//------------------------------// // Empty Reflection // Story: Broken Belle // by LucidTech //------------------------------//         Sweetie Belle slipped in through the door, her joints were aching and her body was sore. She’d become extremely fragile and out of shape when she was locked away in that cell, and her body didn’t take too happily to a return to daily excercise. After her visit to the fountain in the morning she'd run some errands and then taken two laps around the city in an attempt to get back in shape. Yet despite her best efforts the short schedule had ended up taking her entire day to complete, not to mention that her muscles seemed ready to collapse from exhaustion on top of it all. However, anyone looking at her wouldn't seem to have noticed from her expression, Sweetie Belle seemed completely unaffected and her eyes were the same constant blank that they always were, and they remained that way as she moved into the bathroom of her home sweet home.        Among the list of tasks she'd wanted to finish, and at the top of it in fact, was the matter of her water issues. Luckily it was a matter easily solved with a couple signatures and a chunk from the large savings she’d stockpiled prior to her incarceration. Money that paid up what she owed from before her stint in a cell as well as paying for a month in advance. She didn’t mind seeing the money go, she was happy to be free of every dollar, each one reminded her of what she’d lost and the petty recompense she’d received in return. More than enough money to live comfortably after her sister’s death, but not enough to live happily. There was never enough of anything to live happily anymore.         She showered quickly, her mind threatening to stray in the hot water. She spent little time on her mane and promised herself she’d clean it thoroughly the next morning. The only thing she had to do was to wash the sweat out of her coat and to get some sleep. The water barely had time to steam the mirror before she turned it off and when she stepped out from behind the curtain she blinked once in surprise at what she saw.         Marked into the mirror, in crude hoofwriting, was the word 'help'. All capitals, and the tail of the p seemed to drag off and away to the edge, disappearing as it left the only surface in the room that could be written on. Sweetie Belle moved to the towel rack and dried herself off, taking the opportunity to wipe down the mirror before she left as well. She left the towel on the rack and didn’t give the message a second thought. Instead, she went to her bedroom.         With a distracted glance she turned off the lights, a flash of magic dimming the room to darkness, Sweetie glanced around in the blackness for a moment before she made her way to her bed. She slid into bed and pulled the covers up around her neck, leaving her head exposed. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.         Unfortunately, the night didn’t seem to want to let her sleep easily and a constant, humid breeze ran over her nose in puffs. She attempted to ignore it, knowing very well that it was just some midnight air settling, making gusts from her windows all the more annoying. That’s what she told herself until she remembered that the windows were closed, anyway. Then she was forced to open her eyes.         Red orbs stared back at her from the darkness, and as another gust moved across her muzzle she saw a white gas exit the darkness from beneath the stark red eyes. Sweetie stared on, eyes half closed in annoyance for not being allowed to sleep in peace.         “You didn’t scream.” Came the deep throbbing voice of whatever was there.         “No, I didn’t.”         Teeth split the darkness like a zipper, white knives hanging in the blackness. “You should’ve.” It said simply before it lunged. It was about to close its mouth around Sweetie’s neck when it found it couldn’t move any further into the attack, it swiftly found out that it couldn’t back out of it either.         The monster looked wide-eyed at Sweetie and she stared back at it, a look of annoyance still firmly set in her features. “I was gonna put this off until later you know. But you simply wouldn’t let me get any sleep.”         Sweetie grudgingly drug herself out of bed, the monster finding it had no choice but to follow. The lights flickered on as Sweetie opened the door to the room. She glanced back one time to see the collection of darkness in the light before she left, the dim light coming from her horn making itself known as she put more magic into forcing the creature to follow her.         In a moment they were in the bathroom, the creature silent in shock as Sweetie looked into the mirror. It wasn't quite used to being drug around by a pony, but what was about to happen would put it more on edge. “Bloody Mare.” Sweetie Belle said simply, the words holding a kind of chill to them that made frost gather at the edges of the reflection. The image inside rippled slightly, but settled all the same. At the sound of the name the creature she’d brought with her unwillingly began to squirm against the magic, trying desperately to run.         “Bloody Mare.” Sweetie said again, calm and composed. The exact opposite of the spirit that fought her binds. Sweetie's magic grew in brightness as it held the creature still, keeping it from moving even an inch out of the room.         “Do you not know what you’re doing mortal?” The creature screeched, causing Sweetie to glance at it for a moment. “The being that you call will kill the both of us!” It gave up on the bonds and looked back to Sweetie. The monster thought for a moment it saw a glimmer of forethought and doubt. Unfortunately what it thought it saw wasn’t ever really there.         The lights went out and a frightening chill hit the room, frosting the mirror completely over, the slight moisture from the shower enough to coat the surface in a thin sheet of ice. From the darkness came a voice, and it made the monster give up all hope. “Bloody Mare.” Came the third call from Sweetie Belle, and the world felt like it lurched in response.         A strange ethereal light lit the room as the world settled. The door to the bathroom swung closed by some strange force and the reflection in the mirror began to change. The door in the mirror opened, and the one in the real world remained closed. The monster that Sweetie had brought with her began to shiver and quake in fear, while Sweetie simply looked on, almost a pensive look in her eyes. A hoof emerged from the open doorway in the mirror, thin and fragile looking, veins visible through the pale transparent skin. Slowly the rest of the figure came into view, a mare moved into sight. Then, there was a sigh. “Ugh, what the heck. Who called me? I was trying to catch some z’s.” The mare was looking at the ground and shaking her head. “Look, whoever you are. I don’t think you get it. You call me and then I decide if I show up. Alright? You don’t force me to show up. Only pony I ever knew of who could do that was-” The voice came to an end suddenly and Sweetie watched as the eyes of the mare in the mirror began to widen slowly. She looked up and at Sweetie Belle. “Well I’ll be. I haven’t seen you in a long time…”  “I thought you said you would keep the portal closed in my absence.” Sweetie said, idly. “I did say that. But then you stopped calling in and I lost all reason to bother with it anymore. You know I work for profit. You stop providing what I want and you stop getting what you want. What did you think was gonna happen? I was gonna keep the portal shut as a friend?” “I guess that was stupid of me to think.” Sweetie Belle said idly. Her eyes dark and empty as she spoke. “Yea, it was.” The figure in the mirror continued without paying any heed to the body language of her speaking partner. Instead she looked at the shadow that was floating next to Sweetie Belle. “Say, is that a rank three demon? Is it for me? Nice catch I must-” The mirror shattered apart. Sweetie Belle’s gaze was sharp and unforgiving as she stared at the broken shards that fell slowly to the counter. Her magic still lingering on some of the pieces as the hit the counter and broke into smaller shards. “I suppose I was stupid for thinking I had a friend.” She said, repeating her statement earlier. The demon looked at Sweetie in horror, knowing quite full well what it took to break a mirror connected to the Bloody Mare herself. Sweetie Belle looked at the demon with cutting eyes, and the monster felt like itself was being shattered as well. “Congratulations, you get to help me permanently seal the portal that you came in through. You just got promoted to rank four and you work for me now. We'll do the paper work later. Agreed?” "Of course ma'am, I wouldn't... I wouldn't dream of letting this opportunity pass me by!" The demon said with a half smile, knowing full well the choice wasn't its own to make, and knowing full well what might come of the situation if it were to pretend it was.