Chapter 11: Mirror, mirror...
Chapter 11
Mirror, mirror...
Ponyville Hospital wasn’t located that far from the library. However, today Twilight and by extension Spike, who rode on her back, found the distance uncomfortably stretched. Whispered comments about Twilight were heard wherever they were. The baby dragon was getting restless by the time the both of them reached the hospital.
“I don’t know how you could take all of that so calmly Twilight.” Spike said with a bit of disbelief in his voice. All this time the baby dragon was afraid that Twilight will snap at the crowd of ponies. It was somewhat reliving that she didn't do it, however at the same time it was a bit surprising.
“A bit of practice Spike.” Confidence was clearly hard in Twilight's voice. What only she knew, hiding it deeply, was all the hurt that some comments have caused her. It was one thing to know that other ponies feared you, another to experience their fear and distrust so directly.
Before they entered the building, Spike slid down from her back. As the two entered they saw nurse Redheart leaning behind the reception desk. Twilight approached her and cleared her throat to get her attention.
The white earthpony looked up from her work and when she saw who was before her, her eyes widened. The nurse’s gaze darting from Twilight’s eyes to her armor and back to the unicorn’s eyes.
“Can I... help you Miss Sparkle?”
“Yes, I’m here to visit my friend Applejack.” Twilight had to give the nurse credit. The only outward reaction to seeing her, was the widening of her eyes and a miniscule stutter in her question.
“She’s in room 5.”
“Thank you, come on Spike.”
When Twilight and the baby dragon disappeared behind a corner in the corridor, the nurse slumped a bit. Maintaining a professional face in front of that mare was a challenge. She knew it was irrational to some degree... but she couldn't help but feel like prey in the presence of a predator.
Suddenly the door behind her, leading to staff room opened and she jumped up slightly.
“Who was that?” Nurse Redheart turned around to face a light cream colored unicorn stallion with a dark gray short mane and overall a bit grumpy appearance. She really didn’t know why he got transferred to their hospital. But she didn’t ask and he didn’t like to talk about it.
“Just Miss Sparkle wishing to visit a friend, Doctor Stable.”
“So... No new patients? I’ll be in my office then...” he answered with a slight drawl and almost painfully bored expression on his muzzle.
When the nurse finally returned to her work there was a quiet, regular, thumping noise. A sign of the doctor bouncing a rubber ball around his office...
In the meantime in room number 5 Twilight stood in silence looking at Applejack, or at least what she could see from under all those bandages.
“Um... Hello AJ.” Twilight finally decided that standing in one spot and being silent for few minutes was not the way to do this. As she said those two words, the unicorn mare approached her friend’s bed. She saw and heard the blond mare sigh.
“Howdy Twilight. Ah see you got some fancy new clothes... Oh, and hi Spike.” The farm pony gave them a weak smile.
“So how are you doing?” It was Spike who asked the question. And before Applejack could answer it was Twilight’s voice that answered him.
“Spike... She’s all covered in bandages. How do you think she can feel?” There was a hint of scolding in the unicorn’s mare voice. But it seemed like only AJ caught it as she looked at her disapprovingly. Twilight had the decency to look embarrassed.
“All right, all right. I get it...” Spike said it while waving his small hands in an exasperated fashion. However a second later he smiled gently. “I do suppose it was a stupid question. So... are you feeling any better Applejack?”
“Actually Ah do. Those salves the doc’s been applyin’ me do wonders.” The farm pony smiled brightly.
“That’s very good to hear. I was afraid... When I saw you Applejack...” Twilight’s muzzle expression became solemn, her voice almost became a whisper at the end, as she remembered the state her blond friend was when she had found her.
The mood in the room instantly became somber. Twilight looked AJ in the eyes and both mares were locked in a staring contest. That short and indirect mention of Diamond Dogs was enough to bring back the more violent memories. Tension was rising and Spike could feel it, for a while he fidgeted on his feet, thinking how to break the awkward silence.
“Hey, I will see if they have any snacks for guests. You want something Twi? AJ?” In the end the purple baby dragon decided that a retreat was in order, for now at least.
“Just water Spike.”
“Nothin’ for me.”
The answer came at the same time and without further hesitation Spike bolted through the doors.
The blond farm pony took in a deep breath and then slowly breathed out.
“You really accepted it... Dang it Twi! You barely had time for us when Princess Luna was teachin’ you. Now you will have even less of it.” Applejack pointed an accusatory hoof at her purple friend. “And Ah still don’t know, what made you think that killin’ those Dogs was the way to go...”
Twilight looked anywhere but at the blond mare. She was right in both cases, but Twilight didn’t want to say it out loud. She was barely over what she did in that cave, the guilt was still there but buried deep under other thoughts. The purple mare didn’t need a relapse right now.
“It was the only way then... Look, what matters is that I saved you from Celestia knows what fate.” At the beginning her voice was weak, but the last few words Twilight spoke almost aggressively. She narrowed her slitted eyes in annoyance, and her next words were filled with anger. “You could be a bit more grateful.”
Both mare’s eyes widened at Twilight last words. The purple mare didn't want to say them out loud, but it was as if she couldn’t hold them back. The unicorn’s breathing quickened a bit. That was wrong, she shouldn’t talk to her friend like that. She took a step back.
“Twilight... What in tarnation is going on with you girl?” Although Applejack’s voice was filled with concern, it also carried a command like quality in it.
“I... I must go...” Twilight couldn’t stand her blonde friend’s gaze. She turned around and all but run out of the room. She almost crashed into Spike but with a short teleportation jump she evaded him.
“Woah... Why the rush? Twilight?... Twilight?!”
Twilight heard him, but she didn’t stop. When she was outside of the hospital she stopped, concentrated, and teleported to the border of the Everfree Forest. Form there she gallop for a while and made another jump, reaching the newly paved road from Ponyville to Luna’s castle. She made one more jump and then galloped the remaining distance. Her armored hooves made a loud and sharp noise as she approached the dark castle. Guards and servants jumped out of her way as she dashed through the corridors. When she reached the throne room she saw the doors locked, and guarded, but without hesitation Twilight pushed them open with her magic, and slammed them shut before the two Night Guards could say anything.
As unusual as it was, Luna was sitting on her black throne. It was still a few hours before sunset. Twilight, still breathing deeply and quickly from her run, approached the throne.
“You returned faster than I thought Twilight.” Luna’s voice was friendly and concerned. She saw that something was not right, it was glaringly obvious... And it was not even a full day from her official promotion.
“What didn't you tell me Luna?” Twilight asked with some anger in her voice, as she stopped before the dais.
“Whatever do you mean?” The Lunar Princess asked as she stood up and closed the distance between them.
“I think you know what I mean. I changed... you changed me.” Twilight sent a challenging, cold gaze in Luna’s direction. Confronting the Princess in this way was the last thing she wanted to do. But she finally realized that she did in fact change for the worse. All it took was one forceful question form Applejack. Twilight now regretted not talking with her friends more openly about her training, or not spending more time with them.
“You changed yourself Twilight.” Luna answered, embracing Twilight with one of her wings. “Come.” She started to guide her toward one of the alcoves in the throne room.
Luna had to have them redecorated, or finished, as now in the alcove a mirror covered a part of the wall. It was by Twilight’s estimate Twice as tall as Celestia, and only slightly wider than her body length. It had a silver frame with fragments of highly polished obsidian set in it.
In the reflection she could see herself and Luna that morphed slowly into Nightmare Moon.
“What has this supposed to do with my question?” Twilight asked, more annoyed than scared.
“What do you see?”
Twilight snorted at that, but decided to humor the larger mare, if that was the only way to get her answers. As expected she saw herself standing side by side with the black alicorn, her left wing spread over her back. And then the surface of the mirror rippled like water.
“Us two... standing... here...” As she began to talk, Twilight saw something that made her thoughts grind to a halt. She was getting taller, more slender, her mane and tail becoming more ethereal. And she was growing wings... as incredulous as that was. Not a minute later, two alicorns stood side by side. To Twilight’s horror she looked like Nightmare Moon’s twin sister.
What made it worse was that she felt herself change. It was not only her reflection that changed.
“What have you done to me?” Twilight whispered with both awed and scared voice.
“You see, in the end we’re not so different... Besides... Don’t you like it? The feeling of power?” Nightmare Moon's voice took a seductive quality that Twilight had never heard before.
But the purple unicorn... or was it alicorn... couldn’t deny what the black one said. She felt power of the likes she never felt before. It was intoxicating, but it was also a shock.
“This is not me!” Twilight took a step back, or tried to. It was as if the mirror put a spell on her and the only thing she could do was looking into it.
“Think Twilight, how many ponies could you protect now. Everything that is a danger to our ponies... You could take care of those threats.” As Nightmare spoke, the mirror showed Twilight’s memories of Applejack, broken, in that dungeon cell. Suddenly, in the place of Applejack laid Rarity, and then another of her friends, and another...
“Stop this...” Twilight said with tears in her eyes, all the fresh memories resurfacing. She could swear, she almost felt blood covering her again.
“Only you have that power...” The voice of the black alicorn sounded through the throne room, and Twilight suddenly realized she was alone. But the images in the mirror didn't stop. Slowly they became more gruesome. And now it was not only Diamond Dogs that tortured her friends, but any known carnivore creature would appear.
With a scream of deep anger Twilight fired a bolt of magic at the mirror. When the bolt connected the purple mare was overtaken by a sense of vertigo. When it stopped the mirror showed her, stopping the numerous threats. In bloody ways. But the threats were stopped for good.
“By all means necessary...” Twilight whispered to herself, mesmerized by the visions in the mirror. Slowly a smirk formed on her muzzle. She had the power to protect everypony. It was a terrible power... but somepony had to do it. Right?
The mirror’s surface rippled for the last time and showed her something that surprised her yet again. Her, as a unicorn with Princess Luna in her normal form. Both standing in that beautiful chamber that looked like forest clearing with a night sky. She was staring in her reflections eyes.
A gut feeling told her to touch the reflective surface. Slowly she lifted a hoof, and with trepidation she touched the cool surface. There was a monstrous cracking sound, as if thousands glass panes shattered at the same time. Twilight blacked out.
**********
When she woke up, she felt as if hit by a train. It was close to that anyway, she guessed. When she opened her eyes, her heart almost stopped. Twilight was lying on moss covered stone. Before her stood the Dark Mirror, a massive crack split it in two large parts. There was also a lot of obsidian debris lying around. Her body felt strange.
She felt a gentle touch on one of her... wings. Twilight’s eyes widened and she lifted her head slowly upwards to see who it was. It was Luna.
“That... Was unexpected.” Her voice sounded sincere and a bit frightened but for now, Twilight didn't know what to believe anymore. She saw Luna closing her eyes. “She was not supposed to be aware of your presence.”
“What?” Twilight croaked silently, her throat felt like she didn't drink for days.
“The Dark Mirror, I used it recently and won with my inner Darkness. I took it’s power, and in the process it’s will was imprisoned in the Mirror.” Luna glanced at the destroyed artifact. “I underestimated it.”
“What? Why then...” Twilight slowly sat up, and was surprised to find that she was now taller than Luna.
“I wanted to show you that I in fact, was not Nightmare Moon. That... thing was not supposed to know you were looking. It was for the lack of better words, my reflection. It should not have reacted to your presence.” The blue alicorn’s brows furrowed in frustration. “It pulled you in.”
“How long...?”
“Four days. You were unconscious for four days.” Luna looked at the ground.
Twilight’s mind finally catched up to everything she was hearing, seeing and feeling. That didn't change the fact that it was still surreal and hard to believe. She looked down at her long legs, she turned her head to look at her wings... real wings, not something created with magic from dew, that disappeared after a time. Her tail looked ethereal, and moved gently swayed in a non existent breeze as did her mane.
“How is this possible?” Twilight whispered, looking Luna directly in the eyes.
“I put a lot of my power in the creation of that Mirror, and a bit of my essence as well... You yourself were powerful beyond any mortal unicorn in the last millenium, if I understood my sister correctly. Somehow our magics had to react. That is the best guess I can make right now.” Luna sighed deeply.
The purple alicorn just sat there, watching the Princess of the Night talking, thinking. She still had difficulties accepting what her body told her was real. She closed her eyes and tried to move her wings. With difficulties, she did. It was like learning to walk all over again. After a few minutes of that, she opened her eyes.
“What do we do now? What do I do now? I can’t show myself outside looking like this.” When Twilight said that, both mares understood the real issue. She looked like Nightmare Moon’s twin sister. That would create some serious problems... Especially with Princess Celestia. “Not after what I did to save Applejack...”
“For now you will have to stay in the castle. The Night Guard and servants are sworn to secrecy.” Luna slowly stood up and Twilight saw the she looked tired, when she looked close enough she saw darker patches under her eyes.
“You’re exhausted Luna. Did you sleep at all?” The purple alicorn asked with concern.
“It was my stupidity that caused this. I had to be sure your condition didn’t worsen.” Stubbornness was evident in Luna’s voice. It was Twilight’s turn to sigh.
“I’m fine now... Or at least as fine as I can be. You need your rest Luna.” Twilight had to act quickly after those words as Luna swayed dangerously on her hooves. She allowed the Princess to lean on her right side. It was strange, as now she saw how truly she had grown. She was sure that she was as tall as Princess Celestia.
“I may need to rest.... But, can you forgive me for this Twilight?” Luna asked as the two of them walked out of the chamber with the now utterly broken Dark Mirror.
“There are a lot of worse things that can happen to a pony Luna.” Twilight answered with a small smirk, the Princess of the Night smiled sadly.
“That’s true...”
When the two mares reached Luna’s private chambers doors, the two Guards on duty were too shocked to do anything but stare at Twilight’s new body. When Twilight leaft the room’s and told them to not let anypony in, they just nodded dumbly, wide eyed. When she left the corridor, she heard a distant thump and clanking of metal on stone. Signaling that one of the Guards passed out.
Almost all of the castle staff reacted the same way, some more fainted. But surprisingly nopony was too vocal about Twilight’s changes.
When she reached her room in the tower, first thing she did was go to a mirror and looked herself over. For laughs she decided to imitates Nightmare Moon’s glare, or scowl... That’s when she discovered she even had fangs. After a while of such behavior she became focused again and gazed deeply at her reflection.
“I can protect you all now...” Twilight whispered, and then a smirk appeared on her muzzle. “Griffons, Diamond Dogs, Changelings... Nothing will hide. You will all be safe.” She laughed silently, and it was a cold cruel sound, one Twilight knew very well. But this time she didn’t have to fear it, as it was her laughter, and not a certain black alicorn’s.
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I wanted the chapter name to have Draven in it, but he was all like "Nuuuuu!"
So rude!
2063540 the difference between a mass murder and a war hero is one did their killing during a war
it's the same word games when you talk about the differences of a "Peace keeper" and a soldier, patriot and a terrorist
2064540 might makes right and those in the right write the history books.
I enjoyed the chapter. Just keep writing the story you feel like writing man.
I enjoyed the chapter, keep up the good work
Loving it ^^ please continue on old friend.
I had almost forgot this story, the way you have shown Twilight's change in attitude was done quite well and I can't wait till Celestia finds out about twilight's newest change.
2492248
Both those replies ring true. Well said mate, well said.
Holy shit, I thought you were dead!
Glade you're back. Now I shall wait for the next chapter... again... Oh, and Twilight's transformation into an alicorn is better in this story than 'Magical Mystery Cure' 
That was unexpected but the transformation was interesting, looking forward to how this will progress from here.
I am kinda hoping that Luna may have changed her plans at least a little ...
Luna wanted to hurt Celestia but this time the Nightmare ended up inside Twilight ...
Celestia and Luna fight and Twilight? well ....
Please, Please tell me that this story will not turn into a Tragedy ...
Twilicorn! Yay! And you're not dead, even better.
You expected people to be surprised and angry that the cover image provided an accurate representation of what would happen in the story?
2493988
It was more based around the whole "Bam! None of that really happened of matter in retrospect!"
I was fine with it-still came as a shock. And there was what you said, no-one forgot almost every detail about the story. surely not me.
2493988 2494332 What Archi said. The entrance into the "Mirror universe" was... subtle(?), hiden in chapter 9. And the exit was as subtle as a sack of bricks.
After all this time, between the chapters I was nervous that people would get all "WTF happened?"
The mirror scene has to be one of my favorites so far
And I agree with Twilight, Applejack's rather ungrateful. Sure, Twilight could have handled things differently but she still saved AJ from a lifetime of slavery (or whatever it was that they had planned for her
)
2494385
Wait. She's been in an alternate universe/dream world for three chapters? Didn't even notice...
2494452 That was the point
If you think about it, you will be able to pinpoint the moment she crossed into the mirror world. 
YES. Love this story and love this chapter. keep up the great work.
Um...Wow.
Didn`t see THAT comin`
Holy shit fucking salt licks, I did not even notice a thing.
Great chapter. Thing's are about to get very interesting.
Well, the mirror world explained why I started hating Luna then. Her darker side was contained within the mirror and was the one corrupting Twilight, for lack of a better word. And, now, it seems that Twilight has inwardly given in to whatever power she now has and has basically become 'evil'. And, if not evil, then she will probably be cold and methodical when approaching anything in the future while putting on a cheery facade to fool the masses. So I think, anyways.
Going to say it again... really glad that Luna wasn't truly Luna these last few chapters, I didn't catch the whole entry into the mirror world.
Excellent chapter and the mirror world is one of the best twist I have read in a long time.
)
As long as Twilight doe not end up insane and a mass murderer and/or needs to be killed I am happy with this development.
(Getting a
Exorcismblasted by The Elements of Harmony is a experience every pony needs to haveAnd LOL Luna got owned by a mirror.
By the Gods! MORE!!!!!
!LoL!
I just started reading this and caught up... I love it keep writing it exactly how it's going
If that's alright with you...
Holy balls that was awesome! I noticed that something was off about Luna, but I didn't expect that it was the result of cross-dimensional shanghaiing by the trapped psyche fragment of a dark goddess.
So now it's even more a "Twilight has to master her darker side" story. This is good, although I really hope Twilight actually comes to terms with it, conquers it so to speak, rather than the all too common "purification" cop out. I like this story partially because of the perspective that dark is not necessarily bad, and the last couple chapters of Luna had been giving me a worrying notion that this was starting to shift to a black and white deal.
So, in short, this may be my favorite chapter so far, and I look forward to the next. After I thought the cliffhangers were as bad as the story was going to throw at me, this chapter's curveball shook up the entire last quarter of the story, and I love it. You magnificent bastard, you!
I demand MORE!!!
I love the direction this is going.
Damn,Applejack could have been a bit more grateful indeed.
As for Twilight... *sighs* well,dark is the easiest thing to embrace after all...
Looking forward to the next chapter!
I was on the fence about reading this when I saw it initially. Then my eyes were randomly caught on a comment. "Holy balls that was awesome!" and I fullheartedly agree. 2546255 I thank you Midnight Jazz.
I thank you, Vohira, for writing something this crazy awesome and subtle. I also thank you for preventing 2492221 The Archimedes from molesting you chapter name.
Lastly, I thank you, The Archimedes, for making this legible. I almost quit in the beginning chapters, and then suddenly everything was clear to me. But I swear, if I have to read the word "form" when it should be "from" again, I'm going to break some mirrors.
Vohira, your writing utterly terrifies me. Everything was so beautifully subtle.
2674156
I'm willing to bet I was playing WoW that night. I sowwy.
And wining a game of LoL....
Are you still working on this story?
2681159 Surprisingly, yes
I plan on uploading the next chapter by Sunday.
This is getting awesome.
2681211 He means next next next Sunday
Well right now it is Next,Next,Next,Next Sunday :3
Are you suuuuuuure?
'Cause I doubt that statement
why hello Dr. House, when did you become a pony?
mirror mirror on the wall who's the most hated of them all
No she wasn't.
FINALLY! Someone makes a House reference! This is the first one ive seen, and Ive probably covered 400-500 million words of fanfic...