//------------------------------// // Unlikely Friends // Story: Beyond Reflections // by EquineTheta //------------------------------// “Wait! You don’t understand, Twilight!” I struggled to free myself from the royal guards who are now in Twilight’s service but knowing the guards of Canterlot, it is highly recommended to just stay put. Twilight didn’t care at all, remaining silent and barely even showing any sign of curiosity. Her contemptible attitude towards me is likely because of my other self betraying the princess but really, what happened to Celestia? “Have him seated”, Twilight said, forceful in her tone. “and make sure you shackle him. I don’t want him to get away.” The courtroom was actually the Ponyville town hall converted into a courtroom but it bore no resemblance of such. The judge’s stand and the jury’s section were stacked up soap crates and park benches respectively. The interior still showed signs of the balconies raised up high but some have collapsed completely while others are barely holding up without the aid of support struts. To add to the worn-down, nearly derelict state of the building, every window was either shattered completely or blocked off with wooden planks nailed to the window pane. The curtains that once hung from the podium and windows are now shredded in numerous places. Candle lights flickering in the darkness provide the lights of the almost run-down building. Twilight took to the stands and faced the crowd, the jury, and finally looked at me with a very disgusted look; she didn’t want to see me but I’m here in her presence regardless. “Fillies and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to evaluate and decide upon Shining Armor, the stallion responsible for the betrayal AND death of our leader Princess Celestia. Does the defendant have anything to say?” “Wait- WHAT?! Nopony told me that she was killed! What in the HAY was going on here?!” Twilight looked back at me with a grim smile on her face, now beginning to show me her darker side. “As you all know, Celestia’s envoy to the Crystal Empire was attacked by a lone stallion. The problem was, only those who knew of the envoy’s route were able to track it down but its location was given away from somepony from the inside. Witness reports from a secondary group of rebels say that Shining Armor was found separated from his group and attacked Celestia and his comrades. As proof of the incident, turn your attention to the evidence.” A crown was pulled out from the judge’s stand and it was an all too familiar sight - Celestia’s crown - known for it’s engraved gold body and purple quartz crystal expertly crafted from long ago. Burn marks now covered the edges of the crown and the now damaged crystal brings about thoughts of how badly the princess must have been injured. I didn’t think that a stallion would have magic strong enough to murder a princess but I know he- the alternate Shining Armor- couldn’t have done it alone. Nopony can match the magical abilities of an alicorn and something made him strong enough to do it. Something’s going on here... “Umm...” I started, a little unsure about what I will say but maybe I can find out what that something is if I can get myself out of this courtroom. “Twilight?” “Silence traitor!” Twilight screamed and just as quickly as she screamed, the guards used their magic to restrain my mouth, casting a spell to stick them shut. “The traitor has committed the gravest possible crime imaginable and it should be reciprocated with the worst punishment!” A pony from the jury raised his voice and attested to my crime with a proper punishment. This pony’s deep, raspy voice suggested an elderly stallion. “Very well,” Twilight continued. “In line with this stallion’s suggestion, we shall put the traitor to death by PUBLIC EXECUTION! All in favor, say I!” Everypony in the room raised their voices in a unanimous “I”. Not a single pony present thought twice about their response given their immediate reply. As for Twiley, she doesn’t take kindly to violence but she just doesn’t care about me. This isn’t Twilight at all. What’s wrong with her? Just as the gavel was going to slam to end the court session, a mysterious hooded figure walked up to her and whispered to her ear. Twilight turned back to face me and took some deep breaths. “Alright, traitor, I will give you a chance to tell me your side of the story. But should the jury find your alabi lacking, your sentence will be carried out.” I breathed a sigh of relief as the guards’ magic was lifted, allowing me to speak and move freely. Well, almost freely with the shackles still restricting fluid motion on my legs. I stood up from my seat and thought about what I wish to say. With my belongings taken away from me, I had no proof to present to Twilight and to everypony present. I’m just hoping that what I say will be enough to convince everyone of my innocence. I took one more deep breath, calming my mind despite my rising anxiety and prepared to give it my best. “Your honor, it is very clear that Shining Armor is the perpetrator of the crime and I learned of his betrayal from numerous ponies from my travels but you must understand, I am not the Shining Armor that you are looking for. I come from a different world that mirrors yours and I am not responsible for such a heinous crime. I understand that you are all upset with the loss of your Princess Celestia and I am sorry for your loss but you have to believe me when I say that I was not involved in the attack.” I took my seat once more, now more anxious than ever. Everypony looked to each other in confusion. Twilight, however, was unmoved, or looked like she was unmoved with my explanation. Her angry eyes still watched me and was determined to put me to death regardless of what I said. “Do you have any proof?” said a mare in the jury. Her faded cerise coat and her almost equally grayish rose and cerise-ish gray mane stood out from the jury’s stand. “If we are to believe your alabi, you should show us some proof that you really came from a mirror world.” The moment I feared most right now has finally come. I know I have proof but without my saddlebag, I’m a sitting duck out in the middle of a warzone. With all eyes on me, anything I say that involves me asking to leave the courtroom would be acknowledged as an escape attempt; the shackles prevent me from leaving and Twilight has her guards watching my every move. If I choose to ask for my belongings to be brought in, then everypony would think that I am carrying a weapon or some other implement that can be used to aid in an escape. I doubt that anypony would allow my bag to be brought in regardless and I find myself returning to square one - a pony without a way around the problem. And just then, a stallion bursted into the room. I didn’t get a chance to get a good look at him but his yellow coat and brown mane brought me some comfort. Caramel arrived and he brought my saddlebag; now I have my way out of this predicament. Thank Celestia he came just in time! “Here!” said Caramel, tossing my saddleback in my direction. I turned back to Twilight and the jury and presented the contents of my bag before them. They didn’t react at all but I can tell they are willing to lend me their ears. “These items,” I began, showing the red and gray horn to the crowd followed with the parchment that contained the incantation that led me to the mirror world “are what brought me here. I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense but if I had a mirror, I am willing to show you.” Twilight didn’t need to think twice. She signaled for a mirror to be brought in without even uttering a word. As expected, the guards brought in a mirror; there was nothing fancy about it, just about as average as a dressing room mirror could get save for a few vines carved from oak that decorated the sides. I began, concentrating my energy on powering the horn with my magic. The incantation came next. I recited the word on the parchment with conviction, confident that the portal to my world will open. The only way to know if the spell worked is to try and traverse the mirror. If I did it right, the mirror’s surface should ripple like a water droplet falling into a pool once my hoof comes into contact with the mirror. At this point, my hopes were riding on the ripple manifesting on the surface. I placed my hoof toward the mirror... With anticipation coming from all sides of the courtroom, I hid my anxiety because even if I felt confident enough to believe the spell will work, there was a side that told me the spell would fail, that I wouldn’t convince the jury and I will ultimately be put to death for a crime I didn’t commit. I tapped the mirror. And... Nothing. No ripple, no magic, no effect. Now the crowd murmured amongst themselves, talking about my foolishness. I don’t know what they’re really saying but everypony will think I am a fool to believe that my own magic is actually capable of opening portals to alternate worlds. Twilight then took to the stands once again. “We waited for your alabi, we listened to your claim, and you have failed us. You failed to convince us of your innocence and you shall now be punished for your crime. Guards! Take the traitor to the town square and prepare the noose. He shall be executed by hanging to show everypony the face of the stallion responsible for our greatest loss!” I gulped down some air. I never thought I’d live to see a world where things aren’t what they really are, that my sister would send me to my death, and the Cadance from my world will never know what happened to me. Only now did the memories of Princess Cadance come back to me; I’ve been focusing too much on trying to figure out what’s going on in this mirror world that I may never go back to mine. Outside the town hall was the platform I would be hanged from. This wasn’t present the first time I came to Ponyville but judging by the way it was built, it was only a half-hearted effort. Scrap metal and wood planks made up the bulk of the platform and an old rusty swing set that was clearly missing the swings made the raised section of the platform where the noose was tied. A door was also placed underneath the noose to act as a trap door should anypony suspect that I wouldn’t suffocate. Despite the crude building materials, and an equally crude effort to build such a contraption, it was still menacing nonetheless. The atmosphere was just right for a public execution, which didn’t make me feel any better. With rain pouring down hard on the stony roads and everypony just waiting for me to live no more, the thoughts of home raced through my mind as my heart rapidly pounded. Twiley, mom, dad, Cadance, everypony I knew and everypony I could have known will continue on living without me and when they realize I’m never coming back, it...it’s something I don’t want to think about. A tear ran down my cheek when I was lead up the stairs and with the thoughts of my loved ones going through my mind, I couldn’t help but think of Cadance the most. I told her that she didn’t have to worry and that I would return for her but at this point, I can’t keep my word. Even this world’s Cadance was also in my mind and I also vowed to free her from this nightmare she is living in. Now I remember the words dad told me as a young colt: “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” I’m sorry, Cadance, I muttered. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you... Suddenly, the sound of a pony from the crowd. A mare cried out from those who watched and brought attention to her. I took a closer look and it was that same mare from the jury who questioned my alabi. “It doesn’t have to be this way. I believe what he says even if he failed.” Everypony rose their voices in anger and demanded that I be put to death. Death to the traitor! and Hang him! were just some of the responses I heard left and right. The mare who protested was whisked away to the back of the crowd. At that moment, everypony cheered happily as she was removed from the multitude while also turning back at me to finally see my life fade away. But just like her, somepony else was also on my side. The hooded pony from earlier also took to the stands, avoiding everyone who tried to get in her way. Even the guards tried to stop her but her protruding horn glowed and she swatted the guards away like they were a bunch of flimsy flowers on an open field. “SIIII-LENCE!!!” And just like that, everypony fell silent on command. “I will take this pony into my custody,” said the hooded pony. Her voice was familiar, especially the way she just screamed for everypony to silence themselves. As much as I would like to speculate on the identity of this pony, I didn’t need to; she removed her hood to reveal who she was. Princess Luna. “This matter isn’t for you to decide, Luna!” Twilight said in reply. “You don’t have any right to decide the fate of the traitor. He is convicted and nothing he, or you, can do will make everypony here change their minds!” “Did my sister teach you everything she knew so you can talk to me like that!?” Luna protested. “This attitude of yours brings more shame to my sister’s name than Shining Armor’s betrayal. I will deal with the stallion personally but you better think about what you’ve done today. I, too, mourn for the loss of my sister but just because you were left in charge of the resistance after my sister’s death doesn’t give you the right to put other ponies to death for the sole purpose of avenging your mentor.” The alternate Twilight sneered and left and the crowd dispersed shortly after. Luna stayed behind and dismissed the guards watching me, ensuring them that I will be kept in check. Just like Celestia, and alternate Twilight, Luna also commanded the guards with confidence and might, even when the guards were originally her sister’s. Luna turned her gaze back to me when we were the only ones left in the town square. “I know I have a lot of explaining to do and you will know about everything; you were brought here for a reason, Shining Armor. Come, let’s take a walk.” As much as I am perplexed about the sudden turn of events and even more confused about why Luna speaks as if she knows so much about what’s going on, I had no choice. I had the opportunity to learn about the reason for me being in this mirror Equestria and possibly learn about a bigger role I will play in this rebellion against the King and the future of this world. Maybe I will also learn about my other self, the Shining Armor I saw from the Crystal Empire, about what he truly did to deserve the hate that I am receiving from the townsponies, and who he truly is because I know something isn’t right. I stood still for a moment to think of all this sudden turn of events. First Twilight, then Luna, what’s next? “Are you coming, Shining Armor?” Luna asked. “Yes I’m coming, your highness.” I replied. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere any time soon.” “No one’s called me that in a very long time. Princesses no longer exist in Equestria.” “I believe they still do... your highness.”