//------------------------------//
// Rats Lriws the Breaded 
// Story: Fauna of Mirrors 
// by Eggtaro 
//------------------------------//

"How do I look?"

Twilight studied Creme as he stepped out from the bathroom. He was no longer clothed in just her blanket. He'd cast it aside since he had no use for it anymore; though the blanket served as the only means of covering his nude body, Creme was glad to finally be rid of it. He had been wearing it for an entire day and all the way through the night. If he had a choice, he would choose to go full naked rather than using Twilight's blanket. But the circumstances would not agree to such choices.   

"You look...nice?" said Twilight uncertainly. Her voice sounded a bit off, as if she did not knew how to give someone a compliment. 

Creme nodded his head in agreement, unaware of the change in Twilight's voice. He gave himself a once-over, taking in his new threads. "Nice is right." he said. He was dressed in a black short sleeved shirt with white buttons, paired with a pair of straight dark blue jeans. His feet remained bare, as there were no socks made. The entire set was very comfortable and warm, despite having being made by a magical talking pony. 

"Nice?" Rarity gasped from behind Twilight, flicking her purple mane back with her hoof. "Nice? Nice is just an understatement, my dear. You look absolutely marvellous in it!" she said to Creme, eyeing him from top to bottom with a satisfied smile. "And, I must say --- now that you are properly clothed --- I find you rather...fetching." she batted her eyelashes at him. 

Creme wasn't sure what she meant by that. He wasn't even sure how he should respond. He chose to ignore that last part. 

Creme cleared his throat. "R-really?" he asked, trying his best to keep his eyes on hers. It wasn't as if Creme disagreed with what Rarity said; the clothes looked great, and very skillfully done even from such short notice; after realising her mistake, Twilight quickly gave Rarity urgent but hushed instructions on what was actually needed. The following day, Rarity came back with an air of fabulousness about her (as she always did) and handed Creme the clothes which he now was currently wearing. 

"Why, but of course!" said Rarity excitedly. "Don't forget that it was I, Rarity! That made this for you." There was a strong hint of pride in her tone as she continued. "I would have had it done for you yesterday but I simply cannot cause such injustice! Designing and creating only works best went you are in the zone. My work. My talent, simply isn't something that you can just rush through it. For when it comes to fashion, I make the best, and only the best for all my clients, Creme. Even for never seen before creatures such as yourself." 

She paused for a moment to take a breath. Creme was beginning to understand what Rainbow meant when she said that Rarity was "A pony that eats fashion for breakfast, lunch and dinner."  

Rarity whipped her mane back and opened her mouth to continue. "Believe it or not, there was this one time where---"

Twilight had the feeling that her friend Rarity was complimenting more on the clothing and the one who created it instead of the one wearing it. She glanced at Creme and gave him an apologetic look as Rarity went on and on, as if trying to tell him: "She tends to get like this every so often."

Creme shrugged in return. "Yes, I can see that." He wondered if he should say something.

Rarity was still talking. "--- from a big dragon! Now, don't get me wrong, dear. It's not like making these were challenging or anything. I mean, I do get strange requests from peculiar clients every now and then. But they were always ponies. Well, except maybe for that one time where---"

Applejack interrupted her. "We get it, Rarity." she said with a roll of her eyes. "There is not one pony that can come anywhere close when it comes to your fancy dress-making skills." Creme and Twilight chuckled. 

Rarity gave her a frown. She wasn't pleased by the sudden interruption, especially when she was just about to tell them about that one time in Manehattan --- it was one of her personal favourites, and she was eager to share it with everyone. She wrinkled her snout. "All I'm trying to say here, Applejack, is that our unexpected guest here looks incredibly dashing in his newly sewn clothes." 

"Uh-huh. Sure you were." said Applejack. She placed her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "And I think Creme looks great, too. But right now I'm sure there are more important things to discuss besides how fancy looking his clothes are."

"Applejack's right." said Twilight. "I'm grateful for what you did for us in such short notice, Rarity. But right now, we have matters that needs to be attended to immediately."  

Rarity sighed. "I understand, Twilight. I apologise for getting carried away." She turned around to look at Creme. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, dear." 

Creme shook his head. "No need to apologise, Rarity." he said, giving her a smile. "You've been a big help. If it weren't for you, I might still be wearing Twilight's blanket." He looked at his attire once more. "At least now we can have a decent conversation without me having to pull the blanket back up every five seconds." 

"It has been my pleasure, Creme." said Rarity. "Doing something special like this every once in a while isn't such a bad thing. It gives me the chance to test my skills, and the experience from it will help expand my repertoire in the fashion industry." 

Something that Rarity said reminded Creme of something he'd been meaning to ask since yesterday.

"Oh! Speaking of which, I know I don't really have anything on me right now, but I still wish to repay you somehow for what you did for me." At first, he wanted to offer her hard cash, but seeing that he'd arrived in Equestria butt naked, it wasn't really an option (it also wasn't an option because he wasn't quite sure what the exchange rate was in Equestria, if they had any). "And it might take me a little while to get the bits but, how much do I owe you?"

Rainbow had told him all about the currency used in Equestria. He would have offered that too, but that was out of the question as well. It wasn't as if he teleported to Equestria with a huge sack of bits rammed deep between his butt cheeks. 

"Don't be ridiculous. You don't owe me anything, darling." said Rarity, waving away his question with her hoof. "Besides, I had a lot of fun making these. Just think of it as a welcome gift from me to you."

"But I can't just take it for free, Rarity." said Creme. He appreciated the generous gesture from her. But it did not felt right with him. "Let me pay you, please. I say you more than deserved it."

Her face frowned a little, and her voice sounded a little irritated when she next spoke. "Nonsense, Creme. I did not do this for the sole purpose of money, you know." she replied stubbornly. "Being generous is just part of what makes me, me."

Creme sighed. He had the feeling that he was going to lose this battle. But he wasn't about to give in without a fight. "Would you at least let me do something for you, then?" he asked, hoping. He can't really explain it, but he was confident that he could be of some use to the ponies here. He is a human after all. They should have their uses. "Anything at all?"

Rarity tutted. "Listen, dear. While I do appreciate your eagerness to repay me. I can assure you that I really don't need any sort of---"

Rarity stopped halfway through her sentence with her mouth still opened as if something just went down her throat. She placed a hoof on her lips and stayed quiet for a moment before suddenly giving Creme a smile. A rather mischievous smile. One that can make one question one's motives. 

She cleared her throat before continuing. "Well... if you are so keen on helping me, I'm quite sure I can think of something that will be... beneficial for the both of us."

The sudden change of heart and the way she said it made Creme wonder if he should've just shut up. 

* * * * * *

"I'm sure you're very well aware about this, Creme. But Rarity is the Element of Generosity. You do realise she did it as a favour and never intended for you to pay her, right?"

Creme scratched the back of his head. "I know that. But the whole thing just doesn't sit well with me, you know?" He watched as Twilight closed her front door; Rarity and Applejack had left to gather the rest of the Elements (minus Rainbow Dash).

"Why's that?" 

He pondered on the question for a while, wanting to choose his words. "I guess I just don't like being in other people's debt." he said with a shrug. "It's not that I am not thankful for what she did for me, no. It's just that... I rather not be left with the feeling I owe her something." 

Twilight frowned. "You don't owe her anything, Creme." Twilight said with a disapproving look. "She's one of my best friends; she'd never ever do anything like that." 

"I'm not saying her heart isn't in the right place." said Creme. "I'm just saying I've been in situations where being in someone's debt can really fuc--- it can really mess up your life, okay?" 

Twilight stared at him. There was a deep bitterness in his words, and he sounded hurt. She quickly opened her mouth to apologise. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that---"

Creme chuckled softly at her, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. "Just forget it, Princess. Besides, Rarity already said she'd think of something, right?" He stretched his arms, his fingers almost touching the ceiling. "If I can't pay her in bits at least I'd be able to repay her in manual labour or something like that." he looked at Twilight, who still looked apologetic. "I said forget it, Twilight."

"But, Creme. I didn't mean t---" 

"You didn't do anything, Princess." Creme sighed. It was obvious she was still bothered by what he said a moment ago. "Look, this is just one of my life's principles. Even if that principle was formed from bad experiences." He gave her a sad smile. "Don't worry about it."

Twilight stayed silent. She opened her mouth, wanting to offer him words of comfort. But she couldn't. She wasn't sure if her next words would be enough to cheer him up. Her ears drooped down and she stared mutely at the floor underneath her hooves. 

"Anyway..." Creme started, wanting to change the subject and the mood. "Talk about an entrance, eh? Who would've thunk the mirror would just swallow me up all of a sudden." 

Twilight looked up. "It was rather surprising." she agreed. "But what perplexes me even more is how did it happened."

Creme raised any eyebrow. "What do you mean how?"

"Well, I did some research last night while you were sleeping." said Twilight. 

"That would explain the huge amount of books I found on the floor this morning."

Twilight gave him a sheepish grin. "Yes, sorry about that. I thought Spike would've cleared it all up by then---" 

"He left quite early this morning." said Creme, remembering the morning's event. He was rudely shaken awake by the young dragon. Before he could even say anything to him, Spike had disappeared out the front door. "I think he mentioned something about needing to grab something important."

"He did? No wonder I couldn't  find him. He never said anything to me." Twilight glanced at her front door, as if expecting her number one assistant to burst through the door at that exact moment. She shook her head. "Anyway, I went through every single book I have regarding about magical spells and portals."

"Spells?" 

"Yes." Twilight said knowingly. "Portals don't just randomly appear out of nowhere. They are created through magic. Through magical spells." 

Her horn glowed as she pulled out a thick book with a green cover from one of the many shelves around her. Creme managed to read the book's gold-coloured title: A Unicorn's Guide To Magic (Discover and Learn about the Amazing World of Magic with this Useful Guide!) by Feather Quill before Twilight opened the book and flipped through it's pages.

"Portals can never form on its own. That's impossible. It needs to be cast, or summoned, whichever term you prefer." She continued flipping through the pages with the use of her magic before finally stopping on one particular page. "Ah, here it is." she said, turning the book around and passing it to Creme. "Read this passage." 

Cream accepted the book from Twilight and read the part she had pointed out:




Magic, until this day, is a topic that still remains a mystery to us all. Not one pony has been able to fully grasp and understand this supernatural force that surrounds our world. It is something delicate, yet powerful at the same time. It can be wielded and used to bring peace and prosperity. But it also can be abused, and used to spread chaos and destruction. 

Even with the shared and combined knowledge of countless scholars around the world, we are still nowhere near close to discovering Magic's deepest secrets; on how Magic truly works, how it came to be, and how much of a significance does it play in our world.
 


Perhaps the only pony that ever came close to understanding Magic was none other than Star Swirl the Bearded, Father of the Amniomorphic Spell, Creator of more than Two-Hundred Spells, The Three Greatest Conjurer of the Pre-Classical Era, Grand Adviser for the Two Royal Sisters and author of A History of Magic: A Brief Introductory to the World of Magic. 



Star Swirl the Bearded is famous for his many accomplishments and contributions to the world of Magic. Scrolls and books written about him tells us about the many deeds he had done and the discoveries he had made throughout his time. Perhaps one of his greatest discoveries and controversies ever to be recorded was the discovery of time travel. In one of his many biographies, he stated that "Time travelling is nearly identical to teleportation in many ways. Both share the same requirements: They both are and acts as a portal. They both require a point to travel to--- the only difference was that one needed a location, while the other needed both a location and time. They both can only be cast, for it is impossible for it to exist without a main source of power constantly pouring into it. Magic is the only form of power we know, therefore it is needed to sustain it, to ensure that it remains in place without disappearing. In other words, it can never exist naturally, only created."

In the biography, Star Swirl the Bearded also mentioned discovering the existence of time travel through an accident while creating a new spell for mass teleportation. But through that accident, he discovered and created an entirely new spell. One that could allow ponies to travel through time. Unfortunately, before he could bring forth this discovery to the Kingdom, he vanished without a trace one night, and was never heard or seen ever again. Bringing whatever knowledge he had about the spell with him for the rest of time.

But this discovery also sparked a heated discussion which lasted until this day. Many have discussed on whether or not his claims on time travel was creditable and many more called him a liar, saying that he was making an attempt to gain even more fame. There are others who believe his discovery to be true, and that proof of his past accomplishments was more than enough to hold his claims about time travel. But until the day another pony is able to re-create the very spell Star Swirl the Bearded created through an accident, we may never know if this discovery is true.
 



"Finished yet?" Twilight asked impatiently. 

Creme looked up from the book and returned it to her. "Okay, so you established that portals can only be created by someone through the use of a spell. But I still don't get what you're trying to tell me." 

Twilight huffed at him, returning the book back to its rightful place. "Don't you see? Star Swirl discovered the existence of time travel during the pre-classical era!"

"I'm guessing that era was a very long time ago?"

"Very long time ago. And no pony has been able to re-create that spell ever since! Which could only mean one thing."

It hit him. "This spell is ancient as all hell!" 

"Not exactly the words I would have used to describe it but, yes! The spell on this mirror must have been cast during Star Swirl's time!" 

"But that still doesn't make any sense." said Creme, frowning. "Didn't Star Circle or whatever his name---"

"Star Swirl."

"Right, Start Whirl. Didn't he only discovered time travel? Your book mentioned nothing about him discovering a spell that allowed him to travel to different worlds." 

"Time does not necessarily mean time, Creme!" Twilight said excitedly, clapping her hooves together. "Think about it; you came from another world, a world that could very well exists in a different galaxy, or in an entirely different universe!"  

Creme was starting to understand what Twilight was getting at, but he was sceptical. "Multiple universes? Come on, Twilight. You can't be serious." 

Twilight stared at Creme as if he had just slapped her. "Right now, you are standing in a world where ponies can fly, talk and cast magic. How can you not believe in multiple universes?"

She does have a point, there. Creme thought to himself. He scratched his chin, contemplating on what Twilight said. "So if I did came from another universe, that would also mean---"

"That you came from a different time!" Twilight interrupted. "Not time, time. But look, I came to the conclusion that it is possible for multiple universes to exist. And if each of these different universes work the same way as yours and mine does, that would mean their entirety of space, time, matter, energy, and the physical laws and constants that describe them could be different, too!" 

Creme's eye widened. What Twilight said made little sense to him. Yet, at the same time, he understood everything. Just because a different universe does exists does not mean that that universe will have the same properties like the universe he came from. 

The realisation came to him with the speed and force of a baseball thrown by a professional pitcher to the batter's nuts. "Wait... wouldn't that mean Star Pearl didn't discovered time travel at all?"

Twilight beamed at him. "Yes. I believe Star Swirl may had discovered cross-dimensional travel. In other words---"

"He discovered the Multiverse."