//------------------------------// // The Mirror // Story: The Lost Legends of Equestria: Star Swirl the Bearded // by Silver Inkwell //------------------------------// The Mirror After the summer solstice (which was filled with sweets and goods and many parties and game just to give you a very brief summary of what happened there,) he finally got the chance and opportunity to find out what the king had said earlier to him. “You first must understand that not all things are what as they seem,” he said in front of the locked room, “And also even though I have been on the other side of what lays beyond this room, I still do not fully understand the world that you will enter or all that will lay beyond.” “Alright,” Star Swirl said, “But what is in this room anyways?” “A gateway and portal to another different new world,” the king said with a smile as he opened the door, “And enter if you dare.” And with that said Star Swirl entered the room to see a very large horse shoe shaped mirror right in the middle and the center of the room. “Is that it?” he said pointing at it, “I expected it to be… well… different.” “As I said, not all is as it seems, now then I must warn you of a few things before you enter, first, you will have a new and different shape and form and body, second, you won’t be able to use your magic there, and finally, should you ever encounter yourself or anything dangerous, just run away, okay?” “Alright,” Star Swirl said, “But what do you mean by ‘meeting myself’ exactly?” “You might find an exact copy or image or replica of your new form and shape and body in that different new world, but I highly doubt that will be likely.” And with that said he gestured for Star Swirl to enter the mirror. “Well, here goes nothing,” he said stepping into the mirror. And with that he entered this whole new different world. On the other side he landed on a very hard stone and then turned to look at what he had come out from, and it turned out to be a stone statue of a horse. How very fitting, he thought looking at it, and then he started to get off the floor with his hooves only to discover that they were not hooves. Instead there were five little things on the end of his something that was part of something that attached to his something else. Luckily enough for him however there was a book on top of the statue entitled Human Anatomy. So this new body, I must be this thing called a ‘human’, he thought, I better look at this book so I know what everything is called and I can be somewhat more familiar with this world so that I can get around to various places. And with that he soon learned every part of his new body and shape and form. Even the naughty little tiny parts as well. “This body is very odd and strange and different,” he said once he had finished the book, “But I suppose that is only to be expected naturally, but I guess that it is time to walk around with my new ‘legs’ I guess.” And with that said he used his ‘hands’ and ‘fingers’ to lift himself off from the ground until he could finally steady himself from not falling on his new legs. And then he found a mirror (luckily enough) and got a very good look at himself. He had blue skin and was very tall by human standards at least. He had the same old wise gray eyes that he always did and the same black hair that was now turning gray just like his eyes were. “Well hello there handsome,” he said to himself in the mirror, “At least I still have my looks here.” And then with that said he tried to find a way out of where he was. For above him was a very low ceiling and he knew that this looked like it was an attic or storage room of some kind. Soon enough he did find a door that was open and went through it prepared to face anything that lay beyond the other side. But what he saw on the other side he could never have prepared for at all, for he saw Cosmos there, or rather to be exact, his human self at least. “Hello there, stranger,” he said, “What brings you from Alicar today?” “What? How? Where? Why?” Star Swirl tried to say. “Rest now, I’ll explain everything to you. You see I met myself quite some time ago, it would be very long for him though I suppose, and he explained to me what was up with my stone statue and how it was a gateway and portal to another world, but don’t worry if you feel confused, we both were when we met each other for the first time. But ever since then we’ve understood each other and parts of their lands and world, but we still do not know all yet.” “Okay,” Star Swirl said very slowly, “Alright, fine then, but why do you even have that thing in your attic or storage room or whatever?” “Honestly? It’s to keep it safe now, but before it was just there since I couldn’t’ find any proper place for it, but if my daughter ever does become principal of that High School that she goes to then I plan on donating it.” “Okay then, that explains a little bit,” Star Swirl said, “But why can’t I use my magic in this world, and why don’t I have a horn either?” “As for the horn, let’s just say it’s our bodies, and for the magic, we just don’t have it, this is a land and world without any magic at all.” “Oh, alright then, but quick question, do you have a wife? I heard you say that you had a daughter and I was curious about the rest of your family too.” “Yes, I have a wife, but she’s at work right now, and my daughters are at school, and yes that’s right I have more than one, two to be exact. And their names, well I think that you should already know them by now, Luna and Celestia, just like my very lovely wife Galaxia. And please don’t ask me or the other me why there are duplicates of us in each universe, it is far better not to question it instead, and I would rather prefer to let it remain a mystery too.” “Each to their own,” he said, “Very well then, it was nice meeting you, but unless there is something that you could give me to know more about this world I think that I better be going, he didn’t say how long the gateway would remain open,” he said starting to the door but then was quickly blocked. “The gateway opens once every thirty moons and stays open for a few days, you have plenty of time to stay with me and talk and enjoy the company of my family if you want to, but if you must go then please tell me why.” “One, I don’t like this world, and two, there’s no magic, and finally three, there’s nothing that really catches my eye or interest at all.” “And I thought that you were a wizard,” Cosmos said. “Wait, how did you know that exactly?” he said. “Oh,” Cosmos said pulling out an old book, “Just this old book that the other me gave to… uh… well… me. It allows us to stay in touch so that we can always contact each other by writing in it, and we can write whatever we want to, thoughts, feelings, ideas, fears, hopes, dreams, it is quite handy to have.” “Yes, I guess it is,” he said taking note of the catch phrase, and then he thought, I wonder if King Cosmos wouldn’t mind making one for me? “Yes,” he said, “Well then, I must go now, it was nice meeting you.” “But why must you go? Why can you not tell me this?” he said anxiously. “Let’s just say I know that I wouldn’t like what I found here,” he said, and with that he bowed to Cosmos and said his goodbyes and then left through the mirror. King Cosmos was glad to see him once he got back but was very curious as to why he was back and he responded to the question just in the same manner as he did to the other Cosmos that he had previously met. And Cosmos, the human one, sat alone wondering why Star Swirl would leave before meeting his family, but the answer to that lay in his world and in a vision which Star Swirl saw where there was a single headstone marking a grave and the name that was engraved upon it had just two words: Star Swirl.