the back of your head.

Cadence stroked Twilight’s messy hair, taking a moment to try and fix the strands that had fallen from her bun, but Twilight refused to raise her head to help. Continuing to lay with her cheek on the work bench, eyes closed. “Oh sweetie, no, none of that. You are not useless.”

Just go the fuck away.

My, my, such language. I don’t know what is worse, you saying that to sweet sister Sugar Tits over there or to little old me? You really have been spending too much time with that hot piece of ass of a girlfriend of yours.

Don’t start with me, you know I have a great imagination and I will come up with all manner of horrible things to do to you because I am not in a good headspace right now, which is probably how you were able to re-manifest. Prove you really are smart and GO AWAY.

Fine, you don’t want my help to do what must be done, the only other person in the room who can keep up with you and all the science and magic. But just remember, Twily, when you are sitting alone tonight and no Sunset Shimmer to keep you company because she’s dead, don’t cry to me coulda, shoulda, woulda.

I will kill myself before I ever help you or let you take control of me again. Pray to whatever god you believe in that she is fine because I am having a hard time convincing myself life is worth living without her in it.

“I know it’s not much, but if there is anything I can do, even if it means bending the rules and allowing you access to some of Crystal Preps tech facilities I will do it, for you.”

Twilight nodded, barely listening. It was a generous offer, but at this point Crystal Prep did not have anything Twilight had not already replaced or upgraded in her lab. Thanks to her parents and having plenty of spare tech to repurpose. Twilight’s lab was as state of the art as many national research facilities. Just a bit more compact. Twilight’s eyes flew open when one of the machines on the end of the work bench began to beep, a needle twitching. It took a few seconds to remember what that device was measuring. When it clicked, she replaced her glasses and began to adjust the frequency dial.

“Twilight?”

The scientist held up a hand to Rarity’s inquiry as she adjusted a few more settings. The antenna at CHS was definitely getting a surge of magical radiation despite the damage to the statue plinth. Was it coming from the school or somewhere nearby? The white noise interference was maddening.

“Sugar cube?”

“I’m getting something. It’s in the frequency range of Equestrian magic.”

“Is it the portal? Is it Sunset?” asked Rarity, the others cramming around Cadence and the work bench.

“I don’t know, but considering it’s the first semi-solid reading I’ve gotten in two days I want to track it.” Twilight hesitated, clutching her chest. “It could also be another monster emergence. There is no way to know for certain from here. And without Sunset to help…”

Rainbow smacked her fist into her palm. “Then we deal with it. As long as we have powers it’s our job to keep this world safe.”

While not everyone shared Rainbow’s enthusiasm no one disagreed. Twilight grabbed her EMF tracker, phone, and the bagel and drink. Twilight took a bite as she marched out of the lab trying to triangulate the signal. Her eyes next fell upon her car and her friend’s vehicles. All of which were currently blocked by the burgundy minivan.

“Um, Cadence?” Twilight smiled as much as she could muster.

“You don’t even have to ask, everyone pile in.”

“SHOTGUN!” cried Rainbow Dash.

Applejack caught the speedster before she could get away. “Shouldn’t the one with the trackin’ device sit in the front?”

“Heh,” Rainbow blushed sheepishly, “yeah, that makes sense. Can I at least sync the radio to my phone?”

“No,” Cadence said sweetly, but firmly as she strode pass to the driver’s seat. Rainbow sighed, but opened the side door to crawl into the back bench. Once everyone was buckled in and the road was clear Cadence pulled into traffic. “Where are we going?”

Twilight did not look up from her screen. “Head towards CHS, but I’ll call out directions if the signal begins to move around.” Is it just my tired eyes or is the frequency bouncing like a communication signal? No, it’s rhythmic… a song? Twilight dug her phone out of her bag and selected a song to play. She watched as the bars on the equalizer bounced to the rhythm of the acoustic guitar. Her eyes moved back down to the EMF scanner. Then up again, then down. Twilight’s heart began to beat faster. The signals were nearly identical.

“Is that Theory?” called Rainbow from the back seats.

“Yes,” Twilight said automatically, “Sunset sang this to me.”

“Damn, that’s awesome. I mean this is one of their softer tracks, but they can bring the metal when they want to so I give it a pass.”

“It’s her.”

“Twily?” Cadence risked a second to look over to Twilight who was about to cry, but was smiling as well.

“The signal is a song, I’m almost positive of it. I think Sunset is singing and it’s somehow coming through! She’s alive!”

“A-Are you sure, I mean, that sounds wonderful, if it’s true, but how do you know it’s not a trap or coincidence?”

Fluttershy had a good point. She had never detected music from the portal before, it could just as easily have been some monster that used magic as a weapon in a similar way the others described the Sirens. It could have been listening to Sunset and Twilight that night, spying on them as they made love in the dark or worse, stole Sunset’s voice like a cartoon villain to lure them in. Twilight’s excitement faltered.

“Oh no! I shouldn’t have said that! Please don’t be sad!”

----------

Spike let himself back into the house via the rectangular pet door that led to the back yard. He was about to help himself to some of last night’s leftover pizza when his ears twitched at the sound of ringing. “Hmm? That sounds familiar.” On the center coffee table was a leather-bound book with a symbol on the cover in red, yellow, and purple. The book also emitted a violet magenta glow while it rang. Spike recognized the book immediately. He looked about the house, but no one was around and everyone else had left with Cadence not long ago.

“Well, that’s probably not good.”

----------

Twilight adjusted her glasses and focused on the readings in front of her. The rhythm had faded away not long ago, the needle measuring the frequency output was becoming erratic, sometimes ceasing entirely. Maybe she had imagined the parallel between the signal and the song, maybe she just needed that tiny sliver of hope. An annoying voice cackled in the back of her mind, sultry and poisonous. Maybe Midnight had made her see it just to toy with her. Twilight rubbed her tired eyes and took a deep breath. She finished her provided breakfast and looked up to see the familiar surroundings. They would be at CHS in just a few minutes.

“Forgive me for prying, Twilight, but I’m having a hard time connecting all the dots here. What does an EMF signal have to do with your new relationship with Sunset Shimmer, congrats by the way, I always liked her, and Sunset being in possible life threatening danger?”

Twilight took another breath. “Honestly, I’ve been in love with her for a while, I just didn’t know how to express myself. That’s the short version anyway. I can explain it better once I know Sunset is safe. As far as how and why she is in danger… Sunset... is... more than just a magical girl. She comes from that other world of magic itself. That’s all I feel comfortable saying about it right now. It would be better for her to tell you.”

Cadence sighed. “You are really not giving me much to work with here. I feel like I’m failing as a guardian figure. If someone is in danger shouldn’t we call the police?” The numerous objections to that idea were echoed throughout the van. Cadence grimace, but nodded. Twilight did just say, ‘magical girl from another world,’ a moment ago.

“I’m sorry I’m being vague, there is just too much to process right now,” Twilight said, pointing to the school parking lot. “You should park in the back. I don’t want anything to happen to your car.”

“No police, complicated answers, precautionary parking… is this the Friendship Games all over again because I am still a little freaked out by magic and Spike being able to talk.”

“Yes, this is about magic just like the games and better safe than sorry,” Twilight said tersely and jumped out the moment the vehicle was placed in park. Cadence and the rest of the girls soon followed. Once again, the six girls found themselves at the front of the school approaching the rearing horse statue. However, the grounds were not empty this time.

When Twilight lifted her eyes from the magic tracker she found Principal Celestia, dressed in casual workout sweats, and the lead janitor, Mr. Opal, eyeing the group suspiciously. Cadence gently placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and moved to the front of the group.

“While I am always happy to see some of my best former students and a dear colleague and friend, I have a strong suspicion that this is not a meeting of happenstance.” Celestia raised an eyebrow as the six girls shuffled about under her scrutinizing gaze. “Would anyone like to enlighten me on why our new statue has a damaged and blackened base?”

Twilight glanced from the janitor to the principal then back again. Celestia caught the glance and sighed. “Ferris, would you please pull a list of contractors who might be able to appraise the damage?” The janitor sighed, but walked off to his office. Once out of earshot Celestia gestured for Twilight to explain.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Celestia, Sunset crossed over to Equestria to try and stop all the crazy magical incidents for good. The incidents were coming faster and more often and Princess Twilight had a plan to seal the magic off, but when they attempted to close it something went wrong. I’m still not entirely sure what, but the magic caused the damage. We’ll fix it, I’ll take it out of my college fund if I have to, but right now I need to find out as much as I can about what is happening to try and find Sunset. She’s trapped on the other side.”

Celestia looked to Cadence, who shrugged with her best, ‘don’t look at me’ expression'. “I think I would understand more if you started at the beginning.”

“There’s no time!” Twilight shouted. “I have explained this several times already and unless you can grasp time-space anomalies and magically infused astrophysics on a multi-dimensional plane then I’m just wasting my breath! Do you see this gauge? It is picking up surges of electromagnetic radiation in the range that Sunset and I have hypothesized Equestrian magic operates at. I don’t know if that means something is coming or if Sunset is on the other side trying to get in, but I need to figure it out!”

Celestia raised her hands in a defensive gesture. “It’s okay, Twilight, I will help any way I can.”

“You can’t,” Twilight hissed, walking passed the principal to examine the damaged plinth more closely.

Cadence pulled Celestia in for a side hug. The older educator had been dumbstruck by the reaction from the usually kind and reserved Twilight Sparkle. “It’s not you, she’s tired, worried, and is about half a step away from a full Twilinanas level meltdown. She was like this even before the games, just so you know.”

“And you are sure you want to marry into this family?”

Cadence giggled despite the intensity of the situation as a whole. Once again showing Celestia the engagement ring. “Of course! Have you seen Shinning Armor as of late? Since he graduated from officer’s training and boot camp his abs are rock hard and that ass! Those cheeks so perfectly round and squeezable while he is…”

“Eww!” said Rainbow Dash, scooting away from the conversation by the two educators. Her eyes turned back to Twilight who was prodding the scorched frame of the statue base, flecks of dust still coming off anywhere light bled through. “Seriously, you are going to get cancer from that!”

Twilight looked back to glare at Rainbow and did not notice the hairline cracks suddenly flash brightly and spread across the plinth. The energy blast threw Twilight to the ground and caused the others gathered to gasp and step back. The damaged section of the base had crumbled further, with additional glowing hairline cracks now spreading to the other reflective panels. Applejack recovered first and moved to help Twilight back to her feet. Instead, the scientist ignored the offered hand and crawled over to her EMF detector that had slipped out of her hand.

“No! This is not happening!” Twilight growled as small wisps of smoke rose from the overloaded device. She tapped it a few times and then shook it, but it emitted only a small buzzing sound. Even from a distance the smell of burnt, ionized copper filled the air.

“What just happened? What was that flash?” asked Celestia, instinctively checking her former students for any injuries. She approached Twilight, who violently threw the device she had been working with to the ground.

Applejack tipped her hat back, green eyes focused on the glowing cracks that hissed with otherworldly power. “I may not know much, but I know when somethin’s buckin’ against the barn door to get in or out in some cases.”

“A massive surge,” Twilight said, dangerously matter-of-factly, readjusting her glasses, “Like she said, something just tried to break through, or someone… probably a monster. Not that it matters, nothing matters anymore because I can’t figure out the magic let alone control it!”

“Darling? Did you bump your head?”

“No, Rarity, I’m fine. Heh heheheheh! WE ARE ALL FINE! There is magic pouring through, enough to blow all the fuses and resistors in my EMF device, but nooooo, no one let me build a collection device to harness that power so that maybe, JUST FUCKING MAYBE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT!”

“Twilight, sweetie, you’re scaring everyone,” said Cadence, taking a step forward with her hand out, Twilight slapped it away, pulling her glasses from her eyes to wipe the tears before they could fall. When Twilight looked up again, Cadence could see a sickly discoloration in her future sister-in-law’s eyes. The sclera had gone pale blue with angry blood vessels.

“I just wanted to save her, I just wanted to have the power to rip a tiny little hole and see what I could do. I Just wanted to help! But my useless ‘friends’ refused to let me do what NEEDED to be done! None of you understand! None of you can feel what I feel every damn day! Only one person in the entire universe can empathize with me and… I have been fighting to keep my life together ever since that day. Sometimes I can go weeks without hearing her whispers, but what is the point?! She’s right, Sunset is probably dead and soon darkness will consume all of you like it’s consuming me!”

Five teenagers and two principals stood and watched as the purple skinned girl rambled, her eyes taking on an eerily familiar hue, even her skin had darkened a few shades. Finally, the ranting ceased as Twilight stood panting with an out of place grin on her face and fingernails tearing rivulets of blood into her arms. Fluttershy stepped forward from the back of the group and stood before Twilight, waiting for her friend to look up and acknowledge her presence.

“What? Going to give me a hug or some other useless pla-“

The slap was hard, swift, and completely unexpected. Twilight staggered back a step, blinking several times, hand instinctively moving to her now throbbing cheek. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but sometimes the kindest thing a friend can do is slap some sense into you. I’m also very sorry I shook your glimmer of hope in the car, that was wrong of me. Now, you are the smartest girl we know, by far. You need to take a deep breath, let it out, and use that big brain of yours that Sunset Shimmer loves so much and think of a way to fix this before it’s too late.”

Twilight continued to rub her cheek as fresh tears fell. “I, I think it may already be too late. I have the scientific data, but I don’t understand all the magic, not without help.”

“Then ask for help, silly,” said Pinkie Pie, who had somehow snuck in close and was cautiously giving Twilight a hug. “Ask your pony princess counterpart for help. That’s what Sunny always did when she ran into a magical problem she didn’t quite understand.”

Twilight did as instructed and took a deep breath, let it out, and smiled, a calm genuine smile. She replaced her glasses, her violet eyes once again as they should be and sparkling with determination. “Thank you, I just… I’m just scared.”

“Aw hell, after what ya been through ever since comin’ in contact with magic way back when you got every right to be scared. Jus’ can’t let it eat at you like that. Clouds the mind worse than downin’ a twelve pack of cold ones. That bein’ said, Pinkie’s right, we’re in over our heads on this one. Time to ask the princess for help.”

Twilight looked about, checking her shoulder bag or if she had dropped anything nearby, her body shaking with realization. “I, I don’t have the journal! I don’t even know where it is! I dropped it yesterday when I ran back to my lab! Pinkie, did you pick it up and stick it in your hair?”

“How would I have had room for a book that big in my hair with all the other things I have?”

“I once saw you hide an entire bucket of pudding in your hair!” Twilight retorted while flailing her arms.

“Mmm, touche.”

Rarity pique up, “Oh! I had it last! I went inside your house for napkins and utensils for dinner last night and placed it on the center coffee table.”

“All the way back home?!”

“Chilax, Twilight, I got this!” said Rainbow Dash, doing a few quick stretches. “Give me three, maybe five minutes tops, I’ll be back before you know it!”

“The front door code is 1642, you have to hurry!”

Rainbow grinned, “Hurry is my middle name.” She quickly placed a hand over Pinkie’s mouth. “I know it’s not my real middle name, you don’t have to say it, Pinkie, we all know it.”

Before Pinkie could protest, Rainbow took off leaving a rainbow blur streak in her wake. Another energy surge caused additional cracks to spread across the plinth.

“Please hurry,” Twilight said barely above a whisper.

Author's Note:

The tension is rising, the stakes are high, and not everyone might make it out alive! AHHHHH!!
*ahem*
So there are now only two more chapters to go and then the epilogue. So hang on tight, it's about to get bumpy.

Comments

[The Voice in the Water]

Hang in there Twilight. Your princess is coming.

[Snowdrifter]

10347780
As long as she isn't in another castle...