//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Mirror // Story: The Other Journal // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// Day: Monday Weather: Night-time, cloudy, then clear skies complete with moonlight Time: 8:30pm After passing my latest examination with flying colours, and maybe some slight damage due to being slightly excessive, Princess Celestia congratulated me on my performance, but also scolded me because of lacking what she called humility due to an incident in the park regarding several other ponies... bah! She's been saying this to me ever since I first became her pupil, yet I don't see what the problem is. She told me that there is something she wishes to show me, and I can hardly wait to see what it is. Surely, it won't change the dynamic that she and I have with one another... The Other Journal By Ganondorf8 October 29, 2015 Chapter 4: The Mirror When I went to school the next day, the Instructor blocked my way in, and straight away I had every incentive to berate her for denying me my education as a unicorn all because my attitude with regards to everypony else was deplorable, yet when she told me that Princess Celestia desired to see me at the castle, I didn't really know what to think. I was eternally grateful for what she did for me as it got me away from my family even though deep down I saw her kind gesture as nothing more than a stepping stone on the path to becoming the best, yet I had a sense of fear. Had I done something to offend Princess Celestia? Granted, my attitude at the school did cause problems such as insulting my fellow students, refusing to work with them, undermining their intellect, and even flat-out telling them that they had no future, but surely that wasn't why she summoned me. It didn't take long for me to arrive at Canterlot Castle, yet along the way my mind was filled with all kinds of questions and concerns, each one too horrible to think about as though my mind was the verge of experiencing an orgasm. What if she did intend on sending me back home? No, I can't go back there now! Not when I've come this far in asserting myself as a powerful unicorn! Maybe... maybe I can sweet-talk her somehow into giving me another chance? Yes, that sounded like a good idea to me, but what I didn't know then as opposed to what I know now, Princess Celestia had ulterior motives behind her actions. When our paths finally crossed outside in the front garden... I was expecting this to be a confrontation that would change my life. Instead, she dropped a book in front of my muzzle, asking me to use my magic to pick it up, and placing it into my schoolbag. This book featured my cutie mark on it on the front cover, but I had no idea as to what it meant until she told me to look through the pages where the answer would come into focus... and yet, I only had a question. " This book has nothing written in it! Why would you give me a book with no text for me to read?" I asked, feeling confused by what I thought was an insensitive gesture, and reassuring my fears that Princess Celestia planned on sending me back home to my family. I quickly used my magic to skim through all of the pages, and not a single word, image, or chart appeared causing me to start sweating in profound fear and confusion. Was this her way of pulling a prank? No... the princess would never stoop to that, for it would go against her dignity which ponies in Canterlot self-proclaimed she had. I skimmed through the book for a second time, and then a third, each time getting more and more frustrated with what this all meant. " I don't understand!" I shouted, having finally lost my nerves. " Why have you done this to me? What did I do to deserve this?" " You have done nothing wrong Sunset Shimmer." Princess Celestia answered, using a calm and soothing voice which affected my demeanour, and managing to calm me down before I would have literally exploded with rage. " That book is one of two of its kind with the other being in my possession, and it is blank for a reason, as it will serve as your journal where you can write something down into it, and I shall see what you have written in my book via magical means. Likewise, if I were to write something in my book, it shall appear in yours." " But why give me something like this?" I asked. " I am aware of what has been going on at my school regarding you, and the behaviour you have been displaying." Princess Celestia answered. I knew it! She was planning on sending me back home after all, and this book of hers was nothing more than a ploy designed to lull me into a false sense of security. The amount of rage inside of me suddenly grew exponentially, and to think that I respected Princess Celestia because of her kind heart. Now I see that she is nothing more than a master manipulator... a monarch who enjoys building up a pony's expectations before crushing them beneath her hooves just because she could. " So... you know about my... issues?" I asked. " The Instructor who has been teaching you these past months informed that while your grades have been the best, and that your attention to detail is remarkable, she felt as though your attitude towards the other students was causing a problem. She even suggested that you should be sent back home as a precaution in case your influence was to spread to the others, but I refused to hear of such a thing. Sunset Shimmer... I know that your life has been a difficult one, and that you have... certain needs which are difficult to fulfill." Princess Celestia answered. Each word she said about my problems felt like daggers had been plunged through my heart, every one inflicting small amounts of damage over time until the festering wound was too much for me to deal with anymore. " Are you sending me back home?" I asked, tears streaming down my face, trickling onto the ground, and resulting in me trying to wipe them away with my hoof in a futile effort as my tears flowed too quickly. " I know my attitude has been a problem at your school, but I can't help it as I've been ignored by my family my entire life. They never gave me any kind of love... compassion... guidance, so it resulted in me doing things on my own without a morale compass to rely on." " That is the reason why you are here." Princess Celestia said. " I don't understand." I said, tears washing down my face. " You have never been taught the ways of humility, and for that you lash out against other ponies in fear that they will drag you down, thus denying you your dream of becoming the best unicorn that you can possibly be. I realized that a student such as yourself requires a different kind of learning... one where you can go at your own pace, and help you reassert yourself in the eyes of your peers as a pony who can be relied on." Princess Celestia said, walking over to me where she proceeded to wipe away the tears from my eyes using her hoof, and while it felt cold because her hoof had a piece of armament as a sign of her status, it quickly grew warm giving me a feeling which I've never had before. " And this book?" I asked. " It is yours to keep Sunset Shimmer, for not only will you be using it to send me the assignments I will be asking of you, but also to send me various letters and reports regarding your progress." Princess Celestia answered. I looked down at the book which had frustrated me since she first presented it, yet now it was beginning to make sense as though my eyes were no longer blind to it. What was once deemed something narrow-minded, and insensitive turned out to be the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. " I am expecting great things from you Sunset Shimmer, and I know that you will not let me down." " So, I guess I should head back to the school now." I said. " That is the other reason you are here, as you will no longer be attending my school. It's facilities are beyond compare throughout Canterlot, yet they are not able to help you with the difficulties you possess." Princess Celestia said, making me feel heartbroken because her school just couldn't handle me. Typical! Her school is regarded as the best institute for young unicorns to perfect their magical talents, but if they can't handle someone like me, such a place shouldn't be allowed to call themselves a school! " Instead, I shall be taking you on as my own personal student... my protégé to be more precise." Princess Celestia's announcement caught me off guard that my entire body shut down in an instant, and I felt as though everything I had known had just scattered away in the wind. Did she just call me her protégé? Am I to become her personal student? " Why me?" I asked. " Because you have potential to be truly great, yet you need to be shown the proper guidance... something which your life has tragically been missing. I will teach you what it means to have humility Sunset Shimmer, show you just how far you can go with your magic, and perhaps... perhaps become something more." Princess Celestia answered. It was her last few words that had the biggest influence on me... an influence which I now wish that I hadn't caught onto until much later in life. There was only one general direction a unicorn could go once they reached the pinnacle of their training, and mastered their magic... becoming an alicorn, or maybe even a prince or princess! Becoming the best unicorn now had a true purpose, and that was to become an alicorn which filled my heart with desires... the kind that can twist and turn into something hideous because of succumbing to a temptation... the temptation of wanting power! " I'm... I'm not sure what to say." I said. " Through my guidance, you shall blossom." Princess Celestia said. " Blossom... that's something my parents never said to me among other things, and it drove me towards wanting to learn things on my own. If you believe that I have the potential, then I accept your proposal, Princess Celestia, and follow your guiding light." I said. In response, the princess gave me a hug as her sign of making me feel welcomed, and for a brief moment, I felt compassion for somepony else all because it was given to me. At that moment, my life felt complete... whole... as though the shadows which plagued my heart had finally dispelled, and I could finally turn things around. However, I was only fooling myself as such inhibitions could not be cast away so easily. By becoming the personal student of Princess Celestia, it made me feel more important than other ponies, as though I were now truly better than them. Whether she was aware of it or not, Princess Celestia was about to make my dreams come true, and I would one day stand by her side as a fellow alicorn. That was my plan... to become the best which would allow me to ascend to her very status as a result. Surely, nothing would deviate me from this goal. " So that's how you got that magic journal?" Twilight asked. " It was the first gift anyone had ever given to me." I answered, reaching into my schoolbag, and taking out an almost identical copy of the journal which I had been showing my friend for these past hours, yet this one had my cutie mark emblazoned on the front to indicate that it was mine. As I stared longingly at it, I remembered all of the times where I wrote something down which I learned during my studies, and receiving appropriate feedback from Princess Celestia. Placing my hand firmly in the center where my cutie mark was, I began to cry because I knew what ended up happening to me... my dream... what started out as a simple wish became distorted... corrupted... contaminated by a desire for power. Tried as I could to contain my sorrow, I just couldn't, and that's when I felt something warm pressing up against me, causing me to look where I discovered Twilight was giving me the strongest hug I've ever had. " Sunset..." Twilight said, uttering only my name before burying her head into my chest, and I didn't push her away this time like before. My heart, for some reason, wanted her to be that close to me, and it just felt right. Without even thinking about it, I placed my hand on top of head, and began fondling her hair as though I was having one of those childhood moments which rise to the surface after being neglected for so long. " Sunset, we can take a break for a while if you'd like, as I know you telling me all about your troubled past must be really draining on your psyche." " I'm alright, as I've been needing to share these secrets with someone." I said. " I insist we take a break, but just for a few minutes as you really need it given what happened between us earlier what with me... you know... doing that to you, and feeling immensely guilty over it." Twilight said. I looked into her eyes, and they were filled with determination, something I've learned to appreciate in recent months, yet her eyes were burning with a white hot flame that would not take no for an answer, so I closed the other journal before putting it aside, and picking up the magical one. " So that journal, the magic one I mean, not the one you've been reading to me. You say that it contains magic?" Twilight asked. " Before I left Equestria, I wrote something down in it everyday for Princess Celestia, but then I neglected it for several years after coming here, and it wasn't until the crisis of the Sirens where I finally had the courage to use it again. These days, I write friendship reports among other messages where they are read, and replied to by her... Princess Twilight, the Twilight who comes from the same world as I do." I said, stopping myself as Twilight looked downwards at the floor upon my mentioning that name. Even now, she feels that she has to compare herself to Princess Twilight, or that the rest of us have to do so because despite their similarities, both are different individuals. That's when Twilight reached into her pocket, and pulled out something I thought I'd never see again. " Isn't that your device? Why do you still have it considering the damage it did?" " I thought to keep it as a memento because despite what I did, it ended up giving me friends even if it does sound contrived." Twilight answered. The device in question was a spectrometer which I recognized from my studies in this world, but it was custom-made in that Twilight put it together herself in an effort to understand what she perceived was "bizarre energy" when in reality it was magic, a fact which Twilight understands is real as she experienced magic first-hand. " You don't have to worry about a thing Sunset, as when you used the magic to transform to deal with what I became, it got damaged when you threw it to the ground, so now it doesn't do anything. Much like you, I have something which causes me to suffer lingering pain in the form of regretting my past actions. I should have resisted their urges of me unleashing all that magic, and my own curiosity which convinced me." " Twilight..." I said, my hand sliding down her head, and wrapping itself around her neck. " Why don't we get back to your other journal, as you're starting to look really tense." Twilight suggested, her words referring to my teeth which had been grinding back and forth, an indication that I was getting stressed as I didn't really want to stop reading as there is so much more for me to reveal. Upon hearing her say that I can continue, my mouth relaxed before my teeth could chip or something, and I removed my arm from her neck before picking up the other journal where I opened it up to where I had left off. " In case you were wondering Twilight, the magic journal Princess Celestia had is now in the possession of Princess Twilight through what can only be described as fate." " That thought did cross my mind." Twilight said. " I'll be explaining it all to you when we get to that point." I said. And so began my one-on-one tutoring with Princess Celestia where she aimed to make me the best unicorn I could be, and within a proper teaching environment where I could easily flourish, yet she made sure to teach me about humility... quite literally, as she made sure to constantly drill the notions and concepts of humility into my head so that one day I'd be able to see fellow ponies as equals rather than inferior. Throughout the next couple of years, I would report to her everyday where she gave me an assignment which took advantage of my skills, and I had a certain amount of time to complete them to receive a passing grade which always surpassed her expectations. At first, Princess Celestia simply told me to read all kinds of books about various subjects, yet within a matter of weeks, I told her that while reading was fine for other ponies, I craved something a little more out there, which is why I made a request on how to better enhance my studying experience. " That is a most unusual request." Princess Celestia said. " I know it is, Princess Celestia, but after reading book after book after book, I've reached the point where they don't interest me as much. I mean, I'll still read a book on occasion as that kind of knowledge gaining is essential to my studies, but I feel that I should get myself out there in the field. I should experience the wonders of Equestria from a first-hand perspective as opposed to just reading about it." I said. " Seeing is better than reading, but my concern is your safety." Princess Celestia said. " I'll be sure to have everything I need for such excursions, as even if I know that going out into the field without the proper preparations would be foolish. Your highness, I truly feel that doing this will elevate my studies to the next level, and maybe help me understand Equestria a lot more." I said, smiling on the outside, but doing so with a slightly evil expression from within. As far as she was concerned, that was my reason for wanting to go out into the field, and it actually was my truest desire, yet I also wanted to practice some of my magic on my own instead of with her as sometimes I felt like she was holding me back. Finally, it would mean not having to see any of her attendants, guards, and the like as they were all beneath me given how I had such a prestigious position in the royal court of Canterlot. " Very well Sunset Shimmer, you have my permission, but I expect you to continue at your current pace. If your grades start to slip, then I will annul your request, and you will be back to reading books." Princess Celestia said. In truth, the idea of going into the field proved beneficial as there were so many things in Equestria that those musty old books never mentioned, such as how Dragon Sneeze Trees could be used to make special medicine as opposed to just being an unusual distraction. As those years passed, I not only grew older, but more powerful as well which was all thanks to the nurturing of Princess Celestia... yet... my maturity remained a contentious issue especially when it came to humility. While I was praised by many for my magic being stronger than most unicorns, my attitude towards other ponies never improved, and I was still viewing them as being inferior. Ponies often had lukewarm reactions whenever I was around, as they had grown tired of my egotistical manners, but I had every right to show off as Princess Celestia chose me to be her personal student... her protégé... they were all just jealous of me. Every magic test that was thrown my way, I passed with flying colours, and each time my magic grew more and more powerful, as did my ego. I truly believed myself to be better than everyone else, and deep down I believed that I was superior to that of Princess Celestia herself. While she was a benevolent ruler, she lacked a certain edge which could make her reign over Equestria that much better! I had that edge in spades, and I figured that when the time comes for me to become a princess, an alicorn, I'd be able to show everypony what kind of ruler I could be. Everything was going absolutely perfect... until one day when everything would change all because of looking at a mirror... " A mirror? Seriously?" Twilight asked, confusion written all over her face. " This is the very mirror which would connect this world with Equestria." I said. " The one located on the other side of the Wondercolt Statue in front of Canterlot High?" Twilight asked, reaching into her pocket, and taking out her spectrometer again before taking a long look at it before putting it away again. " I remember seeing a ripple on that side of the statue when I was trying to understand what I perceived was strange energy, and not magic. I would have eventually figured it out had you not frightened me away when you decided to communicate with me. So if someone were to have walked through that, they would appear in your world, this Equestria?" Twilight asked. " Yes, but the transition takes time to get used to." I answered. " But, how could a mirror have caused all of this to happen?" Twilight asked. " A question which even now continues to elude me, but that mirror has been one of the primary sources behind what happened to me." I answered. I remember that day well... perhaps a little too well. I was at the castle preparing to take yet another test where I along with other students from her school were to impress three judges who were pretty stuck up, but then they were just doing their jobs. Every time I came before these three judges, I had wowed them with impressive feats which made everypony else pale in comparison to me, and I was completely fine with it as I was enveloped within my own greatness. The judges were expecting me to do something that was worthy of one in my position as Princess Celestia's protégé, and they were going to be amazed as I planned on performing a simple growth spell. Well, simple to somepony like me as I was going to give them a real blast that would once again prove my dominance. " We're expecting big things from you Sunset Shimmer, for you are the prized pupil of Princess Celestia, so we shall grade you accordingly." One judge said. " Since this is your final test, we only expect your very best as anything less just won't cut it. Your performance from last semester was the best thing any of us have ever seen, so it will be difficult for you to somehow top that. Now, when you feel ready to begin, let us know by activating your magic via your horn, and we shall begin grading you the moment your magic starts affecting the object you are using for this test." The Second Judge said. It sounded to me that they didn't think I was going to top my own personal best, but they were about to discover that my magic had improved since last time, and they were going to eat their words. " I'm ready." I said, lighting up my horn with my magic. " What will you be showing us today?" The Third Judge asked. " A growth spell." I answered. " A classic spell... well, nothing wrong with wanting to go with something simple, yet it will need to really wow us if you hope to pass with top marks. Other students have tried the same technique with varying results, so there is a lot of pressure riding on you." The First Judge said. I knew what I was doing as growth spells were nothing to someone like me, and I could have easily done this with my eyes closed, and one hoof tied behind my back. Turning away from the judges, and whistling which was my way of showing how completely confidant I was, I paced about for a few seconds before turning around, and firing my magic at full power on the plant pot which caused the plant to grow... and burst through the walls of the hall in several places... SMASH!... CRASH!... TINKLE! TINKLE!... CRUMBLE!... the sounds of the hall collapsing under the magic imbued vines where they expanded outwards before finally coming to a stop several moments later. I did say that I was going to give them a real blast, and what I did definitely proved it. " And there we go!" I shouted with confidence. " It looks like you passed with flying colours as always." Princess Celestia said, calling from all the way down in the gardens where she had witnessed the results of my test which made me proud of my accomplishment. " I had no doubt that this mid-term would be easy for you, my faithful student." Princess Celestia paid no attention to the damage I had accrued, as in her eyes her only concern was me having lived up to expectations. Turning my attention back to the judges, they were slightly shaken up by what I had done, yet the praise they gave me more than made up for it. " Bravo! Well done!" The First Judge shouted. " Once again you have lived up to the expectations as Princess Celestia's pupil!" The Second Judge shouted. " We are looking forward to the next test where you'll no doubt once again get the top marks!" The Third Judge shouted. Their praise only served to fuel my hunger, my hunger for wanting to become even better, and I knew that I still had a lot to learn which is why I asked Princess Celestia if I could spend the rest of the day at the park in order to get some studying done. While she questioned why because of how well I did, I told her that I could have done better, and that had I studied harder, I'm sure those vines would have covered the entire castle instead of just partly. Knowing that I was going to pout until I got my way, Princess Celestia gave me permission, so I made my way over to the park where I immediately began reading, and while I thought it would be a peaceful time, other ponies came along. While I managed to ignore most of them, there was one whose incessant chatter prompted me to turn around... that was the first time I saw her..." " The other me... the other Twilight?" Twilight asked. " She was a few years younger than I was, and didn't have her cutie mark yet, but I saw her having fun with her brother and Princess Cadance, who was an adopted niece of Princess Celestia, who happened to be famous for her magic of love... and for being the best foal-sitter in all of Canterlot. Back then, I had no idea that our paths would end up crossing one another." I answered. " Is that... how you think of me?" Twilight asked. " Not at all, and don't you ever think that!" I answered, my voice raised and filled with slight anger. " I'm different now than I was back then, but now that I look back on it, I wish that she and I had met on more peaceful terms rather than what ended up happening much later." After spending a few minutes watching what Princess Twilight, or rather, regular Twilight as she wasn't a princess yet, was doing, she waved at me which prompted me to do the same, but with a slightly awkward wave as I felt her presence was a distraction. Princess Cadance noticed me looking at Twilight, and waved to me as well, prompting me to wave back at her, but in a more formal manner. While I've never spoken to her directly as most of my interactions in Canterlot were restricted only to Princess Celestia, and maybe several of her royal guard, I've seen her hanging out with Princess Twilight's brother, and secretly I mocked her for having fallen in love with somepony like him. With that, I turned back around where I resumed reading my book until I was interrupted by a group of ponies who came along, their purpose involved wanting me to have some fun with them. Just looking at them made me want to throw up, as they were all at the school back when I attended there before becoming Princess Celestia's protégé. " We saw the results of your test, and we were just amazed at how large those vines got." One of the ponies said... I never did learn their names as I never interacted with them even when I was attending the school. " No doubt you're going to become the greatest unicorn of all time!" Another pony said. " Princess Celestia was right to have made you her prized pupil." A third pony said. " Makes me jealous!" The second pony said. " Want to have lunch with us?" The first pony asked. " Excuse me?" I asked, my voice filled with both surprise and disgust. I was in the middle of studying in order to improve my magic for a future test, and one of them had the gall to ask me something like that? If I were to accept their offer, it would mean having to dumb myself down to their level, and I wasn't about to have any of that. No way was I going to neglect my studies for even a moment, so I used my magic to close my book, and levitated it to my side where I proceeded to get up from the bench seat, and heading back to the castle, but not before I gave those ponies a stern warning. " You have a lot of nerve to ask me something like that when you all clearly can see that I was in the middle of studying for my future test which I shall pass with flying colours as always! I have better things to do than socialize, as resorting to such things will only make me lose my edge. You ponies can have all the lunch you want, for your futures are filled with nothing but disappointment. You could be in much better positions than you are now had you chosen to stick with your studies rather than goofing off!" I left in a huff thinking my words were true as those ponies weren't going to amount to anything, yet they said things behind my back such as calling me rude, insensitive, a pony whose ego was beyond the stratosphere, yet I ignored their childish insults as I was going places while they were merely floundering around with no future. Apparently, news of my actions would reach Princess Celestia, and upon coming back from my abysmal private studying time, she immediately began to talk about the same rhetoric which she had spewing out for the last couple of years. " I have heard all about what happened in the park earlier Sunset Shimmer, and I must admit that I am disappointed in how you continue to struggle with personal relationships, but then it's not your fault as your upbringing certainly played a factor in your resistance to make friends." Princess Celestia said. While I know now that she only had my best interests in mind, I wasn't having any of it as friendship was something I deemed to be a weakness. My only goal in life was to become the best unicorn, and eventually ascend to an alicorn where my magical prowess would make me equal to, if not better than Princess Celestia. " Still, I must remind you about humility... something which you still appear to lack even now after all this time." " I don't need to make friends, as all they do is hold you back from greatness!" I shouted. " I know it's difficult for you to grasp Sunset Shimmer, but I won't give up on you when it comes to understanding humility, and that making friends and opening your heart to everypony isn't a bad thing. Studying is never a bad thing either as everypony strives to be the best that they can be, but you should still take the time to build personal relationships even if you don't believe them to be of importance." Princess Celestia said. " It's just that I don't think making friends is important." I said. " There is no need for you to rush into these things straight away, but you will eventually need to learn to accept friendship into your heart otherwise you could end up experiencing a tragic fall without even realizing it." Princess Celestia said, her words a forewarning of what was to eventually come. I then said something under my breath which was my displeasure of how boring it was having to hear the same lecture from her about friendship and humility over and over again, but when she asked me what I was saying, I went silent so as to mask my true feelings on the subject. " Sigh... I suppose we'll just have to work on that later on, as right now I have something to show you." " What is it?" I asked. " It's something I feel you should see, as one day you may end up inheriting it." Princess Celestia answered. What I didn't know is that what she was about to show me was going to change my life forever, and no one was prepared for the consequences. She led me into a room where she presented what looked like an ordinary mirror, and my initial reaction was one of disappointment. She was going to give me nothing but a stupid mirror!?!? Granted, it was certainly luxurious in design, but she wants me to eventually have something that's essentially pointless!?!? " Now I know you must feel frustrated Sunset Shimmer, but let me tell you that this mirror is not what it appears to be. In fact, it contains a magic which only the most powerful of unicorns and alicorns can control. Tell me, you know of Star Swirl the Bearded?" Princess Celestia asked. " Are you kidding me!?!? One of the first books you asked me to read when I became your student was all about his history, and the achievements he accomplished throughout his life. Please! I know everything about Star Swirl the Bearded!" I answered with a huff. " Not everything he did was written down in a book." Princess Celestia said. " What do you mean?" I asked. " 1,000 years ago, after I had to banish my own sister to the moon, I began to grow closer to Star Swirl where he became my friend, and most trusted confidant during the early years of my reign over Equestria. He had been creating all kinds of magic spells which he said enabled him to further his own powers, but there was one spell in particular which he insisted I helped him with, and what you see before you are the results. This mirror, in truth, is actually an improved version of what Star Swirl and I worked on, yet the premise still remains the same. This mirror has the ability to reveal a pony's future should they happen to stare at their own reflection." Princess Celestia answered. " But why tell me this?" I asked. " One day, you will be showing this very mirror to your own protégé, and they will be asking you those same questions." Princess Celestia answered. Hearing her say those words filled my heart with glee, and also fueled my own ego because she admitted that I would one day become just like her. Still, I never knew that somepony as legendary as Star Swirl the Bearded had created a mirror like this. " Does this mirror possess other powers?" I asked. " That is something which you will learn in time Sunset Shimmer, but for now we shall focus on you looking at your reflection. In case you were curious, Star Swirl and I had some problems when it came to figuring out the additional power this mirror wielded, yet I won't bore you with those details as it would just be me droning on and on about things which wouldn't make much sense. Now, please look into this mirror, and tell me what your reflection shows." Princess Celestia answered, raising her hoof as a sign to beckon me to take a closer look at the mirror. To me, it looked just like an ordinary mirror, so my response to her request was a reflection of that. " A beautiful pony who has so much potential to become something much more than she is." I said. " Want to try again?" Princess Celestia asked. " Why?" I asked. " This is why you need to understand humility Sunset Shimmer, for without it and the magic of friendship by your side, you will not be able to achieve your truest desires no matter how hard you try. Now, please look into the mirror again, and this time I want you to take humility into consideration." Princess Celestia answered. I mumbled something under my breath, the same thing I said before about hearing that humility speech, but then I decided that I would humour her by using a sense of humility if it would please her, and get her off my case. Looking into the mirror for the second time... I saw an image looking back at me, but was it a sign of things to come? " I see... myself... or a reasonable facsimile, but there's something different about her, or me. She... I, appears weak, worthless, not powerful enough to become the best that she, er I, can be, but perhaps she, I, whoever, can become more powerful than ever should they stick to their chosen path in life. They could one day become powerful enough to rule all of Equestria." I said, becoming mesmerized by the image of myself in the mirror, an image of me as a powerful alicorn where my expression was one of having incredible power, and commanding all that I survey while being blanketed by a veil of darkness. " Are you sure?" Princess Celestia asked. " You wanted me to tell you what I'm looking at, and what I just said is the absolute truth. I don't know if the pony I'm looking at is a mere reflection of what I could become one day, or is some kind of alternate version whose aim is to psyche me out, but I am really liking the possibility of this future." I answered, lying to Princess Celestia about being confused as to who it was I was looking at. I knew that this was my reflection, and the thought of me becoming a powerful alicorn made my hunger for power grow even more powerful than ever before, and I struggled to keep it in check so as to not reveal my true desire. " Maybe we should move on." Princess Celestia suggested. " Hold on!" I shouted, reacting to something else that was starting to appear in the mirror. " I... I can see some other image, but I have no idea what it even is!" This other image sort of looked like me, but it wasn't a pony by any means. Was this another future that could happen to me?