//------------------------------// // Through the Looking Glass // Story: It’s Showtime: Once Upon A Time // by extremeenigma02 //------------------------------// *RING!!!* The final school bell rang throughout the halls of Canterlot High, signifying the end of another day of learning. The once deserted halls quickly filled with a mob of students, all eager to get out of school and return home. Amongst those students was one Twilight Sparkle, or ‘Sci-Twi’ to some, walking slowly and casually through the halls, clutching her textbooks to her chest. Out of her backpack, little Spike poked his furry head out. He looked completely bored out of his mind. “Another boring school day where nothing exciting happened,” He groaned. “Don’t be such a downer Spike,” Twilight giggled. “School is actually a lot of fun. I personally can’t wait for all those book reports to do for English class. Just imagine all the books I get to read.” While Twilight was extremely excited about her schoolwork and her books, her little dog was more or less enthusiastic about it. He just hung his head and rolled his eyes. “Don’t you miss those crazy adventures we’ve had in the past?” Spike asked seriously. As Twilight walked, she pondered over what her little friend asked. Those adventures she and her friends had in the past were certainly fun. From defeating and rehabilitating Sunset Shimmer, defeating the all-powerful Sirens in a battle of the bands… well ‘she’ wasn’t involved with those adventures, but they sure sounded exciting. Regardless, since meeting Sunset and her friends, they did accomplish so much after that. And yet there was a part of her that really didn’t miss it all that much. “Nope, not really,” She responded truthfully. “Why not?” Spike asked. “You don’t think it was really fun when you and your friends save the school on multiple occasions?” “I never said that Spike. I loved what me and the girls were able to accomplish. It’s just after all the times we almost got killed, it’s nice not having to worry about anything other than schoolwork for a change.” “It’s been months though,” Spike pointed out. “I just figured something interesting would happen by now.” “I wouldn’t get your hopes up Spike,” Twilight said, patting his head. As the two made their way out the front doors, they noticed a huge stretch limousine parked in front of the school. Twilight grinned, shaking her head as she knew there was only ‘one’ person who’d have a limo at school. The answer only became more obvious when the back window rolled down revealing her fashionista friend, Rarity. “Twilight darling!” Rarity called. “Come in quickly!” Twilight quickly ran over to the car door, peering in to see all the rest of her friends as well. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were fighting over who gets the last piece of apple pie. Fluttershy brushing her pet bunny Angel, who was snoozing peacefully in her lap while she talked to Sunset Shimmer. And Pinkie Pie was being… well Pinkie Pie. “Hiya Twilight!” Pinkie called excitedly. “Check it out! Rarity picked us all up in her limo today! We’re all going back to her house and guess what we’re doing! Come on! Guess! Guess! Guess!” Twilight giggled at her perky pink party friend’s excitement, as she tapped her chin and put a mocking quizzical look on her face. “Hmm… ice skating today?” She asked sarcastically. “No silly… besides that’s next week.” “Meeting a famous celebrity by chance?” “Try again!” “Oh… I’ve got it! The school dance is coming up soon and Rarity’s taking us to her shop to get us our dresses?!” “DING! DING! DING! Your winner and still trivia champion, Twilight ‘Sci-Twi’ Sparkle!!!” Everyone in the car laughed, as Twilight opened the door of the limo and hopped in alongside her friends. The limo sped off through town towards Rarity’s house and boutique. All the while, they talked about the upcoming school dance. “So… I think we’ve waited long enough to talk about this,” Sunset spoke up. Everyone leaned forward to hear exactly what Sunset had in mind. “Who is everyone going to the dance with?” “Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I for one have the ‘perfect’ date in mind,” Rarity bragged. “Let me guess,” Rainbow smirked. “Is his name ‘Ragamuffin’ by any chance?” Rarity turned her face away, hiding the shy little smile. “Perhaps,” She whispered. “Well I think that’s fantastic,” Twilight congratulated her. “What about the rest of you?” “I asked Flash if he’d be willing to go with me,” Sunset answered. “He said only if he can get off work.” “I’m sure he’ll be able to. You two will have an amazing time together.” Fluttershy was next to speak up, although she tried her hardest not to look at any of them while she toyed with her hair. “Um… I-I-I’m g-going with B-Bulk B-Biceps,” She stammered. All the girls looked at Fluttershy in shock, even Pinkie Pie did a hilarious spit take. “Say what now?!” She asked loudly. Fluttershy squealed in fright, as she hid herself in her hair. It wasn’t till Twilight pulled her hair away and looked at the meek girl with a huge smile. “That’s amazing Fluttershy,” She said sincerely. “I-I don’t k-know,” She shook her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t go. This was a bad idea.” Twilight placed a comforting hand upon her friend’s shoulder to ease her down. Soon as Fluttershy took a few deep breathes, Twilight looked deeply into Fluttershy’s eyes. “It’s not a bad idea at all, Fluttershy,” She assured. “In fact, I think it’s a great idea.” “But how did you get Bulk to agree to go to the dance?” Rainbow asked. “He normally doesn’t do anything that doesn’t involve lifting the entire school for his daily ab crunches. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking him out while he works out.” Fluttershy turned a deep shade of crimson red, pulling her hair back in front of her face. “Come on Dash,” Applejack scolded. “Ain’t no good reason tah go teasin’ Fluttershy like that.” “Oh yeah? And just exactly who are you going to the dance with?” “Ah ain’t goin’ tah the dance. Got too much work tah do on the farm. Ah can’t wait tah hear which feller got unfortunately saddled with you.” “Me dancing? Meh, dances aren’t really my thing. All that mushy-gushy lovey stuff and dancing so close to each other… blech! I’ll pass.” “What about the time we danced together during the Fall Formal?” Rarity pointed out. “Yeah, well… that was different.” “What about you Twilight?” Pinkie asked. Twilight blushed as she twiddled a tiny strand of her hair as she gazed out the window. “I just can’t wait to attend my first school dance… with Timber Spruce,” She said with adoration. “I’ll say it again… blech!” Rainbow Dash said dramatically. As the limo continued on towards the boutique, Twilight suddenly felt a rather strange feeling wash over her. A weird tingling sensation that came over her entire being, so much her body felt rather strange. Sunset looked over at Twilight and could instantly tell something was off. “Twilight, you okay?” She asked with concern. Suddenly, Twilight felt a very sharp feeling in her head… then she suddenly felt dizzy and ill at the same time. Clutching her head, trying to stop the pain, a flash suddenly appeared in her eyes. A vision began to play of the enchanted mirror, the very one that the ‘other’ Twilight traveled through when she came to visit her friends in this world. She couldn’t exactly figure out why she received this vision, but she felt there was something wrong. As the vision came to a stop, Twilight snapped back to reality. “We need to get back to the school!” She said urgently. “Now!” “What’s wrong?” Sunset asked. “You look as though you’ve seen a ghost!” Rarity gasped. “The mirror that the other Twilight came through,” Twilight explained. “I think there’s something wrong with it!” This made the girls rather nervous. They recalled what the other Twilight once told of them, of a mirror serving as a very powerful portal. A portal created by the great pony wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, to banish the Dazzlings from the World of Equestria. Of course the mirror was initially locked away until the Princess of Friendship ended up finding it and wound up in the human world. Of course, the only time something was ever wrong with the portal was when Sci-Twi accidentally closed it off in her pursuit of understanding the magic. So why now? “Twilight?” Sunset spoke. “If there’s something wrong with the portal, what do you think it is?” “I don’t know!” Twilight answered. “But I have this bad feeling something very bad is going to happen. We need to go and check the mirror.” “But what about picking our dresses for the dance?” Rarity asked. “Seriously Rarity?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, but I designed the most gorgeous dresses for Twilight and all of you. I really wanted you all to see them.” “Sorry Rarity, but that’s the least of our problems,” Twilight warned. “We need to turn around now!” Rarity sighed but ultimately signaled the driver to turn back around and head back to the school. “I suppose it’s for the best anyway. Sweetie Belle and the others will be finishing their afterschool activities soon anyway. Was planning to take them home afterwards.” “Ah still don’t know what y’all are talkin’ about with that mirror, Twi,” Applejack said confused. “Yeah, considering that the mirror is all the way in Pony Land,” Pinkie Pie reminded. “And the portal only leads to the school’s statue.” “You all have to trust me on this,” Twilight insisted. “Something’s wrong and we need to see for ourselves. Besides… there’s more than just ‘one’ mirror, right Sunset?” The girls turned toward Sunset Shimmer, who looked back toward Twilight and her friends. A sigh escaped her lips as she reluctantly nodded her head. “I do know of ‘one’ other.” In that moment, Spike popped out of her backpack again. “Are you kidding me?” Spike asked. “Twilight, I thought you wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet. Now you want to follow Sunset and find ‘another’ portal?” “I do want some quiet Spike,” Twilight insisted. “But if there’s something wrong with the mirror, something bad has happened with the magic between our worlds and that could spell doom for everyone. We just need to make sure the magic’s okay.” Soon enough, the limo pulled up outside of the school again and all the girls stepped out. Quickly, they made their way back inside and made their way to where Sunset claimed an additional portal is kept. Just as they turned a corner, they almost ran straight into three familiar little girls: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo of the Canterlot Movie Club. “Whoa!” Apple Bloom yelped. “What are y’all in such a hurry for?” “We’re not even done with rehearsal for another fifteen minutes!” Sweetie Belle added. “Sorry girls,” Twilight apologized. “But we’re in a really big hurry right now.” “Why?” Scootaloo asked curiously. “It’s complicated. Just head back to rehearsal, we’ll come and get you soon.” The three girls looked toward their older sisters, except Rainbow Dash wasn’t really a ‘sister’ while more of an ‘honorary’ one for Scootaloo. The three older girls shrugged their shoulders having no idea either. Nonetheless, the three girls continued on their way. “Alright Sunset, is that mirror here?” Twilight asked. “Yep,” Sunset nodded. “Just down this way…” <> The girls stand in the center of a secret hidden room in the school, standing before where the mirror portal stood. In a way it resembled the very same mirror from Equestria, all hooked up to its structural frame with all the mechanical wirings and power conductors. Aside from being very dusty, however, it didn’t seem anything was out of the ordinary. “Still hard to believe that there truly were other portals between here and Equestria,” Rainbow noted. “Well if you hadn’t insisted on wanting to go hunting for, and I quote, ‘Evil Magic’,” Twilight Sparkle gestured. “We never would’ve been able to find this one portal.” “I said I was sorry! Sheesh… you go a little magic crazy for one moment and suddenly I’m the girl who crashed our Spring Break trip.” “Well…” Sunset began, looking away. “ANYWAYS… what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?” “I’m not sure,” Twilight responded. “But I’ve had this strange feeling in my gut something was wrong.” “You sure it might’ve been that noodle casserole we had for lunch today?” Pinkie motioned. “I don’t know what Granny Smith put in there, but it had a really funky taste. Well, you are what you eat?” “Pinkie, did y’all just compare Twilight to a bowl of noodles?” Applejack asked, raising a brow. “Well not directly, I was mostly suggesting—” “I’m serious girls,” Twilight interjected. “There’s something not right with this machine!” “Well we have to bear in mind that magic between dimensions is unstable,” Sunset pointed out, examining the mirror. “Soon as I realized that the magic was so strong it opened portals to other corners of Canterlot City, I happened to stumble upon this portal during one of my trips… ended up in a mom-and-pop pawn shop. Spend nearly every dollar I had to buy this mirror and take it to someplace in the school where no one would think to look while Twilight and I could study this every chance we get.” As Sunset Shimmer explained, Twilight approached the power conductors. Powering up the machine for a test, the mirror sputtered to life and created a swirling pink energy vortex in the dead center as they’d expect it too. Twilight approached it and gazed toward the spinning void as if expecting something to happen. “Looks just fine Twilight,” Fluttershy assured. “Of course, I’m not really an expert on these mechanics so I wouldn’t know.” “You’re just nervous about the dance this weekend,” Rarity implied. “Maybe you’re just using this mirror as an excuse not to get your dress done.” Completely ignoring Rarity’s comment, Twilight stared at the machine. After a few moments, Sunset finally thought of something. “I still have that journal I use to communicate with Princess Twilight,” Sunset said. “We can go to my locker and get it so we can inform her what’s happened. If there’s nothing wrong on our end, maybe it’s happening in Equestria. Follow me.” Sunset made her way to the exit, with Twilight Sparkle following close behind. Her friends, if not begrudgingly, followed behind them. “I still don't know what the big deal is,” Rainbow whispered. “Me neither,” Applejack whispered back. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that mirror before and ain’t nothin’ gonna be wrong with it now.” Applejack, the last girl to leave, closed the secret entrance behind them before heading off. A moment after leaving to recover Sunset’s book, the CMC quickly raced around the corner, looking around frantically. “Are you sure Colonel Wigglesworth is around here?” Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom. “Sure ah’m sure,” Apple Bloom shot back. “Just keep lookin’, ah love that little guy.” “He’s a worm Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “If we can’t find him, just wait till it rains and pick up another one off the sidewalk.” Apple Bloom sent a death glare toward her friend. “Ah’m gonna pretend y’all didn’t say that,” Apple Bloom frowned. Before she could say more, she noticed a small, tiny green worm slithering across the ground toward the wall. “Colonel Wigglesworth!” Apple Bloom rushed to grab the little worm, which crawled through a crack in the wall and disappeared. Apple Bloom knelt down to see if she could look through the crack. Unfortunately for her, it was pitch black. Although… she did notice this didn’t seem like an ordinary wall. As a matter of fact, it had an outline as thought it resembled a door. “Guys! Come help me move this here wall!” She called out. “How are we supposed to move a wall?” Scootaloo asked bluntly. “Ah don’t reckon it’s a wall at all! It may be fake!” “A fake wall?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “You mean there’s a secret compartment in this school under our nose?” “No time for more questions! Just come help me please!” The other two girls just shrugged their shoulders, before approaching their friend. “On the count of three, we push!” Apple Bloom instructed. The three girls pressed themselves against the wall, leaning at the ready. “1… 2… 3!!!” They pressed with all their might and the wall began to move. Eventually, an entire section of the wall pushed back like a giant door. Before their eyes, the opening revealed the dark room where the mirror portal was kept. The three girls looked in amazement and curiosity, having never seen such a mirror before. “What the hay is that thing?” Apple Bloom asked. “Looks like a mirror,” Sweetie Belle answered simply. “With wires all over it.” “Looks more complicated than that,” Scootaloo observed. “I mean why would a mirror be kept in a secret room like this?” “Maybe the prop department ran out of room and they probably left the mirror where there’d be extra space.” The three girls slowly walked deeper into the room toward the strange mirror. They observed the mysterious-looking glass cautiously but noticed nothing more than their own reflections. “An unusual place to keep a mirror this fancy,” Sweetie Belle replied. “It’s probably worth a lot more than my own family or sister can afford. But why would all these wires be hooked up to it?” Driven by curiosity, Sweetie Belle began to tinker with several buttons along the back panel of the mirror. And suddenly, the wires sparked to life, the mirror clattered and shook. The girls looked on as the wiring sputtered out, the sparks flying around it, and forcing the trio to back away from the device. If they weren’t scared before, they most certainly are now. “What did you do Sweetie Belle?!” Apple Bloom yelled. “I didn’t mean to do anything!” Sweetie yelled back. “I only touched it!” It was during this moment that Twilight and the rest of the girls reentered the room. In Sunset’s hand is the book used to communicate with Princess Twilight Sparkle. “If my hunch is correct,” Sunset began. “Whatever’s going on in Twilight’s vision has something to do with…” And then they instantly froze, the very sight causing Sunset to drop the book. Twilight’s mouth dropped as she witnessed the mirror portal spiraling out of control. And what’s worse, they spotted the three girls cowering against the wall, smiling nervously the moment they saw Twilight and her friends. “Girls, what did you do?!” Twilight asked frantically. “Um… it was an accident?” Scootaloo smiled sheepishly. Before any more could be said, a giant vortex opened up and started swallowing everything and everyone in the room. The group of students felt drawn towards the vortex, as they struggled to get away. They all screamed as they flew forward, into the looking glass, and fell into the abyss to possibly oblivion. <> “AAAAH!!!!!” A lavender-haired girl screamed, as she shot right up from her bed. Gasping for air, she looked around the dark bedroom she currently resided in. She breathed heavily, as if starving for oxygen, following her screaming fit. “Juliet?!” The girl quickly snapped her head in the direction whence the voice came from. A young woman with black hair, in a pixie hairstyle, rushed from the stairs of the loft, entering the room dressed in a nightgown. The woman was Mary Margaret Blanchard, Storybrooke Elementary School’s favorite teacher. Mary Margaret quickly flipped on the light and slowly approached the young girl’s bedside. “Juliet, are you okay?” She asked concerned. Juliet rubbed her tired eyes, shaking her head from the dream she just had. “I’m alright mom,” She answered. “Guess I just had a bit of a bad dream.” Mary Margaret released a breath of relief, as she pulled her daughter towards her in a hug. Juliet breathed deeply, allowing herself to sink into her mother’s embrace. When Mary Margaret finally pulled back, looking deeply into her daughter’s eyes, she smiled as an idea came to mind. “You know what? I think I have something to help with that.” Mary Margaret quickly ran back downstairs to grab something, leaving Juliet to sit there for a moment. Her thoughts go back to the dream she just had, which strangely felt more real than it seemed. Of strange girls, a mirror portal, a dream that felt… familiar. As though she herself had been there before… but how? Before Juliet could ponder any further, her thoughts are cast aside the moment her mother came back upstairs. Only now she held a candle in her hands. “What’s the candle for?” Juliet asked curiously. Mary Margaret smiled, as she placed the candle upon her daughter’s bedside table. She watched as she lit the candle and a single flame formed before her eyes. “I once heard if you have a bad dream, you light a candle by your bedside,” Mary Margaret explained. “It will help light your way through the darkness until you finally get back to the light.” “Really?” Juliet asked quizzically. “Where did you hear that from?” Mary Margaret thought about what her daughter asked, trying to recall from the back of her mind where she heard that before. But truth be told, she really had no earthly idea where she heard it. For some strange reason, it was something she always held dear in her mind. And yet, she really didn’t have any idea where that came from. “Actually, I really don’t know,” Mary Margaret answered. The chipper schoolteacher sat beside her daughter in her bed, smiling as she used her hand to brush some stray hair behind Juliet’s ear. “I think maybe its time to get back to bed,” She suggested kindly. “After all, you’ve got school tomorrow. Then you have to babysit for Henry afterwards.” Juliet nodded with a smile, as Mary Margaret leaned forward to plant a loving kiss upon her daughter’s forehead. “Goodnight honey,” Mary Margaret spoke sweetly. “Goodnight mom,” Juliet responded. Mary Margaret flipped off the light before making her way downstairs to return to bed herself. Juliet lays back for a brief moment, before standing up and staring toward the bedroom window. She gazed out amongst the town of Storybrooke, her eyes upon the big clock tower in the town square. It still remained stuck at exactly 8:15 pm, just as it always been her entire life. Juliet yawned heavily as she returned to bed and settled beneath the sheets. As she drifted back to sleep, the candle burning brightly by her bedside, a thought raced through her head. “Twilight Sparkle… why do you look exactly like me?”