//------------------------------// // Prologue 1: Through the Mirror // Story: A New Life // by rpglover //------------------------------// In the Canterlot Castle Library, dark silence filled the empty rows of shelves and amidst that darkness is a single flicker of light illuminated by a floating flame. An orange-yellow glow casting away the darkness and in the center is a figure cloaked in a black robe as their hooves echoed off the ground. “It should be around here somewhere,” a voice whispered in the darkness, her teal eyes scanning the shelves for something, ‘Advanced Magical Spells for Beginner’, ‘Artifacts of the Lost Tribes’, ‘Theories and Evolutions’ were some of the many books she came across, “where is it?” The intruder continued searching for a good while before finally finding what she was looking for, a brown covered book with two golden plating on its’ spine. There was no title on it, a cyan aura surrounded the book, and it flew off the shelf and towards the cloaked figure. On the cover of it is a golden insignia of a unicorn. “Finally, now I’ll know the truth you’ve been keeping from me, Princess.” She all but spat the last word with such venomous in her voice. Amidst the darkness of the Canterlot Library, the sound of metal clashing on the hard surface could be heard echoing through the library. Three ponies clad in golden armors were being led by another pony in the front of the charge through the darkness, she was at least twice the size of the other ponies with a horn that could be used as a piercing weapon, her coat is a radiant white with an aurora like mane and tail flowing in the nonexistent wind. They soon came to a halt at the figure that had intruded in the library pass opening hours, it wasn’t hard with the glowing light in the darkness was like a beacon to them. “What are you doing here?” she asked the figure on the ground with authority in her voice. The figure did not show any fear at being caught or worry, rather, she gave a feel of superiority, “When were you planning on telling me the truth?” she asked with an icy chill in her voice. The brown book that was covered in her cyan magic closed and was set aside. “I asked you a question Sunset, and I expect an answer! What were you doing here in the restricted section of the library at night?” Her voice was more harsher but still hold the same authority. … Silence was all that existed between the two as the Princess waited for Sunset’s explanation. Sunset gave a sigh, Of course she would dodge the responsibility. “Why do you care? You’ve never had before.” “Sunse-“ Celestia was about to voice whatever she was about to say only to be interrupted by the mare before her. “Did you have a good laugh at my expense? Stringing me along with empty promises?!” Her voice was torn yet still held its’ ground that made the alicorn look shocked, “You used me like a pawn, all those times I thought you’d actually cared about me, you were just deceiving me!” Sunset finally turned around to face the alicorn, and once Celestia got a look at the mare before her, her heart had nearly stopped to see what she saw. Sunset had looked hurt, tears streaming down and eyes glaring at her with rage. The illuminated light from the flames made Sunset looked more menacing to those who were not familiar with the mare, resulting in the guards to pick up their weapons to defend their princess from whatever she may try to do in her state. “That’s enough Sunset, whatever you ma-“ Celestia tried to explain only to be interrupted once again by the sounds of Sunset’s hooves slamming into the ground as hard as she could. It wasn’t much force, but with the empty room they were in, it echoed into a loud pop like an inflated balloon. “LIES!” She screamed with no care for who may hear, “All you’ve ever told me are nothing but lies! EVERYTHING!” She turned back around and lit her horn, three new books were covered in the same aura and floated towards her saddlebag. “You continued to hide the truth from those that trusted you and build an empire around lies. You are no better than the enemies you’d defeated.” One of the guards could not stand on by any further as the mare before him kept blasphemy the princess, “SILENCE!” Celestia placed a wing between the guard that had shouted and Sunset, her attention soon drawn towards the saddlebag that now hold the three books she had collected, “What were those books you got there?” she asked with nervous in her voice. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Sunset asked with mockery, flaring up her horn and letting a blinding light illuminate the darkness. Since the spell was casted in the darkness, it was enough to make all four shield their eyes at the sudden brightness. The three guards quickly raised their guard around the princess to protect her from whatever Sunset may be planning, but when the light faded and they were able to see once again, there was no one around. She’d teleported. “Find her!” Celestia commanded. ‘What were those books you stole Sunset, and why were they so important to in the first place?’ The castle’s hall were filled with the sounds of hooves clopping on the marble flooring, a black cloak fluttering in the breeze created by her speed. She may had not been one of the fastest of ponies, but she was proud of her stamina, especially when you could keep up with an enraged bull because of some stupid dare from a couple of classmates. Running on toward the room she was going to be needing, Star Swirl’s Artifacts were all horded away in a single area, ‘I got to hurry, if I time this right she won’t be able to follow me through.’ Was all Sunset could think of as she kept running. She looked out the window to see the moon high in the sky, on it a silhouette of a unicorn could be seen covering it, though it may look like one, it was actually an alicorn. ‘Nightmare Moon, another who believed in Celestia’s lies and suffered from it.’ It wasn’t long before she heard company approaching, ‘So, they’d caught up to me.’ She thought with a smirk. The sound of metal clashing against one another was a sure sign of the Royal Guards in hot pursuit of the mare. She skid on the marble ground to a halt, waiting for them to emerge from the darken hallway. It wasn’t a long wait as she soon saw gold and white armor soon coming out along with the ponies who were wearing them. ‘If they’d been wearing darker armor, I might not had seen them approaching.’ One of the many things she was thankful for Celestia’s blinded sight. She summoned a few floating flames of blue fire around her, giving it a gentle breath of air and let them float towards the approaching soldiers. “You are under arrest criminal!” One of the guards called out. The one in the lead of the charge had gave little care to the “weak” flame that approached him, letting it hit his armor and being snuffed out in a blink. He soon came to regret his foolhardy act as his armor had slowly started to glow with heat. It was to the point that he could feel a scorching heat on his body where the flame touched, quickly to remove his armor before it had done any further damage to him. Dozens more of the same flame came charging at them, now aware of what they were dealing with kept their distance and attempted to avoid. A good few minutes had passed, and more guards had arrived at the scene to try to apprehend the mare, seven exact. Three of them were on the ground gasping for air with two of them without their armor, one had gotten his rump caught in a vase, and the last three were the only ones who were still in pursuit. I can’t keep this up, if I miss this change; I can kiss my freedom goodbye. Having to think of an idea to get them off her trail. An idea had soon popped into the mare’s mind, one she was both excited and nervous to enact. Lighting her horn once again, she put as much power as she could into it. This caught the guards’ attention as they halted a good few distance away in preparation for what was about to happen. The room itself had come to feeling distorted, swirling as if you were looking at it through a heat wave. The guards were worried for what was happening, all more so when Sunset whispered in a dark and menacing tone, “Run” When she slammed her hooves on the ground, it started to crack from the source with steam and heat seeping through it. The guards saw this and quickly started to give distance between the two. Armor slamming into one another as the guards quickly tried to run away from the opposing threat. Sunset took this distraction as her chance to make it to the room, entering in to find an assortment of gadgetry built but the legendary Star Swirl the Bearded. If it were any other time, she would love to examine each artifact of her hero, but they were not the main focus of what she was after. And just as she knew where to find it, on a podium stood what she was looking for, a mirror with a horseshoe frame dotted with gems on the side of it. It was one of Star Swirl’s earlier creations, believed to show one’s own possible destiny. When she was a filly, Celestia had brought her to this very mirror to see her own destiny, she saw herself as an Alicorn, standing along side with Princess Celestia as an equal. A future she once believed could become a reality, not anymore. ‘She’ would never accept me as her equal, I would be in her shadows like you were… Though the mirror would show one’s own destiny, she came to know of another truth to this mirror. Once every thirty moons, it act as a gateway to another world, where; she did not know but didn’t care either way. Anywhere was better than here. Placing a hoof on the surface of the reflected Sunset, it would had been expected to find it a solid surface only to watch it ripple like water as her hoof slowly sank into it. She was ready to take the leap into this new world, to get away from Princess Celestia and no longer be her tool. “Stop!” A voice shouted from behind, she turned to see a spell bolting right for her, she had no time to react before it collided into her, sending her forcefully through the mirror. The sun was slowly setting for Canterlot High, and in her office, a woman was sitting at her desk with a pile of paperwork. She has pale white skin and an aurora hair flowing down her pass her shoulder. Tied in a ponytail, something she found relaxing when motivated in a task. As she set the final piece of paper onto a stack, she stretched out her arms to waking up her muscles. Greeted soon by the sound of knocking from her doorway. She looked to find a woman with blue skin and dark blue hair standing at the open doorway. Her favorite ‘Best Vice-Principle’ mug in her hand, she has a violet blouse and blue jeans with a crescent moon collar. “I take it you’re finally finished there Tia?” The woman at her desk gave a warm smile to her, “Just having to file away a few more paper then we’ll be able to close up for the night.” “So, pizza for dinner than?” The dark skin woman asked with a smug face, knowing the answer to her question. She didn’t wait to get an answer as she pulled out her cellphone, “A Pepperoni, Hawaiian, and some Bread-sticks than?” The other woman gave a soft chuckle, “Yeah, that would be great, Luna.” “I still can’t understand why you like that stuff, pineapple on pizza is just not right!” Luna said giving a gross expression before giving a pizza joint a call. She walked on out of the room and left the other woman to the silence once again. “That woman will never grow up.” She said with a smile as she did a playful facepalm. Putting down her pen that she was holding and got up to join her sister as they got ready for the end of the day. The two had made it out of the front door, with Celestia locking the door to the school. Turning to look towards her sister, “Alright, ready to head off?” She was given no response as Luna looked off towards the distance, a look of confused and worry in her expression. Celestia turned to look at where her sister was looking at to see what caught her attention. Laying out in the cold on the school’s ground was a child, it was hard to notice because of the hair of red and gold, but flowing from her was blood.