//------------------------------//
// The Thief and the Mirror 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: EQG 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

In the land of Equestria, Princess Celestia's sun was beginning to slowly descend below the horizon and make way for its sister, the moon, to take its place and illuminate the night. The beautiful stars were beginning to fade into existence as this happened, turning the sky into a canvas of dotted shapes and shines.

Many of the kingdom's occupants were now currently fast asleep, all except seven ponies and a dragon riding a train headed for the Crystal Empire. Inside that train, we find Equestria's newest alicorn princess Twilight Sparkle, riding in a carriage along with her friends, her assistant Spike, and her best friend turned bodyguard, Flash Sentry.

Said bodyguard was currently yawning, though this was because they had to get up earlier than usual to make sure everything in their home was okay before leaving. However, this yawn did not go unnoticed. "I told you that you shouldn't have gotten up so early," Twilight told him as she flipped another page in the book she currently had her nose in. "May I remind you that it was you who let Lightning become a defender. Why are you so worried about him while you're gone?"

Flash let out a low groan at this. "I do trust him to keep the town safe while I'm there Twilight, its just...I don't really know what he'll do while I'm not there that worries me. I know I trust him now, but...I don't know. Guess old memories aren't exactly helping right now." Flash leaned back in his seat, only to slump down a second later, "Good thing Springer opted to stay behind."

"I'm sure everyone will be fine darling," Rarity told him with a small wave of her hoof.

"Provided Lightning and Iron don't start butting heads," Applejack added with a smirk, getting a glare from Rarity and Flash.

It was here that Fluttershy spoke up, "Don't say that Applejack. I made Iron promise to behave while we're gone."

"Like he'll keep that promise," Rainbow remarked, ignoring Fluttershy's glare as she continued. "But hey, its not our problem until we get back."

"Yeah!" Pinkie cheered, also ignoring everypony's glares, "So let's sit back and have fun!"

"I'd hardly call what we're here for as fun," Twilight growled, only to hear the signal saying the train was now pulling into the station. Once it came to a stop, they unpacked their luggage and stepped out, soon making their way to the empire's crystal castle.

"Hoo-wee!" Applejack cheered as she turned to Twilight. "Your very first princess summit! You must be over the moon Twilight!"

Twilight smiled in response. "Oh, I am excited...." She then did a big gulp, her hooves twiddling as she continued, "But to be honest, I'm a little nervous too."

"You're 'nervicited'!" Pinkie cheered as she hopped in front of Twilight, "It's like you wanna jump up and down and yell 'YAY ME'!!" She leapt into the air three times before curling herself up and sinking into the ground. "But you also wanna curl up in a teeny-tiny ball and hide at the same time!" She started to uncurl herself, making a robotic noise as she did this. "We've all been there!"

"I'm there almost every day," Fluttershy replied as she shook all over.

"Almost everyday?" Flash asked as he shined a smirk at the mare, a nervous smile now on her face. He then turned back to Pinkie, blinking at the sight of the pony continuing to make mechanical sounds. "And I'm still wondering if that explains things or not..."

Applejack just rolled her eyes at these antic before turning to Twilight. "You've got no reason to fret Twi. Everything's gonna be just–"

"TWILIGHT!" Rarity screamed as she interrupted the earth pony, her form quickly running in front of Twilight, causing Twilight backpedal in sudden fear. Seeing this, Rarity did a small chuckle, "Oh...sorry, darling. Didn't mean to freak out there." She then pulled Twilight's head towards the ground, inspecting it like a mother would for head lice. "But I just realised you're not wearing your crown!" She then locked eyes with Twilight. "You haven't forgotten it back in Ponyville, have you?!"

Twilight let out a sigh before answering, "it's in my bag." They all looked at Spike, who patted the saddlebag with her cutie mark on it. "Sorry, but I just feel a little self-conscious about wearing it." She then opened her new wings. "Haven't really gotten accustomed to these yet either." After this statement, the alicorn tried to leap into the air to hover, only to kiss the ground a second later.

Flash took this moment to flare his wings and hover above her, his hooves crossed as he asked, "You haven't been doing those exercises I suggested, have you?"

Twilight let out a low nervous giggle as she picked herself up. "I've been doing them....more or less that is."

Flash gave her a flat stare, "More more, or more less?"

Before Twilight could fumble for an answer, Rarity spoke up as she put her hoof around the alicorn. "You are a princess now Twilight, embrace it!" She let out a long happy sigh. "I'm telling you...if I had a crown like that, I would never take it off! Why, I'd sleep in the thing!"

"Twilight had to do that when Discord was in Ponyville," Flash told her as he landed. "I had to spend every night hearing her fumble around to get comfortable until she finally decided to put a sleeping spell on herself."

"Oh..." Rarity gulped, blinking at the thought. "Perhaps not then."

Twilight let out a low growl at her bodyguard, causing him to give an apologetic smile before continuing her journey into the crystal castle. Her friends soon followed, all except Flash as he flew up to the nearby balcony and into the throne room. Here, he was met with the sight of the three other princesses along with the several guards.

"Ah! Glad to see you made it Flash." Celestia remarked as the pegasi walked inside. "I see you got the instructions I privately sent you."

"Yes your highness," Flash replied before standing in place next to one of the guards. Soon enough, the doors to the room opened and he saw his friends on the other side. Twilight stepped into the room as the trumpets started playing, instantly taking Twilight's focus away from the room. In fact, the noise distracted her so much that she walked straight into Flash. She then pulled back and saw who she had bumped, soon firing him a coy frown while Flash shined a smirk before announcing, "Her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Cadance laughed at the sight as she walked over to her sister-in-law. "Twilight!" She pulled her into a hug. "I haven't seen you since the coronation!"

"We have so much to discuss," Celestia told her as she and Luna stepped up to them. "But it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now...off to bed, all of you."

Everypony nodded before doing as they were told, all except Flash as he turned to the princesses to ask, "So where are Shining and Ruby? I was hoping to catch up with them."

Cadance let out a small sigh at this, "Those two are monster hunting right now."

"Monster hunting?"

"Yup. We've been getting reports of yeti sightings in the Crystal Mountains. Ruby's knowledge of the terrain and Shining's shield magic made them the perfect ones to lead a team to check it out. They'll be back either tomorrow or the day after."

"Ah. Well, I still hope I get to see them." Flash replied turning around to follow the others, soon giving Cadance a wave goodbye as he went to find his room. A little later, he found where he would be staying and placed his saddlebag and Celestic Gear on his bed before heading out, stepping over to Twilight's room and knocking.

"Come in." He stepped inside, finding Twilight staring at herself in the mirror while wearing her crown.

"You okay?" He asked as he saw the huge frown on her face.

"Yeah! What's wrong Twilight?" Spike added as he was making his bed.

Twilight just sighed, not turning to the others as she stared at the reflection. "I don't know you two. I'm just...worried, I guess. I really don't know if I'm ready for this kind of stuff." She turned towards them before spinning her hoof along the floor in a circular motion. "I mean, Princess Cadance was given the Crystal Empire to rule over. What if because I'm a princess now that Celestia expects me to lead a kingdom of my own?"

Before Flash could reply, Spike let out a cheer. "That would be AWESOME!"

"No, it would NOT!" Twilight barked before looking back at the mirror. "Just because I have this crown and these wings, it doesn't mean I'll be a good leader!" She then took her crown off and levitated it onto her bedside table, another sigh following. It was here that she felt a wing wrap around her, making her glance at the wings' owner.

Flash just shook his head at her, "Stop thinking that Twilight." The defender then tapped her chest as a big smile shined on his face, "You're already a great leader Twilight. When the chips are down and all seems hopeless, you always come up with a plan. You were the one who managed to figure out how to awaken the Elements of Harmony, you were the one who reversed Discord's spell and figured out that Chrysalis had replaced Cadance. You also located the Crystal Heart, which is something I know all of us could never do." It was here that the pegasi slung his hoof around her shoulders, "And even when you do mess up, which honestly is less than me, you learn from those mistakes. Trust me, if you took the Great Test...you'd pass it without issue."

"Yeah...but I'm also smarter than you Flash." Twilight remarked, only to get a flat stare from the defender. The sight alone made Twilight giggle. "Sorry."

"Its fine. I know you're smarter, ya bookworm." Flash admitted with a snort, his hoof over her shoulders now tightening into a hug, "But I'm serious, you'll be fine."

"He's right Twilight," Spike said before motioning Twilight to get into bed. "Now c'mon, you should get some shut-eye. You got a big day tomorrow!" He then turned off the lights and went to climb into his basket while Flash pulled away from the hug and headed for the door.

But as Flash tried to leave and say goodbye, he heard the sounds of bed covers flying into the air behind him. Turning around, he saw the humorous sight of Twilight trying to get her wings to relax on the bed. "Can't...tuck them in!" she grumbled, only for the wings to flare again, "Augh! Can't get comfortable with these-"

"Just ignore them," Flash interrupted as he pointed at the wings. "They're just like any other part of the body. Try and relax, and they will too." He watched as Twilight took a deep breath, doing the trick Cadance had once taught her, and her wings slowly went down. She sighed in relief before pulling the bed covers over herself, allowing Flash to say his goodnight before shutting the door.

As soon as the door was shut however, he heard a yelp, followed by Twilight annoyed moans. He laughed at this as he returned to his room and went to bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. And as the realm of dreams took the young defender, his mind wandered in the land of sleep. He could feel true rest and relaxation embracing him as he let out a small snore.

Peace at last.

And as the hours passed and energy began to return to him, the pegasi felt himself drift more and more, until-

"STOP!"

Flash's eyes instantly flew open, all hints of being tired gone as he heard Twilight's voice. He quickly entered Theta Mode and checked the time on a nearby clock, seeing he had only been asleep for about three hours. "STOP! THIEF!" It was these words that made him kick into action, his wings flaring as he took to the air instantly, grabbing his sword as he slammed his room's door open.

And as he landed into the hallway, Twilight ran right by him as the others all opened their doors. "She's stolen my crown!" Twilight screamed, getting gasps from everypony while Flash quickly looked ahead, soon seeing the thief. It was a pony wearing a black cloak and a saddlebag.

"Oh no you don't! Flash Cutter!" Flash yelled as he hovered over Twilight and slashed his sword through the air, unleashing an energy wave. But before it landed, a light blue aura glowed out from beneath the hood. It was here that the energy blade suddenly turned around, instantly flying back at the defender, "WHOA!" He yelped as he blocked the attack with his sword, the recoil knocking him back. "What the heck?!"

And as the defender tried to regain his aerial balance from the sudden turnaround, Twilight teleported ahead of the criminal as the perpetrator rounded a corner. "STOP!" They all heard the princess cry, only for a flash of blue light to shine out as they turned the corner to see Twilight covered in the thief's hood.

Another blue flash appeared behind Twilight, fading to reveal a golden unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a red and yellow sun, and she was shining a huge smirk as she kept running down the halls. Seeing this, Twilight let out a low frustrated growl as she threw the cloak away, soon sprinting after her. Flash and the others quickly followed, the apprentice knight not daring to use another attack for fear of it being redirected. They then found the mare rushing down a corridor with only one door as Twilight began to catch up with her. And as they were about to reach the door, Twilight leapt into the air, tackling the mare as they both slammed through the door.

As the two forcefully entered the room, the impact from the tackle knocked the Element of Magic free of the saddlebag, causing it to go bouncing around the room. But before the duo could try to grab the crown, the shining head piece suddenly went flying into a mirror, only to phase through it like it was water.

Everypony gasped at seeing this as Twilight growled at the mare next to her. "What did you do to my crown?"

The mare shined a sinister smile. "Sorry it had to be this way," her horn sparked before she disappearing in a light blue flash. She then reappeared right in front of the mirror. "Princess." With that, she stepped into the mirror and phased through it the same way the crown had.

Everypony gasped again as Fluttershy asked the obvious question. "Who was that?"





One transition to the crystal castle throne room later...

"Sunset Shimmer. That is your thief."

The morning of the next day had come, and after they had explained what had happened to the princesses, Celestia then said those words, only to continue explaining, "She's a former student of mine. She began her studies with me not long before Twilight...but when she didn't get what she wanted as quickly as she liked, she turned cruel and dishonest."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "And we haven't heard about her till now...because?" Twilight shot a glare at him, causing him to give a nervous chuckle before prompting shutting his mouth. "Sorry."

"Its fine Flash." The sun princess continued as she crossed her hooves in thought. "I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path. One that has...sadly led to her stealing your crown."

Spike took this opportunity to pull out what looked like Twilight's crown, except this one appeared to be made out of plastic. "She replaced Twilight's with this one." He held it up, only for Celetsia to grab it in her magic and look it over.

"I suppose Sunset Shimmer thought you wouldn't notice right away that this was not yours." She stepped past the group and headed out of the throne room, Twilight stepping up besides her with the others following. "And by the time you did, it would be too late to go after your crown and Element of Harmony."

"But I don't understand...where did she go? Where did she take the crown?" Twilight asked as she saw worry fill Celestia's face. "Princess?"

Celestia let out a long sigh as she levitated the fake crown away. "You'll soon know more about this place than even I do." She, Luna and Cadance then brought them back to the room, Luna stepping up to examine the mirror.

"This is no ordinary mirror," the moon princess explained as she put her hoof on its frame. "It is a gateway to another world. A gateway that opens once every thirty moons." Pinkie decided to use this moment to press her hoof to the mirror, giggling and saying 'sparkly' as the strange glass started to ripple. Luna rolled her eyes and pulled Pinkie's hoof back with her magic. "It has always been kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle...but when Princess Cadance took over the Crystal Empire, we sent it here for her to watch over."

"I thought it looked familiar," Flash spoke up as he stared at the magic glass with a frown. "Grand Hoof had me clean that thing once for punishment detail."

Celestia let out another sigh as she stared back at the portal. "I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would someday use it to return to me, to come back to Equestria, seeking my guidance. Obviously, this is not what has happened."

The whole group grimaced at her words, only for Cadance to step up to Twilight and say, "Twilight, 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 blinked at her sister-in-law before looking back at the mirror, Luna then speaking up, "She is correct. Your crown does not belong in the place Sunset Shimmer now calls home. And in her possession, your Element of Harmony will no doubt be used to bring harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will not have the power to defend themselves."

Twilight continued to stare at the mirror, only to feel a saddlebag be lifted onto her back. She looked up at who had done this, soon seeing it to be her mentor Celestia. The expression on her face showed a mix of confidence and pure business, "Do you understand the importance of your task?"

"Of course I do." Twilight replied as she looked back at the mirror.

She opened her mouth to say more, only to be cut off by Celestia, "Good. Then you must go at once Twilight."

Twilight turned back to her mentor again, nodding before taking a deep breath. She looked back at the magic reflective, soon stepping towards. But as she did this, her vision was suddenly be blocked by a certain rainbow maned pegasus. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the rest of her friends stepped up besides her. "If she's going, we're going with her. Right girls?"

"Like you have to ask," Flash added as he gave Rainbow a half glare. "And there are males here too, you know."

"Oooh! I'm so nervicited!" Pinkie squealed, her hooves running in place.

Applejack turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "You do realize that's not a real word, right?"

Twilight smiled at her friends, happy they wanted to help. But her smile was short lived as Celestia took this moment to sigh and shake her head. "I'm afraid I can't let you all go with her."

"What?!" Rainbow yelped as she stomped her hooves, "Why not?!"

"Sending all of you could upset the balance of this alternate world. It could create havoc that would make it impossible for Twilight to get the crown back from Sunset Shimmer." She let out another sigh, "This is why this is something Princess Twilight must do alone."

"WHAT?!" Flash exclaimed as he stepped up to the princess. "You can't be serious! We're not letting Twilight face that mad mare alone!"

"Flash! You heard Princess Celestia!" Twilight tried to say, "You can't-"

"Yes I can Twilight!" Flash barked back as he turned to his old friend, "I'm your bodyguard and I'm saying we're coming!" He then pointed at the new alicorn, "That mare shot my magic back at me like it was nothing! Who knows what other tricks she's got up her horn!" He then turned to Celestia, only to see a stare of pure authority, one that made him sweat. It also didn't help that Luna was doing the same, while Cadance just gave him a small half-frown. Despite this, he continued, "I'm sorry for speaking out of line, but we have no idea what's on the other side of that portal. Sunset Shimmer would have total home field advantage over Twilight! That's not something you go solo into!"

"Even so Flash Sentry, she must go alone." Celestia replied back, a chill going down Flash's spine as he heard her use his full name. "If she goes with all of you, the balance of that world will falter. It is something that must not be disturbed."

Flash wanted to growl and yell, but the back of his mind told him not to. He then glanced at his friends, all of them now showing looks of confusion and uncertainty. He knew they didn't have an answer, and this made him realize his next words. The defender took a long deep breath before glaring back at Princess Celestia, "If that's the case..." he pointed to himself, "then at least let me go with her! Let her have one friend by her side!"

"Flash..." Twilight gasped, the frown on her face now trying to disappear.

"And even if you say no your highness..." Flash continued, only to do a small gulp as he stared at her cold dead authoritative glare, "you know we'll still try to go in with her. We're her friends!"

Seeing his argument despite her mind telling her to never defy Princess Celestia, Twilight felt her body reflexively step up to be beside Flash as her mouth began to move on its own, "He's right princess. Please let them come along. I'm at my best when I'm by my friends."

Celestia continued to glare at him, only to turn to Cadance and Luna. It was here that she saw a nod from Cadance while Luna sighed, but nodded as well. Celestia then let out one last sigh as she turned back to Flash, "Very well Flash Sentry. You may also accompany Princess Twilight to keep her safe as her bodyguard." She glanced at the others, "but only you may go. I will not risk sending anymore of you."

Everyone nodded at this, Flash now shining a big grin as he stepped up to the mirror with Twilight. But as they started to go in the portal, Flash felt a magic aura grab his back. Before he knew it, Lightbringer had just been removed from his body. He turned to Celestia, who was the one now holding the blade. "I'm afraid you cannot take your Celestic Gear. Like the Element of Magic, having it in a world where it does not belong could be dangerous."

Flash nodded as they looked back to the mirror.

"Time is of the essence," Luna explained to them as she used her magic to create the image of the moon in the sky. "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 thirty moons before you will be able to use it to return."

Hearing this made everypony gulp, especially Flash and Twilight as the stared at the portal. It was here that the defender turned to the Twilight, "You ready for this?"

"I guess I have to be," Twilight replied as she picked up her hoof and pressed it against the portal, which it phased through like it was made of liquid, causing her to pull back in surprise. She then took one final look back over her shoulder, only to see Celestia nodding at her. The sight alone made Twilight filled with confidence, making her turn and step into the mirror first, Flash soon following after.

But as they did this, Spike, who had been silently panicking at the back of the group, continued to squirm at the sight of his two best friends disappearing into the goopy void of the mirror. Before anyone could say or do anything, the drake suddenly rushed past everypony. "SPIKE, NO!" The rest of the mane seven cried, but it was too late. Spike closed his eyes and leapt into the mirror, disappearing in a brilliant flash of light.