Chapter 3
(Through the looking glass)
Twilight levitated a freshly brewed pot of tea toward the princess and poured some in her cup. The princess nodded at Twilight, and she sat the pot on the table. Luna still hadn’t said a word; the silence in the room could deafen one of Vinyl Scratch’s concerts. Having enough of said silence, Twilight began to speak.
“I did not expect you, of all ponies, to come here,” she began. She looked nervously up at Luna. Luna gives her a gentle smile.
“We believe this visit has been long overdue, dear Twilight.” She takes a sip of tea. “We have heard of this attack from these “changeling” beings, and do not understand how such beings had gone so long without discovery.” Twilight looked down.
“Princess Lun-“
“Please,” she interrupted, “we have moved from such formalities. Call us Luna.”
“Luna,” Twilight corrected herself. “If you are here in defense of Celestia-“
“No no, my little pony,” Luna assured her. “We are not here to plead with nor command you to go back; we come with a warning.” Twilight’s eyes questioned the lunar mare. She sat her tea down as Luna took another sip of her own.
“What are you talking about?” she finally asks. Luna paused and sat her tea next to Twilight’s. A sigh escaped her mouth before she continued.
“Celestia is the ruler of a nation. Though we rule together, she is the pillar of Equestria.” Twilight nodded to herself. “She has guided ponykind for several thousand years, even after our descent into Nightmare. An afterthought we’ll always be in comparison to our sister.” Luna looked away for a moment. “For who could compete with the rising of the sun?” She looks back to Twilight. “Although our rule has gone on for millennia, there is a force far greater; the Tree of Harmony.” Twilight silently listened; hanging on to every word Princess Luna had to say.
“From this tree came the Elements of Harmony, which thwarted Discord’s reign and brought peace to Equestria. Then, we learned that the Elements do not work for us.” Luna took another sip of tea. “We learned that the Elements would work for ponies that embodied each individual Element; Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generosity. Then, on the night you saved us, a new Element was forged; Magic. And from then until now, these six Elements have worked together to combat any threat Equestria has faced.
“Combined with the power of unity amongst you and your friends, the Elements have been and unstoppable force.” Twilight looked away, a lump catching in her throat. “That is, until today; the day you were betrayed by not only your brother, but your friends as well.” She paused a moment to take another sip of tea while Twilight wiped away a few stray tears. Once done with this, Twilight went to take another sip of her tea. “Because of this, the Element of Magic is decaying.”
“What!?” Twilight exclaimed, spitting her mouthful of tea out.
“Feeling your broken heart,” Luna continued, “and the betrayal of the other elemental hosts, the Element of Magic is losing its will to stay on this plane of existence.”
“How can I fix this!?” Twilight asked frantically. Luna brushed a calming hoof along the young mare’s now-unruly mane.
“For that, you would need to completely make amends with your friends.” Twilight looked down.
“No…” she answered solemnly. “I gave them everything I could in our friendships. I showed them loyalty and trust when each of them needed me.” Twilight’s gaze moved from the floor back to Princess Luna. “Where were they in my time of need?” Luna nodded at this response.
“This is what I wished to hear.” Luna sighed. “You are a lot like she once was.”
“She?”
“Sunset Shimmer,” Luna muses. “She was one of Celestia’s students that trained during our banishment.” Her tone became firm. “Just like you, Sunset Shimmer was a prodigy. However, she became quite ambitious and started to feel as if our sister was holding her back. As punishment for her defiance, Celestia banished her to a different world.” Twilight’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Other worlds? There are other worlds?”
“Yes,” Luna answered with a nod. “There are many ways to access these worlds as well. Many of these, our sister and we have no knowledge of. But we do know of one in particular; this portal is known as the Crystal Mirror. It is the same portal Sunset Shimmer was banished with.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Twilight asked thoughtfully. The look on Luna’s face hinted that she would regret asking this question.
“Twilight Sparkle. Understand that we are on your side; I told you about the mirror because you are in need of it. You must leave Equestria, leave this world.” Twilight froze for a moment with shock.
“What!? Why?” Twilight shouted. She stood from her chair and started pacing in front of the Princess. “I thought you said you were on my side! Now you want me to leave my home?” Her tone became more frantic. Luna stood and placed her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders, halting the pacing.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Luna let go of her. “We understand this may be a lot to take in. But this is for your own good; you must leave this world before our sister makes you a slave to Harmony.” She sighed deeply. “We overheard her speaking with your brother. Because you rejected your friends and denounced your role as the Element of Magic, the Element is decaying. She has become paranoid that Equestria will not survive whatever threat may come next. She’s going offer two options; either you make up with your friends, or she will erase your entire memory of the wedding.”
Twilight was unable to fight the tears that began flowing down her muzzle. “No,” she says hysterically. “She wouldn’t. She can’t; my friends would never let something like that happen…” She trailed off.
“Truly it is a frightening day when one realizes what kind of friends one has.” Luna’s voice was cold. “The fact of the matter, Twilight Sparkle, is that your friends had not hesitated to rake you across the coals to get their desires. If they knew that their very livelihoods were in jeopardy because you refused your role, they would happily sacrifice your freedom for their sakes, and most definitely for the good of Equestria. It is only natural.” Luna held Twilight while the young mare wept.
“B-but why don’t you want to h-help your s-sister?” Twilight manages to choke out between sobs.
“My dear little pony,” Luna responds softly. She rubs Twilight’s back with her wings reassuringly. “We believe in a free Equestria. You should be able to choose your own path regardless of how it will affect others. We rebelled against our sister under the exact same banner. Sadly, we took it too far and only added to our problem.
“You however, have a right to forgive or not forgive your friends, Equestria be damned. You have a right to your own life. Unfortunately, my sister believes the needs of the many outweigh with needs of the few. This is why you must leave. Our sister’s hooves extend far, and her power is great. She will not rest until you rejoin your place as an Element.” Twilight broke away from Luna.
“How soon should I leave?” she asks.
“Now. Only take the essentials; we’ll need to sneak through the castle corridors to reach the mirror.” With that Twilight began to pack, her biggest dilemma deciding what is “essential.
(Sugarcube Corner)
Sugarcube Corner was the sweetest store in Ponyville, as the locals would say. The store was usually booming with all sorts of activity. However, the day was drawing to a close and the store shut the doors for the night. Even the owners Carrot and Cup Cake retired to their beds, their children Pumpkin and Pound Cake fast asleep, awaiting for the new day to arrive. Meanwhile, the hyper hot pink pony Pinkie Pie was wide awake.
This time it was not due to her reckless sugar consumption. She sat up in her bed, her mane completely flat contrary to its usual puffy texture. This signified that her mood was complete and utter sadne-
(WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY? I KNOW WHAT I DID!)
(PINKIE! NO FOURTH WALL BRAEAKING.)
The party pony just couldn’t wrap her head around it. How could she, the most spontaneous and joyful pony in all of Ponyville, make one of her best friends sad?
She looked away from the author with annoyance in her face. “What am I gonna do?” she asked herself. Pinkie was shaken out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. She hurried downstairs to get the door before the knocking could wake up the foals.
“Who is it?” She opens the door to find Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy with Spike on her back. Pinkie cocked her head in question. “It’s a little late for you all to be here, isn’t it?”
“The Princess has summoned us,” Spike starts. “She wants to speak with us about Twilight. She’s sending a pegasi carriage to Carousel Boutique to pick us up in a half-hour.”
Pinkie nods. She makes a note for Carrot and Cup before leaving and locking up. Then she follows her friends to Rarity’s home.
(Canterlot Castle-One hour later)
The carriage lands in the castle courtyard and lets the mares and dragon off. Shining Armor approaches the group as they reach the doors to the palace.
“I’m glad you all could make it,” he greets, his voice almost completely monotone. “Celestia is waiting in the throne room. There’s an-“ he staves off a guilt-ridden face, “urgent matter to be discussed.” Shining Armor looked to the guards who silently turned and opened the doors. Once open, Shining slowly led the group of friends through. They follow him through a series of corridors until they reach the dining hall.
“Hello, my ponies.” The voice carries through the darkness and sets the room alight. Before them was a long wooden and gold studded table, with a fine feast atop the likes of which have not been seen since the Grand Galloping Gala. “We have much to discuss. The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance,” she says while taking her seat and the end of the table. She starts with a calm voice, “What I’m about to ask of you will seem unethical, and possibly unreasonable.”
“Is it about the wedding?” Fluttershy musters.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Shining replied. He looks away from them.
“So what is going on, Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“The long and short of it is that the Elements of Harmony are in jeopardy. Twilight’s renouncement has resulted in the Element of Magic to start deteriorate.” The ponies and Spike gasp in shock.
“This means that we can’t stop enemies that threaten to destroy Equestria. We don’t know when an attack will happen. The tensions in Canterlot have escalated; I’ve already begun to face ridicule due to this incident. Tomorrow shall surely be worse once the rest of Equestria finds out. We need to stand as one, now more than ever. And without Twilight I fear we will not stand a chance.” She glances around at each pony and adds, “I need your help to bring her back.”
“You can count on us, Princess!” Rainbow Dash boasts.
“Now hold your breath, sugarcube,” Applejack interrupted. “As much as Ah want Twilight t’forgive us, Ah don’t want to force’er into it. She’s a friend and Ah’ve already betrayed her once; Ah don’t want that happenin again.”
“I understand, dear Applejack,” Celestia replies with a smirk. “We could lose everything over this petty grudge Twilight is holding. You all are protectors of this great land; you, your families, and each other. Believe me; I would not do this if there wasn’t so much at stake.” Applejack ponders for a moment.
“Ah suppose you’re right, Princess.” Celestia nods.
“Thank you Applejack. Now, let’s discuss what we’re going to do.”
(Canterlot Gardens)
Luna and Twilight appear in the middle of the garden. Statues in the area seemed to intensify the already peculiar atmosphere.
“We are almost there,” Luna assures Twilight as they walk through the garden. “The portal regularly activates on its own once every thirty moons. However if an alicorn pours enough magic into the mirror itself, a portal will be forced open for a brief moment; you must act quickly.”
“What about you?” Twilight asks, following close behind the princess.
“We will stay behind.” Luna offers a reassuring smile. “Our sister must not be allowed to follow. Not to worry, we can handle ourselves.” They stop at the garden doors. “We will be passing through a few rooms; once we reach the dining hall it will only take a few more minutes to reach the mirror. Don’t acknowledge the guards we pass.”
The ponies casually trotted through the garden doors and into the castle, their pace just slightly quicker than normal. A few of the guards may have noticed the quickened walking pace, but given the events that occurred, no guardspony questioned the Night Princess’s franticness. They assumed there were important matters happening they have no hoof in.
It didn’t take long for the duo to pass the dining hall. The door was almost completely shut, save a small crack. As they passed, Twilight heard a series of familiar voices. She stopped. “Princess Luna,” she whispers, “hang on a second.”
“We mustn’t delay long,” Luna whispers back. Twilight nods, then peaks through the crack while leaning an ear on the door.
“I-I’m not sure about this, girls,” Fluttershy meekly exclaimed, her voice barely reaching Twilight’s ear. “Twilight is our friend; we weren’t acting like friends to her, so she stopped being our friend. Anypony else would have done the same.”
“Why?” Rainbow Dash added, turning toward Fluttershy. “Oh yeah, because a bug turned us against her. We may have messed up, but it was only once! It’s not like we do this all the time.” Fluttershy took a few steps back, which lead Rarity to get closer to Dash.
“I understand darling, but this mistake could have cost Twilight her life.” Rarity spoke in a gentle tone. “She has every right to be angry with us; we took her for granted and we almost lost her. We almost lost Equestria.”
“This is why it must be done,” Celestia began. “With her memory wiped, you can all start anew. It will be like it never happened. I do not wish to do this, but it is for the good of Equestria.”
The group seemed to not argue the point. They thought surely this would be better than a gambit that Twilight would forgive them with time. With that the five ponies, Spike, and Shining Armor nod in agreement.
“It is settled then,” Celestia proclaimed. “We will erase Twilight’s memory so the Elements can be whole again. Can I expect each of you to play your parts?” The group nods in unison.
Twilight pulls away from the door and leans on the wall; the look on her face was one of utter horror; she couldn’t breathe. Her friends are going to help Celestia take her memory away. They wanted complete control over her as if she was some kind of pet. She couldn’t help but weep; the shock of this was too much for the purple pony.
The quiet, bubbling rage from the wedding swelled inside her. Without a second thought, she bucked the door open. The entire group was startled by the sudden noise.
“I TRUSTED YOU!” she screamed, hot tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. “YOU WERE MY FRIENDS! I WOULD HAVE GIVEN EVERYTHING UP FOR YOU ALL!”
Celestia stood from her throne. “Twilight, I am sorry but this is or your own good. Equestria’s very survival is at stake without the Elements of Harmony.”
“I do not care.” Twilight spoke in a low, venomous tone.
“You don’t care about your home?” Celestia retorted. “You don’t care about your family, Cadence, your friends?! You can look me in the eye and proclaim you don’t care if everything you care for is destroyed?!”
Twilight’s eyes turned red. “MAYBE IF YOU WERE A COMPITENT PRINCESS, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO RELY ON THE ELEMENTS!” That sent everyone in the room reeling, even Celestia. “WHY are you even a princess?! All you do is sit on your throne, and act as if you’re always in control. But you’re not! You need us so no one can challenge your rule.” She calmed down just enough for her eyes to return to normal. “You know, I think I see it now. Every villain we have fought wasn’t really a villain, were they?”
“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Celestia bellowed. “Every single adversary you have fought has threatened to destroy the very peace and harmony of Equestria!”
“Like who?!” Twilight spit back. “Nightmare Moon? Luna only became that creature because you soaked up all the lime-light. She sat and suffered in silence while you basked in all the praise. She felt unimportant, unloved- even by you. But seeing you now, I can’t see why she was jealous.”
Rarity fainted at such words being directed to their princess. But Twilight wasn’t done. Shining Armor could only watch what was transpiring with a look of shock on his face.
“Or Discord? Yeah, Discord was an all around pain in the flanks, but other than that what was is crime?” Twilight shrugs. “He didn’t hurt anypony. If anything, he just kept making a nuisance of himself. That should not have warranted such a heavy punishment like an eternity in stone. Your threats were a court jester and a jealous sister. The only threat you faced that actually meant harm was Chrysalis. And when I tried to warn you, none of you listened to me!”
Twilight’s anger seemed to have no end. The others could only watch; the very guilt in their stomachs prevented them from forming words. Twilight started turning away. “I am done. I refuse to be a pawn any longer,” she says, taking a few steps away.
“I am so sorry Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice going gentle, “but I cannot let you do this. You are too important to Equestria to just walk away. GUARDS! DETAIN TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
Twilight was quickly surrounded by guards. “Hold still Ms. Sparkle,” an orange pegasus with blue hair says while pulling out an inhibitor ring. “We don’t wish to hurt you.”
Twilight prepares for the worst until a dark blue beam blasts the ceiling above Celestia. It causes the solar princess to magically catch the rubble. However, this gave Twilight the split second she needed to teleport outside of the dining hall.
“Twilight!” Luna shouts for her. “This way!” The two galloped for the archives.
Within a few moments, they arrive. As soon as they enter, Luna barricades the door. “You must take haste. It will not take Celestia long before she works out where we are.” Twilight looks in awe around the rather large mirror with the horseshoe-lined frame.
“Is this it?” she asks. Luna nods.
“Yes, but we have no time to gaze its splendor; by now our sister has figured out what we’re doing.” Luna began to feed magic into the mirror. “Hold them off for as long as you can,” she says as she focuses her concentration.
As she feeds the mirror, the glass ripples like water, and then swirls around as a purple color starts forming in the frame. As Twilight watches Luna, the thunderous sound of wood cracking and shelves moving turns her attention to the archive door. A second later, the door blows open with a violent bang as books and wood go everywhere. Celestia, the other ponies, and Shining Armor walk into the room.
“Twilight, please don’t do this,” Celestia pleads. “You cannot be serious about leaving your home behind. We can help you.”
“I don’t want your kind of help, ‘princess.’” Twilight spoke coldly. “I am not going to be your pawn anymore.” Celestia’s horn lit up.
“I am sorry, dear Twilight,” Celestia responds. She fires a golden beam of magic at Twilight, only for Twilight to counter with her own beam. As the two struggle, Applejack and Rainbow Dash attempt to stop Luna.
“Princess Luna, Ah’m gonna have ta ask you ta stop. Twilight is not thinkin’ straight; we need ta help’er.” Applejack tries to tackle Luna, who takes to the air.
“We are disappointed, Honest Applejack,” Luna says. “You, of all ponies, know that this is a deceitful action; to manipulate your friend’s memories is to deceive her and yourself…” Her sentence was cut off as a rainbow streak knocks her onto the floor. This caused her magic to become interrupted. The mirror begins to crackle violently as several tendrils of magic seep out and latch onto the beam that Twilight is emitting.
“Twilight is our friend,” Rainbow Dash states. “But Equestria is more important. It is a hard choice to make, but we have more to lose if Twilight…” A low, ominous rumbling stops Rainbow Dash dead in her tracks. Everyone turns to look at the mirror. Luna shot up in a panic.
“The mirror attached itself to the nearest magical source to activate. Tia! Twilight! You must stop! The mirror is overloading!”
Despite her plea, neither of them backed down. The mirror’s magic tendrils started to absorb the collision of the beams. In a violent flash, the two beams ended with a shockwave. Celestia was thrown back into the hallway while Twilight was not so lucky; the force of the blast had propelled her through the mirror.
The mirror, overwhelmed by the power provided by the two ponies and with the excess energy it used to open, shattered into a thousand pieces. When the dust settled, the group could only stand there and look upon the remains of the mirror. Their best friend, Twilight Sparkle, was gone. The five friends failed to halt their tears. Celestia entered the room with tears of anger and sadness, knowing very well what just happened.
“No.” Shining Armor stood in disbelief. “No…NO!” The captain of the royal guard was scrambling to get the mirror pieces and put them back together. “No, please. Twilight! I’m’ sorry! I’m sorry for everything! Come back! Please come back!” Tears started well up in his eyes. “I’ll never treat you bad again! Just please, come back.”
Seeing that his attempts were fruitless, he broke down sobbing on the floor over the mirror pieces, uncaring that there were shards of glass digging into his coat. Celestia gritted her teeth as her guards arrive. The orange colt walked up to address her.
“Princess?” he asks. “Is there anything we can do?” Celestia gave him a stern look that sent chills down the guardpony’s spine.
“Inhibitor ring, now.” The guardpony pulls out a magic inhibitor ring and gives it to Celestia. “What is your name, guardpony?”
“F-Flash Sentry, your highness,” he hesitantly responds.
“Well, Flash Sentry,” she starts, “you have a new job from this night forth.” Celestia slowly trots toward Luna, who lifts a shelf off Applejack. She turns to meet Celestia’s fiery gaze.
“Sister,” Luna spoke, “I…” she was cut off by a swift hoof to the jaw. The entire group, including the guards, stared horrified at the solar monarch’s actions. Celestia puts the inhibitor ring on Luna’s horn.
“I thought you were my sister,” Celestia growls. “You were supposed to rule with me and keep our ponies safe. Now you’ve doomed us all.” She looks to the guards. “Flash Sentry, you are now my sister’s warden.” She turns back to Luna. “Luna of Canterlot, I hereby charge you with high treason against the crown.” The guards shackle Luna. “Pray I’m merciful,” she adds coldly. “Take her away.”
As the guards urge Luna toward the door, she looks back at her sister. “For the good of Equestria, sister?” She sheds a single tear as they continue toward the dungeon.
(Eos: Tenebrae, Nox Fleuret Estate)
Outside a lavish mansion, a child with short, blonde hair and blue eyes tends to some flowers in a garden. She is ripped from pleasant thoughts by a streak of lavender that falls from the sky. It crashes yards away from her.
“Luna!” A taller boy with blonde hair rushes to the girl’s side. “What what that?” he asks. The girl begins walking toward the crater where the flash of purple light landed. The boy attempted to pull her away.
“Calm down, Ravus,” Luna assures him. “It is fine.”
“What if it’s a daemon?” he asks.
“If it was, we would have surely already been attacked,” she replies. “It certainly has the time.”
Both Ravus and Luna peer inside the crater once they reach it. The smoke was so thick they couldn’t see a thing at first. However, they managed to hear a muffled voice.
“H-Help me,” the voice chokes out. “Help, please.” Both children were shocked to hear someone, but judging by the situation, they definitely sounded like they were in trouble.
“GUARDS!” Ravus shouts frantically as he runs back to the mansion to get help. Luna stares in shock as she sees a single hoof poke out of the smoke. The hoof violently shakes with scorched hairs falling off and begins to stretch out and grow five digits.