//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Worrisome Times // Story: A Mirror of many Faces // by Jyuuma //------------------------------// “This is insane.” The room was cramped to the top with what seemed to be an entire week of paperwork. Reports from several locations across the Equestrian map had been arriving during the last week, describing strange phenomena appearing during that time: Known landmarks suddenly being affected in unusual ways, apparently blinking in and out of existence, vanishing from place just to reappear on other spots on varying time spans; popular events getting delayed or downright cancelled due to clocks acting up in the strangest of ways, among other such happenings that would even astonish the very Spirit of Chaos. Wandering around the room was a rather stressed Princess Celestia, shuffling among a handful of the reports with her magic, getting increasingly worried as the minutes passed. “This is definitely crazy.” she sighed as she walked towards one of the closest windows, staring into the horizon as she rested the papers she held with her magic on a nearby table. As her eyes continued to wander, the door creaked open and her sister trotted into the room, carrying with her even more scrolls. “In a thousand years we hadn’t received such an outrageous amount of reports on unusual happenings. Just what in Equestria is going on, Tia?” the Moon Goddess sighed with a slightly sad tone, appealing to her elder sibling. “How I wish I could tell for sure, dear sister. Only in Discord times would so many strange events arise, but alas, while he’s now free for good, reports of his acts of mischief have been reduced considerably. He’s certainly become one of our lesser motives of true concern in our current times.” replied the Sun Goddess, still staring into the distance. “Indeed, since his release Discord has lived and worked alongside the holder of the Element of Kindness, and is one to be trusted nowadays… perhaps he could shed some light onto our misfortunate situation?” Luna wondered as she placed the scrolls among the rest, being careful not to disturb the delicate balance of the already existing pile. The last thing they needed was a bigger, and more difficult to review, mess. “At times like these, I’m certain we’d appreciate help from almost anywhere.” Celestia said. “Anything that could allow us to further understand these recent events. Appleloosa’s clock tower vanishing and reappearing at the outskirts of Dodge Junction, Manehattan’s famous equine head statue fading in and out of existence… what else could possibly happen?” “Um… Actually…” Luna whispered. “We might have better clues coming from the Crystal Empire, dear sister.” Celestia stopped staring at the window and turned her gaze at her sister. “… Did Cadence and Shining find something?” Celestia asked her, curiosity on her voice and expression, and a small spark of hope in her eyes. Luna’s horn glowed gently, bringing out a scroll from the saddle bag she carried, and began to look through it. “It seems they got reports of a mysterious temple, north of the Empire, in the middle of the mountains. This building has, apparently, just come into existence, as there had been no sightings of it before all these happenings began to occur.“ Luna read through the scroll she had on her grasp as Celestia looked attentively at her. “It also seems like this temple is constantly blinking in and out of existence, along with what appears to be a series of circles and runes made of light, reflected in the sky.” She finished. Celestia stayed silent and pensive for a few moments, letting out a sigh before she continued. “As risky as it may sound, exploring that temple might enlighten us on our current situation. Shall we suggest Shining Armor to organize a team to uncover its secrets?” she asked. “However, they should immediately pull out if there’s the chance of any uneventful development…” “I… was thinking the same, but…” Luna muttered as her expression became grim, looking down at the scroll she was still holding, not daring to raise her eyes back at her sister. “But… what?” Celestia pondered, growing uneasy at her sister’s suddenly darker expression. “… It… appears some disappearances have been reported already.” Luna followed, pointing at the pile of scrolls she had just brought. “They, fortunately, aren’t that numerous or of great social status, but they definitely cannot be ignored.” Celestia stared once again at her sister, clearly more worried now than before, her heart almost skipping a beat at the thought of her dear ponies going missing just like that, picturing the reactions of their respective families, friends, among others. Regardless of the number of ponies missing, or their respective positions in their hierarchy, she knew they needed to redouble their efforts. “Damn…” Celestia sighed, trying to recover her composure. “We… must tread carefully then. We cannot allow more live losses… no, we must stay positive.” She whispered, trying to keep a firm voice. “What shall we do then?” Luna asked with a hint of anxiety in her expression. “For the time being, let’s send a reply to the Crystal Empire; Cadence and Shining shall keep an eye on any relevant details and continue sending us their reports, as well as do their best in locating the missing people.” Celestia affirmed, her voice more steady now. “As for us… research it is. I shall browse Canterlot’s library, and contact Twilight and her friends to request their assistance in this endeavor. In the meantime, could you visit the ruins of the old castle in the Everfree Forest and see if you can find any books, notes, anything that could open our eyes a bit more on this matter?” “I shall proceed with haste then, sister.” Luna nodded as she began to walk away, before Celestia stopped her for a moment. “And Luna… please be careful.” Celestia pleaded to her. “I… really would like to avoid more disappearances.” Luna looked back, smiling warmly at her. “I promise I will tread with caution, Tia.” She finished as she trotted out of the room, flying out of the balcony nearby, into the depths of the dark forest, hoping just as much as her sister to find the answers they so needed. Celestia continued to watch her sister as she rushed away, before she turned around to grab an empty scroll and a quill. “We must get to the bottom of this. Our people are in danger and we don’t know what else may happen… just yet.” She thought to herself, trying to shake off her growing concerns, before she began to write. “Dear Twilight Sparkle and friends…”