In Reflection, The Same

by Faedelaide

Invitation

Twilight tore through her neatly organised bags, looking for enough to bring with her on her trip to the Crystal Empire. Spike watched in dismay from the hallway as books, utensils and winter apparel flew in every direction.

"I spent so much time sorting those," he whimpered to himself.

"I'm sorry Spike, but I didn't expect to be given an invitation to the Crystal Empire, and on such short notice too! I need to pack light, I need to make this as quick a trip as possible," Twilight responded.

"I thought this was 'packing light'," Spike said under his breath.

Twilight could practically feel her other self pacing anxiously. "Twilight, I still don't think this is a good idea. I urge you to stay here."

"Not happening, Twilice, no matter what you say."

"It's not just about my... distaste for the Crystal... Empire. If you are to travel that far, my telepathy spell will be stretched so thin that I will be unable to converse with you," Twilice explained.

"Will you still be able to hear my thoughts?" Twilight asked.

There was a pause. "...No, I will not."

"Well, then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," Twilight said simply, tossing a woolen scarf onto the bed.

"You don't understand, Princess. I can't risk being alone again, not after I've spent so many years in this accursed ice already," Twilight could hear Twilice's shuddering at the thought of returning to isolation.

"I'll be back as soon as possible, Twilice, I swear it."

Twilice only gurgled in response, so Twilight took a small notebook, quill, ink, and her scarf, and hastily stuffed them into an emptied saddlebag.

"I just need a couple more things," Twilight said to herself. She walked past Spike, who entered the bedroom to begin reorganizing her supplies, and down the hall to Gillian's room, where she knocked on the soundproofed door.

Almost immediately, Gillian swung open the door and smiled at her. "Hi, Twilight! What's up, you goin' somewhere?" she pointed to the small bag on Twilight's side.

"Yeah, I'm going on a quick research mission to Crystal Empire." Twilight divulged, walking over to the table and grabbing the purple sphere that still held an intact, unphased hunk of ice.

Gillian's eyes sparked with curiosity again, but the spark faded just as quickly as it had come. She turned back to fiddle with one of the many panels dotting the wall of her room as Twilight closed the heavy textbook and tried to fit in her bag.

"Oh, ok, you have fun then. I'll hold down th'fort and try to talk with Gilda on figurin' out what t'do next."

"I know you can do it," Twilight cooed as she reached for the door. "...Actually, would you like to come with me to the Crys-"

"You really mean it? Of course I'd love to come! I'll pack my bags right now! it'll only take twenty seconds!" Gillian rambled, and without another word, zipped over to her bed and tore open several metal shelves.

Twilight suppressed a laugh as she closed the door to Gillian's room and headed downstairs. As she expected, most of her friends were scattered around the living room. Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack were all sat at the table in the corner, while Rainbow dash sat casually on the couch beside the stairway.

Applejack watched Twilight walk downstairs, and eyed her now stuffed saddlebag.

"What'cha doin with that bag, Twilight?" She questioned.

"Cadance sent me an invitation to the Crystal Empire after Rarity showed me that arrowhead she found, so I'm going to head over there to see if I can find anything on this ice."

For a split second, Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at each other, then back to Twilight.

"Y-you're not thinking of flying all that way on your own, are you?" Fluttershy mumbled.

Twilight shook her head. "No, I'm bringing Gillian with me to help with my search, and I want Rainbow to come with me as well."

Rainbow Dash snapped upright at the mention of her name. "What do you need me for?"

"Flying to the Crystal Empire from Griffonstone is going to take hours. I need someone who can make the trip to and from Griffonstone as quickly as possible in case Gillian and I find something that the rest of our team would need to know."

"Ha, I could get to the Crystal Empire before you even leave Griffonstone, Twi. Just let me get some snacks for the road."

Rainbow leaped off the couch and zoomed into the kitchen while Gillian scampered down the stairs with a bag in her hand.

"I'm ready t'go, Twilight! Are we bringin' anyone else?" she looked at the trio sat at the table.

"Rainbow Dash is going to come as our messenger in case we have something urgent we need to tell the rest of the group."

"Cool! Lemme go tell Gilda where'm goin' then." Gillian looked out the window to look for her kin.

"The griffons haven't come inside yet, I think they're out near the dock," Applejack told her.

Pinkie suddenly rose from her chair and bounced over to look out the window as Gillian headed outside. "They better not be having a snowball fight without me!" she threw open the door and bounded behind the lanky griffon.

"Well, there goes Pinkie," Applejack muttered.

Twilight walked to the now wide open door, and Rainbow Dash bolted to her side with a small bag of assorted sweets.

"Ready to go when you are."

"Alright, let's go tell Gilda." Twilight walked behind Rainbow, closing the door as they left the cabin.

"Good luck with your... research, Princess," Twilice said quietly.

"Thanks, Twilice. I'll make sure I find a way to get you out as soon as I get back."

"I will hold you to that promise, though I have my concerns about how your friends will act while you are away."

"They're my friends, Twilice. I'd trust them with my life."

Twilice growled quietly as she thought of a response. "Then take it from the Princess trapped in a block of ice; A life may not be as valuable to others as it is to you."