//------------------------------//
// Transmission 
// Story: Trapped in the Mirror 
// by Xuncu 
//------------------------------//

"Wait a minute, Twilight!"

Spike had come back, teacup in one claw, and a red book with a blank golden plate on the front. Oh, I had forgotten all about that book he found when we were searching the library.

"We were busy yesterday, but I was skimming this book last night: it has all sorts of wierd and creepy stories in it, so I didn't get too much into it, except the part telling about the Mirror Pond."

"Well, it turned out useful," I said, "but where did you find that book?"

"That's just it! How many times have we used that shelf, and not notice that golden horseshoe emblem?"

"Well, it was behind a bunch of fairly large books..."

"But what about on reshelving days? You have all the books out, and you could have seen it. And all the times I've cleaned and restocked books, I should've noticed it at some point. But suddenly there's an emergency, and I find it after, what, 10 seconds of looking?"

"You've got a point. There was plenty of times one of us could have seen that hidden cubbyhole. And it just happens to have the information we needed at the time?"

"Exactly! So now that we've got a minute, maybe you should take a closer look at it."

"Excellent idea, Spike! Pinkie, would you like to help ... hm, where'd she go?"

When I looked away from Spike and the book, I had realized that Pinkie Pie had dissapeared on us. Hm, there was problably a ball emergency, or someone about to lose a friend's trust somewhere across town. Oh well.

Spike had moved over to the shelf the hidden cubbyhole was in, and had removed the other books, giving us a clear view of the hole the slid-away panel revaled (still with dust and cobwebs, I might add). Tugging on the panel with magic, I brought it down to look at the horseshoe emblem. While it looked like a normal worn shoe, years at Canterlot Castle gave me enough eye for detail to see that there were sublte engravings in the metal, like embellishments, that reminded me of the various "Old Family" coat-of-arms/Cutie Marks scattered about the ancient tapestries and works of art. And now that I have my magic focused on it, I did detect some slight magical residue from a deactviated spell. Hmm.

"Spike," I said as I turned to him. "How did you figure to open it so quickly, as well?"

"Hm. I dunno. I just looked at it, and it was like, 'push me,' and so I did."

Spike gave another hard look at the book, while I focused my magic again on the panel... I think I see: it was a subltle illusion/misdirection charm, problably how it went unnoticed and unpushed for so long to collect all that dust (Note to self: have Spike clean cubby, might still be useful or reveal more clues). And something must have triggered it to collapse; once the charm was gone, it was like water rushing in to fill a burst bubble, and actually grabbed Spike's attention to interact with it.

"Uh, Twilight? I think a found something."

He was holding out the book, opened to the first page, an introduction, it seems. Taking the book in my magic, we walked back to the table so I could focus on the faded words:

My Fellow Devoted Guardian:

If you are reading these words, with this book in your posession, then that means that one of a number of disasters have occured. Long have I served, seeking not also to learning and understanding, but defending Equestria from a score of horrors. Now, you have taken my place. As I write, I know not what has occured to have passed this mantle onto you. If I have fallen in battle against madness, I ask that you look kindly even upon my failure, and pray that my work may still save lives and minds.

In this book are catalogued number of sites, artifacts, and... 'things' that defy explination or any other vlaue we hold dear. Aberrations of such grief and madness, that protecting the citizenry entrails not merely a physical capacity, but the duty entails, so that the public may sleep well at night, keeping hidden the knowledge of even the existance of these corruptive snarls of un-reality.

As such, this book will only be revealed when an enchantment alarm from one of the entries is triggered. Now having knowledge that there are more than one, I cannot stop you from delving into all enscribed within. I only hope that your mind has the fortitude to know all of these baleful evils at once, and that you can close your eyes at night from this day onward, without drowing in fear of the no-longer unknown, nor splintering under the burden that you now have: the responsibility to make sure that ponies everywhere can continue to rest easy, no more aware of the things in this book than they are aware of the other Sister, whom I belive who's silver light still guards the dreams and the night, even from her banishment in the pale celestial sphere, & further entombed within a viel of madness I hope will one day be lifted.

What you will have to do in your service may be difficult, not least including the deception to yourself and others that 'everything is fine.' How could anyone be fine, knowing of the invaders that steal your appearance and propagate amongst us, or of the seemingly idealistic town, hidden in shadow, blood, and dirt, cursed forever for the dark, blasphemous heracy they have comitted?

However, this must be done. The madness of knowing is miniscule to that of then doing nothing at all. Let the others have innocence. We have earned this duty, chosen and trained by Celestia. As we have faith in her, let her faith in us be our strength.

Good luck.

The Devoted Guardian