The Other Side of the Mirror: Volume I

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Twilight Sparkle strode into the mirror, she was surrounded by reflections and duplicates of herself stretching off into infinity in all directions, an image her brain had no choice but to reject. She kept moving forward until she’d passed fully through the mirror, and the bizarre images disintegrated along with the invisible surface she’d been trotting on. A swirl of colors burst around the sorceress as she felt herself being yanked forward, and she eventually surrendered to the draw. After a second or two, Twilight felt herself collide with an elastic surface that initially seemed like it would bar her passage; however, she managed to pass through after a moment. At this point, she no longer had any sense of her body, and self was only a concept. That sensation (or lack thereof) continued as she was pulled through the swirling vortex of light toward a convergence point so bright it hurt to behold.

Twilight plunged through it into darkness, and sensations gradually returned to her body. A transformation had undeniably happened to her—one far more drastic than her recent transformation from unicorn to alicorn—but she was given hardly any time to consider this development as a humming grew in intensity behind her before dropping off, followed by footsteps. Turning, Twilight spotted the source, a puppy with purple fur dark enough to be nearly black over most of its body and green fur the color of forest floor moss on its paws, chest, and cheeks.

“Twilight, is that you?” the puppy spoke in a voice that, while a bit different, undeniably belonged to Spike.

“Spike?” Twilight asked. “What are you doing here? You were not supposed to follow me. And are you … a hound?”

Spike turned himself around in a circle, as if he were chasing his tail, in order to get a good examination of himself before sitting down.

“I … think so. Huh,” Spike said. “I have no idea what you’re supposed to be, though.”

Twilight took a moment to examine herself—or what she could see of herself, at least. She stretched her forelimbs out in front of her; now long, gangly things that ended not in hooves, but five-digit hands like a centaur. Her hindlimbs were similar but much longer, and the digits at the end (which she could only feel, not see, by wiggling them through her shoes) were much shorter and had no opposing digit to assist in grasping. The skin on her hands (and presumably her arms and legs, too, were she to disrobe and check) was the same color her coat had been as a pony, though no hair apart from thin, barely visible wisps were visible growing from it, and those were more similar in color to her mane.

Reaching up to her head, she grasped her mane from where it fell behind her and pulled it forward over her shoulder. It was the same color and pattern as her mane had been back across the Divide, which was a small comfort, but her tail was completely missing. She ran her hands over her face to get a rough approximation of its features and dimensions, nearly poking herself in the eye by accident in the process. The skin here was devoid of hair as well, apart from the top and back of her head, and it was stretched relatively tightly over her skull. Her muzzle was completely gone, her mouth and nostrils now even with her eyes. A nose like a centaur’s, but pointier, stuck out from her face between mouth and eyes and seemed to be of the same flexible material beneath the skin as her ears, which jutted statically from the sides of her head now. There was also the distinct absence of her horn upon her head.

Her attire and belongings had also been transformed by her passage through Star-Swirl’s magic mirror. The travelling robes she’d been wearing weren’t remarkably changed, just modified to fit her new body; though sitting down, there did seem to be quite a lot of fabric wrapped around her. Her saddlebags had also morphed into a satchel hanging at her side. She fumbled with the strap and buckle with her new hands but managed to get it open and peer inside. Her provisions were unchanged, as were Star-Swirl’s notes and Celestia’s letter from what she could tell, though the parchment was of a different quality.

“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked.

She hadn’t realized during her inspection how loudly her heart was pounding in her ears. This was crazy, but she would adjust to it; she had to, in order to protect her own world. She tried casting a calming spell on herself but was met with … nothing. No well of magical energy existed for her to draw from, leaving no possibility to cast even the simplest spell. That terrified Twilight more than any of the other changes that had happened. She began to hyperventilate but again reminded herself that she had to adjust and get on with things. Her breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal, and she let out a sigh to release tension.

“Twilight?” Spike asked again, concern tensing his voice.

“I will be fine, Spike,” Twilight told him as she reached out her hands to try to get herself into a standing position. “We need to find where Sunset Shimmer took the Element of Sorcery.”

Shakily, Twilight pushed herself upright. With the way her arms and legs were proportioned, it was obvious that this body of hers was meant to walk bipedally, like a minotaur, satyr, or felis. Her legs wobbled as she rose, uncertain about how to balance with only two points of contact with the ground, but she eventually managed to push herself upright by clinging to the plinth behind her. One hand briefly fell through the surface of the portal back home, but she managed to pull it back and grab hold of the corner in time to keep from toppling over.

Once she was upright, she was able to take in her surroundings, starting with the block of stone she was leaning against. The slab was a solid block apart from ribbed columns that wrapped around the corners. Both sides that Twilight could see appeared exactly the same, but only one of them was secretly a portal to Star-Swirl’s creation and rippled like the mirror when she ran her fingers along it. Atop the plinth was a statue of a rearing pony, although with its thinner limbs and longer muzzle, the proportions were too exaggerated to resemble any kind of pony Twilight had met; one exception might be the Saddle Arabians, but that was still a stretch.

The pseudo-pony was not alone on the plinth. Atop its back was sitting a creature similar to what Twilight had become. As Twilight made her way around the statue, she could see that the biped had their mouth open, presumably in a shout, and held a set of reigns in one hand leading to a bit and bridle in their mount’s mouth. In their other hand they held an outstretched saber that looked little different than those Twilight had seen in her own world, apart from the hilt being designed for holding in a hand rather than between one’s teeth.

The statue was surrounded by dew-covered grass with a circle of gravel breaking up the greater lawn around it. On one side, the gravel path led to a set of open gates in a long wrought-iron fence. Past the fence was a line of buildings in a style Twilight couldn’t recognize. There was a glow from beyond them as the sun rose, bringing light to the near-dawn sky. Twilight Sparkle glanced up at the starry sky and located the moons. The most important thing she had gleaned from a quick glance at Star-Swirl’s notes before coming here was that the portal between the worlds opened and closed whenever this world’s twin moons met in the sky above it. The moons weren’t near each other right now, but she would need to prioritize finding out when they would meet again. That way, she would know how much time she had before the portal deactivated and she was trapped in this world. She brought her attention back down to the gate and the metal sign above it. The letters were backwards, and she knew that even if they were reversed, they wouldn't be written in either High or Low Equestrian. At the very least, she was still able to read them.

“Canterlot Academy,” she sounded out as she read the sign.

“Cant’r Laht?” Spike asked. “Does that mean we’re in this world’s version of Cant’r Laht?”

“It would appear so,” Twilight said with uncertainty. “I am not really sure what that means, though. So much seems different, the name may be all that is the same.”

Making her way back around the statue and gradually becoming more accustomed to walking, Twilight examined what else was enclosed by the fence. Directly ahead was a three-story brick building covered in glass windows. There were some other buildings of similar architecture to the north, but this one loomed largest. Yellow light glowed from some of the windows, though it didn’t flicker like candlelight.

“It appears to be some sort of manor house, like in a Cant’r Laht estate,” Twilight said.

“Sunset Shimmer’s?” Spike asked.

“We shall see,” Twilight said as she strode toward the manor. “Come on Spike, let us see what we can find inside.”

“Do you think that’s … safe?” Spike asked as he followed.

“I will be at a disadvantage since I am not familiar with this new body. And … without my magic,” Twilight admitted. Spike’s ears went up and his eyes widened in surprise at this revelation. “But,” she continued, “we cannot afford to wait.”

Twilight Sparkle made her way to the building’s entrance, carefully navigating the stairs that led up to the doors. Cautious of what she’d find on the other side, she grasped a handle with her hand and pushed a door open. Inside was an empty hall with twin staircases running up the back wall to the second floor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the light coming from it didn’t originate from candles or magical lights (as far as Twilight could tell) but instead from glowing glass bulbs. There was a tall clock directly ahead, and Twilight Sparkle walked toward it to examine the mechanisms within. The pendulum was encased behind a tall pane of glass, and the sorceress was finally able to get a complete view of herself reflected in it.

“What am I?” she wondered as she examined her strange new form.

Twilight jumped back and only barely saved herself from tumbling to the floor as the clock began to loudly chime. Bells sounded from outside a moment later, and in under a minute, the entry hall was empty no more. Other people walked or ran through the foyer, avoiding Twilight when they could but brushing past her when they couldn’t. She got some strange looks, but that was expected, given that her attire was completely different from theirs. Her robes looked remarkably out of place when contrasted with the bright blue jackets on everyone, pleated skirts on the females, and scarlet trousers on the males. (This was a distinction Twilight was only just beginning to make now that she had multiple individuals to compare with herself and the statue outside.) Their clothing was so remarkably uniform that Twilight was surprised Star-Swirl’s mirror hadn’t placed her in something similar; maybe it would have had she been wearing something closer to what she’d seen Sunset Shimmer in. She didn’t fully understand the rules of this world or of Star-Swirl’s mirror—something she’d have to remedy if she ever found a spare moment to go through her idol’s notes more thoroughly. After a few minutes, the crowds had disappeared, the last few individuals to pass by her moving at a quicker pace than the earlier ones.

“What was that?” Spike asked as he crept out from beneath a bench where he’d hidden to avoid being trample.

“I do not know,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “We should continue exploring and be on guard in case it occurs again.”

Spike followed Twilight as she headed for a doorway out of the foyer and entered a hallway. There were doors regularly spaced along the hall, and they could hear muffled voices on the other side, though the glazed glass on the doors stopped Twilight from seeing what was happening on the other side. There was nothing distinctive that might direct their search, despite the pair’s vigilance. Twilight was beginning to think locating Sunset Shimmer and the Elements of Sorcery would be impossible, until she heard raised voices ahead. She hurried forward and peered around the corner, spotting two individuals standing alone in the hallway: two females in identical uniforms, both with yellow skin. Both were the same height (actually, the one with pink hair might turn out to be taller if she stood up straight instead of cowering), but the one with red and yellow hair seemed to be looming over the other. Could it be?

“I’m so sorry,” the intimidated one whimpered. “When I found the crown, I-I thought I should return it to the headmistress. I had no idea th-that you dropped it.” Crown? Does she mean the Element of Sorcery?

“Well, I did, and now you’ve ruined everything. Nothing new there,” the aggressive one taunted. “You should know better than to pick up things that don’t belong to you.”

“It doesn’t belong to you, either,” the cowering girl muttered as she looked away from her tormenter.

“What did you say!?”

“N-n-nothing,” the pink-haired one stuttered as she shrank even more than before.

“That’s right,” the other gloated, secure in her victory. “That crown’s as good as mine. You just stay out of my way. Stay with your own kind, those filthy stray animals.”

“That is enough!” Twilight said as she stepped out into the hallway, unable to stand by any longer as the browbeaten girl struggled to hold back tears. “How dare you speak to her in this manner?”

“Why don’t you mind your own business?” the red-haired girl snarled as she turned to face Twilight and a look of surprise crossed her face.

“Why do you not leave her be? There is no reason to torment her so,” Twilight said.

“Are you a pilgrim that wandered in off the street or something?” the other girl said with a smirk as she looked over Twilight’s clothes. “This is a private academy; go somewhere else if you’re looking for charity. A word to the wise: get out of here before the school guards throw you out. And another piece of free advice: I can talk to anyone however I want.”

She stalked off down the hallway in satisfaction, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone with the other girl.

“Thank you,” she said quietly as she straightened herself out. “I can’t believe you did that!”

“Did what?” Twilight asked. “I could not stand by and let her insult you so.”

“Anybody else would have,” the other girl said. “Nobody opposes Sunset Shimmer.”

So, my instincts were right! That was Sunset Shimmer. It’s fortunate that she didn’t seem to recognize me.

“So, are you really a pilgrim?” the other girl asked. “You look about the same age as me. Are you a new student from another school?”

“Yes, that is it,” Twilight lied. “Another … school.” Sunset Shimmer had apparently managed to blend in here as a student; if Twilight wanted to keep an eye on her and locate the Element of Sorcery, she would need to blend in here, too.

“You must have just gotten here, then,” the other girl said as she observed Twilight’s robes. “You’ll want to speak to the headmistress. What’s your name?”

“I am Twilight Sparkle. What about you?”

“Oh, I-I’m Fl…” the other girl said shyly, her voice trailing off so that Twilight couldn’t make out the entirety of her name.

“Sorry, I’m afraid I did not catch that,” Twilight said.

“I-I said my name is Fluttershy,” the girl said, this time a little louder.

Surely Twilight’s new ears were playing tricks on her. If Fluttershy had followed her through the mirror as Spike had, then how would she already know more about this world than Twilight did? She did have a similar appearance and demeanor to the Fluttershy Twilight knew, but there was no way this girl could be her. Everything about this was strangely familiar, though.

“Oh my goodness!” the girl who claimed to be Fluttershy exclaimed as she pushed past Twilight to get to Spike, who’d revealed himself from behind the corner. “Hello little guy! Oh, he’s adorable! Is he yours?”

“Um, yes,” Twilight said, turning around and bemusedly watching as Fluttershy scratched Spike behind his ears, something he seemed to be enjoying quite a bit. “This is Spike, my … hound.”

There was no doubt; this was exactly like when Twilight Sparkle had first met Fluttershy outside of Ponieville; it was too much of a coincidence for her not to realize that. This girl was Fluttershy, but not the Fluttershy from Twilight’s world. She was this world’s Fluttershy, which meant that it was likely every individual in Twilight’s world had a version in the World Across the Divide. No wonder Star-Swirl had cautioned against large numbers of ponies crossing over; they might cause all sorts of chaos if they encountered their duplicates. Twilight was vaguely worried that she might run into this world’s version of herself, but Fluttershy hadn’t recognized her, so she must either not exist or not live anywhere near here. The important thing was that she had found someone in this world whom she knew, in a way, and might not be entirely alone.

“Wouldn’t you give anything to know what he’s thinking?” Fluttershy wondered as she continued to pet Spike.

“Usually he tells me,” Twilight said absently while still considering alternate versions of ponies before she realized her gaffe. For all I know, hounds don’t speak in this world either and Spike is a special exception since he came over with me.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked suspiciously, and Spike yipped to draw her attention back.

“Oh, nothing,” Twilight tried to laugh it off, and Fluttershy seemed to have forgotten the strange comment as she petted Spike. “I overheard what you said to Sunset Shimmer earlier. You found a crown she had dropped, correct?”

“Yes, ... that,” Fluttershy said, biting her lip. “I was returning to the academy last night when I spotted it on the front lawn, out by the statue of General Sherwit. I have no idea how it got there, but I thought I should return it to the headmistress.”

“Right, the headmistress,” Twilight said. “You said I should speak to her. Where can I find her?”

“Back the way you came, up the stairs, and follow the signs,” Fluttershy said as she pointed back toward the entry hall. “Oh! You should keep Spike in your room or concealed in your bag if you don’t want to part with him. You’re not supposed to have pets on campus.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said as Fluttershy opened the bag at her side, revealing several birds and squirrels nested among a disordered collection of papers, books, bandages, and odd brass devices.

“You’re welcome. Nice to meet you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said sweetly before realization dawned on her face and she took off in a sprint. “Oh no! I’m late!”

“What do you think, Spike?” Twilight asked once Fluttershy was gone and there were no signs of other students around to overhear.

“I don’t know. Is there space in your satchel for me?” he asked.

“Not that,” Twilight said. “It appears there are alternate versions of ponies from Equestria here.”

“Well, Celestia did say this world was bizarre yet also similar, didn’t she?” Spike asked.

“Hmm, I suppose so,” Twilight said. “I never expected anything quite like this, though. I should read Star-Swirl’s notes. First, though, I think I should speak to the headmistress. I do not know if Sunset Shimmer’s threat was hollow, but I should sort things out before any guards arrive to escort me away.”

“Plus, according to Fluttershy, the headmistress should have the Element of Sorcery,” Spike said as he crawled into Twilight’s satchel, moving items around to make barely enough space for himself.

“Exactly,” Twilight said as she stood back up and closed the flap gently over him.

She followed Fluttershy’s instructions, heading back to the entry hall where she’d arrived. Everything seemed peaceful now, but there was no telling when another swarm of students might descend. At the top of the stairs, there were several placards with arrows on the wall, one of them labeled Headmistress’s Office. Twilight followed it and the other placards through the second-floor hallways until she reached the door with an identical title etched upon the frosted glass. Tentatively, Twilight knocked.

“Come in,” a voice came from the other side, and Twilight opened the door.

The headmistress’s office was a dark, hazy room with bookshelves lining the walls, except for where a large window with curtains drawn across it was located. Behind a large wooden desk piled high with papers sat the headmistress. She was dressed similarly to the students, apart from epaulettes on her jacket and gold braiding around her buttons, which were polished to a shine. That wasn’t what most drew Twilight’s attention, however. The headmistress was a woman with ivory skin and hair the color of a sunrise.

“Who are you?” the headmistress asked as she skeptically eyed Twilight’s attire.

“Celestia?” Twilight asked in surprise.

“You may address me as Headmistress, Lieutenant Colonel, or Ma’am,” Celestia said sternly. “Now, I will ask once more. Who are you?”

“Sorry … ma’am,” Twilight said, still slightly taken aback. “I am Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike crouched down as Twilight opened her satchel, careful to keep him out of Headmistress Celestia’s sight as she pulled out the letter from Regent Celestia.

“This should help explain,” she said as she handed the letter over.

Twilight had discreetly glanced at the letter before passing it across, and it looked like Star-Swirl’s mirror had transformed it from a letter written by Celestia to a form addressed to her. She couldn’t understand a lot of what was in it, but it did seem to suggest she was intended to be a student here; she just had to have faith it would accomplish what she needed.

“Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun,” Celestia read her full name while rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Is that the new fashion in Sottsland?”

“Uh, no ma’am, just me,” Twilight said. She seemed to have answered correctly, for Celestia looked back down at the form in front of her.

“Hmm. Your transfer paperwork all seems to be in order,” Celestia said as she folded it up and returned it to Twilight. “You’re late, you know. The term started two weeks ago.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“Report to the dean,” Celestia said, gesturing for Twilight to leave, “She’ll sort out your coursework, lodgings, and … uniform.”

Getting the feeling that Celestia didn’t want her around any longer, Twilight quickly backed out of the headmistress’s office. The dean’s office was also marked by the placards in the halls, though it was surprisingly nowhere near the headmistress’s office. Still, she managed to find her way there and was invited in. As she’d predicted, the dean was none other than Luna, who sat behind her own desk wearing a uniform similar to Celestia’s.

“A transfer student, eh?” Luna said as she reviewed Twilight’s paperwork. “Well, we’ll need to get you sorted out on the double.”

The casters on Luna’s chair clattered as she rolled over to a nearby cabinet and opened it to pull out several portfolios. She dropped them on her desk as she wheeled past it to another cabinet. This one required a key to unlock, and she produced a ring of them from within her jacket. Inside were several cubicles, and Luna withdrew another key from one of them before shutting the cabinet without locking it. Before she did so, Twilight spotted a golden circlet that looked to be made from leaves in one of the cubicles, and something akin to magic awoke within her to let her know that this was the Element of Sorcery. To keep from looking suspicious, she turned her attention back as Luna wheeled back over to her desk.

“Here is your academy handbook and the key to your lodgings—Room 223 in the Women’s Dormitory. Losing either is a serious offence that will result in serious consequences,” Luna said as she handed over a small metal key and a thin but sturdy booklet; Twilight tucked both into her saddlebags as the dean placed two packets of paper on the desk in front of her. “You will need to choose a civilian and military major from those lists.”

Twilight didn’t intend to stay in this world any longer than necessary, but she had to go through the motions if she wanted to blend in long enough to retrieve the Element of Sorcery. It was tantalizing knowing it was so close, but she didn’t think she could successfully snatch it from the cabinet and flee back to Equestria without leading Luna to the portal—certainly not in her robes and this Luna’s intimidating fitness level. So, she perused the first packet in front of her, which held a list of civilian majors. If she had to study something while plotting how to get her Element back, it would be best to choose something useful in helping her understand the World Across the Divide.

“I will take Illean History,” she announced to Luna.

The alternate version of the Guardian of the Moon slid a piece of paper into a contraption on her desk and began to tap on its keys, intriguing Twilight as to just what she was doing.

“And for your military major?” Luna asked as she adjusted the contraption and tapped some more. “I know Sottsland doesn’t have compulsory martial education, but is there any department for which you have experience or an affinity?”

Twilight examined the cover of the second packet and the table of contents printed there.

Infantry Department (2)
Cavalry Department (4)
Artillery Department (7)
Engineering Department (9)
Psionics Department (13)
Medical Department (17)
Combined Command (20)

“What is this ‘Combined Command’?” Twilight inquired as she flipped to the last page of the packet.

“Combined Command is our most intensive program. It requires knowledge of all the different departments and how they interact,” Luna explained. “It is a difficult program, and we have only six students studying it.”

“I will take it,” Twilight said. A program that touched on all the departments should allow her to go practically anywhere in the academy for her studies.

“Very well,” Luna said as she tapped away on her contraption. (Twilight was able to sneak a peek of this strange object and observed that each tap of a key triggered an arm to strike the paper and leave an inked letter behind.) “After you leave my office, report to the tailor to pick up and have your uniforms fitted. Change into your uniform in your dormitory before returning to campus. Acquaint yourself with the layout of the academy before reporting to the cafeteria over the noon hour. Your course list and materials should be delivered to your dormitory by then; I encourage you to spend the afternoon catching up on the weeks you missed. Any questions?”

“No, ma’am,” Twilight said and stood as she accepted a folded stack of papers from Luna.

“Good answer. I need to leave now,” Luna said as she stood and walked over to the cabinet she’d left unlocked earlier. “You are dismissed.”

“Um, excuse me, ma’am,” Twilight said as Luna withdrew the Element of Sorcery from the cabinet before locking it. “What is that?”

“Oh, I suppose it’s alright to tell you since you’re in the Combined Command course now,” Luna said as she grabbed a satchel, placing it and the Element upon her desk. “This is the Acclamation Crown, presented to the Combined Command student chosen by the other students at the end of the term to lead them in parade. There was an … incident, so I am taking it to a more secure location at Fort Krahn until the end of term.”

Luna placed a soft, narrow-brimmed cap on her head and placed the Element of Sorcery within her satchel before beckoning Twilight to leave her office.

“Welcome to Canterlot Academy, Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun” Luna said as she locked the office door after her. “Now, off with you. You have much to do.”

***

Later that morning, Twilight Sparkle stood in her dormitory room, adjusting her uniform in front of the mirror. The robes she’d come here with were hanging in the closet, exchanged for this very plain combination of jacket, skirt, and shoes. The uniforms adjusted by the tailor to fit her measurements also included a soft cap, a heavy coat, long strips of cloth with no discernable function, thick scarlet stockings, and boots; but she hadn’t seen any other students wearing those, so she left them in her new dresser.

“Are you sure about this, Twilight?” Spike asked as he examined her appearance in the mirror.

“Well … no, but this is probably the best way to learn about this world and retrieve the Element of Sorcery,” Twilight said, locking eyes with her reflection in determination. “If becoming a student at Canterlot Academy is what I must do to get home, then I will do it and give it my all!”

Comments

[Ultra Instinct Yamcha]

Very Nice! So it's Equestria Girls but it's set in the 1940's? Very Interesting concept!

[TasermonsPartner]

Heh, you do an excellent job at describing how Twilight reacted to the changes in her body, but I can only imagine what happened when she git fitted at the tailor's...

"Okay, so why are you measuring me there?...uh-huh...and why aren't you measuring me here?...O-Oh! Okaaay then!"

Also loved the details on her reaction to typewriters and refined paper and the like. Excellent details that many other writers may have overlooked.

Hmm, I wonder if the message Celestia sent was from one ruler to another and the Headmistress was simply guiding Twilight along on the ruse, or whether it was a forged document of sorts?