//------------------------------// // Opaline Chapter 16 // Story: Opaline // by WhiteSails //------------------------------// Opaline awoke from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, getting eyeliner all over her hooves. She looked down and scoffed to herself. Her mane was messy and unkept and she had fallen asleep on a sofa in the castle hall. She rubbed her mane back in order to correct it when suddenly a small piece of paper glided down to the floor in front of her. “Be back soon out to make breakfast.” It read. Argyle had put a sticky note presumably on her forehead. Meaning he had found her sleeping just outside of the room she had let him stay in the night before. The previous evening, after the two had finished a few more games of chess, she had then invited him to stay in a spare room near the library. She knew just how much he’d like to be left to his own devices once again. And it made her somewhat happy to see it. She got up from the sofa placing the note on a nearby table. Shen went to go to her room when she felt something. She then paused trying to deduce what it was that she had just noticed. Then suddenly she felt it again and then again. it was a sensation she had not felt in a very long time. it was the sensation of magic. Instantly she could feel herself getting drawn toward it almost as if somepony else was controlling her. She turned around For a second, she was confused about what she was trying to look for but then a glint of shiny metal caught her eye. The mirror she remembered. The mirror was resting on a shelf near the chess table where she had placed it the night before. She walked over to the small object. She could feel the sensation of magic growing as she approached, radiating and calling to her. She then poked the mirror with her hoof. A purple spark then shot out zapping her. Opaline quickly pulled her hoof away and shook it from the pain. She then watched as the mirror began to gently vibrate before violently shaking. Its case then quickly flipped open seemingly on its own accord and a small mist of purple magic flowed out and into her. She felt a surge of magic shooting through her like a spear. The sudden surge rejuvenated her tired body, her horn and wings lit up in magical glowing flame. she began to flap her wings and she soon found herself in the air. The mirror then seemingly closed of its own accord, but to her surprise, the small amount of magic it had given her stayed. She looked around the room and then focused her attention on a book resting on the mantel. She charged up her horn and levitated it towards her. The book then without warning spontaneously combusted in her grasp and turned to ash. She was handling too much magic at once and her lack of experience was causing it to become unstable. Quickly the magic within her fizzled out and she fell to the floor with a loud thud. She groaned not expecting something like that to happen so suddenly. “Opaline...” a voice whispered to her. She looked around confused. “Opaline...” the whisper said again. She got up from the floor. “Hello? Who's there?” she called out. “Come here by me...” the voice said again. Opaline froze startled, the voice was hers. But how was that possible, she thought? The small mirror then fell off the table and onto the floor alerting the alicorn to its location. Opaline walked over. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” she questioned. She then picked up the Mirror and flipped it open. Opaline was then startled to see a reflection of herself. But this wasn’t her normal reflection. Her or its Mane wasn’t messy, and it didn’t look as disheveled as she was. The Opaline in the mirror was different, it was still her but at the same time, it wasn’t. “Who are you?” she asked. “I'm you” the Opaline in the mirror responded. Opaline was baffled by what she was seeing and didn’t have any idea what to make of it. “Is this some kind of Prank Argyle?” She questioned. But the mirror Opaline just nodded no in response. “I'm your inner voice, I'm the Opaline you are refusing to be.” the reflection said. Opaline tilted her head confused giving the mirror a side-eye glance. “How so?” she asked. “I know what you have been feeling toward that Earth Pony. And I must say I'm less than impressed.” Opaline was caught off guard by this. “What do you mean?” “I see what he's doing to you. For a pony who possesses no magic, you are certainly falling under his spell.” The mirror stated. “don't let that pony make you weak.” “He's not making me weak!” Opaline shouted defensively. “It's just nice to have somepony to talk to that’s all!” She watched as her reflection looked at her disapprovingly. “You're an Alicorn and he's an earth pony. He’s beneath you in every way. Remember who you are as he will only make you weaker than you are now! Remember who you are and Your goals for all of Equestria!” The mirror then shook before closing itself and falling from her hooves. Opaline was puzzled by what had just transpired. Was she dreaming? How had what just happened to her just now even taken place? Was that her inner voice? Her head was filled with Questions. “Opaline?” Argyle's voice called out. The stallion then walked into the room. “Oh, there you are Opaline-”. He then stopped when she turned to him. Argyle put a hoof on his mouth. “Are you Okay?” He then walked over and retrieved a handkerchief from his saddlebag. Opaline then felt the sensation of the cloth rubbing her chin. She closed her eyes focusing on the feeling. Then from within her, she heard her voice, the same voice from the mirror. “you’re an alicorn and He's an earthpony.” Opaline then swiftly with her hoof slapped Argyle away from her. “DONT TOUCH ME!” she screeched. Argyle fell backward startled by the sudden outburst. Opaline found herself panting. She looked up in surprise at what she had just done. “Oh my,” she said. Argyle recovered himself and looked at her. The pair of ponies stared at each other for a moment not saying anything. Opaline then broke the silence. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Are you?” Argyle responded. “I think so. Why were you whipping my chin?” She then asked. Argyle with his hoof lowered the Handkerchief down showing a small patch of red blood against the solid white of the cloth. Opaline then rubbed her chin. It stung confirming that she had a wound there. It must have been from when she fell, she deduced. “What were you doing?” Questioned Argyle. Opaline looked beside her on the ground and to the mirror. She then quickly searched around the room with her eyes to find something else so as not to tell Argyle about what had actually transpired. She then saw a small crease in the rug that lay on the floor in the room beside her. “I fell.” Opaline then motioned to the rug with her eyes. Argyle looked to where she was looking, seeing the rug her eyes were motioning to. “Must have been some fall huh?” He responded. Opaline pushed her chair into the table. Argyle placed a plate in front of her. “What is this?” “Blueberry pancakes.” Argyle then put a plate down for himself. She watched as he bent down and took a bite. Argyle opened his eyes and looked at her face. He swallowed before chuckling nervously. “Sorry,” he said chuckling. Opaline then looked down at the food Argyle had prepared for her. She poked it with her hoof. She then leaned over and took a bite. The batter was incredibly sweet and rich and was complemented very well by the sweet and sourness of the blueberries. “How did you do this? These are incredible!” “Oh, just something my dad used to make me when I was a kid. Guess I'm useful for more than just knowledge huh?” Opaline paused for a moment, she then swallowed. She didn’t need to eat she was never hungry. But it was nice to sit down and enjoy a meal with somepony. She whipped her mouth with a napkin. “So, Argyle, how far of a walk is the bay from here?” “Mhm a few hours or so I'd say. But I'm used to it. It's nowhere as long as the trek to Canterlot is, that one can take a few days.” Opaline took a bite from the pancakes, chewed, then spoke. “I was thinking Mr. Starshine how about you stay here for a while with me?" Opaline then swallowed. "It would sure make things easier, and I wouldn’t mind the company.” Argyle then stopped. “I'd love to opaline but-” “I will take No refusal,” she said cutting him off. Argyle looked unsure. “Like I said Opaline for now I don’t know if I can I have things to do in the bay and these-" he stopped. The air seemed to grow cold suddenly and Opaline's face looked at him with blank expression. “I know what they think of you, Argyle. You're different, too curious and they hate you for it. You're nothing but a loner a laughingstock to them. Would they even care if you were gone? Really Have they ever cared?" Opaline then came over to him and whispered in his ear. "Stay with me."