//------------------------------// // Morning // Story: Through the Mirror // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// “Wow... this oil could be destructive. Is there another energy source? ... Electric? Solar? Whoa, harnessing the Sun, that could work...” “Wait... breasts? That’s what these are? And they’re just hanging in front of my chest? Ew!” “...Machines... just to store books... I need to crack this code...” Twilight awoke in a familiar place. The Keeper’s library was as expansive as ever, likely even more so. Twilight moaned, putting a hoof to her forehead in reaction to being back here again. She stopped. A hoof... she was a pony again. She pondered this only a minute before traveling to where she knew the Keeper was by now. It didn’t take long to get there. the haggard Alicorn was as studious as ever, the cyclone of books all being written in at once. “Welcome back,” she said through a yawn. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why I’m here, will you?” “For once, yes. I will give you a straight answer.” Twilight blinked. “Really? Wait, why?” “Haven’t you ever heard the expression, ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?’” “A barbaric expression from the time before the Age of the Three Tribes. Is there a point?” “Yes. Quite simply, you stepped outside my jurisdiction. Your book is now in the hands of this universe’s Keeper.” Silence. “And?” “Well... here’s the thing about that: we don’t like interdimensional traveling to go on, so I’ve been authorized to help you combat it... a bit.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Then how can you help me?” “Only three things. First off, I feel the need to tell you: the Human World you’ve arrived in is not the world Megan came from. You cannot count on her now.” Twilight nodded. “I figured that. Megan would have had to be an important figure in this world.” The Keeper gave an unreadable expression, as if she wanted to tell Twilight more, but she went on. “Secondly, your deadline is sooner than you think. You’ve likely noticed time flows differently in this world than it does in Equestria.” At Twilight’s nod, she went on. “The portal will open and close again in a week.” Twilight blinked. “A week!? I can’t... it’s bad enough I left Equestria for a month, if I have to wait a second week, who knows what could happen? The Elements of Harmony have been split up too long as it is.” “That’s why I’m telling you this now. You need to get the Element of Magic back quickly. And I’m here to give you a final warning: Celestia... your Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, was correct. Sunset is not acting alone. She had allies from your world helping her.” “What? How?” “Do you think the Mirror was the only way through? They have their ways.” “How?” “...I can’t tell you. I’m forbidden.” Twilight put a hoof on her forehead. “Seriously? I thought you were desperate to stop this dimensional hopping.” “Long ago, when time began, the Creator limited how we could interfere with the affairs of mortals. It’s a complicated deal that I can’t tell you now.” Twilight felt the headache come on. “I think I’m really starting to hate being here. Am I going to get straight answers, ever?” “When you ascend. Or rather, if you ascend.” Twilight paused at that. Coming to this world and turning Human had almost made her forget that she was scheduled to become an Alicorn as soon as she got back. The Trials... “This is all I can tell you.” And with that, the Keeper lit up her horn. Twilight bolted out of bed, breathing heavily. It took her a few seconds to realize she was back in a Human body. And she was in a bed. Why was she in a bed? “Uh... Twilight?” Spike asked, lifting his head up from the pillow next to her and giving a sleepy look. “What’s wrong? Another nightmare?” “Not so much,” she said. “What happened? The last I remember I was on the computer?” “You fell asleep. Principal Celestia had to carry you up here. We’re in the guest room.” Twilight looked around. The first thing she noticed was that it was morning. Sunlight shone in from the window, showing off the bare room with just a bed, an endside table, and a dresser. She looked at the clock. 8:25am. “I guess we should get up,” Twilight said, stretching. A knock at the door interrupted any reply Spike might have had. “Twilight? Are you up?” “Yes,” Twilight called to Celestia, who opened the door. The older woman was fully dressed, carrying a shopping bag. “I went to the store and got you a few things,” she said. “First off...” she handed her what appeared to be... “A cell phone? You didn’t have to get me something so expensive...” “Don’t worry, it’s pre-paid, and it comes with a GPS so you won’t get lost if you decide to explore. If anyone asks, your smartphone broke and that’s to tide you over until you get a new one. Next, I got you a change of clothes. You can’t wear the same thing all month. I wasn’t sure what to get you, so it’s the closest thing I could find to what you’re wearing now.” Twilight opened her mouth to reply that she would only be here a week, then stopped. That sounded crazy, even by Equestrian standards. She decided to table that particular issue for right now. “Come on, shower now, then breakfast.” Showers worked remarkably the same as they did in Equestria, though how Humans found standing on such a smooth surface with only two feet easy was incredible. Getting dressed was easy, though the device that protected the chest was a bit difficult. What was the point of it? She needed to look that up on tonight’s research. She arrived at the table to find Luna was still dressed in pajamas, her hair a mess and a cup of coffee in one hand. “So... you’re not really a morning pony... uh, person either?” Twilight ventured. Luna muttered and took a sip of coffee. “Makes sense,” she said, enjoying the biscuits with syrup and butter she had been served. As she ate, a strange sound went through the house, causing Twilight to jump. “Huh? What’s that?” “Relax, it’s just my phone,” Celestia said, picking her phone off the table and checking the screen. “Oh... it’s the school superintendent. I have to take it.” The Principal answered the phone, and Twilight returned to her meal, only half listening. “Yes, Mrs. Hope? ...What? Um... no ma'am, I wasn’t aware... yes, I was there late last night, but I was there to pick something up after the meeting, I wasn’t there all night... I saw Sunset Shimmer there, but she ran off before I could question her. Well, I suppose I could pick it up... what?” Celestia’s sudden vehemence had Twilight, Spike, and Luna looking. The Principal quickly recovered. “I’m sorry, it’s just... a tradition to keep it on display... are you sure? ...But the students... yes ma’am.” The final words were said with resignation. Celestia hung up, then turned to the table. “We have a problem. Sunset doesn’t have the crown anymore.” “...What? Twilight said, standing up. “Who does.” “Superintendent Hope. It was apparently found in the bushes outside the school this morning by a groundskeeper.” Twilight hit her forehead. Of course, the Element had flown through the mirror ahead of Sunset. This whole time she had been assuming that Sunset had managed to pick it up before running off. She said as much to the two sisters. “And you didn’t see anything?” she asked Celestia. “Well, I heard a noise before Sunset came out, but after that I was kind of distracted with the whole ‘two girls and a talking dog coming out of a statue’ thing.” Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “Well, this is a good thing, right? It means we just have to go wherever it is now and get it.” Celestia sighed. “It’s not that simple. Since it was stolen, Hope has decided to keep it somewhere under lock and key. She wouldn’t even tell me where. It’s not coming out until the Fall Formal.” Twilight buried her head in her hands. “When’s that?” “Friday.” Twilight winced. “Of course. We have to cut this so close.” Spike and the two sisters looked at her. “Twilight, what do you mean? You said you have a month...” Twilight looked at them, wondering if she should really tell them about the Keeper. “You remember me saying time goes by faster in this world? I think... I think giving myself a week would be generous.” That actually seemed to wake Luna up. Celestia looked ready to kick herself for not considering that sooner. “So... are we waiting until it comes out on Formal night, then we steal it?” Luna asked. Celestia looked at her sister, a mixed expression on her face. “It won’t come to that, hopefully. Twilight, did you bring our crown with you? Maybe we could say the whole thing was a mistake.” Twilight mentally kicked herself. “Uh, no... I didn’t think it would be important.” “I thought so. Well, I’ll try talking to Hope more on Monday. I’m hoping you won’t have to steal it.” Twilight nodded. “I’m hoping we can get this done another way... who gets the crown?” “Whoever is chosen as Princess of the Fall Formal.” “Okay... how does that happen?” Luna sighed. “Either you become popular, or you bully and blackmail everyone to vote for you while you delude yourself into thinking you're popular. Sunset’s been bullying any girl that tried to run against her at any formal for the last year and a half, so it’s been pretty one sided.” “If she’s been bullying so many people, why haven’t you two done anything about her?” Luna scowled. “Oh, believe me, I’d love to. But she never directly takes credit. An embarrassing video ends up online, an opponent is found with bruises all over her body, too afraid to say who did it, or some mean prank is set up. We all know it’s Sunset, but she cover her tracks just well enough that we don’t have anything to bring before the school board.” She shook her head. “I swear, Cheerilee and Filthy Rich... those two must be blind.” “Wait... Cheerilee? She’s a member of the school board?” At the nods, she made a mental note to check how well her Cheerilee handled bullying her school. She thought a moment. “So Sunset’s pretty unpopular?” “That’s the case,” Celestia said. “Well then, I’ll just run for Princess. It shouldn’t be too hard.” The two sisters looked at her. Celestia spoke first. “Twilight, think about this, Sunset’s pretty underhanded, and you’ve never been to High School before...” “I’ve fought evil queens and chaos gods, a bully isn’t going to intimidate me.” “There has to be a more practical way of doing this...” Luna muttered. “There might be, which is why legitimately winning the crown will be plan B. Either way, if Sunset’s going to be at the school, me being there at the same time is a good way to keep an eye on her.” Celestia nodded. “That makes sense. What are you going to do until then?” “Well, I’ll need to catch up on all the knowledge I’ll need to know to blend in, but that’ll wait until we get back. I still want to go to Sunset’s home and see if I can catch her.” Luna arched an eyebrow. “And then what? She doesn’t have the crown, and we can’t exactly hold her prisoner...” “No... but...” Celestia brightened. “If what Twilight says about her is true, she might be living on her own. That would give us an excuse to put her in the foster care system... away from Canterlot High.” Twilight grinned. “Problem solved.” “If you’re that lucky,” Luna said. “Well... I guess I better call Yearling after breakfast.” Twilight lit up at the familiar name. “Wh... Yearling? A. K. Yearling?” “Yes. We... used to work in the government before becoming teachers,” Celestia explained. “Yearling is a friend from there. But... oh.” “Twilight has no records to enroll in Canterlot High with,” Luna reminded, “which is necessary to be crowned Princess. Yearling owes me for that mess a few years back.” Twilight pondered this. A. K. Yearling was an author, why would her alternate have a government job? Celestia nodded. “You’re right. And while you’re doing that, I think Twilight and I better do what we need to do.” The car ride was a quiet affair, mostly consisting of Twilight taking in the surroundings. Spike had been left behind this time, allowed to rest after a rather long night of watching Twilight. “Are you and the other Celestia close?” Twilight perked up, turning to Celestia. “I’m sorry?” “I’m just making conversation. You said you were her personal student.” Twilight blushed a little. “Princess Celestia... is like a mother to me.” Celestia blushed a bit. “Really?” “She raised me half the time. I lived in the Palace with her. I... I could tell she liked teaching more than ruling. I have a feeling if she could, she give all ruling duties to Luna and run her school full time. So... she always made room for me. Tucking me in and reading to me, playing with me...” There was an awkward silence. “You seem like you’d be a great student.” Twilight heat up again. “Oh?” “Observant, hungry for knowledge... I can see why the other me liked you.” There was silence again. “Well, here we are.” Twilight looked around. They were in a residential area, and she scanned the area. “Which one?” “That one.” The house Celestia pointed out was so... normal. Twilight had expected something run down and in disrepair from a girl who wasn’t of any legal age to own one. And yet, it stood there. White with brown trimming, well maintained lawn and garden, nothing at all unusual. “I’ll go up and talk to her,” Celestia said. “Are you going to try and sneak around?” Twilight actually stopped. “If it’s an abandoned home she’s in, we can sneak around and see if we can find anything. Princess Celestia said it was likely that Sunset had allies in Equestria, so...” Before she could finish the house’s front door opened. Out stepped a man with brown skin and black hair. He was dressed in casual wear, and strolling out to get his morning paper. “Wait here,” Celestia instructed, getting out of the car. Twilight decided to do as she was told. Sitting in the front seat, she watched the Principal approach the man. “Excuse me. Is this the home of Sunset Shimmer?” The man, a bit startled by being approached, spoke. “Yes it is. She’s my niece. And you are?” “I’m Principal Celestia. I need to ask a few questions, Mr...” “Caballeron,” the man answered, shaking hands. “What’s wrong? Has Sunset caused you trouble?” Even from a distance, Twilight could tell Celestia was biting back an acerbic comment. “No, it’s just that I caught her on school grounds late last night. Is everything alright?” At that, the man’s expression darkened. He leaned over and said something Twilight couldn’t hear. Celestia was silent for a moment before speaking. “Well, rest assured if your... niece causes trouble, I will take it up with the school board.” She turned and headed back to the car. Once inside, she wasted no time driving off. Twilight was shocked. “What did he say?” “He said, ‘It’s none of your concern, now why don’t you take that pony in there and leave?’” Twilight’s eyes widened. “She’s this entrenched. I should have guessed.” “Unless you're good at sneaking and stealthing, I’d say searching Sunset’s house is out.” Twilight thought back to her attempts to sneak into the Starswirl the Bearded Wing and cringed. “Perhaps... now what?” She was used to having the backing of a Princess who could and would authorize her to do anything. Now... now she had to play by the rules. “Well, you’re entering a popularity contest. Let’s get you some better outfits. Fashion will play a big part.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Of course, I should have guessed. You humans are so obsessed with clothes, you wear them when you sleep. Seriously, I feel so constricted.” Celestia blushed a bit, but hid it. “Well, I think I know where to go,” she said. “There’s a fashion store I always hear the students talking about. I know one of them works there, and she seems nice.” Twilight nodded. “Sounds as good a plan as any. Do you think you can talk the superintendent into giving the Element back?” “Hope can be a bit... paranoid about things running smoothly, but I can talk to her. Or at least figure out where it is.” “Good. I don’t want to risk Sunset having more help that can get to the Crown.” “If it helps, I’ve known Hope for two decades, so I doubt she’s in league with her... ah, here we are.” Celestia pulled into a parking lot, and Twilight’s eyes went wide. It looked nearly the same. Same shape, same color, same design. The only thing that was different was the sign, the one that wasn’t on the building in her world, written in elegant script. Carousel Boutique “No way...” As soon as Celestia parked, Twilight was outside the car. Walking a little loosely she still wasn’t very graceful on her feet, she made it to the front door. Taking a deep breath, she went through the door. The inside was far different, looking more like a retail shop than an exclusive custom hub. But behind the counter was a Human that looked very familiar. “Well, hello there,” Rarity said. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before. My name’s Rarity. Welcome to Carousel Boutique.”