"The formulation of magic, in and of itself, is an act of self-reflection. In my countless years studying magic, I thought I had been studying something fundamental about the world. Looking back, however, it is quite apparent that my research had illuminated far more about myself than it did about the world,"
- Starswirl the Bearded
For what seemed like hours, Aquarius found himself without the will to move, fading in and out of consciousness. Casting that spell was the most difficult thing he'd ever done, and for the result to be such a catastrophic failure… he was too miserable to open his eyes. Every time he would regain consciousness, it was all he could think about.
I spent years on that spell, all for it to just blow up in my face, he thought. I'm… worthless.
Feeling dejected and depressed, all that he could manage was to pass out again. For once, he almost would have preferred to remain unconscious forever.
Then, through the void of darkness, the blurred form of a pony flickered into existence. It moved as if it were approaching him, but never seemed to get any closer. Any features of the mysterious pony blob were imperceptible, and Aquarius began to doubt it was even there. The shape started to shout and wave what appeared to be forelegs in the air, but only the sound of muffled nonsense survived the journey. Aquarius yearned to approach the figure. The itch of curiosity nagged at the back of his mind. But his limbs were so weak from exhaustion, he couldn’t feel them at all. His mind began to gum up. Coherent thoughts couldn’t form anymore, and the blur in the distance only became more and more muddy, until it totally fizzled out of view, leaving only darkness. Calm, silent, lonely darkness.
Aquarius’s eyes struggled to open, and they forced themselves closed again almost immediately. He was still in his study lying flat on his belly, and he still felt aches and pains all over.
Groggy and uncoordinated, he stumbled atop his hooves. His knees were incredibly wobbly, and his eyes were still struggling to adjust to the light from the fixture on the ceiling, so they remained mostly closed. Nearly slipping on some papers littered about the floor, he began making his way to his desk. Before he could reach it, however, he tripped on his overturned lectern and crashed onto the floor, kicking papers and ash up into the air.
Getting back on his hooves once more, blowing his mane out of his face, and forcing his eyes open, he began to assess the damage. Looking around his study, it lay in a state of apocalypse. Not to mention - and this was incredibly subtle - it seemed a bit… larger. Did I cast the spell wrong? he wondered. Maybe I made my house grow, ever so slightly?
The near end of his desk showed some slight charring, and the papers strewn across it boasted burn marks. There were holes burned straight through many pages, almost resembling swiss cheese. Where the lectern had originally stood, small bits of paper rested in a clump of ash. One wall had a large dent, marking where his body had been flung. The anatomical diagrams that had once decorated the walls were now split into fragments, and scattered across the room.
Yikes, he thought, with damage like this, I'm lucky my house didn't catch fire.
Letting out a deep sigh, he began to collect what remained of his research off of the floor. With every tilt of his neck, his disheveled mane fell to obscure his view, adding to his list of annoyances. So much hard work… gone, he lamented, brushing his hair out of the way with a hoof. It wouldn't sting as much if the final draft of the spell wasn’t the closest to the blast… Pushing his hair out of his face again, he looked over at the pile of ash in the middle of the room. He was afraid to look at the charred fragments of paper that remained within. He almost didn't want to know what he had lost. He just wanted to forget about this whole thing.
Yet again, his hair blinded him, and he let out an aggravated groan. Ugh, that's getting really annoying; I have far more important things to worry about! I might as well brush my hair. It'll be hard me to focus otherwise.
He found it more difficult to push aside the door out of his study with his hooves. Everything's slightly bigger, and heavier? I don't know how, but maybe that spell really did change my house.
He headed down the hallway and into the restroom. Once inside, Aquarius used his magic to lift a hairbrush from the cabinet. When he turned to face the sink, however, he saw an incredibly cute mare staring back at him. She had the same deep blue coat as him, the same cyan mane, the same simple, dark eyeglasses. She and he were frozen, utterly fixated on one another's greyish blue eyes, neither saying a word. Finally, Aquarius took a step closer to the sink, and she moved just as he did. They both flinched, backing away in response.
"Who-" they both opened their mouths and began to speak. But Aquarius stopped himself and put a hoof to his muzzle. A look of horror overtook his face.
Was… that a mare's voice?
His attention returned to the girl, and her attention also returned to him. There was a look of concern and intrigue upon her face. The two both opened their mouths, "Is that… " he began walking toward her, their hooves meeting as they both placed a foreleg against the glass separating them. "This… is a mirror..."