//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Just a Puddle 
// by Greenhorne 
//------------------------------//

I woke in the middle of the night, struck, as was often the case, by sudden inspiration.

Inspiration leads to compulsion. Great ponies like Starswirl the Bearded were inspired and felt compelled to create the great works that we study to this day. Their compulsion focused their talents and allowed them to ignore their critics. Other compulsions are not so efficacious. For example, my friend Rainbow Dash was struck with the inspiration to challenge Applejack to a cider drinking contest, and then felt compelled to drink until she was unconscious.

Before I even begin I’ll admit that my inspiration that night was of the latter variety. 

I had spent the preceding nights attempting to study the reflecting pool. The information was scarce and I could only postulate on the theoretical underpinnings of the magic it employed. I kicked myself at the fact that I hadn't had a chance to properly analyse the Pinkie Pie duplicates last week. From a visual standpoint they were identical, but what about physically? Clearly they weren't exactly the same atom by atom, or there wouldn't have been any difference between them, they would share the same memories. So were they clones, grown instantly from the same DNA? Changeling-type magic applied to some kind of biological template? They might not have even been biological at all. An advanced form of Golem perhaps? I just didn't know. Surely I could have at least taken a sample from one of them? But no. I just had to go all trigger happy and blast them all back where they came from.

Of course it was far too dangerous to create a duplicate just to perform tests on. I sealed it for a reason... but on the other hoof, the problems we had with the duplicates last week were just to do with Pinkie Pie right? Their obsession with ‘fun’ had almost destroyed the town. What was the worst that could happen if I copied myself? An outbreak of ‘studying’? If it got out of hoof, I could just send it back again. Once the idea had firmly rooted itself in my head there was no getting rid of it. Part of my brain railed against it, but was overpowered by the compulsion to copy myself, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to rest until I had done so.

I eased myself out of bed careful not to wake Spike as I stretched on the spot, trying to ease the aching in my muscles. My study habits meant that I didn't get enough sleep at the best of times, and this midnight jaunt was not helping. No matter! I had important research to do. I would have teleported outside, but the magical flash would probably wake Spike, so instead I used only the smallest amount of magic to dampen the sound of my hooves striking the stairs.

Travelling alone into the Everfree forest at night was, again, probably not the smartest of ideas, but I had to do this. I had to study my clone, and anyone I told would just try and stop me. The rogue part of my brain perked up again, reminding me that they had good reason to be concerned. I knew better though. I just had to do this. Then I would realise that my fears had been unfounded.

The Everfree Forest reminded me of the fight against Nightmare Moon - I had wanted to go alone that time too, but my friends had insisted.

“A good thing too, you wouldn't have survived without their help.” Reminded the contrary part of my brain.

This was different though. I had to do this. I had to know. Did I send back the right Pinkie?

The trees glared at me, shadows and branches reaching out to ensnare me.

“The darkness and the shadows they would always make me frown...” I muttered, “wow, catchy.”

I reached the pool rather quickly, as it was really only on the outskirts of the forest. I wrapped my telekinesis around the boulder I had used to seal it, and lifted it away. The purple of my magic casting odd shadows across the clearing, reflecting off the water’s oddly still surface. I put the boulder down, casting a spell for light. I brushed my hoof over the surface of the pool and watched the ripples fade almost instantly. I shivered. Despite the warm summer night, the pool was cold as ice. Well here goes nothing.

I tilted myself forward and tipped into the pool, feeling a crippling sense of vertigo as the world flipped upside down. My eyes screwed shut, trying to get over the nausea the sudden shift in gravity had induced.

“Are you all right?” asked a familiar voice.

I opened my eyes to see... me. Not that I wasn't expecting this, but to be confronted by one’s doppelgänger. It’s... wrong. It’s almost impossible to describe, but the feeling of wrongness was impossible to shake. I couldn't do this. No. I had to send it back!

I charged my horn and cast the return spell, but my clone simply deflected it with her own magic, countering with a magic blocking spell. It was too fast for me to react. It was attacking at duelling speed, the only reason it had been able to deflect my return spell was that I was sloppy, I wasn't expecting it to resist. It followed up with a paralysis spell rooting me to the spot as I tried desperately to move even a single muscle, my heart thundering in my chest. It walked over, leaning close in to my face. I could feel its warm breath uncomfortably on the sensitive hairs of my face. It touched horns with me and the world fell away.

My life flashed before my eyes. Which isn't to say that I was dying. Rather, that ‘thing’ was probing my memories. I felt a sick sense of revulsion at the invasion of privacy... but maybe this was good? Maybe it would realise I was a good pony and let me live? I know I would let me live. I would have giggled nervously if I wasn't paralysed.

The duplicate stepped back, eyeing me suspiciously. I wanted to say something to it, but my mouth was still held shut by the paralysis.

“You were going to kill me.” It stated, “if I let you go you’ll probably try again, won’t you, because you don’t think I’m real. Well ‘Twilight’ I know I'm real. Just as real as you, or Fluttershy, or the Princess, or even dear Pinkie Pie, whom you killed twenty five of."

It walked a circle around me as I strained to keep it in view whilst able to move only my eyes. Tears began to blur my vision as I felt my utter helplessness.

“You've brought me into this world empty,” it continued, “even if you allowed me to live, I would always be the duplicate, not the real thing. You've created me without a life... so I think I’ll take yours.”

I tried to scream but my vocal chords were frozen. As the spell hit me I felt my body decomposing into mist before I was yanked into the pool, somehow retaining consciousness even as I became one with the water. I watched helplessly as my clone turned and picked up the boulder to seal the pool once more.

That’s where I am now, cut off from any sense of time, trapped beneath a rock, unable to influence the my environment in any way.

Just a puddle.