“Heave… HO!”
Hitch, Zipp, and Pipp all grunt as they begin to push against the large slab of rock. A few feet away, Sunny, Izzy, and Misty focus intently as their horns glow bright with magic, their efforts also directed towards that same slab. For a few seconds, it seems as though their attempt to move it might be fruitless, but all at once, a loud shifting sound tells the group that they might just succeed.
Sure enough, with a crashing sound, a cloud of dust, and six flinching ponies, the slab falls to the wayside. Sunny and her friends all breathe a sigh of relief as they take a moment to catch their breath.
Sunny takes a brief seat on the floor, taking the moment to admire their work. Not too long ago, the group discovered what remains of Ponyville, a town that has gone down as one of the most important settlements in Equestria’s history. By the time they found it, most of what used to be there had been reduced to half-buried piles of rubble, if even that.
That wasn’t enough to discourage the enthusiastic Sunny, however. Any opportunity to feel closer to the heroes of Equestria’s past is an opportunity she’s willing to jump on, especially if it involves Princess Twilight Sparkle.
“What’s up with you, Sunny?” Pipp, who leans against a faded-blue wall while clearly still breathing heavily, gives her alicorn friend a concerned look. “You’ve been zoning out ever since we got here.”
“O-oh, have I? I hadn’t noticed!”
Sunny attempts to brush her off with a nervous chuckle, though her restless eyes undermine her words. It’s not every day she finds herself in one of the strangest, most interesting places in Equestria’s history.
Although Ponyville is mostly long gone, one structure can still be found, half-buried by dirt and time. Even with countless years of weathering and no one to maintain it, the crystalline structure that makes up what was once the Castle of Friendship is hard to miss.
And the lure of the mysteries it might hold within is hard to ignore.
It’s no wonder, then, that Sunny excitedly took the chance to explore it. They’re certainly no archaeologists, but she and her friends were primed and ready to see what they could find in what remains of the building that used to house Princess Twilight Sparkle.
For a while, their efforts proved mostly fruitless. The interior was completely wrecked, and the vast majority of the castle was inaccessible. It appeared that most of the castle’s furnishings were either lost to time or were removed before… whatever it was that caused all of this.
However, when it seemed like there was nothing left to find, Izzy stumbled upon something interesting: A passage, seemingly blocked by a slab of stone. The stone did not match the architecture of the castle, which immediately piqued Sunny’s curiosity. Where did it come from? Why was it there?
What lay behind it?
“Hey, Sunny?” Sunny, realizing that she’s been lost in thought, looks up to lock eyes with Zipp. “I know I’ve been trying to get caught up on the ‘true’ history of Equestria lately, but you’re still the most knowledgeable of us. What are you hoping to find in here?”
“I’m… not sure, to be honest.” Sunny places a hoof on her chin as she focuses on nothing in particular. “I’ll admit, anything relating to Princess Twilight is exciting to me. But… I don’t know, I guess I was expecting there to be more in here.”
“Think we’ll find something down there?”
Zipp motions to the entryway that they just revealed, behind which lies a dark staircase heading down into the earth.
“I can only hope,” she mumbles.
“Come on, Sunny, lighten up!” Izzy skips to Sunny’s side before resting a hoof on her back. “I mean, look around you! If nothing else, at least we got to see all of THIS!”
To accentuate her point, Izzy wiggles her flank and excitedly causes her horn to glow. The light from her horn bounces off of the crystalline castle walls, filling the space with fractal-like light. The sight is nothing short of beautiful, causing the group to sit back and just admire the magnificence that the ruined castle exudes, even decades after it ceased being used.
Sunny can’t help but smile.
“You’re right. Even if there’s nothing here, I don’t regret coming.”
“Hey, don’t act like we’re done already,” Misty says as she stands back up, having fully recovered from the strain she put her magic through. “There’s still more castle to explore!”
“Hehe, that’s true.” Sunny collects herself and trots towards the recently revealed staircase. “Well, shall we?”
The descent down into the depths of the Castle of Friendship isn't particularly long. However, unlike the rooms above, the stairwell is hidden from any form of natural light. It is only thanks to Izzy and Misty's magic that the group is able to continue their journey down the many darkened steps into the unknown. Eventually, the stairwell comes to a sudden stop before an unassuming entryway.
The six ponies stand in complete silence, their awe and confusion at the room around them taking their breath away. The staircase didn’t go all that far down, and to their surprise, the room that it led to is both spacious and lit with magical torches. The contents of the room, however, are the biggest mystery.
While the walls appear to be made of the same crystal-like substance as the rest of the castle, they are barely visible behind rows upon rows of bookshelves. Strangely, although there is enough space for thousands of books, the shelves seem to have been mostly cleared out, bar a few stray tomes scattered about here and there.
And yet, although Sunny would ordinarily be making a break for those tomes, the room’s centerpiece has her undivided attention. Standing slightly towards the back wall is an oval-shaped mirror, its reflective surface cracked and dusty. It’s lined with a horseshoe-like trim that's adorned with faded jewels and metallic spirals. The top of the mirror appears to have been broken off, and a collection of colored glass shards on the ground next to the mirror indicates what the fate of said top likely was.
Large chunks of wood are strewn about around and on top of the mirror, clearly having faced countless years of rot and decay. Whatever purpose they once served, they are obviously no longer capable of it.
“What… what is all of this?” Hitch questions quietly.
Nopony answers. Nopony has an answer, but even if they did, something about this room feels strangely... somber. It makes it difficult to put their thoughts into words.
For a while, nopony makes a move. They simply remain frozen, drinking it all in. Eventually, it’s Zipp who steps forward.
“Well… this is interesting.”
“Y-yeah,” Misty adds, “it kind of reminds me of Opaline’s place. I-is it chilly in here for anyone else?”
“Oh, I don’t think it’s that bad,” Izzy says with more energy than everyone else in the room has combined. “Look, this mirror is really pretty! It just needs a bit of spit shine and it’ll be sparkling as bright as it did the day it was made!”
“...What was it made for?” Sunny approaches the mirror, gazing deeply into the eyes of her own reflection. “There’s no way it’s a normal mirror, right?”
Mindlessly, she presses a hoof against the cracked glass. The dust that had settled along its uneven surface clings to her as she pulls away, causing her to take a cautious step back in fear of breaking the ancient mirror. As she takes that step, however, something in the mirror’s reflection catches her eye.
“Hey, what’s that?”
She turns around to face the reflected section of the room. Along the opposite wall, another bookshelf lies dormant with nothing but dust and silence decorating its many layers. However, the back wall of the shelf in one particular section seems… off.
Hesitantly, Sunny approaches the shelf. As she draws closer, she realizes that there is a small hinge against the back of the bookshelf. How she noticed something so small is beyond her, but the fact that it’s there at all invites further exploration.
“What did you find?” Zipp flies to Sunny’s side just as she reaches for the shelf. Lo and behold, the back of the shelf makes a loud creaking sound and folds in on itself, revealing a small hatch built into the wall. “Woah.”
Gingerly, Sunny reaches into the newly formed space. Moments later, a cloud of dust causes the two of them to cough and wheeze. However, Sunny does not let go of the singular object she felt within the space.
When the two regain their composure, they look down at the item in Sunny’s hooves. Weighing heavy in her grip is a leather-bound tome emblazoned with a strange symbol. Half of the symbol seems to resemble a sun, while the other half looks like some kind of sparkle or star. Sunny can’t help but gasp.
“Do you know what this is?” Zipp asks with wide eyes.
“N-no, but… that symbol!” Sunny points at the sparkle-looking half of the symbol. “That’s Princess Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark!” She looks down at one of the buttons she has attached to her bag, eagerly showing it to Zipp to prove that the symbols do, indeed, match up.
“...Heh. Haha! Finally!” Zipp unfurls her wings and flies a few feet into the air while pumping her hooves excitedly. “We finally found something!”
“What’s the sun, though?”
Sunny blows on the tome’s cover, and more dust drifts off of it. Whatever this tome contains, it hasn’t been touched in a long, long time.
“Only one way to find out,” Zipp says with a smile as she lands next to Sunny. The rest of their friends, who had been poking around on their own, approach the pair with eager, curious eyes. “Let’s read it!”
“Okay, okay,” Sunny replies with a chuckle. She opens the tome, but immediately tilts her head in confusion. “That’s… odd.” She flips through a few pages, spending several quiet moments just taking everything in, and her bewilderment only grows. “It looks like it’s a bunch of letters, but they’re all in one book.”
“Maybe it’s a recording of somepony else’s letters?” Hitch proposes.
“I don’t know,” Sunny says skeptically. “These ones early on might be that, but…” She turns to some of the later pages, her penchant for speed-reading coming in handy. “The tone kind of changes partway through. Here, listen to this.”
Dear Princess Twilight,
I’m sorry I haven’t gotten to contact you lately. The other you just got her master’s degree and we’ve just about finished moving into our new apartment. If everything goes well, we’ll be able to begin our research on how magic works on this side of the mirror in just a few days.
Only now, we’ll actually be getting paid for it!
Heh, in a way, it’s almost poetic. This was pretty much where I started when I ended up over here in the first place. I guess it’s fitting that I had to re-learn how to be a good person before I could even begin to understand the magic of friendship. Going through high school and uni again wasn’t too hard, all things considered.
Maintaining friendships is way harder.
But don’t worry, we’re still making it work! Pinkie finished her apprenticeship and opened up her own bakery, Rarity’s new spring line is taking off like you wouldn’t believe, Fluttershy’s animal sanctuary project is finally starting development, and between you and me, I’m pretty sure AJ and Dash have a thing going on.
Sometimes, I wish you could be here to see it. Of course, I understand why you can’t. Being a princess must be tough, huh? Speaking of, how has the throne been treating you? It’s been a long time since Celestia and Luna retired, hasn’t it?
I’m not sure when, or if, you’ll even receive this message. We’re worlds apart, after all. Literally.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we’re all doing okay over here. I hope the same is true for you, too!
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
“Who’s Sunset Shimmer?” Zipp peers over Sunny’s shoulder at the text on the page, which was clearly written with extreme skill. “Ever heard of her, Sunny?”
“No, I haven’t. I read once that Twilight took on a few students in her day, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard the name ‘Sunset.’”
“I wonder who she is,” Hitch ponders aloud. “And why is that message in that journal at all? I mean, it reads like a letter, right? It sounds like, wherever she was, it was far away from Twilight for some reason.”
“And look here,” Sunny adds. “She name-drops the other Elements of Harmony. Or… here. ‘The other you?’”
“Well, there are more pages, aren’t there?” Sunny looks up at Pipp, who appears to be filming her reading of the book. “Just keep going and maybe we’ll find out!”
“Uh, okay.”
Sunny clears her throat before reading the next page, the writing on which is noticeably different.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
I’m so glad to hear from you! I know that it’s been quite a while, but believe me, I never stopped thinking about you! About any of you!
It’s wonderful to know that both you and your friends are doing well. I hope the other me isn’t giving you too much trouble! Learning how to live with someone can be a bit of a process, but I believe you two will figure things out just fine.
By the way, please do not hesitate to tell me all about your research! I’ve been so curious about how that stuff works on your side of the mirror ever since I left. I take it you’re still an empath because of that weird magic?
As for me, I’m doing just fine. Ruling Equestria certainly isn’t easy, but I’ve got friends at my side that are making it a whole let better. Speaking of, you should see Spike nowadays. He’s taller than me now!
And, well, he’s not the only one that’s been getting taller. Guess that’s the alicorn in me or something, haha.
It’s true that I’m not as available as I used to be, but I promise to keep in touch as often as I can, okay?
Take care!
Always supporting you,
Twilight Sparkle
“‘Your side of the mirror?’” Sunny and her friends all glance towards the cracked, dusty mirror on the far side of the room. “So… there was a place on the ‘other side’ of that mirror? And the ponies on that side were Princess Twilight’s friends?”
“Do you think they’re still over there?” Misty begins creeping towards the mirror, suddenly much more trepidatious about the whole affair. “I mean, that’s got to be what this room was for, right? Going through the mirror? What else could it be?”
“Uhh, Misty? Even if there is a place on the other side of that mirror, I doubt we’ll be able to go there anymore.” Zipp flies to her friend’s side and joins her in gazing at their own reflections. “Nor do I think we should. Whoever it was that Princess Twilight was talking to… well, they’re probably long gone by now.”
“Girls, I’m invested right now if you don’t mind!” Pipp, smiling excitedly, points her phone back towards Sunny. “Go on, keep reading!”
“Fine, fine,” Sunny replies with a chuckle.
Dear Princess Twilight,
Well, our move-in was successful. Still working out a schedule for who cooks when, but otherwise, Twilight and I are doing pretty well for ourselves.
To answer your question, yes, my magical abilities are as strong as ever. If anything, they’re only getting stronger. Twilight is a bit worried about that, and the rest of our friends’ abilities are doing the same thing. Personally, I think we’re just getting better at it, but I guess time will tell.
Nothing has come from our research just yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as we figure something out! We do think we have a lead, but I’d rather not speak on it until we can confirm that it's related to magic at all.
I’m sure you’re doing a great job ruling Equestria, but be sure to take care of yourself too, alright? Dog or otherwise, I’m sure Spike is more than willing to help out with that, but I can never be too careful with you. At least, if the you on this side is anything to go by, hehe.
Best wishes,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Thank you for your concern over my health. Also, I’m sorry that this message is coming so late. Three months of silence is inexcusable, I know, but things have been getting a lot more… complicated as of late.
As I’m sure you’re aware, magical talent grows with time and experience. Obviously, I’m not there to observe your progress myself, but it’s possible that you simply haven’t figured out what your magical potential is in that world just yet.
If I don’t hear from you for a while, please remember this: Even if everyone else in that world seems different, that doesn’t make them any less valid. They can still be your friends.
With love,
Twilight Sparkle
Dear Princess Twilight,
Could you elaborate on “complicated?” I know we haven’t talked in a while, but what kept you busy for three months? Also, why are you telling me that I can be friends with people different from me? No offense, but I kind of knew that already.
Are you okay?
For the purpose of getting the information out there (seeing as I don’t know how long it will take for you to respond again), I figured I’d also let you know that Twilight and I made a real breakthrough in our research! As it turns out, this world is more like Equestria than we thought!
It isn’t just the occasional bit of Equestrian magic leaking through the portal. Our world has just as much magic as Equestria! The only problem is that most humans are incapable of tapping into it, or even recognizing its existence.
Twilight figured out how to detect Equestrian magic once before already. That was our jumping-off point. The magic native to here is different, and not detected in the same way, but my working theory is that it might be usable all the same. If I’m right, we could fundamentally change this world as we know it! Think of how much we could help people with a combination of this world’s technology and our knowledge of magical manipulation!
I wish I could say more, but we’ve been so busy getting our experiments ready that that’s about as far as we’ve gotten when it comes to concrete information. I’d love to hear your opinion on this.
Your mildly concerned friend,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
I’m very sorry about the lack of contact. Things are starting to go from bad to worse over here. I’ll try not to linger on this too much since it’s not your problem to deal with, but there has been some… well, let’s call it “discontent” among Equestria’s populace.
It hurts to watch, especially considering all we’ve done to try to bring everycreature together. I thought we’d all learned this lesson when Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek tried this all those years ago. Apparently, public opinion is easily swayed, and history is easily forgotten.
But I haven’t forgotten. And just like last time, I think there’s foul play involved.
Well, enough about that. You have enough on your plate as-is, it sounds! If you want my opinion, that is quite possibly the single most fascinating thing I’ve ever heard! I had speculated previously to Princess Celestia that magic might be exclusive to Equestria, or at least a rare occurrence in the grander scheme of things. However, this deals a real blow to that theory. Is magic a universal constant as the wizards of old once believed long ago?
Either way, you have my full support. Just try to be careful, okay? You know as well as I do how dangerous magic can be in the wrong hooves. Or, in your case, hands.
With any luck, I’ll get back to you sooner rather than later next time. Sorry again!
Always your friend,
Twilight Sparkle
Sunny suddenly stops reading, her eyes wide and unfocused.
“Er, Sunny?” Hitch waves a hoof in front of her face, successfully snapping her out of it. “You okay?”
“Y-yes, I’m fine! I-it’s just… do you understand what I just read?!”
“Umm… no?”
“Hold on,” Zipp says quizzically as her eyes seem to light up in recognition. “Do you think that this ‘discontent’ Princess Twilight is talking about is what led to the ponykinds splitting up?”
“It’s hard to say, but considering nopony actually knows how it happened, this might be the first historical account of Equestria’s movement into the modern era! This is revolutionary!”
Sunny lets out an excited squeal and hugs the tome close to her chest, her back hooves gently kicking the floor beneath her as she fails to contain her excitement.
“Not to burst your bubble,” Misty quietly says with her eyes downcast, “but isn’t that a bad thing? What happened to Sunset Shimmer?”
“That’s–” Sunny begins to speak, but cuts herself off. “...Huh. I guess I wasn’t really thinking too hard about her part in this.”
“Yes, Sunny, we all know Princess Twilight is your waifu or whatever. Are there more letters or not?!”
“Come on, Pipp, no need to rush her!” Izzy wraps her hoof around Pipp’s neck with a grin on her face. “Tension and buildup is super important for any good mystery!”
“It’s fine, Izzy,” Sunny says with a chuckle. “Here, let’s see how Sunset responded.”
Dear Princess Twilight,
It sounds like we both have important things going on. I’ll get right to the chase and cover my side of things first.
Twilight and I are still working on being able to manipulate magic manually. Without a horn or knowledge of if this world’s fundamental magical rules are different, this is proving to be a challenge. We aren’t giving up, but until we have tangible results, it’s going to be hard to get our findings published, and even harder to receive funding for future experiments.
Still, we have no intention of giving up. We’re on the cusp of something great. We know we are.
More importantly, how are things going over there? I know you like to insist that I should focus on this world’s issues, but I’m still worried about you. Do you need me to come over there? I’m still a talented unicorn, you know. A bit rusty, maybe, but still willing to lend a helping hoof.
Knowing you, you’re going to tell me to stay put anyway. Just be careful, okay? I trust that you’re fully capable of taking care of things, but I still don’t want you to bite off more than you can chew.
Please respond to this as soon as you can. I don’t mean to sound needy, but these long periods of silence aren’t good for my nerves.
Hoping to hear from you,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
I’m so sorry. I’ve made a grave miscalculation.
The worst seems to be coming to pass. Tensions are rising higher than ever. Some of our allies, like the changelings and the yaks, are considering leaving Equestria altogether. The worst part is that right now, I don’t really blame them.
This isn’t just some passing prejudice anymore. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies may as well be in a silent war with each other. I’d say that we’re lucky the windigos haven’t returned by now, but if Cadance’s reports on the encroaching frost up near the Crystal Empire are anything to go by, that might not be entirely true.
I’ve been doing everything I can to stop the spread of this utter nonsense, but no matter what I say, it feels like everycreature wants to be mad at those who are different. Have they forgotten that friendship is our greatest strength? That unity is how Equestria was thriving to begin with?
I’ll be completely honest with you, Sunset. I’m scared.
But just like with your research, I’m not giving up just yet. I still have my friends, and we’re not going to back down from this. We’ve faced worse odds before. Besides, I think I’ve finally deduced who may be behind all of this, and it’s time we had a word with her.
I apologize if I’m not commenting much on your research at this point. I must admit that my mind is elsewhere. Still, might I recommend focusing your efforts on finding a magical conduit? If you don’t have a horn to manipulate your “human magic” with, why not try making one?
I’ll respond to your next message as soon as I can, I swear. I just don’t know when that will be.
Take care of yourself, Sunset. And take care of our friends for me, too.
With hope,
Twilight Sparkle
“What’s a windigo?” Hitch ponders aloud.
“Shhhhhhhh!” everypony replies.
Dear Princess Twilight,
I’m making preparations to head back to Equestria as soon as possible. I know you’ll object to this, but you’re not going to stop me. Equestria used to be my home, and I’m not going to stand by knowing I could be doing something to help.
Still, while I have you here, I suppose I’ll give you one final update on our research before telling you the rest in the flesh. Twilight and I have followed your advice, and we’re focusing our efforts entirely on creating a magical conduit. Progress has been slow (to say the very least), but it hasn’t halted completely yet. There’s still more work to be done, and more things to try.
We’re going to get this right, mark my words.
Well, sorry for the short letter, but any more words would be wasted here. I’ll see you soon.
Your ally,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Princess Twilight,
The portal isn’t working. Why isn’t the portal working? Does the mirror look okay on your end?
What’s going on?
Concerned,
Sunset Shimmer
The six ponies all glance towards the mirror, none saying a word, but each silently acknowledging the cracked glass.
Hesitantly, Sunny begins reading once more.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
I wish things didn’t turn out the way that they did, but it’s too late now.
I broke the mirror. I’m sorry for not warning you, but please believe me, I did so for your safety.
Her name is Opaline Arcana. She’s an alicorn that was forgotten by history, waiting in the shadows for the perfect time to strike. I don’t know why my reign was the perfect time, but considering how things have gone, it was perfect. She succeeded.
The Equestria you knew is falling apart. The three ponykinds haven’t just fallen out of favor with each other, they downright HATE each other. It was like a disease that I couldn’t stop the spread of, with neighbors infecting neighbors, friends turning on friends.
It’s like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.
Celestia and Luna have come out of retirement to try to help me control the situation, but things are looking dire, and Opaline is only growing in power.
Then, just the other day, Fluttershy and Discord were overwhelmed. They did everything they could to help every living thing nearby. Discord was left mostly unharmed, but Fluttershy…
Well, I’ve seen the horrors that this “new normal” might bring. I’m about to make one more last-ditch effort to save things. It’s crazy, it’s ridiculous, and to be frank, it’s probably pretty stupid. This could very easily backfire on me (as well as the rest of Equestria) in the future, but we are officially out of options.
I am going to channel all of Equestria’s magic into three crystals, which I am dubbing the “Unity Crystals.” Each is to be representative of one of the three ponykinds, and if said ponykinds aren’t unified, Equestria will lose its magic.
It’s basically blackmail, I admit. “Get along or none of you get to keep your magic!” I know how terrible this is, and I know that there is a very real possibility that they will simply choose to live without magic. But, at the very least, it will stop two things from happening.
The first is Opaline. If Equestria was still unified, or if our allies still stood strong beside us, she wouldn’t stand a chance. So, if her plan is reliant on Equestria not being unified, this will act as a fail-safe and, at the very least, leave us at a stalemate.
The second is the rise of the windigos. They are inherently magical creatures that come about when ponies don’t get along, as I’m sure you are aware. By removing Equestria’s magic when we aren’t acting as one, I can stop them from freezing everything in sight.
I know you’re going to be angry with me. Many ponies already are. But I have to do this, for the sake of Equestria’s future.
That’s also why I can’t let you back through the mirror. Without any magic on this side, there’s no telling if it would even work, or if you might get stuck halfway through. But more than that, it’s imperative that Opaline does not learn about you. If your research is anything to go by, it’d just be another avenue through which she could gain power.
To that end, I am also going to wall off the mirror room as best I can. Everypony is evacuating right now, so it’s probably not going to be much more than a stone slab or something, but it’s the best I’ve got. Similarly, I’m going to be hiding this journal. We can’t afford to let Opaline find it.
I swear that once this is over, I’ll get the mirror back up and running, good as new. You can scream at me or embrace me or whatever you want then, but for right now, I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you ahead of time. Things are just moving too fast.
I’m sorry, Sunset. Until things get better, this is the last you’re going to hear from me.
I’m sorry I wasn’t a better friend. I’m sorry I wasn’t capable of protecting everypony like I promised.
I’m sorry I failed you.
Goodbye,
Twilight Sparkle
Sunny quickly flips through the next couple of pages, her hooves running cold.
“Opaline?” Zipp questions as her eyes slightly widen. Everypony glances at Misty, who looks completely mortified. “You mentioned something along those lines before, didn’t you, Misty?”
“W-well, Opaline did like to boast about how she ‘was about to beat Princess Twilight until she cheated.’ Ever since I realized how terrible she is, though, I’ve been taking her stories with a grain of salt. She isn’t exactly a reliable narrator.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we did her in,” Hitch mumbles with a noticeable lack of energy. “I’m surprised we managed to do what Princess Twilight couldn’t.”
The room falls silent for a few long, awkward moments. Everypony quietly exchanges quick glances, bar Sunny whose eyes are still glued to the journal. Eventually, she is the first one to break the silence.
“It just goes to show how important unity truly is, and how strong our bonds are.” She looks up, a mixture of hesitation and hope shining through a gentle smile. “We helped bring everypony together again, and that was Opaline’s downfall.”
“H-hey, um… not to ruin the moment…” Pipp’s voice is a bit quieter than normal, and everypony suddenly realizes that she is no longer recording Sunny’s story. “But where does that leave Sunset Shimmer? I think we’ve all figured out that the mirror was an entrance to some other place, but Princess Twilight said that she’d fix the mirror when everything was over. And, uh… well, hindsight is 20/20. That didn’t happen in her lifetime.”
“There are a few more messages,” Sunny responds, her eyes drifting to the pages once more. “But considering the hoofwriting, I don’t think any of them are from Princess Twilight.”
For the last time, Sunny clears her throat and begins to read.
Dear Princess Twilight,
You’re right, Princess. I am upset. I do want to scream at you. Not because you “failed,” or because you deemed it necessary to cut me off from Equestria. I’m angry because after everything we’ve been through, apparently you don’t trust me enough to know what I’m doing.
And it’s frustrating that I still believe in you. I know your heart is in the right place, I just wish you consulted me before deciding to cut off the link between our worlds on my behalf. If I was there, I could have helped you. I know I could.
I guess it’s too late for that, huh? It’ll probably be a long, long time until you read this anyway. I certainly hope you were serious about fixing the mirror when this is all over. I do want to come back at some point, you know.
I don’t know anything about this "Opaline" or those "Unity Crystals," but I do know that there’s no magic stronger than friendship. You taught me that, remember? Shouldn’t that be all you need to overcome this?
…Well, I suppose my words are falling on deaf ears. I hope you get everything sorted out sooner rather than later. Who knows, maybe our research will be the secret solution to everything? Wouldn’t that be something?
I hope to hear from you soon so that I can both scream at you and embrace you.
Despite everything, I won’t stop believing in you.
Staying hopeful,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Princess Twilight,
Well, it’s been a year. How has life been treating you?
Things have been pretty quiet over here. Everyone is doing great, and we’ve been putting in more work to keep in contact as regularly as possible. Granted, we’re a lot more busy than we were back at Canterlot High, so it’s not as easy as it used to be, but we’re making it work.
That’s what you wanted, right?
I’ve been doing well, too. Twilight and I have gotten comfortable together, we finally managed to secure adequate funding for our research, and we even managed to go on a nice vacation a few weeks ago. If this is what I can expect life to be like from now on, then I guess I don’t have any real complaints!
Oh, and don’t even get me started on our research! We successfully made a magical conduit, just like you suggested! It was a complete accident, too. We made sparks fly out of a bone Spike was chewing on! Poor guy wouldn’t touch that thing for weeks.
Since then, we’ve been trying to refine the process. We can consistently create a conduit now, and we’ve been making these special iron rods to do it. The temperature tends to fluctuate a lot, but it’s the material that yields the best results. Slap a rubber grip on that thing and you have yourself a veritable wand!
If only we could figure out how to actually control that magic, haha.
Well, that’s all I have for now. Good luck with everything on your end!
You don’t need to respond to this message.
Staying optimistic,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Princess Twilight,
Jeez, I’m not even sure how long it’s been since I last wrote in this thing. I’m sure you’re still busy over there, but there’s no harm in giving you another update, right?
For the most part, we’re all still doing okay over here. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie are all still successful, Rainbow and AJ are still together, and Twilight and I are still here working on our research. There has been one small complication, though.
My body doesn’t function properly as a human. Everything seemed normal for years, but all of a sudden, it’s like I stopped aging. Twilight and I have run dozens of tests, but we can’t figure out a concrete reason why. We can probably assume it’s because of my Equestrian origins, but it’s still strange.
While this isn’t a problem right now (and is, in fact, a boon in many instances), it’s going to become inconvenient if this persists as the years keep passing. People are going to start asking questions, and I don’t think I’m going to have a good answer for them.
That said, when we aren’t worrying about that, we’re continuing our research into human magic. We thought we had reached a dead end for a few months there, but we finally, finally made a breakthrough! We cast a spell!
It was little more than a simple levitation spell. We lifted a pen a few inches off of our coffee table with the help of one of our wands. Granted, Twilight could do that already with her Equestrian magic, but I was the one who pulled it off!
Is it weird to be this excited over something that was a simple matter for me back in Equestria?
…Speaking of, I’ve been thinking about Equestria a lot lately. Is it strange that I still sort of consider it home? What is a home that you can’t go back to? At this point, I’ve spent more time with Twilight over here than I ever did with Celestia over there. That should be a good thing, right? We’re doing important work here. We’re making a difference.
And yet, I still miss it. I miss her. I miss you.
Who knows, maybe you’ll actually respond to this message, haha.
Staying patient,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Princess Twilight,
Man, I thought I lost this thing. Guess you’re due for another update, huh?
Things are starting to go a bit awry on our end. We’ve still been unable to fix my whole “aging” thing. I still look like I'm in my prime, even though I sure don’t feel like it anymore. Meanwhile, Twilight’s starting to go a bit gray. Like it or not, it’s been making things a bit awkward between us.
Likewise, even though we’ve been gradually developing more spells, it’s been taking a lot of time to make any meaningful progress. You tend to take thousands of years of research for granted when you’re born into a society that already knows so much about magic thanks to said research, huh?
I won’t lie, it’s been difficult to stay optimistic. We still stay in touch with everyone, but I can’t help but feel a bit alienated due to my condition. The girls are as supportive as ever, and I know that the only one who thinks it's a problem is me, but I can’t help how I feel.
Meanwhile, I guess things really did go south on your end too, huh? How many years has it been now? How is life treating you? Did you take care of Opaline? Did your Unity Crystals work?
Do you still plan on getting back to me?
With concern,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Princess Twilight,
Well, we did it. It’s taken a lifetime, but we did it.
Magic has entered society properly. Our findings were considered revolutionary. They’re already integrating magic into their technology, and I’m fairly certain there are talks about dedicating entire fields of scientific study to it. I would say that Twilight and I are practically heroes, but that honor goes to Twilight alone.
If I became famous as I am, it would raise more than a few questions.
Twilight is starting to have more difficulty getting around, as are the rest of our friends. It’s only Sunset, the old woman trapped in a young body, that’s standing out. Things have gone beyond awkward and into problematic now.
…Though, I guess this is a problem you can relate to, isn’t it?
I need to talk to you. There’s so much that I can’t fit within these pages, so many emotions that I can’t explain using words. Every now and then, I’ll pass by Canterlot High, give the old statue a little tap. Every time, my heart skips a beat. Every time, I’m a little more disappointed.
I want to believe that you’re okay, but if you were, it wouldn’t be taking you this long to get back to me. So, I’ve made up my mind, and thankfully, Twilight agreed to help me.
If you can’t fix things on your end, I’m going to fix them on mine.
I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but there is, quite literally, a whole world of possibilities now. Who knows what sort of potential this world’s magic brings? Who knows what types of spells are just waiting to be discovered?
Someway, somehow, I’m going to get that portal open again. And when I do, you’d better be ready to receive countless years of stories, Princess. I don’t care how long it takes for me to get there. If my body is any indicator, I’ve got all the time in the world to figure it out. Now, it’s your turn to be patient.
Wait for me.
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
“Wait, that’s it?!” Pipp’s voice echoes through the quiet room, finally breaking the tension that had been building as Sunny read through the last few messages in the book. "It ends on a cliffhanger?!"
“That’s it,” Sunny says matter-of-factly while closing the tome. “That last message was on the final page. I guess that even if Sunset Shimmer wanted to keep writing, she couldn’t.”
“But that was hundreds of moons ago,” Zipp adds. “Do you think she ever fixed the portal?”
“If we’re assuming that the mirror over there is the portal in question, I don’t think so.” Hitch motions back to the mirror, reminding the group of its condition. “I mean, even if we did know how it worked, this room was still blocked off. That wouldn’t be the case if somepony already came through here, right?”
“She could have just put the slab back,” Izzy adds. “Especially if they wanted to keep this place a secret after they left. And who says she had to come back through that mirror specifically, anyway?”
“So, you’re saying Sunset Shimmer might already be out there?” Pipp’s question hangs heavy in the air for a few moments, as nopony has a solid answer to give her. “Th-that’s a good thing, right?”
“She certainly doesn’t seem bad,” Sunny quietly says as she gingerly places the book into her saddlebag. “Who knows? Maybe she is out there. Maybe she’s already done Equestria a great service and we just never noticed.”
“You know what I think?” Zipp smiles as she confidently flaps her wings and ascends a few feet into the air. “I think we need to hit up the royal library over in Zephyr Heights. Maybe we’ll find her name in there somewhere?”
“Don’t you think we would have noticed it already?” Pipp asks.
“We didn't know that name was significant before now, so we weren't looking for it. Why would we have any reason to believe that Sunset Shimmer was Princess Twilight’s friend? Or that she did magical research in another world?”
“I like the way you think, Zipp.” Sunny, who had been somewhat lost in thought since they arrived in the room to begin with, finally looks up with hope in her eyes. “We can look more into strange mirrors, too. Who knows? Maybe history hasn’t forgotten this place as much as we think.”
“Ooo, maybe I can make us a mirror!” Izzy bounces to her hooves as the group collectively begins to stand up with her. “Unlike this one though, I know exactly how much glitter to use to make it SHINE!”
The group shares a laugh as they begin to make their way back to the stairs, ready to reflect on their findings during the long trip back to Maretime Bay.
“...Misty?”
However, they all stop as they realize that one of their own has been frozen in place for some time.
“You okay?”
“H-huh?!” Misty suddenly looks up in surprise, having only just noticed that her friends were walking away. “O-oh, are we leaving?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“I… I just…” Misty stutters as she quickly trots towards the group. “I can’t believe Opaline did all of that.”
The group resumes their walk as the conversation continues.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I knew that Opaline talked about Princess Twilight before, but hearing all of that makes me… nervous, I guess.”
“Aw, it’s okay, Misty!” Izzy throws a hoof around her friend as she gives her a wide grin. “We already took care of her, remember? She’s not gonna hurt anypony anymore!”
“Y-yeah, but…” Misty hesitates for a moment before continuing. “I guess it just feels strange hearing Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer talk about what she did. We didn't even know about ponies like Sunset. She was a victim, too. Opaline... really hurt a lot of ponies.” Misty lets out a deep sigh as her eyes fall to the floor. “And for a while, I believed in her.”
“Misty, we know that’s not who you are anymore,” Sunny says with a warm, reassuring voice. “You have no blame in any of this.”
“Oh, I-I know that.” Misty forces a smile. “You’ve all shown me that time and time again. I guess I don’t really know how to word what I’m feeling. Surprise? Regret? It just feels strange hearing about what she caused from someone other than her.”
“And now she’s paying for it,” Zipp confidently replies as she smacks her hooves together. “This is exactly why we’re doing this, Misty. If we learn all that we can about our ancestors, we can keep their memories alive.”
“...Hehe.” Misty lets out a quiet chuckle, humored by her friends’ attempts to cheer her up. “I suppose we’d better get to researching then, huh?”
Sunny, Zipp, Izzy, Pipp, Hitch, and Misty all depart from the secret room beneath the Castle of Friendship with smiles on their faces. They’ve uncovered a hidden facet of Equestria’s history, and the mysterious tome that they've discovered has given them more questions than answers.
Who was Sunset? What was the world on the other side of that mirror really like? What made Sunset stop aging? Where did Princess Twilight Sparkle go, leaving her unable to respond to Sunset?
What happened to Sunset Shimmer?
Despite the multitude of uncertainties, they march on with unbridled optimism. It’s just as Princess Twilight said: Friendship is their greatest strength. So long as they stick together, they'll get to the bottom of these mysteries. They'll do what Twilight couldn't. After all, even though Twilight never read Sunset’s words, they certainly did.
After countless years, her messages have finally been received.