In Which the Author Engages in a Bit of Fluff, and the Audience Gets a Perspective from the Other Side of the Mirror
On the other side of the mirror, a small purple dragon held vigil. Spike munched from a bowl of popcorn, keeping his eyes glued to the magical portal before him. He laughed occasionally, gasped appropriately, and sighed regularly.
Hours passed, and many others joined the dragon at his vigil. Guards, scientists, friends, there was always somepony else. None of them stayed for very long. None stayed as long as Spike.
His latest companion entered gracefully on long, pink legs. Her eyes lit up as they settled on him, familiarity brewing in her heart. She sat down beside him and draped a wing over his shoulders, drawing him close.
“How’s she doing?” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza asked.
“Pretty good,” Spike said. “She’s only blown her cover a grand total of once. Small victories, you know?”
They watched as Twilight shifted her body to that of a pony, revealing her true form to the bronies. Spike snorted a gout of flame from his nostrils, a growl rumbling deep in his throat. When the princess turned her head to raise an eyebrow, he covered his actions with a cough.
“You sure I can’t go in after her?” he asked Cadance.
She smiled at the drake. “I’m afraid this is a much different mission than her trip to Canterlot High. I think she’ll be fine with the team we’ve created for her.”
“She could always use her number one assistant,” he said hopefully. “I’ve got lots of skills that she needs, really!”
Cadance lowered her head and took a bite from his popcorn. “’M sure y’ w’ll…” she swallowed hastily. “I’m sure you will when she gets back.”
Spike fell silent. Cadance lowered her head to look him in the eye. “Spike, are you alright?”
“No,” he replied. “I want to help Twilight, but nopony lets me. I’m always shuffled aside, like I don’t really matter to her. Like she doesn’t even matter to me.” He looked up at the princess with giant, watery eyes. “I gotta… I gotta break the rules just to stay with her, it feels like. Like I did in the Crystal Empire, or when she went through the mirror.”
Cadance wrapped her forelegs around his tiny body. “Spike, of course you matter. Twilight’s always talking about how much she loves you. You’re always needed.”
“Then why can’t I go in after her this time?” he asked. “What’s the excuse? What’s different in this mirror than in the other one?”
“We planned the expedition very carefully from the start, Spike,” she said. “We chose our team specifically for their talents. We didn’t want too many people to enter the new world until we were sure nothing bad would happen.”
“That makes sense,” he mumbled, “I guess.” He blinked. “Hey, why’d Rainbow Dash go along?”
Cadance’s mouth quirked upwards. “I think Celestia said ‘color commentary.’”
Spike rolled his eyes, biting back a smile. “Yeah, seems legit.”
The sound of a pony teleporting reached their ears. Cadance turned to see a cloud of blue magic smoke wafting its way into the mirror portal’s room. Behind the cloud was a frazzled-looking blue alicorn mare. She made her way up to the princess and the dragon, huffing all the while.
“Of course my teleportation spell would fritz the moment I tried to enter the palace, it’s not like I was trying to be presentable or anything, Heaven forbid I would show any semblance of decorum…”
She bowed before the princess, and Cadance noticed the tattered remains of a cape around the pony’s shoulders. “Greetings, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I am Princess Trixie Lulamoon of Illusions! I have travelled far to study and marvel at the miraculous creation of Twilight Sparkle, what Equestria is calling the ‘Mystic Mirror!’”
Cadance raised an eyebrow. “And what’s your relation to Twilight?”
Trixie sat down, hemming and hawing. She looked at Spike and shrugged. “What would you say? Friend? Friendly acquaintance? Non-enemies?”
He shrugged back. “I’d say ‘friend,’ or at least ‘soon-to-be-one.’”
Trixie nodded. “Indeed, then I am Princess Trixie, friend of Twilight Sparkle! Is she here?”
“I’m afraid she’s gone through the portal,” Cadance said. “Blueblood got lost on the other side, you see.”
“Blueblood’s missing?” Trixie asked. “And here I was just warming up to his new attitude. Oh well.”
“I know, right?” Spike laughed.
“Oh, hush, you two!” Cadance said, hiding a dastardly grin.
“What?” Trixie shrugged. “I was warming up to him!”
“Be nice,” Cadance giggled. “He’s been getting better.”
“You can say that again,” Spike chuckled. “So we’d better be ready to check and see if he’s a changeling. You never know these days.” His smile fell as a thought clicked. “Oh, gosh! I’m sorry, Cadance, I didn’t mean to joke about—”
“It’s fine, Spike,” she said. “Bygones and all that good stuff.”
Trixie prowled around the mirror, examining it from every angle. “Exquisite design, I must say. Very Old-Cloudsdale. I like how she incorporated the ley-lines into the etch-work.”
“Yeah, that’s Twilight,” Spike said. “Nitpicking down to the last detail.” He trundled over to the mirror and stood beside Trixie, his mouth quirking. “She knows her stuff.”
Cadance joined them in examining the portal. “So, how did you learn about the mirror?”
“Word of mouth from the other new alicorn royalty.” Trixie concentrated her magic, doffed her cape, remade it in a poof of power, and then donned the renewed garment. “Redheart told Vinyl told Lyra told Mrs. Cake told Davenport told Flim told me. It was quite the game of telephone, if you know what I mean.”
“Hmm?” Cadance squinted in thought. “Does Vinyl Scratch live in Ponyville now?”
“Hardly,” Trixie explained. “This was just after our joint coronation.”
“Joint cor—” Cadance shook her head. “I think I can appreciate dealing with the Crystal Empire’s problems much easier now.”
Spike snorted. “Yeah, an under-staffing of military…”
“And an over-staffing of royalty,” Cadance finished. “Honestly, this whole infinite ascension thingy is getting pretty silly.”
“I can’t complain,” Trixie said. She fluttered her wings with a giggle. “Why? Are you feeling a little jealous?”
“Hardly,” Cadence remarked with a flare of her horn. “I was an alicorn before it was cool.”
“I thought being an alicorn had always been cool.” Spike returned to his popcorn and resumed his watch. “Least, that’s how Princess Celestia’s always acted.”
Trixie sat beside him and gazed at the mirror’s informative surface. “She does set a high bar for ‘coolness,’ doesn’t she?”
“Always,” Cadance sighed. She sat at Spike’s right hand, opposite of Trixie. “Being around as long as she has, I think she’s going to set most trends.”
They sat watching Twilight’s expedition eat pizza. After a while, Trixie began to think that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t going to be as action-packed a viewing as she had thought.
She poked her head around Spike to get Cadance’s attention. “Say, didn’t the papers mention something about changelings getting sucked through? Can you watch them with the mirror?”
Cadance shook her head. “I’m afraid not, we haven’t been able to find the right…” She looked at Spike. “What’s the word? Magic frequency?”
“Resonance, I think,” he mused. “Same idea.”
Trixie considered that. “Have you tried a changeling spell? Perhaps you could home in on them that way?”
Cadance pursed her lips and blinked. “Actually, that just might work.”
“So try it!” Spike said, hopping to his feet. “Get a lock on Chrysalis!”
Cadance stuck her tongue out and concentrated. “Alright, here goes nothing!”
Green fire forked out of the princess’ horn, snaking towards the mirror. It struck with a flash, a bang, and a bazinga. The mirror’s surface grew dark as the frame was lit with the eerie flames.
Laughter echoed through the room, faintly at first, but soon growing in fervor. The sinister face of Chrysalis filled the portal, slowly morphing from bug-pony-thingy to human-ish thingy. She drew back and could be seen to be surrounded by a small army of changelings, their bodies all various stages between equeform and humanoid. They could be seen pouring concrete, mixing alloys, and erecting structures.
Through it all, Chrysalis spoke in that buzzing voice of hers, explaining how they would all “love, love, love” her plan. How they would eat like princes and princesses, subjecting the humans to what they were unable to do with the ponies.
The three watchers gaped, gasped, and gawked. Trixie’s mouth moved in voiceless screams, Spike’s fists clenched and unclenched, and Cadance’s breathing exercises were thoroughly tested.
“Spike,” the pink princess said, “take a letter. We’re gonna tell Twilight about this pronto.”
“Yeah?” Spike gulped. “S-subject line?”
Cadance groaned and stretched her legs as she rose. “Tell her that the changelings’ plan is actually pretty nefarious.”
Trixie raised a hoof to the mirror; it bounced rather anticlimactically off. “Is… Is it supposed to do that?”
Cadance froze, mouth hanging open in horrific horror. “No… Hold on, maybe I can open the portal again…”
A spell was cast, the same spell rebounded off of the changeling fire, and said spell bounced its originator several feet backwards, almost bowling over a servant bringing Spike another bag of popcorn. The servant, sensing the direction of events, proceeded to toss Spike his bag and vacate the premises as hastily as was proper. Cadance righted herself with a scowl and attacked the mirror with another spell.
“Maybe this will—” But ’twas not meant to be. Another rebound of energy zapped across her body, sending her flying further.
“I’ll admit,” said the Great and Powerful Trixie, “this was not one of my better ideas.”
A primordial yell sent shivers flowing down the two princesses’ spines. A deluge of water rained down over the flaming mirror, quenching the fires in a Manehatten minute. Standing to the side, holding the dripping remains of a pitcher of water, Spike hailed victorious.
Cadance nodded an impressed nod. “Not bad. Maybe I can use that spell now—”
“Don’t!” Spike shouted. “Twilight said never to mix teleportation magic and water!”
Trixie scrunched her nose up, melting the hearts of everypony everywhere. “Since when has that been a thing?”
“Since Twilight started crafting powerful artifacts of arcane magicks that teleport ponies across the known universe and beyond?” Spike replied simply.
“I get it, I get it, she gets to make up the rules…” Trixie humphed. “I don’t suppose a magic mirror shrinks in the sun?”
Cadence shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
The answer to Trixie’s question was, unfortunately, yes.
“Well,” Cadance muttered. “It’s more like a magic makeup mirror, now.”
“Mm, hmm.” Trixie tilted her head this way and that. “It’s actually rather cute.”
Spike picked up the miniaturized object in his claw. “Do you think a letter would fit through?”
Cadence scrutinized the mirror keenly. “I think you’re right, Spike,” she said at last. “Why don’t you finish writing that letter?”
Spike happily set about completing his duty, signing it with a flourish. The letter vanished in a trail of green smoke as he breathed his enchanted flames upon it. Cadance activated the mirror and allowed the dragon to send the letter to Twilight Sparkle, to their friend.
The smoke flew through the city streets, heedless of bystanders and cars. It spiraled up skyscrapers and dallied in the subway, searching for any sign of Twilight’s powerful aura. A lone changeling soldier noticed the trail, and decided to follow it, wherever it may lead.
The letter soared into the suburbs, where it bee-lined for the old house. The changeling took note of the car that pulled out of the driveway, and the family that rested inside. A quickly-chattered command alerted a fellow to follow the car and keep an eye on it.
The letter spun around outside the house, seeking an entry. The changeling alighted the roof, stopping the magic note before it could enter the chimney. He shifted his form to that of Twilight Sparkle’s, wings and all. The letter-delivery spell, confused by the changeling’s duplicity, reformed the letter and plopped it down in his chitinous hooves.
“Neat,” the changeling chuckled. He glanced over the letter, noted several grammar and spelling mistakes, and then burned the page to a crisp. He trotted off to report to his queen, quite pleased with himself.
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Spike! Trixie! Cadance! Stop while you still have the mirror at all!
All hail Mrs. Cake, Princess of MILFs!
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Next Chapter: The mirror implodes upon itself because Trixie sprayed Windex on its surface, causing a time-space-mutilating black hole.
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I warn you, she can and will kick your butt six ways to Sunday if you don't show her proper respect, don'cha know.
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You really are Twilight's best friend Spike. It's moments like this that really make me smile. It shows how loyal he is to Twilight, if other races apart from ponies were picked to be the EOH, he's definitly be Loyalty.
Very legit.
Sounds fair.
Good to know Trixie knows her magic as well. Nice.
She does.
You can't be serious.
Drat.