Nothing.
That was all Twilight could felt. She never felt a sensation, or lack thereof, in all her life. It was completely sterile, like being in a test tube, just floating aimlessly. She strained to find something in the sea of nothingness, to no avail. She flailed her legs wildly, but she felt no wind coming off, no natural resistance to her movements. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but her voice did not come. She was stuck in a vacuum, and there was no way of getting out.
A visitor? It's been too long, 1000 years too long! The voice resonated through Twilight's body, not really heard as much as felt, the first feeling since she arrived here.
Twilight Sparkle, the star pupil of Princess Celestia, the supposed heir to the throne. How is it that such a talented pony like you end up here?
She tried to think of her last moments, the reflection - Oh Celestia, she couldn't bear to think of it again - that thing must have taken her here, but she needed to figure where exactly "here" was.
You don't seem to be quite used to this place yet, don't worry, we can fix that!"
Out of the nothingness, came a purple aura, and it flowed towards Twilight, surrounding her. The numbness that had overcame her vanished, and her senses came rushing back. She was standing on top of a hill, and in the distance, her familiar tree, standing tall and proud just how it's always been. Something was off though; she couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but she knew that something didn't feel right. It was Ponyville, with the bakery, Applejack's orchard, and the rows of buildings that made up the inner city, but it wasn't her Ponyville.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
After all that you've been through, all you can say is two little questions? You of all people should have figured it all out by now.
She looked around, and she noticed eyes staring at her, the silhouette bodies barely visible. Venom shot out of their accusing stares, showing no kindness for the stranger that had invaded their land. The buildings started melting away, fire starting to slowly engulf the town, the sky turning red with chaos. She knew where she was, and her worst nightmares are starting to come true. She turned and ran as fast as she could, anywhere to get away from the dark reality facing her.
My dear, welcome to The Void.
Applejack had been wanting to get Twilight alone ever since she came to Canterlot, and now, with them walking together in the courtyard, she would be finally able to get some answers.
"So, Twilight, about your letter; you said there could be an invasion going on?"
"I don't know why I would say something like that, seems kind of silly, don't you think?" Twilight laughed, almost the complete opposite of her ominous tone in her letters.
"Yeah, I guess, this place is so well guarded, ah don't see why anypony would try to invade."
"Yes, nopony would ever try, it's a good thing us ponies have it good around here."
"Still though, you wrote it to me, an' you didn't seem like you were joking, Twi. Are you sure there's nothing you wanna tell me about those letters?"
Twilight turned towards AJ, her gaze unflinching towards her, "You just need to forget about those letters. My time here has been very stressful, and what I said in those letters was just me cracking under pressure. You don't need to worry about anything. Honestly, you better off going back home, and taking the girls with you."
AJ just stood there, shocked about what she heard. Twilight had never used that tone of voice with her, or anypony for that matter. What exactly was the Princess teaching her? This magic was changing Twilight, and it was something definitely worth worrying about.
"I need to meet with Celestia now, go on and pack your things, and I'll make sure my letters are a little less worrisome. Thank you for visiting, and I'll be back before you know it." There was no happy, relieving tone in her voice, and when she turned to go into the tower, Applejack could swear she saw her pupils change color, just for a split second, causing AJ to do a double take, and she knew she had to help her friend, whether she was willing to receive help or not.
Yeah, packing my things is the last thing I plan on doing. I'll have to have meeting with the Princess myself, Applejack thought as she walked into the main hall, determined to find out what exactly was going on. She went into Twilight's room, and started to investigate, making sure not to pry too much into her belongings. She knew Twilight wouldn't lie about something as serious as an invasion, and the knots she felt coming here were starting to return. After a few minutes of finding nothing, she turned towards Twilight's washroom, and she noticed the broken mirror, the same one Twilight was staring into when they arrived. She walked in front of the mirror, and she couldn't help but feel like something was calling her. She felt a sense of dread, something in her kicking and screaming, telling her to run, to get out of there as soon as possible and tell somepony, but she just stood, staring at the fragments of reflections that looked back at her. She had never seen a reflection of herself like this before, it was like she was staring at a completely different pony. It couldn't be real, she had to be imagining things. She raised her hoof, and went to touch one of the reflections. She couldn't resist the urge, she had to just find out if it was really her reflection. As the distance closed, the images smiled wickedly, its eyes filling with hatred, the warped image covering the glass. Just before her hoof pressed against the glass-
"Applejack! I found out where they hide all the cupcakes for dinner, and the baker said we can have as many as we want!" Pinkie's voice jolted Applejack out of her trance, and the Applejack in the mirror was her own again. She turned to look at Pinkie, jumping up and down at the thought of never-ending cupcakes.
"Okay, Pinkie, let's go eat some cupcakes." She smiled as she walked alongside the pink mare. She started thinking about the insidious mirror that she was leaving behind. It had a life of its own, and she had to find out what it did to Twilight, or what it could have done to her. She couldn't let the others know about it, she couldn't risk putting their lives in danger if they looked inside. The Princess had to know what this was all about, and maybe she would fill her in on what The Void was capable of or help her find out what's going on with Twilight, if nothing else.
The mirror flashed and aura swirled around its broken edges. The portal was gaining strength, and every pane of glass showed a different set of sadistic smiles, waiting to claw their way out of their world. It was only a matter of time now, and soon, nothing would be able to stop them.