Prologue - Beyond the Mirror

Author's Note:

Okay, how many of you are actually aware of "Adventures of Hourai High"? It's a bit of an obscure game, at least from what I've seen. Some people have written reviews about it, an LP or two exist around, and has a TV Tropes page for what it's worth. For those that want a quick explanation, Adventures of Hourai High is basically the result of combining Earthbound with the Anime High School ^(TM) setting. At least as best as a comparison I can think so.

As far as I know, a MLPxHourai crossover is yet to be a thing here. Or elsewhere for that matter. I can't really say for sure. At least, I could almost be sure that Fimfiction has yet to see such a crossover work. As such, I decided to write this, so I can say (almost) with confidence that I did it first. Or started the first. I'm open for corrections, though. This prologue alone doesn't really contain much, so it might not really be much of a crossover at first. Things will pick up as early as the next chapter, though when exactly will be that it's hard to define.

In any case, enjoy:

The Crystal Mirror. One of many artifacts belonging to the Kingdom of Equestria. It has been in the kingdom’s possession since time immemorial, but not many have sampled its full potential. The mirror houses powerful magic, and records of what it can fully do lie in Canterlot Castle’s most secured and restricted libraries. Few could dare hope to uncover its secrets. This, however, it would change by the time one unicorn mare became aware of its existence. Sunset Shimmer was among Canterlot’s most well-known ponies. Not only was she a talented mare, enough to have made it in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but the princess herself had chosen Sunset as her personal student and protégé.

However, Sunset had grew up to be a very ambitious and power-hungry young mare. The moment the mirror showed her she could aspire to greatness, she coveted it. Despite the princess telling her she wasn’t ready, she still wanted to know more. It had reached the point where Sunset Shimmer had intruded into the restricted parts of the castle’s libraries. She had been successful in finding more information about the mirror, but she got caught. It had all gone downhill. Princess Celestia was furious with her, and Sunset’s attitude wasn’t helping. As such, the unicorn had found herself banished from the castle, no longer the student of the princess. Two guards were to escort her outside.

That, perhaps, became a boon for her. As fate would have it, the path the guards were taking her to the outside happened to be through the room housing the mirror. As Sunset watched the mirror, a smirk came to her face. Among the things she learned about the mirror was that every thirty moons it would open a portal to another world. What kind of world? Sunset was unable to find out in time, but one thing was sure: This was her chance. The moment they passed right next to the mirror, she sprang into action. She quickly shot magic at the guards, and jumped in. It had been a gamble, the portal may not have been open, after all. Yet luck seemed to be on her side right now, for the portal was indeed open. If the princess was going to deny her what should be hers, then she would have to make do wherever the mirror would take her.

Who knows, perhaps even one day come back and take it, by force if needed.

In the middle of a forest clearing lied a statue. It sat atop a big marble pedestal. The statue itself, also made of marble, depicted a familiar figure for any citizen of Equestria: an alicorn. Not that they would be able to tell of who exactly, as it didn’t seem to match of any they could know of. In any case, one of the sides of the pedestal began to glow, and then out of it emerged a figure. None other than Sunset. Due to the leap she made before heading through the mirror, it led to her to come out of the other side in a way that sent her to fall onto the grass-covered ground, face down. She groaned in response.

D-Did I make it…? Sunset wondered as she raised her head.

Her new surroundings served as confirmation enough, to which she smirked. She tried to stand back on her hooves, but the moment she moved her limbs, that’s when she realized. They felt different. The attempt to stand remained that, an attempt, for she quickly found her face meeting the grass not soon after.

“What…?” Sunset wondered out loud, moving a forelimb to her vision, and gasped.

Her hoof was gone, in its place being a hand instead. Less shocking to her in comparison, she also saw the limb was now covered with a black sleeve.

Did the portal turned me into a minotaur? Curiosity had taken hold of her, as she stared at her now hand. Turning around as best she could, she then saw herself reflected in the statue’s pedestal, allowing her to inspect her new form.

Her guess of a minotaur had only been half-right. Despite the similarities, she soon realized she was not. It was quite evident mostly with how the composition of her face didn’t match, the lack of a tail, and the shape of her lower limbs. She also took note of other details, like how her mane seemed to be the only hair or fur left in her body, or how the clothes she now wore had an image of her cutie mark on them.

The portal’s work, I’d guess, Sunset figured regarding the latter. It did seem a bit too smart of it to just be a coincidence.

She then frowned. This unexpected transformation meant many things, but the biggest one for her was that her biggest asset, her magic, was now in limbo. No longer a unicorn, she wasn’t sure if she still had access to her magic. Though first things first, she had to get the hang of her new form.

Using the pedestal as support, she tried to stand on just her back limbs, or legs, if she remembered well the biped terminology. Some light wobbling followed, and when trying to walk, some stumbling as well. However, it didn’t take long for her to get the hang of it. It was paramount to learn how to walk in her new form, not just to be able to get anywhere.

I need to get out of here, she thought. Who knows how much time I have.

The possibility of being followed didn’t escape her mind. She wasn’t sure if she had managed to knock out the guards, or how long it would take to be discovered if so. Once the princess figured out what she had done, it was likely she would send her guards after her. Though regardless of how, that would still take time. Even in the worst-case scenario, she would still have a head start if like her, they’d have to adjust to an unfamiliar form. She looked around.

The clearing was of considerable size, with the statue in the middle. The sky above showed it was night, with few clouds covers though the moon was not in sight. At least from the clearing. The trees around the clearing showed no easy way to pass between them, but the clearing did have a road leading out of it, which the statue faced. Sunset watched said road with a confident smirk.

“Well then, let’s see what this world has to offer.”

Were her last words, thought or said, as she walked outside the clearing.

333 views