//------------------------------// // A Mission Into the Mirror // Story: Through the Mirror // by MiraculousDragonMaster //------------------------------// Through the Mirror Chapter 3 A Mission Into the Mirror That following morning, the Mane 6 and Spike reported to the princesses about the late night theft. To their surprise, Princess Celestia knew who the mare was. "Sunset Shimmer." She revealed the mare's name. "She was a former student of mine who started her studies with me not long before Twilight." The Mane 6 were surprised to know that Celestia had a student before she had decided to take Twilight under her tutelage. "But when she did not get what she wanted as quickly as she would liked, she turned cruel and dishonest." Celestia continued. "I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies with me and pursue her own path. One that has sadly led her to stealing your crown." Spike then held out the fake crown that Sunset had switched. "She replaced Twilight's with this one." Celestia took a closer look at the doppelganger crown, examining it. "I suppose that Sunset Shimmer thought that Twilight wouldn't notice right away that this wasn't hers." As she talked, every pony began walking out of the throne room. "And by the time she did, it would be too late to go after her crown and Element of Harmony." "But, I don't understand." Twilight said, coming up beside her mentor. "Where did she go? Where did she take the crown?" "You'll soon know more about this place than even I do." Celestia answered. Soon, all of them were back in the room where the mirror was being kept. "This is no ordinary mirror." Princess Luna said. "It is a gateway to another world. A gateway that opens once every 30 moons." Pinkie Pie touched the magic glass with a hoof, making it ripple and shine. "Sparkly!" She exclaimed. With a blank look on her muzzle, Luna lit up her horn and used her midnight blue magic to pull Pinkie's hoof away from the glass. She then continued speaking. "It has always been kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, but when Princess Cadence took over the Crystal Empire, we sent it over here for her to watch over." Celestia sighed as she laid eyes on the mirror. "I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would one day use the mirror to return, to come back to Equestria seeking my guidance. Obviously, this is not what has happened." "Twilight." Cadence called her sister-in-law's attention. "You must use the mirror to go into this other world and retrieve your crown. Without it, the other Elements of Harmony have no power and Equestria is left without one of its most important means of defense." Twilight nodded solemnly as she got a little closer to the enchanted mirror. Her friends shared a glance in between each other. "Your crown does not belong in the place that Sunset Shimmer now calls home." Luna said. "And in her possession, your Element of Harmony will no doubt be used to bring great harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will not have the power to defend themselves." She then used her magic to put two saddle bags onto Twilight's back. Celestia came up to the young lavender alicorn. "You understand the importance of your task?" She asked. "Of course." Twilight answered. "Good." Celestia said. "Then you must go at once." Twilight took a deep breath and began to approach the mirror. But suddenly, Rainbow Dash landed in front of her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." She said as the rest of the gang took place on both sides of her. "She's going, we're going with her. Right, girls?" "Ooh, I'm so nervicited!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You do realize that's not a real word, right?" Applejack asked her rhetorically. Twilight smiled at her friends, touched by their loyalty to not leave her side. But, Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm afraid I can't let you go." She said. The Mane 6 looked at her in shock. "What?! Why not?" Rainbow demanded, stomping her hoof for emphasis. "Sending all of you could disrupt the balance of this alternate world," She explained. "Creating havoc that would make it impossible for Twilight to get the crown back from Sunset Shimmer. This is something that Princess Twilight must do alone." As the Mane 5 moved away from the mirror, they shared a glance with Twilight. She wasn't happy about this either. Rainbow Dash moved the others a little further away from the group. "We're not just letting Twilight go into that mirror by herself, right?" She whispered. "But ya heard the Princess." Applejack whispered back. "Since when we have left Twilight hanging when she needs us, even if she didn't realize it?" Rainbow pointed out. "She does have a point." Fluttershy pointed out. "So, are we all still up for it?" Rarity asked. "I am." Pinkie said. The Mane 5 all looked over at each other. Applejack sighed, realizing that they were right. "No contest." She said. "Wait for my signal." Dash said. "Time is of the essence." Luna said to Twilight. She then used her magic to make an image of the moon rising. "On the third day, when the moon reaches its peak in the night sky, the gateway will close. And once it does, it will be another 30 moons before you will be able to use it to return." Her friends gave her reassurances as Twilight approached the mirror. She cautiously touched the enchanted glass with her hoof, then retracted it. She turned to Celestia, who nodded. With the bravery she could muster, she slowly stepped inside the mirror, the glass rippling and glowing. Unbeknownst to every pony, the Mane 5 got ready. "Now!" Rainbow Dash cried out. Before any of the princesses could stop them, one by one, they followed Twilight into the mirror. "Girls, wait!" Spike shouted. But it was too late. They had already vanished inside the enchanted mirror. Celestia was surprised that they had disobeyed her, but still held in her place. "I should've known that they wouldn't surrender to my wishes so easily." She said. "I only hope that they will be safe and return together, along with the crown." Luna and Cadence nodded in agreement. Spike nervously looked at the enchanted mirror, He wanted to do what the others did, but decided against it. Celestia already had a few ponies disobey her. It wasn't worth it to go against her warnings. The girls screamed as they spiralled around in a weird limbo filled with color. Except Pinkie, who was enjoying the ride giggling away. Then, everything went black.