Spitfire's dream went from blurry to clear. She woke up in a field of flowers. It had been some sort of meadow on the grounds of Equestria. She thought to herself why would she dream about this? It was so happy, and upbeat. Maybe something good would happen! Spitfire looked at around, and heard a rumble. The flowers began to shrivel up and die. The sun had gone from a happy yellow to a dark scenery. The trees melted into the ground. Spitfire flew into the air, and could barely see anything. Everything was still.
"Hello?" She called into the distance. The shriveled flowers began to awaken, but they were still dying. The flowers unleashed vines that grabbed Spitfire's body. She wailed trying to scream for help. The vines wrapped around her as if she was one of those caterpillars becoming a butterfly. Eventually the vines moved Spitfire to the ground, and the vines shriveled up. In pain, Spitfire could barely move, and she lied in the darkness. She felt odd and noticed she was sinking into the ground. It wasn't quicksand, but she was sinking. Spitfire wailed and tried to call for help, but it was useless. She sunk and sunk into the ground. Spitfire was fell deeper until she fell into some sort of room. She could stand up, and felt unharmed. The room was dark until there was some sort of glow around her.
She was surrounded by mirrors. The room was shaped in an octagon with eight large mirrors that would touch from Equestria's land to the clouds which she napped in. Spitfire looked around, she hadn't loved anywhere yet. She placed a hoof on the ground and the vines flew out of the ground and wrapped around her legs. Spitfire looked at the vines. It seemed like they were holding her in mid-air, and she was to be controlled by these vines. She tried to break them, but they became tighter. A twisted voice boomed from no where, it sounded as if it had eight voices in one.
"Hello Spitfire," the first voice said. The vines lifted Spitfire like a toy, and held her in front of one mirror. In front of her, was herself as a filly. This had been the only good thing that happened so far, until it began to act peculiar. It hopped and hopped like a little filly, and the filly Spitfire grinned in joy. The real Spitfire tried her best to look away from the mirror, but the vines forced her to stare at the mirror.
"Let me go!" Spitfire commanded, struggling to be freed. The filly turned away from the present Spitfire, and it shrilled.
"YOU MUST LEARN YOUR LESSON!" The filly's eyes darkened and the mirror shattered. Spitfire stared at the broken glass with fear. Was this really a nightmare? She tried to convince herself that it was some sort of weird dream. Maybe she had watched a scary movie.. but no. This nightmare had to be connected to something else. The vines tightened around Spitfire's hooves and put near the second mirror. Spitfire became tame and starred at the mirror bracing herself for fear. The 2nd mirror glowed brightly, and then faded to a scene with a young Spitfire and a young Thunderlane. The two were throwing a ball towards each other. It was the color of light pink, and it shimmered in the sun. The young Thunderlane threw the ball too high, and it went over the young Spitfire's head. She chased it, and left the scene of the mirror. Thunderlane turned towards the real Spitfire grimly.
"YOU MUST BEWARE!" The young Thunderlane hissed. The young Thunderlane's eyes were dark and grim. It looked as if it would pounce out of the mirror and grab her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and embraced for impact. The young Thunderlane was ready to pounce, but the mirror cracked before he could. There were two mirrors down. Six more scenes to watch. The vines turned Spitfire to the third mirror. The vines becoming tighter as she struggled, she herself in a race, and Soarin' next to her. Had this been the future? Or some sort of past? The two were flying in a race neck and neck with each other. The speedy Spitfire soared across the finish line, leaving Soarin' in second place by a hair.
The speedy Spitfire won and cheered, and the second place Soarin' congratulated her. The trophy had been so familiar to her, she must have had it in her room, piled with all of the other golden trophies. Then the mirror seemed as if it was zooming into Soarin's face. Spitfire bit her lip, she couldn't seriously be in love with a duplicate mirror subject. The second place Soarin' snapped his head towards Spitfire and spoke.
"YOU MUST CARE FOR THE REAL ONE!" The second place Soarin's eyes filled up with bright tears and seemed like he was trying to say something, until the mirror cracked. There were three mirrors down. Five more to go. The vines loosened on Spitfire after seeing Soarin'. Were they trying to tell her something? She hadn't had such a graphic nightmare in ages, and no dream or nightmare could compare to how real it seemed. The fourth mirror showed a picture of the present Spitfire and Thunderlane. The two were sitting on a bench and staring into the sunset. Spitfire felt happy inside, but something wasn't right. She looked closer, and the vines tried to help her to see what was happening. The view of the two sitting on a bench, and Thunderlane's head snapped back. Spitfire screamed, she hadn't expected something that scary to happen. The Thunderlane hissed, and the present Spitfire became steam and vanished.
"YOU MUST REMOVE THE FAKE ONE!" The present Thunderlane hissed, and before the mirror cracked, he held a Soarin' doll, and it faded into dark flames. Finally, the mirror cracked. There were four mirrors down. Four more to go. Spitfire was getting nervous of how extreme this dream was becoming. It seemed so long too... The vines tightened around Spitfire's hooves and pulled her to the fifth mirror. In it, was Spitfire asleep on Soarin's lap. The two were sitting on a cloud and Soarin' had been singing some lullaby. Spitfire resisted to fall asleep, but it was a dream, and it seemed impossible to fall asleep to this scenario. Instead of the image becoming horrible, as the others, Soarin' slowly looked right in the eye of the real Spitfire, he spoke smoothly.
"You will have it as your choice, so there is no pressure," his words soothed the senses of Spitfire, and she would have nodded if she could respond to him. The mirror didn't crack, but the image faded away slowly. Spitfire was shocked that it hadn't shattered. Were the mirrors trying to tell her something important? Or was it just made up? She tried to convince herself that this was all just a dream... There were five mirrors down. Three more to go. This time, the vines showed Spitfire two mirrors at the same time. In the sixth mirror was Spitfire in a wedding dress with two fillies who resembled Thunderlane and Spitfire's kids, but Spitfire knew they weren't real. Hopefully. In the seventh mirror was Spitfire again, with a Wonderbolt suit and her mane styled into an interesting mohawk style.
The two future Spitfires looked at each other from two different mirrors, and then to Spitfire herself. The sixth mirror spoke and the seventh spoke after.
"If you choose this future you will have fillies and joy and laughter!" The Spitfire with the wedding dress laughed with her fillies.
"Please choose this future! You'll have a better-"
"NO! You must choose this side, do what's right for you!" The sixth mirror said to interrupt the seventh. The two mirrors continued to bicker and bicker until Spitfire had enough of it.
"CHOOSE WISELY OR PREPARE FOR SORROW!" The sixth one hissed.
"DO WHAT IS RIGHT!" The seventh one pleaded.
"ENOUGH," The real Spitfire yelled out loud, the two mirrors cracked and the vines shriveled. Spitfire fell to the ground with one remaining mirror. Shocked out how loud she was, she rubbed her hooves at the vine marks. The broken and used mirrors faded into a darkness, leaving the one behind. Spitfire cringed and hoped there wouldn't be anymore Spitfires, or Thunderlanes, or Soarin's. She lied on the ground in pain, and fatigue. The mirror glowed and an unfamiliar mare appeared. She had a light blue mane, and she wore pajamas and had familiar goggles on her head. Spitfire stood confused.
"Who are you?" Spitfire asked, nervous that this mare could summon vines and hurt Spitfire again.
"I am only trying to teach you something do not fear me," the mare said with a reassuring face. Spitfire tried to be nice and said to the mare.
"What is going on? Everything that these mirrors have told me sounds like they are from ominous fortune cookies!" Spitfire sighed.
"I know, but I am real. I am trying to communicate with you to tell you what you must do. Y-You must choose-" the mirror image became blurry and the voice was crackled. Spitfire looked at the mirror desperately, with tears coming out of her eyes.
"Please tell me! Where can I meet you? I need to know what your trying to tell me!" She wailed. The mirror completely shattered and the room glowed white. Her nightmare was ending. She didn't want it to end, she had to know what was happening! Everything became white and Spitfire awoke in her room. Everything was normal. Everything was perfect. But was her dream actually real? Spitfire stood and looked in the mirror, it had been early morning. She wondered how long she had slept, but one thing was needed.
Who was that mare?