"May I have your attention please? Everyone, may I have your attention please?"
Spirit stood in front of the kitchen window with Twilight, waiting for silence. The tables in the center of the room had been cleared aside, and couples all squashed together around them. Everyone had moved about in such a way that all the duplicates of the same pony, dragon or draconequus would be together, seated around the original but still near their partners. Any couples who visited earlier and left had returned, finding two seats among the crowd. Cutie Control and Soarin were giving their eyes and ears to Spirit, but otherwise were focused on eating a Friendship Glacier - an ice cream enchanted so that any pony eating it would taste their partner's favorite food, which more often than not was something they too enjoyed.
"Okay, is everyone ready?" Spirit asked.
Crimson Shadow looked horrified. He ducked down behind the second-floor railing and resurfaced with a sturdy camouflage helmet on his head, an eye-patch over his normal eye and holding a serious-looking mallet with his magic. "I am now," he responded, floating the mallet over the couples below as he spun it around like a top.
Everyone laughed. Screams of mirth burst out of the Shipping Bar like air out of a popped balloon. Galileo and Auxesia laughed so hard they squawked. Spike ended up getting the hiccups and belched out a scroll from Celestia wishing everybody a happy Hearts and Hooves Day. In the corner, the three Doctors flipped their table as their partners tried to regain their own self-control. It was absolute chaos, and that was without Discord flinging sugared donuts everywhere.
Spirit could barely contain himself. Randomness was one of the few things he had no defenses against. Twilight too was doing her best to hold in her laughter, having to bury her face in Spirit's mane. "Alright, you had your fun, ha ha. Are you ready for this?"
"Yep, I'm good," Crimson promised. Several other ponies called out as well.
"We're all ready."
"I've been waiting to hear this."
"More cupcakes, please."
"More cider, please."
"Yay!"
"Come on, I wanna hear this!"
"Okay, everybody calm down!" Twilight waved her horn and a pale purple sphere of magic emitted from the tip, slowly growing outward and shushing the couples it passed over.
"Thanks you, Twilight," Spirit said once the sphere had dissipated. "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why we've asked for your attention when you were busy."
"It was nice and peaceful until then too," one of the Rainbow Dashes snickered, causing the other cyan pegasi to giggles.
"I'm sure. Anyway, you're obviously happy with your present company, but does anyone remember how this company came into your life?"
Several couples started muttering among themselves, but it was Cutie Control who said what they were all thinking. "The Equestrian Exodus."
Spirit nodded. "Some of you will remember, but for others it'll have just been another world-shaking event, the kind of which you shake off every other week." He started walking around the room, giving everyone a chance to hear him clearly. "Several months ago, a strange thing happened. A terrible thing, and we all know what it was: a new evil had come to Equestria, its only intentions to wreck havoc and spread destruction."
"Not unlike everything else that's plagued us, eh Discord?" Galileo joked, not intending to offend the draconequus.
"That's quite alright," Discord promised, but he still tied a sound-grenade-balloon to the gryphon's tail.
"Actually Galileo, it was quite different from the past evils," Twilight corrected.
The gryphon's face scrunched up in confusion. He looked at his girlfriend and Auxesia whispered into his ear. Galileo ooh'd in understanding. "Oh yeah, my bad."
"Who did the Princesses ask for assistance in stopping the threat? None other than the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony." Spirit conjured images of the legendary artifacts over the heads of the six ponies who wield themed, wherever they were situated: Fluttershy with Discord, Rainbow Dash amidst her own doubles' ships, Applejack with some of her family members and their companions, Rarity cuddling with Spike, Pinkie beaming alongside Cotton and, of course, Twilight Sparkle at his side.
"They came together and activated the Elements, in hopes of defeating the monster. But instead of fighting using its offensive magic, the Elements pulled a different piece of magic. The magic that brought us all to Ponyville."
"I remember that!" Bulletproof called out. "Me and Vapour were out enjoying the sun when suddenly all we could see was a bright light, then we found ourselves near Ponyville."
"Sounds familiar," Muse commented. "Riff and I were cleaning up after a music session when we weren't in the room anymore."
"I'd just finished constructing my color bomb," Cotton recalled, receiving a blinding smile fro Pinkie, "but instead of lying in wait patiently listening out for the sound of a passing couple, outside my hiding place I heard a ground-shaking roar."
"We all found ourselves close to the commencing battle," Spirit continued, "but the six ponies who were given the task found their main weapon useless."
"It was frightening," Twilight recounted and the other five mares nodded in agreement. "To have used the Elements many times before, and then fail to activate them against that creature." She stopped and stared off into space as her mind replayed the unsettling memory. "I almost thought it was over right there."
"But then we all came in and helped you out!" Broken Gears declared.
"Indeed we did," Spirit confirmed, his voice becoming dramatic as he recounted the event. "Each of us came to the battle in a unique way, some of us with friends, others individually, but we all came together and combined our strength. It was on that day that our friendship was forged!"
Spirit's words were met by deafening applause, ranging from the light clip clop of the foals to the sharp clap of Discord and the gryphons. "But this wonderful feat was not achieved that very afternoon. It was slowly built over time as we adapted to our new situation, finding our place in a new location. We found that our new setting was comfortable and peaceful—"
"Aside from the dangers that are about as regular as clockwork," one of the Doctors pointed out.
"Yes, except for that." Spirit stopped as the Shipping Bar rang with laughter. "So we wrapped up loose ends and moved into our new life, some of us having familiar faces to work with while others..... well, we had to go for some time without somepony watching over us."
"Some of us even up until recently," Cutie reflected, nuzzling Soarin.
"Mm." Spirit tapped the floor, then looked up. "You've all had your share of experiences over these last few months. We've gathered here on this day to share what we've gained in that time. Hearts and Hooves Day is a time to bring you and your special somepony closer, and that leads us to the Shipping Bar. Twilight?"
The purple unicorn stepped forward. "When I first saw Spirit, when the Elements summoned him to the battlefield, I had no idea who he was or where he'd come from. But after the danger had passed, we took the matter home. There we developed a strong bond, one that we felt everypony and everybody should be allowed to feel. And so we built the Shipping Bar, a place where the very best and closest of friends can come together and strengthen their connections."
Spirit held Twilight's hoof in his own. "Our desire to share this happiness also brought something troubling to our attention," Spirit explained. "After checking things out, we found that some ponies felt affection towards the same pony. Or dragon or gryphon, as the case may be. At first we were saddened by this reality, but then we came across a most revolutionary finding."
"Many of you already know what we're talking about," Twilight said, "but now it's time you all see it with your own eyes." She turned to her coltfriend. "Ready?"
"Ready."
The two unicorn scholars crossed their horns and lowered their heads to the floor. Their magic auras combined and spread across the floor. Shining, Leaf and the tens of others were left pulling their hooves and legs out of the way of the magical wave, of whose properties they knew not. The entire Shipping Bar shuddered to its foundations, where the magic had leaked into. Two sections of the floor slid under the rest of the tiles, revealing a secret that only the Everfree Forest could match.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, gryphons and dragons and draconequui, I present to you the Mirror Pool."
Beneath the floor, a perfect circle was carved out of the ground, filled with fresh clear water. Anyone looking into the pool saw their reflection, but noticed how it seemed to twitch where they weren't. That aside, the images in the water were obedient and calm, just as reflections should be
Pinkie and Pinkie leapt out of their seats and neared the edge of the pool. "Sparkly!" Pinkie squealed as Pinkie touched the cool, clear water, the two Pinkies reflected in the pool reacting likewise.
Spirit used his magic to gently nudge the two pink ponies away. "This pool is the reason most of us are gathered here today. As Twilight and I had mentioned, following the defeat of the threat, we realized that some ponies had taken a liking to other ponies. Unfortunately, those 'other' ponies tended to be the same pony, resulting in loneliness falling upon one individual while guilt crept onto the other in their happiness. After much study and research, Twilight and I found a way to recreate a more powerful version of the Everfree Mirror Pool, one that would create perfect matches of the ponies who use them."
"And thus began the era of walking down the street and seeing yourself," Rainbow Dash joked, again receiving approval from her copies.
Twilight tapped the rim of the Pool. "Whenever somepony found that they liked somepony else's special somepony, they'd come tell us and the whole situation would be cleared up in a matter of minutes. Nopony feels cheated because all the clones are just like the original, sharing all past memories and readily making new ones. It was a bright change in the lives of many ponies and much conflict was averted."
"For those of us who weren't happy to begin with," Sweet Blasphemy commented, gaining consent from Muse, Vapour and Auxesia.
"Hearts and Hooves Day has always been a time for couples to form and bond," Spirit said. "Twilight and I created the Shipping Bar in hopes of further strengthening the bond that exists between the very best of friends. In the process, we have discovered more than what we had originally expected."
"Including things we had no knowledge of to begin with," Twilight added, nuzzling Spirit. The blue unicorn stared tenderly at the purple pony and returned the gesture, resulting in a loving hug between the two.
The feeling was unanimous. Every couple in the Shipping Bar had to agree.
"D'aaaaaw!"
The moment was short, but it was sweet. Spirit and Twilight stood straight and tall, staring into each other's eyes. Two bands of magic shot out of their horns, one purple and one blue, curling over their heads and around the cafe. Couples and ships chuckled and gasped as the magical ribbons spiraled about. Finally, they came to rest on the surface of the Mirror Pool, forming a sparkling heart on the surface. The whole Pool glowed and blinded everyone, except for Discord and Fluttershy as they were both equipped with sunglasses.
The light dimmed and everyone blinked the stars from their eyes. They all looked around and their gaze rested on the two unicorns who had cast the bedazzling piece of magic. Wave Ride turned to Princess Cadance. "Was that what I think it was, or am I dreaming?"
The alicorn princess shook her head. "You're not mistaken, Wave. The spell that we just witnessed was fueled by magic that was achieved through love. The same magic that Shining Armor and I used to stop the changeling invasion."
"Only less violent," Shining put in.
Twilight glanced up at Spirit's horn, Spirit doing the same for her's. Then they reinstated their gazing at each other, silently conversing about what had just happened. It was right then that they realized just how strong their bond had become over the months. The two unicorns leaned in, closed their eyes and—
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
"Oooooh, moment ruined!" a Rainbow Dash called out, resulting in back-pats from her fellow cyan pegasi and thrown empty platters from several couples.
Twilight sighed. She reached into her mane and pulled out a vibrating metal scale. She looked up at Spirit. "I knew somepony was missing."
"Mm. You'd best go meet them halfway. I'm sure they'd love a snack."
"I'll do that," Twilight said, tucking the scale back into her mane. "And you will—"
"Wrap up in here," Spirit replied, putting a hoof to his marefriend's chest. "You go bring in the happy couple. Things will have calmed down once Rainbow apologizes."
"He he. Yeah, that'll take a while." Twilight began making her way towards the door, but stopped halfway. She darted back, gave Spirit a quick peck on the cheek, then hurried around the Mirror Pool and out the door, her gleeful giggling still perceptible.
Spirit shook his head, but smiled all the same. I hope Stormie and Caleb are doing okay. I'll have to ask them when they get here. In the meantime... "All right, everyone!" he announced to all those present. "Hearts and Hooves Day is drawing to a close, but me and Twilight have something special planned for the end."
"Candy?" Sweetie Belle guessed.
"Lectures?" Rainbow Dash presumed.
"Hugs?" Leaf Turner offered.
Chaos?" Discord acclaimed
"Everyone being quiet so Spirit can finish?" Paint Splash hinted. That shut them all up, although the guilty ponies did swap smirks and the draconequus conjured a cream pie, which was promptly claimed by Black Canvas.
"Thank you, Paint," Spirit said. "As I was saying, we've got a surprise in store for you with this lovely day ending. A shipment of fireworks is being brought here, but these are unlike any fireworks you've seen before; they are marvels containing a mixture of magics that will form shapes that any designated individual can control and you will all be given such command over these pyrotechnic wonders."
The Shipping Bar erupted into cheers and applause. The fillies and colts jumped about excitedly. The older ponies nodded and began chatting about past light displays. And everyone in between was a mixture of dancing, conversing, ignoring, ordering and eating. Dregon walked over to Spirit. "Astral and Midnight should be here within the hour," he whispered to the unicorn.
"Also," Sweet Blasphemy added, craning her neck on Spirit's other side, "we should probably close up the Mirror Pool before somepony falls in."
"Thank you both for your input. I'll see to it at once." The couple stepped back and Spirit walked forwards, his horn shooting sparks that trailed along the side of the pool. When the body of water was ringed with magic, attracting the attention of several ponies, Spirit lifted his head and—
BAM!
A blast of heavily condensed magic knocked the bar's doors open and threw Spirit up against the wall. Dregon was knocked into the kitchen counter and SB got her wings tangled up in the catapult. Everybody else had received leftover gusts from the blast, but were shocked by what they saw in the entrance. Spirit blinked away the six-pointed stars, his eyes growing wider as he contemplated what he saw standing in the doorway.
"Sorry about that," Twilight said as she sauntered into the Shipping Bar. "That door needed repairing anyway." The purple unicorn ambled across the cafe, stroking ponies as she passed them by, leaving them shaking disgustedly. "I must say, this is a nice setup. 'Specially this water hole right here." She dipped a hoof in the water.
"Don't move!" Crimson warned, his horn and his eye glowing menacingly.
"HALT, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Luna rumbled in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
Twilight looked up at the two ponies, her expression bored. "Chill, 'icorns," she said casually. "Sit your overpowered plots down."
Luna did so, mostly out of habit and partly in shock. Crimson remained standing, glaring down from the second floor. Twilight ignored them and continued her walk. "Hearts and Hooves Day," she declared. "Ponies use it to help forget the rough times they've been through. And what a time it was! Magical explosions, hacking claws, battle cries. That last battle really took its toll on Ponyville. Way I heard it, foals stayed awake in their beds for a week after the monster was vanquished. Too bad you didn't do such a great job cleaning up, eh Spirit?"
Twilight now stood in front of the blue unicorn. Spirit stared down his muzzle at her, his brow furrowed. "Oh, but what a simple pony you are!" Twilight exclaimed, slowly circling him. "Studious, faithful, everything a bookworm could ever want. Especially one as nerdy as Twilight Sparkle."
"Where is she?"
The question dropped from Spirit's mouth like a hefted brick, shattering the silent spell. The purple unicorn giggled. "You figured it out, you clever colt! Indeed, I'm not the one you're so head-over-hooves for." This statement was met by much muttering from the crowd, which 'Twilight' largely ignored. "Care to take a guess at what I really am?"
"A changeling!" Button Mash called out, rearing up at his table and drawing a squarish sword.
Twilight laughed, but it was a creepy spine-tingling sound, not the joyful mirth her friends knew. "What a foalish thing to suggest! Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from a colt who spends his time playing video games and carrying foam cosplay weapons."
Button's sword dropped from his mouth, bouncing on the table top as the gamer gaped.
"Hmm, looks like I was right." Twilight turned to the crowd. "Since you're all clearly too dumb to figure it out, I'll give you a hint."
The purple unicorn reared up, her eyes and horn flashing with lavender light. The Shipping Bar doors slammed open and a pulsating cloud hovered inside. As it entered, crooked branches shot out of the cloud and grabbed at the air, startling the watching couples before slowly retracting.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Twilight stroked the cloud fondly. "This is all that's left of the great threat to Equestria, after you all 'defeated' it. You really are dumb to think you'd gotten rid of it so easily."
"Beating that thing was not a piece of cake!" Bulletproof objected. Several of the other stallions muttered in agreement.
Twilight laughed again. "Ha! Still in denial over your failure. Then again, the plan wouldn't be very good if it didn't fool you all."
"Enough!" Spirit thundered, stomping with a hoof. Very few present could remember seeing the unicorn this mad before. "Where is Twilight?"
"Oh, you mean the one I'm based on? She's off picking up your friends, stupid. But I'll probably remedy that, soon after we're through here." She looked to the dark cloud, now floating over the Mirror Pool, and waved a hoof at it. "And now..."
Spirit, Discord, Dregon and the Doctors realized what was about to happen just before it did, but they were too slow to stop it. Even as the unicorns started up their magic and the Time Lords pulled out their sonic screwdrivers, the fluctuating cloud dropped into the Mirror Pool like a rock with barely a ripple
Everyone in the Shipping Bar stared at the almost-still waters, afraid to blink. Then the waters of the Mirror Pool changed color, from the pale blue of the basin to a dreary storm-grey. A cloud of steam erupted from the Pool and dissipated as bubbles rose to the surface and popped. Then a bright pink hoof poked out of the pool, followed by an equally pink pony with poofy hair.
The clone grinned. "Hi."
More ponies began to climb out of the Mirror Pool: Pinkies, Rainbow Dashes, Twilights, a few Doctors with magically dry ties and hats and many others beside. They emerged from the water and ringed the pool, grinning at the couples who stared back in confusion and horror.
"This isn't how the Mirror Pool works," Pinkie commented, Pinkie nodding in agreement.
Spirit looked about at the over-friendly-looking duplicates, then returned his attention to 'Twilight'. "I can't imagine what you'll do with clones," he said indifferently. "Your main power source is gone."
"Not anymore." 'Twilight' pointed at the Mirror Pool. "Now the magic waters of your Mirror Pool are our life source. With it, we shall multiple endlessly and overtake Ponyville, then Canterlot, then all of Equestria. It shall be a chaotic age, far more disastrous then Discord's."
"Hey!" the draconequus shouted indignantly, stretching over the crowd until he was face-to-face with the purple unicorn. "I won't have some magical-illusion copycat pony mock my old habits!"
The phony Twilight swung her horn and in a flash of magic, Discord was sent flying into the wall. Fluttershy rushed over to help him up; the Chaos spirit was a bit disoriented from the attack, if his rolling eyes were anything to judge by.
"See?" 'Twilight' said. "Even Discord can't stand up to our power." A Rainbow Dash and a Flash Sentry came over to her, both draping a wing over the purple unicorn's back. Dark-purple magic spilled out of Twilight's horn and encircled the three ponies. "The magic is inside all of us. The more of us there are, the stronger it gets. And it's not limited to the unicorns between us either."
To prove Twilight's point, the two pegasi clones beside her leapt into the air and raised their hooves over their heads. Swirling orbs of energy materialized and Rainbow and Flash released them, sending the pulsing accumulations of magic into the floor directly in front of Sweet Treat and Sunset Love.
Spirit took a step back. He'd guessed the new clones would be different, but not like this. He was confident that he, Shining, Dregon and the others could handle malfunctioning Mirror Pool clones, but this herd was full of malicious motivation, brought into being through the doorway he and Twilight had created.
SLAP! No, not this Twilight. This Twilight is a spawn of the Equestrian threat, taking an appeasing form to get under my guard. Spirit looked out the window, but he couldn't see his marefriend anywhere through the limited view it offered. Guess I'll have to deal with these mutations solo.
"Shining, Discord, now!"
The prince of the Crystal Empire and the spirit of Chaos charged up their magic on both sides of the room, Spirit doing the same by the kitchen. When their power had peaked, the three magic users released their pent-up energy and spread it over the crowd, creating enchanted barriers between the new clones and the couples.
Spirit, Sweet Blasphemy and Dregon looked down the tunnel of shimmering magic; one side light cerulean, the other a mix of transparent hues. On both sides, Discord and Shining Armor held up the barriers, keeping the threatening clones away from the citizens. The eyes of the Twilight clone rolled back and forth between the magic walls separating them from the visitors. "So, you really want to face us. We won't be holding back."
The clones started to move slowly toward the three ponies by the kitchen. Dregon grimaced and lowered his head, aiming his horn at the approaching duplicates. SB gave them a defiant stare as she whipped her wings about. Spirit continued to gaze at the clones, his mind racing in search of a means to keep their attention away from his friends.