//------------------------------// // VII - Seeing Double // Story: Broken Mirror // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// >> Everyone's wondered, at some point in their lives, how they would have turned out if things had been different. If they had secured that promotion, if their parents hadn't perished, if they hadn't been convicted of murder, if they had been nicer to their spouse. But, shallow as always, they only think of it in terms of one or two events. They think of how their life would have been different based on their own choices. Few ask the truly interesting question. What if you had been born into a different situation? What then? Truly a hypothetical question, many will say. And they're right. There comes a point that even if someone looks like you, shares your name, your DNA - if they've had a different life, they were never you in the first place. << ~~~ The office of Inspector Rarity Belle was not what the other Rarity had expected. The place was not one she could appreciate, it was bare of any tasteful decoration whatsoever. The office was sparse, mostly devoid of character save for a disorganized pile of trinkets on one end of the desk and a stack of papers on the other. Rarity found herself wondering what the Inspector had been thinking, collecting all those tacky objects. Why did she have seventeen different cubes? What was that cone of metal? And.. was that a stuffed squirrel underneath a pineapple carving? "Ah, I see my trinkets have caught your eye," the Inspector said - speaking with Rarity's voice, but with no trace of higher class to it. Rarity couldn't bring herself to think of the mare before her as anything but 'the Inspector.' The mare held herself differently - she wasn't as careful with her movements, and her mane showed no sign of delicate care, being left loose. The Inspector picked up a diamond shaped crystal. "I have thousands more at home, these are just the ones here at the moment." "Er... They're... Interesting," Rarity said. "Ah," the Inspector said. She reached to her eye and took off the monocle, looking at the three of them with her unadorned eyes. They sparkled with an intelligence Rarity was used to seeing in the mirror. "Now, I do believe I'm entitled to an explanation. Cadet, do a brief." Minuette nodded and saluted. "Very well, Inspector. Two days ago I was on patrol around the Concretion and saw these two individuals - Rarity Belle and Pinkie Pie - wander inside the city bounds. As a drone chased them out, I rushed to save them from being turned to slag. Upon reporting back to camp they claimed they were from another world entirely, one where the Concretion doesn't exist and things are freakily different. We didn't believe them at first, but they were completely clueless on how things worked here, and the Concretes were flooding over the location they appeared in our world. After this, our base was attacked and obliterated by Concrete drones, presumably because we had the two of them with us. Commander Soarin tasked me with delivering them to another base, so we made our way here." She paused. "Yes, it sounds crazy, that's because it is, but that's what happened. A message should have been sent to General Spitfire if you need any more proof. And..." She glanced at Rarity. "...Well, there's the fact that both of you exist." The Inspector nodded. "We'd been wondering why the base was destroyed... This makes as much sense as anything. I do wonder what two ordinary ponies have that's worth starting a war over." Minuette frowned. "The war is official then." "Yes," the Inspector said."We are unfortunately in the position of being one of the largest Equestrian settlements, and uncomfortably close to the Concretion. We will likely be a prime target once they stop hammering on Canterlot. Trading fire over the pass won't keep them forever." Rarity shook her head slightly - it felt weird hearing her voice say those things, reporting on a war... "Regardless," the Inspector said, "I believe you, since it explains some things, and it'd be somewhat hard to deny it considering I am staring the spitting image of myself in the face. I still wish to know why they want you so badly." Pinkie shrugged - which was somewhat difficult to do while tied to Minuette's back. "That's proooobably me." The Inspector raised a judgmental eyebrow. "...And how's that?" "Like this." Pinkie twisted, turning herself into a tornado, throwing the ropes off herself. She jumped into the air, shoving Minuette to the ground. "Pigger! Gah!" Minuette yelled. "Oh don't worry about it, I can just tie myself up again later," Pinkie smirked. Minuette nervously made some 'quiet' gestures, after which she turned to the Inspector. "It could be that. It could be some unknown 'lab equipment' the Concretes found in the cave. It could just be because they're from a world where things are craptastically different." The Inspector blinked slowly, staring at Pinkie. "...Fascinating. Does the name 'Diane' mean anything to you?" Pinkie blinked. "Uh... Yes it does. That's my middle name..." She scratched her mane. "...Wait, do you know other me?" "In a way," Rarity said. Pinkie grinned. "Ooooh! What's other me like? Crazy? Happy? Sad? Smart? Curious? Boring? Oh, boring would be dreadful..." "She's one of the Concrete's top scientists and is more than likely the one who ordered all the attacks on you." "Oh," Pinkie said. She shrugged. "Evil twin, gotcha." Minuette facehooved. "I probably should have mentioned that earlier..." "Oh really?" Rarity chided. "Hey, it's been a pretty shitty and chaotic two days okay?" "I know. I was there, dear." The Inspector's nose twitched. "Well, as much as I hate to say this, I have no right to make a decision on what to do with you. I'll have to forward you to the Princess." "Ooooh! We get to meet Twilight too?" Pinkie asked. "Yes. I will brief her on the situation in preparation for an audience. She will probably want to see you as soon as possible. And please, make the fact that you're minglers more discreet, hmm?" The three mares gulped. "What are you talking about?" Minuette blurted. "Look," the Inspector said, putting a hoof to her head in exasperation. "You don't have to admit it. Just know that keeping her tied to your back won't always work. You speak to her with an audible respect, and you don't lash out. Any unicorn soldier worth their salt would assault an earth who talked so candidly." Rarity shook her head. "We can't do that..." "Well, you either have to react like you should to the earth, or the earth will have to act like an earth." "Hey! I'm right here!" Pinkie said. "So?" the Inspector said. "You've already failed. Keep your head down, don't look excited, don't look happy. It's better if you aren't any of those things as well. Become afraid. Be what you're supposed to be." Pinkie frowned. "...You're just like the rest of them, aren't you?" Rarity saw something in her counterpart's eyes - something so slight that nopony should have noticed it. It was the look of a pony who was struggling deep within herself. "Yes, I am," the Inspector answered. "Because that's the way things are." Rarity glared at her. "We disagree." "I know," the Inspector said. "...I really can't have you seen together in public more than you already have..." Rarity was confused for a moment - but then realized. "Oh. I look like you." "Precisely. Our marks may be different, but not everypony will use that as an identifier." Rarity blinked. "They... are?" She looked at the Inspector's flank - the mark was a single blue diamond with a monocle lens imposed over the center. "...Huh. What does it mean?" "I can see behind the veils ponies wear," the Inspector said. "It's very helpful in my profession. Regardless, I have to get you to the castle unseen." "just use Minuette's invisibility spell!" Pinkie said. "Prettty obvious!" The Inspector sighed. "We have measures in place to prevent invisible exploits here, and magic sensors. The earth probably set them off already." Pinkie twitched. "I'm here! You can talk to me!" The inspector took in a long breath. "Well, I could, but that'd be beneath me." Pinkie steamed but stayed quiet. The Inspector nodded in approval. "You'll all stay here while I brief the princess. She'll come to get you personally when the time comes." "Won't that be dangerous to her?" Rarity asked. The Inspector smirked. "She's the princess. She can teleport anywhere she wants unhindered." "Makes sense." "Now, just so you know," the Inspector took a moment to glare at all three of them. "I'll be a lot less friendly if you leave this room." Pinkie grumbled at that, but nodded. The Inspector walked out of the office and locked the door behind her. The three mares stood in silence for a minute. "Okay, I'm bored," Pinkie said, turning to the pile of trinkets. "I wonder what fun things are in there?" ~~~ "It's bizarre," Rarity said, "I can see myself, I can see the class, the grace, the beauty - but it's all shrouded by a distant exterior. She could be so much more..." "You have a really huge ego, don't you?" Minuette asked. "Are you suggesting I'm not better than her?" "Well, she wasn't as much of a drama queen." Rarity moved to respond but quickly thought better of it. She frowned, looking down at the ground. Maybe the Inspector was just different... Not somepony to be judged... "I did it!" Pinkie shouted, grinning. "I stacked them all on top of each other!" She gestured towards a tower of trinkets that went from the floor to the ceiling. "There is no way that all of the trinkets are in that tower," Minuette said. "I may have cheated a bit," Pinkie admitted. "Where'd the extras go?" "I dunno," Pinkie shrugged. "If I turn it into a pile again, they'll probably reappear. The art of the stack isn't an exact science." A blue magic aura knocked one of the trinkets out of Pinkie's tower, causing the entire thing to collapse into a pile with some trinkets that weren't in the tower. Pinkie twitched. "All right, who did that!?" Rarity pointed at Minuette and Minuette pointed at Rarity. Pinkie facehooved. "I must dish out trinket justice!" She started throwing the small objects at Minuette and Rarity - and they threw back, kicking off a miniature war. The war ended without a clear victor two minutes later when a powerful burst of purple magic lit up the space. Twilight Sparkle, alicorn princess, stood before them. She looked almost identical to the Twilight they knew - pointed horn, purple coat, streaked mane, and a starburst cutie mark. The main differing feature was that she had a pair of goggles on her forehead, just under her tiara. "Already bored I see?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Minuette stood to attention, Rarity had the decency to blush, and Pinkie threw a trinket at her. Twilight caught it with her magic. "A new foe has appeared!" Pinkie yelled. "A- oh wait uhh..." She took a breath and forcefully brought her head down. "I mean... Nevermind..." Twilight held up a hoof. "You don't have to hide from me. Rarity has already informed me of your relation. But she was right, you are bad at hiding it." She smiled warmly. "Luckily I can teleport us right to my castle. Hold still..." Pinkie knew she shouldn't have expected anything familiar, but in her mind the word 'castle' meant a tall, crystalline structure filled with all colors imaginable. She was prepared to see the crystal halls she knew, awaiting the beautiful walls, the glowing chandeliers, and maybe even the Map... She was sorely disappointed. Bleak gray stone defined the hall they appeared in. The drab construction material contrasted somewhat with dozens of purple banners proudly displaying Twilight's cutie mark, but the hall was completely empty otherwise, save a small throne at the end at which Twilight was seated. She looked down at them, a curious expression on her face. "So. I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Harmony." Minuette bowed. Rarity looked at her in confusion for a moment. "Oh, yes, right." She bowed as well, pulling Pinkie down with her. "Terribly sorry, haven't... bowed in a while." "Understandable," Twilight said, frowning. "Tell me what I'm like." "Well..." Rarity began. "I want to hear it from Pinkie," Twilight interrupted. "Really!?" Pinkie's jaw dropped. "Nopony's cared anything about what I've said the entire time I've been here!" "That makes your words all the more valuable. Please, what am I like?" Pinkie smiled. "You're just amazing! You're smart, you're caring, you're understanding, you want to help everyone... You've grown so much! You started out as a bookworm and became the Princess of Friendship itself, saving the world more times than we can count! You're one of my best friends!" Twilight's face became a battlefield. She was beaming at the description with an intense pride, but her eyes watered with a deep turmoil. "Yes... That's right. That's good. Very... Very good." She sighed. "I... I'm not the Twilight you know, don't expect that from me. But... she sounds amazing." "She is!" Pinkie grinned. "Maybe you'll get to meet her one day when she finds out how to find us! ...if she can..." "I'm sure she'll stop at nothing." Twilight stepped down from her throne, walking to Pinkie. "And I won't let her friends die before then. You're safe now." Minuette coughed. "Your... highness?" "Yes, Minuette, I am being very candid about this. Nopony's watching. And I know none of you will tell, I see it in your minds." Rarity blinked. "Wait, what?" "Oh, sorry, didn't know that was unacceptable to you. Let me turn it off." She tilted her head sideways, her horn flashing with a soft glow. "There, I often forget ponies don't like their minds being pried into." "...How can you forget something like that?" Rarity asked. "More importantly, how'd you survive Pinkie's mind!?" Minuette gawked. "Second question first," Twilight said. "The spell doesn't permit an overload, keeps my mind sane. As for how I forgot about ponies... I have to use it all the time, in my position. To help others, to make sure all this doesn't come falling down around me. My friends have gotten used to it..." She looked wistfully out a window. "I suppose it's a testament to how ruined our world is that I stoop to this." Minuette blinked. "Okay, Princess, forgive me, but what the buck!?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Your mind had suggested you saw the problems..." "I have!" Minuette said. "Maybe. I'm not sure. Kinda think I'm losing my mind. But how can you be like this? How does anyone follow you? How!?" Twilight smiled the most innocent smile. "They only see what they want to see. I keep it that way." "You bend their minds," Rarity said. "Yes," Twilight said, furrowing her brow. "Excuse me, I don't know you that well, so I have to think of a response... Uh... You don't like it. You think it's wrong. It is." "Then why?" "Because if I ever let them see me as a whole, all that I've worked for will fall. We are the largest settlement in Equestria save Canterlot. We have avoided the corruption, kept free from the purge. Part of that is due to our amazing Inspectors such as Rarity, but a lot of it has to do with me. I keep them from tearing each other apart. I keep us safe." She looked at them with sad eyes. "Maybe I can stop one day, but that day is not today. I know you won't understand, I know you won't approve. That's why I told you." Minuette blinked. "What?" "I need to be reminded how wrong it is. I forgot, again, as I always do. My friends have slowly forgotten over the years. It becomes normalized. It can't be allowed to stay that way. I need to know... Tha... Uh..." Rarity shook her head. "You're... How do I say this...?" "Crazy? Mad? Insane? Almost assuredly. I've been doing this for years. Molding minds affects your own. I'm a very broken mare sitting on a throne, wiping the minds of those who'll cause me trouble. I'm one of those villains you read about in storybooks. I'm just waiting for the day the heroes show up and make things right." She looked closely at Pinkie and Rarity as if she were judging them; she looked like she wanted to say something, but shook her head with a smirk on her face. "I'm sorry, am I burdening you? I can't really tell without... it." "A... bit," Rarity admitted. "Let us stop talking about me and unfortunate mental practices then. Let's move on to you and what is to be done with you. I will try to accommodate your... minds without looking into them." "...Why are you giving us special treatment?" Rarity asked. Twilight shook her head. "Because you've had enough stress and chaos and fear of the unknown in your life as of late. You need to adjust. I think." "...Thank you." "Don't... Mention it? Sorry, still trying to adjust myself," she laughed. "Now, what to do with you... Have any of you given any thought as to what was going to happen when you got here?" Minuette blinked. "...Not really, Princess. I was told to get them to an authority and I did. I guess I'll go help in the war now. Since that's a thing..." "For your service, I offer you the position of Commander here in Neighagra Falls. Naturally, I can't tell everypony why you've been promoted, but it'll work out." Minuette's eyes widened. "The bu- I mean, it would be an honor." She bowed. "That was easy. Now... for you two..." A frown crossed her face. "Do you... Have anything to offer us?" Pinkie and Rarity glanced at each other and shrugged. "Twi- sorry," Rarity shook her head. "Princess, we don't have much to offer. I'm a seamstress and Pinkie here throws parties for a living. I don't have any amazing skills or knowledge, and testing on Pinkie's... abilities is what got us into this mess in the first place." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Rarity put a hoof around Pinkie. Pinkie smiled sheepishly. "Well, other you was curious about my powers, and then I was, then the Doctor was, and then they did some tests, and things exploded, and then we were here." Minuette let out a huff. "Tests going wrong. Big bucking surprise." "The Doctor..." Twilight said. "He wouldn't happen to be a brown earth would he?" "Yes. Who's he here?" Rarity asked, dreading the response. "Concrete scientist," Twilight said. "Invented the drones they use." "How poetic." Twilight sighed. "So we don't have anything besides Pinkie here, who the Concretes probably want to study. And we can't let that happen, nopony knows what they'd do if they could cross dimensions..." Minuette shook her head. "They hate magic, Princess, if anything they'd just want to destroy her." "Don't be so quick to assume, Commander," Twilight said, not commenting further on the subject. "I... I wish you could be of more help. Sorry. That was rude just there. It's not your fault..." "We could tell you about our world!" Pinkie offered. "I'll take you up on that, but it will have to be later. We need to find a place for you in Neighagra falls, assuming you don't want to stay locked up in the castle for an indefinite amount of time. Possibly months." "I could not handle that," Pinkie declared. "She'd probably blow a wall to shit before the week was out," Minuette agreed. "So, naturally, you need to figure out how to live here without dying." Twilight frowned. "And without making a scene either. You look like a high profile Inspector, and you don't act like any earth pony ever. Even the activists aren't like you, and being an activist is hardly laying low." "New identities," Rarity said. "You can change our appearance, find us jobs." "I'm stillll an earth pony, Rarity," Pinkie reminded her. "So? Our Twilight knew the race-change spell. I'm sure the princess here knows it as well." "There's a race change spell!?" Twilight blinked. "That'd put a defect in the argument of so many by its mere existence..." "It doesn't exist here?" Rarity facheooved. "Absolutely wonderful. We can't have her being an earth pony, it's already caused a lot of trouble... No offense Pinkie." "None taken," Pinkie said. "I do like being an earth pony though, it's awesome!" Minuette gagged on those words. Conversely, Twilight beamed at them. "In another place, that'd be a great attitude. I'd have you sent to the movement if you weren't so important. But..." She pursed her lips. "A race-change spell... I don't have that, but it has given me an idea." She lit her horn, spread her wings, and engulfed Pinkie's head in a magical aura. Ina second, a nice pink horn shot out of her forehead. "Ooooooh amazing! I have my own horn!" Pinkie started bouncing around. "Now I can do magic and shoot lasers and..." "Dear heavens, the world isn't ready," Rarity said. "Either world..." "The horn's purely cosmetic," Twilight said. "Doesn't do anything." "Problem," Minuette butted in. "I can't feel any magic coming from it. I know it's fake." With a quick spell, Twilight cracked the horn down the middle. "Broken horns don't give off magic." "An Inspector will still notice." Twilight smirked. "I can take care of them. Don't worry. I'll just say 'national security' and they'll do whatever I say." She turned to Rarity. "I'm going to change your mane and eye color. Any preference?" "...Red mane, green eyes," she said. "Hearth's Warming colors?" Pinkie frowned, tapping her broken horn with her hoof. "Yes, Pinkie. This place could stand some festivity." Twilight made the changes - Rarity's mane became a stripey scarlet and black, and her eyes flashed to a brilliant emerald green. "Mirror please?" "Oh," Twilight said, "right." She conjured up a mirror and showed Rarity. "...You know, I was thinking it was about time for a new look. This... could be a good thing." "Now... Rarity, we need to give you a new name and a new job... What is your special talent by the way?" Rarity looked at her flank. "I can see the hidden beauty within things. I used it to fashion clothing back home." Twilight smiled. "That's a perfect job for you. A little odd, not too many customers, great for laying low. How about... Thread Eye?" "Needle Sight?" Pinkie offered. "Sewn View?" Minuette suggested. "I'll... Think on it for a while," Rarity said, realizing with no small amount of glee that she was going to be a seamstress again. "My talent is throwing parties!" Pinkie cheered. "No," Twilight said. "Far too conspicuous. We don't want a lot of attention, and you scream for attention..." "I can also bake! I like baking! I love manning the counter and talking to ponies!" "Something tells me you'd draw attention there anyway..." Twilight frowned."I'm not sure what to give you..." A silence fell over the hall, broken only by the distant rumblings of the falls. "Wow. Those falls are loud," Pinkie said. "Yes, yes they are. Up close it's pretty deafening-" Twilight lit up with an idea. "Tourist guide!" "What?" Rarity asked. "There's an extensive cave system behind the falls. We don't get all that many tourists, but there's enough. Ponies who take that job have to be loud, extravagant, and friendly to deal with the visitors and tremendous noise of the falls!" Pinkie was silent for a moment, listening to the cascading water in the distance. Then her face lit up into a grin. "That sounds super-duper fun!" "Then it's settled," Twilight said. "I'll have Rarity - the Inspector - make the arrangements. Don't worry, she's a personal friend of mine and won't let anything go unchecked. I will do whatever I can to keep you safe in this trying time." "You... have no idea how much this means," Rarity said. "You've treated us with unconditional kindness... It means so much." "I know..." Twilight said with a sigh. "Trust me, I know..." She shook her head. "But what are we waiting here for, we have lives to give you!"