I’ve heard of Ponyville’s Mirror Pool before. It’s a pool that duplicates stuff. Kind of like a mirror but magical. When we discovered the high school portal, the other side was a mirror. Didn’t take long for leaders to say, “Let’s mass-produce portals from that pool, no?” But it’s still a pool. I know too well: slippery surface plus prank equals splash.
Hearing that we’re going there scared me. Knowing my luck, I’d find new ways to fall into a pool. Had a nightmare about that. No, Luna wasn’t there to help me. She should've been there.
I didn’t want leave my bed. Might’ve gotten out of the Dragon Lands and Dhamana alive, but third time’s the (unlucky) charm. I just knew something bad was gonna happen this time.
And on cue, it began with Ember dragging me out of bed so I’d fall to the floor. The worst wake-up call.
“Ouch! Would you stop—“
“—doing that? No. I’m not gonna wait around and gently poke you awake.”
“Give me a break! I could’ve died!"
Ember glared at me. Again, don’t anger a dragon. Take it from me. She almost cooked me.
But she sighed. Took deep breaths. With a groan and an eyeroll: “Alright, Sight See. At least you have that use.”
Use. A dragon using me. At this point, why not?
“What use?” I asked anyway.
Ember groaned again, covering her face. “Why’d you have to make me say it?… OK, fine: You’re keeping me in check, keeping me from going berserk.”
“… uh, what?” The Dragon Lord complementing me. Not bad. Still unbelievable.
She groaned some more. She was… I remember her blushing. I made the Dragon Lord embarrassed. Didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
“You slowed me down with Atalayi. If you weren’t there, I would’ve toasted him. Who knows what everyone’d think of us dragons?”
This was my chance to redeem myself. Or something. “Why, thank you—“
“Come with me to the deck before you make me spill my feelings even more. Oh, and since there’s no important papers there, I’m giving you a new job: whatever it is they have at the pool.”
Couldn’t say no to that. If I did, might as well jump ship.
I followed her out to the deck. There, zebras did their thing with clothes-making and potion-making and other stuff, but now there’s a few dragons present too, mostly being guards or carrying big things. Guess we stopped at the Dragon Lands at some point.
Speaking of big things: crates and cargo took up lots of space. Had labels for draconian sulfur, volcanic glass, magic herbs and flowers. Didn’t have to ask what they’re for. They’re undeniable proof that the deal went through, and I helped. I was the happiest man on Earth. No, in Equestria.
We lowered down through the pegasi’s clouds (nabbed bland cotton candy from them). Then I saw Ponyville. My heart warmed. Finally, I was very close to home, back to where I should be in this whole internship thing. So wanted to jump down, kiss the ground, hug the first internmate I see and tell them to never leave me again. I was desperate.
We touched down. I looked outside. Ponies rushed to meet and greet us. They got a treat coming up for ‘em: the Dragon Lord, the cultural mediator of Dhamana, and that one boneheaded human. Of course, Twilight was there, scratching her head, searching for me. When she saw I wasn’t eaten by a rock bear, she sighed in relief. Then she greeted the leaders.
Wasn't in the mood for an antsy princess’s lecture, but I had to play the part of being there. I walked beside Ember and Telat'e, hoping my “importance” would keep Twilight away.
“So how was it, Sight See?”
That's Twilight asking, trotting beside me. Sounded so worried like I'm her son. I'm wondering if she treated Line Drop like a son too.
“You didn't get into any danger, did you?” she went on.
I kept the smile up. Wished I’d say, I'm OK, Mom. “Not really. I'm very much fine.”
“Then explain the bruise on your face.”
Oh. Right. That thing. Thanks Ember.
“I'm just... really clumsy. Should've been more careful.” I mean, it's technically true. I was clumsy. A clumsy good guy who stood up to danger. Or clumsy half-wit.
“If you say so.” She sighed. Really looking concerned for someone she just met this morning. “I... I just want you to be OK. It'd be bad if I welcomed you to this world only to let you suffer a magic curse or worse.”
“Well, thank you for the concern, princess.” Though she’s getting overbearing. But I guess a princess does have lots to worry about.
Twilight nodded, about to leave, but she turned to me again. “Just one more thing: where're you going?”
“With Ember and Telat'e. Still got work to do in the Mirror Pool. Maybe carry a few things, be a supervisor for a few hours. Who knows?”
“Alright... just stay safe out there.”
We said our goodbyes. I thought I was done with her until she called out again, trotting back to me.
“By the way, Sight, your buddies are in the new Ponyville Lodge. You'll go there to turn in for the night. Got that?”
My friends were already done with their day one shifts. I still have to do more work in a dangerous environment. Agh.
With Twilight gone, we journeyed towards the Mirror Pool. However, I noticed Telat'e’s dreamy eyes facing the Everfree Forest.
Got me curious. “What's gotten into you?”
Telat'e snapped his head back like he just woke up. “Excuse me for my improper inattention. A fellow zebra lives there, worthy of mention.”
“Really? Never heard of zebras living here.”
Telat'e chuckled again. This time, though, he wasn’t smug or calm. Sounded nervous. So I put two and two together. Nervous chuckle, dreamy eyes, the blushing cheeks I just noticed all had to add up to something.
“Are you in love?” I smugly asked.
Telat'e stared, stuttered at me. There it was! Love.
“F-for inspiration only, really!”
Raised my eyebrow, being more smug. Finally, a time when I could be cocky and it’s called for.
“You see, she is a rare mare! Zecora's one of the few who sojourned out of Dhamana without a care, during those days when we wouldn't to the world lay our hearts bare! From so many reports, she is well-traveled—a brave soul and sort!”
“And she lives in the forest too?” I asked, but then I paused. The forest looked off.
“That only makes her all more admirable as a folk!” he continued. “For Everfree's cockatrice, timberwolves, cragadiles, and poison joke—these beasts and terrors (and more!) she can put under her stroke!”
So the forest is infested with horrors. Poor me. Minutes ago, I thought I was home free. So close to catching up with my friends and sleeping in. So close to waking up to a normal day and work with unicorns. But, no, maybe I would get mauled by a rock bear after all. But come on! It’s just a pool. As long as I didn’t fall into it, I’d be fine. Still had a scary forest to go through.
We stepped into the Everfree. Ember was alert, Telat’e was fascinated, the dragon and zebra guards were, um, on guard. Then you look at me: smiling on the outside. Inside, I was scared at everything. The branch cracks, the spooky eyes, the growling from anywhere, shadows running. Creepy stuff everywhere, creepy alive stuff and creatures.
“Hey, stop holding my arm!”
I was clinging on to Ember’s arm for dear life and I didn't know. I stopped, but I the guards were already snickering behind me.
Facade’s falling apart. I’m falling apart. But just a few more minutes of this and I could rest. All I had to do was follow the signs. Literal signs. Arrow signs pointing to the right cave.
At the entrance, lots of construction ponies with their tools and machines. They welcomed us into the cave. Felt like they welcomed me to the final boss.
I stepped in. Was a bit of a tunnel. Scary tunnel with the spooky echoes of whatever’s inside.
Then we got to the cave itself.
Down there, ponies and other creatures went around, doing work: hauling heavy stuff, inspecting machinery and other tools, following schedules and recording measurements. Saw temporary shelters, probably for lab tinkering and literal sleeping on the job.
The Mirror Pool was there. I could see a line of huge mirrors dipped inside it plus a little pipe streaming the mirror water into huge vats. For later use, I guess. Either way, it reminded me of that show where they showed you how they make things. It's amazing: the mirror portals before they became portals.
Railings were by the pool, but that’s it for safety measures as far as I knew. And hard hats. They had hard hats. Pink hard hats even.
There’s Line Drop, looking at things and writing on a clipboard. Natch. Supervisor on the first day. And then he noticed me.
“Oh, hi, Sight!” he said, waving at me.
I waved back, faking my smile before Ember nudged me on the shoulder.
“Is he your friend?” she asked.
“Yes! That’s Line Drop! He’s with us.”
“Hm. I heard he’s the one who fell into the pool.”
I grimaced. Not a good time to remind me even though the pool is so big you can’t miss it.
“Fell down the Mirror Pool, you say?” Telat’e said. “I’m fazed he’s not in disarray!”
I coughed. Nervous cough. “I mean, if he’s fine, it’s not that bad, right?”
As we moved down to ground level. Underground level.
Before all this happened, I heard a tale about the Mirror Pool. Some friend of the princess copied herself tons of times. Heard they had a real scare. The whole town was swarmed with pink ponies. Even gave existential crises to the real mare.
So when Line Drop approached me, I almost screamed. I’m not having a zombie take me alive. I’m not gonna get cursed. I wasn’t, I wasn’t, I wasn't.
He said, “I heard you got snatched by the dragon leader, eh?”
“Not snatched!” I shot back, trying to stay in the dragon-zebra line. “I volunteered for this job… which is cool, by the way!”
“Heh. You volunteered to be snatched, I’d say,” and he giggled to his clipboard. Normal Line Drop.
He looked normal. His clones could be that good. I might've been infected with existential crises already. They might be hiding his body. Twilight’s a princess—maybe she’d given us a PR statement back in the morning, not the truth. And there’s the pool. There’re creatures behind me. All it’d take was a push and...
“Sight See?”
“Agh!”
Jumped back, bumped into Ember.
Got my senses back, but my head's still dizzy. Looked up. Ember was in fighting stance, glaring at me again.
“What’s your problem?!” she asked.
And everyone in the line was gaping at me.
I buckled. “Um… sorry! I just got, uh, surprised!”
“Yeah, you were.” Narrowed her cat eyes at me. “You know, subordinates usually don’t scream when I call them.”
Fumbled for words. “Um… a-heh-heh!” Nervous, I know.
She rolled her eyes. “Just stay quiet until I tell you what to do, OK? First things first: gotta announce this deal."
We stopped walking.
Ember flew to the air and shouted, “Everyone! Look at me!”
Everyone stopped what they’re doing, looked at her. I noticed a few terrified ponies. Somepony dropped his glass of water.
“From now on, you’ll be making portals much faster! The dragons and the zebras agreed to give you our resources and other helpful portal stuff. We’ll help connect our world to the human world faster so everyone wins, uh, faster. Happy ending ever after. You get me? Argh—you get me.”
What a laid-back speech. Everyone’s OK with it though. We had proof, after all: dragons and zebras in our line plus crates of helpful portal stuff.
Ember barked orders for this and that dragon and zebra. Bring the sulfur to the lab, send the glassblowing dragons to the mirror-making area, et cetera.
“Sight See! You’re under… that guy!”
I followed her scaly finger. Guess who’s there.
“Um, my name’s Line Drop, your Highness,” he said, looking up from his clipboard again.
Ember smiled. “Ah! That’s the respect I’d like to see!” She turned to me. “Sight, be like your friend.” She’s not that supportive. I’m not surprised if she treats her future children with a fly-or-die attitude.
“Line Drop, help him out. He has more experience with dragons and zebras than any other human in your batch.”
There’s the complement!
“But he sucks at keeping calm with dragons and speaking rhymes for zebras, so assist him with supervisory stuff or something.”
And there's the back-handed insult. Or back-clawed insult.
Ember went away to Telat’e to talk about more serious stuff. Just leaving me alone to fend for myself, I see!
”Ready for some hands-on training, See?” Complete with his welcoming hand on my shoulder. Doomed, I tell ya’.
OK, not all doomy. I was scared to go ten feet near mirror water, but I did decent ‘sides that. I took Line Drop’s words in: he taught me everyone's names and roles (‘least the old employees before Ember brought in more), gave me crash courses on what the jobs were and what this machine had to do with that material, even lessons on how to make your own mirror portal (though I was told to never try it at home. Or at all.)
I didn’t want to talk to him about the incident. Just seeing the pool already rattled me. What if he’s a clone but nobody knew? Might infect me with mirror disease. Yeah, paranoia to the max, but, Desk, understand: I should’ve died in the Dragon Lands or in Dhamana. I was scared a clone breathing on me would do me in.
After Drop’s boring but useful lectures, I had some idea of what to do. Some idea of a gist of an impression. Yeah. That. This pony has to not slack from the claw mirror pick-up thingy in the pool. That kind of stuff. Kept nodding to his words. Nodding was inoffensive. He thought I was 100% listening.
“Hey, I gotta go to the toilet.” Tapped me on the chest with a fist. "You got this, OK?”
I wish he didn’t do that. Didn’t run away and leave me alone like Ember. Alone to face everyone on my own. But I had to do it.
“Uh, OK, Drop.”
So he left. Still, I needed my training wheels back. Everyone whirled around me. Activities everywhere. Didn’t know where to start. So noisy and confusing.
“Now, Dragon Lord, go and behold! It’s Zecora, that zebra I’ve told!”
I beheld too. Didn’t go, though. Ember didn’t go too.
Another zebra came in, a mare. Huge earrings, gold neck- and earrings, saddlebags of flowers, herbs, extracts. One point for Telat’e and his “inspiration”: looks the well-traveled part, ‘least with the bags.
Speaking of the guy, I saw him. He got the hots for her, heart eyes and everything.
“Lovebird!” Ember shouted at him. “You got more important things—“
Telat’e went off to greet her.
I had a very bad feeling about this, but I let it slide. Telat’e was a professional. Surely he’d know his limits and get back to work, right?
Went to Ember just in case. Tried to fill the hole he’d left. Also tried to chummy up to her. Also wanted to tell everyone, Hey, I’m a big deal because I’m hanging out with Ember the Dragon Lord!
“There’s the love,” I said to her. Even nudged her shoulder. What cool humans do. Stupid cool humans like me.
Ember rolled her eyes. Maybe it’s a common thing for her. "He’d stop right now if he knew better. We still have to outline our next deal.”
“You already have a next deal?”
“Can you stop repeating what I say?”
I shut my mouth. Hard to argue with a dragon. Desk, just because I did it before doesn’t mean it’s gotten any easier.
“Embassies with each other. Dragon-zebra relations. All that good stuff.” Jerked a thumb at a flattering Telat’e and a puzzled Zecora. “But Mr. Lovestruck has other plans and—”
Thud!
Things got silent. I turned around.
By the railings, a pony and a dragon dirty-looking each other. Fallen box on the side. I guessed one bumped the other. Not the oh-I’m-sorry kind of bump.
Lightning wit time: I pointed at them and declared, “Hey! No fighting here, OK? We want to keep this clean and simple!”
They stared at me for a while. I was too much for ‘em, so they groaned, and returned to work.
I had some legitimacy now. I was the supervisor. Acting supervisor, yeah, but I’m a leader and that’s something. Perhaps I shouldn’t threaten sanctions all the time, but this was supervisor stuff, not complicated diplomat sorcery. But of course it was.
“This romance is gonna kill me,” Ember said, shaking her head at Telat’e flattering Zecora. “No respect for my time.”
I should’ve noticed her change in attitude a bit more. She might snap. Maybe I should stop her. Or maybe not because I did nothing. Getting choked by Ember twice wouldn’t be fun.
So I got very surprised when Ember stomped over to Telat’e, lodged her finger to his snout, and said… unnice things.
“You better stop smooching my time away, especially if you think impressing some mare is more important than international talks… Telat.”
That rustled Telat’e’s feathers. He glared at her. Looked down, pawed the ground.
Zecora had to be the newcomer, didn’t she? “Is there something of which I’m amiss?”
“Nothing,” he growled back, “only that Ember rudely hissed.”
“Really?” Ember crossed her arms. She wasn't ready to fight. Yet. “Getting too worked up about a nickname?“
“It is merely one syllable, one glottal stop—“
“OK, OK! You do you on the names, but how about how you’re wasting my time away?”
“I cannot act and be so serious all this time!” he lashed out. “Zecora is one I look forward to… sublime! To rest and be in awe: is that a crime?”
“Stop using this other zebra!” and Ember stepped forward, blocking Zecora from his view. “Admit it! You’re in love! You’re distracted!”
“And what about that love of mine? I cannot resist unlike your stoic shine!”
“Stoic? Me? You’ve seen me more than enough times. Takes a lot of work to hide the stress of opening the Dragon Lands up to everyone—“
“Yet you do not know the tax and toll on my head, this liberating of Dhamana and—“
“Oh, stop being so pleased with your sorry self!”
“Then cease having no care for my customs and sensibilities at random!”
“Uh, guys, c-could you please stop?”
That last one was me.
They looked at me. Mouths open, about to fight back. Actual fighting could've happened.
Couldn’t believe I said those words. Was in the moment, but still, I angered angry big names. I hoped I did the right thing. They weren’t shouting at each other—ust impolite whispers. But the moment the workers heard them shout...
“And who do you think you are butting it like that?” Ember said. Calmer, but still angry.
Didn’t know what to say. Looked down. Thought about it. Didn’t feel so good. I came here just to avoid a thesis. Who am I to butt in and be the peaceful middleman?
Then I heard the shouts. All too real.
All of us looked back. It’s the same pony and dragon from before, fighting again.
“Hey!” I shouted, running there, running out of breath. “Hey, stop doing that!”
But they tussled each other into the air. They went over the railing, flying into the pool.
I heard the splash.
Next thing I knew, two ponies and two dragons were fighting. All four looked the same. Couldn’t tell who’s who, but why thnk about that? There was more fighting and trouble to take care of.
I froze. Didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to ruin it anymore. I’d already done enough.
But it just got worse. Guards swooped in, got swatted into the pool. Now the guards are trying to kill their copies by turning them into magic streams, sending them back to the pool.
Why was I only watching? I was supposed to be the calm and collected leader, but guess what? Chaos. Fighting, more fighting. More throws, more of the same pony and dragon, hurting each other, innocent laborers, smashing stuff. Can’t even tell where’re the originals.
Speaking of smashing stuff, I heard glass crack. Reminded me about that thing Line Drop said. Don’t let the mirrors stay in the pool for too long.
“Hey! Pull the mirrors back up!”
Several ponies heard me, came to the rescue and pulled the mirrors out, but it’s too late. No, they weren’t broken or cracked. They’re fully operational.
Just got the wrong dimension. One where floating flaming centipede things lived.
Those monsters shot out of the portal. Scared just about everybody, even me. Enough to make me hide behind a rock. Yup. There I was, behind a dinky rock.
I just wanted to work with nice unicorns. What’d I get? A job I didn’t want. Got attacked by one dragon, then the leader of all of ‘em. Barely survived a zebra council where I embarrassed myself too much. Now, not even thirty minutes into this job, I destroyed everything: didn’t pay attention, caused clones, let thingamajigs terrify us for fun. Certainly set our worlds’ relations back decades.
I shed a tear. My throat was heavy. Ready to break down and sob it all out.
I had enough of this.
I put my glass away. Still a lot to go, but I don’t want to botch the ending for poor Clean Desk here. I mean, he’s looking at me like he’s won a trophy.
“But," he asks, "how’d you survive?”
I chuckle. Little habit I picked up from Telat’e. “Well, you know those times when you just sulk around? You just want to sink and cry ‘cause you think you can’t be better?”
That sets him thinking. “Huh. I’ve had some of that before. Even… um, uh, well, just this morning.”
The perfect set-up. “And I assume you didn’t stay sinking and crying the whole day, right?” You see, I like it when they set themselves up for a lesson.
“Er…” Ears turn up in realization. “Actually… yeah.”
I smile. He’s got it.
“Yup. We all get down. Young college me? He got down bad.”
I make my smile wider. Hope Desk opens his mouth in amazement.
“But you know what young me realized that day? You don’t stay down.”
I realized it then. A lightning bolt of wisdom. I’d think people would call me dumb, foolish, dead between the ears. They’d call me stupid. But if I’m gonna be stupid, might as well be the stupid hero.
I rose from my rock and screamed.
Just about everyone looked at me (except the fighting ponies and dragons and centipede things). Stupid heroism begins with stupid first steps.
“What’re you doing?!” Ember said, rushing to me. Grabbed my shoulder. “Are you insane?!”
“J-j-just getting myself back on track, Ember.” Surprised myself how I went from loud to calm. OK, shaky and nervous, but I didn’t shout at her after just shouting at everyone.
Felt like rocks in my stomach, but I just had to say it. I stared at Ember. Forced the words out: “Are we doing something for the… you know, the weird floating things?” Pointed at the centipede creatures shooting fireballs at fleeing ponies.
Ember glared at me. “I was going to rally the other dragons to fight them off, but a certain human screamed that thought away.”
I gulped. “Uh, I’m a good reminder…?”
“Agh. Never mind. Just don’t get yourself killed.”
She flew off. Ember then summoned all the dragons in here to team up and fight the centipede things.
OK. Maybe I’d have my heroics done some other way. Well, there’s Telat’e with other zebras…throwing magic spears at the pony and dragon clones, disintegrating them back to the pool.
Then my ears re-opened up to all the screaming and panic everywhere.
That’s it. I could—no, should help get everybody to safety. As the supervisor of this thing, it’s my duty.
I ran to open space, jumped around like a dummy, and shouted, “Everyone! Everyone! Everyone not fighting or needed out here, follow me to the shelter!”
So we did. Had too many close calls—fireballs landed inches away from us—but we made it, hunkered down inside. We locked the doors and windows tight.
There were noises and rumbles outside, but we’re safe and sound here.
I did the usual emergency routine. Roll call, listed down post-emergency to-do’s. I’m surprised I was able to do that without running away. No stage fright. I know my hands trembled like crazy though.
We stayed inside forever but then, out of nowhere, the noises and rumbles stopped. Stayed quiet. Was everyone dead?
I could feel their stares when I creaked the door open.
Same old cave. ‘cept the clones and centipedes weren’t there. Just the normal creatures. Still, I didn’t feel sure so I shouted, ”All clear?!”
“All clear!” That’s a pony outside.
I sighed… but the mirrors. “And the mirrors?!”
“For the chopping block! Too broken to fix.”
I sighed but it’s a bad sigh. Had to steel myself though. Turned around and told everyone they’re free to go out.
We got back out. A lot less claustrophobic now. Everyone’d ran away from work of course. Now they’re getting back to work. Or trying to: saw ponies shell-shocked, jittery, but they were trotting back to their stations, so...
“… well, it won’t take you three months anymore. With us, we’ll all have portals made in just… what was that again?"
“That’s two weeks or three,” Telat’e replied to Ember. Then to the pony portal operators ‘fore them: “Your time’s that free!”
“See?” and Ember spread her arms at them. “Don’t get all too gloomy about it.”
After they’re done with talking, Telat’e trotted away. Didn’t know why, so I looked. There she was, Zecora. Either she’s in love too or she’s very polite with unlikeable suitors.
“Sight See?“
That’s Ember. Crossed arms, glare. Walking to me.
I gulped, sighed, breathed, fixed my tie. Wasn’t just her body heat that made me sweat. Live-or-die time.
“I don’t know about you,” she said. Gruff as always. “You were pretty stupid out there. Actually, you're pretty stupid everywhere.”
I thought, Cut to the chase. Am I fired? Enslaved to her forever? On dragon death row?
She didn’t say any of that though. Instead, she smiled.
“But I gotta admit. You got guts. The dragons need humans with guts in their embassy thingies.”
I kept quiet. Too stupidly amazed to say anything.
“I’m afraid this is the end of your Human Lord of Important Papers stint. I’m sure there’s something a lot safer for you here in Equestria… but I don’t know.” Raised her brows. Gave me a cryptic smile. “I’ll just keep an eye on you and we’ll play by ear, OK? I can make something crop up after your university thingie.”
I must’ve mumbled out my OK. Nodded my head, dumb mouth wide open.
I just stood there when Ember left. Everyone else was doing things around me. My brain was malfunctioning. I was gonna be back with my friends tonight, ready to drop dead on the bed, but I survived. Survived to do something that had some impact on things. Big things. Couldn't believe it.
I was crazy. Had no back-up plan for the many times bad things happened to me. Was a kid who messed everything up. But hey, I bounced back. Even though I almost died and you should never ever be stupid like me, Desk… OK, maybe a little. It’s the don’t-stay-down part you should listen to more.
Now I felt like I was missing someone...
“Sight See!”
I looked back, saw Line Drop haggard, coming from the porta-toilet.
“I heard all the noises!” he shouted, horrified. “I tried to get out but I locked myself in! It's only now I got out!” Eyes darting everywhere. “Is everyone OK? What’d I miss?”
I chuckled. “You missed a lot, Line Drop. Let’s just say… thank you for the learning experience.”
He stared at me flatly. “… what?”