> The Chronicles Of Flare: Mirror Of Eden
>  by Vetnern
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Brace yourself, my dear boy," said Linas as we made our way toward the Aether Hill estate.

We had been travelling for at least a day or two, but Linas insisted we arrive without a moments hesitation. I was beginning to think he was just an old lunatic, but given all the stories he had told me of his adventures, I would say he had his moments in life. The professor sat directly opposite me in the carriage, he was wearing his trusty brown coat, a matching fedora hat perched upon his head. He was currently paying attention to the beautiful scenery that shrouded throughout Aether Hill.

I, on the other hand, was clearly outmatched by his ever increasing knowledge. I was simply a professors assistant, but I had learned a great deal from him during our frequent encounters. I remember the day we first met, I accused him of poppycock when he stated that he was in fact a professor.

"Professor Linas, this place looks like it hasn't been used in a very long time," I said.

"Quite right," he replied, pausing for a brief moment before averting his gaze back to me. "We will be the new occupants of it, I trust you haven’t forgotten your research notes,” he added.

I grabbed my briefcase and began searching through the vast amount of documents that were inside. It wasn’t long before I noticed that a key part in the professors research was missing. Looking up to him with a grief stricken face, he placed his hand on the inside of his coat and pulled out a pile of documents, chuckling as he did so.

“You ought to be careful with this information, we wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hands now,” he said before handing over my research.

“I’m terribly sorry, Professor. I don’t know what came over me,” I replied.

He cleared his throat and gestured for me to look out of the window, I did just that and what I saw was magnificent. Aether Hill mansion looked like something you would only read about in fairy tales. It made me wonder why such a place had been abandoned in the first place, but I guess i’ll leave that mystery for another day.

We came to a halt just a few short steps from the front door, as I looked up at the second floor of the house a strange feeling came over me, it was almost as if the house was calling me in. 

I grabbed my briefcase and we departed from the carriage, I gave my condolences to the driver, he left shortly afterwards, my attention turning once again to the professor.

“Let’s get to it then, we have no time to waste,” he said merrily.

He pulled out a small set of keys from the inside of his coat and proceeded to the door, I wasn’t surprised when the first key he chose, amongst the many keys that had been on the brass ring, unlocked the door. 

“How did you know which key to choose?” I asked, slightly bedazzled by his stroke of luck.

He turned the handle and the door slowly creaked open, the dust from the old house poured out into the light. He turned to me and held up the ring of keys, I began pondering for a moment and then it finally came to me, a small smile crept upon his face as I figured out the small mystery of the keys.

“Correct me if I am wrong, but I am making the assumption that you chose the key which was most flawed. Since this is the front door of the house, it would only be right that the key would get used quite often, making the end of the key worn out,” I said with great confidence, adjusting my hat.

The professor simply chuckled and handed me the set of keys, I began inspecting them as we made our way into the main hall of the house. 

“That was an impressive analysis, my apprentice. But the reason I chose this key out of the many that are there, is because the groundskeeper told me that this was the front door key,” he placed his belongings down and removed his coat, placing it on the coat rack that stood next to the stairs.

“I guess one should sometimes keep his assumptions under the hat,” I said as I joined the professor, who had situated himself in the study.

“Why don’t you take your things upstairs and get settled, we have lot’s of work to do within the next few days,” he said, gesturing for me to explore the house.

“Right you are, professor,” I replied.

Grabbing my briefcase from beside the coat rack, I made my way up the stairs, remembering to take a left at the top. I continued down the long corridor, past the many locked doors and opened the second last door.

I stepped inside the dark room and gently closed the door behind me, trying to avoid unsettling the dust which settled everywhere. I placed my briefcase down and walked over to the window, sunlight ignited the room as I pulled the old curtains apart. I took a moment to admire the scenery from the window, to see such a beautiful landscape like this was simply divine.

I portrayed a childish smile and turned to my briefcase, which lay by the king size poster bed. The short steps I took toward it had been halted by a strange object which caught my eye, I could see the corner of what appeared, to be a letter of some sort. I pulled the letter out from under the pillow using my index finger and thumb and placed myself on the bed.

Many investigative thoughts were currently going through my mind at this time, the priority of which had been whom the letter belonged to. The envelope itself was addressed to one Maria Wright. I turned the envelope over and tore off the wax seal, what was most peculiar at this point was the letter, it had the scent of new paper, as if it had been wrote today. 

I slowly pulled out the paper and unfolded it, placing the envelope on the bed beside me, I began to read the letter.



My dearest Maria,

I am writing to you with the greatest of discoveries, I believe I have found another dimension right here in this very house. 

You may think I am just an old fool blabbering on about such nonsense, but it is true. Sadly, I am needed greatly in the land they call Equestria and thus I shan’t be returning for some time. If there is ever a time when you need me, gaze upon your reflection via the Mirror of Eden and think of the great times we had together.

I’ll always be there for you,
your father, 

Edgar Wright. 

P.S I have recently become friends with a Pegasus who can perform a ‘Sonic Rainboom’, at least that’s what I think they call it.



“The land of Equestria?” I questioned my sanity, I knew as well as anybody that Pegasus horses were simply mythological creatures.

With the letter in my hand, I shot up off of the bed and to the door. Turning the handle and quickly departing from the room, “Professor, I-” my words had been cut short by the sudden creaky opening of the door directly opposite my sleeping quarters. 

I became bewildered as I slowly pushed the door open and made my way into the room, the curtains were blowing in the breeze, giving the empty room an eerie chill. I made my way to the window, the wooden floor creaking after every few steps, once I got there I looked out toward the forest.

I closed the window and proceeded to leave the room, suddenly stopping just a few feet from the door. I could hear it now, it had slowly crept up on me and I didn't even realize it. The sound of silence was engulfing the entire house, I could hear the grandfather clock in the hallway, 

Tick, tock, tick... Silence.

I felt a small chill on the back of my neck and slowly turned my attention to the back of the room, the drapes which had been motionless just a moment ago were now moving, almost as if-

“Impossible,” I whispered, dropping the letter. It made no noise as it hit the floor, I began cautiously making my way toward the illusion which lay before my eyes.

I placed my hand on the soft fabric, my mind was giving me the falsity that I could feel wind coming through from the other side. I pushed my hand further into the drapes and pulled back quickly, falling to the floor in shock.

“Is everything alright,” shouted the professor from the stairs, the sound of silence had gone.

I shot up from the floor and tore off the drapes, revealing a giant mirror. Placing my hands in various places, I for one was determined to find the source of the wind. Linas made his way into the room and picked up the letter from the floor, after quickly scanning the contents he came and stood beside me.

“This is it,” I said, still bemused by what had occurred.

“The Mirror of Eden,” replied Linas, pulling a cloth from his trousers and wiping off the smeared marks from where my hands had been. “Meet me downstairs once you are finished, I have found something that I think you might want to see,” he added before shortly returning to his work in the study.

I stood there for a few moments, trying to piece together what happened. This was probably the most bizarre thing that has happened to me during my time with the professor, I was determined to discover the mystery of this mirror.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As I entered the study, the sweet aroma of freshly made tea tingled my senses. During my time upstairs the professor had made good use of the ingredients he brought.

“So what exactly do you need me for?” I asked.

“Have a look at these,” said Linas, handing me a short stack of letters.

As I fumbled through each letter, I took note that almost all of them had been addressed to Edgar. I pulled out the odd envelope and checked the front and back for any clue as to who it belonged to.

“All but one,” I said to the professor.

“Well...?” he raised his brow.

“You’re right,” I said as I began to open the letter carefully, making sure to avoid any damage of the envelope’s aging contents.

As my eyes fell upon the words which lay before me, only one thing became clear. 

This mirror... Does it really possess such magical abilities?



	Dear Professor Linas,

You are needed at Canterlot Castle as soon as possible, please come quickly.

Princess Celestia.



“Linas... This letter... It’s asking for you,” I said, my hands shaking.

“Impossible,” he snapped, taking the letter and reading through it quickly.

His face became a pale white as he read the letter, I could tell from his shortness of breath and shaking hands that he was scared. Something I never thought I would see him be. He took a seat in his chair and removed his reading glasses.

“Are you okay, Professor?” I asked.

“Yes, dear boy. I just need a moment to think about this, It’s not everyday you get a letter from a different dimension,” he chuckled.

THUD!

We both stopped in terror and stared at the ceiling, trying to follow the movements of whatever was on the upstairs floor.

Tika, tika, tika, SLAM!

“Professor, what do you think it is?” I asked.

“Let’s go find out, there’s no point in cowering down here,” he said triumphantly.

As we slowly made our way to the staircase, I was extremely baffled as to why there was childlike laughter coming from upstairs. I could hear some muffled talking, it seemed to be coming from the room Linas and I had previously been in.

As I approached the door, I could just barely make out what they were saying.

“Applebloom, this is obviously the wrong place, I can’t see any moomans anywhere,”

“They’re called humans, you moron,”

“What are you, a dictionary?”

“Wait, I hear someone coming,”

“Quick! Back through here,”

I rushed to the door and burst through it, staring at the strange creature that was standing by the mirrors. It turned and ran, slamming straight into the mirror. I was a bit confused at first but then decided to approach the clumsy animal.

“Are you okay?” I asked cautiously.

“Well what does it look like?” it said, caressing the bump on it’s head.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, do you have a name?” I asked again, feeling rather uneasy at the fact I was talking to an animal that could reply back to me.

“The name’s Scootaloo, I’ll just get straight to the point.”

Scootaloo pulled a small crystal out of the saddlebag that she was wearing and handed it to me. I simply gazed at the crystal with a puzzled expression.

“What do I do with it?” I pondered.

“You don’t do anything with it, it’s a calling beacon,” said Scootaloo.

“A calling beacon?” said Linas, who had slowly inched his way into the room.

“Yes, it will glow very brightly when that mirror becomes a gateway to our dimension,” Scootaloo pointed at the Mirror of Eden. “Whether or not you pass through the mirror is entirely up to you, but Princess Celestia sent us to try and persuade you to come to our world and help,” she added.

“Help with what exactly?” I asked.

“You’ll just have to find that out for yourself,” she smiled.

A bright glow from the crystal caught my attention, I looked down on it as it slowly blinked away.

“That’s my cue to leave, I trust you will make the right decision,” She said as she flew up and began tapping me on the head.

She paused for a moment before spreading her wings to their full extent and soared through the mirror, vanishing from the room. Silence quickly fell upon the professor and I as we gazed around the now, empty room.

“Edgar was right,” said Linas.

“Indeed he was, Professor. Do you think he is still alive in the other dimension?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, but I do hope so,” he sighed.

“As do I,” I said, patting him on the shoulder.


* * *


Both Linas and I spent the next few hours just waiting in the study, anxiously staring at the crystal and wishing it would blink. The thought of seeing another dimension with my own eyes was killing me inside.

“Professor, what if the same thing that happened to Edgar, happens to us?” I asked, fiddling with a small hourglass.

“I’m sure he’s safe and sound, just like everyone else there.” he said.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Professor.What I’m trying to say is... What if we decide that we don’t want to return to our own dimension?” I sighed before getting up from my chair. “I don’t know why, but I have this strange feeling inside of me, but a good one. Scootaloo said Celestia really needed our help. You’re not just going to let an opportunity like this slip by, are you?” I added.

“Of course not, I’m just tired of waiting for this darn thing to start glowing,” he said sternly.

The oil lamp that was on the table began flickering, just like that. There was no way the wind could get to it because of the metal casing. I slowly gazed around the room and could feel the silence drawing closer.

“It’s the mirror!” I shouted.

I grabbed the crystal and ran upstairs to the room with the mirror in it, swiftly followed by Linas. We stopped in the center of the room, the noise had been completely removed by the ongoing storm of silence. I averted my gaze to the crystal which lay as dark as the room we were standing in, I wondered how long it would be before it would glow.

“Can you feel that?” asked Linas.

“Feel wh-” The sensation soon hit me, just as quick as the silence that had fell over the room.

The wind from this morning was back, just like before the wind was coming from the mirror itself, which almost seemed impossible. But from what I had seen and felt in the last twenty four hours, nothing seemed impossible to me any more.

The darkness around us was slowly fading away, I looked down at my hand and saw the glowing crystal that I once held earlier, in this very spot. I stepped up to the mirror and put my hand out, inching closer and closer to the glass Instead of stopping where it should have, my hand simply kept on going. I stopped and pulled my hand back, turning to Linas.

“I guess this is it,” I said.

“Well what are we waiting for, we have another dimension to discover,” he uttered as he joined me by the mirror.

I looked back on the room and without hesitation, I entered the Mirror Of Eden.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Hey, watch where you’re going!” 

“Sorry!” squeaked the small green filly as she ran through the streets of Canterlot

It was a particularly sunny day in Equestria, but this particular day was very special for young Flare. Today was one of the rare occasions in which Princess Celestia called upon one of her students to journey with her to a secret location. Now this young pony feeling as confident as she was, decided to put her name forward for the journey.

She rushed through the entrance gates of Canterlot Castle and right past the fountains. The smell of freshly grown roses tingled her senses as she climbed the steps toward the entrance. Her dash suddenly came to a halt as the guards protecting the castle locked up their spears and stared down upon the young filly.

“What business do you have here?” boomed the guard.

“I’m a student of Princess Celestia and have been called here to attend a service thingy,” she said, stumbling as she attempted to pull off a royal salute to the guards.

They lowered their spears and opened the doors to the central hall of the castle, where four other students of the Princess stood waiting. Flare walked through the hallway toward the group, gazing merrily at all of the Princess’s most loyal students who scattered the walls of the hall. She joined the group of ponies who had been waiting for Celestia’s arrival.

“Aren’t you a little too young to be here, Flare?” asked one of the students who had been watching her closely the moment she entered the castle.

This pony stood taller than the other ponies who were in the room. She had a light brown coat and a peachy-blue tinted mane. Her name was Vasco and she was Flare’s older sister.

“I really want to do this,” said Flare, her sister groaned and rolled her eyes.

They all drew their attention to the end of the hall as the doors to next room slowly swung open, Celestia stepped through and summoned her students to follow her to the main chamber. Flare took a quick breath and proceeded through the doors first, shortly followed by her sister and the remaining three students.

“I take it you know why I have asked to see you all of you today?” said Celestia.

“You’re going to choose one of us to accompany you to a special location,” squeaked Flare, blushing when she noticed everyone staring at her.

“That is correct, Flare. I’ve heard a lot about you from the stories your sister keeps telling me,” said Celestia with a smile. “However, on this occasion I wish for Vasco to join me in my travels. She has proved to me her dedication and loyalty ever since she started her studies with me, I hope all of you some day can become just as loyal as her.”

Flare lowered her head in despair, for she wished to be the one to be at Celestia’s side when she was needed most. Vasco placed her arm around her sister to try and comfort her.

“I shall see you bright and early tomorrow, Vasco. My duties are needed elsewhere for the time being so you are all dismissed until I return. I hope you keep up your studies, I’m looking forward to seeing the progress you all make,” said Celestia, nodding to all of her students and proceeded towards her personal chambers.

“Let’s go home little sister, I’ll make your favorite pancakes to cheer you up,” whispered Vasco.

“Sound’s amazing,” said Flare, wiping a tear from her eye.


* * *


Flare sat at a table directly opposite her sister, slowly picking away at her pancakes. She had been thinking about what it would be like to be with Princess Celestia when she travelled to her special locations.

“Is there something on your mind, little sis?” asked Vasco, covering her mouth while she ate.

“I just really wanted to go with the Princess this time,” sighed Flare.

“You’re much too young to be a part of something like that, maybe things will change when you get a little older,” said Vasco.

A short moment of silence occurred between the two as they continued to eat, the sound of the grandfather clock from the hallway echoed through the house. Flare shook her head and climbed off her chair, she left the kitchen and headed straight to bed. The door opened and her sister entered the room, placing herself by the end of her bed. She stroked Flare’s hair and gave her a kiss goodnight.

“You know, your father would have been proud of you” she said, closing the door gently behind herself.


* * *


Flare awoke in the morning, stretching her limbs out and yawning. The early morning sun slowly creeping through her window. She climbed out her bed and packed her things for school, making sure to check through her homework to see if she hadn’t missed anything important.

“Vasco?” she called out to her sister as she entered the kitchen.

To her dismay there was no reply from her sister, she placed her saddlebag on the table and saw a letter attached to the noteboard. 

To my dearest Sister,

I would have made you breakfast this morning, but Princess Celestia came for me in the middle of the night. So by the time you read this I will already have started my travels with her. I hope you study hard and look forward to seeing you when I return.

Missing you already, 
Vasco.
	
Flare took the note and placed it in her bag to read over until her sister returned, she grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and headed off towards her school. 

There were quite a few clouds in the sky today but no rain had been forecast for a few days, she arrived at her school without a moments hesitation and proceeded to the main entrance. As she placed her hoof on the door, the sky turned red. She looked in the direction of Canterlot and saw a magic ball of light shoot up into the air and light up the sky. 

The noise of a siren filled the air as panic erupted across all of Ponyville, rumors quickly spread around that Princess Celestia had been killed, but no confirmation had been given. Flare noticed a group of guards approaching her, which made her frightened and insecure. 

“Princess Luna has requested you see her at Canterlot Castle immediately,” said the guard in the middle of the group.

“What’s going on, has something happened to my sister?” she cried.

“I’m sorry, but you really must come with us,” interrupted the guard.

The siren grew louder and louder as Flare was escorted to the castle, the only thing she had on her mind was whether or not her sister was going to come back.