//------------------------------// // 21. Reflections // Story: The Fishbowl // by Shrink Laureate //------------------------------// “Thank you, my dear,” said Chrysalis quietly once it was clear that Tirek was well out of hearing. “That was nicely done. Would you like to get your phone back?” Fluffle Puff nodded, a big grin on her face. She hopped up, went quickly back to the bush she’d emerged from a few minutes earlier, and picked up a small, black phone. She tapped a button, and the buzzing stopped. Why does Fluffle Puff have a phone? Okay, I feel a little bad for thinking that. “Wait,” said Trixie. “So there isn’t an army on its way at all?” “Oh, there will be,” said Chrysalis. “But just as Tirek said, it’ll take them hours to arrive.” She sniffed the air. “Maybe longer. The smoke will confuse them.” “You tricked him?” asked Vinyl. “I mean, you knew he was going to double cross you, but you worked with him anyway, and had a plan ready to trick him when he did? That’s…” “Monstrous?” Chrysalis grinned. “Of course I planned for it. I had no doubt he would turn on us, sooner or later – after all, treachery is in his nature – I simply didn’t expect it to happen quite so soon. When he did, I knew he wouldn’t think of a mere homunculus as a threat, or the technology they have. So when I mentioned that the changelings had ‘heard my signal’, Fluffle Puff took it as her cue to play the sound we’d prepared.” Fluffle Puff beamed. “But using Tirek’s power to get us this far was simply the most efficient way—” “Trixie hates to interrupt a good monologue,” said Trixie, interrupting a good monologue, “but maybe we should continue it somewhere not on fire?” She had a point. The gasoline part of the fire had burned itself out leaving a patch of forest alight in its wake, and despite the general wetness of the ground that patch was growing. I guess there wasn’t much left in the car, thought Vinyl. Even so, we should probably move from here. I don’t know how fast that fire is going to spread. Damp trees were giving up their moisture, filling the air with steam and smoke. “Yeah, let’s…” Vinyl looked around for a clue which direction would be best. Aside from the fire, the forest looked the same in every direction. “Let’s look for somewhere safely away from here.” “I’m afraid not,” rumbled Cerberus. His second head added, “None of you will be—” “—going anywhere,” finished his third head. Shit, I should have expected that. The jailer isn’t fond of people who help prisoners escape. Now he’s going to punish us. Except he can’t do a lot to stop us right now, can he? He’s immobilised. How quickly is he going to recover from whatever Mr. Tirek did to him? “Er, I really don’t think it’s worth your effort to worry about us,” she insisted. “Not when there are criminals on the loose. We’re just going to, uh, leave you to it.” “I will not hurt any of you, little ones. Do not worry,” said Cerberus. He continued, “But there is a place for you all—” “—back in Tartarus. The other one—” “—as well,” he finished, turning one head to look at Fluffle Puff, who was sat on the forest floor hugging Chrysalis. Fluffle Puff stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at the giant dog. “Well, you know, I’m sure that place will wait for us,” said Vinyl, edging backwards. She motioned Octavia to follow her. “I mean, I’ve played hooky for a few days before, and it wasn’t the end of the world.” “The magics of Tartarus that brought you—” “ —into being demand your place in the world be—” “—filled. Before long your existence here—” “—will become untenable.” Vinyl stopped edging backwards as the gravity of those words sunk in. “Our… ‘existence will become untenable’? What does that mean?” “He means that Tartarus will pull you back in,” interrupted Chrysalis. “Before you can get very far, you’ll be whisked back to the streets of Canterlot where it thinks you belong. “ Whisked back. So we never even had a choice? We still haven’t escaped. We can’t escape, no matter what we do? Chrysalis added, “Oh, and I expect it’ll make you forget all about this as well. Am I right?” “What?” cried Vinyl. “I believe so,” rumbled the giant dog. “The four homunculi you led astray—” “—will soon return to their proper place, purged of any—” “—memories that could disturb them.” Octavia, who had been listening incredulously, strode forward. “You’re saying it’ll erase our memories of everything that’s happened in the last few weeks? Everything we’ve done? And then it’ll put us back where we started like nothing changed?” “You will be restored to—” “—who you are supposed to be.” Trixie butted in. “And how come you get to decide who I’m supposed to be?” “You don’t think I planned for this?” asked Chrysalis. Cerberus growled, “You planned to leave your—” “—pet behind while you escaped. How heartless you are, Chrysalis.” “Think again, guard dog,” said Chrysalis. She raised one trembling, punctured hoof to indicate their surroundings. “Look at where we are.” Cerberus looked out in three directions at once. “We are in the middle of the Everfree Forest,” he said. I was right! This is the Everfree Woods. Um. Wait, the Everfree is inside Tartarus, so that doesn’t make sense. Unless there are two forests called the same thing? But why would there be? Not what’s important. Focus! “Look closer, guard dog,” said Chrysalis impatiently, pointing at a patch of overgrown brambles. “Of all the holes out of Tartarus, I chose this one. Don’t you see why?” Cerberus’ left head said, “I don’t. One patch of forest—” “—is much like any other. At least you didn’t bring us down in Ponyville—” “—where it would be harder to explain,” finished his right head. “This isn’t just any old patch of forest. We’re a stone’s throw from the mirror pool,” said Chrysalis. All three of Cerberus’ heads snapped to look at her, though two of them moved languidly. “So that’s your plan,” said his right head. “To abuse the—” “—magic of that sacred—” “—place for yourself. Is there no end—” “—to your blasphemy, Chrysalis? You would—” “—make reflections so recklessly?” “Uh… Anybody care to explain?” asked Vinyl. “The mirror pool is a place of magic,” said Chrysalis. “It’s one of the ancient gateways into Tartarus. In less civilised days, dangerous prisoners would be thrown into the pool to be banished.” “How does that help us?” asked Octavia. “We want to avoid being pulled back in.” She coughed again. “The mirror pool also does something else: it can be used to create reflections.” “Um. So it’s a mirror?” Trixie said, “You mean reflections like the Pinkie Pies, don’t you? Like clones, or imitations.” “Exactly. Though generally only the one. Making dozens of copies like that is even more reckless than what we’re about to do.” “And what are we about to do?” asked Octavia. “You still haven’t told us this part of the plan.” “It’s simple. We use the mirror pool to make copies of ourselves that we leave in our place in Tartarus. That way we won’t get pulled back.” “I see,” said Octavia. “I guess that makes sense.” Vinyl eyed the growing flames. “I don’t know. Is this ’mirror pool’ really such a big thing, that we need to get to it right now? I’d say we have higher priorities.” “It’s also in a cave,” added Chrysalis. “Which makes it safe from the fire.” “Oh. Okay. Lead the way!” With a great deal of effort and a little help from Fluffle Puff, Chrysalis got to her feet. She made it only a few steps before stumbling and dropping to her knees. “I’m not sure I can get there like this,” she said. “Tirek did manage to take quite a lot out of me.” She fluttered her wings idly. “I haven’t the energy to fly either. And magic is beyond me.” Am I supposed to be okay with how casually everybody’s saying ’magic, magic’ now, like it’s normal? I mean, I’m not going to hold up our survival for an argument about it, but still… Chrysalis had her eyes closed, a frown of concentration on her face. Then a creepy smile spread across her muzzle, and she said, “Yes, that should work.” “What will?” “What changelings do best,” she said. A wash of green fire flowed over her from head to hoof. Trixie flinched. Where Chrysalis had been was now… nothing. Where did she go? Vinyl looked down. Oh. She’s turned into a little… fox, is that? Like a wild fox. Those little ones with really big ears. What are they called? “Is that a fennec?” asked Octavia. That’s the word. A fennec, right. Also, she just freaking changed shape! With magic! The fennec that Chrysalis had become was tiny, barely as long as Fluffle Puff’s arm. It had long black fur, with perhaps a green tint, though it was hard to be sure at night; and big, shiny green eyes. Its ears were quite comically large. It lay motionless but breathing, clearly exhausted by the change. And she changed size as well, actually, which is even more freaky. Does she weigh less now? How can that possibly be true? What happened to the rest of the mass? The fennec spoke in a smaller, squeakier version of Chrysalis’ voice. “This seemed the best shape for finding our way at night.” And of course she’s a talking animal now. Because that’s somehow weirder than the talking magical bug-horse-thing she was a second ago, or the massive talking three-headed dog right behind me. Am I dreaming? Am I going to wake up and laugh at how weird this all is? Fluffle Puff tenderly scooped the tiny animal up from the forest floor and hugged her tight. Chrysalis stayed limp, lacking the strength to resist. “Much as I appreciate the boost,” she said, “Miss Trixie is right. We should go before the flames overtake us or the smoke suffocates us.” “Finally,” said Vinyl, impatiently. She started walking towards the diminishing not-on-fire edge of the clearing. “We’ve stayed here too long.” “Wait!” said Trixie. “Seriously?” asked Vinyl, increasingly exasperated. “Do you want to burn to death?” “What about Cerberus?” asked Trixie. “We can’t leave him here.” “He’s a giant three-headed magical dog,” pointed out Vinyl. “He’s thousands of years old. He can take care of himself.” “He can’t even move right now,” insisted Trixie. “And what exactly are you going to do about that, carry him?” “Just leave him,” said Chrysalis. “He’ll be fine.” “I’d rather leave you behind,” snapped Trixie. “You used me as a human shield, don’t think I’ve forgotten that.” Cerberus spoke up. “You need not concern yourself with me—” “—little one. It is only through—” “—force of will that I remain here. I need but release my concentration and Tartarus will have me once more. If Tirek had—” “—taken all of my magic as he was preparing to, I would no doubt have returned there already.” “Then why haven’t you?” asked Trixie. “Because it is my duty to take you all back to Tartarus with me, where you belong.” Vinyl stalked up to him and grabbed his active head with both hands. Wow, what big teeth you have, grandma. Was this a good idea? Never mind, can’t stop now, show confidence. “That’s not going to happen. You know? It’s too late. Tirek took your—” magic, magic, magic “—whatever he did, and we aren’t going to sit around here waiting for you to get better while the place is on fire. We’re going to go now, find this ’mirror pool’ thing, whatever it is, and at least get to safety. The longer you’re here, the more danger we’re all in. Got it?” Cerberus looked into Vinyl’s eyes. His eyes, though canine, spoke of deep intelligence. And then Cerberus wasn’t there. There’d been no flash of light, no rising sparkles, no rush of air, no movement or sound at all to mark his departure. The space between Vinyl’s hands was simply empty. She checked around the clearing in case she’d gotten confused somehow. “I… guess that’s okay then?” “Left!” shouted the fennec. “Under that log!” Fluffle Puff ducked to the left and under the tree branch that blocked their path. “Towards that rock, the mossy one.” Chrysalis was nestled safely in Fluffle Puff’s arms, her fur overflowing. Her large ears were turning this way and that, her eyes scanning the forest. Her black fur stood out against the pink girl’s tattered pink tutu dress, lit by the broken patches of moonlight they rushed through. Fluffle Puff was surprisingly nimble, weaving between trees and stones at the fennec’s instruction. The girls followed behind, struggling to keep up. Octavia had reluctantly shed her shoes not long into their flight. She slipped again, losing her footing, but Vinyl caught her and helped her up. They had all slipped in the mud more than once, accelerating the damage to their dresses. I’m lucky to be wearing fairly practical shoes for this. Though they are pretty much ruined now. It can’t be fun trying to run barefoot. How is Fluffle Puff so fast? She’s wearing ballet shoes, or something like them. Somewhere far behind them the fire was spreading, picking up speed. It would catch them soon. “Are we nearly to this cave?” shouted Vinyl. “It’s right there,” replied Chrysalis. “Behind those trees, there should be a hollow.” They rounded the trees and saw a cave entrance covered with a big rock. “Curses,” spat Chrysalis. “Somepony’s sealed it up. Who would do that?” Fluffle Puff wasted no time. She set her precious furry bundle down carefully, then motioned to the girls to join her in pushing the rock aside. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked, and despite their limited purchase on the muddy ground, together they managed to get it dislodged, revealing a dark opening. They clambered down into the cave. Chrysalis clung to the front of Fluffle Puff’s dress to allow the girl two free hands. Trixie switched her phone’s light on to allow them to see, though a short way in the need for a torch lessened since there was a wan light coming from deeper in. The chamber they emerged into was markedly different from the caves they’d crawled through earlier. It was cavernous where they’d been cramped; cool where they’d been warm; solid where they’d been crumbly. Strangely shaped mushrooms and alien plants clung to the corners of it, many of them glowing in various colours, filling the space with gentle light and making it feel both welcoming and wondrous. There was even a smooth ramp curving down to the edge of the pool. Fluffle Puff hopped down to the edge of the pool. She knelt down and placed Chrysalis on the ground. “We should be safe from the fire in here,” said Chrysalis. She lay with her eyes closed, though her ears twitched. “Give… give me a minute.” Fluffle Puff sat down on the floor, and began to gently stroke the little black fennec. The girls settled closer to the cave wall, wary of the luminous water. “Is that it?” asked Trixie, indicating the pool. “That’s the mirror pool,” said Chrysalis, leaning in with pleasure as Fluffle Puff scratched behind her ears. Since I know she’s intelligent, that looks unsettlingly erotic, thought Vinyl. I’m going to try very hard not to think about that. She turned her attention to the pool. “It doesn’t look very… mirrorish,” she said. “It’s just a pool.” Octavia sat down at the base of the wall and nursed her feet. Vinyl checked her phone. No signal. Of course. Is that just because we’re in a cave, or is it because we’re in a different world? She turned it off and put it away. It might be useful for something later. She knelt down next to Octavia. “Hey, are you all right? You were pretty quiet back there.” Octavia’s feet were muddy, her thin socks torn. She looked uncertain. “I… suppose I…” She paused and closed her eyes. “I guess I’m just a bit overwhelmed by all this. By… I never quite believed it was real. Even after everything we saw, even after seeing the horizon, I never quite thought it was true.” Vinyl nodded. “I know. I keep thinking I’ll wake up.” “And now we’re out here, and it’s all true. We’ve left our old lives behind. Forever. We don’t even know what this world is like, aside from Tirek and Chrysalis and Cerberus.” “I don’t think the rest of this world can be like them. I told you about the pony I saw in the school basement, right?” “The flying one that looked like Derpy?” “Yeah. She looked so much like Derpy it was uncanny.” “That’s still hard to imagine.” Octavia frowned. “She was a horse, right? A horse that looked like Derpy?” Vinyl laughed. “Yup. A little flying pegasus pony. With grey fur and blonde hair.” “Pelt,” corrected Octavia. “Hmm?” “Grey pelt and blonde mane.” “Oh, right. She even sounded like Derpy. I don’t just mean her voice, either, I mean her whole attitude and everything. And she recognised me too.” “So you think she knows the… other Vinyl Scratch?” Vinyl nodded. “Celestia mentioned her too. She said that the other Vinyl’s a DJ, like me.” “I suppose we at least know this world has DJs in it, then. That has to be a good sign. I wonder if they have real music too?” Vinyl nudged her arm in mock offence. “I think we’re going to find a lot of things out here strangely familiar.” “And some very strange things are going to be different. We’ll need our wits about us,” said Octavia. She had a thought. “Maybe we should try to find her when this is over? A familiar face to help us find our way.” “Derpy? Yeah, maybe.” We’re going to need somewhere to start in this world. Some first step. Trixie, who’d been lingering at the base of the slope, called out, “Hey, Chrysalis.” The black-furred creature had been resting her head on Fluffle Puff’s lap, her eyes more than half closed, but she looked up at the summons. “What was it you said to us, the first time we met? Something about mice not seeing a cage?” Chrysalis replied, “‘Little mice can scurry in and out of the cage, and never know it’s there. But as soon as they see the bars, they’ll be trapped inside it forever.’” “Yeah, that’s it. It sounds like a quote or something. Where is it from?” “It’s part of an old changeling poem. It tells the story of the only remaining drone from a swarm that had been ambushed and captured by zebras. She infiltrated the home of the city’s prince as a humble servant, and wove such a web of lies around him that, by the time he realised what she was, he couldn’t possibly unmask her without incriminating himself. If he’d remained oblivious he might have escaped her trap, but seeing it was his doom. She escaped with her swarm, and they all returned safe to their hive.” “Is that how changelings usually behave?” Chrysalis dropped her head to the girl’s lap again, letting Fluffle Puff resume stroking it. “She’s remembered as a paragon. We sing that poem to our nymphs, to teach them to be clever, cautious and loyal.” “And what happened to the prince?” “The poem doesn’t say. It’s just an old story. It’s probably not true.” Vinyl stood up. “So how does this… y’know, work?” she called out. “I mean, we’re not running for our lives any more, so you can answer questions like that, right?” “Gladly,” purred Chrysalis. She turned over onto her back, enjoying a scratch to the belly. “What makes you think we can trust her?” interrupted Trixie. “You heard her, she thinks lying is noble. Why would she start telling us the truth now?” “She has a point,” said Vinyl. “Why should we trust you?” “Also,” sniped Trixie, “Trixie told you so!” “As soon as we use the mirror pool, our escape from Tartarus will be complete. Your part in the plan is over already, so I don’t have any reason to deceive you any more.” Fluffle Puff switched from stroking to pinching Chrysalis’ ear. “Ow ow ow ow ow! Okay, I’ll tell the truth!” Vinyl asked Octavia, “What do you think, Tavi?” Octavia looked up from her feet, frowning. She took a moment to think about it. “I don’t appreciate being used either, but I don’t see anyone else giving us answers. In the circumstances I think it’s worth hearing her out, then deciding what to believe.” And if any of it contradicts what the other Celestia told me, then… well, it’ll be interesting. “Fair enough.” Vinyl looked up to Chrysalis. “So… the magic pool makes copies of people, right?” she asked. “And the idea is those copies go back and live our old lives for us, so we don’t have to? If a copy is as good as the original, doesn’t that effectively mean we have a 50-50 chance of being the copy, and getting sent back?” “They aren’t truly copies,” insisted Chrysalis. “They’re reflections. Completely new people shaped from memories and impressions. They won’t be your true self, but rather based on how others see you and how you see yourself. They won’t share your own memories at all.” “You mean it’ll be like a caricature of me?” “That actually sounds right,” said Trixie. “At the Gala, Trixie met Pinkie Pie – that is to say, I met one who said she was the original Pinkie Pie, the one that all the others are based on. And she was different from the others we’ve met. She was still Pinkie Pie, only… deeper.” “So why didn’t you mention any of this when you told us the plan? We aren’t inclined to trust you after this.” “Because we needed Tirek to remain unaware of it.” “What difference does it make? He’s out and gone.” “For now he is, but Tirek is one of the most dangerous monsters around. It would be inconvenient for all of us if he actually succeeded in conquering Equestria. But even he can’t resist the pull of Tartarus without a reflection. Sooner or later, he’ll be dragged back in.” “And we will too, if we don’t do this.” Chrysalis nodded. “I’m still not clear how this magic is supposed to work. What are we meant to do, jump in the pool?” “No,” said Chrysalis quickly. “If you jump in, it’ll take you straight back to Tartarus. Don’t touch the water at all.” “Oh. Right. Not doing that then.” Vinyl laughed. Trixie said quietly, “Except… that’s an option here, isn’t it? Going back, I mean. Trixie means,” she quickly corrected herself. “If we do nothing we’ll end up getting dragged back eventually – our ‘existence will become untenable’, right? Which probably means we’ll end up losing our memories entirely. Or we can choose right now if we want to go back home or stay out here.” Vinyl asked, “Are you really thinking of going back? You know if we do that we’ll be at the mercy of Tartarus. We might still forget all of this happened. We might be completely different people.” She looked to Octavia. “We might not even know each other.” “How long do we have?” asked Octavia. They looked to Chrysalis. She didn’t answer immediately. “I… don’t know,” she eventually said. “The truth is, nopony’s ever done this before. I assumed it would be quick, that’s why we chose to leave Tartarus this way. I didn’t want to risk leaving my Fluffle Puff behind.” She snuggled up to the girl’s hand. Fluffle Puff gently lifted the fennec’s chin to look seriously into her eyes. “Is it time already? I’m enjoying this form.” Fluffle Puff nodded. With a sigh and a flash of green fire, Chrysalis was her full-sized black creature self again. Her punctured forelegs rested across the girl’s knees. She leaned forward and nibbled on Fluffle Puff’s ear, until the girl gently booped her on the nose and gave her a stern look. “Oh, I suppose you’re right,” she said in her deeper, strangely-toned voice. Chrysalis shuffled out over the edge of the pool. She was still wobbly on her feet, and needed Fluffle Puff to hold her upright. “You can watch if you like,” she said to the girls. “Just don’t get too close, and like I said, don’t touch the water.” They edged cautiously closer to the water, close enough to see the girl and her monster reflected in it. She turned to Fluffle Puff. “Ready?” The girl nodded solemnly. “Then we’ll do it together, like we practiced.” They looked together down at their reflections. Chrysalis spoke while Fluffle Puff mouthed the words silently. “Into our own reflections we stare Yearning for ones whose reflections we share No hearth, nest or lair is awaiting us there Yet all that we were, we beseech them to bear.” Both of their reflections started to move differently. The reflection of Chrysalis changed, her muzzle flattening, her ears migrating down, her skin changing texture, the horn atop her head fading away. In a few seconds the reflection looked like the woman they were familiar with, rather than the beast that she’d become. I wish that was the freakiest thing I’d seen tonight. The reflections each reached out with a hand. “Remember, dear, don’t touch them,” said Chrysalis. Fluffle Puff looked to her and nodded again. A few seconds later the reflections dropped their outstretched hands and turned away from them, fading into the depths of the pool. Their ordinary reflections faded back in a moment later, leaving the pool as it was. “And there you go,” said Chrysalis. “Fluffle Puff and I are now free. Tartarus won’t try to pull us back any more.” “You just created two new people?” asked Octavia. “Those reflections we saw - they’re a new Chrysalis and Fluffle Puff to take your places in Tartarus?” “Do we need to repeat that rhyme?” asked Trixie. “Is that how it works?” “Don’t worry. The words should come to you.” Fluffle Puff helped Chrysalis away from the edge. “Thank you, my dear. My strength should return soon.” Vinyl and Trixie turned away from the water. Octavia stayed looking at her reflection in the pool. “Tavi?” The mare could barely keep her eyes open. The warped wooden ceiling swam in and out of focus. Only the cries of a pair of newborn foals kept her from drifting away entirely. The door creaked. “You can come in now,” she heard the midwife say. Igneous crept on light hooves to the bed next to her own, where his wife lay. She heard them talking in whispers, and turned her head away to give them privacy. Maud had been a good little foal. Where Limestone had wailed with every one of her mother’s screams, Maud had sat obediently and sucked her hoof, quietly worried. Some might have thought her an inexpressive foal, but Nana Pinkie knew better. The midwife came up to her bed. “You farin’ all right over here?” She waited for a nod. “We can get rid of this now,” she continued, indicating the rubber tube that had connected the mare’s own foreleg to Cloudy Quartz’. She pressed a hoof against the skin, gripped the needle in her teeth and quickly slid it out of her. She dropped the needle, but kept pressure on the bloody spot. “Would you like to hold her?” she asked. Pink Fondant took a second to focus. The poor midwife’s fur was matted with blood. It would take hours to scrub out. “The mother—” “Needs her rest,” replied the midwife firmly. “You both do. But you can say ‘hello’ to the little ones first, if you like?” The midwife waited for Pink Fondant to sit up, then carefully lifted two little bundles from Cloudy Quartz’ lap and transferred the first of them into her embrace. The little face and mane that poked out of the towel were as bright a pink as her own. “Hello,” she said quietly. The foal gurgled, burped and looked up at her with curious eyes. “She looks just like you,” the midwife said. It was true. It was like looking into a mirror. The foal lifted a hoof towards her, and she couldn’t help but think of her reflection reaching out to her so many years ago. Igneous walked quietly over to her, holding the other foal. “I…” He stumbled over the words. The young farmer never had been very good at talking about things, not things that mattered, and the frog in his throat didn’t help. “Thank you, Nana,” he said, eventually. “Now, Igneous. You and Cloudy are the closest thing I’ve got to foals.” The midwife, who was checking Pink Fondant’s pulse, butted in, “And she’s the only other pony with pegasus blood factor for a hundred miles.” She frowned, and said more quietly, “I wouldn’t normally take so much, you know. I really hope it wasn’t too much for you.” “Cloudy needed it more than I did,” said Pink Fondant, as firmly as she could manage. “We…” Igneous coughed. “Cloudy thought that… We’d like to name her after you,” he blurted out. Through the fog, she lifted an eyebrow. “Fondant Pie? That doesn’t sound like a very healthy recipe.” He actually laughed, sniffing tears away. “I meant ‘Pinkie’. Pinkamena Pie.” Pink Fondant looked down at the foal, her brow creased as she lost herself in thought. The foal barely opened her eyes, gazing up innocently for a second at the mare. She smiled as she held Pinkie close. “I like it. Pinkie Pie.” Twice, she’d created a life and let it go. The first to that mirror pool, the second… She’d always wondered how that other Pink Fondant had found her life. She had never had foals of her own; she’d never remarried, after leaving her husband behind in that pool. Now, she had another little reflection to care for, and this one she wasn’t going to let go. She lifted the foal close to her face and whispered, “May your days be filled with laughter.”