Inkwell - Reflections and Phantoms

by Archmage Ansrit

Chapter 6 - A Mirror's Resilience

“How do you know all these things?” Twilight asked.

Gemini gulped, tightening her embrace and breathing harder. “We-well, I-I can give myself dragon energy. Normally, t-tapping into the ma-magic of another race o-or species is hard, but… I-I am a c-cre-creature of chaos, not just an al-alchemist.”

“Ah, and I guess you’ve been mistreated for that.” Twilight knew the sobs were confirmation enough. Chaos magic was… finicky, and its users eccentric, and that’s being generous! Discord and his ‘fun’ didn’t help matters, either.

The lavender filly just soothed her friend, gently stroking her back. “There, there. They just don’t know; chaos is much more than madness -it’s imagination! Freedom!”

Gem nodded.

“You need it!” Twilight continued; already she could tell this was the cause of her previous hysteria. “Too much in either way is disruptive; order can be complacency, or even oppression.”

Gem was still crying, but the sobs slowly turned into chuckles, and then outright laughter. She threw her head back and peals of laughter filled Carousel Boutique, making Twilight wince from the volume.

She could feel the sheer energy coming from the other pony, though, just like when Gemini had stopped Dash and Applejack from fighting –or when she had screamed. This one was far warmer, far more positive…

“She understands!” She cried skyward to whatever higher power was willing to listen. “Sweet children of the stars, she understands!”

Rarity came back in time to hear that, though she would have heard it even from the outside.

“Rarity! She understands!” Gem turned her head towards the fashionista and gave Twilight a bone-crushing hug. “She understands.” She repeated, softly this time, while tears of unbridled joy ran through her face.

The shower of love was briefly interrupted when the pony on the receiving end decided she wanted oxygen more and carefully extricated herself from it.

“Well, in retrospect, it is a little obvious I would be taught about harmony and balance.”

“Your teacher must be very wise; or teachers, if that’s the case.” Gem felt like the luckiest being alive.

“Well, given that Princess Celestia has to run the nation and raise the sun each day, I would hope so.” Rarity commented, resolving to ask what that had been about a little later; she had sense enough to preserve emotional moments, unlike Dash or AJ.

“Th-the sun?!” The red-haired unicorn gasped in surprise. “You not only know, but you are the student of-…” She choked on her words for a second. “What about the moon? Do you know the one who moves the moon?”

“Erm, we haven’t seen much of Princess Luna, but- eek!” The librarian was interrupted by another, less forceful hug.

“I am going to love you forever. I am going to do everything in my power to repay you… that, I promise.” Gem declared, letting go of her friend just as suddenly. “I was told: ’Do not fear the Night, the Sun, or their Herald, for they shall help you to find your place’.”

“Ah, princesses Luna and Celestia are the night and the sun, respectively, while ‘Twilight’ would be the one who ‘heralds’ the change from one to the other.” Rarity deducted, having read enough novels to see through the simple comparison.

“One of my friends gave me that prediction; I’ve been hanging on to it for months!” Gemini sighed of relief. “Now I can take that bath without worries…”

“It doesn’t seem like you need it or the makeover anymore, though.” Rarity said, only to have Gem look at her the same way Sweetie Belle did when punished by removing her ice-cream privileges; a strange and mildly humorous mix of puppy dog eyes and horror.

“… But it’s already drawn, so if you’d just let me borrow your dress…” She was suddenly covered by a white cloth as the thundering sound of hooves rushed past her and deeper into the boutique.

*****

She then followed her nose to the bathroom.

A small note on her upbringing: It seems she and ‘others like her’ consider baths and spas about as good for socialization as clubs or bars, depending on the type of company. She refuses to tell what she had meant with ‘like her’, as she made it clear she hasn’t met another bearing her ‘gift’; I am guessing she means those with the same kind of sensorial abilities, but that can wait until a time she doesn’t feel like the world is going to turn on her for her secrets.

In any case, after Rarity inspected the dress, noting that it was a foreign material similar to silk of an immaculate white color, I informed her about Gem; something short, about what had happened a minute ago and what I think happened to the dress.

My curiosity kept growing; for each answer I received, two more questions would rise! The last officially-recognized prophecy was- sorry; I guess that the pony who acted upon it to prevent those events and save Stalliongrad would know all about it.

Pinkie’s prediction, even if I personally witnessed it, doesn’t count; I just know that she is going to be the one that gets me ‘a cool birthday present’. I hope it’s the new edition of…

The letter contained a list of ten different books at that point.

*****

Letting out a sigh of contentment, Gem almost drifted off to slumber right there and then; the warm water and varied salts Rarity had added fulfilled their purpose and made all of the day’s excitement just wash off. Instead of sleeping, however, her ears swiveled and pointed at the door.

“You know, you can just ask me.” She said. “And no, it wasn’t a pony; none of my friends are ponies… outside of those I made today.”

She listened a little more.

“Yes, I heard that; I’m focusing, it’s the same thing I did with my sense of smell.”

…

“Just come in already!” She scrubbed her coat with one of the plentiful bathing accessories Rarity had in her bathroom, even though there wasn’t much need for it with the cake batter already gone. As everything else in Rarity’s life, the bathroom was luxurious and stylish; the bathtub could easily fit three ponies, there also were all sorts of lotions, oils, hair care products and soaps inside elegantly designed cabinets… all in all, Gem would gladly live in a hole on the ground if it meant having an excuse for getting a makeover every now and then.

The door swung open, allowing both unicorns to see Gem happily groaning as the shampoo Rarity left for her did its job of cleansing her hair and worries.

“So… one of your friends makes predictions?”

“Yup. All five of them are really nice to me, teaching me stuff to entertain myself with while they travel.”

“Just five?” Rarity asked. She was feeling bad already; Twilight had been very reclusive before that Summer Sun Celebration, but that had been her choice…

The red-haired pony shifted around in the tub, though if it was from discomfort or to further wash her coat was impossible to tell.

“I’m not like you; it’s hard to be accepted when no-one is willing to give me a chance… I am of the nature of chaos and darkness, at least on my natural state.”

Twilight was fighting the urge to pull her mane. More questions!

“Oh… and you have been-…“

“Branded as ‘evil’ faster than you can say ‘Wild Party Night’; yes, I have.” Gemini sighed and slumped so that her nose was covered by the water for a moment. She rose and continued. “They don’t get it! Light can blind! Makes them look the other way! They look out for the thief in the shadows and let the swindlers walk around in plain day!”

Gem was gritting her teeth, but it wasn’t long before the sponge in her hoof soothed her. The unicorn dressmaker also lent a hoof by showing her some of the after-bath oils she could use. Rarity saw the gleam in her eyes, the very same look she had when looking at a beautiful jewel that would complete her current design.

The scholarly mare finished the temporary mental rearrangement of all of her questions, and asked what could very well be the most important one at the time.

“How did you come to be the way you are?”

*****

It seems that she reacts the same way others react to her, so if she’s shown fear she becomes scared, and she gets defensive when shown aggression or hostility. That is, unless she’s in her ‘serious’ mood, which makes her seem cold and detached all the time even when involved in a heated argument.

I was curious, so she just answered our questions without complaint! I asked her about her origin and that of her chaos magic.

Later she would tell us that the raising and lowering of the sun and the moon isn’t very discreet even when she’s deliberately ignoring her senses, and can see the moment you reach for them, explaining her indifference when telling us of her ‘dark’ nature. After all, we have a pair of princesses well-acquainted with the subject.

For context, she asked about what we knew of other worlds; I told her a bit about Tartarus and how it is a barren land filled with great evils, thus used to seal dangerous creatures. While she wasn’t happy about it, since she was scared it would happen to her by means of an over-zealous pony (which I promised wouldn’t let it happen), she thought it was adequate enough. She said that ‘legend has it’ that there once was a spirit of chaos and mirrors with a particular taste for merrymaking.

Apparently, the fact that we can name and describe Discord automatically disqualifies him from having a relation to her, since this being’s favorite trick was shapeshifting so often it was impossible to tell what he or she originally was.

This spirit would visit world upon world, partying and pranking with their inhabitants… until an evil spirit of order and light, intent on eliminating free will -as it deemed it to be the source of all evils- attacked him (or her) in a misguided attempt to ‘cleanse the world of the evils of chaos’. According to what she heard from admittedly uncertain sources, though he (or she) was assisted by a more understanding being of order and light, the mirror spirit was gravely injured.

Gemini herself admits of how strange everything sounds, but she was merely relaying what she knew. However, she whole-heartedly believes that this magical predecessor is alive and well, and later in the day she claimed to have recently come across a ‘more natural’ descendant of that being.

At this part she got tight-lipped once more, only saying that her ancestors came across a pool of the being’s blood and accidentally gained power from it by means she wasn’t willing to share. As a side-note, she says that blood is the shadow counterpart of water, explaining her natural affinity for dark magic similar to that of Princess Luna’s relation to the night. Fast-forward to before her birth; her family was researching ways to strengthen the gift given to them, since its use was somehow limited or confined to certain locations. (For an example, Ponyville and Canterlot Mountain, from what she could tell, meet the criteria.)

*****

“And here I am, a being born out of the basic biological drive to survive, hale of mind and body, able to go anywhere and do anything I please. Fat lot of good it did.” She finished, exhaling and bringing down her hoof on the water. Instead of a splash, though, a stream of bubbles shot upwards. “I don't even know if they would have loved me or treat me like the social part of the experiment.”

They decided to move the conversation away from her family for the moment, so they tried to pick a different topic. While the manifestation of physical energy in the form of kinetic effects was of great interest to Twilight, Rarity wished to know more about her ability and its applications. So the alchemist decided to satisfy both of their questions at once.

“See my dress? It’s made of a material used for high-grade robes; even if it’s missing the enchantments, it still can protect nicely against magical attacks.” Anticipating the next question, she kept going. “There are downsides to this chaos; since my body’s ‘order’ is easily upset when struck; even if I use my energy to deflect blows and resist magic, I still get hurt more than what I should theoretically do when hit.”

Twilight was almost too scared to ask, fearing that she knew what the answer would be. “How do you know that?”

“One blow at a time, Twilight, one blow at a time.” She held a bubble wand in her hooves and made a bubble; it had the shape of a donut for a second or two before reverting to the spherical form it should naturally have. “To be fair, most of those were from wild monsters or training injuries.”

“Well, at least you seem healthy enough.” The fashionista nervously batted her hair with a hoof, barely suppressing a shudder.

“I’d be a lot less healthy without my powers; then again, I would get into a lot less trouble without them.” Oddly enough, Twilight didn’t think that was a complaint, but merely a statement without consequence like wishing she had picked a different breakfast. “What, does this body look like it’s fought anything, least of all a dragon?”

“You what?!” The homeowner gasped.

“See? I don’t look the part.”

*****

As it turns out, the saying ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’ can also work in reverse. For example, since her body’s natural state says she must have two ears, if something were to happen to them it would eventually heal completely without the aid of outside magic or surgery. Think of it as an unconscious use of her ability on herself directed by her own body. She claims she has had a notch missing from time to time, but there are no traces of scarring.

Apparently, she could even replace it; however, the convalescence period increases with the severity of the injury: Incomplete fractures take days to heal on their own, but it is still faster than unassisted bone healing.

She made the rather morbid observation that depression could kill her by upsetting her body to the point it gives up.

The last word was crooked, even when comparing it to the chicken scratch Twilight’s writing devolved to when she wrote in a hurry. It was as if a liquid had fallen on it while the ink was fresh.

Nopony deserves that. Even if she were unwilling to share her knowledge and experiences with me, I would never let her feel like that.

*****

“Still, what made you think attacking an adult dragon was a good idea?” Rarity tried scolding the other mare, but she appeared to be too busy rinsing to care.

“What, him trying to kill a little girl isn’t reason enough?” She countered, again with an air of disinterest. “She gave me a piece of bread and showed me her favorite doll, you see, so I owed her.”

Seeing that her conversation partners would take a little while to come out of their shock, she kept going.

“See, the residents discovered a mine and settled, but the town was still relatively new so there wasn’t much protection yet. He tried claiming its riches, and tried to give a ‘demonstration’ of what would happen to those who opposed.” She frowned, angry that a bunch of shiny crystals could be considered more valuable than the life of a child. “I dove for the kid and managed to get her out; even if I got sent through a wall, it was better me than her.”

“I can keep myself together, as long as I have energy to spare, so I showed him that while a dragon’s scales might withstand a thousand ordinary swords without problem…” She chuckled darkly as the last of the soap was washed out of her tail. “One where the essence of life flows and concentrates is another story.”

*****

“Shiny, you have read the page three times by now; it’s not going to change just because you will it to.” Princess Cadence draped a wing over her husband to force him to stop fidgeting.

“It’s just that… a pony younger than my sister, not just knowing the principles behind the Wing Blade technique, but also mastering them to the point she can produce spell-like effects?” He sounded as nervous as he looked; his mane was disheveled and his eye twitched. “She refuses to tell what she did to nullify the dragon’s breath; it’s suspicious! And a chaos magic spell that weakens the target in mind and body, even a dragon! It’s dangerous… even if it’s just temporary; just thirty seconds is…”

“Twilight is not a filly anymore, and this pony has the advantage of having inherited the knowledge from her parents.” She nuzzled him, and smiled inwards when he returned the gesture. “Not to mention she has practice.”

“That’s what worries me. I know her intentions are noble, but killing-?”

“Shining Armor.” Cadence interrupted him, sounding upset herself. “If you have forgotten already, Twilight herself has been and admits to have been in problems that could result in her having to defend herself with force… she has managed to get by with diplomacy, or running away, or even peacefully, like she did when returning the Ursa Minor to her cave with her power and skill.”

“But it sounds like this mare just… accepts that she killed.” The stallion tried to say something more, but seeing that his wife was genuinely disappointed knocked the fight out of him.

“Changeling invasion notwithstanding, we are blessed to have peace; Twilight and her friends, too, for being able to solve all of their problems without violence. This pony did not have that kind of luck. She’s not a heartless murderer; she wanted to survive, and for others to do so –even if they turned on her afterwards. She deserves peace and compassion, not rejection, and definitely not pity.”

She pointed to a section in one of the numerous pages Twilight had sent them; at first, she was amused by the fact that she must have written three large letters, having decided to stop relying on her parents to relay the information to prevent falling out of touch with her brother like they did before the wedding; however, it made tracking down a specific section rather annoying.

Shining Armor glanced in the direction of her hoof, but returned to the page he was reading. Cadence nudged him and pointed again, before switching approaches.

“You are a soldier, and so are the ponies you have had under you; if they had to, say, slay a manticore, would you still trust Twilight around them?”

“Well, she would be safe…”

“And need I remind you of the times you nearly-“

“Cadence, please…” Shining Armor’s voice was small, and made the princess bite her lips and tighten the embrace around her beloved.

“Just because she is not a Royal Guard, or a soldier, doesn’t mean she’s forbidden from knowing how to defend herself or her friends. Twilight would be safe with her, too… please, just let her be; prove that ‘Gem’ can be safe with them.” She spoke softly, but reminding her thick-headed, worrywart of a husband of the reason he himself joined the Equestrian Royal Guard. "Innocence isn't something that ever goes away; you just have to make sure you don't lose sight of it."

She took one of the very first pages, sliding it in front of the one that Shining Armor was reading.

“Twilight is confiding in you, in us; this pony asked her to only share with those she trusts unconditionally. What does that say to you, about the way she sees you?”

The part of the letter she pointed at before had the answers, even if Shiny was too worried to believe it right now. It’s as Rarity told them; different ponies withstand different things.

*****

“So what if I killed him? I warned him, but he insisted on crushing the ‘puny’ opposition and showing how ‘great’ and ‘superior’ he was. It’s a drop in the river of my life, long since washed away and gone to the Great Depths.”

“Twilight, darling, think of it this way: When the Diamond Dogs captured me, I could keep my head, no?” Rarity waited for her friend’s attention to shift to her. “I remember that day, and, while it was stressful, it is no more difficult a memory to revisit than most. Some other pony could have a harder time… ‘leaving’ captivity, even weeks after he or she returns home.”

Twilight nodded.

“Different ponies have different things they can bear on their own.” Rarity said, gently brushing the deep red hair in front of her; she had extended a helping hoof at this newcomer, and she grasped it with such force… Rarity could clearly see how grateful Gem felt. “It just so happens that the severity of this topic gives it an air of unreality.”

“I-I can’t stand seeing others scared of me without reason.” Gemini shuddered. “I-it feels wrong! I don’t care for the fighting, but seeing-…” She fell silent, instead trying to focus on the fact that she was getting groomed and fussed over. These ponies cared. They were different. They did not judge so quickly. They cared.

The others figured her breakdown could be part of the whole ‘mirror’ imagery. She reflects, imitates, and shares her insight… fear like that was so opposite to what she strove for that she had a hard time processing it. It was like ‘something so ugly it makes mirrors break’.

“I admit that it’s harsher for me to remember the fiasco that was the first fashion show than it is to remember being underground!” She laughed nervously as she braided Gem’s mane.

Twilight, too, had experienced a little of that, spiraling into irrational hysteria when certain types of stress fell on her… the ‘Smarty Pants incident’ came to mind, since Discord’s release had been too fresh in her mind. She… huh, she now found it easier to recall… then again, she knew she had her friends’ support in one-hundred-and-twenty percent for everything. And now she had a new friend that was just as willing to watch her back.

She just hoped she didn’t have to face any more monsters.

She had been mercifully spared from the details of the fighting itself, only being told that mere obstacles would not stop the flow of energy. An opposing force of similar nature was needed. Even dragon scales could only get you so far before failing. The strike acted not only upon the body, but its latent energy; if you couldn’t control it to deflect or soften the blow, you’d get hurt more. It was similar in principle to Earth Pony strength with a few mixings of Pegasus flight, with the defense being similar to the pegasus ponies’ resistance to crashes, but Gem could do so much more…

Gemini, for her own part, felt like royalty. The day’s events were coming at an overwhelming pace! First she had made a couple of friends, and then feared she would loose them like she had done so many others; as it turns out, they don’t care! Sure, there were still many secrets, but it won’t be long now.

Soon… soon, she would know if ponies could handle the entirety of her story.

After all, if her family’s origin story alone was enough to drive listeners into a fear-fueled frenzy, what would they think of her legal caretaker?

Oh goodness! Rarity’s brush feels heavenly!

Comments

[Archmage Ansrit]

Remember, there are three letters, so it's up to you to decide who is this Savior of Stalliongrad. Is it the choice 'obvious' between Celestia or Shining Armor? Could it be... Cadence? Or dear mom and dad?

I am a little surprised to see Gem's reaction to being shown fear fit nicely inside the fanon ailment "Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome", it's like her personality was destined for ponies. It's one of the many surprises I keep finding! For example, I was also surprised when I was RP'ing with her as my character and got all serious when shown needless hostility - as opposed to heartbroken when shown baseless fear. Of course, there are many, many differences between her personality and the ponies' beyond her views on 'necessary violence'... they just haven't come into play yet.

Speaking of her making... she was originally based off some concepts from a number of RPG's, so it's only natural she's know a thing or two about fighting diverse creatures, as well as Status Ailments.

Rarity strikes me as being one though cookie. Captured by Diamond Dogs, being used as a blunt weapon against her own friends by a dragon, and what ends up bothering her? Her dress is ruined! Or, that they desperately need to take a shower, or any number of small (by comparison) details. Wow, Rares, you are a lady that takes the bull by the horns.