We're the Foals Who Lived

by Maddie Koester

Chapter 12

Hearths Warming was coming. One morning in mid-December, Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasel twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Mistral around, bouncing off the back of her head. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Spike and Rarity before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Lulamoon's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoal, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Celestia’s for Hearths Warming because they have no one to go home to,"

He was looking over at our trio as he spoke. Crab and Gargoyle chuckled. Morning Shine, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them.

Malfoal had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, and the fact that Morning Shine had acquired her cutie mark before him, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Morning Shine as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Morning Shine had managed to stay on her broomstick with the bludgers flying at her. So Malfoal, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Morning Shine about having no family.

It was true that Morning Shine wasn't going back to Friendship Castle for Christmas. Princess Luna had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Morning Shine had signed up at once, as did Eclipse, and Radiance. They did feel a little down, knowing that they wouldn’t see their loved ones, so Fallop and Garrier- er - Farrier and Gallop stayed behind to get them into the Hearths Warming spirit.

When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Spike was behind it.

"Hi, Spike, want any help?" Eclipse asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Eclipse," Spike smiled.

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoal's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to let the game keeper and his wife take you and your siblings in for Hearths Warming? I don’t he has the heart capable of doing that,"

Eclipse dived at Malfoal just as Lulamoon came up the stairs.

"GLIMMER!" she snapped.

Eclipse let go of the front of Malfoal's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Lulamoon," said Spike, sticking his huge scaly face out from behind the tree. "Malfoal was insulting him and myself, because everypony knows that dragons are heartless creatures,"

"Be that as it may, fighting is against CSFGU’s rules, Spike," said Lulamoon silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Eclipse, for reacting irrationally. And ten points from Slytherin,"

Malfoal was about to protest when Lulamoon cut him off.

“For provoking the fight, and insulting a staff member. Now move along all of you,”

Malfoal, Crab, and Gargoyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and sulking slightly.

"I'll get him," said Eclipse, grinding his teeth at Malfoal's back, "one of these days, I'll get him-"

"I hate them both," said Morning Shine, "Malfoal and Lulamoon,"

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Hearths Warming," said Spike. "Plus, Lulamoon just took ten points from her house for Malfoal’s actions. Tell you what, come with me and see the Great Hall, it looks great,"

So the three of them followed Spike and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Princess Luna, Professor Flitwick, and Rarity were busy with the Hearths Warming decorations.

"There you are Spike. Put that tree in the far corner, would you?" Rarity asked.

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Hearths Warming trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Spike asked.

"Just one," said Radiance. "And that reminds me - Morning Shine, Eclipse, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be wrapping the rest of our gifts,”

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Eclipse, tearing his eyes away from Rarity, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of her horn and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"Gift wrapping?" said Spike, following them out of the hall. "Do you want some help?"

"No thank you, Spike" Morning Shine told him brightly.

After the three were out of range Eclipse said:

“We’re not really wrapping gifts are we?”

“No, we’re not,” Radiance confirmed. “We’re finding out about Lulamoon’s past, and how she knows our parents,”

“But what if the library doesn’t have the answers?” Morning Shine asked.

“It will, it’s the the Princess’ Royal Archives. We’ll be bound to find something,” Radiance said.

Radiance took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Eclipse strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Morning Shine wandered over to the Restricted Section. She had been wondering for a while if Lulamoon wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and she knew she'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"What are you looking for, filly?" Madam Rain questioned.

"Nothing," said Morning Shine.

Madam Rain the librarian brandished a feather duster at her.

"You'd better get out, then. Go on - out!" she shrieked.

Wishing she'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Morning Shine left the library. She, Eclipse, and Radiance had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Rain where they could find Lulamoon in the books, if she even had any. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Lulamoon hearing what they were up to.

Morning Shine waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but she wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Rain breathing down their necks.

Five minutes later, Eclipse and Radiance joined her, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.

Once the holidays had started, the three were having too good a time to think much about Lulamoon. The common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork - bread, muffins, marshmallows - and plotting ways of getting Malfoal expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

Eclipse - with help of Farrier and Gallop - also started teaching Morning Shine and Radiance - who rather read books curled up by the fire - magic chess. Shine played with chessstallions Cherry Lightning had lent her, and they didn't trust her at all. She wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at her, which was confusing.

"Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him," is something that the pawns would frequently say.

On Hearths Warming Eve, Morning Shine went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun. When she woke early in the morning, however, the first thing she saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.

"Happy Hearths Warming," said Radiance sleepily as Morning Shine scrambled out of bed and pulled on her bathrobe.

"You, too," said Morning Shine.

"Let’s go get Eclipse and the twins," said Radiance, turning to her own pile, picking them up.

Morning picked up her parcels, and walked to the common room - where the boys were already waiting.

“Happy Hearths Warming!” Eclipse cheered.

“Good morning, ladies,” said Farrier.

“Ready to open presents?” Gallop asked.

“Aren’t we all?” Morning Shine replied.

Morning Shine picked up the first present, it was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was: To Morning Shine, Eclipse, and Radiance, from Spike and Rarity. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute, and two necklaces with brightly colored gemstones.

“Who sent these?" Eclipse asked, pointy at some packages.

"I think I know who that one's from," said Farrier, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel.

"Our mum. We told her you didn't expect any presents - since well… you know.. and - oh, no," Gallop groaned, "she's made you all a Weasel sweater,"

Radiance had torn open the parcel to find a three thick, hand-knitted sweaters, one violet, one blue, and one pink and a large box of homemade fudge.

"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Farrier, unwrapping his own.

"And ours is always maroon," Gallop finished.

"That's really nice of her," said Radiance, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.

The next present also contained candy - a large box of it. That the three foals ought to share.

This only left one parcel. Morning picked it up and felt it. It was very light. She unwrapped it.

Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Radiance gasped.

"I've heard of those," she said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans she'd gotten from the giant box. "If that's what I think it is - they're really rare, and really valuable,"

"What is it?" Eclipse asked, now curious.

Shine picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

"It's an invisibility cloak," said Radiance, a look of awe on her face. "I'm sure it is - try it on,"

Morning Shine threw the cloak around herself, leaving her head exposed, and Radiance gave a yell.

"It is! Look down!" Radiance cried.

Morning Shine looked down at her hooves, but they were gone. She dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, her reflection looked back at her, just her head suspended in midair, her body completely invisible. She pulled the cloak over her head and her reflection vanished completely.

"There's a note!" said Eclipse suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"

Morning Shine pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing she had never seen before were the following words:

Your father left this in my possession before he died.

It is time it was returned to you.

Use it well.

A Very Happy Hearths Warming to you.

There was no signature. Morning Shine stared at the note. Radiance was admiring the cloak.

"I'd give anything for one of these," she said. "Anything. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," said Morning Shine. She felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to her father?

Before she knew it was time for supper. Morning Shine had never in all her life had such a Hearths Warming dinner. A hundred fat, roast haycakes; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce.

Flaming Hearths Warming puddings followed the haycakes. Prancer nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Morning Shine watched Spike getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Princess Luna on the cheek, who, to Morning Shine's amazement, giggled and blushed, her crown topsided. And Rarity, who was fuming, took her drunken dragon husband home.

The trio and the Weasels spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Morning Shine broke in her new chess set by losing spectacularly to Radiance. She suspected she wouldn't have lost so badly if Prancer hadn't tried to help her so much.

After a meal of hay sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Hearths Warming cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Prancer chase Farrier and Gallop all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.

It had been Morning Shine's best Hearths Warming day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of her mind all day. Not until she climbed into bed was she free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.

Radiance, full of hay sandwiches and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother her, fell asleep almost as soon as she'd drawn the curtains of her four-poster. Morning Shine leaned over the side of her own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.

Her father's... this had been her father's. She let the material flow over her hooves, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.

She had to try it, now. She slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around herself. Looking down at her legs, she saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.

Use it well.

Suddenly, Morning Shine felt wide-awake. The whole of Celestia’s was open to her in this cloak. Excitement flooded through her as she stood there in the dark and silence. She could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Leech would never know.

Radiance grunted in her sleep. Should Morning Shine wake her? Something held her back - her father's cloak - she felt that this time - the first time - she wanted to use it alone. Even though Eclipse was her biological brother, he was in the colts’ dormitory, where the fillies were prohibited to go.

She crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Mare. Morning Shine said nothing. She walked quickly down the corridor.

Where should she go? She stopped, her heart racing, and thought. And then it came to her. The Restricted Section in the library. She'd be able to read as long as she liked, as long as it took to find out Lulamoon’s past. She set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around her as she walked.

The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Morning Shine lit her horn to see her way along the rows of books. The light looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Morning Shine could feel her horn supporting it, the sight gave her the creeps.

The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, she held up her light to read the titles.

They didn't tell her much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Morning Shine couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The fur on the back of Morning's neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.

She had to start somewhere. Extinguishing her light, she looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught her eye. She pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on her knee, let it fall open.

A piercing, blood curdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming! Morning Shine snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. She stumbled backward. Panicking, she heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside - stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, she ran for it. She passed Leach in the doorway; Leach's pale, wild eyes looked straight through her, and Morning Shine slipped under Leach's outstretched hoof and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in her ears.

She came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. She had been so busy getting away from the library, she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. Perhaps because it was dark, she didn't recognize where she was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, she knew, but she must be five floors above there.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section,"

Morning Shine felt the blood drain out of her face. Wherever she was, Leach must know a shortcut, because her soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to her horror, it was Lulamoon who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them,”

Morning Shine stood rooted to the spot as Leach and Lulamoon came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see her, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into her - the cloak didn't stop her from being solid.

She backed away as quietly as she could. A door stood ajar to her left. It was her only hope. She squeezed through it, holding her breath, trying not to move it, and to her relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Morning Shine leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room she had hidden in.

It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket - but propped against the wall facing her was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Her panic fading now that there was no sound of Leach and Lulamoon, Morning Shine moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at herself but see no reflection again. She stepped in front of it.

She had to clap her hoof to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She whirled around. Her heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for she had seen not only herself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of ponies standing right behind her.

But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, she turned slowly back to the mirror.

There she was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind her, were at least ten others. Morning Shine looked over her shoulder - but still, nopony was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was she in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?

She looked in the mirror again. A mare was standing right behind her reflection was smiling at her and waving. She reached out a hoof and felt the air behind her. If she was really there, she'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but she felt only air - she and the others existed only in the mirror.

She was a very pretty light purple mare. She had a dark purple mane with turquoise streaks in it, and her eyes - ’Her eyes are just like mine.’ Morning Shine thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Purple - exactly the same shape, but then she noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, orange, firefly-maned stallion standing next to her put his hoof around her. He wore glasses, and his mane was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Morning Shine’s did.

Morning was so close to the mirror now that her muzzle was nearly touching that of her reflection. Then it hit her like a lightning bolt.

"Mom?" she whispered. "Dad?"

They just looked at her, smiling. And slowly, Morning Shine looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of purple eyes like hers, other muzzles like hers - Morning Shine as looking at her family, for the first time in her life.

The Glimmers and Bursts smiled and waved at Morning Shine and she stared hungrily back at them, her hooves pressed flat against the glass as though she was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. She had a powerful kind of ache inside her, half joy, half terrible sadness.

How long she stood there, she didn't know. The reflections did not fade and she looked and looked until a distant noise brought her back to her senses. She couldn't stay here, she had to find her way back to bed. She tore her eyes away from her mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.

"You could have woken me up," said Radiance, crossly.

You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror,” said Morning Shine.

"I'd like to see our mom and dad," Eclipse said eagerly.

Morning Shine couldn't eat. Sh had seen her parents and would be seeing them again tonight. She had almost forgotten about Lulamoon.

"Are you all right?" said Radiance. "You look odd,"

What Morning Shine feared most was that she might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Eclipse and Radiance covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Morning Shine’s route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.

"It's here - just here - yes!"
Morning Shine said triumphantly.

They pushed the door open. Morning Shine dropped the cloak from around her shoulders and ran to the mirror.

There they were. Her mother and father beamed at the sight of her.

"See?" Morning Shine whispered.

“I can see them! Eclipse said, awestruck.

“I don’t see anything,” said Radiance, confused

"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them..."
Morning Shine said.

"I can only see you, and Eclipse," Radiance protested.

"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am,” Eclipse suggested.

Eclipse stepped aside, but with Radiance in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Radiance in her nightgown.

Radiance, though, was staring transfixed at her image.

"Look at me!" She said.

"Can you see all your family standing around you?" Morning Shine asked.

"No - I'm alone - but I'm different - I look older - and I'm an alicorn princess! Just like mom!"

"What?" Eclipse said confused

"I am - I'm wearing the crown mom used - and I'm signing a treaty with a far away nation,"

Radiance tore her eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Morning Shine and Eclipse.

"Do you think this mirror shows the future?" she questioned.

"How can it? All my family are dead - let me have another look-"

"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time. Or even Eclipse,"

"You're only signing a treaty, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents,” Eclipse said.

"Don't push me -" Radiance snapped.

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.

"Quick!" Morning Shine ordered.

Eclipse threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Porgy came round the door. The three stood quite still, all thinking the same thing - did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.

"This isn't safe - she might have gone for Leach, I bet she heard us. Come on,” Radiance said.

And she pulled Morning Shine and Eclipse out of the room.

The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.

"Want to play chess, Morning Shine?" said Eclipse.

"No,” she said.

"Why don't we go down and visit Spike and Rarity?" Eclipse suggested

"No... you go..." she said.

"I know what you're thinking about, Morning Shine, that mirror. Don't go back tonight,” said Radiance.

But Morning Shine only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and her siblings weren’t going to stop her.

That third night she found her way more quickly than before. She was walking so fast she knew she was making more noise than was wise, but she didn't meet anyone.

And there were her mother and father smiling at her again, and one of her grandfathers nodding happily. Morning Shine sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop her from staying here all night with her family. Nothing at all.

Except -

"So - back again, Morning Shine?"

Morning Shine felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She looked behind her. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Princess Celestia. Morning Shine must have walked straight past her, so desperate to get to the mirror she hadn't noticed her.

"I - I didn't see you, Princess."

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Princes Celestia, and Morning Shineas relieved to see that she was smiling.

"So," said Princess Celestia slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Shine, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, Princess,”

"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?" the princess inquired.

"It - well - it shows me my family”

"And it showed your adoptive sister, Radiance, grown up and an alicorn."

"How did you know -?" Morning Shine started.

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Princess Celestia gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Morning Shine shook her head.

"Let me explain. The happiest stallion in Equestria would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Morning Shine thought. Then she said slowly, "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."

"Yes and no," said Princess Celestia quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family well, see them standing around you. Sparkling Radiance, who has always felt overshadowed by her mother, sees herself standing alone, the best princess of her time. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Ponies have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Morning Shine stood up.

"Princess Celestia? Can I ask you something? Morning Shine asked hesitantly.

"Obviously, you've just done so," Princess Celestia smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however,”

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?” Shine asked quietly.

"I? I see myself eating a very large chocolate cake,” the princess said.

Shine stared.

"One can never have enough cake," said Princess Celestia. "Another Hearths Warming has come and gone and I didn't get a single sclice. Ponies will insist on giving me books,”

It was only when she was back in bed that it struck Morning Shine that the sun princess might not have been quite truthful. But then, she thought, as she shoved Scabbers off her pillow, it had been quite a personal question.

Author's Note:

Merry Belated Christmas!!