I was dreading the possibility of having to relate to Twilight what had happened -- the prospect of this actually terrified me as I had no idea how badly she would react to the news. I knew the truth would have to come out sooner or later and lying about it would have even greater consequences. I had faced such moral dilemmas earlier in my life, but none with such far-reaching ramifications, and if the Princess of Magic were to discover on her own what had happened, that would make matters even worse. I was silently wondering how long it would be before I would find myself obligated to break the news to her, though I was unprepared for just how short a period of time it actually was. The guards at the door let the lavender Alicorn enter, catching me off-guard. She noticed me sitting on the throne and trotted towards me with a very quizzical expression.
"Amethyst, where is Celestia? Did she take off somewhere and let you cover for her?" she asked. Trixie showed a pained expression but remained silent. I was afraid of being asked this question, but Twilight always seemed to know when something was wrong, and this was just another one of those times. I lowered my head and ears, giving myself away, even though I had tried not to.
"Twilight, I wish I had better news for you -- I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you this so soon after it happened, but -- let me explain it to you so you might understand why events transpired in the fashion they did," I replied, sighing heavily. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she regained some of her mental faculties. Trixie bowed her head, though I could tell she wanted to make herself as small as possible.
"What happened?" asked Twilight, her gaze hardening at me. I took a deep breath and exhaled sharply in response before I told her the sad story of what happened to Trixie in Las Pegasus and the ensuing actions that precipitated the Solar Princess' departure with Lord Sleipnir. Twilight stood in shocked silence for several moments before she slowly shook her head.
"No, no, no, no, no! NOO! NOOOOO! WHYYYY?" she wailed. She glared at me as angrily as Luna had done, her mane and tail beginning to smolder, her eyes beginning to flare an angry red. "YOU! You were the cause of this!"
"I'm very sorry, Twilight -- perhaps I should have allowed Sleipnir to take me instead -- but -- that wouldn't have been fair to Trixie or our foals -- little Velvet is just two days old and depriving her of her father would be devastating. Trixie offered herself, but --" I offered softly. "I wish you had been here to witness the exchange we had. It pains me just as much as it does you to lose Celestia, but maybe there's a way we can bring her back -- or if not her, perhaps a copy of her counterpart in that other universe."
The lavender Alicorn perked her ears up at this and turned to me. "You mean -- the Mirror Pool?" Twilight asked, her eyes going wide. "Um, Amethyst, I don't know if that's such a good idea -- but -- maybe it just might work! Can you take me to the other universe?" she asked rather eagerly -- it appeared to me that even a copy of Celestia's counterpart would be enough ... maybe.
"Yes, Twilight, I can -- please wait here for me, I need a moment to converse with Luna," I answered, then teleported to the Lunar Princess' chamber before giving the lavender Alicorn any time to respond to my request. I materialized in Luna's bedchamber, noticing the indigo Alicorn laying on her bed, though I could only see her back. I don't know if she heard my arrival as she chose not to look in my direction. I silently observed her as she continued to weep and it took me several tense moments to gather enough courage to speak, though I cleared my throat first to get her attention.
"Luna?" I asked hesitantly. I had instinctively lowered my head and ears, something the indigo Alicorn noticed almost quizzically.
"Amethyst, we need more time to grieve," she replied softly. Tears trickled slowly down her cheeks as she met my gaze.
"I'd like to offer a possible solution," I began, scuffing my right forehoof on the floor.
"And what would that be?"
"Are you familiar with the legend of the Mirror Pool?" I asked, a sly grin slowly creeping on my face.
"Yes, Amethyst, we are -- though we are unsure of how thou wouldst succeed in bringing Tia back."
"I can travel to the other universe and request a favor of Celestia there -- perhaps a clone of hers would suffice?" I queried. I saw a faint glimmer of hope come to her face as she contemplated this possibility.
"Verily, Amethyst, if thou can do this --" she said softly as she trotted up to me and hugged me tightly.
"I will have to check with her in that other universe -- she may not agree to do this, but I hope I can persuade her to do so, not just for your sake, but mine as well. I sincerely hope that this action doesn't have any negative repercussions in the future."
"We wouldst desire to accompany thee on thy journey."
"Who would cover Solar Court -- oh wait, I forgot -- she cancelled it for the remainder of the week. I believe we can make this short, Luna, so yes, I would be happy to have you come along with," I noted optimistically. "Twilight waits for us in the Throne Room."
Luna and I teleported back to the Throne Room to see Trixie and Twilight talking, my show-mare wife explaining to her what she had seen on her journey towards the after-life, the lavender mare's mouth open in surprise at what she was hearing as we returned.
"We have to make this quick, before the rumors about Celestia's disappearance start flying," I advised. "Luna, Twilight -- I am really sorry for this -- I cannot help but feel completely responsible for this happening. I had no idea that Trixie would suffer such complications following the birth of little Velvet. If this succeeds, I will still endeavor to atone for my error."
"We shall hold thee to thy word, Amethyst," Luna said somewhat darkly. Twilight simply nodded her head in agreement with the indigo Alicorn, while Trixie meekly kept her head and ears lowered.
"Trixie is sorry as well -- she was in too much of a hurry to have the operation to keep from having any more foals," she offered softly. I gasped in exasperation at her admission, shocked by the fact that she would be so impatient as to disregard my warning.
"I thought I told you to wait a few weeks after foal-birth to have that done, Trixie! So -- this is all your fault?" I asked in astonishment. If looks could kill...
"Trixie is sorry! How many times does she have to say that?" she mewled. I glared at her.
"You'd better hope this works -- if not, I'm going to pay Lord Sleipnir a personal visit," I averred quite darkly. "It's the least I can do, considering my mistakes."
"Amethyst, Trixie is SORRY!" she wailed as she rushed me and hugged me as tightly as she could.
"I know you are," I responded gravely before turning to Luna and Twilight. "Let's get going, we've wasted enough time already."
"Trixie wants to come with you as well! Please don't leave Trixie here!"
I sighed heavily at my wife's request, then called on one guard to fetch Summer Song. It took about thirty minutes before she arrived, looking none to happy at having been summoned. The similarities between her and Trixie were almost jarring -- Summer Song was only two shades darker than Trixie, her mane and tail a little more pale and coiffed a bit differently. Her cutie mark was that of three yellow five-pointed stars with black eighth-notes superimposed on them. The mare was about a quarter-hoof taller than Trixie and about ten years older, though she did not show it.
"I hope this is as important as you say it is, Amethyst," the mare nearly growled.
"I hate to impose on you, Summer, but -- there is an urgent matter that requires my attention in another universe. Trixie desires to accompany us on our journey, so -- Velvet Rose is our newest foal, just two days old --"
The blue mare gasped at this information, though she trotted up to Trixie with a big smile on her face to gaze at the newborn filly, cooing softly to her. The show-mare unfastened her harness with both Jade and Velvet, maneuvering them carefully to the foal-sitter. Marina trotted up to the mare smiling.
"Summer Song! It's been so long!" the young filly exclaimed as she hugged her foal-sitter.
"I'll bet you have quite a story to tell, don't you?"
"Yes! So much has happened!"
"Tell me all about it, Marina," the mare requested, smiling warmly at the filly as Trixie trotted to my side.
"Thank you, Amethyst, for everything you've done for Trixie," she cooed softly to me. I flashed her a brief smile as Twilight and Luna huddled close to me.
"Thanks again, Summer -- we'll be back as soon as possible," I announced, nodding once and smiling at the blue mare. She returned my smile, though hers seemed a bit pained. "Look, I'll make it worth your while -- you've been a valuable asset to me, and I want to show you my appreciation when I return." Her smile widened a bit at this as I enveloped the four of us in my golden aura and teleported to Celestia's Throne Room in the other universe.
"Trixie hopes you won't cheat on her again, Amethyst," she protested meekly, keeping her head lowered.
"I hope I don't have to put my flank in a sling again for you, Trixie," I retorted in annoyance.
We arrived in the Throne Room to see the other Lunar Princess sitting on the throne, little Moon Beam curled up on another throne beside the one Luna was seated on. She was quite surprised to see her counterpart in my company.
"You -- you -- you are -- me?" she asked.
"We art as surprised to see thyself as thou art at Us," my Luna replied softly. "We desire to see Tia."
"My sister is sleeping right now, but I shall fetch her for you," she replied. She disappeared for a moment then returned. "I have talked to her -- she says she'll be here momentarily."
Our Luna trotted slowly to her counterpart and struck up a conversation with her, though she also gazed longingly at the young filly. The two of them discussed certain matters while we waited on Celestia's arrival. I was somewhat surprised to see her trotting slowly into the Throne Room, taking a moment to try to rub sleep from her eyes. Upon seeing me, a big smile came to her face.
"Amethyst! It has been too long since your last visit! What brings you here?" she asked warmly. She nuzzled me on my neck, a gesture I almost mechanically returned for her. I sighed heavily and took a deep breath.
"Celestia, there is a favor I need to ask of you," I began, then related to her the story of what happened regarding Lord Sleipnir and my Solar Princess' departure with him. I tried to keep the explanation brief, but retelling the tale caused Twilight and my Luna to begin weeping again. The Other Luna was stunned by this revelation as Celestia silently tried to ponder what I had told her. A silence fell over the room, broken only by soft sobbing from Twilight and my Luna.
"Are you familiar with the legend of the Mirror Pool?" I asked her, looking straight into her eyes. The Solar Princess lowered her head and sighed just as heavily as I had, taking a few moments to gather her thoughts.
"Yes, Amethyst, I am -- I must admit to a great deal of trepidation regarding your request -- the dangers are quite severe as I'm sure you already know," she offered softly. "But because you have done so much to assist us during our times of need, I shall grant you your request. I only hope that this does not have any adverse effects on your universe when you take my clone there."
"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it, Celestia," I stated matter-of-factly, drawing some gasps from the others. I chuckled darkly at their reactions before offering a half-hearted, "Just kidding, don't take it too seriously."
"Amethyst, this is no time for frivolity," the Solar Princess admonished sternly.
"My apologies, Celestia, but it's a coping mechanism for me -- I am fully cognizant of the gravity of this predicament and my attempt at levity was to break the tension a little," I responded softly. "I echo your sentiments regarding any repercussions resulting from this action. By the way, do you know the exact location of the Mirror Pool in the Everfree?"
"Yes -- it's not far from the old Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, which is currently undergoing some renovations -- we intend to tame the Everfree before too much longer," she answered.
"A teleport is probably out of the question," I mused, contemplating the distance from our current location.
"Considering the urgency of your situation, I believe if we focus our energies together, we can arrive with just a small amount of magic expenditure from each of us," she replied, smiling warmly. "Besides, I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible as well."
"Tia, is there a chance this might fail?" her native sister asked, a look of worry on her face.
"Fear not, dear sister -- the legend states that if one is not afraid, there is no danger," came her confident response.
"Okay, then, let's get going," I announced as I lit my horn. The others joined in a circle, lighting their horns as well, allowing our auras to mix, then envelop all of us. A kaleidoscope effect occurred, causing everything I could see to turn into a jumble of shapes and colors, then rearranged itself into order when we materialized in the depths of the Everfree, a passage leading down just a few steps away from us.
"That was interesting," I noted wryly, then cast my gaze to the passage. "So that's the entrance to the cavern with the Mirror Pool, huh?"
"Indeed it is, Amethyst," Celestia answered in a monotone. "Watch your steps, the ground may give beneath your hooves."
We carefully made our way down the passage, though having to duck made things more difficult. The clearance was too low for me and I brushed my head against the roof, causing some debris to fall on me. I fluttered my wings to shake it off and Trixie grumbled a little when some of it landed on her mane. I grinned sheepishly and offered a weak apology before we finally arrived at the pool itself.
I cast an illumination spell to provide more light, the calm surface of the water reflecting it around the cavern. The light startled some bats which flew out of the passage, the ambient current caused by their commotion lightly disturbing the water's surface. We were forced to wait about fifteen minutes before the pool returned to its previous state of calmness as an eerie silence descended upon us, the only sound being that of our breathing.
"Okay, Celestia, are you ready?" I asked, inadvertently breaking her concentration.
"I shall need a few more moments, Amethyst," she replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. We waited once again as the elder Alicorn steeled herself for the task ahead. Calmly, she slowly approached the pool, gazing into its depths. She stepped into the pool, disappearing for a split-second as a duplicate appeared in her place, then pulled her other self out of the pool. It took me a moment to process what I had just seen, halfway wondering which one of the two was the original.
"Oh, wow! It's me! Cool!" the Alicorn clone exclaimed excitedly. "Oooh, who are you?" she asked as she looked around herself to take in the sight of all of us.
"I guess that answers my question," I muttered, though the silence of the room coupled with the acoustics of the chamber caused the sound to reverberate so everypony could hear it.
"What question was that?" she asked.
"Which one of you is the original and which one is the clone," I replied in a dull monotone.
"You look kinda like me, but you're not -- you're a stallion? What's your name?" she asked, a look of wide-eyed curiosity marking her features.
"I am Amethyst Flame, this is Twilight Sparkle, Trixie Lulamoon, Luna and Luna, and your counterpart, Celestia," I answered, pointing to each of us.
"Luna? Two of you? Did you go into the Mirror Pool also?"
"We art thy sister's counterpart from another universe, Tia," our Luna replied.
"I am your sister's counterpart from this universe," the other indigo Alicorn replied.
"Celestia, it appears your clone has quite a bit to learn," I observed.
"I'm afraid I don't have the time to teach her everything I know. I believe it's time we head back -- Amethyst, I trust you to teach her what she needs to know."
"Very well then, Celestia -- thanks again for doing this, though teaching her is going to take quite a bit of time," I offered somewhat despondently. "Okay, once again, ladies -- group teleport to Canterlot Castle."
Just as before, the kaleidoscopic effect enveloped us as we returned to the Castle, though the effect caused Celestia's clone to express her wonderment in very excited tones, causing me to chuckle softly.
"Looks like she needs a lot of work -- but I'm willing to put in the effort," I offered.
"As art We, dear Sister," our Luna added. "We thank thee for thy assistance -- we art deeply in thy debt. Shouldst thou desireth a favor from Us, We shalt gladly giveth it."
"Twilight, Trixie, Celestia, Luna -- it's time to head back to our own universe. Celestia, I echo your sister's gratitude and make the same offer as well. I look forward to your next visit, whenever it may be," I stated reverently, bowing slightly to her. She smiled in response.
"Please don't stay away so long next time, Amethyst -- I would like for you to relate happier stories to me in future."
"Of course, Celestia -- but right now, it looks as though I have my hooves full with this new task. Okay, ladies, let's go."
I lit my horn once again, enveloping all of us and teleporting us across the dimensional barrier to our original universe, the jaunt causing a little discomfort due to the size of the group.
"Ugh! That felt awful!" the Alicorn clone complained. Our surroundings appeared to be the same, with one exception -- a certain white Alicorn and much taller eight-legged stallion stood near the throne, chatting amiably with each other. I trotted up to them, an expression of pure shock on my face.
"Celestia? Lord Sleipnir? What -- what -- what?" I stuttered. The clone trotted up, a quizzical expression on her face.
"Um, didn't I just leave you behind in the other universe?" she asked, gazing at the Solar Princess.