One morning, Lightning and Krysta had gone to Cookie Dough’s restaurant to deliver a shipment of foods and spices Cookie Dough had ordered. Cookie Dough was so happy, that he invited them for a free breakfast to say thanks. It was Flapjack Friday, and Cookie Dough made the best flapjacks there were. Lightning ordered a big stack for himself and Krysta, heavy on the syrup.

Just one bite of those warm fluffy flapjacks and the sweetness of the syrup, Lightning and Krysta as well as the other customers all felt lighter than air and warm inside. “Gets them every time…” Cookie Dough chuckled softly “How do I do it?”

As everyone ate through breakfast, Abra Kadabra entered the restaurant much to everyone’s astonish. “Good morning everyone.” he chuckled. A few of the customers asked for his autograph, which he was only too obliged to give. He passed by Lightning and Krysta. “What’s a big-shot like you doing here?” asked Lightning. Abra felt that was a silly question, “Why, because I’m hungry, and even a magician requires his nourishment.”

He found a table opposite from Lightning and Krysta’s. It was bare, and had not even a tablecloth on it. Cookie Dough informed him that the table hadn’t been set yet. “I can set it up immediately for you.”

“Oh, no need to bother.” said Abra “I think I can take care of that.” He put down his bag and clapped his front hands together. He was about to demonstrate his talents again, and everyone waged with eagerness and awe.

Abra began by showing everyone that his hat was completely empty, yet he pulled a beautiful red and white table cloth which he spread across the table. He waved his cape over the table making a dish appear. He held out one hand, and rolled up his sleeves, and in a swift twist flick of his fingers, eating utensils appeared in his hands. Finally, he made it seem as if he had pulled a napkin from his mouth, and then placing it flat on the table, he lifted it up revealing a flower in a thin vase of water.

Everyone applauded, and Abra took a bow. Cookie Dough brought him a serving of flapjacks. “This is on the house juts for that performance.” He said. “Ah, thank you my good sir.” said Abra “As it stands, my money is running dreadfully low, but this should help me to hold onto what I have.”

Lightning and Krysta were just as shocked. “You’re going bankrupt?” asked Krysta. “Regrettably it would seem so.” replied Abra. He explained that he had fallen on hard times since Titan had returned, and he had been having a hard time finding work and places to perform. All the parties he had ever been invited to perform at were always spoiled by an attack on the land, forcing everyone to evacuate, and some shows he had arranged were cancelled due to emergency evacuation before he had a chance to begin. He didn’t do a show, so he didn’t get paid. Even at his own performances in the streets, people threw him flowers more than they threw him money, and those who wanted Abra’s autograph, he just didn’t have the heart to ask for money, such was his reputation of being too kind.

“Well, couldn’t you just get another part time job or something?” asked Lightning.

“Yeah, if you want we could use an extra hand in the kitchen.” added Cookie Dough. “I thank you for the offer and suggestions gentlemen.” Abra said “But I’m afraid it is not so simple. You see, I am professional performer, and in my family that is a well honored position. My father, his father, and his father before him were all performers and entertainers. My family history consists of a very long line of performers and artists. I could never truly turn my back on our sacred tradition.”

“So that’s why you became a magician?” asked Krysta. Abra nodded “I was fascinated by the art of illusion and sleight-of-hand, and simple trickery. I adored amusing spectators with my talents, and was soon the toast of Unicornicopia. Sadly, with the many threats the planet now faces, I find myself on the verge of becoming a has-been. Oh, perhaps I should break with tradition and take up your offer until I can find my feet again. After all, one does not live on bread alone.”

Titan’s minions were all arguing over whose turn it was to launch an attack, while Titan busy attending to his own devices, training and mastering his ever-growing powers for the day when the seal would break and he’d be free to exact revenge.

Ultimately the minions decided to draw straws, and Dementia won. “I’m not only beautiful, I’m just lucky.” she teased. The others were not amused. “Whatever your plan is, just make sure it actually works.” snapped Rep-Stallion.

“Hah!” remarked Dementia “At least I won’t screw up this time, unlike the two of you.”

Mysterious simply scoffed, “If memory serves me correctly, I actually succeeded in gather more energy for Lord Titan than the two of you out together.” Dementia trembled angrily. “I have a plan that’s really going to reflect upon everything.” She hissed as she gazed into her mirror while snickering.

Abra was soon put to work, washing the dishes, only he wasn’t very good at it, and dropped a couple of dishes. “Oh, dear!” he groaned, Lightning and Krysta offered to stay and help. The way Abra worked, you’d think he’d never washed dishes in his life, which was true because Abra usually ate with paper plates and plastic utensils that you threw away or recycled once you were finished with them, that and he was too busy working on his magic acts to really have too much time for simple chores most of the time.

“If only I had spent equal time learning how to do other things, I wouldn’t be in such a mess.” Abra said. “Don’t say that.” said Krysta “You’re a great magician, Abra. I know you’ll find work again.” Cookie Dough and Lightning agreed. “Abra, you’re lucky.” added Lightning “At least you can do all these things. I can’t even perform one simple card trick with or without magic. You amaze me.”

Abra felt flattered, but this still didn’t help him with his money problem. “If only there some way I could really bring my act up. Get better performances. All I’d need is full house of observers.”

Cookie Dough suddenly had an idea, and Lightning and Krysta happened upon the same thought, but they decided to save it for a surprise for Abra and everyone else in the restaurant.

As the day continued, Abra was starting to get the hang of washing dishes. He didn’t even mind that he had dishpan hands. He even amazed the staff with some of his magic tricks to store the dishes and utensils away. They were all very impressed. Abra took a bow and said to Lightning and Krysta, “I’m starting to like it here. Maybe I should work here more often.”

Lightning and Krysta just giggled at one another cheekily, both of them could hardly wait to surprise him.

Suddenly, everyone in the place began to scream. Lightning and Krysta immediately ran outside the restaurant. “…Dementia!” snarled Lightning.

The alarms sounded and everyone began to run inside before the force fields were activated. Poor Cookie Dough though, his restaurant was a mess. He took off his chef hat, “When did I start losing control in my joint?” he cried.

Lightning and Krysta searched round the empty square just as the shields came up, and then they spotted Dementia standing in at the other end of the square. “My, but it’s a lovely day for a battle.” she mocked “Only this time you’ll lose.”

Lightning and Krysta were already annoyed. “We’re tired of these games, Dementia.” snapped Lightning “Why don’t you do us all a favor and go back to Titan, and stay there?!”

Dementia simply laughed, “I think I’ll stay around here for a while, and with a little company as well.” she said as she held out her mirror. “What are you up to?” Krysta demanded to know, and she got her answer when Dementia sprinkled the magic dust all over her mirror transforming it into a monster with mirrors for arms, mirrors for legs, even two large mirrors for its body and its head. “Behold, the Re-Reflector!” She was pleased with her new monster, mostly but the fact that she could see herself from so many different angles, but that wasn’t the best part. “Go get them.”

“Starfleet Magic!” Once transformed, Lightning quickly and dashed into battle. “Let’s see what this this thing can do.” He charged straight for the center mirror, which was the monster’s body, and rammed into it, only get horribly knocked back. “…OOF!” Lightning felt is he had just been hit by another cart. “What was that?” he wondered aloud. Krysta was confused too.

Dementia sniggered softly, and Lightning got up to try attacking again. He aimed a high-jump kick at the monster, but the second he made contact he felt some force boot him back hard, sending him rolling along the ground. Krysta saw the whole thing and began to wonder what was going on. The monster hadn’t even raised an arm yet Lightning had definitely been attacked by something, and she also noticed Dementia was by herself with glee. “Wait a minute!” Krysta said and she flew in closer to check out the monster as it continued to stomp its way forward.

Krysta flew at the monster’s face until she was just inches away from the glass that was reflecting her. She then reached out with her hand to touch the glass, but strangely, it felt as if she was touching her own hand. “What the…?” Then, she tried something drastic, and gently slapped her reflection in the cheek, only to feel the actual slap herself. Dementia couldn’t help but laugh hard.

“Haven’t you figured out yet?” Dementia laughed. “It’s called the Re-Reflector for a reason. Any attacks you make on it, it’ll just reflect them right back at you.”

“You don’t-- it beats you.” hissed Dementia “Let us demonstrate its other unique ability.” At her command, Re-Reflector raised its mirror arms up, up, up, and began to reflect the sunlight. This caused into powerful scorching beams to fire at Lightning and Krysta. “Watch out…!” cried Lighting as they evaded the beams. Lightning’s tail caught little graze “WHOA! Careful, it’ll fry you to a crisp!” he shouted.

Dementia was overjoyed, and really believed her victory was assured. “Why not make it easy and surrender?” she said “I promise I’ll be gentle.”

“Ugh! Fine! We’ll do it the hard way.” groaned Dementia, and she ordered her monster to capture them both. Lightning and Krysta didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t even try to attack the monster while it could reflect everything. Lightning didn’t even dare use the Rainbow Rod, or the attack would bounce back at him too. At the moment he and Krysta continued to dodge the sun-beams.

While the many civilians all huddled tightly in Cookie Dough’s restaurant helplessly watched the battle from the windows. Abra was especially worried for Lightning, and could see he was in desperate need of help. As he observed the fight and how Re-Reflector was able to reflect things, he began to realize the monster had one fatal weakness. He quickly grabbed his magician’s gear and headed for the back door. “Hey, Abra what are you doing?” shouted Cookie Dough “Come back in here!” but Abra had already left the restaurant and passed right through the force-field--they stopped things from coming in, but not going out-- unharmed, and unable to ever get back inside, he dashed straight for the battle area on the other side of the building.

Re-Reflector shot another sunbeam Lightning and Krysta were barely able to dodge and the resulting explosion in the street knocked them both to the ground. Dementia couldn’t get enough of this “Face it twerps, you’re finished!”

Everyone, even the monster looked to see Abra standing in the middle of the street, his cape fluttering in the breeze and the serious look on his face. “Abra, what are you doing here?!” shouted Lightning. “Get out of here while you can!” added Krysta. Dementia actually agreed with them “Indeed you would be wise to leave.” she snapped “I have no use for you. It’s Lightning that I want. Leave here now before I order my monster to destroy you as well!”

Abra wouldn’t run, and he gazed at Dementia snarling “You and your creature have interfered long enough. You have no right to treat my friends so cruelly.”

Dementia’s features hardened “So, that’s how you want it? Fine, get him Re-Reflector!”

Abra just stood where he was as the monster fired two large sunbeams. Lightning and Krysta hollered for Abra to get out of the way, but he still didn’t move as the beams seemed to hit him causing a huge explosion. Dementia laughed hard in triumph, but when the smoke had cleared, Abra was still standing there, with his arms folded.

Lightning and Krysta were confused too, and Dementia was baffled and outraged. Abra’s lips curled into a smirk. “Remember the first rule of magic: Things are not always what they seem.” And with that, he clapped his hands and faded away into thin air-- it was just an illusion.

He then repapered standing near a lamppost, and another Abra appeared sitting on a bench. A third one stood by a post-box and a fourth popped out from a manhole in the street.

Dementia could hardly believe this and kept gazing back and forth between the Abras, while each of them taunted her.

Dementia growled fiercely. “These tricks are starting to bore me; WARP BLASTER!” She used her powers to warp the energy around her into small projectiles and fired at each of the Abras, and her monster fired its sunbeams to help her, but it turned out all four of the Abras were illusions as well. “Now I’m mad!” shouted Dementia, but then she saw the real Abra walked out from the smoke, completely unharmed. Dementia saw him “Ha, Got’cha; WARP WAVE!” Using her magic, she bound him in a seemingly tight bind.

But Abra only smirked, much to Dementia’s shock. “Very amateurish.” He said and then stamped his foot, and like magic, he magically switched the spell, so he was free and Dementia was being held up by her own spell. “What, how did you?!”

The monster marched right up to him, and already laid its two huge mirror arms to the sides of Abra ready to close in and squash him! “Oh, I can’t look!” cried Krysta as she hid under Lightning’s wing, but Lightning began wonder what Abra was up to. He then watched as the monster smashed its arms together, but Abra vanished at the last second in a cloud of smoke, and caused the monster to smash its arms, shattering the glass. The monsters arms were badly damaged, because once again.

Dementia screamed in outraged and shock as she broke free from bondage. “This can’t be!”

“Of course…!” Lightning said “The monster reflects every attack that comes at it, so Abra got it to attack its own self!”

Lightning and Krysta agreed, and jumped at the shattered monster. Lightning kicked the monster hard, and Krysta threw several large rocks at it. Without its mirrors intact, the monster couldn’t defend itself anymore. Now that it was more than weak enough, “Do it, Lightning!” shouted Krysta. Lightning nodded and got out the Rainbow Rod. “Hope no one’s superstitious. That’s a pretty big mirror I’m about to break.”

“No! You can’t!” shouted Dementia, but Lightning was already charging the rod up.

“Powers of the rainbow, heed my call
I summon you now to make evil fall
Let goodness and justice triumph in might
I summon now… the rainbow’s light!

The monster got hit, fell over and exploded. Dementia didn’t know what she was feeling; a mix of anger, shock, confusion, disbelief. “No, what went wrong?!” she thundered. She angrily gazed at Lightning who was now posing the rod at her. “Now it’s your turn!” but before he could charge up the power…

“I’ll get you yet for this! Just you wait!” Dementia growled, and she disappeared. Lightning growled that he missed his chance to get her, but at least the city was saved; except for all the collateral damages in the street, but they would be easily fixed.

Abra appeared alongside them as if from nowhere, and was applauding for them both. “Truly a magnificent performance.” He complimented.

Abra only chuckled, “My dear Krysta, a good magician never reveals his secrets.”

Krysta and Lightning merely sighed. “You know, he’d make a fine fighter with those skills.”

Abra felt flattered, but he wouldn’t dream of taking a job with Starfleet, especially for the events that were to occur that very night…!

Cookie Dough’s restaurant was already popular, and Abra was given a place for a permanent gig where he could perform shows while everyone was treated to a lovely dinner. Business was more than doubled, and both Arba and Cookie agreed to split the profits fairly.

Abra was quite a hit and the crowds just admired his talent. So did Lightning and Krysta, who were sadly forced to watch from the kitchen as they scrubbed extra dishes. “This part of the show I’m not really enjoying.” Lightning groaned. Krysta agreed, and she was only drying dishes. “Well, at least we helped Abra out. Look how happy he is.”

They watched the show go on through the kitchen doors behind them, and Lightning agreed that Abra was doing great. They also still were pretty curious at how he performed his tricks, but figured it best not to after all.

“Abra may be a civilian, and though he disobeyed orders by leaving the comparative safety of the shelters, he proved to be quite helpful in the battle today despite not having any special training in the art of combat, but just relying on his own skills and talent. It’s no surprise that art of magic is indeed like a box full of tricks-- hard to understand and difficult to master.

This also bring me back to my own status, and how even though I have no real magic of my own, I too have special skills on my own that help me and others whenever danger threatens our world. I feel that if others can appreciate others for their own talents and skills, and realize they are capable of doing so much more than they at first think… perhaps there will be more universal peace…

He signed his name, then sent the report through the magic mailbox slot which would send it all the way to Grand Ruler’s floating palace in the sky.

After that, he hopped into bed, and turned out the lights and dreamt of all the adventures he would have another day.

In our next episode, as the night falls and the ponies all drift off to sleep, this gives Mysterious the idea to plague them all with terrible nightmares, which curse the ponies into being afraid and losing their self-confidence, weakening their powers immensely. With their confidence struck, Mysterious summons a new monster made of flames to attack the already frightened lot.

Can the ponies overcome their fears? Will Mysterious’ plan be their ultimate undoing?

Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!”

(Next Episode: “Nighty Nightmare”)

My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic Season I

by DakariKingMykan

Episode 7: Mirror, Mirror, on the Brawl