//------------------------------// // 11 Dark Reflections // Story: Trials of A Princess // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// I was glad we headed for the inn since shortly after leaving the strange doppelgänger of Rainbow Dash, the rain started falling. Twilight and I darted into the door just as the bottom fell completely out. The taproom was all worn wood and lit by globe-shaped lanterns which burned the blue-green of werelight. A long bar dominated one side of the room, with a billiards table and faro board off to the side. About a half-dozen other tables were scattered around the room and a heavily pockmarked dartboard hung from the wall, next to a cracked window overlooking Ponyville Lake. “Don’t just stand there! You’re dripping all over my floor!” I swung my head towards the voice and froze. A blue unicorn mare stood behind the bar, her grey mane shorn extremely short and a few small scars peppered her neck. But the eyes might as well be dead rocks for all the warmth they held. This mare might have been a near-perfect replica of Azure, but all the mirth and joy that I had come to recognize was absent. Everything about her was rougher, even her brogue. “Well, don’t just hang your gob about,” the mare snapped as she swept up a towel to wipe the bar down. “Either dry off and order a drink or get gone.” “Oh, s-sorry,” Twilight stuttered. She cast a drying spell that whisked away the moisture from our dampened manes and coats. “What do you recommend?” “I’ve got a Sweet Apple Acres cider on tap, or a Crystal Amber Ale t if you’re looking for something a bit tougher.” Azure eyed us both. “Or maybe I could find a bit of grape juice for you fragile lil’ ones.” I fought the urge to bristle at her calling us fragile. Even though they weren’t present anymore, I could feel the phantom kiss of the scars left by Acerak’s talons all those years ago. “The Amber for me, please,” I said, forcing a friendly smile. “Cider, please,” Twilight said. “Ms. I’m sorry, what’s your name?” The mare scoffed. “Can’t read? My name was on the sign. I’m Azure, owner of this here pub.” We took a seat at the bar as she went to pour our drinks, Twilight’s cider came in a wooden mug and mine in a wooden stein. I took a small sip and almost coughed at the punch of citrus it held. This wasn’t anything like what I had imagined it would be. “This is an Amber ale?” I asked. Azure looked in the stein and nodded. “Yeah, that’s it.” She finished wiping the bar and tossed her rag down on an untapped keg. “King Sombra’s best, but between you and me, the consistency needs some work. Some batches are stronger than others, some barely more than water. You'd think his brewers would know a thing or two, considering he touts their hundred-year legacy.” “King Sombra endorses this?” Twilight said, sipping her cider carefully. “Proudly too, the lug.” The Barmare pulled a keg from the back of her bar and slid it down next to the untapped one. “Anything else I can do for you?” “A room, if you have one open,” Twilight said. “Aye, I’ve got one for you,” Azure confirmed. She hunted under the bar before producing a key. “Fifteen bits a night, in advance.” I paled. Between us both, we had about ten bits, minus what the drinks would cost. I had planned to try to increase that, and seeing that they had a Faro table, I was sure I might have been able to do just that. But now I was faced with a problem of where to stay. “We, uh,” I stammered. “Only have eight.” “Then you'd better find seven more,” Azure turned back to her work. “I barely keep this place afloat, can’t afford to take cuts on boarders.” I glanced at Twilight, who was chewing her lip. It was a little harder to read her mood without her wings, but I knew she was trying to come up with a reasonable plan around this new obstacle. “Is there anyplace else we could stay?” I asked when Azure slung the newly-tapped keg into place. She thought for a second before grunting. “I suppose you could check out Sweet Apple Acres. They usually won’t turn away someone needing a place in this kind of weather. It’s straight west from Town Square about a mile or so. Ask for Big Mac or Gleam when you get to the gate.” Twilight opened her mouth to ask the question which had leaped to my mind as well, but I gave her a look that had her hold her peace. “Thank you. what do we owe you for the drinks?” “Two bits, and to never darken my doorstep again.” “Done.” I floated two coins over to her and stepped back out into the rain, conjuring a shield to keep me mostly dry. As we trudged to the Apple’s farm, Twilight looked at me. “She said to ask for Gleam or Big Mac. What do you think happened to Applejack?” “I suppose we’ll find out when we get there, won’t we?” I said. “So far, nothing seems to line up with the Equestria we know. Sombra’s not only in charge of the Crystal Empire, but exporting goods? Azure an embittered barmare instead of a happy-go-lucky former soldier? I’m afraid to see what happened to this world’s versions of us.” We were silent as the implications weighed on us. I felt my fear and worry simmering in the back of my mind as we approached a somewhat familiar gateway announcing that we had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. There was a tiny shed built into the gate, and within sat a young filly with a bright red mane playing cards with a pair of familiar faces. The redhead looked up when we approached and stood, walking over. “Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!” Applebloom chirped. “What kin we do fer ya?” “Just looking for a place to hide from the rain,” Twilight said. “Are Big Mac or Gleam around?” “Gleam’s out for the night, but Mac oughta be helping with supper. C’mon, I’ll show you the way!” She turned to her friends. “I’ll be back, but deal me out next round.” We followed her down a twisting path that was a little different from the one we both knew, but the house at the end was no less welcoming. Applebloom knocked the mud from her hooves on a block set by the door and hopped inside. “Mac! Ma! Visitors!” I froze just outside the door, noticing Twilight also going stiff at the greeting. A warm motherly voice called back. "Well, don't just stand by the door. Come on in, suppers just about ready. Bloom, honey? Why don't you go get your friends from the gatehouse? The filly skipped off as we were welcomed in by a figure I had only seen once before, in the Crystal Empire, as an apparition trying to coax Applejack into the embrace of death. “I hope you like barley stew,” Pear Butter said, turning to lead us inside. Dinner had been a very surreal experience, with not only Pear Butter joining us, but Bright Mac as well. The addition of a very pregnant Cheerilee, next to Big Mac, was just another way this world was more twisted from normal. “So,” Pear Butter asked as dinner wound down. “Where are you two headed?” “We were hoping to catch the last train to Canterlot, but we just missed it and the inns cost a bit more than we had on us.” Twilight poked at the second slice of pie Pear had sat in front of us, despite us protesting that we were full. “We were told to see if you had space for the night.” “Oh, of course!” she turned to Bright Mac. “That guest room is still set up in the barn, right honey?” “It is, but it might be a bit stale. Hasn’t been used since Applejack was here last. “The stallion stood and put his hat on. “I’ll go crack the windows so it’ll get some airflow.” “How is Applejack?” I asked. “I gather she doesn’t visit much?” “Oh, you know how it is.” Pear said, collecting empty plates. “She managed to get a job with a lot of words that basically mean she’s in charge of keeping prices fair for us simple farmers. We’re proud of her, we just wish she’d stopped by more often.” “So she’s a busy mare, then,” Twilight whispered. “She is,” Pear said before disappearing into the kitchen. When she came back, she held a pair of wrapped packages. She sat them down on the table. “But she always finds time to write home. And here, take these. Should keep you going tomorrow. And if you have time in the morning, you should find some hot griddlecakes with your name on them just after sunrise.” When the door shut to the spare room, and Bright Mac had retreated what I felt was a safe distance, I looked at Twilight and sighed. “This is bad.” “It’s better than it could be, Sunset,” Twilight replied. “I’ve seen a lot worse possible directions Equestria could have gone in. At least this one has a semblance of normality.” She smiled. “And tomorrow we can speak with Celestia and try to figure out how to get back! It’s all just a matter of time. It’s going to be fine —” I don’t know what it was about that statement that set me off, but the next thing I knew, I screamed in frustration. Her continued reassurance was broken as I swept everything off the table. I spun on her as she sputtered to a stop. ”No, Twilight! It’s not going to be fine! We’re stuck here, massively underpowered, and with no idea whatsoever of how to get back!” I swept a foreleg around to indicate the cabin we had taken shelter in. “This isn’t the Equestria we know. We don’t know anything about this place or who we can trust!” I swept a hoof towards the farmhouse we had just left. “Pear Butter and Bright Mac still alive? AJ out in Manehatten as some sort of lobbyist? Rainbow a fashionista and Azure a bar owner? Your library run by Moondancer who is dating Gleam Star? And I can’t even feel the connection that I’ve had with my wife for the last seven years at all, Twilight. It’s as if she’s never existed.” I felt tears welling up inside. “Sunset...” Anything else she might have said was lost as I stalked back into the rain. I didn’t even care that I would get soaked. It hid the tears that were streaming down my face.