Spring wasn’t sure where to start as she and Mirror looked at each other. She didn’t know if it felt worse being an observer earlier, or having to face off against herself alone. She knew that all of them supported her, but she still wished they were all standing with her in such a pitch-black place.
Mirror suddenly charged at her, making the filly let out a squeak. She put up her hooves protectively to block the attack, but Mirror just flew up a bit over her head and flipped, kicking her in the back of the head and sending her crashing into the ground.
Clear let out a groan, holding onto her husband. From watching Mayhem’s battle they knew things were going to involve some physical and emotional pain, but knowing that didn’t make it easier to see.
Mirror landed. “Get up!” she said. “It’s too early to pass out now. I still have so much more justice to administer.”
Spring rose, wincing a bit as she rubbed her head. She hadn’t expected that.
The Tantabus slowly approached her. “It just never ends with you, does it? Always thinking you’re so superior. Never taking your limits into consideration. Talking big because you believe you can do anything you want and then failing when reality catches up with you.”
“I don’t think I’m superior!” Spring fired back.
Mirror growled, flying at her.
Spring thought she was prepared for Mirror going over her again, but instead she put her hooves on the ground suddenly, using her momentum to jump forward at a diagonal and kick her in the side, sending her back to the ground.
Mirror flipped in the air, and landed with her front hooves on Spring’s back.
Spring gasped in pain.
“You’re weak!” said Mirror. “You’re pathetic! And every time you go off on your own to flaunt how tough you are it’s not you who has to deal with the pain that results. It’s everyone around you.
“Your parents told you not to fly too high and you didn’t listen, with the result that your brother had to save your worthless life, almost getting killed in the process. It’s a good thing you met that draconequus, because if it wasn’t for him Forest could have remained in that coma for the rest of his life.
“With just one- stupid-action-“ she interspersed the last three words with another slam on her back “-you almost stole your brother’s whole life away. That’s YOUR fault! That’s on YOU!
“Because of YOU Forest lost three months of his life! The fact that your little draconequus friend cut his punishment short for your stupidity doesn’t make it okay!”
Mirror got off of her. “You claim you’ve changed, but what are you doing now? Lying there in pain, just as you did a few months ago, because you did the same thing you did back then.”
As Spring rose she flinched as Mirror hopped up and kicked her across the cheek.
Mirror landed, darkness coming off of her. “Twilight was right to call you arrogant! You haven’t changed a bit.
“What do you care about the possibility of others getting hurt because of you, as long as you prove how strong you think you are?”
Forest closed his eyes tight as Mirror spun around and bucked her in the chin, sending her to the ground for a third time on her back.
Still and Clear were crying. Spring couldn’t seem to put up any fight at all, even with her greater understanding of the situation.
Pound put a hoof to his heart. “I hate having to just stand there and watch this. It just feels too similar to when Mayhem fought Nega.”
“Same here,” said Flash. “Even if I know this is a personal battle she can only win by herself, I want to go over there and encourage her.”
“Just be patient, everyone,” said Twilight. “I don’t like seeing Spring getting hurt any more than you do, but the battle has just begun.
“We have to believe in her.”
Spring groaned in pain. Everything ached.
“Simply pathetic,” said Mirror. “Talking so tough, but as expected you’re just lazing around on the floor. Your strong words, as they always are, proving to be nothing but empty boasting.
“Is that really all you have, weakling?”
Spring moved her head to look at Mirror, sitting down like she was waiting for her.
She put her mind to her goal, and she felt strength returning to her.
She ignored the pain, getting back up on her hooves. “I can’t lose here! There’s too much at stake.”
Mirror laughed, the darkness surrounding her growing. “Yes, that’s right. Keep talking big, you failure. Continue to make others suffer as I tear you apart. Oh, but what do you care if others get destroyed emotionally as long as you get what you want? You’re disgusting!”
Spring glanced at the others for a moment, and she could make out her parents pained expressions.
“Pay attention, failure!” Mirror said with a cruel laugh as she charged once again.
Spring unfurled her wings and took to the air. If she couldn’t avoid her on the ground then maybe her best bet was to get some more room to dodge.
Mirror stared up at her, and only began to laugh harder, really starting to sound unstable now. “Oh, yes! Brilliant! The sheer stupidity rolling around in that head of yours is just stunning.”
The Tantabus took to the air as well, charging at her repeatedly as Spring dodged her. After a while it became apparent Mirror wasn’t truly trying to hit her.
Mirror finally stopped racing around and got on her level, snickering all the while. “And here we are again, right?”
“Hmmm?”
“Chasing you around wasn’t just for fun, you know. This was all about proving you’re the same weak, pathetic filly you were at the start.”
“And I’ve been avoiding you all the while.”
Mirror smirked. “Because I wanted you to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been playing you from the start, making you dodge the way I want you to. You were so busy avoiding me you never even noticed.
“Just look down. See anything familiar?”
Spring did glance down, and was surprised to see how far up she was. Constantly dodging Mirror and the nonexistent scenery kept her from noticing Mirror had been deliberately baiting her into rising up high in the sky.
“Idiot! Taking your eyes off your opponent!”
Just as Spring glanced back up it was too late to defend herself as Mirror kicked her in the face again, sending her plummeting downwards.
“Now suffer the fate you deserve!” she said coldly. “The one you should have suffered all along instead of your brother!”
Spring was dazed from the pain for a few seconds. For a few moments she considered just letting herself fall out of guilt, but the thought of what Twilight had said about how Forest would have felt if their positions had been reversed sparked her willpower. If she crashed into the ground and got seriously hurt everyone would suffer, and she couldn’t allow that.
Twilight and Mayhem were both ready to use their magic to stop Spring’s fall, but she managed to get herself upright and slow her momentum enough that she only landed a bit roughly.
Forest let out a sigh of relief. Spring often fought him, but he pushed her to join him for flying lessons so she would increase her skills. At least it had some effect on her ability to recover.
Mirror frowned. “Still ticking after that, huh?” The darkness surrounding her grew thicker and thicker, to the point she no longer seemed to have a solid body. She almost blended in with the blackness of the world, her glowing green eyes the only real thing distinguishing her from the background.
She let out a yell of frustration. “You harm everyone you come across! And it’s time to hold you accountable! Prepare to be destroyed!”
Mirror laughed sadistically, charging her at full speed.
“I see,” Spring said sadly. “There it is. I finally saw what I wanted to see. I finally understand.”
Spring didn’t move, just looking at her with a mournful expression.
All of them winced as Mirror’s hoof connected, but Spring didn’t recoil or react at all.
Mirror looked at her with confusion, the darkness surrounding her fading until she looked normal again. “W-wha-? Why are you still standing? I put all my power into that.”
A tear came down Spring’s face. “That’s because you no longer have the power to harm me.”
“What?”
“You’re my reflection. You’re a part of me. I know what I’ve felt on the inside, but seeing it on the outside made me see how badly I’ve treated myself in the past.
“I’ve felt so much sadness and guilt, bullying myself over and over. But after watching Mayhem and listening to Twilight I know that’s not the solution. Seeing how much you were hurting and how you could only deal with your feelings by getting violent, how could I possibly feel hatred for someone suffering so much? If you get your strength from my self-hatred then you won’t have any power if I just stop hating myself.
“I’ve said a lot of terrible things to myself, but I’m not going to continue living that way. I’m finally able to feel empathy for myself.” She closed her eyes and put a hoof to her heart. “I can feel the light of all my friends and family surrounding me.”
She opened her eyes and they grew misty. “The both of us… we both deserve to be loved.” She reached out her hooves and grabbed Mirror in a hug, the tears streaming down her eyes. “I love you! I love you! I love me! That’s what I want to see in my reflection.”
Mirror noticed now that her pain had stopped. More than stopped. She could feel happiness infusing her being, her bitterness fading as her colors changed to match Springs.
“I know I made some mistakes in the past, but I’m ready to move on past them. There are people that need me, and I want to fight for them. And so… I forgive you. I forgive me. And from now on I’m gonna do my best to continue helping the people I love.” She let out a sob. “B-b-because I’m someone important to them. I always have been. Just like my brother said, the only person who ever hated me was me.”
Mirror hugged her back, feeling such relief. “Thank you,” she said.
After a few more seconds Mirror dissolved into magic particles and entered her body.
Spring put her hooves down, quietly sobbing as she felt her self-love.
She barely had time to dwell on it before she was lifted in the air and spun around as Twilight said, “You did it! I knew you would, Spring! I’m so proud of you!”
She landed, and Spring could see all her loved ones surrounding her.
She got hugs and congratulations thrown her way, but at the moment it didn’t mean anything to her.
“Be quiet!” Spring yelled, making them look at her in confusion.
She went up to her brother. “Forest… it’s finally time.”
“Hmm?” he said.
She sniffed, tears streaming down her eyes. “Y-y-you said that day Mayhem woke you up that you’d be able to forgive yourself if I forgave myself.” She hugged herself, quietly sobbing. “T-that… t-that’s what I was fighting for out there.
“I… I know you’ve suffered like I have, and I wanted to see you get rid of your guilt for good. E-e-even though it was so painful fighting with Mirror I-I knew I h-h-had to win for your sake.
“And… and… I did win. I conquered m-my darkness. So now…” She sobbed. “Now you can let go too, right?”
He stared at her for a short time, understanding her motivation now.
He looked up thoughtfully, then said, “Mmm…no.”
His response took them all by surprise.
Spring’s face fell. “W-why… why not? I did what you asked!” She felt like her guilt was starting to creep back in.
He looked back down at her. “I’m not convinced you’ve changed. Mayhem conquered Nega, and he returned strong. He confessed about his past and held his head up high while doing it. I don’t see the same thing with you.
“You’re crying like a baby and still just seem so weak. Even if Mirror is gone now you still seem like the same Spring Meadow, and I don’t have to keep my end of the bargain if you haven’t kept yours.”
Spring blinked. She had gotten too carried away with thoughts of her victory and let her guard down too early. It wasn’t time for tears yet.
She closed her eyes and took some slow breaths, focusing her mind on her goal.
When she opened her eyes she had a determined glare on her face. “I’ve worked too hard to fail now!” she said strongly. “You saved my life, and I won’t ever forget that. I’m not just gonna sit and mope and waste what you did for me. I helped Mayhem grow into a better person, and I’m coming after your sadness and guilt too. That’s what I’ve been fighting for the past few months, and I’m GOING to achieve it! Got that?”
Spring and Forest both stared at each other, and it was reminiscent of the stare-off between Twilight and Spring earlier.
Forest’s eyes grew wet. “That’s… that’s what I’ve been waiting for. I’ve longed for you to finally overcome my accident.” He put a hoof to his face with a gentle sob. “I can feel your inner strength. Now I believe that you’re going to be okay.”
“Y-you better!” Her voice quivered, her emotions stirring to see him cry. “C-c-can I c-cry now?”
“S-sure,” he replied, pulling her into a hug as they both began sobbing. Clear and Still both joined them, holding onto their children.
Pound threw a hoof around Mayhem, happy tears coming down his eyes. “After dealing with Drill Bit, I know how good it feels to finally see all your efforts pay off and put that check mark on a friendship problem.”
Mayhem hugged him. “It sure does. Spring did cross the finish line with me. We can both feel the light again.”
I think it conveyed it well. I'll admit Mirror is a bit brutal at the start, but I think it fits well with this.
To be truthful I think this went a lot too easy for Spring. She knew what to look for but because she knew the answers she needed it robs her of her victory. Her shade should have not had this power or Twilight could have explained that it wouldn’t work on her because she was not only dealing with her issues but was actively addressing them.
10365432 Well, to be fair, even after Mayhem was ready to work things out with him, Nega was still able to blast away at Mayhem for a while before giving up and falling into despair.
All Mirror did was kick her a few times, so I'm not sure what you mean about her 'power.' If you're talking about when she was covered in dark magic I'd say that's not unusual. Spring was in the process of getting ready to forgive herself, but she hadn't yet done so, and so Mirror still had power from her self-hatred.
I have my own mixed feelings here, but I'd say Spring already proved herself in the previous chapter when she stared down Twilight without backing down. That was her "real" test of whether she was ready to move on. She found her will to live for her brother's sake after seeing what she had done for Mayhem.
Mirror was more of a formality. As I said in the authors note the thing Spring really wanted to see with Mirror was how she'd react to her darker half, and whether she could feel compassion for it. After getting knocked around a bit she did find compassion for her.
I don't disagree that it was fairly easy, but I don't understand why she was "robbed of her victory" just because it didn't take like 3 chapters and loads of angst to prevail. Considering what she displayed in confronting Twilight and everything she learned from watching Mayhem I think it would be obvious Spring's confrontation was going to be far simpler than Mayhem's had been.
Well, the part about the fall kinda follows the idea I had in mind. A moment of reliving the past. And two things happened. This time, she had the will to live, which is why she would let herself fall. And the second thing is also key to why she called her dark side 'Mirror'.
It'll probably be explained after this whole thing ends. But what she saw wasn't a pony trying to destroy her, she saw a pony in pain. And the name...
Or to be more accurate, that's what she wants to see in the mirror. What she saw when Mirror was attacking was a pony in pain. It was the same look that she sees whenever she's looking at her reflection in the mirror. By externalizing this into 'Mirror', this is why she needed to see it for herself. This way, she could externalize the look, so that she could see someone else who needs comforting. It helps to encourage herself to make this externalization feel better. And in order to make Mirror feel better, she can only do it if she can overcome herself. Her self worth is "reflected" in the ponies around her. So in an ironic twist, Spring becomes the "mirror" of what her loved ones see.
I think my explanation sounded better.
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Emotions aren't so easily overcome simply with knowledge. Because of how different emotions are from knowledge, I think an accurate analogy is that just because Spring knew the answer, it doesn't mean she knew what the question was. The answer may not make sense if you don't know what the question is. A good example is in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The answer to the question of life, the universe and everything was 42. But what is the question that that's the answer to?
I mean, Hitchhiker's Guide was implied that Deep Thought gave a random answer because it didn't know the question. But it's never indicated whether the answer was random, or a proper answer to an unknown question. But the example still works. Spring did know what the answer was (which was overcoming her self-hate and forgiving herself). But that answer doesn't mean anything if you don't know the question (in this case, the question is "what would happen if Spring is able to feel sympathy for the pony she sees in the mirror?"). Is that an accurate analogy?