Tales Through the Mirror: Twilight Sparkle and the Defender of the Realm

by FancyFan

Aside 2: Sunlight and Shadows

Princess Celestia and her faithful student, Sunset Shimmer, sat at a table in the former's private quarters sharing a pot of tea. Doing so had become a ritual for the two over the years, it was a way for the two catch up on things after Sunset had started taking on more responsibilities and thus spent less time with Celestia.

This time though, the two sat in an awkward silence. The recent revelation of the truth behind Nightmare Moons identity had left the two with a lot to talk about, but neither knew how to start.

“So, Nightmare Moon’s real name is Luna?.” Sunset finally broke the silence after taking a sip of tea. She then lowered her head and continued with a nervous chuckle. “Of all the things I thought Twilight might say to convince us of who she was, that didn’t even make the list. I figured it would be something about how you eat entirely too much cake.”

Celestia glared at her student mockingly. “With how much energy I use raising and lowering the sun and moon everyday, I think that I can indulge in cake without having to worry about weight.” She paused, and the glimmer of a smile that her students playful barb had caused faded. “I am sorry that I never told you about her. As I said before, I never told anypony about her. After Nightmare Moon’s rebellion just over a thousand years ago I let her fade into myth, in the hopes that when her prison eventually broke I would have found ponies able to use the Element’s to their full capacity and thus cleanse her, and that then, with the tale of Luna’s fall faded from public memory, Equestria’s citizens would welcome her with open hooves, unfrightened by what had happened over a thousand years ago.”

“I think I understand, though I don’t have anypony I am close enough to other than you to compare how you must have felt to. And even then, the pain of losing a sister must be infinitely worse than losing a mentor. I am confused about one thing though, what you said seemed to imply that Nightmare Moon was somehow possessing Luna?”

Celestia nodded. “I certainly believe that to be the case. While looking back there were signs stretching back years that Luna was harboring feeling of resentment toward my greater popularity with the common ponies, the transformation into Nightmare Moon was entirely too sudden. And when we fought she didn’t fight like Luna did. I was more powerful than my sister, but she fought with a cunning and intelligence I could never hope to match. But Nightmare Moon fought with brute force, and was immensely stronger than I was, she had me on the defensive until I manage to reach the Elements and use them on her.”

The two sat quietly for a moment, refilling their teacups and taking a few sips. Sunset then asked, “These Elements of Harmony? What exactly are they? I think I remember some references to them amongst the various book I’ve read.”

“Nopony truly knows what they are. Luna and I found them a long, long time ago, and for a time we were their bearers. When I was forced to turn them upon her, however, I lost the ability to use them. I believe that since I was no longer in harmony with myself and my sister I was no longer worthy of their powers. From what Luna and I did learn of them, it seems that they are meant to be used by six ponies, one per element.”

“And where are they know?”

“I left them at the site of our battle, in my old castle that lies in the middle of what is now the Everfree Forest. I should have brought them with me to Canterlot, or at least gone back for them latter, but I never could bring myself to do so”

Sunset groaned. “Ugghh, the Everfree? I can see why you wanted Shining Armor to bring backup. As good as he may be, that place is dangerous. I’m glad they’re planning on bringing along Shake Spear, he’s very skilled, used to working in the dark, and can be trusted to do what is necessary should the need come.”

“What do you mean, ‘he can be trusted to do what is necessary’?” Celestia asked her student, her voice quizzical and carrying a hint of disapproval at what she guessed her student to be implying.

Sunset shrugged. “Just that even though we know this new Twilight is from another world, we don’t actually know much about her. She certainly seems like a nice pony, but we all know how appearances can be deceiving. And considering that the Elements of Harmony are apparently capable of not only defeating Nightmare Moon, but turning her back into your sister, when doing only the first took the combined efforts of you, me, the staff of your school, and almost the entirety of the guard, I can’t help but be cautious.”

Celestia grinned fondly at Sunset. “Still such a worrywart, I’m sure everything is going to be fine. But I thank you for watching out for me, making sure my sentimentality doesn't get the best of me. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Celestia stood up and made her way to a bellpull. “Now I think we've talked about serious things for long enough. It’s time for some cake.”

Sunset laughed as Celestia pulled the bellpull. “Sometimes I wonder which one of us is actually an immortal princess. Its just seems so wrong that you're the one who has an insatiable longing for cake. It hardly seems fitting for somepony of your stature.”

Celestia turned toward Sunset and replied while grinning. “And you're so serious all the time. Hardly what I’d expect from one so young.”

“Young? I’ll have you know I’m almost thirty.”

“Thirty? You think thirty is old? Dear you have no idea what old is.”

The two continued their playful bantering with the ease of those who knew all the barbs the other would try. The back and forth had become almost as much a ritual as the tea over the years, a way to escape from their rolls of teacher and student, of Princess and Champion, and to simply be friends.

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In the depths of the Changeling hive Chrysalis was woken from sleep by a knocking on her door. She rose wearily from her bed and called out angrily to the changeling who had interrupted her slumber. “If you're anyling other than Tympanal or a healer, leave now and come back this afternoon, otherwise you’ll be on tunnel duty for a year!”

The familiar voice of her closest adviser responded. “I apologize for interrupting your slumber my queen, I know how important rest is for your recovery, but I have just received important news from one of our infiltrators in Canterlot.”

Recognizing the voice of her chief adviser Chrysalis took the time to assume a more regal seating position upon her bed before responding. “Well come in then and make your report Tympanal.”

The stone door creaked open and Tympanal entered the room, then closed the door behind him. An outsider would be hard pressed to notice the difference, but a changeling could easily spot the signs of age. His carapace was dulled, his wings and neck-fin tattered, and one of his canines was broken.

“My queen, Infiltrator Crypsis, who is posing as a maid in Canterlot Castle, has located the mare we are searching for.”

Chrysalis’s eyes lit up in excitement. “This is fantastic news! Has Crypsis managed to learn the mare’s identity?”

“Indeed my queen, she is none other than Twilight Sparkle, the younger sister of Shining Armor.”

Chrysalis swore. So that was why the pony had looked so familiar, she was the younger sister of the guard captain whose wife she had imponynated to gain entry into Canterlot. At times like this she truly despised her lack of her race’s typical eidetic memory. “I knew she looked familiar. While I do appreciate the irony that is it Shining Armor's sister who will be our tool for revenge, it certianly complicates things. It will be much harder to turn someone with such close ties to the royal family to our side. Not to mention the difficulty of extracting her from the middle of Canterlot.”

“There is good news on that last matter as well my queen. Crypsis overheard the two making plans for taking a pegasus chariot out of the city tomorrow morning. With the amount of supplies they seem to be planning on taking with them, they appear to be planning on being gone for at least a couple of days.”

“Excellent. Though I wonder what Shining Armor is doing leaving Canterlot now that war with the Griffin Empire looms over Equestria. He must be up to something.” She paused and considered the situation. “Have them followed. Try and find out what they are doing before capturing Twilight, but if the choice comes down to capturing her or finding out what they are up to, capture her.”

“And her brother?”

“Leave him. He has built up enough resistance to my mind control spell that I would not be able to keep him subdued in my weakened state. Be careful with him though, he is one of the strongest unicorns I have ever met. Not as strong as that accursed firebrand or apparently his sister of course, but certainly not a pony to be taken lightly”

Tympanal bowed. “It shall be done my queen.” He bowed again and left the room.

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Later that day, in an apartment in Canterlot.:

He was roused from a deep slumber caused by a long night's work by the whoosh of flames coming from the table standing next to his bed.

Most ponies would have panicked due to a fire spontaneously igniting itself so close to where they sleep, but then most ponies don't regularly receive orders via firesendings.

The stallion looked over at the faintly glowing clock on the wall and groaned. Damn it all to Tartarus, it was daytime, entirely too early for this. What was so important that his boss needed to contact him now instead of waiting until it a reasonable hour?

Sighing, he groped around for the letter that the brief gout of flames had deposited, unwilling to actually get out of his bed unless it became absolutely necessary. After a bit of stretching he managed to grab the letter. Bringing it over to where he could see it, he realized that he could not actually see it because the blinds were still draw, so that despite it being day, the room was almost completely dark.

The stallion sighed again and once again stretched his hoof out onto the table, this time trying to find the small magic powered lamp that sat upon it, and quietly muttered to himself. “Times like this I wish I was a unicorn. Then I could just make some light and read the letter instead of reaching around in the dark for a cheap lamp.”

When he finally located the lamp and switched it on, after pausing for a moment to recover from being near blinded by the sudden light, the stallion read the letter. It was as always, anonymous in regards to both recipient and sender, light on the details, and bore the clean precise script of a dictation spell to prevent anypony using the senders hoofwriting style for identification.

“You will be asked for assistance. Accept, and keep me informed. Supplies will be provided at the usual location”

The stallion smiled a bit. Sure the order’s vagueness annoyed him like it always did, but at least he could go back to sleep since he didn’t need to do anything for now.

After disposing of the letter in the usual fashion, and wishing that somepony would invent a way to make paper taste good, the stallion drifted back into unconsciousness.

Author's Note:

Crypsis: the ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection. Perfect name for an infiltrator. Plus it sounds cool.
Making changeling names continues to be so much fun. As opposed to ponies, of whom only Spell Circle's came to me easily/without help.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Nice chapter. I wonder who the mystery stallion is and who he works for.

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Very interesting story thus far! I like what you've done with the AU, and the earlier scene with Pinkie was really heartwarming. Looking forward to more!

[SageBrony07]

5292529 Yeah. The trick is we don't know how this happened. It can't be a magical mishap, because that only happens to Twilight in the series. And with Sunset, and Chrysalis stunned about the new Twilight, and with Discord Missing, something else is up. I this story updates so we can see if Luna can be saved still.

[FancyFan]

5154007
Douglass Adams? High praise indeed! I will admit to the use of footnotes being inspired by him and Terry Pratchett.
5292447
Danke!
5292551 5292529
Ummmm, have I implied Discord to be missing? Cause I haven't meant to do that. He is supposed to currently be sealed in his statue in the gardens.
If I have implied this somewhere could you tell me where so I can go and correct that?
As for the next chapter: I really apologize for it taking this long. I didn't have anywhere near as much time to work on it in the summer as I thought I would, and some things from Rainbow Rocks have made me reconsider a few plot points that I was going to start foreshadowing soon. Plus Zecora has some speaking parts in the next chapter and uhhhhh rhyming. But now I'm back in the swing of things, so the next chapter should actually be out very soon.
The chapter after that is another aside(The last one for a while! I promise!) that should clear some things up. Or make it more confusing. We'll see.

[ForSpite]

4144157
I rather wonder if he's Shake Spear. He is going to be asked for assistance, after all. And Shake Spear is a non-unicorn who Sunset Shimmer trusts to 'do what must be done' in a way that implies he has a ruthless streak.
As for who he's working for: Sunset is an obvious option but perhaps too much so.